The innovative practice projects for training college students should play an important role in promoting them to think about the complex engineering problems. With a project "To improve the dissolution rate of helicid using electrospun medicated nanofibers" as an example, a series of different kinds of complex engineering problems have been refined. These problems include those about a series of factors that would be encountered during the preparation of working solution for electrospinning; problem about the systematic optimization and selection of operational parameters for a smooth and robust electrospinning process; those comprising multiple steps jointly for characterizing the resultant products; and those associated with a series of social concerns and also the patients' application. These complex engineering problems should be vivid teaching materials for the students, which can be utilized to foster their practice interests, to improve their innovative and engineering capabilities.


ABSTRACT A pure capitalist system has private ownership of wealth and administration of the economy via markets. As pure socialist system has stare ownership and administration by a bureaucracy. One offers growth and insecurity, and the other offers security and stagnation. In reality, neither has existed nor can exist for long. The feasible alternatives are welfare capitalism and market socialism. Over the last fifty years, the transition from welfare to corporate capitalism has taken place in the West under U. S. leadership. It has resulted in increasing insecurity and inequality within rich countries and between rich and poor countries. The transition from bureaucratic to market socialism in China over the last twenty years has brought to its people amazing growth and prosperity- and many of the ills of a market economy. It remains to be seen whether market socialism in China is an attractive alternative to welfare capitalism, or is no more than a transition to corporate capitalism.


INTRODUCTION
there is more and more scientific data on sweeteners but at the same time there is more dissemination of information and it is sometimes contradictory Methods: observational field study with analysis of data referring to current legislation, approvals by European Union authorities and systematic reviews.

RESULTS
the European Union has one of the best systems in the world for the evaluation, approval and authorization of sweeteners and those approved have been immersed since 2010 in a revaluation process, such as that of the other additives.

CONCLUSIONS
sweeteners are a tool for the reduction and elimination of sugar at foodstuffs. The total diet is the one that must have as a whole a reduction in calories to be effective in the control and reduction of overweight and obesity.


Bone disease in multiple myeloma (MM) is characterized by lytic bone lesions, which can cause severe bone pain, pathologic fractures and hypercalcemia. However, the lytic bone disease in MM differs from that in other cancer patients who have lytic bone metastases. Although increased osteoclastic bone destruction is involved in MM and other tumors involving bone, in contrast to other tumors, once the MM tumor burden exceeds 50% in a local area, osteoblast activity is either suppressed or absent. The basis for this severe imbalance between increased osteoclastic bone resorption and decreased bone formation has been a topic of intensive investigation over the last several years and will be reviewed in this article. Leukemia advance online publication, 27 November 2008; doi:10.1038/leu.2008.336


Purpose: The study examined the effectiveness of entrepreneurship education in developing entrepreneurial skills in Senior Secondary School students for community development in Kano Metropolis, Nigeria.
Methodology: The study adopted a descriptive survey design. The population was made up of teachers in all the public secondary schools in Kano Metropolis Area of Kano State. The samples consisted of 346 teachers randomly selected from public senior secondary schools in Kano metropolis. A twenty items structured questionnaire titled "Developing Entrepreneurship Skills in Secondary School Students for Community Development Questionnaire (DESSSSCDQ)" was used for data collection. Its validity and reliability were established using Cronbach's alpha method and the value obtained was 0.82. The data collected were analyzed using Mean (), standard deviation (SD) and t-test statistical tools. Results: The results indicated that most teachers strongly opined that Entrepreneurship Education was effective in developing entrepreneurial skills in Senior Secondary School students for community development. Dearth of qualified entrepreneurship teachers, instructional facilities, inadequate funding were some of the challenges facing the effective teaching of entrepreneurship education in senior secondary schools. The result also showed no significant difference in the mean opinions of male and female Senior Secondary School Teachers on the role of Entrepreneurship Education for community development (t(344)= 0.612, P = 0.584 > 0.05).
Recommendations/Classroom Implications: It was recommended among others that facilities needed to teach Entrepreneurship Education should be made available in schools so as to ensure that needed skills will be acquired for sustainable community development.


This perspective outlines how authors of ocean methods, guides, and standards can harmonize their work across the scientific community. We reflect on how documentation practices can be linked to modern information technologies to improve discoverability, interlinkages, and thus the evolution of distributed methods into common best practices within the ocean community. To show how our perspectives can be turned into action, we link them to guidance on using the IOC-UNESCO Ocean Best Practice System to support increased collaboration and reproducibility during and beyond the UN Decade of Ocean Sciences for Sustainable Development.


Rationale: Estimating the impact of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) from routinely collected intensive care unit (ICU) data is methodologically challenging. Objectives: We aim to replicate earlier findings of limited VAP-attributable ICU mortality in an independent cohort. By refining statistical analyses, we gradually tackle different sources of bias. Methods: Records of 2,720 adult patients admitted to Ghent University Hospital ICUs (2013–2017) and receiving mechanical ventilation within 48 hours after admission were extracted from linked Intensive Care Information System and Computer-based Surveillance and Alerting of Nosocomial Infections, Antimicrobial Resistance, and Antibiotic Consumption in the ICU databases. The VAP-attributable fraction of ICU mortality was estimated using a competing risk analysis that is restricted to VAP-free patients (approach 1), accounts for VAP onset by treating it as either a competing (approach 2) or censoring event (approach 3), or additionally adjusts for time-dependent confounding via inverse probability weighting (approach 4). Results: A total of 210 patients (7.7%) acquired VAP. Based on benchmark approach 4, we estimated that (compared with current preventive measures) hypothetical eradication of VAP would lead to a relative ICU mortality reduction of 1.7% (95% confidence interval, −1.3 to 4.6) by Day 10 and of 3.6% (95% confidence interval, 0.7 to 6.5) by Day 60. Approaches 1–3 produced estimates ranging from −0.7% to 2.5% by Day 10 and from 5.2% to 5.5% by Day 60. Conclusions: In line with previous studies using appropriate methodology, we found limited VAP-attributable ICU mortality given current state-of-the-art VAP prevention measures. Our study illustrates that inappropriate accounting of the time dependency of exposure and confounding of its effects may misleadingly suggest protective effects of early-onset VAP and systematically overestimate attributable mortality.


The enhanced penetration of the renewable energy sources (RES) is dependent on microgrid (MG) to a power system is impact stability of the system due to a variation in dynamic properties of the MG from a traditional generator. As a result, analyzing the new issues with dynamic stability and controlling the operation of the power system in the connection of rising MG penetration becomes critical. This paper contains a MG system with renewable energy assisted, superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) storage and an extreme learning machine (ELM) based proportional integral derivative (PID) controller. The effect of renewable-based MG penetration on a dynamic stability and control of the multi machine multi area system under varied operating situations is comprehensively investigated in this study. Non-linear time-domain simulations and several performance indicators are used to evaluate the controller's ability with the different MG penetration percentages under various disturbances and operational conditions.


Job-loss is a rapidly growing concern as we witness the greatest and most rapid economic downturn in a century. The negative psychological effect of unemployment has increasingly garnered attention. Previous literature has offered a formidable prognosis, stating that in response to job-loss, people typically follow a pattern of rapid decline in life satisfaction and never return to preunemployment levels. In this paper, we attempt to search for individual differences in response to job-loss using Latent Growth Mixture Modeling (LGMM) framework. By building homogeneous trajectories within a prospective design from 3 years before to 4 years after job-loss, we find that the majority of individuals (82%) demonstrate no long-term effects on life satisfaction in response to unemployment. We also examine the roll of larger market forces on levels of life satisfaction during and around the event of job-loss. Using a correlation model, demonstrated that life satisfaction is positively influenced by the regional unemployment rate. Clark (2003) argues that people report higher well-being when they lose their job if those in proximity to them are also becoming unemployed. Using the national and local unemployment rate in a regression model nested in the Latent Growth Model, we found that a social comparison effect is present immediately before unemployment but not once individuals became unemployed. This implies that people reference national and local employment trends in an attempt to anticipate their own course of employment rather than referencing those trends after job-loss.


Abstract The fabrication of spherical silver nanoparticles using the phytoreducing agent Elephantopus scaber is reported here. Irradiation of the reaction mixture under a domestic microwave oven enabled the formation of stable silver nanoparticles and was confirmed by UV-vis spectral portrait. Chemical components inherent in the aqueous leaf extract which reduces the monovalent silver were identified by FT-IR spectroscopy. The crystal structure of the synthesized nanoparticles was established as face centred cube by the powder XRD analysis. The TEM images suggest an average particle size of 37.86 nm to the silver nanoparticles. The prepared silver nanocatalysts can successfully reduce various organic nitro compounds, namely, 4-nitrophenol, 2-nitroaniline and 4-nitroaniline. The environmental pollution caused by dyes like eosin Y is effectively wiped off within a short span of time using the prepared nanocatalysts. The free radical quenching efficacy of the plant extract and the silver nanoparticles were checked by employing DPPH assay bestowing ascorbic acid reference. The potential of the nanoparticles as antimicrobials against six human disease causing pathogens were tested through the well diffusion pathway. The newly developed silver nanoparticles produced IC50 value 15.68 ± 0.15 μg/mL on human skin carcinoma cells, A375 and 65.49 ± 0.40 μg/mL on fibroblast cells, L929 when the cytotoxicity is studied employing MTT assay. Elephantopus scaber showed IC50 value 50.55 ± 0.17 μg/mL against A375 cells. Graphical Abstract


Abstract This paper estimates changes in the rates of return to human capital across the earnings distribution using data from over a 10-year period for Brazil. It uses these estimates to simulate the separate impacts of changes in returns to skills and changes in the supply of skills on earnings inequality. Evidence points strongly to growing inequality in rates of return to education in Brazil. This finding suggests that recent macroeconomic and trade reforms have been of most benefit to the skilled rather than the unskilled. Supporting evidence points to an improved competitiveness in the labour market, with workers increasingly rewarded for productivity. However, although increases in returns to education are more pronounced at the top of the earnings distribution, this did not in practice led to increased inequality. This is because levels of education and other labour market-rewarded endowments have increased and offset the rate of return effect. Appropriate education policy is therefore an essential partner for macroeconomic and trade reform if a developing economy is to avoid worsening income inequality.


The Sierra Madre del Sur, a Mesozoic-Cenozoic magmatic arc in southern Mexico, was studied using U-Pb zircon geochronology. Undeformed to slightly deformed plutons from two transects were sampled at the limit between the Guerrero and Xolapa terranes, in order to constrain the magmatic history, nature of the basement and terrane boundaries. Four samples from the Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, transect within the Guerrero terrane, yielded crystallization ages of 41.8 ± 1.4, 43.4 ± 1.6, 40.8 ± 1.4 and, 41.8 ± 4.6 Ma. No inherited zircons were detected in these plutons indicating that pre-existing zircons from continental basement or sediments are not a signifi cant component in these rocks. Five samples from the Atoyac, Guerrero transect within the Xolapa terrane, yielded crystallization ages of 53.5 ± 1.9, 52.7 ± 1.9, 57.3 ± 2.2, 54.4 ± 1.7, and 57.0 ± 2.1 Ma, analogous to the ages reported for the Acapulco intrusive. One sample of this transect yielded an age of 40.2 Ma with an inherited component of 58–64 Ma, similar to the ages determined for the fi rst fi ve samples. Several clusters of Mesozoic inherited zircons with ages of 72–74 Ma, 83–87 Ma, 90–92 Ma, 105–111 Ma and, 143–153 Ma, indicate that the magmatism in the Xolapa terrane was active since the Jurassic, and that multiple episodes of magmatism occurred during the Cretaceous. Inherited zircons also indicate that processes of assimilation and recycling of previous intrusive bodies have played an important role in the evolution of the Xolapa Complex. Older Paleozoic (~320 Ma; ~360 Ma) and Grenvillian (~960–1085 Ma) inherited zircons ages suggest an affi nity of the Xolapa Complex with the Acatlan and Oaxaca Complexes, even though the metasedimentary basement of the Xolapa complex (of unknown age) may be the source of these Paleozoic and Grenvillian zircons. The presence of inherited zircons in the Atoyac transect suggests that the limit between the Xolapa and Guerrero terranes is located between these two transects.


We recently reported the synthesis of albumin nanoparticles using cobalt as a traceless, reductively labile crosslinker. Here, we report in vitro characterization of particle uptake for fluorescently labeled cobalt crosslinked albumin nanoparticles (Co-Alb-FITC NPs) via image-based flow cytometry as well as preliminary toxicity data. Uptake of Co-Alb-FITC NPs by gastric carcinoma cells (SNU-5) was rapid, but could be dramatically reduced through the addition of an inhibitor of macropinocytosis. High levels of non-specific uptake of other particle types were also observed suggesting SNU-5 cells possess high macropinocytic activity. Cancers harboring mutated Ras (>20% of all cancers) are known to take up protein via macropinocytosis to satisfy metabolic demands. Because SNU-5 cells are not known harbor mutated Ras, our findings may indicate that other cancers rely on this mechanism as well, which would have important implications for observing selectivity in active nanoparticle targeting strategies. The Co-Alb NPs themselves were found to exhibit no inherent toxicity. Based on these initial findings, Co-Alb NPs were loaded with the active metabolite of camptothecin, SN-38, to explore their potential as a delivery vector for hydrophobic drugs. An albumin-topotecan prodrug conjugate was also synthesized by crosslinking the amine group in topotecan with lysine residues in the protein, which should be applicable to other amine-containing therapeutics. Characterization of drug loading and release will be discussed along with preliminary in vitro characterization. Citation Format: Robby A. Petros, Duong T. Nguyen, Ronaldo J. Cavazos, Clifford S. Morrison, Jana B. Lampe, Alesha N. Harris, Brian K. McFarlin. Utilizing cobalt coordination chemistry as a traceless prodrug strategy in targeted drug delivery. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 4399. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-4399


We designed waveguide crossings using the wavefront matching method to reduce the excess loss of a silica-based optical 8 × 8 matrix switch. We fabricated the switches using silica-based planar lightwave circuit (PLC) technology and confirmed that the excess loss of our designed waveguide crossings was lower than that of conventional crossings by 0.3dB. The average insertion loss of the fabricated switch including fiber-coupling loss was 1.7dB, which is the lowest value yet reported for a PLC-based switch. The designed waveguide crossings are practically useful for improving the performance of PLC switches with a large number of crossings.


This paper presents an extended Field Reconstruction Method (FRM) to model a Switched Reluctance Machine (SRM), which is set apart from other electric machines by its double-saliency and magnetic saturation. Traditional magnetic models of SRM developed using Finite Element Analysis (FEA) are computationally inefficient. This, in turn, limits their application in simulation of SRM drive system especially under iterative optimization procedures. FRM can significantly reduce the computational time by utilizing a small number of static magnetic field snapshots to establish the basis functions which are then used to reconstruct the magnetic field with high accuracy. In this paper an extended version of FRM is introduced within which effects of magnetic saturation and double saliency are taken into account. Results from FRM, FEA and experiments are compared and good accuracy is observed.


Abstract The small scale industry in Nigeria is considered to be an important element to the growth of the economy in contributing to the gross domestic products of the economy and it has been of contention that strategic leadership has influenced and sustained the performance of small and medium enterprises. As such, the main objective of the study is to examine how the exercising of strategic leadership has influenced and sustained the performance of small and medium enterprises in Nigeria in terms of social impact. About 300 questionnaires were administered to small sized companies. The study found that there is a significant influence of strategic planning on sustaining small and medium enterprise profit performance and the results indicated that the managers that sustain profitability performance are those that are strategic in planning. Also the study discovered that the return on investment of Small and Medium Enterprise depends on the appropriateness of its leadership practices. The study recommends that small sized companies should be effective in their strategy implementation in order to achieve the corporate objectives of indigenous Small and Medium Enterprises.


Increasing global competition in textiles has created many challenges in finishing criteria. The impact of UV rays on human skin leads to skin cancer, skin inflammation and sunburn. An innovative approach was made to introducing new novel eco-friendly herbal oil treated UV protective finish on Bamboo 100%, Tencel 100% and Bamboo/Tencel 50:50 fabrics. The three herbal oils were selected and treated on all the three fabrics. The fabrics are taken for UV test using a spectrophotometer. The untreated and treated fabrics are then evaluated. The result showed that Grape fruit oil enhance the UV protective property when compared to other oils in Bamboo & Tencel fabrics.


This study aimed to determine children at risk of developmental difficulty by using a developmental monitoring tool during their hospital stay. The development of 113 hospitalised children aged 2-42 months was evaluated by using expressive and receptive language, fine and gross motor, social-emotional and relational functions, play, and self-help skills areas of the Guide for Monitoring Child Development (GMCD). There were 49 (42.4%) children with developmental difficulties. Developmental difficulty was found in 72.9% of the children of mothers who expressed a concern (p<0.001). Developmental difficulties were significantly more common in children of mothers without regular prenatal follow-up (p<0.001), with low educational level (p<0.001), and who had previously suffered stillbirth (p<0.013); and in children with a birth weight below 2500 g (p<0.002), and with consanguineous parents (p<0.007). The hospitalisation period is a good opportunity to identify children at risk of developmental problems and refer them for further assessment and early intervention.


Immunoglobulin class switch recombination (Ig CSR) involves DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) at recombining switch regions and repair of these breaks by nonhomologous end-joining. Because the protein kinase ataxia telengiectasia (AT) mutated (ATM) plays a critical role in DSB repair and AT patients show abnormalities of Ig isotype expression, we assessed the role of ATM in CSR by examining ATM-deficient mice. In response to T cell–dependent antigen (Ag), Atm −/− mice secreted substantially less Ag-specific IgA, IgG1, IgG2b, and IgG3, and less total IgE than Atm +/+ controls. To determine whether Atm −/− B cells have an intrinsic defect in their ability to undergo CSR, we analyzed in vitro responses of purified B cells. Atm −/− cells secreted substantially less IgA, IgG1, IgG2a, IgG3, and IgE than wild-type (WT) controls in response to stimulation with lipopolysaccharide, CD40 ligand, or anti-IgD plus appropriate cytokines. Molecular analysis of in vitro responses indicated that WT and Atm −/− B cells produced equivalent amounts of germline IgG1 and IgE transcripts, whereas Atm −/− B cells produced markedly reduced productive IgG1 and IgE transcripts. The reduction in isotype switching by Atm −/− B cells occurs at the level of genomic DNA recombination as measured by digestion–circularization PCR. Analysis of sequences at CSR sites indicated that there is greater microhomology at the μ–γ1 switch junctions in ATM B cells than in wild-type B cells, suggesting that ATM function affects the need or preference for sequence homology in the CSR process. These findings suggest a role of ATM in DNA DSB recognition and/or repair during CSR.


Abstract Junior doctors, nursing staff, and phlebotomists spend a large proportion of their time taking blood samples and siting (venous) cannulae. Approximately 350 blood samples are taken daily across 25 wards at the Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust. There is no standard storage solution for venepuncture or cannulation equipment. On-call junior doctors cover most of the hospital's wards. Time is wasted locating essential equipment on unfamiliar wards and nurses are frequently interrupted to assist. These delays can compromise patient safety in emergencies as well as contributing to a source of daily inefficiency. Junior doctors were timed collecting equipment needed for venepuncture and cannulation on unfamiliar wards. Initial results suggested large variation between timings on different wards. The medical admissions unit (MAU), which organises items for venepuncture and cannulation on a single trolley, was 4 times quicker than the mean of all other wards. MAU mean time 21.0s vs. Non-standardised wards mean time 103.0s (p<0.0001). Estimates suggest approximately 47 hours per week (the equivalent of a fulltime doctor) could be saved by implementing a standard trust-wide storage solution. We set out to introduce the MAU trolley format to all adult inpatient wards. All ward managers agreed to implement the trolley. 18 wards (72% of adult inpatient wards) already possessed the 'MAU style' trolley, which we standardised using an easy-to-follow inventory and laminated draw inlays. Feedback was very positive from doctors and ward staff alike. We repeated timings to validate the change and successfully presented a business case to senior management for a further 10 trolleys (£3623.78) for full adult inpatient ward coverage. As junior doctors, we identified a common problem, tested solutions, and made early simple affordable changes. Initial work helped us present a compelling case for patient safety and efficiency improvements, releasing money to implement modest trust-wide quality improvement changes.


Abstract : The adenoviral vector expressing the gene for human B7-l (Ad.hB7) was prepared. Experiments testing its toxicity in mice began and toxicity studies in rhesus monkeys are planned for next year. Significant improvements were made in culture methods for human breast cancer cells from patient samples. The new method utilizes RT-PCR to assess growth factor receptor expression in breast cancer cells thereby permitting the culture media to be individually tailored. Human breast cancer cell lines and fresh patient samples could both be efficiently transduced with the Ad.hB7 expression vector and the B7 protein remained expressed on the cell surface for over one month. A murine mammary adenocarcinoma model was established and characterized from MT-7 derived from a Balbic mouse. The growth of this weakly immunogenic tumor was significantly reduced when the tumor cells were transfected to express B7-l. These results demonstrate that the use of human breast cancer cells for gene therapy studies is feasible, that Ad.hB7 efficiently transduces these breast cancer cells with a high percentage of cells expressing B7 long enough to be used as a vaccine, and finally, that the scientific rationale for this approach is sound as shown in an animal model of breast cancer.


When hearing the non-word entena, Spanish listeners can convert it to the Spanish word antenna (antenna) by changing one vowel or to the Spanish word entera (whole) by changing one consonant. Van Ooijen [5] found participants were better at vowel changes than consonant changes, an effect she called "vowel mutability." Previous experiments have demonstrated vowel mutability with spoken materials, suggesting that it is specific to spoken language. The experiments below tested for vowel mutability with print materials. Experiment 1 tested 55 native speakers of Spanish with 30 non-words that could be converted to Spanish words by changing either one vowel or one consonant. Experiment 2 was identical to Experiment 1, but the participants were native speakers of English and materials were in English. The results in both showed strong vowel mutability effects. Such effects with print materials, both in Spanish and English, suggest that vowel mutability is not specific to spoken language.


Background Obesity stems from a prolonged imbalance between the levels of energy intake and expenditure, with the resultant surplus being stored as body lipids. Our understanding of the regulation of food intake and the physiological basis of differences in energy expenditure is owed, in large part, to studies made on animals. Moreover, animal models have been a cornerstone of studies of environmental effects, such as epigenetics, responses to high-fat and low-calorie diets and the identification and development of pharmaceuticals for obesity treatment. This review provides some examples of the animal work that has been performed, and focuses on the variation in approaches that have been taken and their potential, rather than aiming to be a comprehensive summary.


In contrast to specialty coffee marketing, which tends to overlook the history and political economic position of real coffee producers, coffee tourism provides producers with the opportunity to shape their own self-image in the marketplace. This article employs two coffee tourism projects in the Mexican state of Chiapas as case studies, one that is managed by a cooperative of small coffee farmer organizations and another that is situated on a plantation that is one stop on a coffee tourism route. Both projects actively work to differentiate their coffee within an increasingly competitive specialty coffee market by recasting colonial narratives. In the case of the plantation, which is recast as a family farm, the historical exploitation of laborers is framed as patronage, whereas the smallholders are represented by the cooperative as savvy businessmen who have overcome inequitable power relations through self-organization and the entry into direct markets. The comparison is used to initiate a conversation within anthropology about the understudied, yet rapidly expanding, domain of agritourism. Consequently, the article concludes with a discussion of some of the important questions the comparison raises.


We report the influence of optical simple pulse coding on the Brillouin optical time domain analyzer (BOTDA) based on bi-directional Raman amplification. This method is proposed to reduce the frequency uncertainty in long-distance BOTDA under higher spatial resolution. The experimental characterization of 49.6 km temperature sensing with a measurement accuracy of ~1 ℃ under ~2.5 m spatial resolution over the whole length of sensing fiber is demonstrated. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and the optical signal power distribution characteristics of the system are studied experimentally in this paper.


We study a coordination problem where the objective is to steer a group of agents to a formation that translates with a prescribed reference velocity. In [1] we considered the situation where the information of reference velocity is available only to a leader, and developed a decentralized adaptive design with which the other agents reconstruct the reference velocity. Although [1] guaranteed that the desired formation is achieved, it did not ensure parameter convergence. We now propose a new adaptive redesign, which incorporates relative velocity feedback in addition to relative position feedback, to guarantee parameter convergence.


Given the increasing data collection capabilities and limited computing resources of future collider experiments, interest in using generative neural networks for the fast simulation of collider events is growing. In our previous study, the Bounded Information Bottleneck Autoencoder (BIB-AE) architecture for generating photon showers in a high-granularity calorimeter showed a high accuracy modeling of various global differential shower distributions. In this work, we investigate how the BIB-AE encodes this physics information in its latent space. Our understanding of this encoding allows us to propose methods to optimize the generation performance further, for example, by altering latent space sampling or by suggesting specific changes to hyperparameters. In particular, we improve the modeling of the shower shape along the particle incident axis.


Umanosuke Funaki (hereafter, Funaki) is a Japanese architectural engineer who worked in Saga, from the late Meiji era to the beginning of the Showa era. He learned architecture at a local technical high school and designed many buildings in Saga after his independence. His representative works are Saga Public Hall, Takatori's home, Funaki's own house, etc., but it is particularly well known that he was a designer of the enlargement of the old Koga Bank Head Office (hereafter, K Bank). The documents regarding Funaki's professional activities are in present archived at Saga University. The contents are widely including design drawings, design documents, photographs, diaries etc. Although the K Bank among these documents and the report was reported by Kyushu Institute of Design in 2002, the other documents remained unfiled without studying. We named the documents "UMANOSUKE FUNAKI ARCHIVES (hereafter, the UF Archives)," and tried to show its characteristics and values as a research source in this paper. It is so rare that quantities of documents on local engineers are kept in archives like this. Moreover, the architectural engineers who worked especially in Saga in this period have neither been surveyed nor been reported yet, although many researchers have researched also on local architectural engineers of all over Japan and their documents have been archived. The UF archives is very valuable not only to clarify the career of Funaki, but also to know the development of the architecture in Saga at that time.


The arise of cutting-edge technologies and services such as XR promise to change the concepts of how day-to-day things are done. At the same time, the appearance of modern and decentralized architectures approaches has given birth to a new generation of mobile networks such as 5G, as well as outlining the roadmap for B5G and posterior. These networks are expected to be the enablers for bringing to life the Metaverse and other futuristic approaches. In this sense, this work presents an ML-based (Machine Learning) framework that allows the estimation of service Key Quality Indicators (KQIs). For this, only information reachable to operators is required, such as statistics and configuration parameters from these networks. This strategy prevents operators from avoiding intrusion into the user data and guaranteeing privacy. To test this proposal, 360-Video has been selected as a use case of Virtual Reality (VR), from which specific KQIs are estimated such as video resolution, frame rate, initial startup time, throughput, and latency, among others. To select the best model for each KQI, a search grid with a cross-validation strategy has been used to determine the best hyperparameter tuning. To boost the creation of each KQI model, feature engineering techniques together with cross-validation strategies have been used. The performance is assessed using MAE (Mean Average Error) and the prediction time. The outcomes point out that KNR (K-Near Neighbors) and RF (Random Forest) are the best algorithms in combination with Feature Selection techniques. Likewise, this work will help as a baseline for E2E-Quality-of-Experience-based network management working in conjunction with network slicing, virtualization, and MEC, among other enabler technologies.


Microplastic particles are of increasing environmental concern due to the widespread uncontrolled degradation of various commercial products made of plastic and their associated waste disposal. Recently, common technology used to repair sewer pipes was reported as one of the emission sources of airborne microplastics in urban areas. This research presents results of the multi-modal comprehensive chemical characterization of the microplastic particles related to waste discharged in the pipe repair process and compares particle composition with the components of uncured resin and cured plastic composite used in the process. Analysis of these materials employs complementary use of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, scanning transmission X-ray spectro-microscopy, single particle mass spectrometry, and direct analysis in real-time high-resolution mass spectrometry. It is shown that the composition of the relatively large (100 μm) microplastic particles resembles components of plastic material used in the process. In contrast, the composition of the smaller (micrometer and sub-micrometer) particles is significantly different, suggesting their formation from unintended polymerization of water-soluble components occurring in drying droplets of the air-discharged waste. In addition, resin material type influences the composition of released microplastic particles. Results are further discussed to guide the detection and advanced characterization of airborne microplastics in future field and laboratory studies pertaining to sewer pipe repair technology.


In certain class of flux compactification, moduli mediated supersymmetry (SUSY) breaking preserves flavor and CP at leading order in the perturbative expansion controlled by the vacuum expectation value of the messenger modulus. Nevertheless there still might be dangerous flavor or CP violation induced by higher order K\"ahler potential. We examine the constraints on such SUSY breaking scheme imposed by low energy flavor and/or CP violating observables. It is found that all phenomenological constraints can be satisfied even for generic form of higher order K\"ahler potential and sparticle spectra in the sub-TeV range, under plausible assumptions on the size of higher order correction and flavor mixing angles. This implies for instance that mirage mediation scheme of SUSY breaking, which involves such modulus mediation together with an anomaly mediation of comparable size, and also the modulus-dominated mediation realized in flux compactification can be free from the SUSY flavor and CP problems, while giving gaugino and sfermion masses in the sub-TeV range.


Abstract The 161-ka Kos Plateau Tuff (KPT) eruption deposited widespread unwelded ignimbrites, but the Dikeos and Sympetro mountains on the SE of Kos Island blocked all but the most energetic pyroclastic flows. KPT remnants north of Sympetro mountain comprise reworked tuffite containing pumice and lithic clasts that petrologically and geochemically resemble those found in KPT unit E tephra, and reworked accretionary lapilli similar to those in KPT unit F. Tuffite is found only downslope from a 375-m-high pass between the Dikeos and Sympetro mountains, which was breached at the eruption climax by pyroclastic flows that then accelerated down the 10° north slope of Sympetro. The tuffite crops out in the palaeocliffs of a prominent terrace at an elevation of 75 m, interpreted as the transgressive ravinement surface of the first interglacial marine highstand after the KPT eruption during marine isotope stage (MIS) 5e. A similar ravinement surface cuts KPT deposits in central Kos at elevations of up to 135 m and implies post-MIS 5e uplift rates of 0.7–1.0 m ka−1, confirmed by the elevation of a previously reported raised beach beneath the KPT. A Holocene raised beach on the east coast of Kos contains pumice clasts from the Yali-4 eruption at 4–3 ka. Its elevation of 2 m above sea level is consistent with the elevation of the local MIS 5e terrace. Its present erosion results from the blocking of discharge from ephemeral streams by human infrastructure. Our study provides the first integrated chronologic and neotectonic interpretation of the prominent plateau and terrace surfaces on Kos Island.


The activities and technologies of the psychology (Psy) disciplines, in the process of privilegingprofessional understandings of distress, could be seen to be potentially facilitating corrosion in thecapacity of the lay public to understand and ameliorate their distress. This paper draws on the experiencesof people who use an Unemployed Centre Families Project in the South of England to providean example of community mental health work that does not draw on the dominant discourses, institutionsor practitioners of the Psy sciences. Through interviews with centre users, staff and volunteers, apicture emerges of a community space that provides a variety of services, projects and opportunitiesthat have a very considerable positive impact on the mental well-being of the centre users. This picturehighlights non-medical intersubjective processes that offer possibilities for recoveries from mentaldistress but that are often neglected and subordinated in the professional worlds of Psy and psychiatry.Such centres facilitate social networks and practical help, and transitions in identity can be beneficialfor those experiencing mental distress. In so doing, they make prominent some of the key limitationsof biomedical approaches to recovery.


The wall paintings decorating the dining hall in the villa of Livia, Emperor Augustus' wife, depict an abundant orchard with many species of trees, flowers, and birds in a quiet and peaceful setting. Although the style is very naturalistic and mimetic, what one sees is a combination of plants and fruit trees not normally in season together, endowing this orchard with a paradisiacal nature. The picturesque naturalism of the depictions has led scholars to interpret it as a reflection of calm and peace in relation both to the atmosphere under the reign of Emperor Augustus, and to his rehabilitation of the Republic and the spirit of moral renewal he established. Thus, this paradisiacal orchard has been perceived as a reflection of the Augustan Golden Age, the peace achieved after a terrible war, and a return to the traditional values and morals. Indeed, Augustus could well be proud of his achievements. However, a question arises regarding the true nature of the peace and prosperity claimed by Augustus, since it is well attested by researchers of Roman history that hunger and war were still present in many parts of the empire. Augustus employed both economic and social manipulation in order to control the people, and his approach led to an escapist state of mind by the people, as reflected in the concept panem et circenses coined by Juvenal. Such escapism was typical to the Roman disposition and was further nurtured and intensified by the Roman emperors. The present study focuses on a prominent picturesque feature in Livia's "garden" paintings – illusionism, which is manifested in several aspects. This visual illusionism suggests a reflection of a mental illusionism: namely, the illusory and delusive atmosphere and the escapist spirit generated by Emperor Augustus.


Let F be a field and k a function field of positive transcendence degree over F. Let S be a smooth, separated, geometrically connected scheme of finite type over k. If F is quasi-finite or algebraically closed we show that for motivic representations of the étale fundamental group π1(S) of S, `-Galois-generic points are Galois-generic. This is a geometric variant of a previous result of the author for representations of π1(S) on the adelic Tate module of an abelian scheme A→ S when the base field k is finitely generated of characteristic 0. The procyclicity of the absolute Galois group of a quasi-finite field allows to reduce the assertion for F finite to the assertion for F algebraically closed. The assertion for F algebraically closed can then be deduced, using basically the same arguments as in the case of abelian schemes, from maximality results for the image of π1(S) inside the group of Z`-points of its Zariski-closure.


This paper is part of a comprehensive study the main author is currently involved. Although being a major research theme in the last decade, the security aspects of the Vehicular Communications Environment requires further effort in terms of standardization and implementation. Beginning with the security aspects implied in the classical Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks, to the ones in the new Internet of Vehicles evolving concept, as a part of the Internet of Things, all of them are still in research. Classical approaches all have benefits and weakness, but still, even though there are standards in this domain (IEEE 1609 suite, ETSI ITS G5), there is still a lot of progress to be made.


We prove that graphs that can be made planar by deleting two edges are 5-choosable. To arrive at this, first we prove an extension of a theorem of Thomassen. Second, we prove an extension of a theorem Postle and Thomas. The difference between our extensions and the theorems of Thomassen and of Postle and Thomas is that we allow the graph to contain an inner 4-list vertex. We also use a colouring technique from two papers by Dvořák, Lidický and Škrekovski, and independently by Compos and Havet.


Objectives The primary objective was to determine the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STI) in a cohort of HIV-infected men who have sex with men (MSM) in their primary care setting, and to identify the demographic and behavioural characteristics of those infected with STI and the correlates of sexual transmission risk behaviour. Methods At study entry, participants (n = 398) were tested for STI and their medical charts were reviewed for STI results in the previous year. Data on demographics, substance use, sexual behaviour and HIV disease characteristics were collected through a computer-assisted self-assessment and medical record extraction. Logistic regression analyses assessed characteristics of those with recent STI and recent transmission risk behaviour. Results The sample was predominantly white (74.6%) and college educated (51.7%). On average, participants were 41.5 years old (SD 8.4) and had been HIV infected for 8.6 years (SD 6.7); 9% of the sample had an STI, with 6.4% testing positive for syphilis, 3.1% for gonorrhoea and 0.25% for chlamydia. Age and years since HIV diagnosis were significantly associated with testing positive for an STI, as was engaging in transmission risk behaviour and using methamphetamine, ketamine and inhalants. Substance use, particularly methamphetamine use, and being more recently diagnosed with HIV were each uniquely associated with transmission risk behaviour in a multivariable model. Conclusions These results underscore the need to develop more effective secondary prevention interventions for HIV-infected MSM, tailored to more recently diagnosed patients, particularly those who are younger and substance users.


ABSTRACT Blockchain technology has the promise of transforming security and trust in digital transactions. However, concerns about technical complexity and the benefits of deployment have blunted its adoption. We examine factors that influence managerial intention to adopt blockchain technology. We extend the fit-viability model (FVM) and develop a value-based technology adoption model through an empirical study of 242 managers mostly in medical and financial industries. Managers in such organizations are likely to consider fit and viability in adopting blockchain technology to store and protect data. Drawing upon Fit-Viability and Task-Technology Fit models, and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), we test a model with Partial Least Squares (PLS) to assess managers' intention to adopt blockchain technology. Our findings indicate that functional and symbolic benefits have positive impact on managers' assessment of task-technology fit. Furthermore, viability is an important criterion in adopting blockchain technology.


Aspen Plus is a process software with great functions, almost all chemical process could be described by using it. Based on experimental equipment composition and related experimental results, a simulation model of biomass pyrolysis process occurring in a fluidized bed reactor is successfully developed. Via sensitivity analysis on products' output change along with reaction temperature's change and analysis of mutual relationship between fractions of product residues, reaction regulation of biomass pyrolysis process could be received. As a result, this model provides a useful description of the process for producing gas, liquid and solid products, however, receiving more data from experiment is the precondition of the simulation model's optimization.


One hallmark of obesity is adipocyte hypertrophy and hyperplasia. To gain novel insights into adipose biology and therapeutics, there is a pressing need for a robust, rapid, and informative cell model of adipocyte differentiation for potential RNAi and drug screens. Current models are prohibitive for drug and RNAi screens due to a slow differentiation time course and resistance to transfection. We asked if we could create a rapid, robust model of adipogenesis to potentially enable rapid functional and obesity therapeutic screens. We generated the clonal population OP9-K, which differentiates rapidly and reproducibly, and displays classic adipocyte morphology: rounded cell shape, lipid accumulation, and coalescence of lipids into a large droplet. We further validate the OP9-K cells as an adipocyte model system by microarray analysis of the differentiating transcriptome. OP9-K differentiates via known adipogenic pathways, involving the transcriptional activation and repression of common adipose markers Plin1, Gata2, C/Ebpα and C/Ebpβ and biological pathways, such as lipid metabolism, PPARγ signaling, and osteogenesis. We implemented a method to quantify lipid accumulation using automated microscopy and tested the ability of our model to detect alterations in lipid accumulation by reducing levels of the known master adipogenic regulator Pparγ. We further utilized our model to query the effects of a novel obesity therapeutic target, the transcription factor SPI1. We determine that reduction in levels of Spi1 leads to an increase in lipid accumulation. We demonstrate rapid, robust differentiation and efficient transfectability of the OP9-K cell model of adipogenesis. Together with our microscopy based lipid accumulation assay, adipogenesis assays can be achieved in just four days' time. The results of this study can contribute to the development of rapid screens with the potential to deepen our understanding of adipose biology and efficiently test obesity therapeutics.


The book celebrates the 850th anniversary of the arrival of the remains of The Magi, the Three Wise Men, in Cologne, the momentous event that made the cathedral city one of the major pilgrimage sites of the Middle Ages. Their remains were installed and integrated into the Shrine of the Magi reliquary, the famous work of Nicholas of Verdun and the largest reliquary in the Western world.


With the rapid development of information technology, large-scale personal data, including those collected by sensors or IoT devices, is stored in the cloud or data centers. In some cases, the owners of the cloud or data centers need to publish the data. Therefore, how to make the best use of the data in the risk of personal information leakage has become a popular research topic. The most common method of data privacy protection is the data anonymization, which has two main problems: (1) The availability of information after clustering will be reduced, and it cannot be flexibly adjusted. (2) Most methods are static. When the data is released multiple times, it will cause personal privacy leakage. To solve the problems, this article has two contributions. The first one is to propose a new method based on micro-aggregation to complete the process of clustering. In this way, the data availability and the privacy protection can be adjusted flexibly by considering the concepts of distance and information entropy. The second contribution of this article is to propose a dynamic update mechanism that guarantees that the individual privacy is not compromised after the data has been subjected to multiple releases, and minimizes the loss of information. At the end of the article, the algorithm is simulated with real data sets. The availability and advantages of the method are demonstrated by calculating the time, the average information loss and the number of forged data.


Abstract β-catenin, a multifunctional protein expressed in all tissues including the heart stimulates the expression of several genes important for cell proliferation. Signaling involving ß-catenin participates in directing cardiac development and in the pathophysiology of cardiac hypertrophy. Nothing is known, however, on the role of β-catenin in the regulation of cardiac ion channels. The present study explored the functional interaction of β-catenin and KCNE1/KCNQ1, the K+ channel complex underlying the slowly activating outwardly rectifying K+ current. To this end, KCNE1/KCNQ1 was expressed in Xenopus oocytes with and without β-catenin and the depolarization (up to + 80 mV) induced current (IKs) was determined using the two-electrode voltage clamp. As a result, β-catenin enhanced IKs by 30%. The effect of β-catenin on IKs was not affected by actinomycin D (10 μM), an inhibitor of transcription, indicating that β-catenin was not effective as transcription factor. Confocal microscopy revealed that β-catenin enhanced the KCNE1/KCNQ1 protein abundance in the cell membrane. Exposure of the oocytes to brefeldin A (5 μM), an inhibitor of vesicle insertion, was followed by a decline of IKs, which was then similar in oocytes expressing KCNE1/KCNQ1 together with β-catenin and in oocytes expressing KCNE1/KCNQ1 alone. In conclusion, β-catenin enhances IKs by increasing the KCNE1/KCNQ1 protein abundance in the cell membrane, an effect requiring vesicle insertion into the cell membrane.


Gaining informed consent from people being researched is central to ethical research practice. There are, however, several factors that make the issue of informed consent problematic, especially in research involving members of groups that are commonly characterised as 'vulnerable' such as children and people with learning disabilities. This paper reports on a project funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) which was concerned to identify and disseminate best practice in relation to informed consent in research with six such groups. The context for the study is the increased attention that is being paid to the issue of informed consent in research, not least because of the broad changes taking place in research governance and regulation in the UK. The project involved the analysis of researchers' views and experiences of informed consent. The paper focuses on two particular difficulties inherent in the processes of gaining and maintaining informed consent. The first of these is that there is no consensus amongst researchers concerning what comprises 'informed consent'. The second is that there is no consensus about whether the same sets of principles and procedures are equally applicable to research among different groups and to research conducted within different methodological frameworks. In exploring both these difficulties we draw on our findings to highlight the nature of these issues and some of our participants' responses to them. These issues have relevance to wider debates about the role of guidelines and regulation for ethical practice. We found that study participants were generally less in favour of guidelines that regulate the way research is conducted and more in favour of guidelines that help researchers to strike balances between the conflicting pressures that inevitably occur in research.


The purpose of this article is to assess the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) Exposure Visit Programme to South Korea in 2008 and 2010 with respect to the content of its training programme and its effect on the IAS officers' learning and leadership development. The study adopts multiple research methods, including participatory observation of the programme, an evaluation by Indian participants, and content analysis of self-assessment learning papers. The results of the content analysis of the programme lessons are that 58 percent of the 2008 programme participants and 47 percent of participants in the 2010 programme had a clear understanding of the key lessons from the Korea visit programme and proposed how India might apply or replicate them. The study finds that there are eight core lessons and application areas from the Korea visit programme identified by programme participants: change of mindset and attitudes of government officers and citizens; leadership and vision; citizen participation; enacting social policy; increasing resources for infrastructure building and development; administration capacity; training of government officers and citizens; and a competitive approach for rural development. Several ideas are suggested for enhancing the quality of future exposure visit programmes for civil servants.


When hydrogen is used as an alternative energy carrier, it is very important to understand the pathway from the primary energy source to the final use of the carrier. This involves, for example, the understanding of greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production of hydrogen and throughout the lifecycle of a given utilization pathway as well as various energy or exergy1 efficiencies and aspects involved. This paper which is based on a talk given at the Royal Society in London assesses and reviews the various production pathways for hydrogen with emphasis on emissions, energy use and energy efficiency. The paper also views some aspects of the breaking of the water molecule and examines some new emerging physical evidence which could pave the way to a new and more feasible pathway. A special attention will be given to the use of the renewable energy pathway. As an example of a hydrogen society that could be based on renewable primary energy, the paper describes the hydrogen society experiments in Iceland as well as unconventional hydrogen obtained from geothermal gases. In the light of our experience, attempts will be made to shed light upon drivers as well as obstacles in the development of a hydrogen society.


Haptic (force) feedback is increasingly being used in surgical-training simulators. The addition of touch is important extra information that can add another dimension to the realism of the experience. Progress in networking these systems together over long distances has been held back, principally because the latency of the network can induce severe instability in any dynamic objects in the scene. This paper describes techniques allowing long-distance sharing of haptic-enabled, dynamic scenes. At the CSIRO Virtual Environments Laboratory, we have successfully used this system to connect a prototype of a surgical-simulation application between participants on opposite sides of the world in Sweden and Australia, over a standard Internet connection spanning 3 continents and 2 oceans. The users were able to simultaneously manipulate pliable objects in a shared workspace, as well as guide each other's hands (and shake hands!) over 22,000 km (13620 miles) of Internet connection. The main obstacle to overcome was the latency-induced instability in the system, caused by the delays and jitter inherent in the network. Our system involved a combination of an event-collection mechanism, a network event-forwarding mechanism and a pseudophysics mechanism. We found that the resulting behavior of the interconnected body organs, under simultaneous-user manipulation, was sufficiently convincing to be considered for training surgical procedures.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the presence of the genome of GB virus C/hepatitis G virus (GBV-C/HGV) in semen and saliva from HIV-1-infected men.

METHODS
Samples of blood from 33 men seropositive for HIV-1 were tested for the presence of GBV-C/HGV markers of infection, RNA by RT-PCR, and anti-E2 antibodies by ELISA, respectively. The cell-free fractions of seminal fluid and saliva samples of the patients with positive blood samples for GBV-C/HGV RNA or anti-E2 antibodies were then analyzed for the presence of the RNA of this virus. In addition, six semen samples and 11 saliva samples from GBV-C/HGV-negative men were tested.

RESULTS
The GBV-C/HGV RNA tested by RT-PCR was recovered from blood in 11 patients of 33 (33.3%), and the antibodies to E2 envelope protein were detected in six patients (18.2%). Since no patient was positive for both markers, the overall prevalence of GBV-C/HGV infection was 51.5% in the studied population. Four-all belonging to the homosexual risk group-of the 17 men with markers to GBV-C/HGV in blood were found to be positive for GBV-C/HGV RNA in mucosal samples: two of them exhibited genomic RNA in both semen and saliva, and two others were positive for semen only. The absence of inhibitors of the PCR technique was confirmed in all mucosal fractions found negative for GBV-C/HGV RNA, except for one saliva sample and one seminal fluid sample.

CONCLUSION
These results confirm the high prevalence of GBV-C/HGV infection in patients infected with HIV-1 by sexual exposure and the presence of GBV-C/HGV RNA in seminal fluid and saliva of men with markers of this virus in the blood, suggesting that mucosal fluids could be a potential source for the spread of the GBV-C/HGV infection.


Aim To test the microablation of excess graft choroidal tissue with the pulsed electron avalanche knife (PEAK-fc) in an in-vitro model of autologous retinal pigment epithelium (RPE)–choroid translocation. Methods Choroidal tissue of porcine RPE–choroid explants was ablated with the PEAK-fc. Tissue morphology was assessed by light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The amount of ablated choroidal tissue was analysed as a function of three PEAK-fc parameters: (1) amplitude of biphasic voltage (70–100%); (2) distance between choroidal tissue and tip of the PEAK-fc (0–300 μm); and (3) exposure time (2–8 s). Results LM and SEM showed a smooth plain within the ablation area with well defined cutting edges and preserved adjacent tissue structure. The mean amount of ablated tissue correlated linearly with applied voltage (range 79–120 μm, r=0.34) and distance between choroidal tissue and PEAK-fc tip (range 10–100 μm, r=0.74). The mean amount of ablated tissue increased with exposure time between 2 and 4 s (36–88 μm, r=0.4) and remained constant between 4 and 8 s. Conclusion The PEAK-fc accurately microablates choroidal tissue in-vitro. The adjacent choroidal tissue structure and Bruch's membrane are preserved. Patient studies are required to test the PEAK-fc in RPE–choroid translocation surgery.


In this paper we apply common sense knowledge to the task of decision making in an adventure game. We show how knowledge about the underlying domain, induced from a common sense knowledge base, can be used to do reward shaping of the environment, enabling reinforcement learning agents to learn optimal behaviours faster. The lessons learnt from this experiment could be used as a first step to finding robust applications of common sense knowledge.


Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) is common in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) and is often regarded as playing a role in the pathogenesis of CF lung disease. Individuals with CF have many predisposing factors to the development of GER, with a reported prevalence ranging from 35 to 81%. Several studies have suggested that patients with CF who have coexisting GER have more severe lung disease with lower pulmonary function and increased numbers of respiratory exacerbations. Furthermore, GER may alter the respiratory microbiology in CF. Both the acid and nonacid components of GER may have an effect on lung disease. More than 50% of U.S. patients with CF were being treated with proton pump inhibitors in 2012; however, data regarding safety and efficacy of these agents in CF are lacking. Pharmacologic and surgical treatment of GER may improve respiratory morbidity, although prospective controlled studies have not been performed. Given the lack of evidence-based guidelines for evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of GER in CF, initiation of treatment for symptomatic GER should be based on standard guidelines for the general population. Because there is no clear evidence that GER leads to worse respiratory outcomes in CF or that treatment of GER improves pulmonary outcomes, invasive testing for GER in patients without reflux symptoms is not warranted. Further studies to determine the role of GER in CF lung disease and the risks and benefits of surgical and pharmacologic therapy for GER are warranted.


The main purpose of the geothermal program at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory is to develop, improve and validate methods and instrumentation to: (1) determine geothermal reservoir parameters; (2) detect and charac terize reservoir fractures and boundaries; and (3) identify and evaluate the importance of reservoir processes. The ultimate objective of the program, which includes field, theoretical and modeling activities, is to advance the state-of-the-art for characterizing geothermal systems and evaluating their productive capacity and longevity under commercial exploitation.


Background : the emergence of multi-drug resistant bacteria and the diseases caused by them are a serious threat to global health necessitating an urgent need for new approaches to combat them. Synergy studies of conventional antimicrobial drugs and medicinal plants with antibacterial effects are important to establish whether it is prudent to recommend their concurrent administration to get successful treatments. Objective : evaluate the antibacterial effect resulting from the combination of Carica papaya (papaya) and amoxicillin. Methods : the papaya methanol extract was obtained from seeds and phytochemical screening was done. Checkerboard assay was used to determine the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration. Combined effect of both Carica papaya methanol extract and amoxicillin was determined by calculating the Fractional Inhibitory Concentration index. Strains of Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 were used in the tests. Results : phenols and tannins were found in the Carica papaya seed methanol extract. The minimum inhibitory concentration of Carica papaya extract was 100 µg/mL for both microorganisms studied which was higher than the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration of amoxicillin being 3.12 µg/mL for Escherichia coli and 0.2 µg/mL for Staphylococcus aureus. The Fractional Inhibitory Concentration of the combination of drugs was 0.99 for Escherichia coli and 2.51 for Staphylococcus aureus. Conclusions : the antibacterial effect of Carica papaya extract may be attributed to the presence of phenolic compounds. There was no interaction between amoxicillin and Carica papaya extract on Staphylococcus aureus, but the antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli of both drugs can be potentiated by their additive interaction.


Simulation of road surface temperature and estimation of road slipperiness is a classical application of physical meteorology treated e.g. in the COST-30 project already in the 1970's (Nysten, 1980). Since these times several European meteorological institutes have developed their own road weather services applying models with varying complexity. The model developments by Nysten and his colleagues at FMI did lead to an operational road weather service in the early 1980's, but it was later discontinued (Heikinheimo et al., 2000).


This study aims to determine to which extent perceived information quality and emotional attachment with digital influencers can shape the purchase intention of consumers while considering the mediating effects of perceived influence and the moderating effects of influencer reputation. A hypothetical model is tested based on social learning and media dependency theories. The response of 298 online users was analyzed by using Smart PLS-SEM. Results show that followers-influencers emotional attachment and perceived information quality promote the mediating role of followers' perceived influence to increase the follower purchase intention. Contrary, influencer reputation does not moderate the effect of perceived influence on purchase intention. This study provides valuable input to companies that can help them design their influencers' marketing strategies.


Practice parameter use has grown significantly in recent years. As discussed in this article, the development of parameters continues to expand at both the state and federal levels. It is likely that practice parameters will play a role in health care reform, although the extent of that role is not yet clear.


The incidence of incontinence in a series of 135 consecutive stroke patients was 51% (urine) and 23% (feces) within one year. In 75% the urinary incontinence started within the first two weeks, and in 41% it had cleared during that time. Incontinence at onset is associated with measures of severity of stroke (and of immobility for fecal incontinence). Among 92 survivors at one year, 15% were incontinent of urine, a proportion that rose in two‐ and three‐year survivors to 23 to 24%, but by four years was again 14%, a level similar to that of the general elderly population. It is concluded that incontinence is more commonly a by‐product of immobility and dependency than of involvement of the neurologic pathways, and most of it is transient. J Am Qeriatr Soc 33:540, 1985


Areas of endemism are a standard unit of biogeography and are commonly used for analytical biogeographic analyses as a criterion to identify areas for conservation. Galianthe is a genus of 56 species of mainly herbaceous plants from the family Rubiaceae found in the Neotropics, occurring in campos rupestres (quartzitic rock outcrops), cerrado (savanna), lowland grasslands, campos de altitude (highland grasslands), sasonally dry tropical forests (caatinga vegetation), and savanna hillsides. Currently, the conservation status assessment is only known for eleven species of Galianthe, and there have been no previous attempts to identify areas of endemism for the genus. In view of this, we used the NDM/VNDM software to analyze the distribution of the 56 species of Galianthe to identify areas of endemism and to recognize which species define each area. We also evaluated the conservation status of forty-five species for first time, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) guidelines. Our finding identified 12 areas of endemism with three cell sizes, mainly in the eastern part of Paraguay and southern Brazil. Illustrating the general biodiversity crisis, 41% of the Galianthe species (23 spp.), were evaluated as Endangered due to their degree of endemism and destruction of their habitat, while 31 species were evaluated as not threatened and two species had Insufficient Data. In turn, only five threatened species were found within or on the periphery of protected areas. We consider that although protected areas are designed to protect biodiversity, in recent decades they have experienced different degrees of threat. Due to the high risk of many species of the genus, it is necessary to consider restoration (as a complement to conservation) of the processes that maintain grasslands to conserve unique, endemic and threatened species.


Abstract This article extends the definition of sensationalism to print media by arguing that language intensifiers may be an aspect of sensationalism. In addition, this paper investigates if an indirect effect can be established by which sensationalistic message features influence news reception through the perception of sensationalism. Two between-subjects experiments show that sensationalistic message features like intensifiers increase perceived language intensity (PLI). In experiment 1, intensifiers had a negative effect on news article appreciation, which was not influenced by PLI. Experiment 2 revealed positive indirect effects of intensifiers through PLI on newsworthiness and news article appreciation.


The CAPS software is a tool used to setup, simulate, and examine the results from three-dimensional filling and solidification of a sand casting.


The policy process is a complex one that requires formal and informal linkages between governmental and other actors. Collaboration between the government and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) is pivotal to the attainment of the goals of gender equality, which is to provide equal opportunities for men and women in the society. Despite the importance of this policy, studies show that certain factors in a policy environment might inhibit such alignment. Using the Ekiti State Gender Equality Policy of 2011 as a case study, this paper examined the importance of NGOs to the policy process of gender equality policy in Ekiti State. To achieve the objectives, an online survey was carried-out among twenty-two randomly selected workers of NGOs whose Organizations have previously worked on gender-related policies in Ekiti. Besides, Key Informant Interviews were conducted with two civil society experts. Data elicited were presented and analyzed using tables, frequency counts, percentage scores and the descriptive method. Findings showed that NGOs were adequately involved in the formulation and adoption stages of the Policy. However, such involvement was not fully imported into the implementation stage. This was because of the change in government in the State in 2014, which affected the continuity of the policy. This further validates the argument that the implementation stage is often the grave-yard of many good policies in Africa. It was concluded that if Ekiti State wishes to retain its frontline position in the promotion of the gender equality, it must ensure an improved synergy with NGOs and policy continuity.


Disease remission at conception seems favourable for maintaining remission during pregnancy and child outcome; it is therefore part of preconception advice in females with inflammatory bowel disease. In this meta-analysis, the authors investigate the robustness of data justifying this advice and conclude that disease activity around conception increases the risk of disease activity during pregnancy. We agree with the authors that most of the included studies are retrospective, thus have a high risk of bias, and heterogeneity between the studies is large and should therefore be interpreted with caution. However, we do not share their surprise in detecting no significant difference in effect estimate from the early 1950s until 2006. Despite the currently expanding number of patients on immunosuppressives (IS) and anti-TNF, all selected studies in this meta-analysis, including the most recent one, included females that were mostly treated with 5-ASA and/or steroids [Crohn's disease (CD) 66% and ulcerative colitis (UC) 83%], with only a minority treated with immunosuppressives (CD 22% and UC 10%) and almost none was treated with anti-TNF (0.5% CD and 0% UC). This might partly explain the similarity in effect estimate over the decades. Furthermore, disease activity seemed to be limited, as the number of patients on IS/anti-TNF was small and severe disease activity will negatively affect patients' sexual function and fertility, especially in those patients who underwent surgery. This will inevitably lead to a universal selection of patients with relatively mild disease activity around conception. In conclusion, this meta-analysis is an excellent first step in quantifying how disease activity around conception affects course during pregnancy, but shows the limitation of retrospective research that has been done in most of the pregnancy cohorts, and invites further prospective studies including more recent IBD treatments to bring the effect estimates into the 21st century.


We describe a hopping science payload solution designed to exploit the Moon's lower gravity to leap up to 20m above the surface. The entire solar-powered robot is compact enough to fit within a 10cm cube, whilst providing unique observation and mission capabilities by creating imagery during the hop. The LunaRoo concept is a proposed payload to fly onboard a Google Lunar XPrize entry. Its compact form is specifically designed for lunar exploration and science mission within the constraints given by PTScientists. The core features of LunaRoo are its method of locomotion - hopping like a kangaroo - and its imaging system capable of unique over-the-horizon perception. The payload will serve as a proof of concept, highlighting the benefits of alternative mobility solutions, in particular enabling observation and exploration of terrain not traversable by wheeled robots. in addition providing data for beyond line-of-sight planning and communications for surface assets, extending overall mission capabilities.


The purpose of this paper is to examine how we can achieve a cashless society in Nigeria especially given her infrastructure deficits. This study examines the cashless economic system so as to assess its feasibility in Nigeria with regards to timeless, preparedness and adequacy against the backdrop of our level of development both technologically and educationally. Nigeria has continued to evolve in different realms. The economy is being reformed, the institutions are being reshaped and laws are being re-examined so as to reposition the nation to take its rightful position in the international community. As a way of fasttracking the Nigerian economy so as to be among the first 20 world economies come 2020, Nigeria proposed 2012 for the adoption of the cashless economy system starting with Lagos State but could not realized its objective. The study used structured questionnaire as a means of data collection and the collected data were analyzed using simple percentage procedure. The results indicate that: majority of Nigerians are already aware of the policy and majority agree that the policy will help fight against corruption/money laundering and reduce the risk of carrying cash and can also foster economic growth. Major problems envisaged that can hinder the implementation of the policy are: cyber fraud, limited point of sales and numeracy illiteracy. Based on the findings some recommendations made are: the government should adopt a different strategy to educate the non-literate Nigerians about the cashless economy; and the Federal Government of Nigerian should establish a Cybercrime law.


This article* discusses recent changes in Catholic festivities, especially the system of fiestas in rural Mexico. The ethnographic focus of the discussion is on indigenous Zapotec communities of the State of Oaxaca. Collective religious practices in Mexican villages contribute to social cohesion. Fiestas commemorating patron saints of the villages play a particularly important role in (re)constructing communal identity and the feeling of collective belongingness. Various global processes like secularisation, integration of local economies into the capitalist market system, increasing out-migration from villages, and the rise of Protestantism have undermined the position of the Catholic Church in the region. The article scrutinises the changing organisation and role of fiestas in the communities, concluding that the impact of secularisation, migration and Protestantism in particular is not simple and always negative – these changes can actually invigorate certain dimensions of the fiestas.


The genomes of the four primate lentiviral groups are complex and contain several regulatory or accessory genes. Two of these genes, vpr and vpx, are found in various combinations within the four groups and encode proteins whose functions have yet to be elucidated. Comparison of the encoded protein sequences suggests that the vpx gene within the HIV‐2 group arose by the duplication of an ancestral vpr gene within this group. Evolutionary distance analysis showed that both genes were well conserved when compared with viral regulatory genes, and indicated that the duplication occurred at approximately the same time as the HIV‐2 group and the other primate lentivirus groups diverged from a common ancestor. Furthermore, although the SIVagm vpx proteins are homologous to the HIV‐2 group vpx proteins, there are insufficient grounds from sequence analysis for classifying them as vpx proteins. Because of their similarity to the vpr proteins of other groups, we suggest reclassifying the SIVagm vpx gene as a vpr gene. This creates a simpler and more uniform picture of the genomic organization of the primate lentiviruses and allows the genomic organization of their common precursor to be defined; it probably contained five accessory genes: tat, rev, vif, nef and vpr.


The third-order Seidel aberrations of a four-spherical-mirror system for an anastigmatic aplanat, flat field aplanat, and zero distortion aplanat are analytically derived and numerically investigated, and their residual finite ray aberrations are examined. The anastigmatic aplanat is composed of a front Cassegrainian system and a rear inverse Cassegrainian system, and the image formed by the front Cassegrainian system is relayed by the rear inverse Cassegrainian system. The flat field aplanat is similar in appearance to the anastigmatic aplanat except that the rear part is far larger than the front part. The zero distortion aplanat is composed of a front Gregorian system and a rear inverse Cassegrainian system.


Objective
To analyze the outcome of cholecystectomies in patients with symptomatic cholelithiasis
for improvement in the pre-operative symptoms.
Methods
This cross-sectional interview-based prospective study included 200 patients who
responded to a pre-designed questionnaire in a tertiary care hospital, seen from March
2007 through May 2009. They were interviewed in the post-operative period for
improvement in their symptoms at intervals of 1, 3 and 6 months. The patients with
common bile duct stones, bilio-enteric fistulae, carcinoma of gall bladder with
cholelithiasis, and those lost to follow up were excluded from the study. A benefit ratio
(BR) was calculated using SPSS v. 13 for each symptom. BR close to 1.0 was interpreted
as evidence of gall stone disease related specifically to the symptom.
Results
Out of 200 patients, there were 142 females and 58 males. Mean age was 46.5 years
(range 14-92, SD±14.25). 98.5% of patients had abdominal pain associated with
gallstones. Other symptoms of variable frequency were nausea (70%), dyspepsia
(58.5%), fatty food intolerance (57%), vomiting (25%), heartburn (24.5%) and flatulence
(21%). After cholecystectomy, 98.5% patients had complete relief of abdominal pain and
vomiting at 6 months (BR=1). Fatty food intolerance seen in 57% patients preoperatively
stayed at 7.5% at six months (BR=0.87). Dyspepsia persisted in 38.5%
patients post-operatively (BR=0.34). De novo appearance of symptoms was noted in 5%
of patients. 93.5% patients were satisfied with the outcome of surgery.
Conclusion
Cholecystectomy appears to relieve specifically biliary pain, nausea, vomiting and fatty
1
food intolerance associated with gallstone disease. Other abdominal symptoms that are
non-specific like flatulence, dyspepsia and heartburn are only partly relieved. Despite the
persistence or appearance of new symptoms, most patients were satisfied with the
outcome of surgery. (Rawal Med J 2009;34: ).


The chemopreventive activity of an extract of Withania somnifera (WS) roots was examined in female Sprague-Dawley rats that received the mammary carcinogen methylnitrosourea (MNU). The dose of the extract, administered by gavage, was 150 mg/kg body weight daily for 155 days, after injection of MNU. Rats in the treated group (N=15) had an average of 3.47 tumors, and rats in the control group (N=15) had 4.53, a reduction of 23%. The average weights of tumors were 4.98 g for rats in the treated group and 6.30 g for the controls, a difference of 21%. Labeling indices for Ki67 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) markers in cancers of the treated group were 42% and 38% lower, respectively, than those of the corresponding indices for the control group. These results indicate that the root extract significantly reduced the rate of cell division in the mammary tumors.


The correlation between fatigue and cognitive performance in multiple sclerosis (MS) is well reported, but the intimate mechanisms of the fatigue impact on cognition are not fully defined yet. The aim of this study is to investigate blood oxygen level–dependent (BOLD) activations in relapsing remitting MS (RRMS) patients with and without cognitive dysfunction and the impact of fatigue on cortical activations. Forty-two patients with RRMS were enrolled in the study. Cognitive functioning was assessed by the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) and Paced Serial Addition Test (PASAT). A cutoff point of a total score of 55 on the SDMT was used to divide the patients into two groups: cognitively impaired (CI), SDMT score equal to or below 55 points, and cognitively preserved (CP), SMDT score above 55 points. Fatigue was assessed by the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS). Participants were assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) prior to inclusion in order to exclude major depressive episode. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) scanning was performed on a 3T MRI. The PVSAT (Paced Visual Serial Addition Test) paradigm was applied as a cognitive task. All functional data were analyzed with SPM12 and statistical analysis with SPSS 19.0. No statistically significant differences between CI and CP patients were found (p=0.953, p=0.322) in the MFIS and BDI score. Performance on the PASAT in CI patients was 34.07±13.721, for CP patients 46.42±11.453, and the SDMT performance in the CI patient group was 42.40±9.179, in the CP group 57.83±2.552. Between-group analysis revealed increased activations in left Brodmann area (BA) 40 in CP patients with several clusters located in the left supramarginal gyrus. Regression analysis showed increased BOLD signal in left BA 40, right BA 40, and left BA 6, associated with a higher score on MFIS. Stronger BOLD signal in left BA 31 was associated with a lower score on MFIS. Significance level was set to p<0.05, FWE (family-wise error) corrected. The differences in BOLD activations suggest the presence of cortical reorganization in our CP patients. The impact of fatigue on cortical activation during a cognitive task is demonstrated by inconformity of activated areas depending on the MFIS score. Our results suggest that activation in BA 40 may represent a mechanism for diminishing fatigue impact on cognitive functioning in CP patients.


The competitive working neighborhood, company needs a plan to create the future of organization through change which was done since now. Along this time, PT Mayatama Manunggal Sentosa focused only in financial while measured the performance. But in reality, the company often got complains from customers so that there needed certain method to conclude the problem. In order to conclude the problem, there used Balanced Scorecard Method since the method translate organization's vision, mision, and strategy in balanced way through four perspective. They were financial perspective, customer perspective, internal business process also learning and developing process. From the work performance measurement system of PT Mayatama Manunggal Santosa, there existed strategic destination, Key Performance Indicator and map strategy. Then there existed a weighed strategy through Analytical Hierrarchy Process (AHP) while the next step was relation system between perspective and strategic destination destined to map strategy. The result of work performance in third period 2007 by using OMAX method and Traffic Light System there was got 13 KPI in green indicator, 8 KPI with yellow colour and only 1 KPI in red colour, it was tempered glass production amount, so that management needs to do an exact repair to increase the performance in the next period.


There is not much information available on the distribution of the Sunda colugo (Galeopterus variegates) in Malaysia, despite it being one of only two known species in the order Dermoptera. Data on the presence of the Sunda colugo and the vernacular names used by various ethnic groups throughout Malaysia were collected and compiled from various primary and secondary sources. There were 27 locations from Peninsular, 11 locations from Sabah and 34 locations from Sarawak that reported the presence of the Sunda colugo throughout Malaysia. The various ethnic groups of Malaysia adopted 37 different vernacular names to describe the Sunda colugo. This baseline data can be useful for the management authorities in conducting periodic monitoring and will enhance our knowledge of the population dynamics of the Sunda colugo in Malaysia.


OBJECTIVE
To explore the effects and the molecular mechanism of puerariae radix flavones (PRF) on acute myeloid leukemia cell line Kasumi-1 cells in vitro.

METHODS
Kasumi-1 cells treated by PRF for 48 hours were observed with Wright's and Hoechst 33258 dying. The apoptotic cells were analyzed by flow cytometry with AnnexinV/PI staining. The expression levels of bcl-2, Bim and Caspase-3/-8/-9 protein were assayed by Western blot and the AML1-ETO fusion gene was detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction.

RESULTS
PRF could induce Kasumi-1 cells to apoptosis effectively. The proportion of apoptotic cells in 50, 200 and 500 µg/ml PRF treatment groups were (14.1 ± 0.8)%, (17.7 ± 1.3)% and (32.4 ± 1.4)%, respectively, and significantly higher than that of control \[(7.8 ± 0.7)%\]. The relative expression levels of the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein were 0.85 ± 0.05, 0.62 ± 0.07 and 0.43 ± 0.05; the apoptotic Bim protein were 0.21 ± 0.06, 0.39 ± 0.04 and 0.75 ± 0.05; the caspase-3 and caspase-9 were 0.92 ± 0.04, 1.21 ± 0.07, 1.33 ± 0.04 and 0.35 ± 0.05, 0.53 ± 0.03, 0.69 ± 0.07, respectively. Compared to the blank control group, all these changes were significant (P < 0.01). Nevertheless, nearly no changes could be observed on the expression level of AML1-ETO fusion gene and caspase-8 protein.

CONCLUSION
Apoptosis of Kasumi-1 cells induced by PRF might correlate to the down-regulation of Bcl-2 protein expression and the activation of caspase-3 and caspase-8 protein in the cells. It seemed that all these effects had no relationship with the AML1-ETO fusion gene.


The flash-induced oxidation kinetics of the primary acceptor of light Reaction II (X-320) and the reduction kinetics of chlorophyll aI (P-700) after far-red preillumination have been studied with high time resolution in spinach chloroplasts. 1. The kinetics of chlorophyll aI exhibits a pronounced lag phase of 2--3 ms at the onset of reduction as would be expected for the final product of consecutive reactions. Because the oxidation of the plastoquinone pool is the rate-limiting step for the electron transport between the two light reactions, the lag indicates the maximal electron transfer time over all preceding reactions after light Reaction II. 2. The observation that the lag phase decreases with decreasing pH is evidence of an electron transfer step coupled to a proton uptake reaction. 3. Protonation of X-320 after reduction in the flash is excluded because a slight increase of the decay time is found at decreasing pH values. 4. The time course of plastohydroquinone formation is deduced from the first derivative of the reduction kinetics of chlorophyll aI. This approach covers those plastohydroquinone molecules being available to the electron carriers of System I via the rate-limiting step. Direct measurements of absorbance changes would not allow to discriminate between these and functionally different plastohydroquinone molecules. 5. The derived time course of plastohydroquinone at different pH gives evidence for an additional electron transfer step with a half time of about 1 ms following the proton uptake and preceding the rate-limiting step. It is tentatively attributed to the diffusion of neutral plastohydroquinone across the hydrophobic core of the thylkaloid membrane. 6. The lower limit of the rate constant for proton uptake by an electron carrier, consistent with the lag of chlorophyll aI reduction, is estimated as greater than 10(11) M-1s-1. The value is higher than that of the fastest diffusion controlled protonations of organic molecules in solution. Possible mechanisms of linear electron transport between light Reaction II and the rate-limiting oxidation of neutral plastohydroquinone are thoroughly discussed.


According to Gibrat's law for cities, population shocks have permanent effects on city size. I examine this implication by analyzing the persistence of observed population shocks: German military casualties in WWI by municipality of birth. I find a strong negative effect of military casualties on the male population of municipalities just after WWI. This effect persists to 1933 and, outside of the most agricultural municipalities, beyond. The effect on female population and the number of households is similar to the effect on male population by 1950, when women in the generation that fought WWI started reaching their life expectancy.


Few studies have evaluated the influence of anticancer drugs on the anticoagulation response to warfarin(WF). This retrospective, single-center, observationalstudy evaluated the changes in prothrombin time-internationalnormal ized ratio (PT-INR)in patients receiving a combination of WF and anticancer drugs. We compared(a)PT-INR changes between groups receiving WF and concomitantly started on either tyrosine kinase inhibitors(TKI)(WF+TKI group: n=14)or anticancer drugs other than TKI(WF+non-TKI group: n=20)and(b)PT-INR changes between groups that were started on WF concomitantly while receiving either TKI(TKI+WF group: n=16)or anticancer drugs other than TKI(non-TKI+WF group: n=13). (a)PT-INR changes were significantly larger in the WF+TKI group than in the WF+non-TKI group(2.23 vs 0.42, p<0.001). In the WF+TKI group, the WF dose was reduced after all 14 patients(100.0%)showed increased PT-INR.(b)PT-INR changes during the WF induction period were significantly larger in the TKI+WF group than in the non-TKI+WF group(2.18 vs 0.68, p<0.001). In the TKI+WF group, the WF dose was reduced after 12 patients(75.0%)showed increased PT-INR. It might be necessary to consider a reduction in WF dose when WF is administered in combination with TKIs.


Although elevated plasma prorenin levels are commonly found in diabetic patients and correlate with microvascular complications, the pathological role of these increases, if any, remains unclear. Prorenin/renin binding to the prorenin/renin receptor [(p)RR] enhances the efficiency of angiotensinogen cleavage by renin and unmasks prorenin catalytic activity. We asked whether plasma prorenin could be activated in local vascular tissue through receptor binding. Immunohistochemical staining showing localization of the (p)RR in the aorta to vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). After cultured rat VSMCs were incubated with 10(-7) M inactive prorenin, cultured supernatant acquired the ability to generate ANG I from angiotensinogen, indicating that prorenin had been activated. Activated prorenin facilitated angiotensin generation in cultured VSMCs when exogenous angiotensinogen was added. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) against the (p)RR blocked this activation and subsequent angiotensin generation. Prorenin alone induced dose- and time-dependent increases in mRNA and protein for the profibrotic molecule plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)-1, effects that were blocked by siRNA, but not by the ANG II receptor antagonist saralasin. When inactive prorenin and angiotensinogen were incubated with cells, PAI-1 mRNA increased a striking 54-fold, 8-fold higher than the increase seen with prorenin alone. PAI-1 protein increased 2.75-fold. These effects were blocked by treatment with siRNA + saralasin. We conclude that prorenin at high concentration binds the (p)RR on VSMCs and is activated. This activation leads to increased expression of PAI-1 via ANG II-independent and -dependent mechanisms. These data provide a mechanism by which elevated prorenin levels in diabetes may contribute to the progression of fibrotic disease.


The DNA content of neoplasms is generally determined by flow cytometry, but quantitative microscopic image analysis is an alternative technique for DNA quantification. To compare these two methods, the DNA content of 31 paraffin-embedded canine transitional cell carcinomas was measured by flow cytometry and image analysis. Interpretable data were available for 26 samples by flow cytometry and 27 samples by image analysis. For 23 neoplasms with interpretable data by both methods, a good correlation (r = .80, P < .001) was obtained between the DNA indices determined by flow cytometry and image analysis. Concordance of DNA ploidy classification was reached in 21 samples; however, for 4 samples an aneuploid cell population, usually tetraploid, was identified by image analysis and not by flow cytometry. Two samples also had aneuploid peaks by flow cytometry and not by image analysis. Although a good correlation was seen between the measurement of DNA content of paraffin-embedded canine tissue by image analysis and flow cytometry, this study did demonstrate that aneuploid cell populations can be missed by both methods and that image analysis was better than flow cytometry in the detection of aneuploid cell populations, particularly tetraploid ones, in samples with excessive cellular debris.


Summary: Two hundred and thirty two women with diabetes complicating pregnancy were seen at a metropolitan teaching hospital during a 4‐year period. Management during pregnancy in insulin dependent diabetics was directed towards strict metabolic control using conventional insulin regimens and diet. A similar programme was followed for women in whom screening revealed glucose intolerance. Control of maternal blood glucose levels, assessment of fetal maturity and modes of delivery were reviewed in an attempt to define factors which could predict optimal neonatal outcome. Patients with insulin dependent diabetes were less likely to have optimal metabolic control both during pregnancy and parturition than patients with gestational diabetes. Women with gestational, but not preexisting diabetes, demonstrated a close correlation between gestational age and parameters of fetal pulmonary maturity. A high rate of intervention to deliver infants in both groups (50%) was noted. These data indicate the need for meticulous care of women with insulin dependent diabetes during pregnancy.