LONDON--
 A new committee, set up by the editors of nine prominent medical journals, including the
 The Lancet,
 Gut, and
 The Journal of the American Medical Association, called last week for governments to tackle scientific misconduct and fraudulent publication in a more systematic way. The Committee on Publication Ethics, one of several organizations in Europe currently looking into ways to beef up mechanisms to deal with publication misconduct, invited more than 100 other editors here to discuss the scope of the problem and how to deal with evidence of misconduct in publications submitted to them for review.


Objective: To analyze the use of agricultural credit and the profitability of their papaya agroecosystem.
Design/methodology/approach: A survey was applied using a questionnaire to 114 producers in seven municipalities in the central area of Veracruz, Mexico.
Results: 75% of papaya growers do not know about formal sources of credit that support their productive activity. Only 22.8% have used some type of financing, and only 2.6% came from formal credit sources, even though, 97.4% used semi-formal and informal financing options. 77.2 % of growers use their own economic resources for papaya production. This generates a great heterogeneity on production costs and crop management (level of technology) that reflects the final yield. Even under these conditions the crop is profitable.
Limitations of the study/implications: Information from public or private credit institutions, does not reach potential users. The few farmers who have accessed a formal credit, have had bad experiences, such as embargoes and legal actions due to special situations that made them not paying on time, that discourage growers from using this type of credit.
Findings/Conclusions: Lack of knowledge of the growers about financing sources. Low use of agricultural or other formal private credits, as 77.2% of growers used their own economic resources, which generates great heterogeneity in production costs associated with the level of technology, that is reflected in the crop yield, even so the papaya crop still is profitable.


Evaluation of quality of work in surgical society is based in clinical and scientific output. Scientific quality of the publications is calculated on the basis of impact factors of journal ranking. Clinical evaluation is based on catalogues of operations performed and voluntary examination in a special surgical field. Total scientific output increased in Austria during the last decade achieving higher level as compared to Germany but lower than in Switzerland. Scientific and clinical standards in a teaching institutions should be kept high allowing candidates to succeed in competition for top positions.


A rapid, specific, and sensitive method for the detection of protein-protein interactions is of crucial importance for drug discovery and clinical diagnostics. Mass spectrometry plays a major role in the analysis of proteins, but its application to the routine analysis of protein complexes has been lagging behind. A new strategy for high-throughput analysis of protein interactions is presented here. We demonstrate application to immunochemical questions such as epitope mapping, kinetic studies, and sandwich assays. The methodology is based on a direct mass spectrometric readout for antigen-antibody complexes in the 150-400 kDa range. This has become possible using a novel detector technology and chemical cross-linking to stabilize complexes for analysis by MALDI MS. We demonstrate high detection sensitivity (femtomole quantities of antigen), high specificity (specific detection of antigen directly in serum), high accuracy, and high speed (minutes per assay), surpassing conventional analytical methods by more than 2 orders of magnitude.


To investigate the thermal evolu-tion of foreland basins, many classical methods includ-ing clay mineralogy, vitrinite reflectance, fluid inclu-sions and illite cristalinity are used. These methods are probably not perfectly reliable taken individually, but provides a robust estimate when they give a coherent results. Raman Spectroscopy of Carbonaceous Materials (RSCM) could be an alternative method to constrain paleotempeartures of rocks. This method has been calibrated firstly in the range 330-640°C [1] then in the range 200-350° [2]. The aim of this study is to extend the applicability of this method towards palotemperatures lower than 200°C. For this purpose, we discuss a new fitting pro-cedure which would allow us to define a new Raman parameter R3. This parameter is different of RA1 [1] and R2 [2] used previously to characterize the thermal evolution of the Carbonaceous Materials. Raman spectra measured and treated are obtained by analysing samples from turbiditic deposits of differ-ent basins located in the western part of the South Pyrenean Zone. The thermal history of these samples, that underwent diagenesis, is well known using a vari-ous techniques. These methods are vitrinite reflec-tance, fluid inclusion thermometry, low-T thermochro-nology, index mineralogy and illite cristallinity. Although our results are preliminary, they suggest that the RSCM geothermometer could be a reliable method to constrain the thermal history of foreland basins. We are currently working on the acquisition of more data to determine temperatures of the basin that underwent diagenesis conditions during the Pyrenean activity. Reference


SUMMARY Root traits, such as depth and root biomass, have been identified as the most promising plant traits in chickpea for terminal drought tolerance. With this objective, five contrasting genotypes of chickpea, viz. ICCV-4958, H-208, HC-5, RSG-931 and CSJ-379, having wide adaptability to drought prone areas at national level were assessed for various root characteristics under two environments, i.e. irrigated and rain-fed. The sampling was done at full bloom stage and there were significant differences in the rooting depth among the genotypes both under irrigated and rain-fed conditions. The chickpea roots penetrated to a minimum depth of 92 cm in CSJ-379 and maximum of 122 cm in ICCV-4958 under rain-fed conditions. The rooting depth remained higher under rain-fed than irrigated environment. Under irrigated conditions, the chickpea roots were able to grow to a maximum depth of 99 and 97 cm in HC-5 and ICCV-4958, respectively. Among the genotypes, biomass per plant of the root was higher in ICCV-4958 (6.7 g) and HC-5 (5.6 g) under rain-fed conditions. Similar observations were recorded for root/shoot ratio, dry weights of stem, leaf, nodules and total dry weight per plant. The moisture stress increased the biomass partitioning towards the roots. The water potential (ψw), osmotic potential (ψs) and relative water content (RWC %) of leaf were –0.98 MPa, –1.82 MPa and 60%, respectively, in the genotype HC-5, and –1.02 MPa, –1.72 MPa and 64%, respectively, in ICCV-4958 under rain-fed conditions. The rates of photosynthesis, and transpiration, values of the stomatal conductance and photochemical efficiency/quantum yield as indicated by Fv/Fm ratio were in the range of 6.7 to 10.6 (μmol m−2 s−1), 1.27 to 2.38 (mmol m−2 s−1), 0.23 to 0.48 (mol m−2 s−1) and 0.457 to 0.584, respectively, under rain-fed conditions. Genotypes HC-5 and ICCV-4958 also maintained higher photosynthetic and transpiration rates and Fv/Fm ratio than others. The maximum Fv/Fm values in these genotypes were correlated with the higher photosynthetic rate and dry matter yield per plant. Relative stress injury (RSI %) values in HC-5 and ICCV-4958 noticed were 25.3% and 23.7%, respectively. The results of this study indicate that under rain-fed conditions, genotypes ICCV-4958 and HC-5 had higher dry weight of stem, leaves, roots, nodules and total dry weight per plant, rooting depth, root/shoot ratio, photosynthetic and transpiration rates, photochemical efficiency and better plant water status but lower stomatal conductance than other genotypes. These traits are directly associated with maximum seed yield per plant, i.e. 15.6 g and 14.7 g per plant, respectively, in these genotypes. Therefore, both the genotypes in future can be used in crop improvement programme of chickpea breeding for drought tolerance.


The paper deals with the environmental costs (EC) in the electrical equipment industry by using environmental accounting as a strategic instrument for controlling the economic entity (EE). The novelty of the study consists of integrating a mathematical model in environmental management accounting (EMA), starting from the identification of the types of waste generated by the production flow and the interaction between the production activity and the environment, which results in determining the EC per entity. The research also analyzes the dependence between the resulting waste and the volume of production by categories. The usefulness of determining these dependencies leads to the identification of the product categories with a significant influence on the EC. The study is useful for developing an environmentally sustainable accounting system within entities in the electrical equipment industry because based on the mathematical model, products that generate large quantities of waste can be identified, allowing the outline of managerial strategies to reviewing production technologies, in order to optimize the products and reduce the quantities of waste generated.


South Asian's (SA) have been observed to have higher insulin resistance followed by an altered state of metabolism; however, few studies have attempted to explore the acculturation process and dietary practices of immigrant SA's in the U.S. 1401 South Asian Americans living in Maryland from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Iran, and Afghanistan were selected from two community health clinics to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in this study group and its indicators. The prevalence of MetS (51%) in adults was higher than African Americans, European Americans, and Mexican Americans. Overall, Indians had the highest percent of MetS 54% compared to Bengali 51%, Pakistani 49%, or Other SA 44%. The results suggest the high prevalence Title of Document: DIETARY AND ACCULUTRATION FACTORS INFLUENCING METABOLIC SYNDROME AMONG SOUTH ASIAN AMERICANS IN TWO COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS IN MARYLAND Saira A. Khan, Ph.D., Nutrition and Food Science, 2014 Directed By: Professor Dr. Robert T. Jackson, Department of Nutrition and Food Science of MetS among SA may be due to a lack of acculturation in this survey group where 80% were classified as Asian low acculturated. Results from a logistic regression analysis showed that the likelihood of developing MetS was high, but future investigations are needed to confirm the role of acculturation from a more representative sample of SA's. We also examined the role of acculturation, diet and exercise in South Asians who acquire MetS. We also examined the diet quality using the 2010 guidelines. The low acculturated South Asians had a greater prevalence of MetS and the overall diet quality of the low income South Asians in Maryland needed improvement. The SA male and female mean scores for the healthy eating index2010 were 71.9 ± 1.9 and 67.9 ± 1.2, respectively. Males were more acculturated, consumed healthier foods, and had a lower percent of MetS compared to females. DIETARY AND ACCULUTRATION FACTORS INFLUENCING METABOLIC SYNDROME AMONG SOUTH ASIAN AMERICANS IN TWO COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS IN MARYLAND SAAHI:SOUTH ASAIN AMERICAN HEALTH INITIATIVE


This study presents examples of observed optical pattern formation in which a single laser beam propagating through atomic sodium vapor without feedback develops a stable, regular transverse structure. In particular, a three-filament near-field pattern leading to a honeycomb far-field pattern occurs at intensities near the saturation intensity and at powers larger than (but of the order of magnitude of) the critical power for self-focusing. The three-filament pattern has a uniform phase profile and strongly correlated power fluctuations, which suggest that it is perhaps a quantum image. These observations are also found to be in good agreement with numerical simulations of filamentation in a two-level atomic medium.


We present a detailed analysis of the effects of excess Mg on the lattice parameters, the critical temperature (Tc), the critical current (Jc), the irreversibility field (Hirr), and the upper critical field (Hc2) of MgB2 bulks and wires produced by an in situ solid-state reaction method and the powder-in-tube method, respectively. It was found that Jc, Hirr, and Hc2 were significantly enhanced for Mg excess samples. All these properties were highly sensitive to the processing temperature for Mg excess samples, while there was only a weak dependence on processing temperature for normal ones. The Tc variation for the 10% Mg excess sample was 1.6 K (36.3–37.9 K) when the sintering temperature changed from 650 to 850 °C while it only varied by 0.5 K (37.2–37.7 K) for the normal sample. The low-field Jc for the 10% Mg excess samples sintered at 750 °C increased by a factor of 3, compared to that for the normal MgB2 samples, while the Hc2 for the 10% Mg excess samples sintered at 650 °C reached 8.7 T at 25 K, compared to 6.6 T for the normal sample. Rietveld refinement x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed that the MgO content was reduced in the 10% excess Mg samples, leading to an increase in the effective cross section of the superconductor.


ABSTRACT Saccadic intrusions are small involuntary saccadic movements that disrupt visual fixation. Among saccadic intrusions without intersaccadic intervals, ocular flutter and opsoclonus are prominent. The saccade amplitude can occasionally be very small, which is referred to as ocular microflutter. The authors present a patient with acute-onset oscillopsia following a non-specific viral condition. An ocular microflutter was subsequently detected using video-oculography. After extensive investigation, a diagnosis of isolated idiopathic or post-viral ocular microflutter was made. The evolution of the condition was favourable, and the progressive improvement of oscillopsia occurred during the following months; however, complete resolution was not achieved. Ocular microflutter is a saccadic intrusion that is rarely described in the literature and is likely go clinically unnoticed because of its small amplitude and the rare use of video-oculography in daily practice. In patients in whom this condition is suspected, the use of video-oculography is essential for a correct diagnosis.


For buildings to operate effectively and save energy they must be commissioned properly and operational problems must be detected and diagnosed. Collection of sensor and control data is essential to this process. Likewise, the analysis of this data with effective tools is critical to performing this work in a cost effective manner. In general, the buildings industry lacks consistent methodologies or protocols that make this process of data collection and analysis effective and efficient; the practitioner usually develops his own techniques on a more or less ad hoc basis. Also lacking is a consistent way to accumulate data over time from many projects that could be helpful to the analysis of a particular system. To help remedy this situation (and to serve as an example of this concept) the Center for Environmental Design Research (CEDR) at UC Berkeley developed diagnostic protocols and a software toolkit (UCB AHU Toolkit) to help practitioners identify and rectify problems with large built-up air handling units (AHU). [Carter 1998, Webster 1998, 1999]. These tools and protocols rely on short term monitoring and a set of supporting spreadsheet based tools to screen for problems in AHUs and to conduct more in-depth diagnostic studies for problems found. The work described herein is an extension of the previous work and comprises Task 2.2.1 of Project 2.2 of the High performance Commercial Buildings Systems (HPCBS) project. The goal of Project 2.2, Monitoring and Commissioning for Existing Buildings, is to facilitate the development of diagnostic procedures and commissioning tools needed by owners, operators and the commissioning industry to perform and analyze test results and operate buildings efficiently.


Software piracy is the most significant and burning issue in the age of the internet. Software piracy has been a direct threat for software vendors in terms of revenue and, therefore, a number of effective and efficient tech- niques were employed for detection and prevention of software piracy. One of very important technique is software watermarking and using registration keys. This paper proposes the Server-side algorithms for registration and embedding the watermark into the software. We have tested the algorithms and the analysis of the proposed algorithms proves that these registration algorithms are more reliable and efficient in comparison to other techniques.


This paper presents a framework that extends a partial evaluation method for transformational programs to a method for reactive CSP processes. Temporal logic formulas are used to represent constraints on the sets of the sequences of communication actions executed by the processes. We present a set of simple rules for specializing processes with temporal formulas which contain X(next)-operators and/or G(invariant)operators. We show the soundness of the rules. Our partial evaluation method specializes reactive processes with the specifications of their environments. Furthermore, we present an example of an application of our partial evaluation method to improve the security of concurrent systems..


Interest is a variable that assists students in acquiring knowledge and instructors in creating an encouraging classroom environment. Situational interest, on the other hand, is a type of interest that will assist students' interest to develop by organising environmental conditions. The research on situational interest has been ongoing for more than two decades, and the bibliometric information of this research has grown. The current research aims to examine trends and advances to assist researchers in understanding the perspective of situational interest research. The bibliometric analysis was conducted with Biblioshiny and VOSviewer. The current study analysed WoS data about the meta‐information of 573 published articles on situational interest. The results obtained from the WoS database reveal a growing interest in applying situational interest. Bradford's law results show that 195 articles published in 15 journals were in Zone 1. The result of Lotka's law explained that theoretical and observed research data fit. Education‐related keywords such as achievement, motivation, text, recall, comprehension, and other education‐related variables such as self‐efficacy and design, gender, college students, biology, and context have been placed under the basic theme that is most relevant and developing. It can be said that other results of the current study guide authors about situational interest research.
The studies on situational interest have increased over the last two decades, but there are few reviews of situational interest publications. This study has examined trends and advances in the studies to assist researchers in understanding the perspective of situational interest research with bibliometric analysis.The findings have highlighted trends and advances in the scientific output of situational interest with bibliometric analysis.In addition to revealing the trends and advances in situational interest research, the findings can help to focus more on some emerging research themes that can guide future situational interest researchers. According to findings, the recent research of situational interest focuses on cognitive load, motivation, achievement, and emerging technology such as augmented reality technology. The Four‐Phase Model of Interest Development is the most popular document among situational interest research to understand situational interest. The results show that researchers had an international collaboration from different countries and different institutions.


We study a variant of the geometric multicut problem, where we are given a set $\mathcal{P}$ of colored and pairwise interior-disjoint polygons in the plane. The objective is to compute a set of simple closed polygon boundaries (fences) that separate the polygons in such a way that any two polygons that are enclosed by the same fence have the same color, and the total number of links of all fences is minimized. We call this the minimum link fencing (MLF) problem and consider the natural case of bounded minimum link fencing (BMLF), where $\mathcal{P}$ contains a polygon $Q$ that is unbounded in all directions and can be seen as an outer polygon. We show that BMLF is NP-hard in general and that it is XP-time solvable when each fence contains at most two polygons and the number of segments per fence is the parameter. Finally, we present an $O(n \log n)$-time algorithm for the case that the convex hull of $\mathcal{P} \setminus \{Q\}$ does not intersect $Q$.


There is some ambiguity in the 3D shape of an object when the number of observed views is small. Because of this ambiguity, although a 3D object reconstructor can be trained using a single view or a few views per object, reconstructed shapes only fit the observed views and appear incorrect from the unobserved viewpoints. To reconstruct shapes that look reasonable from any viewpoint, we propose to train a discriminator that learns prior knowledge regarding possible views. The discriminator is trained to distinguish the reconstructed views of the observed viewpoints from those of the unobserved viewpoints. The reconstructor is trained to correct unobserved views by fooling the discriminator. Our method outperforms current state-of-the-art methods on both synthetic and natural image datasets; this validates the effectiveness of our method.


This study examined the eHealth literacy, health knowledge, health behavior of a population of older Chinese adults, and the impact of using library or community activities for health information seeking. A survey was conducted among 215 participants 45 years or older. Data were analyzed using chi-square test, one-way analysis of variance, bivariate correlation, and multiple regression. The results showed that participants who were urban residents, non-farm workers, and had 9 years of education or more were more likely to use the library or community activities for health information seeking. Health behavior had a significant relationship with eHealth literacy and health knowledge. Both eHealth literacy and health knowledge showed a significant positive relationship with using the library or community activities for health information. These results support the idea that libraries play an important role in providing high-quality eHealth literacy services to enhance healthy behavior and health outcomes in their communities.


AIM
BoNTA is used in the treatment of ophthalmological disorders, muscular hyperactivity and pain. In recent years it has been described that BoNTA reduces cellular viability and induces apoptosis in prostate cells lines. Studies about the effect of BoNTA are no well known. There have been studies about the effect of BoNTA on the expression levels of collagenase in fibroblasts, but not on its morphological impact on these cells. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of BoNTA on the morphology and viability of the 3T3 fibroblast cell line.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
The 3T3 fibroblast cell line was cultured and the experimental group received 10 U BoNTA added to a 0.9% sterile saline solution in a reconstituted vial. The control group received saline solution only. Cultured cells were observed and photographed at 5, 10, 15 and 20 h. Cell viability was evaluated by means of the trypan blue test, and cell proliferation with the Proliferation Assay kit (PROMEGA).

RESULTS
The application of BoNTA to 3T3 fibroblast cells induced morphological changes, such as a loss of normal fibroblast morphology. Additionally, we observed the cytoplasmic retraction and spread phenomena. The nuclei showed other important changes with Giemsa staining.

CONCLUSION
The results indicate that BoNTA induced a loss of spindle form, increase in cytoplasmic vesicles, and the presence of nuclear vesicles (compacted chromatin surrounded by a nuclear envelope). This suggests an apoptotic process and decreased cell viability. Further studies are needed to explore the mechanisms of these alterations.


InAs and InAsSbP are promising materials for the fabrication of mid-infrared light sources for use in solid state gas sensors. In this paper, we report work on n-i-p and p-i-n. InAs light emitting diode structures grown using liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) on InAs substrates. These homoepitaxial diodes were compared to double heterojunction InAsSbP/InAs LEDs with InAs active regions. Room temperature emission at wavelengths between 3.3 µm and 3.7 µm (dependent on structure) was readily obtained. Electroluminescence spectra of these devices are presented, and a comparison with photoluminescence spectra of the epitaxial material is used to determine the region of the diode giving rise to the light emission. At room temperature, in the double heterojunction LEDs, the light emission was observed to originate from the InAs active region. However, in the homoepitaxial LEDs, the light was generated both in the undoped and p+ regions of the device, depending on the precise structure.


Nowadays, sensor-rich smartphones potentially enable the harvesting of huge amounts of valuable sensing data in urban environments, by opportunistically involving citizens to play the role of mobile virtual sensors to cover Smart City areas of interest. This paper proposes an in-depth study of the challenging technical issues related to the efficient assignment of Mobile Crowd Sensing (MCS) data collection tasks to volunteers in a crowdsensing campaign. In particular, the paper originally describes how to increase the effectiveness of the proposed sensing campaigns through the inclusion of several new facilities, including accurate participant selection algorithms able to profile and predict user mobility patterns, gaming techniques, and timely geo-notification. The reported results show the feasibility of exploiting profiling trends/prediction techniques from volunteers' behavior; moreover, they quantitatively compare different MCS task assignment strategies based on large-scale and real MCS data campaigns run in the ParticipAct living lab, an ongoing MCS real-world experiment that involved more than 170 students of the University of Bologna for more than one year.


Abstract
This chapter addresses the "Taylorism–Fayolism–Weberism (TFW) virus," a metaphor developed to highlight how organizational features recommended by each of these three management theorists produce dysfunctions that create unintended hidden costs that adversely impact organizations and their employees. The virus leads to an ideology where cost cutting is seen as the best means to improve an organization's performance. We explore the problematic features of the TFW virus: hyperspecialization, separation of work design from work execution, and depersonalized job descriptions designed for workers who are falsely assumed to be lazy. We then address how these organizational features are related to micro dysfunctions and hidden costs (e.g., poor work organization) that accumulate into macro-level dysfunctions and costs that form the features of the risk society envisioned by Ullrich Beck (1992). These dysfunctions collectively threaten human and planetary existence. Next, we describe how the socioeconomic approach to management (SEAM) can address the TFW virus in ways that manage and remediate micro, macro, and planetary risks that emerge from a globalized enterprise. We conclude by offering a hopeful agenda for research on how to use SEAM to more effectively manage the emerging micro and macro dysfunctions and impacts of the world risk society.


STEROID ANALYSIS BY PH-MEDIATED STACKING MEKC by Liliya Bykova This dissertation is based on research that led to the development and application of capillary electrophoresis method for the analysis of sex steroid hormones in the blood or plasma of fish species. The analysis of steroid hormones is essential to reveal chemical compounds that are suspected in endocrine disruption, but it is challenging due to the similarity of the chemical structures of steroids, their low concentrations, and limited volumes of plasma or blood samples in fish available for analysis. There is therefore an acute need to develop reliable accurate and systematic analytical methods applicable for the analysis of structurally similar steroid hormones at very low concentrations. The method developed here is based on micellar electrokinetic chromatography, a type of capillary electrophoresis that incorporates secondary equilibria. The method utilizes pH-stacking for steroid preconcentration to improve the detection limits. This method of pH-stacking is accomplished by using charged derivatives of cyclodextrin which become neutral (protonated) or anionic (deprotonated) based on the pH of the sample buffer. Preconcentration by means of pH-stacking occurs upon introduction of the sample into the capillary at the pH junction, resulting in a fast and efficient separation analysis of steroids. Using the developed method the separation of eight targeted steroids, that include α,βdihydroxyprogesterone, ethynylestradiol, 17 β-estradiol, estrone, hydroxyprogesterone, 11ketotestosterone, progesterone, and testosterone is achieved in less than 4 min which is substantially faster than steroid analysis by immunoassay, GC-MS or LC-MS. For all targeted steroids, the within-day and day-to-day reproducibility in migration time is <1 and <2 % relative standard deviation (RSD), respectively. The reproducibility in peak area obtained in aqueous samples is below 6 % and 22 % (RSD) within-day and day-to-day respectively. The limits of detection range from 2 to 14 nM using a 60 s electrokinetic injection. The method is validated by measuring the recovery of standard steroids added to the aqueous or fish plasma samples prior to sample preparation. The recovery of testosterone and 17 β-estradiol added to the fish plasma prior to sample preparation range from 74 % to 102 %. The method is successfully applied to the determination of sex steroid levels in blood plasma of yellow perch captured from natural aqueous habitats. The results are compared to radioimmunoassay.


Approximately a fifth of ovarian carcinoma (OC) is associated with inherited germline mutations, most commonly in the DNA repair genes BRCA1 or BRCA2 (BRCA). BRCA1- and BRCA2-associated OCs have historically been described as a single subgroup of OC that displays a distinct set of characteristics termed the "BRCAness" phenotype. The hallmarks of this phenotype are superior clinical outcome and hypersensitivity to platinum-based chemotherapy and poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors. However, growing evidence suggests that BRCA1- and BRCA2-associated OCs display distinct characteristics, most notably in long-term patient survival. Furthermore, recent data indicate that the site of BRCA1 mutation is important with regard to platinum and PARP inhibitor sensitivity. Here, we summarize the body of research describing the BRCAness phenotype and highlight the differential implications of different BRCA mutations with regard to clinicopathologic features, therapy sensitivity and clinical outcome in OC.


Plant-derived phenolic gallic acid (GA) is an important raw material for antioxidants and food additives. Efforts to ferment GA using microbial processes have aimed at minimizing production costs and environmental load using enzymes that hydroxylate p-hydroxybenzoate and protocatechuate (PCA). Here, we found a p-hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase (PobA) in the bacterium Hylemonella gracilis NS1 (HgPobA) with 1.5-fold more hydroxylation activity than that from Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 and thus converted PCA to GA more efficiently. The PCA hydroxylation activity of HgPobA was improved by introducing the amino acid substitutions L207V/Y393F or T302A/Y393F. These mutants had 2.9- and 3.7-fold lower Kmapp for PCA than wild-type HgPobA. An Escherichia coli strain that reinforces shikimate pathway metabolism and produces HgPobA when cultured for 60 h generated 0.27 g L-1 of GA. This is the first report of fermenting glucose to generate GA using a natural enzyme from the PobA family. The E. coli strain harboring the HgPobA L207V/Y393F mutant increased GA production to 0.56 g L-1. During the early stages of culture, GA was fermented at a 10-fold higher rate by a strain producing either HgPobA L207V/Y393F or T302A/Y393F compared with wild-type HgPobA, which agreed with the high kcatapp/Kmapp PCA values of this mutant. We enhanced a PobA isozyme and its PCA hydroxylating function to efficiently and cost-effectively ferment GA.


Quaternary paleoclimate reconstructions in tropical-subtropical southern Africa (taken here as approximately south of latitude 17oS) require both knowledge of the key relevant elements of the atmospheric and climate systems over the subcontinent and a realistic assessment of the possibilities and limitations of the proxy data sources in the region. Direct insolation forcing and southern hemisphere ocean temperature changes are widely considered as key drivers of temporal and spatial changes in the relative influence of different components of the circulation system (tropical Indian ocean monsoon, tropical Atlantic moisture, and temperate westerlies) that in turn drive precipitation distributions, amounts, and seasonality. Major debates in recent decades have focused on the timing and extent of aridity/humidity shifts, and the relative contribution of temperate and tropical sources of precipitation during the last ca. 100 ka, notably at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and during the Holocene climate optimum.
 Many of the debates and uncertainties that have emerged are also a function of proxy data sources: where they are located, how they are interpreted, and their resolution. Extrapolation of data from marine core and high-resolution terrestrial records to subregions where proxies are sparse, low resolution, or difficult to transform from environmental to climatic signals, might oversimply representation of the spatial variability of past climates in a region where variability is a norm today. For example, difficulties can occur in the southern African interior, where reliable climate proxies have been limited and where available proxies provide reconstructions of physical changes in landscape systems that can prove difficult to translate to high precision hydrological and rainfall records. Elsewhere, where new proxies have been emerging, such as data from hyrax middens and developments in interpreting palynological and isotope records, notable advances have been occurring, leading to the reanalysis of hydrological fluxes in the last 50 ka, including the development of records with high temporal resolution.
 In this article some of the key issues surrounding the Quaternary climates of southern Africa are considered, focusing on debates regarding the principal drivers of climate changes, the utility of different proxy data sources, and the temporal and spatial extent of past climate changes.


Six groups of rabbits received whole-body x-irradiation of 0, 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 r, respectively. Counts of total white blood cells were performed regularly until 11 weeks post exposure when radiation-induced leucopenia had disappeared in all groups. At that time, the animals were re-exposed to the same doses and white cells were once more counted throughout 11 weeks. Then followed a third application of the same doses with subsequent observation of white counts. Statistical analysis of data yielded the following results: in the three exposures, radiation-induced leucopenia showed no significant difference with respect to rate of development, maximal degree and rate of disappearance. Therefore, as judged by the white blood cell count, susceptibility to ionizing radiation appeared unaltered by previous exposure to appreciable doses when the interval between exposures was sufficiently long to permit complete hematopoietic recovery.


Dynamic boundary condition (DBC) has been widely used in SPH method. However, in certain situations, it was found that a few fluid particles could break through the boundary or were not reflected specularly. Of course, these phenomena are unphysical. To improve the performance of DBC, an improved dynamic boundary condition (IDBC) was presented in this paper. To prevent fluid particles from breaking through the boundary, the repulsive force of boundary particles was enhanced by expanding the equation of state into a higher order. To deal with the asymmetry of DBC, a rectangular support domain attached to boundary particles and a corresponding correction factor are proposed. The results of three test cases showed that the performance of IDBC was satisfied.


The Rufous-backed Robin (Turdus rufopalliatus) is endemic to deciduous and semideciduous tropical forests of western Mexico. Of the currently recognized subspecies, T. r. graysoni, from the Tres Marías Islands and nearby coastal Nayarit, has been considered a separate species; however, this treatment has been challenged due to an apparent contact zone on the mainland, although no hybrids have ever been recorded. Here, we use mitochondrial DNA sequences from individuals sampled across the species' range to assess their phylogeographic relationships. We found reciprocal monophyly between Tres Marías Islands and mainland populations, which share no haplotypes between them. Evolutionary divergence detected within T. rufopalliatus suggests that mainland and island populations have been isolated from each other, and divergence decreases if insular populations are excluded. Demographic parameters suggest that populations are in the process of a rapid expansion from ancestral populations with a lower population size. These results are consistent with morphometric and plumage differences that have been used to recognize the Tres Marías Islands populations from the mainland ones, thus suggesting species status of the island form.


AIMS
Previous research during novel disease outbreaks shows mental health amongst frontline healthcare workers to be of concern. Currently, there are limited data regarding mental health of rehabilitation professionals working through the COVID-19 pandemic in the acute care setting. This research examines the impact on mental health amongst rehabilitation professionals working in the acute care setting during the COVID-19 pandemic to better understand what administrative policies can be implemented to support workers.

METHODS
The study administered a 22-question online survey to 221 occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech-language pathologists working in acute care/hospital settings. Data collection occurred over 30 days in late 2021. Data were analyzed using chi-squared analysis and t-test of means to identify significant differences between demographic variables and reported emotional health outcomes.

RESULTS
Those of higher age reported higher frequencies of depression and anxiety symptoms and fatigue (p >0.05). Professionals with higher COVID-19 contact hours had higher emotional distress and suicidal thoughts (p >0.05). Compared to certified occupational therapy assistants and physical therapy assistants, evaluating therapists had significantly higher reports of lifestyle impacts (p >0.05).

CONCLUSION
These finding serve as considerations for management decisions for rehabilitation professionals during future disease outbreaks. Targeted support must be shown to employees of older age and evaluating therapists. This shows that administrators must consider implementing more equal spread of patient contact to avoid serious impacts.


This article reviews indicators used by researchers to select samples of expert teachers. Reflecting initially on the broader expertise literature and then focusing on studies of teaching expertise, the authors identify criteria used to select expert teachers that fall under one or more of the following marker categories: (a) years of experience, (b) social recognition, (c) professional or social group membership, and (d) performance based criteria (including normative and criterion-based selection). Results indicate considerable variability in the selection criteria for identifying expert teachers, even among researchers using the same theoretical construct. Based on this review, a rubric for selecting samples of expert teachers is proposed.


Due to recent rapid advances in imaging modalities, there has been a marked increase in the early diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Also, the emergence of effective local treatment methods has lead to the necessity for a wider selection of therapeutic modalities depending on the individual characteristics of each patient, such as tumor factors and hepatic factors, rather than a single uniform approach. At present, accurate preoperative liver function evaluation is available, and in addition, increased knowledge of the liver anatomy through liver transplantation, and advances in postoperative patient care has subsequently decreased the morbidity and mortality rates significantly after surgery. Such newly developed techniques and acquired knowledge has allowed the surgical option to expand from the classical hepatic lobectomy to systematic subsegmentectomy. Not only for early HCC, but also for intermediate HCC and advanced HCC, hepatectomy has shown the best results in each stage of disease with regard to treatment goals. It is therefore thought that hepatectomy should always be considered as the main treatment method in the multimodality treatment of HCC, as long as the liver function reserve permits, to enhance the quality of life, increase survival, and to cure disease. The authors present here a summary of the role of surgical approaches in HCC with respect to recent increases in the detection of early stage disease, new therapeutic modalities, and a new staging system for HCC.


The integrated marketing communication process creates positive relationships with consumers, stakeholders, suppliers, and distributors bringing profit through the delivery of carefully planned messages or strategies with integrated marketing objectives. This study aims to describe the implementation of total branding in the application of integrated marketing communication in a food brand, which is seen from many aspects such as brand identity, brand elements, suppliers, distributors, competitors, packaging, and others. The analysis offered by Laura R. Oswald in the semiotic marketing, where the signs, strategies and brand values are interrelated with one another is implemented. The research method is exploratory case studies elaborated with marketing semiotics resting on a constructivism paradigm that thoroughly examines signs and the way they work and can convey meaning to all aspects of marketing activities carried out by Kecap Bango. The results of this study are Kecap Bango's plan and carry out a through total branding that is in line with the target of the intended marketing.


This paper discusses the evidence that two fractions obtained by the chromatography of denatured DNA of phage T3 on columns of methylated albumin-kieselguhr represent the complementary strands. This evidence derives from a variety of temperature-absorbance measurements and from the base composition of the RNA products synthesized by RNA polymerase under the direction of the two single-stranded DNA templates.


There analyzed the results of examination and surgical treatment for 349 injured with closed thoracic trauma (238) and injury (111). I group of comparison included 138 (39,5%) patients who were made examination and traditional treatment without using videothoracoscopy (VTS).II group included 211 (60,5%) patients, who were performed VTS at the stage primary diagnostics and surgical treatment. Authors demonstrated that VTS allows estimating the volume and character of intrapleural complications of thoracic injury, to select optimal surgical approach, to provide early activization of injured patients. To extend indications to VTS allows avoiding thoracotomy in 37,0%,diminishing the frequency of postoperative complications from 25,4% to 10,9%, reducing in-patient treatment time from 8,1±0,36 to 7,1±0,27.


This paper claims that the use of the computer as generative methodological tool for designing urban and building scenarios (when perceived systematically) is a misnomer, because the typical approach does not account for the incompleteness of computational processes. We will argue that the computerisation of architectural and urban scenarios with autopoietic and/or artificial life simulations does not account for what Edsger W. Dijkstra called "radical novelty"; and Gilles Deleuze termed "line of flight". Typical computational methods do not open up genuine alternatives that produce radical morphologies. Our argument is predicated on the dominant notion of computation as opposed to a critique of computation per se. A critical analysis of the perception of novelty is made to support our view, and its connection with the incompleteness of axiomatic systems is explored in relation to three phases of cybernetic enquiry. Our argument draws on the ontologies of Alfred North Whitehead and Gilles Deleuze, which we utilise to reorient computational design to emphasise the potential of generating radical novelty and identify the inherent locus therein a matter of nonhuman decision- making.


This research will show the analytical way of determining the remaining life of a welded joint with a fatigue crack initiated in its heat affected zone. The calculation will be divided into two stages, since the fatigue crack propagated through the heat affected zone, and then through the parent material. The analysis will be related to specimens with different fatigue properties taken into account for both regions. These calculations included a number of models, since different crack lengths were used for the heat affected zone and the parent material. There were three pairs of different HAZ vs PM fatigue crack lengths, always with the assumption that the total crack length is 5 mm, due to measuring range of the used measuring foils. The aim of this analysis was to apply method typically used in fracture mechanics in order to determine the number of cycles in a welded joint with an initiated fatigue crack, depending on a number of parameters. Obtained results were then compared to the results from the numerical analysis for the same cases. While the total number of cycles was mostly unaffected by these changes, some noticeable differences were observed between individual welded joint regions in question, the heat affected zone and the parent material.


The FDA recently approved the radiopharmaceutical lutetium Lu 177 dotatate to treat patients with somatostatin receptor-positive gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. The approval was based on results of the phase III NETTER-1 trial.


This paper provides new empirical evidence on delinking and Environmental Kuznets Curves (EKCs) for greenhouse gases and air pollutant emissions in Italy. Two panel datasets, sectoral disaggregated National Accounts Matrix including Environmental Accounts (NAMEA) and geographically disaggregated emissions at provincial level, are analyzed. These highly disaggregated datasets provide a very large heterogeneity and can help to overcome the shortcomings of the usual approach to EKC based on cross-country data. We find mixed evidence supporting the EKC hypothesis. The analysis of NAMEA-based data shows that some of the emissions, such as two greenhouse gases (CO2 and CH4,) and CO, produce inverted-U shaped curves with coherent within range turning points. Other pollutants (SOX, NOX, and PM10) show monotonic or even N shaped relationship. Evidence also highlights that the aggregated outcome should hide some heterogeneity. In fact, services tend to present an inverted-N shape in most cases. Manufacturing industry shows a mix of inverted-U and N shapes, depending on the emission considered. The same applies to total industry (not only manufacturing): though a turning point has been experienced. N shapes may be important in a policy perspective as the may lead to increased emissions with respect to very high levels of the income driver. The analysis of provincial data shows that inverted-U relationships are present for some of the emissions, such as CH4, NMVOC, CO and PM10, with coherent within-range turning points. Other emission trends show a monotonic relationship (CO2 and N2O), or in some cases an inverted-N shaped relationship (SOX and NOX). In general, EKC evidence is more pronounced for GHGs. Nevertheless, taken jointly, the two analyses suggest that delinking is primarily driven by industrial activities, with private transport and household activities confirming a lower efficiency in environmental terms. Such conclusions may provide interesting suggestions for policy making.


Symmetric nonnegative matrix factorization has found abundant applications in various domains by providing a symmetric low-rank decomposition of nonnegative matrices. In this paper we propose a Frank-Wolfe (FW) solver to optimize the symmetric nonnegative matrix factorization problem under a simplicial constraint, which has recently been proposed for probabilistic clustering. Compared with existing solutions, this algorithm is simple to implement, and has no hyperparameters to be tuned. Building on the recent advances of FW algorithms in nonconvex optimization, we prove an $O(1/\varepsilon^2)$ convergence rate to $\varepsilon$-approximate KKT points, via a tight bound $\Theta(n^2)$ on the curvature constant, which matches the best known result in unconstrained nonconvex setting using gradient methods. Numerical results demonstrate the effectiveness of our algorithm. As a side contribution, we construct a simple nonsmooth convex problem where the FW algorithm fails to converge to the optimum. This result raises an interesting question about necessary conditions of the success of the FW algorithm on convex problems.


This paper reports ground-based measurements of albedo at two different sites in south-western Niger: agricultural fallow at the ICRISAT Sahelian Center (ISC), Sadore, and a type of open natural forest (tiger-bush), 6 km south-west of ISC. The vegetative cover at each site consisted of two clearly defined components, for which separate measurements were made. The four different component surfaces spanned the entire range of plant cover density normally occurring in the southern Sahel, ranging from zero (bare soil) to a dense, closed canopy of woody shrubs. Continuous automated observations of albedo were made over a period of 15 months, from July 1989 to September 1990, including both wet and dry seasons. The data are analysed on hourly, monthly, and annual time-scales in order to demonstrate how albedo varies in response to the density of plant cover, soil-surface moisture content, solar zenith angle, and the proportion of diffuse light in the incoming solar radiation. Large annual variation in monthly mean albedo was observed at both sites (increases from the wet to dry season of 0.065 and 0.057 for the fallow and tiger-bush, respectively). At the fallow site the annual variation in albedo resulted mainly from the wet to dry season cycle of leaf growth and loss. At the tiger-bush site the primary cause of annual variation in albedo was the frequent wetting of the extensive bare soil component that occurred during the rainy season. The significance of these results for global climate modelling is assessed briefly.


In this paper we describe our experience in designing and evaluating our graduate level computer security seminar course. In particular, our seminar is designed with two goals in mind. First, to instil critical thinking by teaching graduate students how to read, review and present scientific literature. Second, to learn about the state-of-the-art in computer security and privacy research by reviewing proceedings from one of the top four security and privacy conferences including IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy (Oakland SP), USENIX Security, Network and Distributed System Security Symposium (NDSS) and ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security (CCS). The course entails each student to i) choose a specific technical session from the most recent conference, ii) review and present three papers from the chosen session and iii) analyze the relationship between the chosen papers from the session. To evaluate the course, we designed a set of questions to understand the motivation and decisions behind the students' choices as well as to evaluate and improve the quality of the course. Our key insights from the evaluation are the following: The three most popular topics of interest were Privacy, Web Security and Authentication, ii) 33% of the students chose the sessions based on the title of papers and iii) when providing an encouraging environment, students enjoy and engage in discussions.


We investigated the occurrence and distribution of multi-annual cycles in abundance of mountain hare populations across a wide area of their range in northern Europe. We analysed 125 time-series of mountain hare abundance indexed from hunting bag records and questionnaire responses from Scotland, Sweden, Finland and Switzerland. We also reanalysed 17 previously published time-series based on hunting bag records and snow track indices from mountain hare populations in Scotland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia and Italy. Autocorrelation analysis showed that 45% of mountain hare populations showed evidence of cycles, characterised by significant negative autocorrelations at half or the whole cycle period. The amplitude and periodicity of cycles varied between and within countries. Time-series in Scotland were characterised by high-amplitude weak cycles with a mean periodicity of nine years but with a range of 4-15 years. Norwegian and Swedish time-series revealed low amplitude weak cycles with a 3-7 year period. Finnish time-series showed low amplitude cycles with a 4-11 year period. Alpine time-series were predominantly non-cyclic, while the limited number of series from Russia showed high amplitude weak cycles with an 8-11 year period. The results reveal that mountain hare populations show a wide range of population dynamics with distinct regional differences in periodicity, amplitude and density dependent structure of cycles. These findings suggest that different factors may limit or regulate mountain hare populations in different regions of Europe thus supporting the results of recent field studies.


The world's practice has shown the importance of medical rehabilitation, which allows increasing the effectiveness of treatment of patients with COVID-19, and also significantly reduce the risks of developing complications after COVID-19. Moreover, timely medical rehabilitation reduces the frequency of disability retirement. We developed and investigated the effectiveness of the telemedicine platform "COVIDREHAB" in order to enhance the effectiveness of the recovery period during self-isolation, as well as to provide access to rehabilitation for patients residing in remote areas or unable to undergo in-person medical rehabilitation. This pilot open clinical study includes 178 patients (108 women and 70 men) aged 32 to 82 years [mean age 50 (33-56) years] who had a moderate disease of COVID-19. We used the specialised platform COVIDREHAB for remote monitoring of the rehabilitation efficiency of patients who suffered from COVID-19. During the study, the supervising doctor assigned the patient a set of specialised questionnaires, which were filled in online. The questionnaires distributed to the patient included questions specifically designed for the COVIDREHAB remote platform as well as the mMRC (Modified Medical Research Council) questionnaire. Patients who completed the remote rehabilitation programme were found to have positive dynamics of indicators of the respiratory system functional state, and complaints.Pulmonary rehabilitation is an important part of case management for patients with respiratory diseases and plays an active role in improving lung function and general well-being of patients. Patients who completed the comprehensive medical rehabilitation program using the information and analytical system COVIDREHAB, were found to have positive dynamics of indicators of the respiratory system functional state, and complaints. Hence, at the end of the course the shortness of breath severity decreased (from 34.8% to 12.4%, as well as the feeling of lack of oxygen from 32% to 17.4%, p <0.05). We anticipate the online approach to rehabilitation will improve the functioning of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, restore physical function, reduce anxiety and depression, and restore quality of life. An essential benefit of this program is the prevention of secondary complications and reduction of serious adverse effects of COVID-19 treatment.".


Proper modeling of inverter-based microgrids is crucial for accurate assessment of stability boundaries. It has been recently realized that the stability conditions for such microgrids are significantly different from those known for large-scale power systems. In particular, the network dynamics, despite its fast nature, appears to have major influence on stability of slower modes. While detailed models are available, they are both computationally expensive and not transparent enough to provide an insight into the instability mechanisms and factors. In this paper, a computationally efficient and accurate reduced-order model is proposed for modeling inverter-based microgrids. The developed model has a structure similar to quasi-stationary model and at the same time properly accounts for the effects of network dynamics. The main factors affecting microgrid stability are analyzed using the developed reduced-order model and shown to be unique for microgrids, having no direct analogy in large-scale power systems. Particularly, it has been discovered that the stability limits for the conventional droop-based system are determined by the ratio of inverter rating to network capacity, leading to a smaller stability region for microgrids with shorter lines. Finally, the results are verified with different models based on both frequency and time domain analyses.


An on-line data acquisition system for thermogravimetry using the IBM S/7 computer followed by data reduction on a 360/195 is described by means of flow charts. The system is designed so that no knowledge of programming is required to acquire, display and manipulate data on an interactive graphics terminal. The program not only extracts weight loss data, but also computes the energies of activation, E, for any selected weight loss interval by two methods, i.e., tabular integral and derivative. The system is demonstrated by a study of the activation energies for loss of water, loss of carbon monoxide, and loss of carbon dioxide during the thermal decomposition of calcium oxalate monohydrate. The results are in good agreement with the best literature values. The derivative method was found to give more consistent results than the tabular integral approach because of problems encountered in the precise measurement of temperature in the thermobalance.


The clinical presentation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) differs between patients in developing countries (African and Chinese populations) from those in industrialized countries. In industrialized countries, HCC co-exists with symptomatic cirrhosis in 80% of cases and clinical manifestations are usually related to those of the underlying disease. On the other hand, patients from developing countries have HCC and cirrhosis in approximately 40% of cases. Underlying cirrhosis in many cases is not advanced and does not produce any symptoms or associated symptoms are masked by those of the tumor (right upper quadrant pain, mass in the upper abdomen, weight loss and weakness). In a subset of patients, there are no clinical manifestations as HCC may occur in the context of hepatitis B infection without cirrhosis. Clinical Manifestations In Western countries, nearly 35% percent of patients with HCC are asymptomatic. Some of the most common clinical manifestations include: abdominal pain (53-58% of patients), especially in epigastrium or right upper quadrant, abdominal mass (30%), weight loss, malaise, anorexia, cachexia, jaundice or fever. Physical Exam Physical findings vary with the stage of disease. The patient may exhibit slight or moderate wasting when first seen. In patients with cirrhosis, typical stigmata of chronic liver disease may be present. In advanced stages of HCC the liver may be enlarged and there is significant tenderness. An arterial bruit may be heard over the liver. Jaundice is unusual at first presentation and, when present, is mild; it commonly appears or deepens with progression of the disease. A low to moderate, intermittent or remittent fever may be present. Unusual Presentations • Obstructive jaundice: is the initial presentation in 1-12% of cases. It is due to compression of the major intrahepatic bile duct by the tumor, invasion of HCC into the lumen of intrahepatic bile ducts, infiltration of the wall of bile ducts causing obliteration of the lumen, hemobilia, or free-floating tumor plugs into the biliary tree. • Acute abdomen: is a life-threatening complication caused by rupture of the tumor causing intraperito bleeding. It occurs in later stages of the tumor and is a frequent cause of death. • Obstruction of splanchnic veins: tumor may invade the portal vein, hepatic veins and inferior vena cava, resulting in portal hypertension (with ascites and variceal bleeding), Budd-Chiari syndrome and pitting edema of lower limbs. Paraneoplastic syndromes Patients with HCC may develop a paraneoplastic syndrome such as hypoglycemia, erythrocytosis, hypercalcemia or watery diarrhea. • Hypoglycemia: there are 2 types of hypoglycemia in patients with HCC. Type A hypoglycemia is not a paraneoplastic syndrome, it is related to the inability of a liver extensively replaced by tumor cells to meet the glucose demands of the tumor and the entire body. Typically, this type of hypoglicemia is mild and asymptomatic. In contrast, type B hypoglycemia is due to secretion of insulin-like growth factor-II by the tumor. This factor acts as an insulin agonist, causing severe symptomatic hypoglycemia. • Erythrocytosis may be due to the production of erythropoietin by the tumor. Although, 23% of the patients with hepatocellular carcinoma have this abnormality, elevations in hemoglobin concentration are uncommon. • Hypercalcemia may be due to osteolytic metastases of the tumor or more frequently to the secretion of parathyroid-related protein by the tumor. • Watery diarrhea may be related to the secretion of peptides that cause intestinal secretion, including VIP, gastrin or peptides with prostaglandin-like inmunoreactivity. • Symptomatic porphyria: It is due to excessive production of porphyrin by the tumor with its consequent accumulation in the skin causing photosensitivity. Other paraneoplastic manifestations are, arterial hypertension (related to the production of angiotensinogen by the tumor), carcinoid syndrome, hyperthrophic osteoarthropathy and hyperthyroidism. Laboratory findings Laboratory examination is usually nonspecific. Most of patients with HCC have cirrhosis and may have thrombocytopenia, hypoalbuminemia, hyperbilirubinemia, and hypoprothrombinemia. Patients are often mildly anemic and may have electrolyte disturbances like hyponatremia, hypokalemia, and metabolic alkalosis, associated with defective water handling or with diuretic use. Serum aminotransferases, alkaline phosphatase and gammaglutamyl transpeptidase are often abnormal in a nonspecific pattern. Some serum markers are useful in diagnosis of HCC. The most commonly used is alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). AFP is a glycoprotein that is normally produced during gestation by the fetal liver and the yolk sac. In adults, normal values are less than 20 ng/ml and AFP is often elevated in patients with HCC. Serum concentrations of AFP do not correlate with clinical features of HCC, such as size, stage and prognosis but is generally accepted that serum levels greater than 500 ng/ml in a high risk patient is diagnosis of HCC. Other serum markers - Because of the limitations of serum AFP measurements, other serum markers of HCC used alone or in combination with the serum AFP have been evaluated for diagnosis or determining prognosis in patients with HCC. These include lens culinaris agglutinin-reactive AFP and des-gamma carboxyprothrombin, glypican-3, human hepatocyte growth factor, and insulin-like growth factor.


Experiments were conducted to find out the method of reducing viviparous germination of rice seeds using growth regulators during grain filling period. Among the recommended varieties, early Japonica type showed higher rate of viviparous germination, while late Japonica type and Tongil type varieties did not show viviparous germination in field condition. Grain showed high germination ability from 30 days of grain filling period in Daeseongbyeo of Japonica type and 35 days in Taebackbyeo of Tongil type. Growth regulators, NAA, CMH and Reglone were effective for reducing viviparous germination to the two rice varieties and three treatment stages in this experiment. NAA and CMH were most effective at 100 ppm and Reglone was at 0.4-0.6% concentration. Germination rates of rice seed were not different from non-treatment when NAA CMH were treated, while Reglone lowered germination rate. NAA and CMH had no effects on grain filling rate for both varieties, which showed high grain filling rate as the non-treatment, but Reglone results low grain filling rate. Grain color was not changes when NAA was applied, while CMH and Reglone made a lot of grain to dark brown as the concentration became higher. When grain were hulled, NAA had no difference with the non-treatment whereas CMH and Reglone had lower rate of perfect brown rice when they were applied at 20-30 days after heading.


Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is rare in children. Certain inherited bone marrow failure syndromes (IBMFS), such as Fanconi anemia, severe congenital neutropenia and Shwachman Diamond syndrome, markedly increase the risk of MDS during childhood. However, the genetic factor(s) underlying sporadic pediatric MDS are unknown. Germline mutations in GATA2 , a hematopoietic transcription factor, explain four MDS-predisposing conditions: monocytopenia and mycobacterial infection (MonoMAC); dendritic cell, monocyte, B and NK cell lymphoid deficiency (DCML); primary lymphedema with myelodysplasia progressing to acute myeloid leukemia (Emberger syndrome); and a subset of familial MDS. Cases of pediatric MDS have been observed in some of the reported pedigrees. In addition, three individuals have been reported with large, de novo deletions encompassing GATA2 and surrounding genes and manifesting developmental delay, intellectual disability and dysmorphic features alongside their hematologic abnormalities. We identified a novel GATA2 splice site variant (c.1018-2A>C) in a teenager with MDS, WHO classification refractory cytopenia of childhood (RCC). Although he was found to have monocytopenia and B and NK cell deficiencies, he had no history of infections associated with MonoMAC or pertinent family history. We, therefore, hypothesized that mutations in GATA2 might be present in additional cases of pediatric MDS that were neither associated with an IBMFS nor relevant personal or family history.

Two Baylor College of Medicine biology studies open to children with hematologic disease were queried for patients with the diagnosis of MDS. Exclusion criteria included treatment-related MDS, diagnosis of an IBMFS, prior diagnosis of severe aplastic anemia or infections suspicious for MonoMAC or DCML, and known or suspected family history of a GATA2 -associated disorder. Cases lacking a pre-hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) tissue sample available for study were also excluded. In addition to the patient described above, six children were identified who met eligibility criteria. DNA was isolated from banked peripheral blood or bone marrow cells and GATA2 sequencing performed, including upstream and intronic regulatory regions. Array comparative genomic hybridization was also performed on one sample that lacked GATA2 sequence variants, but was notable for complete absence of heterozygosity (AOH), including 6 polymorphic sites with minor allele frequencies of 0.20 or greater. Pertinent clinical and laboratory features were extracted by medical record review blinded to GATA2 status.

We found heterozygous GATA2 mutations in three of the six additional patient samples. Thus, four of this seven patient, pediatric MDS cohort had mutated GATA2 . Two of the newly identified mutations were splice site variants: a previously described c.1018-1G>A and a novel variant altering the exon 7 splice site acceptor (c.1114-1G>C). The third mutation was a de novo 3.1-3.3 Mb deletion encompassing the entire GATA2 locus and contiguous genes, and was established to be germline by analysis of skin fibroblasts. Notably, the patient had normal neurocognitive development and was without dysmorphic features. Their ages of presentation were 5, 9, 12 and 15 years. With the exception of the initial case, peripheral blood T and B cell phenotyping was not obtained prior to HSCT. Monocytopenia of less than 200/µL was present in five of seven patients, three of whom had a GATA2 mutation. All four GATA2 mutation cases had RCC and three of the four had monosomy 7 at diagnosis. In contrast, the three cases lacking GATA2 mutation presented with the MDS classification refractory anemia with excess blasts (RAEB-2), with either a normal karyotype, complex karyotypic changes or chromosome 13.q12q14 deletion.

GATA2 mutation may explain a significant portion of sporadic, seemingly nonsyndromic pediatric MDS, particularly cases with monosomy 7. Evaluation of larger cohorts is warranted to ascertain the true prevalence. Although this cohort is small, we recommend GATA2 sequencing be performed as part of the initial evaluation of pediatric MDS as the identification of a germline mutation has critical implications for related donor selection and genetic counseling. AOH in GATA2 sequencing should prompt deletion analysis, even in cases without infections, dysmorphic features or neurocognitive impairment.

Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Using a dataset of carriage decisions by 943 cable systems for 22 start-up basic cable networks, this study tests the "reciprocal carriage" hypothesis: the theory that multiple cable television system operators (MSOs) tacitly collude to carry each others' vertically integrated cable networks. The research supports the reciprocal carriage hypothesis by finding that: (1) A vertically integrated MSO is more likely than a non-vertically integrated MSO to carry the start-up basic cable networks of other MSOs; and, (2) a vertically integrated MSO is no more likely than a non-vertically integrated MSO to carry independent start-up basic cable networks. These results make credible an underlying premise of a 30 percent national market share limit that the Federal Communication Commission established in 1993: namely, that MSOs may tacitly collude in their carriage decisions, having the effect of restricting market access to startup cable networks in which those MSOs have no ownership interest. The study suggests the difficulty of the entry and growth of non-vertically integrated independent start-up cable networks. More generally, this study suggests circumstances under which vertically integrated firms may tacitly collude to reciprocally buy each others' intermediate goods


Cognitive ultra-wideband (UWB) radio gains more and more interests from colleges and manufactories. It provides a flexible, low-cost wireless application with the ability of extending spectrum utilization. Cognitive UWB radio combines the advantages of cognitive radio (CR) and UWB together and the applications based on this technique are viewed as the candidates of the next generation wireless technology. We propose an adaptive CR UWB radio scenario evaluation and fundamental modulation waveforms (FMW) generation method in this paper. The proposed method utilizes real-time transform domain technique to evaluate the radio scenarios and generate cognitive UWB FMW. Thus the interference from the CR UWB systems to the primary licensed applications and the interference following the opposite direction can both be suppressed effectively. We introduce the radio scenario evaluation method and the adaptive FMW generation algorithm and compare the interference avoidance ability of the generated waveforms with a common Gaussian impulse based UWB FMW without adopting cognitive techniques by simulation. The comparisons confirm that the proposed radio scenario evaluation method and adaptive FMW generation algorithm are superior to the common UWB FMW scheme without cognitive techniques. The proposed scheme can be adopted in any CR systems operating in any frequency bands.


Recent studies of policy and policy actors in China have made use of the policy entrepreneur concept that has been popular in studies of policy in North America and Europe. These approaches have understood the concept in its traditional form dealing with agenda setting and nonstate actors. The policy entrepreneur has developed beyond these confines and now offers a broader descriptive framework within which to understand the successes and failures of particular initiatives.

This article uses these new developments, specifically the framework outlined by Mintrom and Norman, to describe the success of policy entrepreneurship in the development of the urban resident Minimum Livelihood Guarantee. This case was selected because existing scholarship has ignored the entrepreneurial role of bureaucrats in its development. The use of this framework without adaptation to describe policy actors in China demonstrates the further application of policy entrepreneurs outside of Western democracies.


Defending their employer on LinkedIn, attacking their organisation on Twitter, publishing videos in solidarity on YouTube: A ubiquitous social-mediated environment allows employees of crisis-stricken organisations to reach out to a mass audience potentially in the millions with only a few keystrokes. But is such employee social-mediated crisis communication (ESMCC) an opportunity or a threat to their organisations? By developing the perspective of the internal employees in contrast to external stakeholders such as consumers, the research investigates the specific conditions for ESMCC to become either threat or opportunity to assets such as organisational reputation. To generate knowledge in line with scholars' calls for quantitative, "evidence-based" crisis communication, a survey with experimental conditions was conducted among 594 participants constituting the publics of an organisation. The findings show that in comparison to consumers, employees attacking their organisation cause disproportionally more damage to organisational assets such as reputation than those defending it. In the latter scenario, employees are not more influential than consumers. It would still be a premature conclusion that ESMCC is only a threat – to this end, the study provides implications for both scholars and practitioners alike that outline positive and negative aspects.


The high-grade Chanarcillo vein silver deposit in northern Chile has been repeatedly cited as an exemplar for supergene silver sulfide enrichment beneath a rich oxidized zone. By analogy with the supergene upgrading of copper deposits, it is claimed that silver released during oxidative weathering migrated progressively downward in acidic solutions to the upper parts of the underlying sulfide zone where it was reprecipitated under more reduced conditions as replacive sulfides, sulfosalts, alloys, and the native metal. Evidence is presented to show that the putative silver sulfide enrichment zone is more likely to have been a product of hypogene vertical zoning in a deposit of native Ag-Co-Ni-As type.


The modes delivered by proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) are uncorrelated as per definition; but interestingly, they are not necessarily independent in terms of spatio-temporal flow-pattern dynamics. For instance, periodic structures that travel as waves through a series of snapshots often consist of pairs of modes with harmonic functions shifted 90 degree in phase and/or a spatial offset by a quarter of the spatial wave length of the convective flow pattern. Identification of such pairs, however, largely builds upon experience, visual inspection and/or the analysis of the reconstructed coefficients in cyclograms (Lissajous figures). This effort becomes even more challenging if measurement noise or other spurious information contaminates the raw data under consideration. One possibility to automatically pair corresponding patterns with common POD algorithms is the immediate application of the POD method to complex data (see Pfeffer et al., 1990). As outlined by Horel (1984), the Hilbert transform is a well-known and straight forward means to obtain the required extension of the original signal with an appropriate 90 degrees phase shift, which is independent of the fundamental frequencies. The complex extension of the original (real) signal Xi and its (discrete) Hilbert transform HT{Xi} as the imaginary part Xi +iHT{Xi} with the imaginary unit i is commonly known as the so-called analytical signal.


Elongational behavior of epoxy (epoxy/curing agent = 100/0.5, w/w) cured at various conditions over the critical gelation time was investigated. Dynamic viscoelastic measurements of the epoxy system were performed and the critical gelation time of epoxy was determined according to the frequency dependence of G′ and G″ proposed by Winter and Chambon. Elongational behavior of epoxy cured for various times were measured. Epoxy, cured over the critical gelation time, showed strain hardening and elongational behavior similar to a crosslinked rubber. Increase of elongational viscosity of the sample occurred early, and the sample broke at small strain as curing time increased. The effect of strain rate on the elongational stress of epoxy cured near the critical gelation time was measured at various strain rates. For epoxy cured for critical gelation time only, high stress at a small strain rate was represented as strain rate increased. When increasing curing time further, the tensile stress converged on a single curve regardless of strain rate, and samples broke at nearly the same stress and strain. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009


Bisphenol A is predominantly used as an intermediate in the production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. Traces of bisphenol A released into the environment can reach into the wastewater and soil via application of sewage sludge from wastewater treatment systems that receive water containing bisphenol A, or from leachate from uncontrolled landfills. In this study we have made an effort to review the work on the presence of bisphenol A and other related endocrine disrupting compounds in the environment and their impact on the life of living organisms including human beings. Bisphenol A has several implications on the health of human beings as well it can also affect the growth of plants and animals. Number of physicochemical methods such as adsorption, membrane based filtration, ozonation, fenton, electrochemical and photochemical degradation has been used for the removal of bisphenol A. However, these methods have some inherent limitations and therefore cannot be used for large scale treatment of such pollutants. The alternative procedures have attracted the attention of environmental scientists. Biological methods are looking quite promising and these procedures are helpful in the complete degradation of bisphenol A and related compounds. Several bacterial, fungal, and algal strains and mixed cultures have successfully been employed for the degradation of bisphenol A. Recently, enzymatic methods have attracted the attention of the environmentalists for the treatment of bisphenol A and other endocrine disrupting compounds. Numerous types of oxidoreductases; laccases, tyrosinases, manganese peroxidase, lignin peroxidase, polyphenol oxidases, horseradish peroxidase and bitter gourd peroxidase have exhibited their potential for the remediation of such types of compounds. The cytochrome P 450 monooxygenases and hemoglobin have also participated in the degradation of bisphenol A and other related endocrine disrupting compounds. Various redox mediators, surfactants and additives have also enhanced enzymatic oxidation of bisphenol A and other related endocrine disrupting compounds.


[1] To simulate ozone (O3) air quality in future decades over the eastern United States, a modeling system consisting of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies Atmosphere-Ocean Global Climate Model, the Pennsylvania State University/National Center for Atmospheric Research mesoscale regional climate model (MM5), and the Community Multiscale Air Quality model has been applied. Estimates of future emissions of greenhouse gases and ozone precursors are based on the A2 scenario developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), one of the scenarios with the highest growth of CO2 among all IPCC scenarios. Simulation results for five summers in the 2020s, 2050s, and 2080s indicate that summertime average daily maximum 8-hour O3 concentrations increase by 2.7, 4.2, and 5.0 ppb, respectively, as a result of regional climate change alone with respect to five summers in the 1990s. Through additional sensitivity simulations for the five summers in the 2050s the relative impact of changes in regional climate, anthropogenic emissions within the modeling domain, and changed boundary conditions approximating possible changes of global atmospheric composition was investigated. Changed boundary conditions are found to be the largest contributor to changes in predicted summertime average daily maximum 8-hour O3 concentrations (5.0 ppb), followed by the effects of regional climate change (4.2 ppb) and the effects of increased anthropogenic emissions (1.3 ppb). However, when changes in the fourth highest summertime 8-hour O3 concentration are considered, changes in regional climate are the most important contributor to simulated concentration changes (7.6 ppb), followed by the effect of increased anthropogenic emissions (3.9 ppb) and increased boundary conditions (2.8 ppb). Thus, while previous studies have pointed out the potentially important contribution of growing global emissions and intercontinental transport to O3 air quality in the United States for future decades, the results presented here imply that it may be equally important to consider the effects of a changing climate when planning for the future attainment of regional-scale air quality standards such as the U.S. national ambient air quality standard that is based on the fourth highest annual daily maximum 8-hour O3 concentration.


Several epidemiologic studies have established a strong and consistent link between cigarette smoking and increased cardiac morbidity and mortality. Other studies show that in addition to substantial increase in oxidative stress, certain other compounds of cigarette smoke, such as nicotine and carbon monoxide play a role in atherogenesis. In response to proatherogenic action of cigarette smoke. In this study, our results show a substantial increase of 292%in sd-LDL and 82%in sd-LDL-apoB of SC rats, as compared to respective normal control values. Thus, >84 % of LDl-Cand >58%of LDL-apoB were recognized in sd-LDL subpopulation. In contrast to sd-LDL, percent share of cholesterol and apoB content of LDL was significantly reduced by 36 % and 27 % in lb-LDL, indicating a preferential shift of less atherogenic lb-LDL to more atherogenic sd-LDL subspecies in hyperlipidemic rats. Tocomin (Tocotrienols) or Lovastatin treatment significantly normalized (93-99%) both the cholesterol and apoB concentrations of sd-LDL and lb-LDL, as well as their percent share of LDL, similar to their counterparts in N-C. We initially recommend daily supplementation of young smokers with dietary tocotrienols (Tocomin). In conclusion, based on Tocomin mediated multiple therapeutic benefits, described in the present study, daily intake of tocotrienols as a dietary supplement by novice/young/old moderate or heavy smokers as well as chronic smokers including passive smokersmay be useful in the prevention and treatment of tobacco-induced dyslipidemia/hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis. In addition, daily use of dietary tocotrienols will be efficacious, cost effective, and a good source of vitamin E.


The seismic properties of Root Mean Square Amplitude, Maximum Amplitude, and Sum of Positive Amplitude most clearly reflect the distribution characteristics of middle Miocene carbonate sediments in block 04-3, Nam Con Son basin. Middle Miocene carbonate is commonly distributed on both reflection surfaces of  P1 and P2. Within each reflective surface, carbonate sediments are concentrated around the uplifting zones, such as structures of Thien Ung - Mang Cau, Dai Hung and Bo Cau. These are completely consistent with the results of the interpretation of well-log data of Vietsovpetro, VSP [1]. The wells C-2X and C-4X  located at the edge of the uplifting zone should have the thickest carbonates. According to the results of amplitude attribute analysis, these wells are distributed in the high concentration area of carbonate formations. Meanwhile well C-1X  and well C-3X, which are near the top of the uplifting zone and further away from the uplifting structure have thin carbonate set and belongs to a low carbonate density area.


THE RIGHT TO PATERNITY LEAVE UNDER THE POLISH LEGISLATION Summary By virtue of The Act of 8th December 2008 amending the Labour Code a new legal institution – paternity leave has been introduced into Polish labour law. Since 1st January 2010 an employee-father is entitled to paternity leave upon the event of childbirth. This right is not assignable. Furthermore, it is irrespective of other parental rights. The father may use the right to paternity leave by the time the child is twelve months old. During the use of that leave the father is protected against the termination of labour contract. Under the article 1823 of the Labour Code an employee has the right to paternity leave in the amount of two weeks. However, according to provisions of The Act of 8th December 2008, the above mentioned duration of paternity leave will be in force from 1st January 2012. Until that date the father is entitled to one week of paternity leave only. Introduction of the paternity leave into the Polish labour law should be approved. However, it seems that the reading of that new regulation as well as the legal constructions adopted for the purpose of an effective use of the right to paternity leave may cause some doubts and interpretative problems. The paper is an attempt of a general analysis of all provisions of the Labour Code regulating the use of right to paternity leave.


Media literacy is the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create media. Media literate youth and adults are better able to understand the complex messages we receive from television, radio, Internet, newspapers, magazines, and other forms of media.


Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) is a promising candidate for accurate assessment of metrology and defects on wafers and masks, however it has traditionally been too slow for high-throughput applications, although recent developments have significantly pushed the speed of SPM [1,2]. In this paper we present new results obtained with our previously presented high-throughput parallel SPM system [3,4] that showcase two key advances that are required for a successful deployment of SPM in high-throughput metrology, defect and mask inspection. The first is a very fast (up to 40 lines/s) image acquisition and a comparison of the image quality as function of speed. Secondly, a fast approach method: measurements of the scan-head approaching the sample from 0.2 and 1.0 mm distance in under 1.4 and 6 seconds respectively.


Previous studies following single dose administration have suggested that the pharmacokinetics of various nifedipine formulations could be influenced by the timing of associated food consumption. In order more closely to reflect the clinical situation we have carried out a study at steady state using a 'biphasic' formulation comprising 'rapid' and 'retarded' drug release components. Fifteen normal subjects took 20 mg 'biphasic' nifedipine 12 hourly for 10 days. Studies were carried out on days 4, 7 and 10. On these days the nifedipine was taken 2 h or 1 h before or immediately following a light breakfast. A light breakfast influenced neither the rate nor the extent of nifedipine absorption nor the rate or extent of major metabolite appearance. We conclude that at steady state the timing of a light meal is unlikely to alter in any clinically important manner the pharmacokinetics of nifedipine released from 'biphasic' tablets.


The Meigs' syndrome, of infrequent presentation in approximately 4% of benign ovarian tumors, is characterized by the association of a benign tumor of gynecological origin with ascites and pleural effusion, which, in the majority of cases, induces the Clinician to suspect a malignant etiology. However, these conditions are resolved after tumor excision. Fewer than 60 cases of Meigs' syndrome have been reported in the literature to date that have a rise in the CA 125 antigen. The first case was documented by Jones and Survit in 1989 in a 70-year-old patient with a fibrothecoma and with an elevation of CA 125 of 226 IU/ml. The association of a Meigs' syndrome with Sertoli–Leydig tumors is extremely rare, we present the second case reported in the literature. The fact of being able to find the association of these two entities renders it evident that the Clinician should bear this in mind at the time of carrying out the evaluation of a patient with a pelvic injury that is bears a resemblance to advanced-stage ovarian cancer, and even more so if it presents with elevations of CA 125, in that Meigs syndrome will present complete resolution after the tumor excision.


The exploration of novel electrochemiluminescence (ECL) reagents has been a breakthrough work in ECL immunoassay. In this work, the ECL properties of polyoxomolybdate-zirconia (POM-ZrO2) were discovered for the first time and their luminescence mechanism was initially explored. Virgulate POM-ZrO2 was synthesized from phosphomolybdic acid hydrate and zirconium oxychloride by solvothermal method, which achieved intense and stabilized cathode ECL emission at a negative potential. Polyaniline@Au nanocrystals (PANI@AuNPs) as the executor of the dual-mechanism quenching strategy were used to reduce the output signal. The quenching efficiency was significantly enhanced by the dual mechanisms of ECL energy transfer and electron transfer. Specifically, PANI@AuNPs can serve as an energy receptor to absorb the energy emitted by POM-ZrO2 (energy donor), while the appropriate energy level can be regarded as the condition for electron transfer to quench the ECL intensity of POM-ZrO2. Herein, the proposed dual-mechanism quenching strategy was applied to the immunoassay of 17β-estradiol by constructing a competitive immunosensor. As expected, the immunosensor demonstrated favorable analytical performance and a wide sensing range from 0.01 pg/mL to 200 ng/mL. Hence, it provides a novel method for the sensitive analysis of other biomolecules, such as disease markers and environmental estrogens.


We propose an adaptive liquid-filled lens, which consists of an elastic membrane, a solid plate, and an annular sealing ring; a liquid with a fixed volume stored in lens chamber. The key part is the annular sealing ring which looks like an iris diaphragm. The surfaces of annular sealing ring are sealed with an elastic membrane. The radius of the annular sealing ring is changeable. By tuning the radius of the annular sealing ring, the stored liquid in the lens will be redistributed, thus changing the curvature of the elastic membrane. Therefore, the lens cell causes light to converge or diverge. A liquid lens with a positive variable focus was demonstrated, this kind of lens has the advantages of simple fabrication process, compact structure, easy operation, and low cost.


Background:The activated group 2 innate lymphocytes (ILC2s) play a crucial role in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-induced airway inflammation by secreting large amount of type 2 cytokines. Although the classical activator IL-33 is the key factor for ILC2 activation, a regulatory effect of neurotransmitter-neuromedin U (NMU) has also been reported. However, whether and how NMU can be elicited by RSV infection and regulate pulmonary ILC2 activation remains unclear.Methods: The regulatory effect and underlying mechanisms of NMU on ILC2 activation were determined by using RSV-infected wild-type and NMU-knockout mice. The expression of NMU in the lungs and NMUR1 on ILC2s were measured by Real-time PCR and Western blot. Flow cytometry and ELISA were used to detect the proliferation and activation of ILC2s. The type of neurons secreting NMU and its possible secretion mechanism during RSV infection were also analyzed.Results:Acute RSV infection induced the production of NMU in the lungs of mice and up-regulate the expression of NMUR1 on the pulmonary ILC2s. In vivo administration of NMU exacerbated RSV-induced airway inflammation by promoting the proliferation and activation of pulmonary ILC2s via NMUR1 pathway. In this process, PI3K, MEK and NFAT signal proteins might be involved. Furthermore, pulmonary neurons responded to the stimulation of RSV and secreted NMU in TLR4 and TLR7-dependent manners.Conclusion:Our data suggest that NMU is an ILC2 activator other than the classical activator, revealing a novel effect of neurotransmitter on RSV-induced airway inflammation.


The persistence of potentially hazardous bacteria is a major challenge for meat processing environments, which are conducive for biofilm formation. Marker genes/phenotypes are commonly used to differentiate biofilm forming E. coli strains from their nonbiofilm forming counterparts. ABSTRACT We investigated the phylogeny of biofilm forming (BF) and nonbiofilm forming (NBF) Escherichia coli (n = 114) from a beef processing environment as well as genetic elements in their BF and persistence via a comparative genomic analysis. Phylogroup B1 made up the largest proportion of both the BF (73.8%) and NBF (50.9%) groups. E. coli from all of the sources that were examined had mixed phylogroups, except for those that were recovered from equipment after cleaning, which were exclusively from phylogroup B1. Both the core genome and gene content trees showed a tree-wide spread of BF strains, with clusters, including both BF and NBF strains. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) via Scoary or Pyseer did not find any genes or mutations that were overrepresented in the BF group. A retrospective analysis of phenotypes found a significant correlation (P < 0.05) between BF ability and curli production, cellulose synthesis, and/or mobility. However, the BF group also included strains that were negative for curli and cellulose and/or missing encoding genes for the two traits. All curli and cellulose encoding genes were present in most genomes, regardless of their BF status. The degree of motility was correlated with both curli and cellulose production, and 80 common genes were overrepresented in all three of the trait-positive groups. A PTS enzyme II, a subsidiary gluconate catabolism pathway, and an iron-dicitrate transport system were more abundant in the persisting E. coli group. These findings suggest gene function redundancy in E. coli for biofilm formation as well as additional substrate utilization and iron acquisition in its persistence. IMPORTANCE The persistence of potentially hazardous bacteria is a major challenge for meat processing environments, which are conducive for biofilm formation. Marker genes/phenotypes are commonly used to differentiate biofilm forming E. coli strains from their nonbiofilm forming counterparts. We took a comparative genomic analysis approach to analyze E. coli strains that were from the same environment but were differentiated by their biofilm forming ability. A diversification of the genes involved in the biofilm formation of E. coli was observed. Even though there is a correlation on the population level between biofilm formation and the expression of curli and cellulose, uncertainties exist on the individual strain level. Novel substrate utilization and iron acquisition could contribute to the persistence of E. coli. These findings not only advance our understanding of the ecology of E. coli with respect to its persistence but also show that a marker gene/phenotype driven approach for the biofilm control of E. coli may not be prudent.


We examine dynamic patterns of macroeconomic variables in East Asia immediately after the Asian financial crisis. Particularly, focusing on East Asia, we can identify their distinctive features from those of aggregate cross-country results. Also, we check with the financial crises in East Asia in the 1980s in order to make sure to what extent the contrast between the aggregate cross-country results and that of the Asian financial crisis comes from differences in time (external environment) or in country structure or both. Some distinctive features in East Asia include higher real interest rates in the crisis year, persistent output as well as investment slowdown, and different behaviors of trade and fiscal surpluses after the crisis. The results suggest that initial monetary tightening be responsible for the unexpectedly serious recession and that favorable external conditions and fiscal stimulus did contribute to the post-crisis real recovery even without credit recoveries. JEL Classification: E5, O11, O53