List of abbreviations List of original publications 1. Review of the literature ..........................................................................................1 1.1. Probiotic bacteria ..................................................................................................... 1 1.1.1. Common properties of probiotic bacteria .............................................. 1 188.8.131.52. Probiotic mechanisms .................................................................. 1 126.96.36.199. Main properties of probiotic bacteria ......................................... 2 22.214.171.124. Health-benefi cial eff ects of probiotics ........................................ 2 1.1.2. Lactobacilli .................................................................................................. 3 18.104.22.168. Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG ........................................................ 3 1.1.3. Bifi dobacteria and propionibacteria ........................................................ 5 1.2. Proteomics ................................................................................................................. 5 1.2.1. Proteomic methods ........................................................................................ 5 1.3. Proteomics of potential probiotic bacteria ............................................................ 6 1.3.1. Basic proteome research .......................................................................... 10 188.8.131.52. Proteome maps ............................................................................ 10 220.127.116.11. Comparison of growth phases ................................................... 11 184.108.40.206. Comparison of diff erent strains and growth media ............... 11 184.108.40.206. Development of proteomic methods ........................................ 12 1.3.2. Proteomics of stress responses of potentially probiotic bacteria ........ 13 18.104.22.168. Bile stress ...................................................................................... 13 22.214.171.124. Acid stress .................................................................................... 22 220.127.116.11. Other stresses ............................................................................... 23 1.3.3. Studies of the cell envelope proteomes and secretomes of potentially probiotic bacteria .................................................................. 24 184.108.40.206. Cell envelope proteome .............................................................. 24 184.108.40.206. Secretome ..................................................................................... 26 126.96.36.199. Surfome and secretome predictions ......................................... 27 1.3.4. Other proteomic studies of potentially probiotic bacteria ..................... 28 2. Aims of the study ..................................................................................................30 3. Materials and methods .........................................................................................31 3.1. Bacterial strain and growth conditions ............................................................... 31 3.2. Proteomic methods ................................................................................................ 31 3.2.1. Protein extraction ..................................................................................... 31 3.2.2. Labeling of protein samples .................................................................... 31 3.2.3. 2-D GE and image analysis ..................................................................... 32 3.3. Protein identifi cation by MS ................................................................................. 32 3.4. Transcriptomic methods ....................................................................................... 32 3.4.1. Experimental design, RNA methods, cDNA synthesis, and labeling 32 3.4.2. Scanning, image analysis, and data analyses ......................................... 33 3.5. Analysis of the phosphoproteome ........................................................................ 33 3.5.1. Protein extraction ..................................................................................... 33 3.5.2. 2-D GE and image analysis ..................................................................... 33 3.5.3. Phosphopeptide identifi cation ................................................................ 33 4. Results and discussion ..........................................................................................34 4.1. Eff ect of the growth medium on the proteome of L. rhamnosus GG .............. 34 4.2. Growth phase-associated changes in L. rhamnosus GG .................................... 35 4.3. Bile stress response of L. rhamnosus GG ............................................................. 37 4.4. Eff ect of growth pH on L. rhamnosus GG ........................................................... 38 4.5. Protein phosphorylation in L. rhamnosus GG .................................................... 39 4.6. Proteome map of L. rhamnosus GG ..................................................................... 39 5. Concluding remarks and future prospects ..........................................................43 6. Acknowledgements ...............................................................................................45 7. References .........................................................................................................46 Original publications


The WiMAX technology has drawn enormous attentions from wireless communication industry in recent years. Its sophisticated physical layer (PHY) adopts such techniques as multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), which are fundamentally different techniques from the previous 3G mobile system. To help the readers gain the knowledge of some key components of the WiMAX PHY before referring the lengthy standard documentation, we provide a brief overview of the physical layer of the WiMAX standard IEEE 802.16–2009. A simulation system with LDPC coded MIMO-OFDM is also established to evaluate the performance of the WiMAX transceiver. Simulations show that the iterative receiver structure can achieve good performance.


Thermosensitive and water-soluble copolymers were prepared through the copolymerization of acryloyloxypropyl phosphinic acid (APPA) and N-isopropyl acrylamide (NIPAAm). The thermosensitivity of the copolymers and copolymer/metal complexes was studied. The APPA–NIPAAm copolymers with less than 11 mol % APPA moiety had a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of approximately 45°C, but the APPA–NIPAAm copolymers with greater than 21 mol % APPA moiety had no LCST from 25 to 55°C. The APPA–NIPAAm copolymers had a higher adsorption capacity for Sm3+, Nd3+, and La3+ than for Cu2+, Ni2+ and Co2+. The APPA–NIPAAm (10:90) copolymer/metal (Sm3+, Nd3+, or La3+) complexes became water-insoluble above 45°C at pH 6–7, but the APPA–NIPAAm (10:90) copolymer/metal (Cu2+,Ni2+, or Co2+) complexes were water-soluble from 25 to 55°C at pH 6–7. The temperature at which both the APPA–NIPAAm copolymers and the copolymer/metal complexes became water-insoluble increased as the pH values of the solutions increased. The APPA–NIPAAm copolymers were able to separate metal ions from their mixed solutions when the temperature of the solutions was changed; this was followed by centrifugation of the copolymer/metal complexes after the copolymers were added to the metal solutions. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 116–125, 2004


Challenges of C arrhythmias raised by the data:
1-Most frequent cause of embolic stroke (AF),
with evolution to chronic disease. Major cause
of natural death (VF), about 5% only are saved.
2-Hysteresis: strike twice and patient resuscitates.
3-Most models refer to chaotic dynamics, but this
does not describe spontaneous reversions to
lesser C arrhythmias.

Some features suggest intrinsic disorder:
1-The data show intermittency of beat-to-beat
intervals and peaks amplitude.
2-Slow evolution of vulnerability (the
susceptibility), so called remodeling.

Conduction velocity is not known to be very much affected. Intermittency may instead reveal nucleation and contamination processes a la
Pomeau. However, the medium is excitable and excitability is a robust cycle to any homo- or heteroclinic nucleation. Alteration of conduction, e.g. on a nearly percolating fibrotic substrate, yields fancy anatomical reentries, but no such intermittent behavior. We believe that the data is suggestive of fragmented pulses, following from the desynchronization of the network of electrically coupled excitable cells.


Ethical consumption has become a popular topic in the sociology of consumption in recent years. However, extant research on explicit 'ethical consumption' and on implicit moralities of consumption has scarcely been linked. In the research on ethical consumption, tensions between an inner self and self-presentation to others have been reported. By examining the case of food consumption, the study asks how the idea of 'taking responsibility' as a consumer is negotiated by persons who do not identify strongly with ethical consumption. Theoretically, the article starts from two approaches that have located morality either as internal to the person or as external in communication. It is contended that this opposition is not merely a theoretical one, but empirically present in the accounts of the food consumers studied: While consumers have to present their moral motivation as authentic, they also have to communicate their actions as morally valid according to socially established 'vocabularies of motive'. On the basis of a study of 25 in-depth interviews with consumers from a mid-sized German town, it is shown that the idea that consumers should 'take responsibility' for distant others is just one of several abstract constructions of 'good' consumption, and that not living up to this idea may be justified with references to personal taste and practical circumstances. It is argued that via references to authenticity, inner morality is part of the vocabulary of motive, and that these vocabularies frame the presentation of moral motivation as internal.


People are living in a world full of data. Humans are collecting data from many measure- ments and observations in their daily works. The sorting of these numerous data is important and necessary in terms of analyzing, reasoning, and decision-making processes. For this reason, clustering has been used in many areas and has become very important in recent years. Feature selection and classifying the data in subsets can be changed data to data. As a result of these feature selection methods, some clustering methods have been revealed. Hierarchical clustering, partitional clustering, artificial system clustering, kernel- based clustering, and sequential data clustering are determined for different clustering strategies. This chapter examines some popular partitional clustering techniques and algorithms. Partitional clustering assigns a set of data points into k -clusters by using iterative processes. The predefined criterion function ( J ) assigns the datum into k th number set. As a result of this criterion function value in k sets (maximization and minimization calculation), clustering can be done. This chapter starts with criterion function for clustering process. In addition, some applications will be done for each algorithm in this chapter.


North-East India is a place of various tribal and ethnic groups and it is the place of about

145 tribal groups.   The Tai ethnic group of North-east India is one of the largest ethnic group of the  region.  It  has  six  sub  groups  namely-  Tai  khamti,  Tai  Ahom,  Tai Aiton,  Tai Phake,  tai Khamyang  and  Tai Turung.  The  Khamti is  one  of the  smallest sub  groups of Tai people.  The Khamti  people  are  mainly  Buddhists  and  believer  of the Hinyan  sect  of Buddhism.  They  are culturally and  socially very rich.  Here in this study it is trying to  give a socio-cultural identity of the Tai khamtis.


Antibody responses to the malaria vaccine SPf66 and to its constituent peptides were measured over a period of 2 years in Gambian children who had been immunized with SPf66 or with a control vaccine (inactivated polio vaccine). Three hundred and six of 308 children (99%) who had received three doses of SPf66 vaccine had antibodies to SPf66 at a level above that found in European controls who had not been exposed to malaria. Responses to the constituent peptides derived from 35.1, 55.1 and 83.1‐kDa proteins were found in 88%, 97% and 97% of children, respectively; 26% had an antibody response to the NANP repeat peptide of circumsporozoite protein which is also included in the SPf66 vaccine. A response to SPf66 was found in 22% of children who had received the control vaccine. Antibody responses to NANP, 35.1, 55.1 and 83.1‐kDa peptide were found in 3%, 33%, 49% and 33% of these children. Overall, no significant correlation was found between the level of anti‐SPf66 antibody at the beginning of the malaria transmission season following vaccination and the subsequent risk of malaria. However, further analysis showed that among the control children who had acquired antibodies to SPf66 as a result of natural exposure to malaria, those with high levels of anti‐SPf66 were less at risk of malaria, perhaps reflecting their greater previous exposure and thus immunity. In contrast, among children who had received three doses of SPf66, those with high antibody levels were at greater risk of have malaria during the subsequent malaria transmission season.


AIM
Epigenetic modifications, such as DNA methylation, are considered important in the regulation of target genes in cancer development. 5-Hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) was recently discovered to be related to the process of malignant transformation. The influence of DNA methylation in oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) is not fully-understood. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the DNA methylation pattern in OSCC compared to healthy oral epithelium.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Oral mucosal samples from patients with OSCC (n=15) and healthy mucosa (n=12) were analyzed using immunohistochemistry with antibodies against 5hmC, 5mC and ten-eleven-translocation-2 (TET2).

RESULTS
A significant decrease in 5hmC and TET2 expression was found in OSCC compared to healthy oral epithelium. In contrast, there was a significant increase in 5mC expression in OSCC compared to healthy epithelium.

CONCLUSION
Our results indicate that loss of 5hmC is an epigenetic event of OSCC.


The combination of aortopulmonary window, interruption of the aortic arch, and anomalous origin of the right pulmonary artery from the ascending aorta is a rare and complex congenital cardiac malformation. Despite good prenatal care in our case, this cardiac anomaly was not detected prior to birth. Untreated infants who do not undergo surgical correction have a mortality rate of 70% in their first year, and 30% will die within the first 3 months of life.


With the aim of making the application of the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) feasible in the management of the West Indian fruit fly in Brazil, Anastrepha obliqua (Macquart) (Diptera: Tephritidae), a number of quality parameters required by the SIT were investigated in this study. The aim was to verify the influence of a range of doses of gamma radiation (40, 50, 60, 70 and 80 Gy) on the fertility of females and to evaluate several quality control parameters, such as fly emergence, sex ratio, flight ability and survival under stress, as well as the characterization of the morphology (measurement of length and width) of the ovaries and testicles of A. obliqua. Pupae with 24 h before adult emergence were irradiated at CENA/Universidade de São Paulo. The radiosterilization test showed no difference between treatments for the parameters of fly emergence, sex ratio and survival under stress. The radiation at doses above 40 Gy resulted in ovarian atrophy in females and the absence of egg production. In males, the radiation also affected testicular development. Considering the quality parameters assessed, the sterilization results obtained agreed with previous data in the literature for other A. obliqua strains, and the dose of 60 Gy could be considered as the best compromise between insect quality and full sterility for the Brazilian strain of A. obliqua evaluated.


How do economists decide what questions to address and how to choose their theories? How do they tackle the problems of the economic system and give advice on public policy? With these broad questions, Nobel laureate R. H. Coase, widely recognized for his seminal work on transaction costs, reflects on some of the most fundamental concerns of economists over the past two centuries. In fifteen essays, Coase evaluates the contributions of a number of outstanding figures, including Adam Smith, Alfred Marshall, Arnold Plant, Duncan Black, and George Stigler, as well as economists at the London School of Economics in the 1930s. Ronald H. Coase was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Science in 1991.


The aim of this paper is to provide a deeper understanding of Shikake through the lens of marketing. "The aim of marketing is to make selling superfluous" is a famous quote by Peter Drucker. Its key message is that marketing is not an effort to control or force consumers to purchase products or services, but an activity to create a situation where consumers engage in consumer behavior spontaneously. The core essence of Shikakeology is a spontaneous behavior change, and it is fair to assume that marketing and Shikakeology share a fundamental philosophy. This paper defines the key concepts in the intersection of marketing and Shikakeology and attempts to classify Shikakes in the field of marketing in accordance with participants' motivation and consciousness. Different types of consumer participation are described in case studies. Finally, attempts are made to reveal the key to success of a Shikake in the field of marketing and discuss future research opportunities.


Credit system is an integrated architecture consisted of financial information, credit rating, credit risk management, receivables and credit insurance systems, credit derivative markets and credit guarantee programs. The main purpose of the credit system is to provide the functioning of all credit channels and to make it easy to access of credit sources demanded by all of real and legal persons in any economic system. Credit guarantee program, the one of prominent elements of the credit system, traditionally, covers a fixed percentage of credit risk exposure. In this study, it is proposed that the expected losses should be added up to credit price, instead of the fixed coverage ratio, and the unexpected losses should be covered by the credit guarantee programs.


HYPOTHESIS
A novel cochlea implant (CI) device magnet providing alignment to the static field of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) will lead to reduced torque, longitudinal forces, and demagnetization effects. The image void and distortion will be comparable to those obtained with standard CI magnets.

BACKGROUND
MRI investigations of CI users pose several challenges such as magnet dislocation, demagnetization, and may cause pain. The presence of a CI magnet within MRI field causes image distortions and may diminish the diagnostic value of an MRI procedure. Objective of this work is to evaluate magnetic forces and imaging properties of the novel CI magnet within 1.5 and 3T MRI.

METHODS
Forces and torque of the novel CI magnet were measured in both 1.5 and 3T MRI and compared with the standard magnet in 1.5T. One cadaver head was implanted with the CI devices containing the novel and standard magnets in different configurations reflecting clinical scenarios and imaging properties were assessed and compared.

RESULTS
In particular the torque has been reduced with the novel CI magnet in comparison to the standard one. Both CI magnets have not shown any signs of demagnetization. The image void and distortion was comparable between the two magnets for the main MRI clinical scanning protocols in 1.5T MRI.

CONCLUSIONS
The novel CI magnet is safe to use for MRI investigations of CI users in 3T MRI without a need for bandaging and has acceptable level of image artefacts.


Abstract UHRF1 promotes melanoma progression by inducing cell proliferation, and is correlated with poor prognosis of melanoma patients. However, the regulation mechanism has not been fully elaborated. Here, we detected hsa-let-7b expression and its role in melanoma. Through Targetscan and miRanda predication, 30 overlapped miRNAs were found; further survival analysis revealed that hsa-let-7b was the only miRNA that affected the overall survival. Overexpressed hsa-let-7b could significantly inhibit the proliferation ability of A375 and A2058 cells, and this phenomenon was reversed after co-transfection with pLenti-UHRF1. In conclusion, hsa-let-7b regulates melanoma cells proliferation in vitro by targeting UHRF1.


Since its emergence around 2010, deep learning has rapidly become the most important technique in Artificial Intelligence (AI), producing an array of scientific firsts in areas as diverse as protein folding, drug discovery, integrated chip design, and weather prediction. As more scientists and engineers adopt deep learning, it is important to consider what effect widespread deployment would have on scientific progress and, ultimately, economic growth. We assess this impact by estimating the idea production function for AI in two computer vision tasks that are considered key test-beds for deep learning and show that AI idea production is notably more capital-intensive than traditional R&D. Because increasing the capital-intensity of R&D accelerates the investments that make scientists and engineers more productive, our work suggests that AI-augmented R&D has the potential to speed up technological change and economic growth.


Background: Depression is common and associated with increased morbidity and mortality in elderly (≧65 years) hemodialysis patients. Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) have been used in different cohorts to screen for depression. Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the 15-item GDS (GDS-15) as such a tool in elderly hemodialysis patients and compare it with BDI, a previously validated tool in younger hemodialysis patients. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Four out-patient hemodialysis units; 1 based in a university hospital and 3 based in the community. Participants: Hemodialysis patients aged 65 years and older. Intervention: Both tools were administered to all participants, and a geriatric psychiatrist blinded to the results evaluated them for depression by the gold standard psychiatric interview. Measurements: The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) for both tools were assessed against the psychiatric interview (n = 62). Results: Patients who were depressed according to the psychiatric interview had significantly higher GDS-15 and BDI scores compared to those not depressed (p < 0.01 both). ROC curves showed high predictive accuracy of the GDS-15 and BDI (area under the curve: 0.808 and 0.729) versus the psychiatric interview. The GDS-15 cutoff with the best diagnostic accuracy was 5 with a sensitivity of 63%, specificity of 82%, PPV of 60% and NPV of 83%. The BDI cutoff with the best diagnostic accuracy was 10 with a sensitivity of 68%, specificity of 77%, PPV of 57% and NPV of 85%. Conclusion: These results provide evidence that the GDS-15 shows validity in comparison to a gold standard and can be used to screen for depression in the elderly hemodialysis population.


Chronic pain can be initiated by one or more acute stimulations to sensitize neurons into the primed state. In the primed state, the basal nociceptive thresholds of the animal are normal, but in response to another hyperalgesic stimulus, the animal develops enhanced and prolonged hyperalgesia. The exact mechanism of how primed state is formed is not completely understood. Here we showed that spinal PKC/ERK signal pathway is required for neuronal plasticity change, hyperalgesic priming formation and the development of chronic hyperalgesia using acid-induced muscle pain (AIMP) model in mice. We discovered that pERK-positive neurons in the amygdala, spinal cord and dorsal root ganglion (DRG) were significantly increased after 1st acid injection. Inhibition of the pERK activity intrathecally, but not intracerebroventricularly or intramuscularly before 1st acid injection prevented the development of chronic pain induced by 2nd acid injection which suggests hyperalgesic priming signal is stored at spinal cord level. Furthermore, intrathecal injection of PKC but not PKA blocker prevented the development of chronic pain and PKC agonist was sufficient to induce prolonged hyperalgesia response after acid injection. We also found that mTOR-dependent protein synthesis was required for the priming establishment. To test whether hyperalgesic priming leads to synaptic plasticity change, we recorded fEPSPs from spinal cord slices and found enhanced LTP in mice received one acid injection. This LTP enhancement was prevented by inhibition of ERK. These findings show that the activation of PKC/ERK signal pathway and downstream protein synthesis is required for hyperalgesic priming and the consolidation of pain singling.


The ribosomes from Novikoff tumor and rat liver cells were extracted, purified and analyzed. The isolated ribosomes are active in Poly-U directed Poly-Phe synthesis. Sucrose density gradient centrifugation showed that the Novikoff tumor cells contained, in contrast to liver cells, almost no polysomes. The ribosomal proteins from the ribosomes were extracted and subsequently analyzed by gel electrophoresis. No differences between the ribosomal proteins of the normal and neoplastic cells could be detected by one-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis. Two-dimensional urea gel electrophoresis showed great similarities between the ribosomal proteins of the two kinds of cells. However some differences could be detected.


Scholarly activities around climate change began with the natural sciences, spread to policy, then science communication, and now are expanding into human behavior and decision-making. One of climate change's biggest challenges is its game theory structure as a threshold, collective risk social dilemma, in which most (if not all) stand to lose by some high probability but no single individual can solve the problem. Scientists have designed new cooperative experiments around climate change to test reactions to scientific information, different levels of collective risk, rich-poor scenarios, and how time discounting affects our ability to cooperate in the face of climate change. This paper provides an overview of these experiments, some policy-relevant findings, and how scientists are looking to improve experimental design in the hopes of learning what might make the sacrifices required to combat climate change easier to achieve.


ABSTRACT Translation of picornavirus plus-strand RNA genomes occurs via internal ribosomal entry at highly structured 5′ untranslated regions. In addition to canonical translation factors, translation rate is likely influenced by supplementary host and viral trans-acting factors. We previously reported that insertion of a heterologous human rhinovirus type 2 internal ribosomal entry site (IRES) into the poliovirus (PV) genome, generating the chimeric virus PV-RIPO, selectively abrogates viral translation and propagation in neurons, which eliminate poliovirus's signature neuropathogenicity. While severely deficient in cells of neuronal lineage, the rhinovirus IRES promotes efficient propagation of PV-RIPO in cancer cells. Tumor-specific IRES function can be therapeutically exploited to direct viral cytotoxicity to cancer cells. Neuron-glioma heterokaryon analysis implicates neuronal trans-dominant inhibition in this effect, suggesting that host trans-acting factors repress IRES function in a cell-type-specific manner. We identified a set of proteins from neuronal cells with affinity for the rhinovirus IRES, including double-stranded RNA-binding protein 76 (DRBP76). DRBP76 associates with the IRES in neuronal but not in malignant glioma cells. Moreover, DRBP76 depletion in neuronal cells enhances rhinovirus IRES-driven translation and virus propagation. Our observations suggest that cell-type-specific association of DRBP76 with the rhinovirus IRES represses PV-RIPO translation and propagation in neuronal cells.


The literature on the development of standards of library service in Pakistan has not been systematically identified, listed, and reviewed. The purpose of this paper is to identify, as far as possible, the work already done and to have a critical look at the accessible literature. Most of the work previously done is based on individual effort and, in general, lacks methodical and systematic approach. In most cases the proposed quantitative standards seem to be excessive and unrealistic which do not seem to be enforceable considering the budgetary situation in Pakistani libraries. Formulation of standards has become critical now due to the changed information environment, enormous growth in academic and research institutions and information-oriented private sector enterprises with a resulting increase in the number of LIS professionals. It is recommended that the Pakistan Library Association should create a permanent structure to work on this area. While preparing these standards, the work done in developing rather than developed countries should be carefully examined.


In this paper, we propose a deep reinforcement learning (DRL) solution to the grasping problem using 2.5D images as the only source of information. In particular, we developed a simulated environment where a robot equipped with a vacuum gripper has the aim of reaching blocks with planar surfaces. These blocks can have different dimensions, shapes, position and orientation. Unity 3D allowed us to simulate a real-world setup, where a depth camera is placed in a fixed position and the stream of images is used by our policy network to learn how to solve the task. We explored different DRL algorithms and problem configurations. The experiments demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed DRL algorithm applied to grasp tasks guided by visual depth camera inputs. When using the proper policy, the proposed method estimates a robot tool configuration that reaches the object surface with negligible position and orientation errors. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first successful attempt of using 2.5D images only as of the input of a DRL algorithm, to solve the grasping problem regressing 3D world coordinates.


The yuzu product development process in general was related to the level of consumer preference or acceptance which could not be separated from the sensory aspect. The purpose of this study was to obtain a map of the sensory profile characteristics of the ideal product, to identify the sensory and emotional profile characteristics, as well as to observe the correlation between sensory attributes and preference for yuzu drink based on consumer perceptions. The methods used included consumer surveys, ideal profile methods, and check-all-that-apply (CATA) as consumer-based methods. The consumer survey involved 108 respondents to assess general consumer preferences. The sensory evaluation panel consisted of 47 consumer panelists. The samples for sensory evaluation included 4 commercial yuzu beverage products available in Jakarta. The results of ideal profile mapping for yuzu beverage products with codes A, B, C, and D indicated that product A closely matched the ideal sensory profile, with sensory attributes of sweetness, acidity, freshness, citrus, and bitterness. The yuzu drink samples with codes A and C provided the same distinctive sensory attributes both in the mouth and upon swallowing, with their respective distinctive attributes being sweetness and freshness. The sweetness and freshness were correlated with consumer preferences (overall liking) when the product was in the mouth, and the freshness was correlated with preferences when the product was swallowed. The emotional profile mapping results revealed that consumers favored products associated with the "pleasure" emotion as found in product A and "relaxing" emotion as found in product D.


The Commission for the Hydrology of the Rhine basin (CHR) is an organisation in which hydrological institutes from the six main riparian states of the Rhine cooperate in the field of hydrological research. The member states of the CHR are: Switzerland, Austria, Germany, France, Luxemburg and The Netherlands. The main objective of the CHR is to study hydrological phenomena in the Rhine basin. The Commission9 s first activities were mainly focused on making an inventory of hydrological data, which resulted in the publication of an extensive monograph on the Rhine basin. After that, the Commission began work on a new research programme to improve the water resources management in the Rhine basin. This programme included topics such as: standardization of data, improvement of hydrological forecasts and the description of extreme hydrological events. Nowadays, the Commission concentrates on a number of topical themes, such as: influence of climatic changes on the discharge of the Rhine, anthropogenic influences on the discharge regime, development of an alarm model for pollution transport, sediment transport in the Rhine basin and ecological rehabilitation of floodplains.


This paper describes a system for searching and retrieving urban design drawings developed or contracted by public or governmental entities. We assume that in governmental public programs with similar goals recreating solutions is a daily action, which is, clearly, an unnecessary waste of time and resources. The system presented in this paper aims at concentrating and organizing this information in order to allow urban planners and designers to search for existing solutions to their projects and answers to their current needs.


Responses to Aron, Burke, and Freeman's Forum article,"Scientists versus Whaling: Science, Advocacy, and Errors of Judgment" (BioScience 52: 1137–1140), by Clapham and colleagues, Orians and colleagues, and Holt in the March 2003 issue of BioScience mischaracterize Japan's whale research programs. Clapham and colleagues state that Japan's research program in the North Pacific "presumes, on an almost a priori basis, that whales (not humans) are primarily responsible for worldwide declines in fish stocks." To the contrary, the overall aim of JARPN II is to contribute to the development of an ecological management approach. Clapham and colleagues ignore the fact that the International Whaling Commission (IWC) unanimously adopted a resolution making the study of interactions between whales and fisheries a matter of priority and that the FAO's Committee on Fisheries and the Johannesburg Plan adopted at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development have urged the development and implementation of ecosystem approaches to fisheries management. Other statements made by Clapham and colleagues accuse Japan of being "obstructive."There is more than a little irony in the fact that these scientists criticize the research and its methods and data at the same time they seek to deny Japanese scientists the normal first right of data publication. Orians and colleagues claim that the research "results in the needless deaths of hundreds of whales each year, despite a global moratorium to which Japan is legally bound."This and other statements of theirs appear to be political advocacy rather than science. Holt omits the critical point that much of the rationale for support of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW) moratorium was related to the uncertainty of the science and management of whale stocks. Research was initiated in response to the rationale for the moratorium. The ICRW, which was adopted in 1946 and which established the IWC, has as its objective to provide for the conservation of whales for the benefit of the whaling industry and its consumers. Notwithstanding this, the now institutionalized discourse within the IWC reflects a strong difference of views between members who wish to sustainably utilize abundant species of whales for food and those who wish to protect all whales. Rather than adopting regulations to ensure that whaling is sustainable, regulations adopted since 1982, namely the moratorium on commercial whaling and the sanctuary in the Antarctic, are counter to the purpose of the ICRW and without scientific foundation.


Detailed interferometric measurements of the induced thermal distortions due to laser-diode and xenon flashlamp pumping of Nd:LiYF/sub 4/ are presented. The thermal distortions are quantified in terms of the primary aberrations of defocus, astigmatism, coma, and spherical. Defocus and astigmatism are shown to dominate the thermal aberrations. The measured defocus and astigmatism are converted to the conventional thermal-focal lengths in two perpendicular directions with respect to the Nd:YLF crystalline c axis for each of the two polarization states /spl sigma/ and /spl pi/. A comparison of the thermal-focal lengths measured with our xenon flashlamp and laser-diode-pumped rods is given when the rods are pumped to the same small signal gain. We calculate effective dioptric-power coefficients from our data for comparison to those reported in the literature for krypton-flashlamp pumping. A thermal time constant of 1.5 s is measured for our laser-diode-pumped Nd:YLF laser rod.


In this article, the concept of epigraphic character, its unique and common features in twentieth-century poetry works are explored in James Joyce's, Flann O'Brien's, and Graham Greene's novels.


A simplified and up-scaled synthesis of the semisynthetic peroxidase seleno-subtilisin was developed. Highly purified to technical grade subtilisin preparations from Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens were applied as starting materials. Activation of Ser 221 with phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride, nucleophilic substitution by sodium hydrogen selenide, and oxidation to the seleninic acid with hydrogen peroxide completed the chemical active-site modification. The reactions were accomplished with a minimum of simple work-up procedures in 10 g scale. Kinetics and enantioselectivity of the preparations were tested using 1-phenylethyl hydroperoxide. For the first time, an up-scaled synthesis of a semisynthetic enzyme is available. Copyright 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


The principle of schools collaborating to improve is one that has seen growing interest in recent years, and there is emerging evidence that in particular collaboration between high and lower performing schools can be an effective school improvement method. However, this evidence relates primarily to secondary schools, and little research has been conducted on the factors that could make collaboration more or less effective. In this study we specifically looked at partnerships between low and high performing primary schools, in which high performing schools acted as supporters to low performing partner schools. A mixed methods approach was used. A quasi-experimental quantitative study was conducted to ascertain the relationship between partnership and pupil attainment using data from the National Pupil Database. This was followed up by case studies of nine partnerships. Findings showed that there was a positive relationship between partnership and pupil attainment at Key Stage 2, and that successful partnerships were characterised by intensive interventions focused on teaching and learning and leadership.


While there is a growing body of literature on relational pedagogy as a concept, less attention is given to the details of just how relational pedagogy manifests in classroom practice. Similarly, while issues of power, democracy and co-constructed learning feature in contemporary research, the details of how power relationships can be effectively altered between teachers and children warrants closer scrutiny. This paper explores how pedagogy is enhanced when spaces are negotiated between teachers and children in the real and fictional worlds of drama. The findings emerge from a two year collaborative research project between generalist elementary teachers and university researchers. Salient issues of trust, power sharing, and metaxis, which are part of relational pedagogy in the drama classroom, are explored. In particular, the paper discusses how


This research adds to an existing body of research that suggests that the adoption of investment return assumptions associated with public sector defined benefit (DB) pension plans may partly be explained by political opportunism. This research adds to this literature by examining how oversight and monitoring efforts and investment boards' relative independence from the political process influence adopted investment return assumptions. Based on a multivariate regression analysis of data on 88 state DB pension plans in the United States, the results of this study suggest that adopted investment return assumptions are partly determined by investment boards' affiliation with the political process. The results also indicate that the adopted assumptions are influenced by asset allocations and the fiscal condition of pension plans. The findings of the study are important in part because they draw attention to possible linkages between the quality of financial information that is reported about the financial condition of public pension funds and their surrounding governance structure. Reliable information about the actual size of unfunded pension liabilities is critical in political environments, where there tend to be a bias toward shifting pension obligations to future constituents.


Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a chronic autoimmune disease representing a major health care problem worldwide (Tierney et al., 2002). T1D is caused by islet-reactive immune T cells that destroy insulin-producing pancreatic ┚-cells. Transplantation of insulin-producing pancreatic islets by their injection in vascularized organs has been recently recognized as a promising path to curing diabetes (Meloche, 2007; Robertson, 2000). However, despite the significant promise, the clinical application of the procedure remains limited due to (a) limited supply of islets suitable for transplantation, (b) a hypoxia because of a low tension of oxygen at the implantation sites and (c) an acute rejection during transplantation. One of the challenges is associated with isolation and culturing islets in vitro before injection. In the pancreas, endocrine cells of the islet clusters are separated from exocrine cells by a discontinuous mantle of collagen fibers defining their respective basement membrane. During collagenase isolation of islets from the pancreas, further disruption of the islet mantle results in preparations exhibiting various morphological changes (islet fragmentation, fusion) under routine tissue culture conditions, particularly in human islets (Lacy & Kostianovsky, 1967). Attenuation of islet viability and functionality accompanies these morphological changes. The second issue is associated with islet transplantation which requires immunosuppression to protect the donor islets from the host immune response and prevent implant rejection and post-surgery inflammations (Ricordi & Strom, 2004). Despite the fact that a range of immunosuppressive drugs have demonstrated pharmacologically inhibitory effects on pro-inflammatory cytokines (Riachy et al., 2002; Contreras et al., 2002; Lv et al., 2008; Stosic-Grujicic et al., 2001), the use of immunosuppressive molecules is very specific since they can induce non-specific suppression of the immune system resulting in serious side effects and increased risk of infection which can work against the benefits of a transplant (Narang & Mahato, 2006). These issues have inspired the development of a number of strategies to prevent immunogenic reactions and stabilize islet morphology and functionality, both in vitro and following transplantation in vivo (Chandy et al., 1999; Abalovich et al., 2001). Two major approaches have been introduced to prevent immunogenic reactions on the islet surfaces: macro and microencapsulation of the islet cells and islet cell surface modification (Fig. 1) (De Vos et al., 2003; Panza et al., 2000; Scott & Murad, 1998; Opara et al., 2010).


Gravitational waves were detected in 2015 for the first time in the history of humankind. Since then, around ten gravitational wave signals coming from black hole/neutron star binary coalescences have been detected. Among various expected gravitational wave sources, the beginning of the universe is one of the most exciting targets. The inflation theory was developed to solve various problems of the big bang model such as the horizon problem. According to the inflation theory, the primordial gravitational waves produced during the inflation period could reach us. Deci-hertz Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory DECIGO), is the future Japanese mission, which aims at detecting the primordial gravitation waves between 0.1 Hz and 10 Hz as well as obtaining other important sciences. DECIGO has a 1,000-km arm length and Fabry-Perot cavities implemented to improve the sensitivity. DECIGO employs drag-free spacecraft in a heliocentric earth-trail orbit. We plan to launch B-DECIGO first to demonstrate technologies necessary for DECIGO, as well as to detect a variety of gravitational waves. Then we plan to launch DECIGO to detect the primordial gravitational waves.


Abstract:Stories—fictional, biographical, and autobiographical—are one way in which we can imagine what it has been like to experience foster care in Australia. In this paper I look at the trends in stories told about foster care from the nineteenth century, across the twentieth, and into the early twenty-first century. While exploring these trends, I make some observations about the shift from fictional accounts where foster parents and foster children were heroic characters to often searing tales of hurt and trauma inflicted on children in foster care by violent women and men.


In about 10—15 % of the cases a sharp distinction between Atriplex hastata L., patula L., littoralis L., and glabriuscula Edm. is not possible, both in the field and in the herbarium. In order to establish the status of the 'intermediates' a karyological examination was undertaken of 95 samples collected in the Netherlands including both typical specimens and intermediates. It appeared that the specimens clearly representing A. hastata, littoralis, or glabriuscula are diploid (n = 9), but those representing A. patula tetraploid (n = 18). The 'intermediates' between A. hastata and patula are either diploid or tetraploid. Hence a sharp distinction between the latter two taxa is only possible on the chromosome number. A similar result was found for the 'intermediates' between A. patula and littoralis. It depends on the specific concept one adheres to whether these four taxa should be ranked as species; European botanists usually give them specific rank, their American colleagues infraspecific rank. Autogamy seems to be the rule in these species. This as well as the chromosome numbers found rule out the possibility of hybridization as an explanation for the occurrence of intermediates. I have strong doubts as to the artificial hybrids reported in literature because of the technical difficulties involved and apparently not solved. Special attention has been paid to possible characters to be derived from the leaves, the phyllotaxis, and the bracts. The variation in the leaves of the four species examined is overlapping. The same holds true for the phyllotaxis and the ripe fruits and fruiting bracteoles. An account is given of some abnormalities which have been found during the chromosome countings. An attempt was made to correlate morphological characters of the leaf, especially the leaf-base and leaf-index, and the chromosomes in A. hastata and patula. The results presented in the scatter diagrams show that, though on the whole there is a marked correlation between leafshape and chromosome number, no sharp distinction can be made. Finally a provisional key is given.


As the United Kingdom's (UK) first Ashoka U Changemaker Campus, the University of Northampton (UoN) has embarked on a strategy that embraces social enterprises. Social enterprise, innovation and entrepreneurship are key competences that have been used by the university to address social inequalities. This paper will account for the social engagement challenges that are influential in the UK's higher educational environment. International perspectives will be highlighted to demonstrate that significant advantages can be obtained by borrowing and adapting policies and practice strategies. Our primary aims are: to showcase the fundamental activities of social responsibility as demonstrated by UoN and provide examples of stakeholder demands during periods of significant change. We argue that it is essential for higher education institutions (HEI) to develop a more nuanced and innovative examination of community based initiatives and networks in order to sustain engagement and access.


An in-line particle detector (IPD) uses secondary electrons for the detection of multiply charged ions with low to medium energy (10-10 keV). The ion detector does not physically intercept the ion beam line and is fully transparent to ions without applied voltages. The activation of the detector is performed by applying appropriate voltages to electrodes, which avoids any physical movement. Equipped with a channel electron multiplier, single particle counting is possible as well as measurement of currents. This detector therefore has a large dynamical range from about 10(-17) to 10(-3) A. The basic principle also allows for ion beam diagnostics.


One of the main problems faced by communication systems is the presence of skip-zones in the targeted areas. With the deployment of the fifth-generation mobile network, solutions are proposed to solve the signal loss due to obstruction by buildings, mountains, and atmospheric or weather conditions. Among these solutions, reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS), which are newly proposed modules, may be exploited to reflect the incident signal in the direction of dead zones, increase communication coverage, and make the channel smarter and controllable. This paper tackles the skip-zone problem in terrestrial free-space optical (T-FSO) systems using a single-element RIS. Considering link distances and jitter ratios at the RIS position, we carry out a performance analysis of RIS-aided T-FSO links affected by turbulence and pointing errors, for both heterodyne detection and intensity modulation-direct detection techniques. Turbulence is modeled using the Gamma-Gamma distribution. We analyze the model and provide exact closed-form expressions of the probability density function, cumulative distribution function, and moment generating function of the end-to-end signal-to-noise ratio. Capitalizing on these statistics, we evaluate the system performance through the outage probability, ergodic channel capacity, and average bit error rate for selected binary modulation schemes. Numerical results, validated through simulations, obtained for different RIS positions and link distances ratio values, reveal that RIS-based T-FSO performs better when the RIS module is located near the transmitter.


Plants and human beings develop vascular tissues that enable their growth and function. Auxin (IAA) in plants, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in humans, are the major signaling molecules that induce and regulate vascular development in both normal and cancer tissues. Mechanisms that induce vascular tissues in plants are discussed, aiming to stimulate similar advanced medical research in the human body. The focus is on organized and cancerous vascular differentiation, regulation of vein pattern formation, and the control of vessel diameter by hormonal gradients. Moreover, to understand the involvement of bacteria in cancer development in both plants and humans, for developing combined novel cancer therapy treatments in human beings with antibiotics and jasmonates.


Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) is an important oilseed crop which is cultivated predominantly in semiarid and temperate regions of the world. In order to assessment of genetic variation, relationships between traits and phylogenetic clustering of genotypes, an investigation was conducted as a randomized complete block design with three replications and 20 safflower genotypes. The results of analysis of variance showed the significant differences among of genotypes for total of the studied traits including days to flowering, days to maturity, plant height, head per plant, seeds per head, main head diameter, 1000 seeds weight and seed yield per plant. Soviet union-1 genotype possessed the greatest values of total traits especially seed yield per plant that ranked this genotype as superior genotype. A high correlation coefficient (r=0.80*) was obtained between 1000 seeds weight and seed yield per plant. Cluster analysis classified genotypes into three distinct groups. Results of F Beele's type statistic showed that there was a significant difference between groups for all the studied traits except days to maturity, plant height and heads per plant. Generally, results indicated that clustering some foreign genotypes into Iranian group was due to their similar genetic basis and as well as it was suggested that Iran may be the origin of them.


Domain Wall Memory (DWM), a recently developed spin-based non-volatile memory technology, inherently offers unprecedented benefits in density by storing multiple bits in the domains of a ferromagnetic nanowire, which logically resembles a bit-serial tape. However, this structure also leads to a unique challenge that the bits must be sequentially accessed by performing \shift" operations, resulting in variable and potential higher access latencies. In this paper, we propose a hardware and software co-optimize approach to improve area efficiency and performance for DWM in application-specific embedded systems. For an application-specific embedded system, this technique can obtain a DWM which consists of both micro-cell DWM and macro-cell DWM with minimal area size. Meanwhile, instruction schedule and data allocation with minimal memory access overhead are generated. Experimental results show that the proposed method can minimize the DWM area size while satisfying a system performance constraint.


BACKGROUND
There is no a clear knowledge concerning the division of any part of the anal sphincter complex and the effect of this procedure on the function of the anal canal during the treatment of perianal fistula.

OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the usefulness of 3D anorectal ultrasound in the assessment of anal fistula, quantifying the length of the sphincter muscle to be transected, selecting patients for different approaches and identifying healing, failure or recurrence after the surgical treatment.

METHODS
A prospective study included patients with primarily cryptogenic transsphincteric anal fistula assessed by fecal Incontinence score, tri-dimensional anorectal ultrasound and anal manometry before and after surgery. Based on 3D-AUS, patients with ≥50% external sphincter or external sphincter+puborectalis muscle involvement in males and ≥40% external sphincter or external sphincter+puborectalis muscle in females were referred for the ligation of the intersphincteric tract (LIFT) or seton placement and subsequent fistulotomy; and with <50% involvement in males and <40% in females were referred to one-stage fistulotomy. After surgery, the fibrosis (muscles divided) and residual muscles were measured and compared with the pre-operative.

RESULTS
A total of 73 patients was included. The indication for the LIFT was significantly higher in females (47%), one-stage fistulotomy was significantly higher in the males (46%) and similar in seton placement. The minor postoperative incontinence was identified in 31% of patients underwent sphincter divided and were similar in both genders. The 3D-AUS identified seven failed cases.

CONCLUSION
The 3D ultrasound was shown to be an effective method in the preoperative assessment of anal fistulas by quantifying the length of muscle to be divided, as the results were similar at the post-operative, providing a safe treatment approach according to the gender and percentage of muscle involvement. Additionally, 3D ultrasound successfully identified the healing tissue and the type of failure or recurrence.


SnO2 has been considered as one of the most promising anode materials for Li-ion batteries due to its theoretical ability to store up to 8.4 Li(+). However, it suffers from poor rate performance and short cycle life due to the low intrinsic electrical conductivity and particle pulverization caused by the large volume change upon lithiation/delithiation. Here, we report a facile synthesis of graphene/SnO2 xerogel hybrids as anode materials using epoxide-initiated gelation method. The synthesized hybrid materials (19% graphene/SnO2 xerogel) exhibit excellent electrochemical performance: high specific capacity, stable cyclability, and good rate capability. Even cycled at a high current density of 1 A/g for 300 cycles, the hybrid electrode can still deliver a specific capacity of about 380 mAh/g, corresponding to more than 60% capacity retention. The incorporation of graphene sheets provides fast electron transfer between the interfaces of the graphene nanosheets and the SnO2 and a short lithium ion diffusion path. The porous structure of graphene/xerogel and the strong interaction between SnO2 and graphene can effectively accommodate the volume change and tightly confine the formed Li2O and Sn nanoparticles, thus preventing the irreversible capacity degradation.


We presented a female patient who had complicated perioperative myocardial infarction resulting from intraoperative embolization with atheromatous debris during coronary artery bypass surgery. On separation from cardiopulmonary bypass, ventricular function was poor and she suffered from severe low cardiac output syndrome postoperatively. The intraoperative electrocardiographic monitoring showed conduction abnormalities, elevation of the ST-T segments and new Q waves. Though it is difficult to diagnosis the onset of perioperative myocardial infarction early, adequate treatment is necessary to preserve ischemic myocardium and to reduce the size of myocardial necrosis.


PurposeUsers' knowledge contribution behaviors are critical for online Q&A communities to thrive. Well-organized question threads in online Q&A communities enable users to clearly read existing answers and their evaluations before contributing. Based on the social comparison and peer influence literature, the authors examine peer influence on the informativeness of knowledge contributions in competitive settings. The authors also consider three levels of moderating factors concerning individuals' perception of competitiveness: question level, thread level and contributor level.Design/methodology/approachThe authors collected data from one of the largest online Q&A communities in China. The hypotheses were validated using hierarchical linear models with cross-classified random effects. The generalized propensity score weighting method was employed for the robustness check.FindingsThe authors demonstrate the peer influence due to social comparison concerns among knowledge contribution behaviors in the same question thread. If more prior knowledge contributors choose to contribute long answers in the question thread, the subsequent contributions are more informative. This peer influence is stronger for factual questions and questions with higher popularity of answering but weaker in recommendation-type and well-answered questions and for contributors with higher social status.Originality/valueThis research provides a new cue of peer influence on online UGC contributions in competitive settings initiated by social comparison concerns. Additionally, the authors identify three levels of moderating factors (question level, thread level and contributor level) that are specific to online Q&A settings and are related to a contributor's perception of competitiveness, which affect the direct effect of peer influence on knowledge contributions. Rather than focus on motivation and quality evaluation, the authors concentrate on the specific content of online knowledge contributions. Peer influence here is not based on an actual acquaintance or a following relationship but on answering the same question. The authors also illustrate the competitive peer influence in subjective and personalized behaviors in online UGC communities.


The novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in late 2019 and spread globally in early 2020. Initial reports suggested the associated disease, COVID-19, produced rapid epidemic growth and caused high mortality. As the virus sparked local epidemics in new communities, health systems and policy makers were forced to make decisions with limited information about the spread of the disease. We developed a compartmental model to project COVID-19 healthcare demands that combined information regarding SARS-CoV-2 transmission dynamics from international reports with local COVID-19 hospital census data to support response efforts in three metropolitan statistical areas in Texas, USA: Austin-Round Rock, Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, and Beaumont-Port Arthur. Our model projects that strict stay-home orders and other social distancing measures could suppress the spread of the pandemic. Our capacity to provide rapid decision-support in response to emerging threats depends on access to data, validated modeling approaches, careful uncertainty quantification, and adequate computational resources.


Investigating microbial lipid regulation contributes to understanding the lipid-dependent signal transduction process of cells and helps to improve the sensitivity of microorganisms to environmental factors by interfering with lipid metabolism, thus beneficial for constructing advanced cell factories of novel molecular drugs. Integrated omics technology was used to systematically reveal the lipid metabolism mechanism of a marine Meyerozyma guilliermondii GXDK6 under high NaCl stress and test the sensitivity of GXDK6 to antibiotics when its lipid metabolism transformed. The omics data showed that when GXDK6 perceived 10% NaCl stress, the expression of AYR1 and NADPH-dependent 1-acyldihydroxyacetone phosphate reductase was inhibited, which weaken the budding and proliferation of cell membranes. This finding was further validated by decreased 64.39% of OD600 under 10% NaCl stress when compared with salt-free stress. In addition, salt stress promoted a large intracellular accumulation of glycerol, which was also verified by exogenous addition of glycerol. Moreover, NaCl stress remarkably inhibited the expression of drug target proteins (such as lanosterol 14-alpha demethylase), thereby increasing sensitivity to fluconazole. This study provided new insights into the molecular mechanism involved in the regulation of lipid metabolism in Meyerozyma guilliermondii strain and contributed to developing new methods to improve the effectiveness of killing fungi with lower antibiotics.


: Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS) Fuzzy model helps medical diagnosis, monitoring and classifications of the vital signs of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients which provide support for decision-making in patient care. A category of such patients is the prematurely born babies, which are placed in infant incubators of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for continuous monitoring of their body vital signs (temperature, heart rate and respiration). However, the development of Fuzzy rule based CDSS for classification of neonates' health status is limited and still manually monitored in many developing countries like Nigeria. This work developed Fuzzy Inference System-CDSS rules that can be used to efficiently classify the neonate's condition in the incubators of NICU. A Fuzzy Inference System CDSS (FIS-CDSS) was developed for the three inputs: Temperature, Heart rate and Respiration rate (THR) based on their membership functions' value (low, medium, high) and twenty-seven (27) IF-THEN fuzzy rules using fuzzy logic toolbox in Matrix Laboratory 8.1 (R2013a). The FIS-CDSS maps the THR to an output status (Normal, Abnormal and Critical). The vital signs' readings were fed into the FIS-CDSS, which fuzzifies them and classifies the health status of the neonates. This work developed a Fuzzy-rule based system that can efficiently classify neonates' health status which provides adequate and accurate information for on-the-spot assessment of neonates for decision making that improves the mortality rate and recovery period of neonates. Also, the system could provide baseline information for other researchers in developing fuzzy rule based CDSS for other categories of patients.


The binding behavior of nanoaggregates of pentacenequinone derivative 1 having thiophene groups has been investigated toward various cations (Fe(3+), Fe(2+), Pd(2+), Mg(2+), Cd(2+), Hg(2+), Ni(2+), Zn(2+), Cu(2+), Pb(2+), Co(2+), K(+), Na(+) and Li(+)) using UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. Among the various cations tested, nanoaggregates of compound 1 show a selective and sensitive response towards ferric ions. Further, the paper strips coated with a solution of nanoaggregates of 1 can detect ferric ions at the picogram level, thus providing a simple, portable and low cost method for the detection of ferric ions at the picogram level in aqueous solution.


Power supply noise management continues to be a challenge with the scaling of CMOS technologies. Use of on-chip decoupling capacitors (decaps) is the most common noise suppression technique and has significant associated area and leakage costs. There are numerous methods of implementing decaps and it is not always clear which implementation is the most optimal for the given design constraints. This paper characterizes various decap implementations including MOS-based decaps, multilayer metal decaps, and metal-insulator-metal decaps using postlayout simulations in a 65-nm CMOS technology, and provides an outline for determining the most optimal selection and design of decaps based on area, leakage, and location. Hybrid structures are further shown to boost the area efficiency of conventional nMOS decaps by an additional ~25%.


During the past 15 years, the use of crack cocaine has increased in London and our research from 1995–96 shows that its use is widespread throughout the sex industry by prostitutes and their clients. Interviews with women who have used crack and worked in prostitution show that use of the drug presents few difficulties for many in the industry, in contrast to widely held views. However, some women found that crack use undermined their safety at work and in other relationships. They spoke of placing themselves at greater risk of ill health, loss of earnings, and violence through their drug use. Although these problems affect a minority of prostitutes, it is important to disseminate information about these effects because crack is so widely available throughout the industry.


Neurologically unexplained symptoms are not unusual. In my clinical practice, most patients thus labelled do not appear (to me) to have "neurological disease" unless affective disorders be classified as neurological rather than psychological. Sometimes, however, unequivocally "neurological" disorders may have unexplained symptoms and signs. This may be particularly poignant, even galling, when the patient involved happens to be a member of the neurologist's family.

In March 2001, my father, a 78 year old, right handed, insulin-requiring diabetic, had a stroke. From my mother's account, this came on one morning after breakfast. Sitting on the bed, he slumped forward and she had to help him to the floor. She wondered if he was having a hypoglycaemic attack but thought it unlikely, and fingerprick blood sugar was normal. The general practitioner attended promptly; he anticipated improvement, but said to call again if my father's condition deteriorated. A neighbour, summoned to help get my father from the floor to the bed, asked my father to put his arms around his neck, but he was unable to do this with his left arm (retrospectively my mother thought that one side of his mouth was also down).

He improved sufficiently by lunchtime to eat some food, and then slept, but by late afternoon he was "strange" again and my mother called an ambulance. The paramedics checked his blood sugar and again it was normal. At the small local hospital he was kept in overnight. When my mother left the hospital, my father was sitting up and talking; he asked if she was going to walk home, and when she replied that she would phone a taxi he gave her the (correct) number for the local cab firm. My mother anticipated he would be out of hospital the next day, and phoned to tell me not …


In conclusion, this book provides students and scholars of diachronic linguistics with a comprehensive introduction to the field of formal approaches to cyclic change. While staying focused on the general topic, it casts a wide net in terms of syntactic domains, languages, and formal approaches (though predominantly generative) and can thus prove useful as a textbook for a graduate seminar. It is important to stress, especially for those linguists who assume little value in historical linguistics with respect to formal linguistics, that this volume contains many compelling arguments for the use of dynamic aspects of language to shed light on the nature of the formal grammar itself.


Objective To analyze multiple factors developing lung adenocarcinoma lesion from solitary pulmonary nodule (SPN). Methods A total of 70 patients diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma after finding SPN by chest CT and treated in our hospital (01, 2018–01, 2021) were selected as the malignant lesion group, and another 70 patients diagnosed with benign lesion after finding SPN by CT in the same period were included in the benign lesion group. All patients had complete medical records. With univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression, the independent risk factors for developing lung adenocarcinoma lesions from SPN were analyzed. Results By conducting univariate analysis of patients' general information (age, course of disease, BMI, nodule diameter, and gender), smoking status (smoking history and number of cigarettes smoked per year), medical history (family history of lung cancer, history of extrapulmonary malignant tumor, and history of autoimmune diseases), basic complications (hypertension and diabetes), and laboratory examinations (CEA, NSE, CYFRA21-1, SCC-Ag, and CA125), it was concluded that age, course of disease, nodule diameter, CEA positive, CYFRA21-1 positive, and CA125 positive were significantly different between the two groups (P < 0.05); the logistic regression results showed that high age, increased nodule diameter, and CYFRA21-1 positive were the independent risk factors developing lung adenocarcinoma from SPN (P < 0.05). Conclusion In patients with SPN, higher age, longer course of disease, greater nodule diameter, and CYFRA21-1 positive imply increased risk for triggering lung adenocarcinoma lesion. Therefore, high attention should be paid in the clinic to such SPN patients for early diagnosis and treatment.


We investigate the structural and vibrational properties of Si:P thin films obtained by coevaporation of Si and P in ultra-high vacuum at room temperature followed by rapid thermal annealing. The thermal crystallization of the films was followed by Raman spectroscopy. Annealing at temperatures larger than 950 °C leads to the formation of crystalline phases. Density functional theory calculations of the vibrational modes allow us to identify orthorhombic SiP. Electron energy loss spectroscopy combined with energy dispersive spectroscopy give evidence of a plasmon signature of the SiP phase. The distribution of the crystalline phases in the film was imaged by energy filtered transmission electron microscopy. Both Si and SiP areas having sizes of a few microns are found to coexist in the films. Highresolution scanning transmission imaging provides a clear evidence of the lamellar structure while spatially resolved electron energy loss spectroscopy allows us to obtain a chemical mapping for both Si and P atoms, which agrees quite well with the orthorhombic structure of SiP. Our results represent an important first step on the way to obtain 2D SiP, a promising new material for which a direct bandgap has been predicted.


It is now nearly two years since the decisions were taken to make Design and Technology Education: An international journal open access and take it online. The reasons for taking these decisions were outlined in the Editorial and a Statement from the Design and Technology Association Executive in Issue 13.1 and this Editorial provides an update on progress.


AbstractIn 1896–1897 George Byron Gordon investigated a series of caves in the Sesesmil River Valley, just north of the Late Classic Maya center of Copan, Honduras. His investigations revealed that at least one of these caves was utilized during the Preclassic period, and that several individuals had been cremated and interred in that cave. In 1983, as part of the Sesesmil settlement pattern survey of the Proyecto Arqueologico Copan, Phase II, the Sesesmil caves were revisited and two were test-excavated. This report summarizes the empirical findings of these more recent investigations, including pollen, skeletal, and ceramic analyses.


An open string in Minkowski spacetime corresponds to a quasi-periodic null curve. Such null curves have a natural twistor description when viewed as classical objects. The author treats the first quantisation of loops in real four-dimensional twistor space. Such loops correspond to open strings in three-dimensional spacetime. The geometry and reality structures pertaining to twistors in three dimensions are reviewed and the twistor description of null geodesics is presented as a prototype for the discussion of null curves.


Decreased activity of pyruvate dehydrogenase was found in myocardium of rats consuming ethanol as compared with animals consuming water. Acute alcoholization did not alter this pattern. Myocardial pyruvate kinase exhibited increased affinity to substrate in animals consuming ethanol.


We consider the Type IIB string theory in the presence of various extra 7/7-brane pairs compactified on a warped Calabi-Yau threefold that admits a conifold singularity. We demonstrate that the volume modulus can be stabilized perturbatively at a nonsupersymmetric AdS4/dS4 vacuum by the effective potential that includes the stringy (α) correction obtained by Becker et al. together with a combination of positive tension and anomalous negative tension terms generated by the additional 7-braneantibrane pairs.


In this paper, we apply the resolvent operator theory and an approximating technique to derive the existence and controllability results for nonlocal impulsive neutral integro‐differential equations with finite delay in a Hilbert space. To establish the results, we take the impulsive functions as a continuous function only, and we assume that the nonlocal initial condition is Lipschitz continuous function in the first case and continuous functions only in the second case. The main tools applied in our analysis are semigroup theory, the resolvent operator theory, an approximating technique, and fixed‐point theorems. Finally, we illustrate the main results with the help of two examples.


The article reveals the essence and role of public-private partnership (PPP). It is established that a public and private partnership is a powerful and promising tool of social and economic development at both the regional and local levels, as well as a means of raising funds to projects. The legal regulation of public and private partnership in Ukraine and its shortcomings are determined. It was found that the legislation contains a lot of controversial issues related to: communication problems between the partners; legislative and regulatory issues; financing problems. The number of the PPP projects in Ukraine is presented by sectors and investment in projects of public-private partnership is shown. It was determined that during 1992-2012, 58 PPP projects have been implemented in Ukraine, or 7.03% of the total number of implemented projects. The structure of PPP projects implemented in Ukraine is shown, where the lion's share is taken by the energy sector (71%), telecommunications (24%), transport (2%), water supply and drainage (3%). The problems that hinder the development of public and private partnership in Ukraine were identified, namely the shortage of highly qualified specialists who are able to develop public-private partnership in the future – both on the part of business, and country; shortage of projects of public-private partnership as well as appropriate banking requirements to them; disinclination of business for stimulating the development of public-private partnership, since the number of private operators is negligible in a very few sectors; inability of public authorities to maintain partner relationships and the implementation of PPP projects; shortcomings of the legislative framework (such as concession) and mismatch of enforcement activity; little activity of the regions in showing initiative to develop and implement PPP projects; inability to attract investment in long-term PPP projects, etc. The ways of improving the implementation of public and private partnership in Ukraine according to the Concept of Development of Public and Private Partnership in Ukraine are identified, including the identification of priority areas for the development of PPPs; improving the investment climate and business environment in the context of the development of PPPs; the development of the authorized state body responsible for the development of PPPs; strengthening the functions of local authorities in the area of PPPs; improving funding mechanisms for PPP projects; activation of the development institutions in the PPP management system; elimination of contradictions and shortcomings of the legal framework of PPP; improving the cooperation of the authorities with civil society institutions for the implementation of PPP projects. Purpose. This article provides for achieving the following objectives: 1) the study of problems of public-private partnership in Ukraine; 2) identification of solutions thereto. The subject of the research is the mechanism of public-private partnership, its problems and solutions thereto. Methodology. In this work the following general scientific and special methods of study were used: comparative and legal, historical, dialectical, analytical and synthetic, formal and logical and statistical methods. Results. The findings allowed drawing specific suggestions for overcoming the problems of public and private partnership in Ukraine. The practical significance of the findings is that the article thoroughly investigated the situation and problems of public and private partnership in Ukraine. Value/originality. This article is a completely original investigation, is practical and can be used for further scientific work.


Bioethics initially emerged from theological thinking, as part of the consistent development of the defense of the beliefs of the movement when faced with the challenges of the social progressivism of techno-scientific expansion and the cultural secularization of the West. As a result of this process, liberal social norms and legislation have emerged in many Western nations, including those that are predominantly Catholic (France, Italy, Spain). Three cultural processes, however, limit the hegemony of the prevailing secularity: a) A diminished religious spirit is enjoying a renaissance outside of institutions and rituals; b) Secularity necessarily implies heterogeneous pluralisms that are difficult to harmonize; c) The need for coexistence between secularity and religiosity has given rise to post-secular ethics. The strong influence of the Catholic Church in Latin America has opposed social aspirations of greater autonomy and a secularized form of bioethics. This paper proposes to explore a post-secular bioethics that seeks an instrument of tolerance and coexistence, far from immovable dogmatism.


Rod arrays consisting of finite-length cylinders are commonly used in the design of high-frequency resonance scattering assemblies, such as plasmonic, photonic-crystal, and near-zero-index structures. During the optimization of these three-dimensional structures by means of genetic algorithms, analyses with three-dimensional solvers, such as the multilevel fast multipole algorithm, create a time bottleneck. On the other hand, simulation results in many applications show features that are independent of longitudinal dimensions. For this reason, the idea of using well-conditioned solvers in two dimensions is found worth being evaluated and it is aimed to compare the two types of solvers in this study.


We prove an Erdős–Ko–Rado-type theorem for intersecting k-chains of subspaces of a finite vector space. This is the q-generalization of earlier results of Erdős, Seress and Székely for intersecting k-chains of subsets of an underlying set. The proof hinges on the author's proper generalization of the shift technique from extremal set theory to finite vector spaces, which uses a linear map to define the generalized shift operation. The theorem is the following. For c = 0, 1, consider k-chains of subspaces of an n-dimensional vector space over GF(q), such that the smallest subspace in any chain has dimension at least c, and the largest subspace in any chain has dimension at most n − c. The largest number of such k-chains under the condition that any two share at least one subspace as an element of the chain, is achieved by the following constructions: (1) fix a subspace of dimension c and take all k-chains containing it, (2) fix a subspace of dimension n − c and take all k-chains containing it.


The aim of the study was to design product profiles based on the factors and their levels impacting on the consumption preferences of the apples with Amasya, Isparta, Bayramic apples with the region of origin and foreign origin, and to determine the market shares of each profiles. The main material of the study was the primary data obtained from a face-to-face survey conducted with 600 households consuming apple and residing in the TRA1 region (Erzurum, Erzincan, Bayburt). Conjoint Analysis was used to design the apple profiles maximizing the consumers' total utilities, and to determine the market share of each profile. Also, Cluster Analysis was applied to segment each apple profile and their market shares according to their income levels. The results of the study highlighted that low-income consumers attributed a great importance to the apple price (41%) and size (32%), but high-income ones to the region of origin (62%) and colour (13%) factors. On the other hand, while the apple profile with 2 number maximized total utility for both low-income group and all consumers, the profile 17 provided the highest satisfaction for high-income segment. The market shares of Amasya apple referred to the region of origin at the profile 2 and 17 for the low and high-income segments were analysed as 40% and 22%, 3% and 35%, respectively. Amasya apple according to other the region of origin maximised not only the consumers' consumption satisfaction but also the market share at the supply chain.


Duality is one reality (God One), in this universe consisting of only two common types, God and not God; The Creator and the Creature. The first type has only one member namely Allah SWT. He alone is the eternal God, the transcendent Creator. There is nothing similar to Him, while the second is the composition of God's created being made up of nature and all its contents, the first impossible, but the second extinction, the extinction of nature and of life. Ideality is a natural power that synergizes with the power of human understanding and belief. Understanding is used to understand the will of God through observation and on the basis of creation, the will of the ruler who must be actualized in space and time, participate in world activities and create desired change. Understanding the application of recognition of knowledge of truth as a principle of knowledge. Tawheed is the recognition that God is, is and is One. The recognition that the truth can be known and man is able to achieve it, through the process of learning (understanding). This study focuses on natural studies and conceptions in interpreting Islamic ecology among students and students in Indonesia, and emphasizes the need to be serious. The concept of Islamic ecology is an insistence on science, to be preserved and developed. Practically its presence along with Islamic doctrine brought by Muhammad Saw. Slowly but surely, all aspects of human life, can not be separated from the process of improvement and refinement. Both with regard to simple things such as the purification of self from impurities (unclean), to matters concerning environmental sanctification, even corpses (dead). This paper describes, there is no problem that is beneficial to human beings, unless all the problems are related even in accordance with the teachings of Islam, but sometimes this issue is not a concern by all mankind, even consider it trivial. Considering Islam only regulates ubudiyah problems ranging from praying, fasting zakat, alms and pilgrimage. This can be seen from the lack of awareness in disposing of waste in its place. Or the lack of awareness of hygiene and consistent in maintaining the environment. The effort of learning by prioritizing the values of environmental virtue is very necessary to be done early, start learning at Kindergarten level, up to college. This form of business is not only limited to habituation, but more than that, in the form of awareness and love that is formed in the minds of every Muslim, because the love of nature, is a form of love to Allah SWT.


It is quite reasonable to presuppose that information systems provide various benefits to manufacturers. But we don't have much evidence on the benefits especially in Japanese manufacturing. In this paper we investigated the hypotheses presented by Matsui and Sato [6] [7] concerning the effects of information technologies and information systems upon manufacturing benefits with slightly different analytical approach and samples. We introduced more precise measure for implementation of information technologies and information systems, and divided the sample consisting of forty-six Japanese manufacturing companies into two sub-sample, world-class and random. The result of our analysis endorsed some of the propositions proved by Matsui and Sato [7], and provided new evidence to the hypotheses that utilization of statistical process control software improves product quality, implementation of computer-based production equipment control increases product-mix flexibility, and utilization of database for quality information and an increase in the percentage of external units electronically linked with the plant improve customer service. It also suggested additional hypotheses. Further, we discovered different relationships of information systems implementation with manufacturing benefits between world-class and randomly sampled companies.


An optimal multivatiable looper control system based on decoupling strategy has been developed for hot strip finishing mills. Based on the dynamic configuration of the coupling system, we can get the status space expression of the coupling loopers' system. Through the tools of Matlab we make out of the transfer function of looper system. Based on Decouping-Inbariable character theory and the transfer function of looper system we gain the transfer function of the decoupling net. By using the Simulink toolbox of the Matlab lan-guage , the simulation results have shown that , after decoupled, the loopers' control system performance gets much better.


This report describes the use of epidural injection in the treatment of a patient with severe back pain whose medical history and physical examination suggest a diagnosis of a lumbar disk lesion. The patient's medical history included recurrent episodes of buttock and hip pain that previously responded well to lumbar manipulation. On this occasion, the pain had become so severe that the patient could not tolerate manipulation. The patient's pain was relieved by administering an epidural injection of 50 cc of 0.5% procaine through the sacral hiatus. This injection has two relevant implications for the physical therapy profession. First, it offers a nonsurgical treatment for a lumbar disk lesion when physical therapy has been ineffective or is impractical. Second, in an appropriate clinical setting, the epidural injection provides an opportunity to understand more clearly the causes of back pain.


Thanks to the Montreal Protocol, the decline of stratospheric ozone has been stopped. Ozone has now started to recover. The Kyoto Protocol, however, has been less successful. CO2 levels keep increasing, the stratosphere keeps cooling. Among other things, this cooling does affect ozone recovery. What can data from just a few NDACC stations tell us about these long-term changes? In our presentation we will look at long-term variations of stratospheric ozone and temperature since the 1960s. We will show results from NDACC stations and from Europe, and will put those into the context of global observations. At Hohenpeissenberg (47.8°N, 11.0°E), ozone in the upper stratosphere (40km / 2hPa) has been increasing since about 2000, by almost 10%. Levels are already comparable to what was measured in the late 1980s. At the same time, temperature has been declining substantially since about 2000, by more than 3 K. Total ozone, where variations are coming mostly from the lower stratosphere, has been increasing since the mid 1990s at Hohenpeissenberg. This increase, and the previous decline, largely track the evolution of Equivalent Effective Stratospheric Chlorine (EESC). Superimposed are natural variations, which were particularily large in 2010 and 2011. 2010 had very large ozone columns, comparable to the early 1980s. 2011, on the other hand, was a year with very low ozone columns, and with unprecedented large ozone losses in Arctic spring. At Hohenpeissenberg, the total ozone annual mean of 2011 was the 3rd lowest on record since 1968. Only 1992 and 1993, after the Pinatubo eruption, had lower ozone columns. Multiple linear regression analysis indicates that this large swing from 2010 to 2011 is connected to meteorological changes, i.e. the change of the Arctic Oscillation from pronounced negative phase in 2010, to pronounced positive phase in 2011.


This paper investigates the unclear influence mechanism of the surfactant effect on improving coal seam wettability and CO2-enhanced coalbed methane technology to enhance the gas extraction efficiency in some coal mines under highly mineralized environments in China. Specifically, the microinfluence mechanism of the coupling effect of nonionic surfactant OP-10 and highly mineralized coal samples under special treatment on the wettability of coal seam is examined. By measuring the contact angle and surface tension of the samples, it is confirmed that high mineralization can limit the effect of surfactants on improving the wettability of coal seams to a certain point. Infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction measurements were conducted on the samples under coupling conditions. It is found that high mineralization impedes the effectiveness of surfactants in enhancing the wettability of coal seams. The surfactants interact with coal samples at the functional group level, producing new hydrophilic functional groups and increasing the content of kaolin with strong hydrophilic properties, thereby increasing the wettability of coal seams. However, these hydrophilic functional groups disappear under coupling conditions and hydrophobic functional groups are produced. Additionally, high mineralization inhibits the effect of surfactants on the phase composition of coal samples. The findings of this research provide a theoretical basis for water injection of highly mineralized coal seams and methane replacement recovery by carbon dioxide technology, promoting the practical application of water injection and gas injection displacement of coal seams.


We designed and fabricated a 4 kJ conduction-cooled superconducting pulse coil with a 6-strand interlayer-transposed parallel conductor composed of Bi2223 multifilamentary tapes. We adopted the helium gas forced-flow cooling system where the helium gas flowed inside a copper pipe soldered with the flanges of brass. We succeeded in the continuous pulse operation with an amplitude of 500 A-1.6 T at a sweep rate of 140 A/s at 30 K as designed. Even in the ac operation with an ac loss of 120 W, the difference in temperature inside the winding was only 5 K and it was possible to hold the coil temperature around 30 K. In this paper, we report the design and the test results of the coil system from the aspect of ac loss and thermal properties.


In this paper we prove some random common fixed point theorems for pair of weakly
commutative mapping and semi compatible mappings with rational expression and the notation of Edistance
in random uniform space.
MATHEMATICAL CLASSIFICATION(2000) – 49H10, 54H25.


In Ghana, stunting rates in children below 5 years of age vary regionally. Dietary fatty acids (FAs) are crucial for linear growth. The objective of this study was to determine the association between blood FAs and growth parameters in southern Ghanaian children 2–6 years of age. A drop of blood was collected on an antioxidant treated card and analyzed for FA composition. Weight and height were measured and z-scores calculated. Relationships between FAs and growth were analyzed by linear regressions and factor analysis. Of the 209 subjects, 22% were stunted and 10.6% were essential FA deficient (triene/tetraene ratio > 0.02). Essential FA did not differ between stunted and non-stunted children and was not associated with height-for-age z-score or weight-for-age z-score. Similarly, no relationships between other blood fatty acids and growth parameters were observed in this population. However, when blood fatty acid levels in these children were compared to previously reported values from northern Ghana, the analysis showed that blood omega-3 FA levels were significantly higher and omega-6 FA levels lower in the southern Ghanaian children (p < 0.001). Fish and seafood consumption in this southern cohort was high and could account for the lower stunting rates observed in these children compared to other regions.


Since incorporation under the new administration, the social and political was well cultural of the city was deteriorated. Hence, majority of the Oromo were engaged in agriculture and Harari was engaged in trades. Abort the Amir administration and accommodate the northern administration system in the city. Since incorporation, there is peaceful coexistence between the two ethnic groups in the city of Harar. The Article seeks to investigate in the multi ethnic place how such peaceful coexistence remains between the ethnic groups in the city substantially. In the Ethiopian history, undercurrent off and Antagonism were the main obstacles for the plural society. Hence, the situations were also occurred in Harar. To accomplish this idea, the researcher utilized qualitative research method. Both Primary and secondary data sources were used. Primary data collected from informants which is the most important for the objective was gathered through interview. Document analysis, group discussion and observation were part of this part. Then, data was analysis to find real socio historical interaction. This objective helps to avoid a common contention and instance for the others. Able to each other in contention and live together and develop a common term which is popular today on the society "Harar-ye-fikir ketema i.e Harar the city of love. Within other ethnic groups, the Harari and Oromo were shared the ownership of the city until 1991. The art of tolerance may lead the city be for a long necessarily peace.


Prostasin is a trypsin-like serine protease that is glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored to the epithelial cell surface, from where it can be released in a soluble form. We undertook a co-expression search using the Genesis Enterprise System Database from Gene Logic to identify prostasin inhibitors, on the assumption that prostasin and its natural inhibitors may have a similar gene expression pattern. We found the expression profile of prostasin in normal human tissues to correlate highly with hepatocyte growth factor activator inhibitor-1B (HAI-1B) and its splice variant HAI-1. Soluble HAI-1B (sHAI-1B), comprising the entire extracellular domain, formed a 1:1 complex with purified prostasin in protein binding assays and inhibited prostasin enzymatic activity with an IC50 of 66 ± 15 nm. Two sHAI-1B mutants with inactivated N- and C-terminal Kunitz domains (KD1 and KD2) were used to show that the interaction of sHAI-1B with prostasin is mediated by KD1. In agreement, KD1 (Thr246-Val303) alone potently inhibited prostasin activity (IC50 = 4.7 ± 0.5 nm). Furthermore, prostasin was isolated with two major HAI-1/1B fragments (40 and 58 kDa) from OVCAR3 cell medium, demonstrating that prostasin·HAI-1/1B complexes are formed naturally. Moreover, when prostasin and HAI-1B were co-expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells, complexes of prostasin with HAI-1B were detected on the cell membrane as well as in the culture medium, suggesting that preformed complexes were shed from the cell surface. The identification of HAI-1B as a potential physiological regulator of prostasin function, as described herein, may further the investigation of the role of prostasin in normal physiology and cancer.