Advances in our understanding of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) have enabled the establishment of differentiation pathways throughout the hematopoietic hierarchy. To further explore the molecular cues governing cell fate options, there is a need to manipulate gene function in a controllable manner. Gene manipulation systems based on CRISPR activation (CRISPRa) or interference (CRISPRi) could be used to achieve this requirement. Here, we have generated doxycycline-inducible CRISPRa and CRISPRi mouse models. To functionally validate these systems, we aimed to induce or repress the chosen genes C/EBPβ and Notch1, respectively. An initial requirement to this end was to obtain functional high titer lentiviruses that could be used to deliver guide RNAs (gRNAs) to cells from the mouse lines, and work was conducted to optimize the production of lentiviruses. Furthermore, we demonstrate the ability to induce the CRISPRa system. However, initial experiments show difficulties in C/EBPβ mediated transdifferentiation of B cells from the CRISPRa mouse model. Thus, further detailed validations are necessary to address the potential problems. (Less)


Mushroom poisoning by Cortinarius speciosissimus (C. spec.) leading to irreversible renal failure has been described; in a recent report, an expected bad prognosis has probably been overcome as a result of the very early use of hemoperfusion. In Sep. '81, a healthy couple of wife and husband, both aged 38, had gastrointestinal symptoms 2 days after ingestion of C. spec. On day 8 an acute renal failure developed and the same day, before dialysis, plasma exchange (PE) was undertaken. Renal biopsies disclosed a common pattern of tubular necrosis, scattered infiltrates and interstitial edema. Diuresis and partial recovery started in the man on day 10, while failure persisted over six months in the woman. Further to individual sensitivity to C. spec. toxins, renal damage, once established, may be irreversible, irrespectively of early treatment. Limited usefulness of PE in C. spec. poisoning is probably related to the long latency between ingestion and occurrence of the first renal symptoms.


The Advisory Board for Medical Specialties was established 25 years ago. There was, at that time, a growing concern because of the degree of specialization in medicine resulting from rapid advances in medical science and technology. The purpose of the board was to provide a mechanism for continuing study of some of the problems of specialism and to encourage and maintain standards of graduate education and training in those fields of medical practice in which highly specialized knowledge and skills are required. At the time the board was established, there were four organized specialty boards concerned with educational standards which offered examinations to test competency of specialists in these four medical specialties. In 1958 there were 18 specialty boards represented on the Advisory Board for Medical Specialties, and these boards examined candidates and issued certificates in 51 different specialties or subspecialties of medicine. The proportion of licensed physicians certified by


Purpose
To characterize the distribution of the foveal avascular zone circularity and its correlation with parafoveal vessel density, in subjects with and without diabetes.

Methods
Observational, descriptive, cross-sectional, and prospective study; subjects without diabetes (Group 1), with diabetes without retinopathy (Group 2), or with diabetic retinopathy (Group 3) were included. Means of foveal avascular zone circularity and parafoveal vessel density were compared between groups (Kruskal-Wallis) and their correlation was calculated with Spearman's Rho test.

Results
Seventy-seven eyes; central vessel density mean was higher in Group 1 than in Group 2 and higher in Group 2 than in Group 3; inner and complete vessel density means were also higher in Group 2 than in Group 3. The mean of the foveal avascular zone circularity did not differ between groups, and in Group 3 it had a positive correlation with central (0.45), inner (0.56), and complete (0.53) vessel densities.

Conclusions
Circularity does not differ between subjects with diabetes, with and without retinopathy, and has only a low correlation with parafoveal vessel density in people with diabetic retinopathy, which does not allow anticipating a reduction of vessel density in this disease.


Thermal mapping has been implemented since the late eighties to establish the susceptibility of road networks to ice occurrence with measurements from a radiometer and some atmospheric parameters. They are usually done before dawn during wintertime when the road energy is dissipated. The objective of this study was to establish if an infrared camera could improve the determination of ice road susceptibility, to build a new winter risk index, to improve the measurements rate, and to analyze its consistency with seasons and infrastructures environment. Data analysis obtained from the conventional approved radiometer sensing technique and the infrared camera has shown great similarities. A comparison was made with promising perspectives. The measurement rate to analyse a given road network could be increased by a factor two.


To determine which types of plant traits might better explain ecosystem functioning and plant evolutionary histories, we compiled 42 traits for each of 15 perennial species in a biodiversity experiment. We used every possible combination of three traits to cluster species. Across these 11,480 combinations, clusters generated using tissue %Ca, %N and %K best mapped onto phylogeny. Moreover, for the 15 best combinations of three traits, 82% of traits were chemical, 16% morphological and 2% metabolic. The diversity-dependence of ecosystem productivity was better explained by the %Ca, %N and %K clusters: compared to adding a new species at random, adding a species from an absent cluster/clade better-explained gains in productivity. Species number impacted productivity only when all clusters were present. Our results suggest that tissue elemental chemistry might be more phylogenetically conserved and more strongly related to ecosystem functioning than commonly measured morphological and physiological traits, a possibility that merits exploration.


A new approach based on the consideration that electroencephalogram (EEG) signals are chaotic signals was presented for automated diagnosis of electroencephalographic changes. This consideration was tested successfully using the nonlinear dynamics tools, like the computation of Lyapunov exponents. This paper presented the usage of statistics over the set of the Lyapunov exponents in order to reduce the dimensionality of the extracted feature vectors. Since classification is more accurate when the pattern is simplified through representation by important features, feature extraction and selection play an important role in classifying systems such as neural networks. Multilayer perceptron neural network (MLPNN) architectures were formulated and used as basis for detection of electroencephalographic changes. Three types of EEG signals (EEG signals recorded from healthy volunteers with eyes open, epilepsy patients in the epileptogenic zone during a seizure-free interval, and epilepsy patients during epileptic seizures) were classified. The selected Lyapunov exponents of the EEG signals were used as inputs of the MLPNN trained with LevenbergMarquardt algorithm. The classification results confirmed that the proposed MLPNN has potential in detecting the electroencephalographic changes.


Angle-domain common-image gathers (ADCIGs) that can be used for migration velocity analysis and amplitude-versus-angle analysis are important for seismic exploration. However, because of the limited acquisition geometry and seismic frequency band, ADCIGs extracted by reverse time migration (RTM) suffer from illumination gaps, migration artifacts, and low resolution. We have developed a reflection angle-domain pseudoextended plane-wave least-squares RTM method for obtaining high-quality ADCIGs. We build the mapping relations between the ADCIGs and the plane-wave sections using an angle-domain pseudoextended Born modeling operator and an adjoint operator, based on which we formulate the extraction of ADCIGs as an inverse problem. The inverse problem is iteratively solved by a preconditioned stochastic conjugate-gradient method, allowing for reduction in computational cost by migrating only a subset instead of the whole data set and improving the image quality thanks to preconditioners. Numerical tests on synthetic and field data verify that our method can compensate for illumination gaps, suppress migration artifacts, and improve resolution of the ADCIGs and the stacked images. Therefore, compared to RTM, our method provides a more reliable input for migration velocity analysis and amplitude-versus-angle analysis. Moreover, it also provides much better stacked images for seismic interpretation.


As part of a project that identified the specific literacy skills required in ten occupations, this report provides two 1evels of instructional information about secretaries. Factual data are presented in Parts I and II for use in decision making by program developers, administrators, teachers, and counselors. These sections note the specific literacy reqvirements (reading, writing, listening, speaking, and mathematics) that were identified at three job sites and in three vocational training programs. Part III presents instructional methods/materials tha+ adul+ basic education teachers can use to develop literacy skills while imparting job related knowledge. The lesson format is besed on a directed reading activity and includes vocabulary and concept development, sentence and organizational structure, silent reading, and skill development. Appendixes list the technical vocabulary that secretaries need to know, the 100 words that represent 45% of the language sampled for the entire project, and occupational literacy requirements for the ten occupations that were studied. (REA)


Lovebirds and Cockatiels Risk Reservoir of Cryptococcus neoformans, a Potential Hazard to Human Health
Lovebirds and cockatiels are potential carriers and/or transmitters of zoonotic diseases. Some of them could have an important impact for human health, In Egypt, the role of these birds in dispersing C. neoformans is not well documented, which evoked a high need to investigate the environmental ecology of this fungus in order to establish surveillance programs and applying the preventive measures for this pathogen infection. The C. neoformans prevalence and role of pet birds in spreading this fungal pathogen in Egypt was illustrated in this study. Two hundred Cockatiels and lovebirds excreta were collected from captive birds. The recovered isolates of C. neoformans species were identified by molecular identification using capsular gene specific primer CAP64. The subtyping of isolates was performed by multiplex PCR using CNa-70S/A -CNa-49S/A. Four isolates (3 and 1) from lovebirds & Cockatiels respectively were subjected to sequence analysis of Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) regions. Alternatively the fungal isolates were analyzed by PCR fingerprinting with uniplex PCR amplification using an oligonucleotide (GTC)5. From this study it was concluded that, the excreta of these birds can play a role as a risk reservoir of C. neoformans in domestic and public environments and enhance their zoonotic importance to human.


Fixed-scale speckles are used in existing ghost imaging system, while the current instrument can achieve multi- scale speckles ghost imaging. This paper focuses on the research of compressed sensing ghost imaging system using multi-scale speckles. Through the computer simulation and using the four resolution scales image as the original image, restored images are obtained to analysis on a variety of different scales and different proportion of speckles cases. The results show that the compressed sensing ghost imaging system using multi-scale speckles can get closer to the true value of image. And when the small scale speckles occupy large proportion, the recovered image resolution is not disturbed.


We give an elementary introduction to the theory of supermembranes. DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF ABDUS SALAM Based on lectures given at the T. A. S. I. Summer School, University of Colorado, Boulder, June 1996; the Topical Meeting, Imperial College, London, July 1996 and the 26th British Universities Summer School in Theoretical Elementary Particle Physics, University of Swansea, September 1996. Research supported in part by NSF Grant PHY-9411543.


Contemporary computed tomography (CT) technology offers the better potential of screening for the early detection of lung cancer than the traditional x-ray chest radiographs. In order to help improve radiologists' diagnostic performance and efficiency, many researchers propose to develop computer-aided detection and diagnosis (CAD) system for the detection and characterization of lung nodules depicted on CT images and to evaluate its potentially clinical utility in assisting radiologists. Based on review of computer-aided detection and diagnosis of lung nodules using CT at home and abroad in recent years, this paper presented a new algorithm that achieves an automated way for applying multi-scale nodule enhancement, mathematical morphology and morphological Segmentation.


tomography. We used logistic regression to adjust for relevant variables and estimate the adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals across energy-adjusted, sex-specific tertiles of total servings of F/V per day. Among our sample (n=2506), the mean (SD) age at baseline was 25.3 (3.5) years, and 62.7% were female. After adjustment for demographics and lifestyle variables, higher intake of F/V was associated with a lower prevalence of coronary artery calcium: odds ratio (95% confidence interval) =1.00 (reference), 0.78 (0.59–1.02), and 0.74 (0.56–0.99), from the lowest to the highest tertile of F/V, P value for trend <0.001. There was attenuation of the association between F/V and coronary artery calcium after adjustment for other dietary variables, but the trend remained significant: odds ratio (95% confidence interval): 1.00 (reference), 0.84 (0.63–1.11), and 0.92 (0.67–1.26), P value for trend <0.002]. Conclusions —In this longitudinal cohort study, higher intake of F/V during young adulthood was associated with lower odds of prevalent coronary artery calcium after 20 years of follow-up. Our results reinforce the importance of establishing a high intake of F/V as part of a healthy dietary pattern early in life. We performed several additional analyses to try and isolate the effect of F/V intake during young adulthood from other dietary factors by including F/V intake at the year 20 examination as well as other dietary factors from the baseline examination. We chose additional dietary variables based on a prior knowledge and clinical rel- evance including dairy, nuts, legumes, eggs, fish, beef, refined grain bread, refined grain pasta, cakes/cookies/doughnuts, fried potatoes, salt intake, sugar sweetened soft drinks, and frequency of fast food intake for further exploration of confounding. Finally, we included potential mediators in a model including systolic blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cho- lesterol, and fasting blood sugar as measured at the year 20 follow-up.


This article offers a quantitative analysis of wealth inequality in the Ottoman Empire, employing data from probate inventories (terekes) of eighteenth-century Kastamonu, a town located in northern Anatolia. Extracting information on wealth levels and personal characteristics of individuals, we estimate aggregate measures of wealth inequality, namely the Gini coefficient, the coefficient of variation, and the wealth shares of the wealthiest 10 and 25 percent of estates. We use regression analysis to identify the time trend of wealth inequality and determine how warfare, significant weather events, macroeconomic variables, and shifts in population characteristics affected it.


10 Groundwater recharge is one of the important factors determining the groundwater 11 development potential of an area. Even though recharge plays a key role in controlling 12 groundwater system dynamics, much uncertainty remains regarding the relationships between 13 groundwater recharge and its governing factors at a large scale. Therefore, this study aims to 14 identify the most influential factors on groundwater recharge, and to develop an empirical 15 model to estimate diffuse rainfall recharge at a global-scale. Recharge estimates reported in the 16 literature from various parts of the world (715 sites) were compiled and used in model building 17 and testing exercises. Unlike conventional recharge estimates from water balance, this study 18 used a multimodel inference approach and information theory to explain the relation between 19 groundwater recharge and influential factors, and to predict groundwater recharge at 0.50 20 resolution. The results show that meteorological factors (precipitation and potential 21 evapotranspiration) and vegetation factors (land use and land cover) had the most predictive 22 power for recharge. According to the model, long term global average annual recharge (198123 2014) was 134 mm/yr with a prediction error ranging from -8 mm/yr to 10 mm/yr for 97.2% 24 of cases. The recharge estimates presented in this study are unique and more reliable than the 25 existing global groundwater recharge estimates because of the extensive validation carried out 26 using both independent local estimates collated from the literature and national statistics from 27 Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). In a water scarce future driven by increased 28 anthropogenic development, the results from this study will aid in making informed decision 29 about groundwater potential at a large scale. 30 31


This cross sectional descriptive study was done to find out the incidence of accessory spleen in Bangladeshi people to create awareness of the presence of an accessory spleen in a patient prior to splenectomy. During this study one hundred and twenty human cadaver of which eighty-seven male and thirty- three female of different age group were dissected in the morgue of forensic medicine department of Mymesingh Medical College. This was a cross sectional and descriptive study carried out in the department of anatomy of Mymensingh medical college, from July 2007 to June 2008. Accessory spleen was found in 20% cases where 20.68% cases in male and 18.18% in female. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/cbmj.v1i1.13824 Community Based Medical Journal Vol.1(1) 2012 17-19


We propose a specification-driven approach to Web service composition. Our framework allows the users (or service developers) to start with a high-level, possibly incomplete specification of a desired (goal) service that is to be realized using a subset of the available component services. These services are represented using labeled transition systems augmented with guards over variables with infinite domains and are used to determine a strategy for their composition that would realize the goal service functionality. However, in the event the goal service cannot be realized using the available services, our approach identifies the cause(s) for such failure which can then be used by the developer to reformulate the goal specification. Thus, the technique supports Web service composition through iterative reformulation of the functional specification. We present a prototype implementation in a tabled-logic programming environment that illustrates the key features of the proposed approach.


Studies on planar longitudinal stress wave attenuation in thin ceramic plates are presented using a wave tracking algorithm. The results are also experimentally validated. Ceramic plates consist of grains and grain boundaries. Elastic modulus and density of the grain boundaries are less than those of the grains. When the planar longitudinal stress wave encounters an interface between the grain and the grain boundary, reflection and transmission of the incident stress wave take place because of the impedance mismatch at the interface. It is observed that this leads to attenuation in stress wave intensity. This behavior is represented by stress wave attenuation coefficient. It is observed that the stress wave attenuation coefficient is a material property.


This work aims to shed new light on the relation between institutional performance and firm dynamics. Considering the Italian manufacturing industry
 and a panel of 3 years, the authors investigate the relation between the time needed by courts to enforce debtors' obligations and the time needed by enterprises to repay
 their debts. In particular, we test the hypothesis that efficiency in settling mortgage foreclosure and bankruptcy cases can affect the creditors' decision making on
 judicial disputes. According to our thesis, inordinately long waiting times to enforce credit rights may increase the contractual strength of debtors, further delaying
 payments. As shown by our results, there is a statistically significant positive relation between the enforcement of debtors' obligations and the adopted payment index,
 confirming the key role of the judiciary in the dynamics of firms. Indeed, if the time needed to settle bankruptcy cases decreases by 25%, we can expect the payment index
 to decrease by 1%; while, focusing on foreclosure cases, we can expect the payment index to decrease by 2%. The policy implications of these results are rather compelling.
 Policy makers could reform foreclosure and bankruptcy procedures to support national economic growth, without additional burden on the public budget.


This paper deals with the mathematics model of two populations commensalisms symbiosis and the stability of all equilibrium points in the system. It has given the conclusion that there is only one stable equilibrium point in the system. This paper also elucidates the biology meaning of the model and it's equilibrium points. 


Motorcycle is the most common fleet in South East Asia countries and it contribute significant amount of emission to the environment. Most of motorcycles on the road today are fitted with carburettor, which is low efficiency, inconsistent air fuel ratio and emit more emissions. The introduction of Electronic Fuel Injector System is able to maintain the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio which leads to higher performance, cleaner combustion and higher efficiency. In this project, Yamaha 150cc with both carburettor system and Electronic Fuel Injector system are being compared in order to prove that Electronic Fuel Injection System is able to improve performance and emission in real world condition by comparing the output of both engines at certain engine speed. From the result, the fuel injected engine produces higher power output and lower emission than the carburetted model.


Melocochines A (1) and B (2), one pair of epimers with an unprecedented skeleton, were isolated from Melodinus cochinchinensis. Their structures and absolute configurations were established by a combination of MS, NMR, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses. Compounds 1 and 2 represent a class of novel alkaloids, characterized by a rare 1H-benzo[b]azepane ring system within monoterpenoid indole alkaloid categories. Compounds 1 and 2 enhanced lysosomal biogenesis with LysoTracker staining intensities of 139.7% and 119.0%, respectively.


The dermal-epidermal zone, a primary site of injury in cutaneous lupus erythematosus (LE), has been examined by light, fluorescent, and electron microscopy. Immunoglobulins were present at the dermal-epidermal zone in 92% of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) lesions, 90% of discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) lesions, 60% of uninvolved SLE skin, and absent in uninvolved DLE skin. Circulating "basement membrane" antibodies were not noted in LE sera. Antibodies to epidermal nuclei were present in 77% SLE sera and 39% DLE sera. Apparent thickening of the hematoxylin and eosin and PAS basement membrane is frequently seen. Electron microscopy of 13 specimens demonstrated that this finding was associated with intricate projections and infoldings of basal cells and dermis. Necrosis and disintegration of the dermal-epidermal zone was noted.


The aim of this study was to show the trends of cerebrovascular disease (CVD) in two analyzed periods at the Department of Neurology Tuzla, Bosnia and HerzegovinaPatients and methods. This retrospective study included 2363 patients with acute stroke who were hospitalized at the Department of Neurology Tuzla in the period from 2013 to 2015. Demographic data, types of stroke and mortality were analyzed in the three years period and compared with the previously analyzed period (2001-2005). The necessary data were taken from the standard history chart. The inclusion criterion was stroke confirmation with neuroimaging techniques. Results. Out of 2363 patients with acute stroke, there were 1186 (50.2%) women and 1177 (49.8%) men without statistical significance. The average age was 70 years. Ischemic strokes (IS) were statistically more frequent in the period 2013-2015 (p=0.02), while intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) was more common in the previously analyzed period (2001-2005) (p=0.0001). There was statistical significance in the distribution of certain types of stroke. The most frequent risk factors were hypertension, hyperlipidemia and diabetes mellitus. The mortality for all types of stroke, and the total in-hospital mortality were lower in comparison to the previously analyzed period (2001-2005).Conclusion. Improved diagnostic procedures lead to a different distribution of stroke subtypes. In the three-year analysis period, the prevalence of ischemic stroke increased and the in-hospital mortality reduced. Adequate control of modifiable stroke risk factors may help to reduce the occurrence of stroke.


The results show that the contents of Zn, Mn, Fe, Cu, Ca, Pb et al in the boiling water extracts of calcined and vinegar-quenched products are higher than those of calcined products, the contents of Zn, Mn, Fe, Cu, Ca, Pb etc. in the boiling water extracts of calcined products are higher than those of crude drugs, and the contents of Zn, Cu, Ca, Pb, V, Mn etc. in the boiling water extracts from 3 processed products are higher than those in the digestive juices of boiling water extracts from 3 processed products, but the content of Fe in the boiling water extracts from 3 processed products are lower than that in the digestive juices of boiling water extracts from 3 processed products.


Aberrant antioxidant activity contributes to the pathogenesis of interstitial lung diseases (ILD). The composition of the extracellular matrix (ECM) is affected by oxidative stress, but extracellular antioxidant defense mechanisms in ILD are incompletely understood. Here, relative abundance and detergent solubility of extracellular antioxidant enzymes were extracted from a proteomic dataset of bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis in C57BL/6N mice. Glutathione peroxidase (Gpx) activity was measured in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and immunofluorescent stainings were performed to address distribution of Gpx3 in the lung. Regulation of GPX3 by TGF-β1, TNF-α, and menadione was assessed in primary human bronchial epithelial cells (phBEC) and lung fibroblasts (phLF) by qPCR and ELISA. Finally, GPX3 levels were measured in BALF from ILD patients by ELISA. Sod3, Gpx3, and Gpx activity were increased in BALF of mice subjected to bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis. In total lung tissue, only Gpx3, but not Sod3, was upregulated. Quantitative detergent solubility profiles indicated that Gpx3, but not Sod3, associated with ECM proteins. Immunofluorescence analysis showed that Gpx3 was expressed by bronchial epithelial cells and interstitial fibroblasts and localized to the basement membrane and interstitial ECM in mouse and human lung tissue. GPX3 expression in phBEC and phLF was downregulated by TNF-α, but more variably regulated by TGF-β1 and menadione. BALF of some ILD patients contained high levels of GPX3. Hence, levels of the extracellular antioxidant enzyme GPX3 are variably increased in ILD. Upregulation of GPX3 might protect the ECM from oxidative damage in ILD.


In this paper, we consider deformations of singular complex curves on complex surfaces. Despite the fundamental nature of the problem, little seems to be known for curves on general surfaces. Let $C\subset S$ be a complete integral curve on a smooth surface. Let $\tilde C$ be a partial normalization of $C$, and $\varphi\colon \tilde C\to S$ be the induced map. In this paper, we consider deformations of $\varphi$. The problem of the existence of deformations will be reduced to solving a certain explicit system of polynomial equations. This system is universal in the sense that it is determined solely by simple local data of the singularity of $C$, and does not depend on the global geometry of $C$ or $S$. Under a relatively mild assumption on the properties of these equations, we will show that the map $\varphi$ has virtually optimal deformation property.


In this paper we investigate the effect of image size on the compression parameters of the fractal image compression technique(FIC)  proposed by Jacquin This research is tested on 8 bits/pixel gray images, three different size of gray image have been used (100 x 100, 150 x 150 ,256 x256). The results show that the PSNR, Bit Rate and Encoding time are increase with the increase of image size, but the  CR is decreases with the increase of image size, The quality of the reconstructed image is pleasurable either we use any size of images .


Audience research, this paper suggests, is an excellent field to test the claims of Media Studies 2.0. Moreover, 2.0 claims are a good means to review qualitative audience research itself too. Working from a broad strokes analysis of the theory, politics and method of interpretative research with audiences, it is argued that the new media ecology demands new roles of researchers, and an open approach to 'audiencehood' as practice and innovative research method. The paper ends with a case study of the co-creation project of a research team and a Moroccan-Dutch Internet community-writing team working together on an Internet telenovela.


OBJECTIVE: Research on examination and significance of the auditory brain stem response (ABR) in non-hearing loss tinnitus patients. METHOD: Recording from forehead-mastoid comparing ABR of non-hearing loss tinnitus patients with normal hearing youths. RESULT: In the tinnitus patients, the prolongate latency percentage of wave I was 51.6%; the wave III was 20.9%; wave V was 17.9%. CONCLUSION: Although hearing-loss was not founded in the patients, but the cochlea of some patients had been damaged.


Hot electrons generated through plasmonic excitations in metal nanostructures show great promise for efficiently driving chemical reactions with light. However, the lifetime, yield, and mechanism of action of plasmon-generated hot electrons involved in a given photocatalytic process are not well understood. Here, we develop ultrafast surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) as a direct probe of plasmon-molecule interactions in the plasmon-catalyzed dimerization of 4-nitrobenzenethiol to p,p'-dimercaptoazobenzene. Ultrafast SERS probing of these molecular reporters in plasmonic hot spots reveals transient Fano resonances, which we attribute to near-field coupling of Stokes-shifted photons to hot electron-driven metal photoluminescence. Surprisingly, we find that hot spots that yield more photoluminescence are much more likely to drive the reaction, which indirectly proves that plasmon-generated hot electrons induce the photochemistry. These ultrafast SERS results provide insight into the relative reactivity of different plasmonic hot spot environments and quantify the ultrafast lifetime of hot electrons involved in plasmon-driven chemistry.


An experimental study on the heart of the chick embryo demonstrates that the atrio-ventricular canal does not migrate towards the right, but that it is the inter-ampullar ring which almost completely migrates to the left. Consequently: 1. absence of migration of the interampullar ring will be responsible for the development of type A univentricular heart with an accessory chamber; 2. incomplete migration will result in a special type in which the right atrioventricular orifice overrides the septum; 3. excessive migration may be the explanation for the development of type B univentricular heart; 4. lacking or incomplete development of the inter-ampullar ring is the cause for the development of type C or D univentricular heart. In most of the cases, the univentricular heat can be considered the result of arrest of the normal embryogenesis at a more or less early state.


Research has seen considerable achievements concerning translation of natural language patterns into formal queries for Question Answering (QA) based on Knowledge Graphs (KG). One of the main challenges in this research area is about how to identify which property within a Knowledge Graph matches the predicate found in a Natural Language (NL) relation. Current approaches for formal query generation attempt to resolve this problem mainly by first retrieving the named entity from the KG together with a list of its predicates, then filtering out one from all the predicates of the entity. We attempt an approach to directly match an NL predicate to KG properties that can be employed within QA pipelines. In this paper, we specify a systematic approach as well as providing a tool that can be employed to solve this task. Our approach models KB relations with their underlying parts of speech, we then enhance this with extra attributes obtained from Wordnet and Dependency parsing characteristics. From a question, we model a similar representation of query relations. We then define distance measurements between the query relation and the properties representations from the KG to identify which property is referred to by the relation within the query. We report substantive recall values and considerable precision from our evaluation.


Tumor endothelium marker-8 (TEM8) and capillary morphogenesis protein-2 (CMG2) are the two well-characterized anthrax toxin receptors, each containing a von Willebrand factor A (vWA) domain responsible for anthrax protective antigen (PA) binding. Recently, a cell-based analysis was used to implicate another vWA domain-containing protein, integrin β1 as a third anthrax toxin receptor. To explore whether proteins other than TEM8 and CMG2 function as anthrax toxin receptors in vivo, we challenged mice lacking TEM8 and/or CMG2. Specifically, we used as an effector protein the fusion protein FP59, a fusion between the PA-binding domain of anthrax lethal factor (LF) and the catalytic domain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin A. FP59 is at least 50-fold more potent than LF in the presence of PA, with 2 μg PA + 2 μg FP59 being sufficient to kill a mouse. While TEM8−/− and wild type control mice succumbed to a 5 μg PA + 5 μg FP59 challenge, CMG2−/− mice were completely resistant to this dose, confirming that CMG2 is the major anthrax toxin receptor in vivo. To detect whether any toxic effects are mediated by TEM8 or other putative receptors such as integrin β1, CMG2−/−/TEM8−/− mice were challenged with as many as five doses of 50 μg PA + 50 μg FP59. Strikingly, the CMG2−/−/TEM8−/− mice were completely resistant to the 5-dose challenge. These results strongly suggest that TEM8 is the only minor anthrax toxin receptor mediating direct lethality in vivo and that other proteins implicated as receptors do not play this role.


Observations of an upwelling event in Monterey Bay, California, show that non-bioluminescent phytoplankton from the northern part of the bay are carried with the southward flowing currents along the entrance to the bay, but many bioluminescent dinoflagellates avoid such advection. It has been suggested that the vertical swimming ability of bioluminescent dinoflagellates to descend to deeper layers helped them avoid being carried away by currents. Shulman et al. tested that hypothesis using a tracer model in which the dinoflagellates population is modeled as a concentration, and vertical swimming speeds are introduced into the model. They show that a swimming speed of 20 meters per day, which is in the middle of the observed swimming velocity ranges for observed species of dinoflagellates, leads to only 40% of the population being advected with the current in comparison to the case without vertical swimming. This is in agreement with the observed ratio of mean bioluminescence intensity at the entrance to the bay to the observed mean intensity in the northern part of the bay. Thus, the model confirms that dinoflagellates with moderate vertical swimming speed could avoid being carried away by currents. (Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans, doi:10.1029/ 2011JC007480, 2012)


This paper examines how health care utilization among low-income children is affected by a reduction of the coinsurance rate, exploiting an institutional change in the Medical Subsidy for Children and Infants (MSCI) system, as a natural experiment. In 2004, the maximum age for MSCI recipients in Hokkaido Prefecture was raised from 3 years to include all children of preschool age. The implied arc price elasticity of outpatient care utilization is −0.23, which is congruent with the commonly cited value (−0.2) presented in the RAND health insurance experiment.


Vaccination programmes prevented more than 2.3 million premature deaths between 2000 and the end of 2006, show figures released last week by the public-private Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI).

"The results show that the GAVI has proven concepts, and we're delivering the vaccines, saving lives, and getting coverage in the poorest, and some of the toughest, environments in the world," said Julian Lob-Levyt, executive secretary of the alliance.

Since its creation at the annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, in 2000, the alliance has committed over $2.6bn (£1.3bn; €2bn) to support national immunisation programmes in more than 70 countries.

New projections of data from the World Health Organization, a member of the alliance, show that …


AIM
To investigate the c-kit expression in biliary tract cancer cell lines and histological sections from patients with extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (CC) and to evaluate the efficacy of in vitro and in vitro treatment with imatinib mesilate.

METHODS
The protein expression of c-kit in the human biliary tract cancer cell lines Mz-ChA-2 and EGI-1 and histological sections from 19 patients with extrahepatic CC was assessed by immunoblotting, immunocytochemistry, and immunohistochemistry. The anti-proliferative effect of imatinib mesilate on biliary tract cancer cell lines Mz-ChA-2 and EGI-1 was studied in vitro by automated cell counting. In addition, immunodeficient NMRI mice (Taconic) were subcutaneously injected with 5x10(6) cells of cell lines MzChA-2 and EGI-1. After having reached a tumour volume of 200 mm3, daily treatment was started intraperitoneally with imatinib mesilate at a dose of 50 mg/kg or normal saline (NS). Tumor volume was calculated with a Vernier caliper. After 14 d, mice were sacrificed with tumors excised and tumor mass determined.

RESULTS
Immunoblotting revealed presence of c-kit in Mz-ChA-2 and absence in EGI-1 cells. Immunocytochemistry with c-kit antibodies displayed a cytoplasmatic and membraneous localization of receptor protein in Mz-ChA-2 cells and absence of c-kit in EGI-1 cells. c-kit was expressed in 7 of 19 (37%) extrahepatic human CC tissue samples, 2 showed a moderate and 5 a rather weak immunostaining. Imatinib mesilate at a low concentration of 5 micromol/L caused a significant growth inhibition in the c-kit positive cell line Mz-ChA-2 (31%), but not in the c-kit negative cell line EGI-1 (0%) (P<0.05). Imatinib mesilate at an intermediate concentration of 10 micromol/L inhibited cellular growth of both cell lines (51% vs 57%). Imatinib mesilate at a higher concentration of 20 micromol/L seemed to have a general toxic effect on both cell lines. The IC50 values were 9.7 micromol/L and 11 micromol/L, respectively. After 14 d of in vitro treatment with imatinib mesilate, using the chimeric mouse model, c-kit positive Mz-ChA-2 tumors had a significantly reduced volume and mass as compared to NS treatment (P<0.05). In contrast to that, treatment of mice bearing c-kit negative EGI-1 tumors did not result in any change of tumor volume and mass as compared to NS treatment.

CONCLUSION
c-kit expression is detectable at a moderate to low protein level in biliary tract cancer. Imatinib mesilate exerts marked effects on tumor growth in vitro and in vitro dependent on the level of c-kit expression.


The purpose of the study was to investigate the prevalence of tobacco smoking in students of Nizhny Novgorod Medical State Academy (Russia) and its effects on lung function and serum levels of soluble intercellular adhesion molecules (sICAM) sCD50 (sICAM-3) and sCD54 (sICAM-3). Materials and methods: Data were collected between 2009-2010 using a structured questionnaire on 149 medical students (42 males and 107 females), aged 20±1 years. The questionnaire included questions regarding personal characteristics, dependence and quitting smoking, consequences on health. Lung function tests were performed in 31 students (16 smokers and 15 non-smokers). The serum concentrations of sICAM-1 and -3 were determined using ELISA-method. Results: There were 18,8% of current smokers (from which 46% females); an index of duration of smoking was 3,0±1,9 pack/years. The early age of the beginning of smoking (of 9-14 years) has been registered. Means of FVC and PEF in smoking students were significantly lower than in non-smoking (81,1±5,9 vs 87,5±9,1% and 75±9,7 vs 84,9+7,6%, respectively). The serum levels of sCD50 and sCD54 in smoker (140,4±57,7 U/l and 78,9±29,7U/l, respectively) were significantly reduced compared with non-smoker (242,4+54,4 U/l and 172,7+51,5 U/l, respectively). Conclusion: These results indicate high level of tobacco use among medical students in this Russian city, especially among females. The reduced levels of FVC and PEF, as well as of sICAM-1 and -3 in smoker compared with non-smoker were revealed. Decrease in levels of sCD50 and sCD54 in smokers might be due to inhibitory effect of smoking on intercellular adhesion.


We model analytically light harvesting in realistic solar cells by extending a formalism suggested by Deckman et al. [Appl. Phys. Lett. 42, 110968 (1983)], based on tracing of an average ray of light. Arbitrary light scattering schemes and parasitic absorption are implemented in the model, and we validate our approach by comparing with experimental measurements from microcrystalline silicon devices. The intuitive understanding obtained with this extended model is discussed. This approach enables identifying parasitic absorption as main limitation of state-of-the-art light harvesting schemes, and highlights that a better light trapping requires improving the first scattering events.


We propose a two-level algorithm for large-scale terrain using nested regular grids. To avoid large computing cost by numerous low-resolution blocks, we merge these low- resolution blocks into one level, use nested regular grids to process the other level contains high-resolution blocks, and merge the two levels in GPU, while ensuring the rendering effects, significantly improve the frame rate. Additional, in accordance with the characteristics of the nested regular grid, this paper use a simple and effective strategy for data loading, and rationally organize the out-of-core data, which significantly reduce the real-time loading of the out-of-core data.


While deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have shown a great success in single-label image classification, it is important to note that real world images generally contain multiple labels, which could correspond to different objects, scenes, actions and attributes in an image. Traditional approaches to multi-label image classification learn independent classifiers for each category and employ ranking or thresholding on the classification results. These techniques, although working well, fail to explicitly exploit the label dependencies in an image. In this paper, we utilize recurrent neural networks (RNNs) to address this problem. Combined with CNNs, the proposed CNN-RNN framework learns a joint image-label embedding to characterize the semantic label dependency as well as the image-label relevance, and it can be trained end-to-end from scratch to integrate both information in a unified framework. Experimental results on public benchmark datasets demonstrate that the proposed architecture achieves better performance than the state-of-the-art multi-label classification models.


Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) can have lasting consequences on cognitive functioning and well-being. Goal-Oriented Attentional Self-Regulation (GOALS) training has been shown to improve attention and executive functioning, as well as emotional functioning, in veterans with chronic TBI. An ongoing clinical trial (NCT02920788) is further evaluating GOALS training, including underlying neural mechanisms of change. The present study aimed to examine training-induced neuroplasticity by resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) changes in GOALS versus active control. Veterans with a history of mTBI ≥6 months post-injury (N = 33) were randomly assigned to GOALS (n = 19) or an intensity-matched active control group (Brain Health Education [BHE] training; n = 14). GOALS consists of attention regulation and problem solving applied to individually defined, relevant goals through a combination of group, individual, and home practice sessions. Participants underwent multi-band resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging at baseline and post-intervention. Exploratory 2 × 2 mixed analyses of variance identified pre-to-post changes in seed-based connectivity for GOALS versus BHE in five significant clusters. GOALS versus BHE demonstrated a significant increase in right lateral pre-frontal cortex connectivity with the right frontal pole and right middle temporal gyrus, as well as increased posterior cingulate connectivity with the pre-central gyrus. Rostral pre-frontal cortex connectivity with the right precuneus and the right frontal pole decreased in GOALS versus BHE. These GOALS-related changes in rsFC point to potential neural mechanisms underlying the intervention. This training-induced neuroplasticity may play a role in improved cognitive and emotional functioning post-GOALS.


Whistleblowing system is an alternative method that can be applied in the University environment to reduce academic fraud. Academic fraud is influenced by two factors, namely (1) internal, students want to get capabilities related to actualization, (2) external, too many student workloads. Factors can indicate students cheating, imitating, copying or plagiarism and presenting attendance. The purpose of this study is to explain what is happening with whistle blowing systems when applied in the University environment. This research was conducted using a narrative qualitative approach. The respondents used were students who had attended audit 1 and 2 lectures and professional ethics and sharia business, officials at the study program level and lecturer lecturers. The results of this study are the narratives of the respondents, (1) The response of students: (a) can freely report fraudulent acts that occur on campus, (b) have an awareness not to cheat, (c) if the whistle blowing system is implemented it can help socialize and monitoring the reporting process for fraud; (2) Responses from officials at the program level and lecturers; (a) the whistle blowing system helps the process of disclosure of academic fraud, (b) the quality of learning becomes quality so as to produce competent outcomes, (c) students comply with regulations without coercion. This response is in accordance with the stages of the work system of the whistle blowing system, which consists of anonymity, independence, easy access, follow-up.


Deep-level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) has been applied to study the interstitial iron donor (Fei) in thermally quenched p-type silicon and its interaction with some 4d and 5d transition metals. This centre is revealed by minority carrier injection in our samples with no deliberate transition metal doping. A number of its characteristics, including the emission rate signatures, its variation with thermal quenching temperature and its isothermal and isochronal annealing behaviour, have been studied to definitively identify it with the inadvertent iron impurity in our samples. A striking new property of the iron interstitial donor is revealed by our investigations on p-silicon samples doped with transition metal impurities Ag (4d), Pd (4d), Au (5d) and Pt (5d). The DLTS signal of the Fei donor is completely bleached in the presence of these impurities, leading to the suggestion that iron has a strong tendency to form complexes with these transition metal impurities.


The present study presents an electronic decision-support tool that uses a fuzzy-logic model of expert knowledge to assist in multi-criteria decision-making in the context of an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF). The prototype model integrates the multiple goals and objectives related to the evaluation of the ecosystem performance of the South African sardine Sardinops sagax fishery into a NetWeaver knowledge base and provides intuitive visual outputs to communicate results to managers and stakeholders. The software tool was developed in a consultative process with key experts and follows the hierarchical tree approach recommended in the FAO guidelines for responsible fisheries. Input variables are based both on quantitative data and expert opinion. We evaluated the model in terms of robustness to input changes, influence of system structure, and appropriateness of input scales for parameters based on expert opinion. Results show that the model is robust and conservative. The strength of the approach lies in the ability to include variables that are difficult to measure. It provides a means of rendering value judgements explicit and transparent. The tool synthesises a large amount of information and aims at improving understanding rather than achieving precision. The system has the potential to have wide application in the context of EAF.


Pangolagrass (Digitaria decumbens) and stargrass (Cynodon nlemfuensis) harvested at 30, 45, and 60 days and made in to hay, were fed to four castrated male ruminants (goats and steers) in individual digestion stalls. The grasses were fertilized at the rate of 4,480 kg/ha/yr with 15-5-10, harvested, sun-dried for 2 days and cut in 3- to 6-cm pieces. Each experimental period lasted 21 days, divided into a 14-day preliminary feed ing period and a 7-day collection period. Each hay was offered at a level of 90% intake, as determined in the preliminary period. Hays, offered and refused, and feces were weighed and sampled daily. Representative samples were analyzed for dry matter, crude protein, neutral-detergent fiber, acid-detergent fiber, cellulose, lignin, and silica. Hemicellulose was determined as the difference between neutral-detergent fiber and acid-detergent fiber. Apparent digestion coefficients for each fraction were calculated on all hays and all ruminants. Pangolagrass dry-matter intake was significantly (P < .01) greater than that of stargrass hay by both goats and steers. No significant differences in dry-matter intake were obtained between hay ages of 30, 45, and 60 days. Goats had a higher dry-matter intake (P < .01) than steers. Significant differences were obtained between hays in neutral-detergent fiber (P < .01), hemicellulose (P < .01), and cellulose (P < .05) contents and between hay ages in crude protein (P < .05), cellulose (P < .01), lignin (P < .05), and silica (P < .01) contents. For digestibilities, significant differences were obtained between hays in dry matter (P < .05), neutral-detergent fiber (P < 05), and cellulose (P < .01); between hay ages in lignin (P < .01) and silica (P < .01); and between ruminants in dry matter (P < .01), neutral-detergent fiber (P < .01), acid-detergent fiber (P < .01), hemicellulose (P < .01), and cellulose (P < .01). Goats may not necessarily substitute for steers in digestion trials; and lignin, but not silica, tends to be a valid marker for determining digestibility.


Liver abscesses are known to be trophozoites of the amoeba parasite. They are devoured by the neutrophil cells in the liver and become large assemblies because these white cells do not eliminate the parasite and these white cells multiply. In this study, venous blood samples were taken from 61 patients have hepatic amoebosis and 61 healthy individuals as a control group. The patients attended Ghazi Al-Hariri Surgical Specialities Hospital, the Medical City, Baghdad, Iraq during the period from 15th January to 18th September 2021. The results showed that the mean age of patients was (41.84±15.88) years, while the mean age of the control group was (41.84±15.88) years with no significant difference (P>0.05). The prevalence rate of Entamoeba histolytica infection was 27 (44.2%) in males, and 34 (55.8%) in females with no significant difference. The mean anti-Entamoeba antibody IgA in urban areas was (1.95±1.25) and in the rural areas was (2.05±1.10), while the mean anti-Entamoeba antibody IgG in urban areas was (14.86±6.71), and in the rural areas was (13.55±7.43), with no significant differences (P>0.05). The mean anti-Entamoeba antibody IgA was (2.00±1.17) among the patient's group in comparison with the control group which was (0.09±0.17), while the mean anti-Entamoeba antibody IgG was (14.20±7.06) among the patients when compared with the control group which was (0.06±0.11) with highly significant differences (P<0.01). Expression of RD5 gene was investigated in E. histolytica in liver abscess patients and healthy controls by using qRT-PCR and the findings of amplification regarding atypical amplification plot. The amplification reaction had an early threshold cycle that was consistent with high levels of RD5 gene and the healthy controls. Psp5 gene was expression to investigated E. histolytica in liver abscess in 60 patients and (60) individuals as a control group by using qRT-PCR and the findings of amplification regarding atypical amplification plot. The amplification reaction had an early threshold cycle that was consistent with high levels of Psp5 gene and the healthy controls.


The ubiquitous polyamines putrescine, spermidine and spermine fulfil an array of physiological roles in man. In particular, their participation in cell growth and proliferation has been of great interest in relation to their roles in tumour growth and in wound healing. Both endogenous and dietary polyamines take part in such processes. The deprivation of exogenous polyamines emerges as a promising strategy in tumour therapy. Thus, reliable information on their content in foods is needed for dieticians. This review continues our previous comprehensive review on the topic, summarising data on the polyamine content in foods published from 2005 to April 2009. Some new data has appeared. Bovine, porcine and chicken liver, kidney, spleen and heart all have a high content of spermine; bovine liver also of spermidine. Losses of spermidine and spermine up to one half of their original levels occur during both cold and frozen storage and during various thermal treatments. Cultivated mushrooms were reported to contain very high levels of spermidine. Recent results have proved that polyamine content varies widely within a food item, and this complicates the application of available data for the controlled nutrition of patients.


Although the taxoid drugs, paclitaxel (Taxol®) and docetaxel (Taxotere®) have a broadly similar mechanism of action, there are notable differences in their activities and they are distinct agents. Docetaxel is more potent than paclitaxel with regard to the promotion of the polymerization of tubulin and the inhibition of depolymerization, and has greater antitumour activity in many in vitro and in vivo tumour model systems. The development of drug resistance is a major problem in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer and observations indicating only partial cross-resistance between docetaxel and paclitaxel in vitro, combined with supporting clinical evidence of activity in patients with previously-treated tumours, including anthracycline-resistant breast cancer, led to the implementation of a prospective study of docetaxel treatment in patients with paclitaxel-resistant disease. Preliminary results in 27 patients recruited to this ongoing study indicate that docetaxel has activity in paclitaxel-resistant metastatic breast cancer.


Thermoluminescence (TL) in high density polyethylene and its oxidation effects were investigated. Four TL peaks due to trapped carriers were observed. Oxidation reduced the three TL peaks in the low temperature region and enhanced the other one around 300K. Traps responsible for the former three peaks were concluded to lie in the amorphous parts and lamellar surfaces. Those responsible for the latter were assigned to the oxidation products in the crystalline parts or the crystalline-amorphous boundaries. Oxidation also changed the nature of luminescence centers as well as trap centers. The quenching of TL peaks by oxidation was attributed to these changes.


Objective: The study objectives were to examine changes in nutritional knowledge, attitudes, and practices throughout secondary school; to determine which factors in middle adolescence predict excessive and unhealthy dieting behaviors in late adolescence; and to compare factors predicting weight loss behaviors during middle and late adolescence. Method: This paper reports a longitudinal study of weight loss behaviors, eating behaviors, nutritional knowledge and attitudes, body image, self esteem, and Body Mass Index among 143 adolescent girls in Jerusalem, Israel. Girls were surveyed at the beginning of tenth grade (middle adolescence) and at the end of twelfth grade (late adolescence). Results: In spite of improvements in nutritional knowledge and attitudes, eating behaviors either remained stable or deteriorated during this period. Girls who engaged in dieting and bingeing behaviors in middle adolescence were more likely to engage in these behaviors in late adolescence. Results Address for correspondence: Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health University of Minnesota, Suite 300, 1300 South Second Street Minneapolis, MN 55454, USA Tel: (612) 624-0880. Fax: (612) 624-0315 VOL. 9, NO. 1, 1997 19 20 NEUMARK-SZTAINER, ET. AL. indicated that 44% of the variance in twelfth grade dieting behaviors were accounted for by tenth grade knowledge, attitudes and practices. Predictors of dieting behaviors include early dieting behaviors, attitudes towards weight loss methods, body dissatisfaction, BMI, and number of peers dieting. Self esteem predicted dieting behaviors in middle adolescence but not in late adolescence. Discussion: The results indicate that dieting and bingeing behaviors are not just a passing fad but continue into later adolescence. The persistence of these behaviors provides justification for early interventions aimed at the prevention of disordered eating among adolescents.


In 2001, the Smithsonian Institution presented the landmark photographic exhibition History Through Deaf Eyes, representing nearly 200 years of United States deaf history. Drawing heavily on the extensive archives at Gallaudet University, the curators created an exhibition that drew more than 400,000 people viewed at the Smithsonian and in 12 cities during a five-year national tour. Its popularity prompted the production of a documentary film for national broadcast on the Public Broadcasting System. Now, the photographs, quotes, and stories from this remarkable exhibit and documentary have been assembled in a book of stunning beauty and poignant images, "Through Deaf Eyes: A Photographic History of an American Community." Featuring more than 200 full-color photographs, "Through Deaf Eyes" depicts the story of Deaf America and also affords readers the opportunity to learn about the nation s broader history. The values and judgments of society have had an impact on the education, employment, and family life of deaf people, while historical eras often can be illuminated by examination through a Deaf lens. Photographs reveal the character of Deaf people in school settings, the workplace, during wartime, and using their cultural signature, American Sign Language. For both deaf and hearing readers, the Deaf community portrayed in "Through Deaf Eyes" offers a unique and fascinating perspective on the value of human difference."


Bioethics
A vision of the Human Genome Project was that molecular profiling would enable identification of the molecular underpinnings of disease on an individual basis; "personalized medicine" became a watchword. However, a rebranding has been occurring since roughly 2012 in which the concept has been transmogrified into "precision medicine." Juengst et al. describe conclusions from interviews and case studies conducted since 2011 with 143 supporters of personalized genomic medicine. The terminology change may minimize unrealistic expectations. However, a shift from "personal" could mean a reversal of the trend toward patient autonomy in decision-making. The need for population-level sequencing to identify groups with particular molecular profiles carries its own risks in terms of pressures to participate and the possibility of stigmatization.

Hastings Cent. Rep. 46 , 21 (2016).


In June 2004, wilted tomatoes with no foliar yellowing were observed in Ouègbo, Atlantique District, Benin. The cut tomato stems released whitish bacterial ooze. Longitudinal sections of most stems showed brown vascular discoloration. Twenty symptomatic tomato plants were collected from 10 fields and exported to the Institute of Plant Disease and Plant Protection, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Germany. Bacteria were isolated on triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) medium (2) and three of the nine bacterial isolates that resembled Ralstonia solanacearum (colonies with red center and whitish periphery) and reference strain ToUdk (race 1 biovar 3; N. Thaveechai, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand) were used for pathogenicity tests. Five 4-week-old tomato plants cv. Tohounvi, grown in individual plastic pots (14 × 16 cm) containing sterilized field soil, were inoculated with each of the four isolates individually by soil drenching with 30 ml of the test cultures at 108 CFU/ml. Control plants were treated with 30 ml of sterile water. All plants were incubated in a glasshouse at 30°C. All plants inoculated with the isolates from Benin wilted 4 days after inoculation with symptoms similar to those observed in the field. Plants inoculated with the reference strain wilted 7 to 11 days after inoculation. Control plants treated with water remained healthy. R. solanacearum was recovered from the 20 symptomatic plants on TTC medium. The identity of the strains in comparison with the reference strain was confirmed by PCR with species-specific primers 759/760, which produced a single 281-bp fragment (3). Because similar symptoms were being increasingly reported by farmers across Benin and linked with reduced tomato yields, a disease survey was undertaken by IITA in 2006 and 2007. Wilted tomato plants were found across all agro-ecological zones of Benin (3 to 72% of plants per field). Isolates were recovered from the southeastern districts of Adja-Ouèrè, Sakété, Adjohoun, and Dangbo, the southwestern districts of Klouékanmè and Athiémé, the southern districts of Toffo and Bohicon, the central districts of Dassa and Savè, and the northern districts of Malanville and Karimama. Identification of R. solanacearum was confirmed following inoculation of tomato, production of characteristic wilting symptoms, recovery of the pathogen on TTC medium, and positive identification with ELISA kits (Pathoscreen Rs; Agdia Inc., Elkhart, IN). To our knowledge, this is the first report of R. solanacearum infecting tomato in Benin. Tomato is the most cultivated vegetable crop in Benin and important to the livelihood of many people in peri-urban and rural areas. Understanding that the cause of the observed crop losses is R. solanacearum may lead to implementation of management strategies such as deployment of disease-resistant cultivars or grafting tomatoes onto bacterial wilt-resistant rootstocks (1). References: (1) P. Aggarwal et al. Indian J. Agric. Sci. 78:379, 2008. (2) A. Kelman. Phytopathology 44:693, 1954. (3) N. Opina et al. Asian Pac. J. Mol. Biol. Biotechnol. 5:19, 1997.


Abstract This paper aims to reconstruct the knowledge claims and memory politics in Polish public discourse about the Caucasus. As it highlights the importance of history and a production of a 'New History' for political use, it illuminates the role of the visual dimension in the symbolic politics of memory in Poland. The special example of the Caucasus, particularly the places of Georgia and Russia, serves to show how peripheral regions can gain prominence in the knowledge struggles and strategies of self-representation and othering of particular nations, regions and states on the geopolitical plane.


The lack of support for spontaneous bearing down versus directed pushing efforts, varying opinions on the determination of readiness for pushing, and the prevailing use of prolonged breath holding associated with pushing during labor are aspects of second-stage labor management that continue to be areas of contention among physicians and nurses. A discussion of current practice outcomes surrounding these controversies from the AWHONN Second Stage Labor Research Utilization Project conducted in 1994-1995 is presented in view of the available research literature. In addition, recommendations for future nursing research are identified.


New technologies such as multidetector computed tomography (MDCT), high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) and positron emission computed tomography (PET CT) allow rapid and more efficient diagnosis of many pulmonary diseases. This review illustrates their application to common diagnostic problems in clinical pulmonology practice.


This paper investigates for rising optical fiber transmission strength, increasing bandwidth, and decreasing communication system weakness by using wavelength division multiplexing (WDM). WDM gives today's distention speed and communication traffic. Systems using WDM faces nonlinearities, which the most intensive nonlinear attack is, four wave mixing (FWM). FWM creates and increases crosstalk between WDM channels as a result slows down and impairs the performance of the communication system. This investigation uses orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) for evaluating execution of WDM fiber system by repairing Polarization Mode Dispersion (PMD). We took results in the case of trying PMD-Emulator and without trying PMD-Emulator in the system design. We compared the results got in both cases. Furthermore, we compared the performance of the system with the investigations done using different ways, methods, and techniques for compensating PMD and FWM appears in WDM systems. As PMD-Emulator, helps enhancing the system design performance, and OFDM gives the feature of robustness and useful execution to the system. OFDM examined by appointing interfered orthogonal signal sets, for 16 channels; with equally spaced OFDM channels. Oure results showed that the optical fiber communication system using OFDM technique gives perfect removing FWM signal crosstalk, and accurate data transmission, comparing to other techniques used in other researches. We got a decreased FWM power to -77dBm, and the BER of -0.317. Furthermore, the system quality increased with applying PMD-Emulator and OFDM. In addition, using PMD-Emulator in the system design raised the results effectiveness. The program used in the present work is optisystem-15, and the results obtained in this study coincide with the theoretical and actual results obtained by the previous studies.


Although there is a large body of literature on franchising systems that are mainly produced from the franchisor's perspective, looking at franchising from the franchisee's point of view has remained largely uninvestigated. Creating and sustaining competitive advantage is the prerequisite for the franchisee's (as an SME) survival in today's competitive environment. This research's comprehensive literature review shows three major groups of factors influencing the franchisee's competitive advantage, including the franchisor-related factors, the franchisee-related factors, and factors associated with the franchisor-franchisee relationship. Since the franchisor has a dominant role in the business, it can influence the franchisee in many ways. Therefore, it is crucial to put special emphasis on how the franchisor-related factors may influence the franchisee business success.In light of the discussion above, this study was carried out to understand how franchisor-related factors, through enhancing/creating competitive advantage, might influence the franchisee's business success. According to the literature on competitive advantage, three clusters of literature as three perspectives were reviewed and discussed. These include the resource-based view, the industry structure view, and the relational view. In the resource-based view, the firm's resources are considered as a source of competitive advantage, but in the relational view, not only the firm's internal resources, but also the interfirm resources are the source of competitive advantage. Therefore, this perspective has a significant contribution to this study. In addition to services provided services by the franchisor, as the resources, franchisor organizational factors specifically entrepreneurial orientation, and absorptive capacity were found relevant in the franchisee's competitive advantage. Accordingly, an integrative theoretical/analytical framework was built and used throughout the study.Because of exploratory nature of the study, the qualitative method was chosen and applied. Along with the purpose of the study, a multiple-case study research strategy consisting of seven cases, in two franchising systems, was performed. The results of the analysis confirm that services provided by the franchisor, the franchisors' entrepreneurial orientation, and the franchisees' absorptive capacity have a significant role in enhancement of the franchisees' competitive advantage. Other significant results of the franchisor-related factors enhancing competitive advantage were found to be: the speed of raw material supply, keeping consistency in quality, economy of scale and keeping prices competitive. Furthermore, the franchisor enhances the franchisee's competitive advantage by transferring business know-how and creating collective tacit knowledge, and as well improvement in the franchisee-specific human capital. Intellectual property in a franchise system through transferring the first mover advantage to the franchisee and creating the differentiated position affect the franchisee's competitive advantage. The franchisor's entrepreneurial orientation creates the first-mover advantage for the franchisee. Similarly, the franchisor's absorptive capacity, through creating the first-mover advantage and improving the franchisee's social capital, enhances the franchisee's competitive advantage.


Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA

Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) allows high throughput mutation analysis of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes by targeted resequencing. However, increased sensitivity for mutation detection due to the spatial heterogeneity of the solid tumor or temporal heterogeneity found within the circulating free DNA (cfDNA) may be needed to identify the key biomarkers that may guide the personalized treatment for patients in the era of precision medicine.

ICE COLD-PCR (ICP) technology is capable of simultaneous enrichment of mutations targeted by a ∼50 base reference oligonucleotide in a modified PCR reaction followed by standard Sanger sequencing. In this study, we sought to establish a high sensitivity and high throughput mutation detection platform using ICP combined with NGS. ICP products from low frequency mutation mixtures were enzymatically treated, ligated to the Ion Torrent adapters and analyzed by the Ion Torrent Personal Genome Machine (PGM) and the MiSeq NGS platforms. The ICP-NGS analysis of low-level mutations provided a virtual increase in depth of coverage ahead of NGS analysis that increased the sensitivity of NGS detection.

High sensitivity detection of cancer genetic biomarkers from cfDNA has the potential to facilitate cancer diagnosis and provide guidance for personalized cancer treatment by serving as a liquid biopsy when there is no available tumor tissue and as a process for monitoring treatment effectiveness and emergence of drug resistance. To explore the clinical utility of the ICP-NGS platform in detecting cancer mutations in cfDNA, 26 plasma DNA samples harvested from patients with carcinomas were analyzed simultaneously with NGS for PIK3CA exons 9 and 20, KRAS exon 2, and EGFR exons 18 and 19 with or without prior ICP enrichment for mutants. For the 15 variants (P 5%) detected by ICP-NGS, only 3 variants were observed in NGS without ICP; even so, the mutant frequency for the 3 variants was low (∼5-10%) without the prior ICP enrichment but was enriched to ∼80-90% after the ICP. More importantly, 12 of the 15 variants detected by ICP-NGS were only detectable in NGS analysis because of the prior ICP enrichment. These results support the application of ICP in front of NGS in high-sensitivity and high-throughput detection of mutants in cfDNA.

In conclusion, we have established a platform of mutant enrichment by ICE COLD-PCR followed by NGS analysis that is capable of high sensitivity and high throughput detection of cancer genetic biomarkers. ICP-NGS detected the 80% of mutations in cfDNA that were undetectable without ICP enrichment, suggesting that ICP-NGS has the potential to detect and monitor patients' genetic biomarker in real-time and provide guidance for the personalized cancer treatment.

Citation Format: Rui Lin, Sarah Cherubin, Courtney Cubrich, Grant Wu, Ben Legendre, Katherine Richardson. Mutant enrichment by ICE COLD-PCR prior to the next-generation sequencing enables high sensitivity and high throughput detection of cancer biomarkers in patient samples. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 1506. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-1506


The addition of a robot to a team can be difficult if the human teammates do not trust the robot. This can result in underutilization or disuse of the robot, even if the robot has skills or abilities that are necessary to achieve team goals or reduce risk. To help a robot integrate itself with a human team, we present an agent algorithm that allows a robot to estimate its trustworthiness and adapt its behavior accordingly. As behavior adaptation is performed, using case-based reasoning (CBR), information about the adaptation process is stored and used to improve the efficiency of future adaptations.


An acidic polygalacturonase (PG) secreted by Rhizopus oryzae MTCC-1987 in submerged fermentation condition has been purified to electrophoretic homogeneity using ammonium sulphate fractionation and anion exchange chromatography on diethylaminoethyl cellulose. The purified enzyme gave a single protein band in sodium dodecyl sulphatepolyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis with a molecular mass corresponding to 75.5 kDa. The Km and kcat values of the PG were 2.7 mg/mL and 2.23 × 103 s−1, respectively, using citrus polygalacturonic acid as the substrate. The optimum pH of the purified PG was 5.0 and it does not loose activity appreciably if left for 24 hours in the pH range from 5.0 to 12.0. The optimum temperature of purified enzyme was 50°C and the enzyme does not loose activity below 30°C if exposed for two hours. The purified enzyme showed complete inhibition with 1 mM Ag+, Hg2+ and KMnO4, while it was stimulated to some extent by Co2+. The purified PG exhibited retting of Crotalaria juncea fibre in absence of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid.


Adductor spasmodic dysphonia (AdSD) is caused by local dystonia
of the thyroarytenoid muscle. Isshiki reported the usefulness
of type 2 thyroplasty (TP2) as a surgical treatment for this condition..


Background: Very little information is available regarding the incidence, causative mechanisms, and expected duration of time lost after injuries to kickers (placekickers and punters) in American football. Hypothesis: Lower extremity musculotendinous injuries are the most common type of injury in American football kickers. The injuries related to punting differ from injuries related to placekicking. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiologic study. Methods: A retrospective review of all documented injuries to kickers in the National Football League over a 20-year period (1988-2007) was performed using the League's injury surveillance database. The data were analyzed from multiple perspectives, with emphasis on the type of kick or activity at the time of injury and the factors that affect return to play after injury. Results: There were 488 total injuries over the 20-year period: 72% involved the lower extremity, 9% involved the lumbosacral spine, and 7% involved the head. Muscle-tendon injuries (49%) were the most common, followed by ligamentous injuries (17%). There was a significantly higher risk of injury in games (17.7 per 1000) than during practice (1.91 per 1000). Most injuries (93%) did not require surgery, and the mean time to return to play was 15 days if no surgery was necessary. Kickers over 30 years of age took longer to return to play (mean, 21 days) than younger kickers (mean, 12 days) after nonsurgical injuries (P = .03). Mean return to play after injuries that required surgery was 121 days. Lumbosacral soft tissue injury, lateral ankle sprains, and shoulder injuries were more likely to occur in punters than placekickers. Conclusion: Kicking athletes face a low risk of injury in professional American football. Injuries most commonly involve the lower extremities. Training and injury prevention efforts should reflect that punting is associated with different injuries than placekicking, and that older kickers take longer to recuperate than younger kickers after certain injuries.


Industrial crystallization processes involve a large number of complex physical and chemical phenomena. To control the quality of the product, it is essential to understand the role of each parameter in the nucleation and growth processes. In this study, we are specifically interested in the industrial crystallization of sodium bicarbonate. Refine sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) is produced industrially in bubble columns according to the reaction: Na2CO3 + CO2 + H2O -> 2 NaHCO3 The reaction involves three phases and thus transfers between gas and liquid, and liquid and solid. The supersaturation is created by the transfer of CO2 in the liquid. The presence of crystals in suspension in the liquid phase modifies the bubble behavior and therefore the gas-liquid transfer. The crystal size distribution, the purity and the morphology of the product depend on a wide variety of phenomena and conditions. To elucidate the key parameters, we are developing an in-depth study of the mechanisms controlling the nucleation and growth (liquid-solid transfer) in conditions close to industrial ones. To be able to study separately the influence of supersaturation, crystallization temperature, sodium carbonate concentration, magma density, agitation and impurities on nucleation and growth, we carried out experiments in a simplified set-up, a 4L - MSMPR (mixed solution mixed product removal) reactor. This type of reactor was chosen for two reasons: first the lowest part of an industrial bubble column can be considered as a MSMPR reactor, second models are available for extracting growth rate and nucleation rate for such a reactor. The influence of supersaturation level, crystallization temperature, and sodium carbonate concentration on the nucleation and growth kinetics will be presented here. In all experiments, the supersaturation is obtained by cooling a solution saturated at higher temperature, the residence time is kept constant at 26 min and the product is collected when a steady-state is reached. The sodium carbonate is introduced in the NaHCO3 solution at a continuous rate just before it is fed in the reactor. The composition of the solution is followed during the crystallization process by titration and densimetry (method developed by Zhu). ICP analyses give us the purity of the solution and crystals. The crystal size distribution (CSD) is obtained by sieving, and the crystal morphology is characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical microscopy. A new method of data analysis using a fitting square method was developed specially to decrease the error on the data analysis. The growth rate seems to be affected mainly by the crystallization temperature and is barely modified by the two other parameters in the range we investigated in this study. At the contrary, the nucleation rate is strongly affected by the three parameters. Furthermore, an ANOVA analysis of the nucleation rate results shows that parameters are coupled


A hybrid GA/SA (genetic algorithm/simulated annealing) approach is proposed for the blind deconvolution problem of image restoration. The blind deconvolution problem is modeled as an optimization problem whose cost function is to be minimized by the proposed hybrid approach. The approach combines the advantage of GA for global searches and the advantage of SA for local ones. The results indicate that it is possible to arrive at high quality solutions in reasonable time even for large-scale problems, such as image processing.


If one had to discern a center of gravity in Bruno Latour's voluminous and multi-layered work, one could find it in the question of the political. At first glance, this may seem unexpected. After all, it is only with his decidedly political texts since the turn of the millennium that many have become aware of the political dimension of his work. Yet, Latour's most recent work leaves no doubt that there is no way around the topic of politics (anymore) in the discussion of his writings in general. Given the death of Bruno Latour on October 9, 2022, this genuinely political dimension of his work will be re-examined in the following. In doing so, I would like to address some strands of Latour's political sociology while emphasizing that he is to be understood as a political sociologist through and through – and not just in passing.


This thesis describes the preparation of a series of compounds containing π-excessive, five-membered, heterocyclic rings with peripheral aryl substituents, designed to investigate their oxidative cyclodehydrogenation and/or photocyclisation to form curved, fused aromatic systems with a heterocyclic atom at the core of the compound. The ability of these compounds to undergo oxidative cyclodehydrogenation was investigated using a range of conditions, including the use of Lewis acidic transition metals, organic reagents and light as catalysts to carry out the desired carbon-carbon bond forming reactions. Two backbone linked 2,2'-biimidazole ligands were prepared to investigate their coordination chemistry with a range of different metal ions and counter ions. Two families of model compounds, including ten previously unreported compounds, were prepared and subjected to various conditions for oxidative cyclodehydrogenation and photocyclisation resulting in the isolation of compounds with one carbon-carbon bond formed between the peripheral aryl rings in the same position on the heterocyclic ring, nineteen previously unreported compounds were isolated. Additionally, in one case oxidative cyclodehydrogenation resulted in the formation of two carbon-carbon bonds, producing a highly strained aromatic compound containing a heterocyclic ring. Photocyclisation of one family of compounds resulted in the formation of a different heterocyclic core dependent upon the substituent on the nitrogen atom. Five pentaarylpyrrole compounds, three of which were previously unreported, were also prepared after the exploration of various synthetic routes towards the pentaarylpyrrole motif. Photocyclisation also resulted in the formation of one carbon-carbon bond. The compounds resulting from oxidative cyclodehydrogenation and photocyclisation were characterised by NMR spectroscopy, UV/vis spectroscopy and fluorometry, where possible X-ray crystallography was also used. The coordination chemistry of backbone linked 2,2'-biimidazole ligands to various metal ions could be controlled by the length of the backbone linker. The ethyl linked 2,2'-biimidazole ligand formed bridging and monodentate coordination compounds with various metal ions, the metallosupramolecular assemblies produced with silver ions could be controlled by the anion present. Discrete coordination complexes were usually formed, but in two cases metallopolymers were produced. The propyl linked 2,2'-biimidazole ligand formed exclusively discrete, chelating complexes with copper (II) metal ions. Eighteen coordination complexes were prepared during the course of this study characterized by X-ray crystallography, and NMR spectroscopy where appropriate.


Our data suggest that B. cereus AR156 can promote the enrichment of beneficial microorganisms in the plant rhizosphere by regulating salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA)/ethylene (ET) signaling pathways in plants, thereby playing a role in controlling bacterial wilt disease. Meanwhile, Spearman correlation analysis showed that the relative abundances of these beneficial bacteria were correlated with the secretion of root exudates. ABSTRACT The environmentally friendly biological control strategy that relies on beneficial bacterial inoculants to improve plant disease resistance is a promising strategy. Previously, it has been demonstrated that biocontrol bacteria treatments can change the plant rhizosphere microbiota but whether plant signaling pathways, especially those related to disease resistance, mediate the changes in rhizosphere microbiota has not been explored. Here, we investigated the complex interplay among biocontrol strains, plant disease resistance-related pathways, root exudates, rhizosphere microorganisms, and pathogens to further clarify the biocontrol mechanism of biocontrol bacteria by using plant signaling pathway mutants. Bacillus cereus AR156, which was previously isolated from forest soil by our laboratory, can significantly control tomato bacterial wilt disease in greenhouse and field experiments. Moreover, compared with the control treatment, the B. cereus AR156 treatment had a significant effect on the soil microbiome and recruited 35 genera of bacteria to enrich the rhizosphere of tomato. Among them, the relative rhizosphere abundance of nine genera, including Ammoniphilus, Bacillus, Bosea, Candidimonas, Flexivirga, Brevundimonas, Bordetella, Dyella, and Candidatus_Berkiella, was regulated by plant disease resistance-related signaling pathways and B. cereus AR156. Linear correlation analysis showed that the relative abundances of six genera in the rhizosphere were significantly negatively correlated with pathogen colonization in roots. These rhizosphere bacteria were affected by plant root exudates that are regulated by signaling pathways. IMPORTANCE Our data suggest that B. cereus AR156 can promote the enrichment of beneficial microorganisms in the plant rhizosphere by regulating salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA)/ethylene (ET) signaling pathways in plants, thereby playing a role in controlling bacterial wilt disease. Meanwhile, Spearman correlation analysis showed that the relative abundances of these beneficial bacteria were correlated with the secretion of root exudates. Our study reveals a new mechanism for SA and JA/ET signals to participate in the adjustment of plant resistance whereby the signaling pathways adjust the rhizosphere microecology by changing the root exudates and thus change plant resistance. On the other hand, biocontrol strains can utilize this mechanism to recruit beneficial bacteria by activating disease resistance-related signaling pathways to confine the infection and spread of pathogens. Finally, our data also provide a new idea for the in-depth study of biocontrol mechanisms.


AIM
To investigate the effect of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-13) on the clinical and functional manifestations of systemic inflammation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and coronary heart disease (CHD).

SUBJECTS AND METHODS
The protocol included 36 patients with COPD and 36 patients with COPD concurrent with CHD. The number of COPD exacerbations, hospital admissions, pneumonia cases, degree of dyspnea, and functional indicators were analyzed. The levels of markers for inflammation, such as C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen, and procalcitonin (PCT), were investigated.

RESULTS
A year after vaccination, the COPD group showed decreases in the level of CRP, fibrinogen, and PCT by 11, 6, and 2%, respectively; the COPD + CHD group did by 12, 24, and 19%. PCT levels demonstrated the closest correlation with clinical and functional parameters; the other indicators showed moderate (CRP) and low (fibrinogen) correlations.

CONCLUSION
PCV-13 vaccination can reduce systemic inflammation just a year later.


The COVID-19 pandemic affected many areas of public life and industry. This also applies to research particularly that relies on scientific studies with test persons. In order to minimize the risk of infection, several aspects of experiment design including the setting might require alteration. An extensive review of the latest research involving the COVID-19 pandemic as a blueprint for dealing with other health situations has been conducted in order to develop a step-by-step approach to plan a study with regard to infection protection. As a result, a generic six-step concept was developed that is applicable for scientific studies in both stationary rooms and vehicles while being adaptable to the respective circumstances. The infection protection measures determined through research were implemented in the individual sub-steps from study planning to execution. They allow a step-by-step approach to prevent infections in scientific studies with different settings during a pandemic and in situations where increased hygiene measures are required.


This study explores the current state of the translation job market from the perspective of recent translation graduates. It attempts to evaluate the efficiency of the academic and technical training programs of the Department of Translation (DoT) at the University of Tripoli. The study examines how well DoT prepared graduates for professional work. It collects insights and analyzes a database of a variety of status indicators such as employment conditions, career options available for new translation graduates, domains that translators regularly search for: salary and income, occupational standards including years of experience and skills and qualifications required by employers. Based on evidence collected from the database, there is a wide range of employment positions and domains in which a translation graduate can occupy. However, quantitative analysis of the survey administered to translation graduates indicates that most graduates tend to work as teachers and could not obtain jobs as translators due to a shortage of opportunities and low salary intake in the translation industry. The study reveals that experience is not specified, and applicants with limited experience are also valued by employers in the 21st century job market. Nevertheless, the results of the investigation also suggest that IT skills, advanced language knowledge, and strong interpersonal skills are all crucial elements for job-seekers with no significant amount of experience. Furthermore, most graduates have a medium to negative perception of the university training and did not feel prepared enough to join the labor market after graduation. Although the vast majority of participants claim that the current situation in Tripoli had a direct impact on their job-seeking experience, about a third of the total participants surveyed revealed that they managed to obtain opportunities abroad using their translation degree.


We report on a detailed textural analysis of mechanochemically synthesized MOF-199 including N 2 adsorption-desorption and CO 2 adsorption isotherms data at 77 K and 273 K (up to atmospheric pressure), respectively, and CH 4 adsorption data at 298 K (up to 35 bar). We used the isotherm adsorption data to determine the micropore volume of the MOF-199 structures, to establish their methane uptake capacity and to understand how these properties depended on the Ethanol/BTC ratio used during the synthesis.  The maximum methane uptake capacity for our specimens was recorded at 130 v/v at 35 bars. These results open an avenue for a better understanding of alternative manufacturing processes of MOF structures for gas storage applications.


Most of the typhoons that impact coastal regions of Vietnam occur from the north to the central part, between June and November. As a result of global warming, typhoon intensities are expected to increase. Therefore, an assessment of various typhoon strengths is essential. In this study, Typhoon Lekima, which hit Vietnam in 2007, was simulated by weather research and forecast models, using ensemble simulation methodology. Reproductive results of the typhoon intensity are similar to actual estimated values from the Japan Meteorological Agency. Also, the variation of typhoon intensities and heavy rainfall in future climate scenarios was investigated using numerical simulations based on pseudo global warming conditions, constructed using fifth-phase results of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project multi-model global warming experiments. Simulation results of five Pseudo Global Warming (PGW_FF) models indicate that intensities of the typhoon will be magnified in future climate. The minimum sea level pressure of typhoons similar to Typhoon Lekima in the future will increase from 8 hPa to 9 hPa, and the spatial distribution of maximum wind speed and tracked direction will move towards the southern regions. Total precipitation will significantly increase for a maximum of six hours, and the spatial distribution of heavy rain caused by typhoons will shift from the north to the southwest of Vietnam. In the future, simulated results showed that global warming correlates strongly with a significant increase in typhoon intensity and heavy rain.


Radical copolymerization behavior of alkyl cyclobutenecarboxylate-derivatives 4-6 and related norbornene-derived compounds 7–9 is described. A variety of alkyl cyclobutenecarboxylates fused with cycloaliphatic framework (4–6) were prepared by [2 + 2] cycloaddition of five, six, and eight-membered cycloolefins with alkyl propiolates [alkyl = Me, 2-hydroxyethyl, and 3-γ-butyrolactonyl (γ-BL)]. The fused cyclobutenecarboxylates 4–6 were radically copolymerized with n-butyl acrylate (nBA) to afford random copolymers, and terpolymerized with alkyl methacrylates with bulky ester groups [alkyl = γ-BL and 3-(3-methyladamantyl)]. The cyclobutane-containing bicyclic framework incorporated in the resulting polymer backbone contributes to raising Tg of resulting copolymers. Similar results were obtained when a mixture of related norbornene-derived compounds were used as monomers with an apparently enhanced Tg-raising effect in the copolymerization with nBA. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 2716–2724


The humidity effects on the benzene decomposition process were investigated by the dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma reactor. The results showed that the water vapor played an important role in the benzene oxidation process. It was found that there was an optimum humidity value for the benzene removal efficiency, and at around 60% relative humidity (RH), the optimum benzene removal efficiency was achieved. At a SIE of 378 J/L, the removal efficiency was 66% at 0% RH, while the removal efficiency reached 75.3% at 60% RH and dropped to 69% at 80% RH. Furthermore, the addition of water inhibited the formation of ozone and NO2 remarkably. Both of the concentrations of ozone and NO2 decreased with increasing of the RH at the same specific input energy. At a SIE of 256 J/L, the concentrations of ozone and NO2 were 5.4 mg/L and 1791 ppm under dry conditions, whereas they were only 3.4 mg/L and 1119 ppm at 63.5% RH, respectively. Finally, the outlet gas after benzene degradation was qualitatively analyzed by FT-IR and GC-MS to determine possible intermediate byproducts. The results suggested that the byproducts in decomposition of benzene primarily consisted of phenol and substitutions of phenol. Based on these byproducts a benzene degradation mechanism was proposed.


Mexico recently declared ambitious goals in reducing domestic CO2 emissions and introduced a carbon tax in 2014. Although negative effects on household welfare and related poverty measures are widely discussed as possible consequences, empirical evidence is missing. We try to fill this gap by simulating an input-output model coupled with household survey data to examine the welfare effects of different carbon tax rates over the income distribution. The currently effective tax rate is small and has negligible effects on household welfare. Higher simulated tax rates, maintaining the current tax base, show a slight progressivity but welfare losses remain moderate. Welfare losses, regressivity and poverty rise more with widening the tax base towards natural gas and other greenhouse gases (CH4, N2O) mainly through food price increases. For a complete analysis of the policy, we simulate a redistribution of calculated tax revenues and find that the resulting effects become highly progressive, also for high rates, wider tax bases and even in the absence of perfect targeting of social welfare programs. JEL Classification: C67, Q28, Q48, Q52, H23, I38 *This research was supported by Volkswagen Stiftung. Viola Bold provided excellent research assistance.