The influence of initial metal ion concentration of the batch sorption of Pb 2+ and Cd 2+ onto a low-cost biosorbent was investigated. The experimental results were analysed in terms of Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. According to the evaluation using Langmuir equation, the monolayer sorption capacity obtained were 49.53 and 65.50 mM/g for Pb 2+ and Cd 2+ , respectively The data further showed that, sorption of the two divalent metals onto the biomass increased with increase in initial metal ion concentration until monolayer coverage is attained. The thermodynamic assessment of the metal ion – Caladium bicolor biomass system indicates the feasibility and spontaneous nature of the process and ΔGo was evaluated as ranging from –4.55 to –6.63 KJ mol -1 and –4.02 to –6.09 KJ mol - for Pb 2+ and Cd 2+ sorption, respectively. The order of magnitude of the ΔGo values indicates an ion-exchange physisorption process. African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 4 (2), pp. 191-196, 2005


This paper uses Dialogical Self Theory to explore university students' I/We positions before and after participating in a blended course with both individual and collaborative learning activities. Two focus group discussions were held; one at the beginning and the other one at the end (18 students in total; 3 M, 15F; average age 24 years old). The focus groups were analyzed through discursive analysis by referring to the Bakhtinian concepts of chronotope and polyphony, as dialogical features of positioning. Results show that at the end of the course the polyphony became richer, including also technology. This was initially "suppressed" and became later a voice supporting both We-position and collaborative learning. A shift from initial I-positions rooted in a broad chronotope (including past, present and future) toward We-positions placed in the specific and situated chronotope of the course occurred. This result poses the question of sustainability and transferability of innovation.


This article attempts to elaborate on the Derridean idea of transcendental violence and his idea of "violence against violence." It does this by examining the structure of the gift as Derrida presents it in Given Time. The article lays out in detail all of the conditions for the gift Derrida presents across Given Time. More precisely, it examines Derrida's analysis of the giving of counterfeit money. The conclusion it draws is that the giving of counterfeit money comes closest to the golden mean between exchange and non-exchange (or pure gift-giving), the golden mean between violence and non-violence. But the open question is: should we prescribe the giving of counterfeit money for all gift-giving and even for human relations of friendship and love?


Protein S-100 beta has been suggested as a prognostic marker in traumatic brain injury. However, little is known of its behaviour in the immediate post-injury period. With Ethics Committee approval, we recruited 30 patients with a history of head injury presenting to our Accident and Emergency Department. Blood was taken on arrival and at four hours post-injury. Serum S-100 beta was estimated using an immunoluminometric assay. Levels of S-100 beta were seen to fall rapidly with time. Half-time was distributed non-parametrically with a median of 198 minutes. Using the Mann-Whitney U test we found a statistically significant difference between non-desirable (Glasgow Outcome Score 1-3) and desirable (Glasgow Outcome Score 4-5) outcome on admission (p = 0.0155) but not at four hours (p = 0.1336). Levels of S-100 beta fell rapidly after its release following traumatic brain injury. Time after injury is therefore critical in assessing the significance of levels of S-100 beta, and sampling should be as early as possible to gain maximum information. If S-100 beta is to be assessed as a monitor of ongoing brain injury in the intensive therapy unit sampling must be frequent (e.g. every 4 hours) to be able to detect rises in serum levels before they have decayed to baseline.


Introduction In addition to well-known risk factors, markers of dental disease and inflammation, such as tooth loss, are suggested to be also independently associated with blood pressure. Objectives To investigate whether tooth loss is associated with increased blood pressure among adults, independently of the established risk factors. Methods A population-based cross-sectional study was carried out with a sample of 1720 adults from Florianópolis, Brazil. Data collection included blood pressure, anthropometric measures and a questionnaire on socio-demographics, self-rated health, diabetes, self-reported number of natural teeth and dental prosthesis. We used multivariable regression models for the association between systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and high levels of blood pressure (HBP) and tooth loss, sequentially adjusting for socio-demographic, behavioural and health related confounders. Results Adjusted analysis revealed a Prevalence Ratio of HBP of 1.42 (95% CI 1.15 to 1.75) and 1.06 (95% CI 0.91 to 1.24) for edentate adults and adults with <10 teeth in at least one arch respectively, compared to those with 10 or more teeth in both arches. An association between edentate men and SBP was observed in the unadjusted but not the adjusted analysis. However, among women, edentate participants showed significantly higher SBP when compared with those with 10 or more teeth in both arches, after adjusting for potential confounders. Conclusions There is an association between tooth loss and increased blood pressure and high levels of blood pressure in the general adult population of Florianopolis, especially among women, in addition to well-known hypertension risk factors.


Introduction In 2008, Injury was ranked as the 5th leading cause of mortality and 3rd cause of hospitalisation in Egypt. The aim of the survey was to identify the burden and characteristics of injuries through a population based survey. Methods A population-based survey was undertaken in five governorates of Egypt through a multi stage probability proportional to size sampling method. A validated semistructured questionnaire was used and information was collected on socio-demographic characteristics, external causes, risk factors for road crashes, outcome, impact and utilisation of healthcare. Results Interviews were conducted in 11 118 households and 47 797 individuals were covered during the period March–July 2009. Injuries accounted for 20% of deaths in the surveyed regions. The highest injury mortality was among men and in younger age groups (<45 years). Road traffic injuries were the leading injury cause of death constituting for 56% of deaths with an age adjusted mortality of 20/100 000 population. Road traffic injuries and falls, one-third each, predominated non-fatal injuries, 35% and 34%, respectively. Nearly half of RTIs occurred on the highways. Pedestrians and vehicles drivers were involved in greater numbers of road crashes to the extent of 41% and 40%, respectively. Seat belt usage rate was only 40% and helmet usage rate was <5%. Nearly half of all fall injuries occurred at home. Conclusions Road, home and work safety needs to be addressed within the national policies and programmes and through intersectoral approaches.


A new inequality on the minimum eigenvalue for the Fan product of nonsingular M-matrices is given. In addition, a new inequality on the spectral radius of the Hadamard product of nonnegative matrices is also obtained. These inequalities can improve considerably some previous results.


As a model for an orientational glass, we consider quadrupoles on a simple cubic lattice with random Gaussian bonds Jij. We treat the fully isotropic model described by the Hamiltonian, where Si is the μ-th component of a m-component vector (both m = 2 and m = 3 are treated) and the sum extends over all nearest-neighbour pairs once. Monte Carlo simulations show that the time-autocorrelation function of the quadrupoles is consistent with a stretched exponential form, and the relaxation time only diverges at zero temperature.


BACKGROUNDThe means and services used for prevention of pregnancies is referred as Family Planning (FP) (1). The successful implementation of Family Planning has remained a difficult task in Pakistan because of socio-cultural beliefs, lack of information or misinformation and lack of access to contraceptive services. Cultural taboos and social bonds related to women are major factors in the low uptake of FP services (2). METHODOLOGThis study is the analysis of retrospective secondary data from an NGO, HELP's Family Planning clinics, to determine the trends and patterns of contraceptive methods used in two squatter settlements(Neelam Colony and KKB) in Karachi from 2010-2018. The data originated from Mother and Child centers of HELP. Records of the monthly data collected by CHWs from their catchments areas were obtained and it was cumulated annually. Variables studied included number of women of childbearing age (CBA), number of married women of childbearing age, information about number of family planning users, number of babies born. The data also included different types of FP methods used by married couples. For analysis, the data was entered in Microsoft Excel and then exported to SPSS version 19. Mean and percentages, graphs and other graphics for all the variables were calculated and created through SPSS 19 and Excel.RESULTSThe Mean number of FP users were 43% in Neelum Colony and 48% at KKB. Similar data was reported in PDHS 2017-18 that 34% of married women in Pakistan were opting for methods of family planning (3). Use of Condoms was the most commonly used method of family planning in Neelum Colony and in KKB, recorded as being 36%, and 41% users respectively. The FP2020 reports that there are 34% condom users in Pakistan (4). Our study also found that that that the increase in use of FP was influenced by increased reminders and nudging techniques during counselling by CHWs. CONCLUSIONSTo progressively increase the practice of couples using modern FP methods, it is crucial that repeated messages giving correct scientific information regarding FP methods be given frequently. Acceptance of using FP has to be developed primarily in the male counterpart and therefore, male social mobilisers should form part of a team.


The construction industry is subject to more risk and uncertainty than many other industries. Construction projects are associated with various aspect of risks, be it risks associated with the feasibility stage, design stage, construction stage and post construction stage. This paper is meant to address two main concerns. The first objective is to identify the understanding of Malaysian architects on risks related to design and the management of such risks. Secondly, this paper will look into the architects' apprehension on laws corresponding to the notion of proper risk management framework. A set of questionnaire was sent to the respondents; the PAM registered architects, with the view of securing data from the respondents on risks related to design, risk management and the PAM standard form of building contract and the general law on design risk management. The findings will be analyzed in contrast with the theoretical framework derived from the literature reviews on design related risks, risk management and the law. Based on the replies received, the respondents, irrespective of their years of experience and frequency in dealing with the PAM 1998 Form of Building Contract (PAM 1998) agreed that there are risks involved with design works. These risks must be properly addressed to ensure the success of the project. In addition to that, most of the respondents agreed that the risks originated from the same sources. The respondents also agreed on the scope of their duty to be fully scrutinized in order to avoid risks. However, while most agreed on the basic element of risk management, mix views were evidenced on risk response method. With reference to the legal framework, most respondent understand the laws regulating their duties and generally accept the law as an important risk management tools. Nevertheless, respondents misconception of the law as well as the insufficiency of the legal provisions itself pertaining to architects and design works may defeated the whole purpose of establishing a proper framework for risk management.


ABSTRACT One of the prominent features of Korean cuisine is its use of small side dishes (called banchan), which are offered free of charge, a feature that should appeal to price-conscious, variety-craving US consumers. As little is known about how these side dishes and their presentation style influence diners' perceptions of Korean cuisine, the goal of this study is to examine the joint effect of banchan presentation style and the number such dishes on consumer perceptions of Korean cuisine. An online survey was administered to 171 US participants and a total of 153 responses were valid. The data were analyzed using an ANCOVA and Hayes PROCESS Model 7. The study findings show that the relationship between the number of side dishes (three vs. six) and customers' willingness to try Korean cuisine is influenced by plate presentation (a single plate vs. multiple plates). With the multiple-plate presentation, customers show a greater willingness to try Korean cuisine with six (vs. three) side dishes. However, such a difference is attenuated with a single-plate presentation.


: Metal – organic frameworks (MOFs) have been reported to effectively detoxify chemical warfare agents (CWAs) and their simulants. Early studies of Zr-MOF-catalyzed hydrolytic degradation of an organophospho-ester type CWA, Sarin, and its simulant, dimethyl-4-nitrophenylphosphate (DMNP), suggested that the activity originates from Zr IV -OH-Zr IV moieties that resemble the structure of the active-site phosphotriesterase enzyme. Measurements of pK a values for hexa-zirconium-node-sited bridging hydroxo, terminal hydroxo, and aqua ligands reveal essentially complete conversion of mu-hydroxo ligands to substitution-inert mu-oxo ligands at alkaline pHs, ruling out a primary role for Zr IV -OH-Zr IV moieties, despite the re-semblance to the phosphotriesterase enzyme active-site. The measurements also rule out a secondary role as a hydrogen bond donor/stabilizer of bound DMNP. Additionally, the measurements show that reactant-displaceable node-aqua ligands become increasingly scarce in increasingly alkaline environments. Here, rates of catalyzed hydrolysis reaction were examined experimentally to ascertain reaction orders and, in turn, interrogate the mechanism. In striking contrast to the ubiquitous Zr-MOF, UiO-66, for which simulant displacement of water as a node ligand is rate-determining, and the rate of catalysis (in alkaline environments) increases with decreasing pH, catalysis by NU-1000 is rate-limited by solution hydroxide attack of the nitrophe-noxide-phosphorous bond of the MOF-activated simulant, with the overall hydrolysis rate being remarkably insensitive to pH (or pOH). Underlying the unusually weak sensitivity of rates of hydrolysis to pH is almost exact counter-balancing of the prevalence of catalyst active-sites (Zr-OH 2 sites) with activity of the reaction nucleophile, free hydroxide ion, as a function of pH. We as-cribe the residual pH dependence of the overall rate to a charge-based modulation of the equilibrium constant for simulant binding to the node. In contrast to overall hydrolysis rates, the catalyst turnover frequencies per Zr-OH 2 active-site are strongly pH dependent, exceeding 30,000 s -1 at pH 10.5.


The aim of this paper is to present a pilot study which applies the framework of Corpus Pattern Analysis (CPA, Hanks 2004) to analyse some Lithuanian verbs which form part of the basic vocabulary. CPA draws on the insights of the corpus-driven language analysis and contextual and functional theory of meaning: a meaning of a word is associated with a specific lexical and grammatical environment, e.g. corpus patterns which represent an interconnection of lexical and grammatical elements. The CPA procedure is one of the several corpus-driven methods differing from the pattern grammar (Hunston, Francis 2000) in the way that CPA not only uses typical grammatical categories (e.g. word classes) but also introduces semantic values (e.g. semantic types) to distinguish different senses of a word. Semantic types are often the main separator of meanings, especially when two verb senses are associated with the same grammatical pattern. Concerning learners' dictionaries, CPA could provide learners with more detailed usage data, and this could lead to a better understanding of meaning differences, important both for language reception and language production. After introducing the CPA methodology, we present the CPA analysis of two Lithuanian verbs, namely, the inductive procedure followed to observe and define meaning-related patterning. We also discuss the problematic issues related to the application of CPA as identified in this study and mentioned by other CPA practitioners. First, observing and defining corpus patterns is a challenging task for lexicographers, especially because of the pattern / meaning division and generalizations related to semantic types. The second problematic aspect is automatization in the process of pattern recognition. The third issue relates to foreign language learners as a target group: meaning-related patterning observed in the data has to be presented in a learner dictionary in a user-friendly way.


Advances in technology have transformed and expanded the ways in which sexual violence can be perpetrated. One new manifestation of such violence is the non-consensual creation and/or distribution of private sexual images: what we conceptualise as 'image-based sexual abuse'. This article delineates the scope of this new concept and identifies the individual and collective harms it engenders. We argue that the individual harms of physical and mental illness, together with the loss of dignity, privacy and sexual autonomy, combine to constitute a form of cultural harm, impacting directly on individuals, as well as on society as a whole. While recognizing the limits of law, we conclude by considering the options for redress and the role of law, seeking to justify the deployment of the expressive and coercive powers of the criminal and civil law as a means of encouraging cultural change.


In this paper we introduce the $hp$-version discontinuous Galerkin composite finite element method for the discretization of second-order elliptic partial differential equations. This class of methods allows for the approximation of problems posed on computational domains which may contain a huge number of local geometrical features, or microstructures. While standard numerical methods can be devised for such problems, the computational effort may be extremely high, as the minimal number of elements needed to represent the underlying domain can be very large. In contrast, the minimal dimension of the underlying composite finite element space is independent of the number of geometric features. The key idea in the construction of this latter class of methods is that the computational domain $\Omega$ is no longer resolved by the mesh; instead, the finite element basis (or shape) functions are adapted to the geometric details present in $\Omega$. In this paper, we extend these ideas to the discontinuous Galer...


From 1982 to 1988 a total of 29 patients with compartment syndrome of the foot were treated by fasciotomy. The most common causes were fracture dislocations of the Lisfranc (n = 14) and Chopart joints (n = 4). Since these injuries lead to a severe damage to soft tissue structures--joint capsules, ligaments, fasciae--the muscular compartments often communicate and decompression can be achieved by a longitudinal dorsal incision of the skin and fasciotomy of the fascia dorsalis pedis and the retinacula extensorum superior and inferior. Subsequent measurement of intracompartmental pressure dictates whether blunt dissection of the interosseous muscles and separate fasciotomy of the medial, lateral and plantar compartments have to be performed. Follow-up was possible in 18 patients: half had good results, while 9 patients had limited motion of their toes and/or paresthesia. It is impossible to know whether these negative findings are caused by the compartment syndrome itself or by the severe soft tissue damage resulting from the initial trauma.


Platinum-catalysed enantioselective hydroformylation of styrene was performed in γ-valerolactone (GVL) as a proposed environmentally benign reaction medium. Optically active bidentate ligands, possessing various types of chirality elements e.g. central (BDPP), axial (BINAP, SEGPHOS, DM-SEGPHOS, DTBM-SEGPHOS) and planar/central (JOSIPHOS) elements, were applied in in situ generated Pt-diphosphine-tin(II)chloride catalyst systems. In general, slightly higher activities and regioselectivities towards a branched aldehyde (2-phenylpropanal) were obtained in toluene as a reference conventional solvent. However, higher chemoselectivities towards aldehydes (up to 98%) in GVL were obtained at lower temperatures. The application of GVL proved to be also advantageous regarding enantioselectivity: although moderate enantioselectivities were obtained in both solvents, in most cases higher ee values were detected in GVL. From the mechanistic point of view, the formation of different catalytic intermediates and/or different kinetics can be envisaged from the different temperature dependences of ee in GVL and toluene. The 31P-NMR characterization of catalyst species in GVL was also provided.


A simple, sensitive method has been developed for separation and estimation of cis-isomers (Des Acetyl Diltiazem and Des Acetyl Diltiaze-5H) present in Diltiazem HCl as related compounds. The present work involves the separation of these isomers from Diltiazem HCl which are normally accompanied with the bulk during the synthesis. The composition of the solvent system and the flow rate are optimized using Hypersil-ODS, 5 micron reverse phase column to achieve conditions for better and effective separation. The method is found to be rapid and reliable for routine quality control analysis of bulk and dosage form preparation of diltiazem. The results of the recovery experiments are also incorporated as a part of process validation. When compared with the USP method, the proposed method is found to be more sensitive and provides a better peak shape for each component of the chromatogram.


PURPOSE
To construct a recombinant plasmid containing the upstream of fimC and downstream of fimE of Porphyromonas gingivalis, designated as pPHU281-C-Spec-E, which may be further used to knock out fimCDE gene to determine the role of FimCDE in the infection by P. gingivalis.

METHODS
DNA fragments were generated by PCR with the genomic DNA of P. gingivalis strain ATCC 33277 as the template. The upstream fragment of fimC (fragment C) and downstream fragment of fimE (fragment E) were cloned into the suicide plasmid pPHU281 to generate plasmid pPHU281-C-E. The spectinomycin resistance gene was inserted between fragment C and E to construct plasmid Pphu281-C-Spec-E. The recombinant plasmid was verified by restriction enzyme digestion and DNA sequencing.

RESULTS
The recombinant plasmid pPHU281-C-Spec-E was successfully constructed, which was ready for generation of FimCDE-knockout mutant of P. gingivalis.

CONCLUSIONS
The recombinant plasmid pPHU281-C-Spec-E is a tool for construction of FimCDE deficient mutant of P. gingivalis. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (81070839). Team Project of Medical Leaders in Talent and Innovation of Jiangsu Province (LJ201110), Science and Technology Development Plan of Nanjing City(YKK06115) and Medical Science and Technology Development Project of Nanjing City(ZKX1030).


Understanding the role of solvent in translating molecular anisotropy to supramolecular polymers is in the early stages. A solvent's influence on the strength of different noncovalent interactions can explain anisotropic growth in some cases, but its effect on cooperative processes, particularly in mixed solvents, remains obscure. We report the self-assembly of a series of chiral perylene bisimides in water-cosolvent mixtures, and the results highlight the fascinating influence of solvent-solute interactions on supramolecular anisotropy, both chiral and morphological. The initial assembly is agnostic to solvent composition, resulting in weakly chiral, spherical nanostructures. In an extremely narrow solvent composition range, the nanospheres transform into long, prominently chiral supramolecular polymers. Further, chirality can be fully reversed by changing the good (achiral) cosolvent. We elucidate how solvent modulates specific noncovalent interactions and governs the kinetics and thermodynamics of key processes, such as spontaneous phase segregation, secondary nucleation, and cooperative growth. In the context of supramolecular polymerization, our results encourage one to steer the focus away from the physical attributes of a solvent (polarity, phase diagram, etc.) and toward the complexities of solvent-solute interactions.


Abstract Tree- and linear-shaped cell differentiation trajectories have been widely observed in developmental biologies and can be also inferred through computational methods from single-cell RNA-sequencing datasets. However, trajectories with complicated topologies such as loops, disparate lineages and bifurcating hierarchy remain difficult to infer accurately. Here, we introduce a density-based trajectory inference method capable of constructing diverse shapes of topological patterns including the most intriguing bifurcations. The novelty of our method is a step to exploit overlapping probability distributions to identify transition states of cells for determining connectability between cell clusters, and another step to infer a stable trajectory through a base-topology guided iterative fitting. Our method precisely re-constructed various benchmark reference trajectories. As a case study to demonstrate practical usefulness, our method was tested on single-cell RNA sequencing profiles of blood cells of SARS-CoV-2-infected patients. We not only re-discovered the linear trajectory bridging the transition from IgM plasmablast cells to developing neutrophils, and also found a previously-undiscovered lineage which can be rigorously supported by differentially expressed gene analysis.


Colorization aims at recovering the original color of a monochrome image from only a few color pixels. A state-of-the-art approach is based on matrix completion, which assumes that the target color image is low-rank. However, this low-rank assumption is often invalid on natural images. In this paper, we propose a patch-based approach that divides the image into patches and then imposes a low-rank structure only on groups of similar patches. Each local matrix completion problem is solved by an accelerated version of alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM), and each AD-MM subproblem is solved efficiently by divide-and-conquer. Experiments on a number of benchmark images demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms existing approaches.


The European Broadcasting Union presented in 2014 a report on PSM values in order to establish a self-assessment framework of intangible indicators for Public Service Media. Value and impact indicators have become one of the present challenges for public services and organizations. The article presents a proposal based on the EBU tool, comparing and assessing accountability strategies of three Spanish regional broadcasters: EITB, CCMA, and CRTVG. All of them report on financial, management, and governance data via their corporate websites, while also increasing transparency measures for institutions and competitive markets. However, findings show a lack of accountability to their main stakeholder: society.


The tetrel bond (TB) recruits an element drawn from the C, Si, Ge, Sn, Pb family as electron acceptor in an interaction with a partner Lewis base. The underlying principles that explain this attractive interaction are described in terms of occupied and vacant orbitals, total electron density, and electrostatic potential. These principles facilitate a delineation of the factors that feed into a strong TB. The geometric deformation that occurs within the tetrel-bearing Lewis acid monomer is a particularly important issue, with both primary and secondary effects. As a first-row atom of low polarizability, C is a reluctant participant in TBs, but its preponderance in organic and biochemistry make it extremely important that its potential in this regard be thoroughly understood. The IR and NMR manifestations of tetrel bonding are explored as spectroscopy offers a bridge to experimental examination of this phenomenon. In addition to the most common σ-hole type TBs, discussion is provided of π-hole interactions which are a result of a common alternate covalent bonding pattern of tetrel atoms.


Dr Jeremias argues that the historical truth can be detected beneath the traditions preserved in the New Testament about the Last Supper. It was a climax of a series of Messianic meals, this time a passover meal. Jesus himself abstained, in anticipation of the new Exodus, to be initiated by the breaking of his body and the outpouring of his blood, but at it the disciples received a share in the atoning power of their Lord's sufferings.


British Medical Association, London: BMJ Books, 2002, £15.95, pp 192, paperback. ISBN 0727916068

The book was launched in association with an excellent one day conference held in London in 2002 and attended by the reviewer. It was researched and published before the publication of the IOC study detailing widespread problems with unlisted banned substances in supplements and undoubtedly the authors will mention this in any future edition. Not all the authors' names will be familiar to British sports physicians, and some reference to their …


G-Lattices (proposed by Armanfar and Gunpinar) are a group of novel periodic and strut-based lattice structures for additive manufacturing. It has been demonstrated that these structures have superior mechanical properties under compression compared to conventional lattice structures. This paper introduces an extension of G-Lattices (i.e., reinforced G-Lattices) that also have better mechanical performance under inclined (compression) loading conditions. For different inclined loads, separate reinforced G-Lattices are first optimized, and a G-Lattice library is formed. For a part under loading, displacement vectors in each unit cell (cubic domains within inner region of the part) are then extracted. Based on these vectors, (pre-optimized) reinforced G-Lattices are selected from the G-Lattice library and utilized (as infills) in the unit cells. This process is called G-Puzzling. As a proof of concept, parts under three different inclined loading conditions are infilled using reinforced G-Lattices and investigated based on stiffness-over-volume ratios. According to these experiments, the resulting parts, on average, exhibit more than %30 better mechanical performance compared to FBCCZ (a conventional lattice structure).


Abstracts: Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research 2008

A92

Background Increased reactive oxygen species may exhaust the antioxidant capability of human defense systems, leading to oxidative stress and cancer development. Urinary F2-isoprostanes, secondary end products of lipid peroxidation, are more accurate markers of oxidative stress than other available biomarkers. No prospective study has investigated whether levels of 15-F2t-Isop and its metabolite (15-F2t-IsopM) are related to breast cancer risk.

Methods We conducted a nested case-control study within the Shanghai Women's Health Study, a population-based cohort study of 74,942 Chinese women between 40 and 70 years of age. Prediagnostic urinary 15-F2t-Isop and 15-F2t-IsopM were measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for 436 breast cancer cases and 852 individually matched controls.

Results Urinary excretion of isoprostanes was not significantly different between cases and controls. However, among overweight women, levels of isoprostanes were positively associated with breast cancer risk, which became stronger with increasing BMI. Among women with a BMI≥29, the odds ratio (OR) increased to10.27 (2.41-43.80) for the highest compared to the lowest tertile of 15-F2t-IsopM (p for trend, 0.003; p for interaction, 0.0004). In contrast, 15-F2t-Isopand 15-F2t-IsopM were inversely associated with breast cancer risk among non-overweight women. Among women with a BMI≤23, breast cancer risk was reduced with increasing 15-F2t-Isop levels in a dose-response manner (p for trend, 0.006), with an OR of 0.46 (95%CI: 0.26-0.80) for the highest tertile versus the lowest (p for interaction, 0.006).

Conclusion Our results suggest that the role of oxidative stress in breast cancer development may depend on adiposity and menopausal status.

Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2008;1(7 Suppl):A92.


Plants release many secondary metabolites to the environment that can be harnessed for important uses. These secondary metabolites are known as allelochemicals. The current worldwide demand for cheaper, more environmentally-friendly weed management technologies have motivated a number of studies on the allelopathic interaction between crops and weeds. Niger plant has been observed to have allelopathic effects on certain weeds. In order to evaluate the influence of Niger plant on selected weeds, an experiment was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replicates. Three cultivars of beans (Rosecoco, Mwitemania and Mwezi Mbili) were used. Data collection included the total number of four prominent weeds over a span of four weeks. A 50 x 50 quadrat was laid on the same spot in all the treatments and the weeds enclosed within were counted separately. Data analysis was done by ANOVA in Genstat and results were presented using graphs. Results showed that Niger plant enhanced the bean growth and development, whereas it inhibited the germination and growth of some weeds i.e. field mustard, broom weed, double thorn and couch grass. It was concluded that Niger plant exhibited negative allelopathy on the weeds that were studied and positive allelopathy on all the bean cultivars. From the results, it is recommended that further research needs to be carried out on more crops and more weeds to have an in-depth understanding of this subject.


As the number of children orphaned by AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) has reached 17.3 million, most living in resource-poor settings, interest has grown in identifying and evaluating appropriate care arrangements for them. In this study, we describe the community-based family-style group homes ('group homes') in rural China. Guided by an ecological framework of children's wellbeing, we conducted a series of ethnographic observations, in-depth interviews and group discussions in the rural areas of Henan Province, which has been severely impacted by the AIDS endemic through commercial blood collection. Based on our observations and discussions, group homes appear to provide stable and safe living environments for children orphaned by AIDS. Adequate financial support from non-government organizations (NGOs) as well as the central and provincial governments has ensured a low child-caregiver ratio and attention to the basic needs of the children at group homes. The foster parents were selected from the local community and appear to have adequate qualifications and dedication. They receive a monthly stipend, periodical evaluation and parenting consultation from supporting NGOs. The foster parents and children in the group homes have formed strong bonds. Both children and foster parents reported positively on health and education. Characteristics of community-based group homes can be replicated in other care arrangements for AIDS orphans in resource-poor settings for the optimal health outcomes of those vulnerable children. We also call for capacity building for caregivers and communities to provide sustainable and supportive living environment for these children.


Most policymakers and academics predicted that the European monetary union would lead to economic and institutional modernizaon in its least productive members – Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. In fact, apart from Ireland, these countries became even more corrupt and their governments even less effective. This paper suggests an explanation that links the reluctance of peripheral countries to reform with the increase in their corruption levels. It also argues that their societies were stuck in a collective action problem: individuals have understood that corruption is antithetical to institutional quality and reform, but, as they cannot trust each other to refrain from corrupt practices, they stand to lose individually from not being corrupt themselves. Monetary union was seen as an external authority that would resolve this problem. Yet weak EU and eurozone monitoring and sanctioning discouraged the formation of social norms while making it attractive for formerly non-corrupt actors to engage in corruption, given the low risk of being caught. Survey evidence supports growth in perceptions of corruption and bribery, along with the weakening of social trust, trust in the police and in politicians across the periphery after the euro's introduction.


In wireless sensor networks (WSN), data fusion should be energy efficient. But, determining the optimal number of aggregators in an energy efficient manner is a challenging task. Moreover, the existing data fusion techniques mostly use the same path for transmitting aggregated data to the sink which reduces the nodes lifetime. In this paper, we propose a technique which combines energy efficiency and multiple path selection for data fusion in WSN. The network is partitioned into various clusters and the node with highest residual energy is selected as the cluster head. The sink computes multiple paths to each cluster head for data transmission. The distributed source coding and the lifting scheme wavelet transform are used for compressing the data at the CH. During each round of transmission, the path is changed in a round robin manner, to conserve the energy. This process is repeated for each cluster. From our simulation results we show that this data fusion technique has less energy consumption with increased packet delivery ratio, when compared with the existing schemes.


Multidrug-resistant cancer cells display elevated levels of glucosylceramide (Lavie, Y., Cao, H. T., Volner, A., Lucci, A., Han, T. Y., Geffen, V., Giuliano, A. E., and Cabot, M. C. (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272, 1682–1687). In this study, we have introduced glucosylceramide synthase (GCS) into wild type MCF-7 breast cancer cells using a retroviral tetracycline-on expression system, and we developed a cell line, MCF-7/GCS. MCF-7/GCS cells expressed an 11-fold higher level of GCS activity compared with the parental cell line. Interestingly, the transfected cells demonstrated strong resistance to adriamycin and to ceramide, whereas both agents were highly cytotoxic to MCF-7 cells. The EC50 values of adriamycin and ceramide were 11-fold (p < 0.0005) and 5-fold (p < 0.005) higher, respectively, in MCF-7/GCS cells compared with MCF-7 cells. Ceramide resistance displayed by MCF-7/GCS cells closely paralleled the activity of expressed GCS with a correlation coefficient of 0.99. In turn, cellular resistance and GCS activity were dependent upon the concentration of the expression mediator doxycycline. Adriamycin resistance in MCF-7/GCS cells was related to the hyperglycosylation of ceramide and was not related to shifts in the levels of either P-glycoprotein or Bcl-2. This work demonstrates that overexpression of GCS, which catalyzes ceramide glycosylation, induces resistance to adriamycin and ceramide in MCF-7 breast cancer cells.


This research aims to assess the influence of project based learning modelusings surrounding for student learning outcomes of physics and to describe the students activity who learned physics by using project based learning model use surrounding. This research is experimental reaserch using Post-Test Only Control design. The sampling using purposive sampling technique and the classes are chosen X-Tr class for experimental class and X-Mm class for control class. The independent variable in this research is project based learning model using surrounding and the dependent variable is student learning outcomes of phisycs and student learning activities. The results show that (1) project based learning model using surrounding give significant influence to student learning outcomes of physics, (2) student activities of phisycs learning by using project based learning model using surrounding were included in the category of very high.


Assessment and identification of children with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) is complex and involves multiple techniques, levels, and participants. While federal law sets the general parameters for identification in school settings, these criteria are vague and may lead to inconsistencies in selection and interpretation of assessment measures. Assessment practice across school settings is greatly influenced by clinical guidelines such as the DSM-IV, which more specifically defines emotional and behavioral disorders and highlights the issue of co-morbidity. Before a student is assessed for special education eligibility under the IDEIA category of emotional disturbance, screening techniques and pre-referral interventions are needed. Positive Behavioral Supports and Response to Intervention models provide empirically supported frameworks for establishing the need for formal psychological assessment. Collaboration among members of the multidisciplinary team, including parents, helps to ensure that identification and intervention efforts have ecological validity. Tests and techniques vary considerably, but developmental histories, interviews, observations across settings, and behavioral checklists and rating scales


Some important stages of plant development, such as dormancy release and beginning of ontogenetic development, cannot be easily observed so that semi-mechanistic phenological models of spring phases mostly does not accurately reflect the control of these physiological stages. For this reason, over 6 years we studied weekly changes of Fresh Weight (FW), Dry Weight (DW), Water (WC), Nitrogen (NC) and Carbon Content (CC) in sweet cherry buds (Prunus avium L., cultivar 'Summit'), from October to mid of April (stage 'open cluster', BBCH 56). Together with an experimental study to determine the date of endodormancy release, we were able to define the annual variability and average duration in the timing of para- endo-, and ecodormancy phase for sweet cherries, cultivar 'Summit'. The secession of growth in autumn starts when all leafs has fallen down (BBCH 97) and marks the transition from para-to endodormancy. During endodormancy all investigated parameters reached a constant level which also did not change during ecodormancy. Our results showed that ecodormancy can be a relatively long phase in temperate climates, which must be adequately handled in phenological models. Beginning of ontogenetic development was clearly related to steadily rising water contents in cherry buds, which stayed stable during endo- and ecodormancy. Thus, this study highlights the importance of bud's water content to define dormancy phases as well as beginning of ontogenetic development. The latter one was induced by continuously rising air temperatures above the freezing point. Physiologically, beginning of ontogenetic development is a flexible date which occurred on average 26 days before bud swelling was observed.


This thesis focuses on the impact of organizational factors on the adoption of social media in businesses. To investigate the potential relationship, the size of an organization represented by revenue and number of employees, its industry as well as its B2B/B2C focus were chosen as organizational factors. The presence of a social media profile, the frequency of updates and the presence or lack of a dialogic loop with customers on social media were used as indicators for the level of social media adoption. By analyzing the social media profiles of two hundred German companies and relating the results to the organizational factors mentioned above, an attempt at finding statistically significant relationships was made. The results of the analysis showed no statistically significant relationship between the size of a company and social media adoption. As for the influence of the company's industry, only partial hints at an influence could be found, so the overall hypothesis had to be rejected. Finally, a statistically significant relationship between the b2b / b2c focus of a company and social media adoption was found.
This study contributes to scientific research focused on social media to a degree that it builds up on previous research and represents an attempt at investigating influencing factors in a field that is a highly relevant trend these days that is so recent that is has not been the focus of extensive research. Opportunities for further research in this respect are presented in the discussion part of this thesis.


Abstract In this article I outline an ethnoarchaeology of human engagement across indigenous homelands in northern Australia. An ethnoarchaeology of engagement is concerned with the intangible cultural imprints of past human groups across landscapes that are memorialised by their descendants today. I argue that ethnoarchaeology carried out across indigenous homelands and alongside the descendants of past landscape occupants prompts rethinking of the primacy granted to tangible cultural imprints. It highlights the value of taking into account culturally prescribed codes of human engagement, as well as the long and short term processes of change that at once influence human action and the creation of a tangible record of such action. This is a particularly valuable approach when there exists a discrepancy between the archaeological landscape and the ethnographic and oral testimonies that vividly document people's occupation of culturally powerful places. In this study, I identify two key elements that impact heavily upon the tangible expression of past human engagements with place, namely, culturally prescribed rules of human behaviour and colonial acts of landscape de-signification. Using an ethnoarchaeological method, I consider the impact of these elements on the formation and preservation of an archaeological record at places of ongoing human occupation.


This study aimed to explore the influence of pyrazinamide (PZA) monoresistance on the treatment outcome of otherwise drug susceptible tuberculosis (TB). A cohort of 194 TB patients that were infected with strains susceptible to isoniazid (INH), rifampin (RIF) and ethambutol (EMB) were included in a retrospective study at the Guangzhou Chest Hospital. We reported 148 (76.3%) PZA- susceptible TB cases and 46 (23.7%) PZA-monoresistance TB cases identified by the BACTEC MGIT 960 system. All patients were treated with the standard 6 months WHO recommended regimen, which included 2 months of INH + RIF + EMB + PZA in the intensive-phase, and the subsequent 4 months of INH + RIF during continuation-phase. Bacterial burden in the lungs was estimated using sputum smear acid-fast bacillary count while the lung lesions and cavitations were examined by X-ray at the end of first 2 months of chemotherapy. After intensive-phase treatment, there were 164 (84.5%) cases of smear-negative conversion and 151 (77.9%) cases of total or partial lesion elimination. The rates of smear-negative conversion (78.3%) and lesion elimination (39.1%) of the PZA-monoresistant patients were similar with the PZA-sensitive group (P > 0.05). However, lung cavitation was more likely to be resolved in PZA-sensitive patients than in the PZA-patients (X2 = 9.623, P = 0.002). The smear-negative conversion rates were 95.9% for the PZA-sensitive patients and 87.0% for the PZA-monoresistant patients after 6 months of treatment (X2 = 3.461, P = 0.063). Together, our data suggest that PZA-monoresistance contributes to the delay of resolution of the lung cavitations in the Southern China population without affecting the sputum conversion and lesion elimination rates.


[Davy et al., 2010a] reported on pockmark observations along the Chatham Rise, offshore New Zealand's South Island. The observed structures fall into three categories: features of approx. 150 m diameter are found in water depths of 500 m – 700 m, depressions with diameters of up to 5 km and the largest structures with diameters of up to 11 km were observed in water depth of 800 - 1100 m. Seismic sections across the pockmarks were available at only a few locations and mainly consisted of Parasound data. Multiple layers of small pockmarks could be correlated with sediment interfaces of increased amplitudes that correspond to the transitions between glacial maxima and minima. Consequently [Davy et al., 2010a] assumed that sealevel lowstands during glacial maxima caused the dissolution of gas hydrates and hence triggered the formation of pockmarks. Project SO226 CHRIMP aimed to test this hypothesis with an extended data base. Additional bathymetric coverage revealed multiple occurrences of large and medium size structures. Three working areas were selected along the Chatham Rise each representing one of the three types / sizes of seafloor depression.
Area one was chosen to be centred around 178°40'E with the largest pockmark structure of up to 15 km diameter. From the extended bathymetric coverage a south-west to north-east oriented alignment of three similar structures was observed. Seismic sections show a highly variable sedimentation. Inside the structures all sediments had been fully eroded to a surface that can be mapped throughout the entire region. All observed pockmarks show a radial eroded rim to the South-West with a base that corresponds to the above mentioned erosional surface. Near vertical faults and
blanking patterns are found underneath the eroded rim of the structures. Shallow bright spots with negative polarity are interpreted as indicators for free gas. Nevertheless no signs were found for active fluid venting above the structure or in the surrounding.
The second area centred around 177°05'E hosts medium-size pockmarks. Five depressions were
mapped, but some of them might be formed by overlapping pockmarks. Partly resedimented the
structures show an eroded southern part with a sharp radial rim. Indifferent from area one a roughly 250 m wide blanking zone was found underneath one of the pockmarks. The area is imaged right above a conical shaped upward extension of a deeper sediment interface. From the 3D data the interface shows a rough topography. The conical structure and the blanking area are interpreted as an ancient feeder channel. This chimney terminates at an erosional interface, which forms the base of the seafloor depression. Multiple events of erosion, sedimentation and slumping have been identified above the erosional surface. Again water column imaging and geochemical analyses do not show indications for active methane venting within this area.
The third working area was chosen to be centred 174°35'E where a large zone of small pockmarks
was known from earlier mapping. A 2D seismic profile confirms the existence of stacked pockmark layers. The wide funnel shaped opening of the buried pockmarks terminates at distinguished sediment interfaces that show an increased reflection amplitude. This corresponds to the interpretation of [Davy et al., 2010a]. At greater depth the horizontal layering of the sediments is not interrupted.
As with the previous two working areas there is no sign of a BSR and active methane venting could not be confirmed by water column imaging or geochemical analyses.
In summary all three areas do show images of gas migration pathways of various sizes within the deeper sediments. Nevertheless active venting of fluids could not be confirmed. Therefore other models need to be developed to explain todays still sharp defined rims of the pockmark-like seafloor depressions.


An advanced CMOS process has been proposed which include key features: 75 nm gate length damascene metal gate, high-k dielectrics with 1.35 nm EOT. Detailed characterisation (TEM, C-V, split C-V, charge pumping, LF noise, low and high temperature transport) demonstrate the high quality of the dielectric and interface. Low Ioff and low gate current make the technology attractive for low standby power applications.


This article is an account of the pottery found at the Studland Bay wreck, Poole. The assemblage includes an important group of Spanish pottery made at Seville at the beginning of the 16th century, including the largest group of lustreware and blue‐and‐purple wares ever found in an archaeological context. These wares were probably carried as cargo and collected at a stopping‐off point along the itinerary of the ship, probably to be sold in northern Europe.


Data standardiztion an important aspect to ensure data quality for utilizing large-scale, medical information databases such as the Medical Information Database Network (MID-NET) Project in Japan. We established a governance center to assess the consistency of standard codes across MID-NET-cooperating medical institutions. Moreover, we developed a real-time validation tool and determined its effect in improving data quality in medical institutions by providing a central feedback on the detected differences in standard disease-name codes.


Background/Objective: Transmembrane serine protease 3 (TMPRSS3) is the most common causative hearing loss gene in adults undergoing cochlear implantation and a significant cause of non-syndromic hearing loss. However, the function of TMPRSS3 within the inner ear is unknown. In murine models, Tmprss3Y260X/Y260X mutants (Tmprss3-/-) have normal hair cell development followed by rapid hair cell degeneration from postnatal day 12 (P12) to P14. The endocochlear potential in vivo rises from P7 to a peak at P12, when mice begin to hear, which temporally corresponds to the HC degeneration in Tmprss3-/- mice. We tested if hair cell death occurs after removal of the endocochlear potential through cochlear explantation.Methods: P7 organ of Corti explants from control (Tmprss3+/-) and Tmprss3-/- mice were cultured in 5 mM potassium solution for 7 days in vitro (equivalent to P14). Whole mounts of cultured (P7+7DIV) and in vivo P14 cochlea were immunostained for MYO7A (hair cell marker) and DAPI followed by quantification of inner and outer hair cell (IHC/OHC) counts per 20 μm. Statistical analysis included two tailed t-test with p-value of (<0.01, n=6).Results: As expected, there is complete loss of hair cells at P14 in vivo in Tmprss3-/- mice. Compared to P14 in vivo, Tmprss3-/- OC explants displayed significantly improved IHC and OHC survival (P<0.001). IHC and OCH survival was similar between control and Tmprss3-/- OHC explants in vitro (P=0.99, n=6)Conclusion: These results suggest that degeneration of Tmprss3-/- hair cells is due to factors related to the endocochlear potential and implicate TMPRSS3 function in regulation of epithelial tight junctions. Future directions include confirming that hair cell death is potassium-mediated by crossing Tmprss3-/- mice with Pou3f4del-J mice, which have a decreased endocochlear potential without hair cell degeneration.


The time-resolved flow field of a spatially oscillating jet emitted by a sweeping jet (SWJ) actuator is investigated numerically using three-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (3D-URANS) equations. Numerical simulations are performed for a range of mass flow rates providing flow conditions varying from incompressible to subsonic compressible flows. After a detailed mesh study, the computational domain is represented using two million hexagonal control volumes. The jet oscillation frequency is predicted by analyzing velocity time histories at the actuator exit, and a linear relationship between the jet oscillation frequency and time-averaged exit nozzle Mach number is found ( f = 511.22   M + 46.618 , R² = 0.97). The results of our numerical model are compared with data from the literature, and a good agreement is found. In addition, we confirmed that the Strouhal number is almost constant with the Mach number for the subsonic oscillating jet and has an average value of St = 0.0131. The 3D-URANS model that we presented here provides a computationally inexpensive yet accurate alternative to the researchers to investigate jet oscillation characteristics.


We propose an improved opposition-based self-adaptive differential evolution (IOSaDE) algorithm for multi-parameter optimization in vibrational hybrid femtosecond/picosecond coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) thermometry. This new algorithm self-adaptively combines the advantages of three mutation schemes and introduces two opposite population stages to avoid premature convergence. The probability of choosing each mutation scheme will be updated based on its previous performance after the first learning period. The IOSaDE method is compared with nine other traditional differential evolution (DE) methods in simulated spectra with different simulation parameters and experimental spectra at different probe time delays. In simulated spectra, both the average and standard deviation values of the final residuals from 20 consecutive trials using IOSaDE are more than two orders of magnitude smaller than those using other methods. Meanwhile, the fitting temperatures in simulated spectra using IOSaDE are all consistent with the target temperatures. In experimental spectra, the standard deviations of the fitting temperatures from 20 consecutive trials decrease more than four times by using IOSaDE, and the errors of the fitting temperatures also decrease more than 18%. The performance of the IOSaDE algorithm shows the ability to achieve accurate and stable temperature measurement in CARS thermometry and indicates the potential in applications where multiple parameters need to be considered.


Human-computer systems that treat context simply as enumerated facts, rules, or axioms about the surrounding physical and social environment will always have trouble handling information requiring human pragmatic interpretation. One way to overcome such limitations is to draw upon human pragmatic awareness to create hybrid systems capable of both extracting large quantities of data and processing that data in a way that is meaningful to users. The Web extra at http://youtu.be/pqI2qcigiCw is a video demonstrating Artificial Intelligence for Disaster Response (AIDR), a free, open source, and easy-to-use platform to filter and classify relevant microblog messages during humanitarian crises.


Purpose
This viewpoint paper focuses on the important role played by hospices in the UK in providing specialised end-of-life care for older people with complex needs – particularly for the growing number who choose to die at home. With demand for such care growing, the paper highlights the funding issues facing the independent hospice sector and the implications for hospices of receiving more state funding. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the challenges that hospices in the UK face in providing home-based palliative and end of life care for older people.

Design/methodology/approach
This a viewpoint paper informed by recent reports and research findings, as well as the author's own work within the hospice sector.

Findings
The demand for specialised community-based and home-based palliative and end-of-life care is growing. The Covid-19 pandemic prompted wider discussion about what constitutes both "a good death" and good end-of-life care. This confirmed that most older people would prefer to end their lives free from pain, in familiar surroundings and not in hospital.

Practical implications
The specialised end-of-life care provided by hospices is rated highly by the regulator and the communities which they serve. In recent years, more attention has been given to providing "hospice at home" services, but coverage is limited largely due to lack of funding, the bulk of which comes from charitable fundraising. To provide a more equitable service, the fragility of the hospice funding model needs to be addressed.

Social implications
If the state expands its funding of hospice care, it is important that charitable fundraising also continues to take place and is encouraged. This will help ensure that the good links between hospices and local stakeholders are maintained.

Originality/value
The funding of the hospice sector in the UK has been the subject of several reports both by governmental and non-governmental bodies, several in the last year. However, it is an issue of growing importance and the whole subject needs a fuller airing in academic circles.


Recently, the analysis of quasi-Monte Carlo (QMC) sampling of integrands with singularities has gained considerable interest. In this setting error bounds for QMC integration, in addition to discrepancy, include a measure of how well the singularities are avoided by the utilized sequences. The article aims to generalize results for the corner avoidance of the classical Halton sequence to Halton sequences that start in an arbitrary point of the unit cube. In particular, it is shown that almost all (in Lebesgue sense) random-start Halton sequences exhibit the same corner avoidance property as the original Halton sequence.


Hundreds of processor cores or modules are integrated into a single chip. The traditional bus or crossbar is challenged by bandwidth, scalability, and silicon area, and cannot meet the requirements of high end applications. Network-on-chip (NoC) has become a very promising interconnection structure because of its good scalability, predictable interconnect length and delay, high bandwidth, and reusability. However, the most available packet routing NoC may not be the perfect solution for high-end heterogeneous multi-core real-time systems-on-chip (SoC) because of the excessive latency and cache cost overhead. Moreover, circuit switching is limited by the scale, connectivity flexibility, and excessive overhead of fully connected systems. To solve the above problems and to meet the need for low latency, high throughput, and flexibility, this paper proposes PCCNoC (Packet Connected Circuit NoC), a low-latency and low-overhead NoC based on both packet switching (setting-up circuit) and circuit switching (data transmission on circuit), which offers flexible routing and zero overhead of data transmission latency, making it suitable for high-end heterogeneous multi-core real-time SoC at various system scales. Compared with typically available packet switched NoC, our PCCoC sees 242% improved performance and 97% latency reduction while keeping the silicon cost relatively low.


This thesis offers a new justification and interpretation of "pluralism in economics"
and discusses how it can be implemented. Calls for pluralism reflect discontent with
the exclusive dominance of one approach in economics. This perceived monism
entails twofold oppression of contesting theories with a legitimate claim to truth and
of the academics that promote them. A doctrine of pluralism thus has to satisfy both
an epistemological and a moral condition. However, the literature on pluralism in
economics either overly associates pluralism with heterodox economics or fails to
provide sufficient epistemological and institutional recommendations. The thesis
seeks to abstract from the content of current orthodox and heterodox theory in order
to give a consistent interpretation of pluralism as a stable and lasting doctrine. Firstly,
given epistemic uncertainty, pluralism is required for the advancement of knowledge,
the consequences of which are drawn by application of Mill's arguments for the
liberty of thought and discussion and their further development in Feyerabend's
methodological pluralism. Secondly, the doctrine must secure the right of all
academics to pursue truth in the ways they deem fit. Drawing on Habermas' theory of
communicative rationality and Longino's norms for scientific discourse, ideal
conditions for pluralist scientific exchange are delineated. Reviewing sociological
evidence, it is shown that there is a well-organized hierarchical system in the
discipline that reinforces monism through education, journals, hiring/promotion and
research funding. Given these constraints, the calls for pluralism amount to a call for
liberal education reform in economics, in which the aim is to foster the intellectual
development of students. Pluralism is not about accommodating a range of
approaches; pluralism ensures an environment that yields academics capable of truth pursuit
in a world of uncertain knowledge. However, intricate links between
economics and power relations in society may inhibit its feasibility.


This study intends to measure Productivity change of Tanzanian commercial banks for the period of seven years. In this study the nature of efficiency and productivity change is investigated through the Malmquist Productivity Index (MPI).The Malmquist productivity index has the components which are used in performance measurement; such as changes in technical efficiency, change in technological change, change in pure technical efficiency, change in scale efficiency as well as change in Total factor productivity. Most commercial banks recorded improvement in efficiency change by 67 percent, a technical change improvement by 83 percent, pure technical change improvement by 67 and scale efficiency change by 50 percent. Generally  the mean efficiency change of LDB is higher compared to the rest of the groups; hence manage to push the frontier of possibility outwards with respect to other groups, followed by small banks with mean efficiency change of 10.3 percent while the LFB recorded efficiency change of 1.8 percent, similarly the mean total factor of productivity of small banks were higher compared with the rest of the groups, by recording productivity improvement of 57.9 percent exceeding LDB  and LFB with 51.4 percent and 54 percent respectively. Generally both groups of commercial banks experienced, technological progress, however the efficiency gains during the period of the study was due to improvement in Technical efficiency rather than scale efficiency. With reference to bank groups, the result implies that small banks have invested in Technological innovation, so as to reduce related costs of production. Key words : Malmquist productivity index; Technical efficiency; Scale efficiency,


Laser interactions with spray targets (clouds of submicron droplets) are studied here via numerical simulations using twodimensional particle-in-cell codes. Our simulations demonstrate an efficient absorption of laser pulse energy inside the spray. The energy absorption efficiency depends on the inter-droplet distance, size of the cloud of droplets, and laser pulse intensity, as well as on the pre-evaporation of droplets due to laser pulse pedestal. We investigate in detail proton acceleration from the spray. Energy spectra of protons in various acceleration directions vary significantly depending on the density profile of the plasma created from the droplets and on laser intensity. The spray target can be alternative of foil targets for high intensity high repetition ultrahigh contrast femtosecond lasers. However, at intensities>10 W/cm, the efficiency of laser absorption and ion acceleration from the droplets drops significantly in contrast to foils.


Ever since the pioneering works of John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth, attachment theory has been the subject of much interest among psychologists. Over the past three decades, researchers have explored and established several relationships between individuals' attachment representations and various aspects of psychosocial and cognitive functioning. Attachment theories and psychoanalytic object relations can provide insight into the processes through which attachment transactions are transformed into mental representations. The goal of this paper is to examine the similarities and differences between Fonagy's models of transgenerational consistencies of attachment and object relations theory, and discuss the influence of attachment patterns on students' academic achievement.


Regenerative medicine aims to translate the regeneration of tissues and organs into clinical application. Numerous studies have reported beneficial effects of Adult stem cells therapy in the treatment of disease and disabilities. New sources of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are emerging in adult organisms, and dental tissues, that are easily accessible, have been identified as a source of postnatal MSCs capable of self-renewal and multipotency. Dental Follicle Stem Cells (DFSCs) isolated from tooth buds of healthy paediatric patients showed ≥95% expression of stemness makers (CD73, CD90, CD146, CD44, CD105, and HLA-I) [1]. Moreover DFSCs differentiated into osteoblastlike cells, produced mineralized matrix nodules and expressed typical osteoblastic markers. Cell interactions with extracellular matrix (ECM) and neighbor cells are critical for tissue morphogenesis and architecture, and are mediated by two classes of adhesion molecules, respectively Integrins and Cadherins, which also act intracellularly by modulating crucial pathways of proliferation and differentiation. Thus, in this study, DFSCs were characterized for the expression of adhesion molecules Cadherins and Integrins. In basal conditions DFSCs expressed higher levels of N-Cadherin and Cadherin-11 in comparison to E-Cadherin and P-Cadherin, which were low expressed. The examined Cadherins showed different behaviours during DFSCs osteogenic differentiation: N-cadherin expression was high during the first steps, while decreased at the later times; Cadherin-11 progressively increased; E-Cadherin and P-Cadherin did not change a Cadherin profile reflecting the osteoblastic commitment of the cells. DFSCs expressed the Integrin subunits alpha V, beta 3, alpha 5, and beta 1 in basal undifferentiated conditions but their expression increased time-dependently under osteogenic treatment. In addition we found that the subunits alpha V and beta 3 associated and formed the functional integrin, which localized at the focal adhesion in response to osteogenic trigger; similarly, alpha 5 and beta 1 subunits were found to associate and localize at the cell borders mostly in differentiated cells. Finally we found that osteogenic differentiation of DFSCs was prompted out by seeding the cells on ECM protein coated surfaces. Functional tissue engineering for bone regeneration requires the appropriate combination of MSCs with biocompatible scaffolds, thus acting on cell surface and ECM molecules could optimize osteogenic differentiation of MSCs and contribute to the successful regeneration of damaged bone tissue.


Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been recognized as an increasingly serious threat to the effective prevention and treatment of a wide range of infections caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi. Biofilms are of particular interest because up to 65% of microbial infections are associated with such microorganism growth. Unfortunately, biofilms are considered to be far more resistant to antimicrobial agents than planktonic cells due to the nature of a biofilm, which consists of a structured colony of bacteria embedded in a self-produced polymer matrix. However, the mechanisms of biofilm antibiotic resistance are not fully understood due to the complexity observed within a biofilm community and the lack of non-invasive biofilm examination techniques.

Here, we present a novel approach, which will not only monitor the early stage of bacterial biofilm formation in real time in order to provide early warning against biofilm formation, but also provide a research and clinical toolbox for investigating biofilm antibiotic resistance. Our system employs guided mode resonance (GMR) imaging to monitor the earliest stage of biofilm formation on a silicon nitride substrate. GMR imaging works by tracking the resonant wavelength of a nano-structured substrate, which is extremely sensitive to local refractive index changes at the sensor surface to the extent that we can see the initial attachment of bacterial cells and formation of micro-colonies. We have also observed the formation of E. coli biofilms in clinically relevant concentrations as they occur, i.e. on a timescale of a few hours [1].

[1] Optica 4,2 229-234 (2017)


A simple reproducible and environmentally friendly PANI/Zn, FeIII and Nylon 6,6/MWCNT/Zn, FeIII oxides nanofibers modified glassy carbon electrode was prepared and used for the electrochemical reduction of lindane. The modified electrodes offer a high sensing current for lindane. The modified electrodes were highly stable with respect to time, so that the single electrode can be used for the multiple analysis of the lindane sample. Cyclic voltammetry and square wave voltammetry were used as the sensing techniques. The dynamic range for the lindane determination was between 9.9 × 10−12 mol/L and 5 × 10−6 mol/L with detection limits of 51 and 32 nM for Nylon 6,6/MWCNT/ZnO and Nylon 6,6/MWCNT/Fe3O4 sensors, respectively. The LoD value reveals that the best electrode is Nylon 6,6/MWCNT/Fe3O4. The analytical utility of the proposed method was checked with drinking water samples.


Objective: Digital storytelling and other methods of self-expression and autobiography have become an increasingly important tool for those working with young people, including those from migrant, refugee or other 'culturally diverse' backgrounds. A structured scoping review was undertaken to better understand the potential value and challenges of using digital stories to promote the health and well-being of these diverse groups of young people and to identify key knowledge gaps. Design: The review process comprised a systematic search of the literature and strategic consultations with professionals working with young people in the area of sexual and reproductive health promotion and care. A descriptive-analytic method was used to collate and synthesise the literature and apply narrative and thematic analyses. Results: In total, 28 papers were deemed eligible for inclusion. Findings are presented as two analyses: what is known from the literature and key knowledge gaps. Identified themes included the use of digital stories as social activism and as research intervention, recognition of digital stories as complex terrain and recommendations for good practice. Three key gaps of particular relevance to our research aims were identified. These were (1) the lack of digital stories on sexual health and relationships by 'culturally diverse' young people in Australia, (2) the need for discussion of the ethical considerations of using digital storytelling and related methods in sexual health fields and (3) the value of exploring opportunities to employ digital methods as self-representation and autobiography to generate new knowledge and build organisational capacity. Conclusion: As confirmed in discussions with professionals working in the youth, migrant and sexual health sectors, the literature highlighted the many potential applications of digital storytelling to promoting the sexual health and well-being of young people from diverse backgrounds. Additional research is required to understand the particular ethical and contextual issues shaping, and at times constraining, this engagement in specific cultural contexts.


The more than twenty online studies were reviewed to identify the relationship between study habits and academic achievement of school going children. It was found that for the last few years, that there is a significant positive relation between study habits and academic achievement of schoolers. The review of various studies revealed that the academic achievement of boys is significantly higher than the girls. The study also concluded that there is a positive correlation between various factors (such as home environment, selfesteem, socio-economic status, parents educational level, parental involvement, school environment, peer influence, academic motivation, study facility, emotional intelligence) and academic achievement.


Current ocean color sensors, for example SeaWiFS and MODIS, are well suited for sampling the open ocean. However, coastal environments are spatially and optically more complex and require more frequent sampling and higher spatial resolution sensors with additional spectral channels. We have conducted experiments with data from Hyperion and airborne hyperspectral imagers to evaluate these needs for a variety of coastal environments. Here we present results from an analysis of airborne hyperspectral data for a Harmful Algal Bloom in Monterey Bay. Based on these results and earlier studies we recommend increased frequency of sampling, increased spatial sampling and additional spectral channels for ocean color sensors for coastal environments.


Based on the ZigBee wireless transmission network and sensor technology, the article designed a monitoring framework system to monitor temperature and humidity of farmland soil. The system can realize the remote acquisition of soil temperature and humidity information, real-time monitoring and threshold alarm. Based on TI protocol, this system forms a self-organizing network through coordinator node, router nodes and end devices, which transmit soil temperature and humidity information. Finally, the LCD screen of the coordinator displays the feedback information. Meanwhile, the coordinator analyzes the obtained data and controls the work of the buzzer and indicator light, so as to realize the farmland soil temperature humidity environment data remote transmission and real-time monitoring. The system can monitor soil temperature and humidity data accurately at a very low cost and has a broad application prospect among individual farmers.


5-Fluorouracil (I) reversibly adds bisulfite ion across its greater than C5 equals C6 smaller than bond to form 5-fluoro-5,6-dihydrouracil-6-sulfonate (II). The pH-independent equilibrium constant for this reaction was calculated to be 560 M-1 at ionic strength 1.00 M at 25 degrees. Compound II was observed to be unstable in alkaline solution and reacted to yield uracil-6-sulfonic acid, fluoride ion, and alpha-fluoro-beta-ureidopropionic acid-beta-sulfonate (III), along with I (via a loss of HSO3 minus). In strongly alkaline conditions, i.e., 1 M NaOH, III was observed to undergo a subsequent reaction to produce a compound believed to be alpha-fluoro-beta-ureidoacrylic acid (V) or fluoromalonaldehydic acid (VII). These irreversible degradation reactions of II lead to a complete degradation of I in sodium bisulfite solutions. The similarity of this bisulfite-ion-catalyzed degradation of I to its hydrolytic degradation is discussed.


Ubiquitous technology is currently being introduced to libraries at the fastest speed as compared to other spaces. However, the introduction of ubiquitous technology to the existing analog space is causing problems despite such intelligence of libraries as the design standards for ubiquitous spaces have not been arranged yet. This researcher analyzed and evaluated the characteristics of design from the ubiquitous aspect of the ubiquitous environment-oriented libraries that are still at their initial stage. The subjects for this study were the National Library of Korea, Myongji University Bangmok Library, and Yonsei University Library. The definition and characteristics of the ubiquitous environment libraries were examined through literature review and the standards for design analysis were derived by analyzing previous studies. Case analyses were conducted to evaluate the design elements in the ubiquitous environment libraries based on the field observation, photographing, and interviews with managers. As a result, functionality, safety, cognition and convenience were derived based on the investigation and analysis of previous studies; informativeness, playfulness, security, and simplicity which are the design characteristics were found. As a result of the case studies, while functionality and safety are met in most of the standards for design analysis, universality was very low. Care for minorities is need in a library as it is a space used by many unspecified individuals.


Channel charting (CC) is an emerging machine learning framework that aims at learning lower-dimensional representations of the radio geometry from collected channel state information (CSI) in an area of interest, such that spatial relations of the representations in the different domains are preserved. Extracting features capable of correctly representing spatial properties between positions is crucial for learning reliable channel charts. Most approaches to CC in the literature rely on range distance estimates, which have the drawback that they only provide accurate distance information for colinear positions. Distances between positions with large azimuth separation are constantly underestimated using these approaches, and thus incorrectly mapped to close neighborhoods. In this paper, we introduce a correlation matrix distance (CMD) based dissimilarity measure for CC that allows us to group CSI measurements according to their co-linearity. This provides us with the capability to discard points for which large distance errors are made, and to build a neighborhood graph between approximately collinear positions. The neighborhood graph allows us to state the problem of CC as an instance of an Euclidean distance matrix completion (EDMC) problem where side-information can be naturally introduced via convex box-constraints.


Capillary blood sampling is an essential method of blood collection performed by nurses of all skill levels to obtain samples for routine laboratory tests in neonates. Newborn screening tests require small, but adequate amounts of blood. Accuracy of their results depends, however, on proper sample collection technique. Heel sticks are the most commonly performed invasive procedures in neonatal intensive care units. Clinical guidelines recommend drawing blood from an infant's heel from a very precise site to avoid trauma, pain and tissue damage in infants.


Abstract The Kamieniec Metamorphic Belt (KMB) and the Doboszowice Metamorphic Complex (DMC) expose a fragment of the pre-Variscan volcano-sedimentary cover preserved in the Fore-Sudetic Block in the NE part of the Bohemian Massif. We present the age of detrital and magmatic zircon grains and the bulk rock chemical composition of rock samples from the KMB and the DMC to better understand the evolution of the early Palaeozoic Gondwana margin. The zircon age spectra were acquired by U–Pb LA–ICP–MS dating and represent two groups that differ by maximum depositional age (MDA). The paragneiss from the DMC displays the MDA at 456 Ma, whereas the mica shist from the KMB displays the MDA at 529 Ma. Older age peaks in both groups of samples are represented by the Neoproterozoic and less frequent the Paleoproterozoic and Archean. The data presented indicate that the rock successions were sourced from the Cadomian orogen and deposited in the basins that developed on the Gondwana margin. Our results support the suggestion that the crystalline basement in the eastern part of the Fore-Sudetic Block has an affinity to the Trans-Saharan Belt or West African Craton and was part of a Gondwana shelf. The final stage of evolution of the studied successions was related to the Variscan thermal overprint. Based on presented data, we support the idea that the suture separating the Brunovistulian domain from the rest of the Gondwana-derived terranes is not related to the closure of the Rheic Ocean and represents a local feature.


We report a 46-year-old male patient with retinocytoma who presented at the age of 31 asymptomatically. An intraocular retinal mass was incidentally found in his right eye, when he underwent ophthalmological assessment for refractive surgery. This tumor consisted of a calcified sessile basis partially covered by a pedunculated salmon-pink growth. Initially, the tumor was diagnosed as a retinocytoma with clinical suspicion of malignant transformation into retinoblastoma and treated by four sessions of laser photocoagulation. Six and a half years later, the tumor relapsed, and he was treated with a Ruthenium plaque. Following brachytherapy, he had two episodes of right-sided vitreous hemorrhage that spontaneously cleared up, and the remaining finding in the vitreous cavity was interpreted as asteroid hyalosis. He underwent vitrectomy about five years following brachytherapy. The analysis of the vitreous material revealed the presence of inactive vitreous seeds composed of small round blue cells, compatible with a type 2 regression.


This letter introduces a simple yet efficient rate control method, which is designed for lossless mode of JPEG2000. This method uses a fractional upward shift of bitplane to simulate more precise subband weighting. Compared to the previous integer upward shift of the bitplane, it achieves superior performance at most bit-rates without the cost of increased computational complexity.


The pallet loading problem(PLP) requires the best orthogonal layout that loads the maximum number of identical boxes(small rectangle) onto a pallet(large rectangle). Since the high pallet utilization saves the distribution and storage costs, many heuristic and exact algorithms have been developed so far. Martins and Dell have found the optimal layouts for the all PLPs less than or equal to 100 boxes except for only 5 problems in their recent research. This paper defines the 'stair structure' and proposes a new exact algorithm applying it. In order to show the priority of the proposed algorithm, computational results are compared to previous algorithms and the optimal layouts for the 5 unsolved problems are given.


Evaluation of genetic diversity and genetic structure in crops has important implications for plant breeding programs and the conservation of genetic resources. Newly developed single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers are effective in detecting genetic diversity. In the present study, a worldwide durum wheat collection consisting of 150 accessions was used. Genetic diversity and genetic structure were investigated using 946 polymorphic SNP markers covering the whole genome of tetraploid wheat. Genetic structure was greatly impacted by multiple factors, such as environmental conditions, breeding methods reflected by release periods of varieties, and gene flows via human activities. A loss of genetic diversity was observed from landraces and old cultivars to the modern cultivars released during periods of the Early Green Revolution, but an increase in cultivars released during the Post Green Revolution. Furthermore, a comparative analysis of genetic diversity among the 10 mega ecogeographical regions indicated that South America, North America, and Europe possessed the richest genetic variability, while the Middle East showed moderate levels of genetic diversity.


Open hepatectomy is associated with significant post-operative morbidity and mortality profile. The use of minimally invasive approach for hepatectomy can reduce the post-operative complication profile and total length of hospital stay. Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) programs involve evidence-based multimodal care pathways designed to achieve early recovery for patients undergoing major surgery. This review will discuss the published evidence, challenges and future directions for ERAS in minimally invasive hepatectomy.


In the trust management scheme of the distributed cognitive radio networks, the absence of the central control devices cause many problems such as a lack of standardized control for trust computation, and the absence of the decision makers in trust evaluation and collaborative decision making. A trust management mechanism based on the jury system for distributed cognitive radio networks is proposed in this paper. The "jury user" is designed to collaboratively examine the reputation of the cognitive user in the networks and to perform data fusion and spectrum allocation for distributed cognitive radio networks. Simulation analysis results show that the proposed scheme can ensure accuracy and fairness in trust evaluation and improve effectiveness and flexibility of spectrum allocation.


We report on the successful synthesis of cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanocages by laser ablation of bulk Cd target in thioacetamide (TAA) solution. The CdS nanocages exhibit obvious interior hollow spaces and distinctive porous-shell structures. After laser ablation of Cd target in liquid condition, the unique structure should be attributed to the initial formation of Cd micro-gas bubble via a model of micro-explosive boiling model. Surprisingly, the obtained CdS nanocages can provide a super adsorption of methyl blue (MB) solution. The maximum adsorption capacity reaches up to 11813.3 mg/g, which is much higher than that reported in many previous researches. Without using any complicated stabilizers or soft directing agents, the pure CdS nanocages fabricated by laser ablation will serve as advanced absorbents in further research.


BACKGROUND
International smuggling of cocaine by internal concealment is a serious and growing problem. People who engage in this practice are commonly referred to as body packers or mules. The most serious risks associated with body packing include intestinal obstruction and death from cocaine intoxication. These patients were previously managed primarily by surgical retrieval. This was associated with significant mortality due to rupture of poorly constructed cocaine packages. More recently, conservative management using whole bowel irrigation with polyethylene-glycol (Klean-prep Norgine) has been shown to be safe for most patients. To date, however, a consistent approach for the management of these patients has not been established.

METHODS
We retrospectively reviewed the case notes, prescription charts and radiological investigations of all body packers admitted to our unit between 2000 and 2005, concentrating on initial management, complications and outcome.

RESULTS
We identified 61 patients for inclusion. Of these, 56 were managed conservatively with a selection of aperients and laxatives. Six patients were treated successfully for cocaine toxicity and 5 required surgical retrieval of cocaine packets.

CONCLUSION
Our results confirm the safety of a conservative approach. Based on our experience and a review of the literature, we have devised a treatment protocol to reduce the risk of complications and the length of stay in hospital.


Characteristics of emitters under low pressure are essential for the design of low pressure drip irrigation systems. Few data is provided by the manufacturers for drip emitter operating under low pressures. No guidelines regarding the optimum combination of operating pressure head and lateral length available either. A laboratory test was conducted to evaluate the effects of pressure head and lateral length on water distribution uniformity of a PVC drip irrigation system. Five different lengths of lateral were considered under a pressure head of 55 kPa (8.21 psi / 5.6 m). The five lengths were 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 m. Drip tape tested in this study is a non-pressure compensating (NPC) emiiter with 3.00 L/h discharge rate, 16 mm diameter and 35 cm emitter distance. Evaluation of 10 sampled emitters from the 20 m lateral showed a flow variation (Qvar) of 5%, uniformity coefficient (UC) of 99%, with a coefficient of variation (Cv) of 0.016. The 40 m lateral length showed a flow variation (Qvar) of 9%, UC of 98% with a Cv of 0.024. The 60 m lateral length also showed an average flow variation (Qvar) of 16%, UC of 95% with a Cv of 0.060. The 80 m lateral length showed a flow variation (Qvar) of 23%, UC of 93% with Cv of 0.08 and the 100 m lateral length showed a flow variation (Qvar) of 39%, UC of 89% with a Cv of 0.138. EU for 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 m were 92, 90, 80, 75 and 58% respectively. Flow discharge vs. sampled emitter points (Q-E curves) was also developed for each length. Q-E curves were fitted to the data resulting in R values of 0.1566, 0.1202, 0.8607, 0.7904 and 0.8998 respectively for 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100m. The operating pressure was 55 kPa (8.21 psi / 5.6 m) for all the tested length. From the statistical analysis, it was observed that as the lateral length increase invariably decreases the average discharge (Qvar). It is therefore recommended to use the 60 m lateral length with a low pressure head of 55 kPa (8.21 psi / 5.6 m), since the 60 m length satisfied the uniformity distribution criteria under a low pressure.


Relaxor ferroelectrics were discovered almost 50 years ago among the complex oxides with perovskite structure. In recent years this field of research has experienced a revival of interest. In this paper we review the progress achieved. We consider the crystal structure including quenched compositional disorder and polar nanoregions (PNR), the phase transitions including compositional order-disorder transition, transition to nonergodic (probably spherical cluster glass) state and to ferroelectric phase. We discuss the lattice dynamics and the peculiar (especially dielectric) relaxation in relaxors. Modern theoretical models for the mechanisms of PNR formation and freezing into nonergodic glassy state are also presented.


Paraneoplastic tumefactive demyelination (TD) is a rare disorder of the central nervous system that can be challenging to diagnose. Here, we describe a 32-year-old Japanese man with a TD associated with testicular seminoma. He presented with symptoms of right-sided motor and sensory impairment 2 days after vaccination for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a high-intensity lesion in the left internal capsule. He had a 3-year history of enlargement of the left testicle. Blood examination showed tumor marker elevation and the presence of anti-amphiphysin antibodies. Whole-body computed tomography (CT) revealed mass lesions in the left testicle and enlargement of the retroperitoneal lymph nodes. Radical orchiectomy was performed. As the pathology showed testicular seminoma, chemotherapy was administered. After surgery, his neurological symptoms deteriorated. MRI revealed that the brain lesion had enlarged and progressed to a tumefactive lesion without gadolinium enhancement. The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) examination was normal without pleocytosis or protein elevation. Steroid pulse therapy was added; however, his symptoms did not improve. A brain stereotactic biopsy was performed and the sample showed demyelinating lesions without malignant cells. As the initial corticosteroid therapy was ineffective, gamma globulin therapy was administered in parallel with chemotherapy, and the clinical symptoms and imaging findings were partially ameliorated. TD seldom appears as a paraneoplastic neurological syndrome. In addition, there are few reports of COVID-19 vaccination-associated demyelinating disease. Clinicians should recognize paraneoplastic TD, and the further accumulation of similar cases is needed.


A waterfront development is already a well-established phenomenon internationally. Waterfront redevelopment in Malaysia has taken place over the last twenty years. Many issues abounded when a city decided to transform its vacant or underused waterfront areas. Some waterfront development projects have successfully included waterfront attraction projects, but many others have not succeeded. Therefore, this study aims to examine the effect of waterfront development in Malaysia. The findings of this study were based on interviews conducted within three case study areas: Kuching's Riverfront, Malacca's Waterfront, and Glennmarie Cove Riverfront. The results showed that the development of waterfront development have several effects, both positive and negative sides. Improving riverbank beautification and landscape and increasing environmental problem such as water pollution and flooding were identified as a main effects derived from waterfront development in the particular case study areas. Therefore, maximizing waterfront benefits is important for maintaining the economic value of waterfront areas.


Widespread uses of fluoroquinolones have resulted in increasing incidences of resistance against these agents all over the world. The aim of this study was to assess, susceptibility of Escherichia coli strains from patients with Urinary Tract Infection against common fluoroquinolones and detection of mutations in the gyrA gene. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of 164 E.coli isolates from patients with UTI, was evaluated by disk agar diffusion (DAD) and MIC methods. Polymerase chain reaction of E.coli strains were performed by amplification of Quinolone Resistance Determining Region (QRDR) of gyrA gene. PCR products were tested by Conformational Sensitive Gel Electrophoresis (CSGE) and those with hetrodublexes were selected and examined by DNA sequencing. According to disc agar diffusion, 49.3% were resistant to nalidixic acid, 41.4% to norfloxacin, 44.5% to ofloxacin and 40.2 % to ciprofloxacin. By Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) testing a high-level of resistance (42.1%) to ciprofloxacin was observed. Mutations in codons 83 and 87 in all 81 isolates were positive by CSGE method.


Using a carefully chosen set of examples, we illustrate the importance and ubiquity of quantitative reasoning in the biological sciences. The examples range across many different levels of biological organization, from diseases through ecosystems, and the problems addressed range from basic to applied. In addition to the overall theme that mathematical and statistical approaches are essential for understanding biological systems, three particular and interacting mathematical themes emerge. First, nonlinearity is pervasive; second, inclusion of stochasticity is essential; and third, issues of scale are common to all applications of quantitative approaches. Future progress in understanding many biological systems will depend on continued applications and developments in these three areas, and on understanding bow nonlinearity, slochasticity, and scale interact.