COVID-19 has strained population breast mammography screening programs that aim to diagnose and treat breast cancers earlier. As the pandemic has affected countries differently, we aimed to quantify changes in breast screening volume and uptake during the first year of COVID-19 . We systematically searched Medline, the World Health Organization (WHO) COVID-19 database, and governmental databases. Studies covering January 2020 to March 2022 were included. We extracted and analyzed data regarding study methodology, screening volume, and uptake. To assess for risk of bias, we used the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal Tool. Twenty-six cross-sectional descriptive studies (focusing on 13 countries/nations) were included out of 935 independent records. Reductions in screening volume and uptake rates were observed among eight countries. Changes in screening participation volume in five nations with national population-based screening ranged from –13 to –31%. Among two countries with limited population-based programs, the decline ranged from –61 to –41%. Within the USA, population participation volumes varied ranging from +18 to –39%, with suggestion of differences by insurance status (HMO, Medicare, and low-income programs). Almost all studies had high risk of bias due to insufficient statistical analysis and confounding factors. The extent of COVID-19-induced reduction in breast screening participation volume differed by region and data suggested potential differences by healthcare setting (e.g., national health insurance vs. private healthcare). Recovery efforts should monitor access to screening and early diagnosis to determine whether prevention services need strengthening to increase the coverage of disadvantaged groups and reduce disparities.


AbstractMaking Place and Nation: Geographic Meaning and the Americanization of Oregon: 1834-1859by MacKenzie Katherine Lee MooreDoctor of Philosophy in HistoryUniversity of California, BerkeleyProfessor David Henkin, Chair"Making Place and Nation: Geographic Meaning and the Americanization of Oregon: 1834-1859" examines the ways colonists worked to counteract the problem of Oregon's complicated geographic situation in order to naturalize the territory's membership in the nation between the first American missionary settlement and admission as the union's thirty-third state. Driven by their desire for national inclusion, colonists ascribed national meanings to local actions while also adapting national narratives to fit their immediate experience. This study uses two key concepts to spatially reconstruct the colonial experience: mental maps and vernacular geography. Colonists relied on mental mapping to navigate and to organize geographic knowledge, and this cognitive practice became part of the spatially focused community discourse dubbed vernacular geography. Locally produced geographic discourse united under one rubric the twin objectives that defined the conquest of Oregon: to civilize the landscape and eliminate the Indian presence therein, and to concurrently rewrite the map of the United States with Oregon squarely within its borders. Thus, "Making Place and Nation" asserts that the conquest of Oregon is best understood as a recursive process of making both place and nation.The dissertation relies on a wide variety of documentary materials, including personal and official letter correspondence, diaries and travelogues, pioneer reminiscences, petitions to local and federal government entities, newspapers, and official reports to agents of the central government. These sources reveal that colonists read both the physical transformation of Oregon's environment and the amount of independence enjoyed by native groups as indicators of the territory's potential for national incorporation The following chapters reinterpret a series of key events in the history of Oregon's colonization. Chapter One traces the role of mental mapping in establishing an American colony. Chapter Two explores colonists' conceptual tools to manage anxiety about sharing territory with independent Indian groups and their destruction in the 1847 Whitman Massacre. Chapter Three scrutinizes the production of local geographic knowledge as a method of wresting spatial control from Indians during the California and Southwest Oregon Gold Rush (1848-1853). Chapter Four analyzes the territorial dimensions of a colonial program of ethnic cleansing toward Indians in the Rogue River War (1855-56). Chapter Five investigates the extinguishment of Indian title and its relationship to the uneven implementation of the Oregon Donation Land Act during the era of removal (1856-1859).


Objective
To evaluate the repeatability of corneal biomechanics parameters measured by Corneal Visualization Scheimpflug Technology (Corvis ST) and explore the factors that influence the repeatability.

Methods
A diagnostic test study was performed.A total of 190 eyes in 95 myopia patients (34 males and 61 females) were enrolled from September to October 2017 in Henan Eye Hospital.All the subjects underwent 5 repeated examinations with the Corvis ST.The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), Cronbach α coefficients and repeatability coefficient (RC) were computed to evaluate repeatability of Corvis ST parameters.The multiple linear regression analysis was used to study the factors that affect the magnitude of the test-retest variability (within subject SD) of new Corvis ST parameters.This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Henan Eye Hospital (HNEECKY-2019[5]), and written informed consent was obtained from each subject.

Results
Among the 39 biomechanics parameters, The ICC and Cronbach α were greater than 0.75 for 26 parameters, within 0.60-0.75 for 4 parameters, and lower than 0.60 for deflection amplitude max time (DLAMT). The ICC and Cronbach α of DA ratio max[1 mm], DA ratio max [2 mm], max inverse radius, Ambrosio's relational thickness horizontal (ARTh), biomechanical intraocular pressure (bIOP), integrated radius, stiffness parameter applanation 1 (SPA1) and Corvis biomechanical index (CBI)were all above 0.920.The multivariate regression results indicated that the within subject SD of bIOP increased with the increase of IOP (β=0.210, P=0.010). The within subjects SD of DA Ratio Max [1 mm]decreased with the increase of central corneal thickness (CCT) (β=-0.218, P=0.008). The within subjects SD of DA Ratio Max [2 mm]decreased with the increase of CCT(β=-0.295, P<0.001). The within subject SD of CBI decreased with the increase of astigmatism, axial lengths and CCT (β=-0.190、-0.148、-0.428, all P<0.05).

Conclusion
The Corvis ST parameters showed favorable measurement repeatability in myopia patients, especially for the new parameters.Astigmatism, axial lengths and CCT significantly affected the repeatability of CBI.

Key words:
Cornea; Biomechanics; Myopia; Repeatability; Test-retest variability; Influence factors


Abstract Childhood gender variance (GV) is associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis/traits; however, this association has mainly been investigated in clinical samples. An ASD screening measure based on 10 items from the commonly used Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) might enable investigation of this association in a wider variety of (non-clinical) populations where the CBCL and a measure of GV are available. We investigated whether GV in 6- to 12-year-olds (N = 1719; 48.8% assigned male at birth) from a community sample showed an association with the CBCL 10-item ASD screener. The Gender Identity Questionnaire for Children measured GV. The CBCL 10-item ASD screener measured ASD traits. The remaining CBCL items provided a measure of children's general emotional and behavioral challenges. Higher GV was associated with higher CBCL ASD screener scores, including when controlling for the remaining CBCL items. The CBCL 10-item ASD screener can be useful for investigating the link between GV and ASD traits in 6- to 12-year-olds. Given that the CBCL is commonly employed, secondary analyses of existing datasets that also included a measure of GV could enable investigation of how widely the association between GV and ASD applies across a variety of populations.


Out-of-bounds array access(OOB) is one of the fault models commonly employed in the objectoriented programming language. At present, the technology of code insertion and optimization is widely used in the world to detect and fix this kind of fault. Although this method can examine some of the faults in OOB programs, it cannot test programs thoroughly, neither to find the faults correctly. The way of code insertion makes the test procedures so inefficient that the test becomes costly and time-consuming. This paper, uses a kind of special static test technology to realize the fault detection in OOB programs. We first establish the fault models in OOB program, and then develop an automatic test tool to detect the faults. Some experiments have exercised and the results show that the method proposed in the paper is efficient and feasible in practical applications.


Precise isolation and analysis of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from blood samples offer considerable potential for cancer research and personalized treatment. Currently, available CTC isolation approaches remain challenging in the quest for simple strategies to achieve cell isolation with both high separation efficiency and high purity, which limits the use of captured CTCs for downstream analyses. Here, we present a filter deterministic lateral displacement concept to achieve one-step and label-free CTC isolation with high throughput. Unlike conventional deterministic lateral displacement (DLD) devices, the proposed method uses a hydrodynamic cell sorting design by incorporating a filtration concept into a DLD structure, and enables high-throughput and clog-free isolation by a cascaded microfluidic design. The cascaded filter-DLD (CFD) design demonstrated enhanced performance for size-based cell separation, and achieved high separation efficiency (>96%), high cell purity (WBC removal rate 99.995%), high cell viability (>98%) and high processing rate (1 mL min-1). Samples from lung cancer patients were analyzed using the CFD-Chip, CTCs and tumor cell-leukocyte fusion cells were efficiently collected, and changes in CTC levels were used for treatment response monitoring. The CFD-Chip platform isolated CTCs with good viability, enabling direct downstream analysis with single-cell RNA sequencing. Transcriptome analysis of enriched CTCs identified new subtypes of CTCs such as tumor cell-leukocyte fusion cells, providing insights into cancer diagnostics and therapeutics.


Smartphone-based remote monitoring is a potential solution for providing long-term, objective assessment of gait and mobility in patients with Parkinsons disease (PD). In the Multiple Ascending Dose study of PRX002/RG7935, forty-four mild to moderate PD patients from cohorts 4 to 6 were included in a smartphone-based assessment for up to 24 weeks, while in a separate control study, thirty-five age-and gender-matched healthy individuals performed the same assessment up to 6 weeks. In total, over 30,000 hours of sensor data from subjects' daily activities were collected. A convolutional recurrent neural network was used for human activity recognition and extracted gait-related activities, followed by a mobility analysis on extracted mobility features during ambulatory bouts and turns. The analysis revealed that PD patients showed significantly lower mobility in terms of average ambulatory bout length — length of time of one continuous ambulatory segment, average per-step power, turn speed, and number of turns per ambulatory minute. In addition, bout-length stratified analysis shows the between-group difference of multiple features is associated with bout lengths. These study results support the potential use of smartphones for long-term mobility monitoring in future clinical practice, and also shed lights on previously inaccessible relationships between bout length and gait features under free-living condition.


The present study was conducted to find out the dietary effects of mannan-oligosaccharides (MOS) supplemented diets on the production performance of four close-bred flocks (CBFs) of Japanese quail ( Coturnix coturnix japonica ) breeders. A total of 960 twelve-week-old birds of four CBFs were randomly divided into four groups (n = 240) with 12 replicates (n = 20). Birds were fed a corn-based basal diet or the same diet supplemented with 0.25%, 0.50%, and 1.0% MOS for 15 weeks. The authors analysed the data by two-way ANOVA techniques using SAS (Statistical Analysis System). Birds fed MOS-supplemented diets had significantly higher body and egg weight, egg mass, and egg number than the control group. Similarly, the feed conversion ratio (FCR)/dozen eggs, FCR/kg egg mass, and mortality were significantly lower in MOS supplemented groups. However, no significant effect of MOS supplementation was recorded on feed intake and egg production of birds. None of the parameters differed significantly among CBFs. The results showed that feeding MOS as a replacement for antibiotic growth factor may positively influence the production performance and health of Japanese quail breeders. Keywords: Body weight, egg weight, egg mass, feed conversion ratio, mortality


In this exploratory study the spectrum of tetraquarks of type c ¯ cs ¯ s is calculated within a simple quark model with chromomagnetic interaction and effective quark masses extracted from meson and baryon spectra. It is tempting to see if this spectrum can accommodate the resonance Y(4140), observed by the CDF collaboration, but not yet confirmed. The results seem to favour the J PC = 1 ++ sector where the coupling to the VV channel is nearly as small as that of X(3872), when described as a c ¯ cq ¯ q tetraquark. This suggests that Y(4140) could possibly be the strange partner of X(3872), in a tetraquark interpretation. However the sector J PC = 0 ++ cannot entirely be excluded. This work questions the practice of extracting effective quark masses containing spin independent contributions, from mesons and baryons, to be used in multiquark systems as well.


Very fine Ni nanoparticles including subnanoclusters are dispersed in zeolite-templated carbon (ZTC), by thermal decomposition (573 K) of nickelocene pre-loaded on ZTC which functions as a high-surface area support. X-ray absorption fine structure reveals that the Ni species formed by the thermal decomposition is in a unique oxidized state. It is different from nickelocene, Ni metal, or any other inorganic Ni species. The unique Ni species can dissociatively adsorb H2, and enhance the following spillover even under ambient conditions. The spillover activity of the non-metallic Ni subnanoclusters is superior to that of Ni-metal nanoparticles and even comparable to that of Pt nanoparticles.


Digital infrastructures are essential for advancing humanities scholarship in the digital age. In this paper, we discuss three ongoing projects by the Belgrade Center for Digital Humanities (BCDH) — "Transpoetika," the "Digital Library of Serbian Cultural Heritage of the 18th Century" and the "Annotated Digital Edition of Vuk Stefanovic Karadžic's Srpski rjecnik" — as case studies for how a lexicographic infrastructure can contribute to the creation of more sophisticated digital libraries (DLs). Designed around a robust and inter-operable dictionary web service, the BCDH DLs offer a broad range of functionalities for user engagement with cultural heritage texts. Features such as full-content searching, multiple browsing options, glosses, concordances and indexes, hypertext and hypermedia links allow users to define, explain, and order the language and literary culture. At the same time, these DLs highlight the inherent contingency and dialogic nature of language systems by inviting users to comment, question, explore, and play with the material through features such as innovative interface and social media. By facilitating exploration of the complexities and variability of cultural heritage, the BCDH projects exemplify the positive potentialities of DLs for humanities scholarship and cultural heritage discourse.


A phase singularity of the light field created by interference of two Gaussian singular beams which propagate in a weak and near ground turbulent atmosphere is analyzed by the Rytov approximation and the short-term averaging method of the dislocation-position. We demonstrate that an edge or circular dislocation may be formed by both parallel and coaxial or noncoaxial collimated beams with different or equal beam-width interfere. The edge or circular short-term wavefront dislocations of super position field depend on the atmospheric turbulence strength, beam propagation distance, amplitude ratio, dislocation of nesting vortices, and beam-width or beam-width ratio of the individual beams.


A previous experiment in JT-60U supported an orbit following Monte Carlo (OFMC) calculation regarding ripple trapped loss, and the present experiment, furthermore, suggests that the OFMC also predicts banana drift loss fairly well. In the experiment presented, the total fast ion losses due to toroidal field ripple were estimated from the decay in neutron emission following a short neutral beam injection (90 keV, D). The neutron decay for co-passing beam injection showed a diffusivity of about 0 m2/s, which indicates no fast ion loss. In contrast, the neutron decay for trapped particle injection exhibited characteristic enhancement of fast ion losses due to toroidal field ripple: the fast ion losses consisted of ripple trapped convection and ripple banana diffusion in the low collisionality regime. The OFMC calculation reconstructed completely the experimental neutron decay irrespective of the total ripple losses and the fraction of banana drift loss. Considering the previous work on ripple trapped loss and this result, it can be concluded that the OFMC code gives a good quantitative estimation of banana drift loss as well as ripple trapped loss


Electrogenic ion transport through the colon epithelium of the African clawed toad (Xenopus laevis) was investigated with electrophysiological methods in vitro. Interest was focused on a previously described phenomenon, that removal of Ca2+ from the mucosal Ringer's solution increases electrogenic sodium absorption. Our results clearly show that Ca2+ removal reveals an apical ion channel that is not a specific Na+ channel, but a non-selective cation channel with an 'apparent' ion selectivity of the order K+ greater than Na+ = Rb+ greater than Cs+ greater than Li+. This Ca2(+)-sensitive current increased linearly with the mucosal pH, and could be inhibited by other divalent cations (Mg2+, Ba2+) and the organic ion channel blockers quinidine and verapamil. The mucosal Ca2+ concentration that induced a half-maximal inhibition of the Ca2(+)-sensitive current was about 1 mumol l-1 and was independent of the mucosal pH. Owing to the high Ca2+ sensitivity, a regulation of the channel conductivity by extracellular Ca2+ is ruled out. It is concluded that this channel, which is almost identical to similar channels found in amphibian skin and bladder, acts as a pathway for cation absorbing or secreting processes. Possibly the binding of extracellular Ca2+ is related to selectivity changes of the Ca2(+)-sensitive ion channel.


This paper gives a general framework for the computation of several classes of partial differential equations (PDEs) on hypersurfaces. The approach is to work in a sufficiently thin narrow band, surrounding the surface, in the embedding Euclidean space and appropriately extend the differential operators so that the solutions on the narrow band and surface are equivalent. The solutions in the narrow band are equivalent to the solutions on the surface as in the former are constant along surface normal extensions of the latter. Consequently, it is possible to use existing (high order) numerical methods developed on grids in Euclidean space to solve PDEs on surfaces, with narrow bands whose widths are a small constant multiple of uniform Cartesian grid spacing. We apply the formulation to PDEs that originate from variational principles defined on surfaces as well as Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equations on surfaces that are derived from optimal control problems. This framework also provides a systematic way for solving PDE's on the unstructured point clouds that are sampled from the surface.


Three-dimensional (3D) tissue imaging methods are expected to improve surgical management of cancer. In this study, we examined the feasibility of two 3D imaging technologies, optical coherence tomography (OCT) and optical coherence microscopy (OCM), to view human breast specimens based on intrinsic optical contrast. Specifically, we imaged 44 ex vivo breast specimens including 34 benign and 10 malignant lesions with an integrated OCT and OCM system developed in our laboratory. The system enabled 4-μm axial resolution (OCT and OCM) with 14-μm (OCT) and 2-μm (OCM) transverse resolutions, respectively. OCT and OCM images were compared with corresponding histologic sections to identify characteristic features from benign and malignant breast lesions at multiple resolution scales. OCT and OCM provide complimentary information about tissue microstructure, thus showing distinctive patterns for adipose tissue, fibrous stroma, breast lobules and ducts, cysts and microcysts, as well as in situ and invasive carcinomas. The 3D imaging capability of OCT and OCM provided complementary information to individual 2D images, thereby allowing tracking features from different levels to identify low-contrast structures that were difficult to appreciate from single images alone. Our results lay the foundation for future in vivo optical evaluation of breast tissues, using OCT and OCM, which has the potential to guide core needle biopsies, assess surgical margins, and evaluate nodal involvement in breast cancer.


Sepsis remains among the most common complications from infectious diseases worldwide. The morbidity and mortality rates associated with sepsis range from 20% to 50%. The advances in care for patients with an immunocompromised status have been remarkable over the last 2 decades, but sepsis continues to be a major cause of death in this population Immunocompromised patients who are recipients of a solid organ or hematopoietic stem cell transplant are living longer with a better quality of life. However, some of these patients need lifelong treatment with immunosuppressive medications to maintain their transplant status. A consequence of the need for this permanent immunosuppression is the high risk of opportunistic, community, and hospital-acquired infections, all of which can lead to sepsis. In addition, the detection of serious infections may be more challenging owing to patients' lower ability to mount the clinical symptoms that usually accompany sepsis. This article provides an update on the current knowledge of sepsis in immunocompromised patients without human immunodeficiency virus. It reviews the most pertinent causes of sepsis in this population, and addresses the specific diagnostic and therapeutic challenges in neutropenia and solid organ and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.


The Robotic Arm Camera (RAC) is a panchromatic imager included as part of the Mars Volatiles and Climate Surveyor (MVACS) science experiment on Mars Polar Lander and on the Mars 2001 lander. It is designed to take both panoramic and microscopic images in order to gather data on the morphology and mineralogy of surface materials. In order to demonstrate these capabilities, a field test was conducted at Silver Lake playa in the Mojave Desert. The test consisted of going to a remote site unknown to the science team and providing that team with a data set of RAC panoramic, anaglyph, and microscopic images similar to what would be available during an actual landing. With only this information the science team attempted a determination of the position and the geology of the field test site. Using panoramic and anaglyph images provided by RAC, in conjunction with overflight images simulating data from a descent camera, the landing site for the field test was determined within 50 m of the actual site as lying near both a playa and an alluvial fan. Images of samples from the surface and within the trench revealed grain morphology, texture, and mineralogy indicating a soil dominated by quartz and feldspar, interspersed with a minor mafic component. Grain-size distribution was bimodal, with small, rounded to subrounded grains dominant at lower depths and larger, more angular grains more plentiful near the surface. This mineralogy is confirmed by the geology of the site and the data provided by the descent images and mid-IR measurements. RAC has demonstrated its ability to image the local geology and identify the major mineralogic components of an unknown site. These abilities will be crucial in understanding both the macroscopic and the microscopic geology of future Mars landing sites. This test also has demonstrated the crucial link between RAC data and complementary data sets such as context images and compositional data that can support the mineralogic observations made by RAC.


It is known from basic research that fine motor activities linked to object handling such as grasping and lifting are almost automatised and highly adapted to the properties of manipulated objects. Object surface properties influence the grip-lift force coupling at object-digit-surface and the object weight perception. Such force-coupling relies on visual and somatosensory processes along with the internal models. Limited or affected somatosensory mechanism could lead to disturbed force efforts and deterioration in object weight perception. Present study was aimed to evaluate the strategy to strengthen the somatosensory mechanism by implementing additional sensory channel (grip force related online acoustic feedback) during a standard weight discrimination task. Participants from both young and old age judged the heaviness of objects with different shapes, compared to a reference object using the precision grip. Results showed that object shape manipulation influenced grip force and weight perception. Integration of additional sense supported the forward model by reducing sensorimotor processing time in both age groups. This indicates the facilitatory impact of multisensory integration on motor control. Moreover, it lowered the discrimination threshold of weight perception and improved the accuracy level. Contrarily, the effect of assistive acoustic feedback on grip force application and weight perception was not significant. We clearly observed the overall aging effects for weight perception and grip force application.


BACKGROUND
Health care workers are at risk for transmission of blood-borne agents through percutaneous exposure. Reporting of sharps injuries is essential for instigation of adequate post-exposure prophylaxis and follow-up. We aimed at providing an account of number of sharps injuries reported by type of health care worker and the reporting systems used for injuries that have an inherent risk of transmitting blood-borne agents.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
The section for HSE (health, safety and environment) at Haukeland University Hospital provided us with an overview of requests for analyses of hepatitis and HIV linked to 159 sharps injuries that had not been reported otherwise. Injury reports at Haukeland University Hospital from the period 2003 - 2007 (n = 8556) were systematically reviewed.

RESULTS
On average, 210 sharps injuries are reported annually at Haukeland University Hospital. In addition analyses of hepatitis and HIV linked to 159 sharps injuries that had not been reported otherwise, were requested annually. 51 % of sharps injuries were reported by nurses, 10 % by laboratory workers, 6 % by doctors and 33 % by others.

INTERPRETATION
Sharps injuries are often not reported, and especially doctors fail to report them. Of health care workers, nurses report most sharps injuries. Related to numbers employed, laboratory workers report most sharps injuries.


This research investigates the history of quality and development of quality management systems. History of quality is investigated from Hammurabi's law all the way to today's reigning quality initiatives including ISO, Six Sigma and Lean manufacturing. In the last chapters the current state of quality management is being examined. The foresight method is also opened up and examined. The Innovator's dilemma concept, originally presented by Clayton Christensen, is used to analyse how quality management systems have been evolved in the last 100 years. Special emphasis is placed on the US manufacturing in the 1970s and 1980s. Based on the literature, the concept of Innovator's dilemma and the fall of US manufacturing are merged. The result is a prime example that the Innovator's Dilemma is a universal phenomenon. The industry leader is trying to maintain its position and do everything right but still it is destined to fail. The causes and effects are being discussed in later chapters.


Over a dozen studies have examined how households who travel to collect water (about one-quarter of humanity) make choices about where and how much to collect. There is little evidence, however, that these studies have informed rural water supply planning in anything but a qualitative way. In this paper, we describe a new web-based decision support tool that planners or community members can use to simulate scenarios such as (1) price, quality, or placement changes of existing sources, (2) the closure of an existing source, or (3) the addition of a new source. We describe the analytical structure of the model and then demonstrate its possibilities using data from a recent study in rural Meru County, Kenya. We discuss some limits of the current model, and encourage readers and practitioners to explore it and suggest ways in which it could be improved or used most effectively.


Abstract Monitoring wolves (Canis lupus) is a difficult and often expensive task due to high mobility, pack dynamic, shyness and nocturnal activity of this species. Wolves communicate acoustically through howling, within pack and with packs of the neighbourhood. A wolf howl is a low-frequency vocalization that can be transmitted over long distances and thus it can be used for monitoring. Elicited howling survey is a current method to monitor wolves in different areas all over the world. Elicited howling, however, may be invasive to residential wolf packs and could create possible negative reactions from the human population. Here we show that it is possible to detect wolves by recording spontaneous howling events. We measured the sound pressure level of wolf howls by captive individuals and we further found that elicited howling may be recorded and clearly identified up to a distance of 3 km. We finally conducted a non-invasive acoustic detection of wolves in a free-ranging population. The use of passive sound recorders may provide a powerful non-invasive tool for future wolf monitoring and could help to establish sustainable management plans for this species.


Background Three months after radical radiotherapy for lung cancer, 50–60% of patients have radiation pneumonitis (RP) on CT thorax. Our aim was to assess the clinical and dosimetric factors associated with radiologically-defined RP. Our primary endpoint was the development of new infiltrates on CT thorax at 3 months following radiotherapy. Methods 161 patients with lung cancer were referred for radical radiotherapy during 2009–2010. Exclusion criteria were previous thoracic radiotherapy or surgery, palliative radiotherapy, or missing dosimetric or CT data. Information on medical history, lung function and date of death were taken retrospectively from electronic notes. Dosimetric parameters V20-Lung (percentage normal lung exposed to more than 20Gy), V5-Lung and Mean Lung Dose were derived from treatment planning dose-volume histograms. Development of RP was defined as an increase in the percentage lung volume occupied by consolidation or ground glass on post-radiotherapy CT. Student's t-test and Fisher's Exact Test were used to define variables which were associated with RP prior to logistic regression analysis. Results 98 cases were included in analysis. 86% had non-small cell lung cancer, 44% had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and 27% smoked. 49/98 (50%) patients developed RP on CT at median 90 days post-radiotherapy. The factors which had a significant positive correlation with RP on univariate analysis were V20-lung, V5-lung and MLD: these were best represented using V20-Lung ≥22%. Current smoking, poor performance status and having COPD had a significant inverse correlation with RP. Use of statins or inhaled Long Acting β2 Agonists, and the presence of moderate-severe radiological emphysema also approached significance: these were included in regression analysis. After logistic regression, the factors which had a significant correlation with RP were V20≥22% (OR 6.45, 95%CI 2.22–18.08), current smoking (OR 0.23, 95%CI 0.07–0.79), and statin use (OR 0.30, 95%CI 0.102–0.863). Neither RP nor any other variable was associated with post-radiotherapy mortality. Conclusions This study confirms that V20≥22% is associated with the radiological development of RP. In addition, patients who smoked, and those taking statins were significantly less likely to develop RP. A potential role for statins in modifying radiotherapy side effects deserves further attention.


The two aims of this thesis are the theoretical understanding, and the practical exploration, of the issues faced by Western art music composers when they engage with musical sources from Non-Western cultures. The first volume is a dissertation dedicated to the first aim of theoretical understanding. In it I have sought to chart the historical development of cross-cultural engagement by examining the writings and works of certain Western composers. By doing this I have endeavoured to understand how Non-Western influences manifest themselves in a composers work, and, with reference to writings in contemporary ethnomusicology, to create a model for the categorising of approaches to cross-cultural composition.

I have also explained why I believe such engagement with Non-Western influences to be both fascinating and important for contemporary Western composers and indeed Western society as a whole, although I have also discussed the problems, ethical, aesthetic and practical, encountered in the process. These problems have prompted a range of creative solutions and to illustrate certain devices I have presented a variety of score examples.

The second volume consists of materials related to my composition 'Prelude and Meditation,' which was written for the Okeanos ensemble whose workshops I attended and participated in. The project provided me with an opportunity to conduct my own engagement with Non-Western music, which I have discussed at length in the dissertation. The second volume includes the original score, a recording of the piece by the Okeanos ensemble and a partially amended score, which was produced after the performance as a revision of material that I felt could be improved upon.

It is my hope that the two volumes combined will represent a useful and interesting contribution to the study and appreciation of the growing relationship between Western and Non-Western musical cultures.


Despite similarities in their sequence and structure, there are a number of homologous proteins that adopt various oligomeric states. Comparisons of these homologous protein pairs, in terms of residue substitutions at the protein–protein interfaces, have provided fundamental characteristics that describe how proteins interact with each other. We have prepared a dataset composed of pairs of related proteins with different homo‐oligomeric states. Using the protein complexes, the interface residues were identified, and using structural alignments, the shadow‐interface residues have been defined as the surface residues that align with the interface residues. Subsequently, we investigated residue substitutions between the interfaces and the shadow interfaces. Based on the degree of the contributions to the interactions, the aligned sites of the interfaces and shadow interfaces were divided into primary and secondary sites; the primary sites are the focus of this work. The primary sites were further classified into two groups (i.e. exposed and buried) based on the degree to which the residue is buried within the shadow interfaces. Using these classifications, two simple mechanisms that mediate the oligomeric states were identified. In the primary‐exposed sites, the residues on the shadow interfaces are replaced by more hydrophobic or aromatic residues, which are physicochemically favored at protein–protein interfaces. In the primary‐buried sites, the residues on the shadow interfaces are replaced by larger residues that protrude into other proteins. These simple rules are satisfied in 23 out of 25 Structural Classification of Proteins (SCOP) families with a different‐oligomeric‐state pair, and thus represent a basic strategy for modulating protein associations and dissociations. Proteins 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Abstract Informal spaces encourage the meeting of minds and the sharing of ideas. They serve as an important counterpoint to the formal, silo-like structures of the modern organisation, encouraging social bonds and discussion across departmental lines. We address the role of one such institution – the university tea room – in Australia in the post-WWII decades. Drawing on a series of oral history interviews with economic historians, we examine the nature of the tea room space, demonstrate its effects on research within universities, and analyse the causes and implications of its decline in recent decades.


Nodules of tissue indistinguishable microscopically from pancreas have been observed by many investigators and have been discussed at length, deservedly, in numerous papers. Not only is such a phenomenon of considerable interest, but it presents a fundamental pathologic problem. In many of the papers that have appeared, not only have hypotheses which are untenable in the present state of knowledge been proposed, but even patently inaccurate observations have been made. In addition, certain relevant features of considerable import in the determination of the nature of these masses have been overlooked. HISTORICAL DATA The earliest record of the occurrence of pancreatic tissue in the stomach which is available to us is that of Zenker, published in 1861. He referred to a previous note by Klob in 1859, and to some observations in lower animals by Leydig (1857). Wagner (1862) and Gegenbauer (1863) reported other cases, and a few further reports appeared,


The passivation of defects at perovskite grain boundaries (GB) is crucial in achieving highly efficient and stable perovskite solar cells. Unlike the widely used additive passivation method where a mixture of additives and perovskite precursor is used for preparing perovskite films, we herein developed a new defect post-healing method via dip-coating trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO) ligands on pre-fabricated carbon-based mesoscopic perovskite solar cells (MPSCs). Since perovskites have formed before post-healing, TOPO ligands are selectively adsorbed onto the exposed perovskite surface and hence have little influence on charge extraction of interfaces. The defects are post-healed via O atoms in PO bonds coordinated to halide-deficient sites, leading to an enhancement of the power conversion efficiency (PCE) from 11.0% to 12.8%. Moreover, due to the three hydrophobic long chain alkyls in TOPO, the humidity stability of the device has also been improved simultaneously.


Abstract Southern and India crabgrass are important grass weeds of rice in many tropical countries. Environmental factors influenced seed germination and seedling emergence of these weeds. Seeds of both species germinated at a range of alternating temperatures (25/15, 30/20, and 35/25 C day/night), though the germination of southern crabgrass was reduced at the lowest alternating temperatures (25/15 C). Light stimulated germination of both species; however, a small proportion of southern crabgrass seeds germinated in the dark. Germination of India crabgrass was influenced to a greater degree by increasing salt and water stresses than was southern crabgrass. Seeds of both species germinated over a wide range of pH between 5 and 10. Seedling emergence of both species (98% for southern crabgrass and 94% for India crabgrass) was greatest for seeds placed on the soil surface. Seed burial depth of 2 cm completely inhibited emergence of India crabgrass, whereas for southern crabgrass, this depth was 8 cm. Knowledge gained from this study is expected to contribute to developing components of integrated weed management strategies for these species. Nomenclature: India crabgrass, Digitaria longiflora (Retz.) Pers. DIGLO; southern crabgrass, Digitaria ciliaris (Retz.) Koel. DIGSP; rice, Oryza sativa L.


R obert C. Allen, MD, an innovative and caring physician, died at his home in Richmond, Va, on March 24, 2005. During a brief but influential career, he made substantial contributions to ophthalmology in patient care, pharmacology research, and resident education. However, his most long-lasting impact may be in the field of uveal melanoma. After being diagnosed with this disease, he founded a nonprofit organization that may prove to be his most important accomplishment. Robert Carroll Allen was born on November 18, 1950, in Baltimore, Md, and graduated from Duke University, Durham, NC, and the University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville. A preresidency fellowship in ocular physiology and pharmacology at the W. K. Kellogg Foundation Laboratories of the Wilmer Ophthalmological Institute, in Baltimore, sparked a lifelong interest in glaucoma therapeutics, which he continued to study through a residency at the University of Florida, Gainesville, and 2 fellowships in glaucoma (clinical and research) at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston. Bob served on the faculties of Emory University (Atlanta, Ga) and the University of Virginia before being appointed Professor of Ophthalmology and Pharmacology & Toxicology, as well as chairman of Ophthalmology at Virginia Commonwealth University (formerly Medical College of Virginia) in 1994. At Virginia Commonwealth University, he oversaw expansion of the faculty roster and physical facilities, as well as of the increased surgical volume and research productivity. In a shortened career, Bob wrote over 70 articles, monographs, chapters, and abstracts, and he delivered invited lectures in 25 nations. Among his most important peer-reviewed publications were animal studies on topical clonidine and topical carbonic anhydrase inhibitors; early clinical trials of pilocarpine gel and betaxolol; advances in argon laser trabeculoplasty; and one of the first reports on filtration surgery for neovascular glaucoma. His recent finding that a single nucleotide polymorphism in the gene encoding the 1-adrenergic receptor correlates with the clinical response to betaxolol in normal volunteers represents a potentially noteworthy step in the evolving field of ophthalmic pharmacogenomics. Bob was an initial member of the American Glaucoma Society, an associate examiner for the American Board of Ophthalmology, a volunteer for ORBIS International, and an investigator for the Advanced Glaucoma Intervention Study. When he received the American Academy of Ophthalmology's Senior Achievement Award in 2000, he was only the second Virginian to do so. He chaired the American Academy of Ophthalmology's Committee on Ophthalmic Drugs and served on the Food and Drug Administration's Advisory Committee on Anti-Infectives and Ophthalmic Drugs. Outside of ophthalmology, Bob was devoted to his family, including his wife, Janice (a former oncology nurse), and his sons Grant, Matthew, and Connor. He was quite active in church and community affairs, as well as being an avid tennis player, oenophile, and college basketball fan. In 2000, Bob was diagnosed with ciliochoroidal melanoma. Although his subsequent enucleation forced him to withdraw from a busy surgical practice, he continued his clinical, research, teaching, and administrative duties until the discovery, in 2003, of liver metastases. With a combination of willpower and several innovative treatment regimens (including percutaneous hepatic perfusion with melphalan), Bob survived 22 months, an exceptional length of time with this condition. During this time, Bob and Grant founded the nonprofit Ocular Melanoma Foundation (www.ocularmelanoma .org), envisioned as a resource for clinicians, researchers, and patients with an interest in the disorder. Hopefully, this organization will flourish and provide significant assistance toward improved treatment of uveal melanoma. This would potentially represent Bob's greatest contribution to ophthalmology, as well as a posthumous victory over his disease.


12-lead ECG plays a central role in the cardiovascular evaluation of athletes and highly active patients. Based on the ability of the ECG to detect underlying structural and electrical cardiac disease, the ECG is the most widely used diagnostic test during pre-participation screening of asymptomatic athletes and individualised evaluation of symptomatic athletic patients. ECG interpretation in this population, however, may present a formidable challenge. Cardiovascular adaptations to routine high-intensity exercise coupled with factors including age, gender, and ethnicity result in ECG patterns that are uncommon among more sedentary people and, in come cases, similar to those associated with the key cardiac diseases responsible for sudden cardiac death.

In an attempt to provide a conceptual and clinically applicable framework for ECG use in athletes, interpretation criteria have been developed. A working group from the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) presented the first such criteria in 2005.1 While valuable as a starting point, the 2005 ESC criteria failed to differentiate benign ECG patterns associated with exercise training from those associated with occult disease and, as such, their application in clinical settings led to unacceptably high rates of false positive testing. Since that time, further work from the ESC writing group,2 paralleled by independent efforts from others,3 have led to revised criteria. Contemporary athlete ECG criteria rely on the principle that ECG patterns among athletes can be divided into 'common and training-related ECG changes' (ie, benign adaptive findings) and 'uncommon and training-unrelated ECG changes', with this latter category touted as being highly suggestive of underlying disease. Recent …


The essays in this book explore the intersections between law and religion. When Australian law intersects with Aboriginal religion the outcome is a massive collision. This essay explores that collision, a collision between core legal values of the dominant legal system and core religious values of a small minority group, Aboriginal Australians. That collision, or conflict, arises because Aboriginal religions are fundamentally different from mainstream religions. That difference is legally significant. But the dominant legal system has failed to accommodate the difference. In this essay I contend that Australian law has failed to resolve a fundamental conflict between, on the one hand, basic common law values including openness and transparency in public administration, open administration of justice, a legal culture that gives special weight to the protection of private property interests and, on the other hand, Aboriginal religious values, in particular, the secret nature of much Aboriginal religious belief. I further contend that, because Australian law has failed adequately to recognize and to adapt to the secret nature of much Aboriginal religious belief, because common law values particularly principles directed at protection of private property interests prevail, laws enacted for the purpose of protecting Aboriginal religious beliefs have failed to achieve their purpose. The final part of the essay offers suggestions for reform, including mechanisms for protecting the confidentiality of secret spiritual beliefs.


A 14-YEAR-OLD African American adolescent girl presented with a 6-month history of intermittent upper abdominal pain and postprandial vomiting. These symptoms had become progressively worse during the 2 months prior to hospital admission. The medical history was unremarkable except for dysmenorrhea. The physical examination revealed a thin adolescent girl with a weight of 35 kg (10th percentile) and height of 150 cm (25th percentile). Her vital signs were normal. The abdomen was slightly distended with mild tenderness in the epigastric region and normal bowel sounds on auscultation. No hepatosplenomegaly or ascites was detected. Results of a complete blood cell count and erythrocyte sedimentation rate were normal. A guaiac test of the stool was negative for occult blood. A radiograph of the abdomen revealed gastric distention. Abdominal and pelvic ultrasound was normal. An upper gastrointestinal tract contrastmedium study was obtained (Figure). From the Department of Pediatrics, Louisiana State University Medical Center and Children's Hospital, New Orleans.


Author(s): Caster II, Francis | Advisor(s): Heydari, Payam | Abstract: Multi-pixel passive imaging arrays are presently fabricated in expensive processes with low integration levels. Imaging arrays designed in inexpensive processes with higher levels of integration would result in cheaper larger arrays. The objective of this work is twofold: 1) to develop a highly integrated silicon-based passive imaging receiver integrating the entire receiver frontend from antenna to detector; and 2) to develop a highly scalable architecture for use in focal plane arrays of arbitrary dimensions, incorporating new features to address large-array issues while retaining the pixel density of conventional focal plane arrays. A new area-efficient beam-steerable imaging array receiver architecture suitable to integrated circuit realization up to sub-THz frequencies is presented. A direct-detection-based receiver array utilizing the proposed architecture is designed and implemented in an advanced 0.18µm BiCMOS process. The receiver chip achieves a peak measured coherent responsivity of 1,150MV/W, a measured incoherent responsivity of 1,000MV/W, a minimum NEP of 0.28fW/Hz1/2 and a front-end 3-dB bandwidth from 87andash108GHz, while consuming 225mW per receiver element. The measured NETD of the SiGe receiver chip is 0.45K with a 20ms integration time. The proposed architecture uses a new concept of spatial-overlapping super-pixels which results in (1) improved SNR at the pixel level through a reduction of spillover losses, (2) partially correlated adjacent super-pixels, (3) a 2×2 window averaging function in the RF domain, (4) the ability to compensate for the systematic time delay and amplitude variations due to the off-focal-point effect for antennas away from the focal point, and (5) the ability to compensate for mutual coupling effects among the array elements.


Venture capital is an important source of finance for small businesses although it is least understood. The VC financing market in Zimbabwe is inactive and mainly targets large companies instead of small to medium enterprises. The study sought to evaluate the role of venture capital as a source of finance for small to medium enterprises (SMEs) in Zimbabwe. The objectives of the study were to review the types of venture capital financing in Zimbabwe, identify the factors that drive the venture capital financing and impact of venture capital on small business development. The study adopted a quantitative methodology in order to investigate the subject. Questionnaires were administered on respondents. The respondents were from the Zimbabwe Investment Authority, Ministry of Small to Medium Enterprises, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, Small Enterprises Development Corporation and financial Institutions. An overall response rate of 89.66% was achieved. The study established that government was the main financier of venture capital financing in Zimbabwe. Further, stable economic environment, investor protection and corporate governance and well developed capital markets were found to be main determinants of venture capital financing. The study also established that the role of venture capital financing played an important role in the areas of employment creation, investment, export growth as well as innovation and creativity. Overall venture capital financing is an alternative financing option for SMEs. However, the development of venture capital market is being constrained by the economic environment, lack of a vibrant capital market, no regulatory framework regards corporate governance and investor protection. The study recommends that development of entrepreneurship by having an active venture capital market, stable macroeconomic environment and regulatory framework that protect investors.


The use of Virtual Learning Environments in Higher Education has increased significantly in recent years. Despite this there are some teaching staff whose usage is minimal. This research seeks to establish the reasons for this lack of adoption, particularly with regard to staff born before the widespread use of digital technology. A single case study approach with multiple embedded units was utilised. The participants were drawn from the Engineering faculty of an Irish Institute of Technology. The significant findings were that the main factors hindering the adoption of VLEs were the belief that VLEs discourage attendance in class which is essential for some learners, and that academic staff would lose control of their materials to their detriment were they to utilise the VLE. The implications of this research are that the perceptions and beliefs of academic staff play an important role in their adoption of a VLE. Some of these beliefs give rise to concerns as to the appropriateness of VLE use. In order to further promote the use of VLEs there is a need for both academic staff and their Institutes to reflect on how these concerns can be properly addressed.


Spinal cord injury is a debilitating condition that currently lacks effective clinical treatment. Neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) has been demonstrated in experimental animal models to induce axonal regeneration and functional improvements, yet its local delivery remains challenging. For ultimate clinical translation, a drug delivery system is required for localized, sustained, and minimally invasive release. Here, an injectable composite drug delivery system (DDS) composed of biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles dispersed in a hyaluronan/methyl cellulose hydrogel was injected into the intrathecal space to achieve acute local delivery to the spinal cord after a thoracic clip compression injury. NT-3 was encapsulated in the DDS and released in vitro for up to 50 d. With a single injection of the DDS into the intrathecal space of the injured spinal cord, NT-3 diffused ventrally through the cord and was detectable in the spinal cord for at least 28 d therein. Delivery of NT-3 resulted in significant axon growth with no effect on the astroglial response to injury in comparison with vehicle and injury controls. NT-3 treatment promoted functional improvements at 21 d according to the Basso Beattie Bresnahan locomotor scale in comparison with the DDS alone. The sustained delivery of bioactive NT-3 to the injured spinal cord achieved in this study demonstrates the promise of this DDS for central nervous system repair.


In addition to hepatocellular carcinoma, metastatic liver cancer (MLC) is another focus of hepatic surgeon. Good outcome of patients with liver metastasis (LM) from colorectal cancer or neuroendocrine tumor have been achieved. Ovarian cancer liver metastasis (OCLM) has its unique oncological characteristics and a variety of metastasis patterns, which brings a challenge to hepatic surgeon. Hepatic surgeons hold different views and techniques from gynecologists, which makes differences in the evaluation and treatment of the disease. We reviewed recent studies and, in combination with our own clinical experience, attempted to introduce the progress of surgical treatment of liver metastases from OC. In our experience, both preoperative imaging and surgical procedures are based on the assurance of R0 resection. R0 cytoreductive surgery (CRS) is the most favorable determinant for the prognosis of OC patients, and R0 liver resection (LR) is a component of R0 CRS. Gynecologists and hepatic surgeons should do their own preoperative and intraoperative evaluation for the extrahepatic and intrahepatic metastasis respectively. During the operation, regardless of the miliary nodules dissemination between the right hemidiaphragm and liver capsule, liver parenchymal infiltration (LPI) or liver parenchymal metastasis (LPM), 1-2 cm resection margin should be emphasized. For patients with liver portal lymph node metastasis (LPLNM), hepatic portal skeletonization should be performed, rather than portal lymph node dissection. The operation should be as radical as possible to ensure the patients to achieve good prognosis.


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Childhood arteriopathies are rare but heterogenous, and difficult to diagnose and classify, especially by nonexperts. We quantified clinical and imaging characteristics associated with childhood arteriopathy subtypes to facilitate their diagnosis and classification in research and clinical settings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Vascular Effects of Infection in Pediatric Stroke (VIPS) study prospectively enrolled 355 children with arterial ischemic stroke (2010–2014). A central team of experts reviewed all data to diagnose childhood arteriopathy and classify subtypes, including arterial dissection and focal cerebral arteriopathy–inflammatory type, which includes transient cerebral arteriopathy, Moyamoya disease, and diffuse/multifocal vasculitis. Only children whose stroke etiology could be conclusively diagnosed were included in these analyses. We constructed logistic regression models to identify characteristics associated with each arteriopathy subtype. RESULTS: Among 127 children with definite arteriopathy, the arteriopathy subtype could not be classified in 18 (14%). Moyamoya disease (n = 34) occurred mostly in children younger than 8 years of age; focal cerebral arteriopathy–inflammatory type (n = 25), in children 8–15 years of age; and dissection (n = 26), at all ages. Vertigo at stroke presentation was common in dissection. Dissection affected the cervical arteries, while Moyamoya disease involved the supraclinoid internal carotid arteries. A banded appearance of the M1 segment of the middle cerebral artery was pathognomonic of focal cerebral arteriopathy–inflammatory type but was present in <25% of patients with focal cerebral arteriopathy–inflammatory type; a small lenticulostriate distribution infarct was a more common predictor of focal cerebral arteriopathy–inflammatory type, present in 76%. It remained difficult to distinguish focal cerebral arteriopathy–inflammatory type from intracranial dissection of the anterior circulation. We observed only secondary forms of diffuse/multifocal vasculitis, mostly due to meningitis. CONCLUSIONS: Childhood arteriopathy subtypes have some typical features that aid diagnosis. Better imaging methods, including vessel wall imaging, are needed for improved classification of focal cerebral arteriopathy of childhood.


Objective: To evaluate the school hearing health actions developed in the Listen Sobral Project. Methods: Qualitative study, conducted at the Department of Hearing Health Care (SASA) of the city of Sobral - CE, Brazil, from April to June, 2010. Study participants were the Listen Sobral Project's coordinator and four speech therapists attending Multidisciplinary Residency in Family Health, working in partnership with the project. Data collection was performed through semi-structured interviews, adopting the technique of content analysis according to the convergence of speech, in which the categories emerged: school hearing health actions; benefits from the actions; difficulties in developing the actions; and changes for improvement in the actions. Results: According to discourse of speech therapists, one realizes that school hearing health actions are developed centered on health promotion, prevention and early identification of hearing loss. However, weak points were identified, especially regarding the teacher training; partnership between school and speech therapists; ear, nose and throat care; and suitable facilities. Conclusion: School hearing health actions have become part of reality in the city of Sobral, although not yet fully at the present time. It is therefore necessary to maintain these actions, but with some changes toward the elaboration of a more organized structure, in order to promote care of superior quality for school children


Collagenase, a prototypic matrix metalloproteinase, plays a major role in the degradation of the extracellular matrix. The essential amino acid L-tryptophan was recently shown to stimulate the expression of collagenase gene in human dermal fibroblast cultures. In this study, we focused our attention on the mechanisms responsible for activation of collagenase transcription by L-tryptophan. Incubation of fibroblasts with L-tryptophan resulted in a dose- and time-dependent elevation of collagenase and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase mRNA levels. The maximum enhancement in collagenae mRNA was approximately 50-fold. This effect was not abolished by cycloheximide, suggesting independence from ongoing protein synthesis. Transient cell transfections with a promoter/reporter gene construct containing 3.8 kb of 5' flanking DNA of the human collagenase gene linked to the chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) gene or a construct containing three phorbol ester-responsive AP-1 binding sequences (12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate-responsive element) in front of the thymidine kinase promoter linked to the CAT gene indicated enhancement of promoter activity by L-tryptophan. Furthermore, electrophoretic DNA mobility shift assays demonstrated enhanced DNA-protein complex formation specific for an AP-1 binding site probe with nuclear extracts prepared from cells incubated with L-tryptophan. These results collectively suggest that activation of collagenase gene expression in dermal fibroblasts by L-tryptophan is mediated through AP-1 binding elements in the collagenase gene promoter that are sufficient for gene response.


formation.(Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Stanford Univ/N.Werner et al; Optical: DSS) Caption: This four-panel of images represents a sample of giant elliptical galaxies observed by Chandra and the Hershel Space Observatory in a study to investigate why these objects have such low levels of star formation. In six galaxies, Herschel detected surprisingly large amounts of cold gas – the fuel for star formation. Chandra revealed that the hot gas in the center of these galaxies appears to be much more disturbed than in the cold gas-free systems. This is a sign that material has been ejected from regions close to the central black hole. The energy from these outbursts helps to prevent the cold gas from cooling sufficiently to form stars. In two other galaxies, jets pushing against the hot gas are creating enormous cavities that are observed in the Chandra images. These jets may be heating the hot, X-ray emitting gas, preventing it from cooling and forming cold gas and stars.


The latissimus dorsi muscle has provided a useful flap for studying and defining the principles of the myocutaneous method. Clinically, it has yielded a valuable myocutaneous unit, based on its various pedicles. It has also provided the microvascular surgeon with a versatile unit that supplies a large volume of tissue with a long vascular pedicle. Investigation of the vascularity of the latissimus dorsi unit has led to better understanding of the vascularity of the muscle, and has extended the range of application of the myocutaneous method.


Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are highly reactive molecules produced in any biological system. When ROS are produced in higher amounts, they are lethal to cells. Therefore cells possess a tight redox regulation through action of various antioxidant defense systems. An imbalance between the ROS produced versus the action of the antioxidants can give rise to a state called oxidative stress. In order to study the consequences of high ROS production in a system, it is essential to develop tools that can measure quantitatively the precise levels of specific ROS or the status of a specific redox couple. Until recently, synthetic probes were used widely to measure ROS in a qualitative manner. However, taking into consideration the limitations of these probes, genetically encoded biosensors have gradually started to replace the relatively non-specific probes. These genetically encoded biosensors can not only visualize the redox nature quantitatively and in real time but also can be targeted to any subcellular compartment of a cell. In line to these necessities, mouse models in which the glutathione redox biosensor Grx1-roGFP2 is expressed in cardiomyocytes and located in two different compartments were applied in the presented thesis. These mouse models allow to study the glutathione redox potential (EGSH) in the cytoplasm versus mitochondrial matrix. The mouse models were used to study the effect of aging on the EGSH of the cytoplasm and mitochondrial matrix in cardiomyocytes. The redox compartmentalization between the two compartments which was observed in young mice seems to disappear in aging animals. Besides applying the mouse models to study the effects of aging on redox regulation, the mito Grx1-roGFP2 mouse model was utilized to study the importance of maintaining the physiological oxygen concentration in order to preserve the reduced EGSH of the mitochondrial matrix as well as the overall mitochondrial functionality. In this part of the thesis, it was observed that upon isolation of mitochondria from cardiac tissue at room air conditions (20% O2), mitochondria seem to almost fully get oxidized However, when the mitochondria are isolated in hypoxia (0.1% O2), the EGSH is preserved demonstrating that the EGSH of the mitochondrial matrix is indeed affected by the change in the pO2 experienced by the mitochondria when isolated from the tissue. Together with the EGSH, other parameters of the mitochondrial electron transport chain like ROS, ATP as well as complex III activity are affected when mitochondria are isolated in 20% O2. In the final part of my thesis, I generated a novel redox biosensor mouse model. In these mice the biosensor consists of the endogenous H2O2 producer D-amino acid oxidase (DAAO) fused with the H2O2 HyPer biosensor. A positive founder line of the DAAO-HyPer, wherein the biosensor is targeted to the nucleus of the cardiomyocytes, was successfully created and characterized. This mouse model is useful to study the development of cardiac dysfunctions in consequence to the generation of the endogenous ROS in the nucleus of the cardiomyocytes.


A phase-integral (WKB) solution of the radial Dirac equation is calculated up to the third order of approximation, retaining perfect symmetry between the two components of the wave function and introducing no singularities except at the zeroth-order transition points. The potential is allowed to be of scalar, vector, or tensor type, or any combination of these. The connection problem is investigated in detail. Explicit formulas are given for single-turning-point phase shifts and single-well energy levels.


Wildfires are a serious disaster, which often cause severe damages to forests and plants. Without an early detection and suitable control action, a small wildfire could grow into a big and serious one. The problem is especially fatal at night, as firefighters in general miss the chance to detect the wildfires in the very first few hours. Low-light satellites, which take pictures at night, offer an opportunity to detect night fire timely. However, previous studies identify night fires based on threshold methods or conventional machine learning approaches, which are not robust and accurate enough. In this paper, we develop a new deep learning approach, which determines night fire locations by a pixel-level classification on low-light remote sensing image. Experimental results on VIIRS data demonstrate the superiority and effectiveness of the proposed method, which outperforms conventional threshold and machine learning approaches.


Background: In developing countries, especially in Africa, most people with blinding eye conditions are not aware of their state and present with advanced disease. Objective: The main objective of the study was to determine common eye conditions and reasons for not seeking eye-care services among a teaching hospital staff. Materials and Methods: On World Sight Day 2012 staff of Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH) were invited to the eye clinic for the examination of their eyes. A questionnaire was filled for each and eyes examined and findings were analyzed. Results: There were 76 (48.1%) males and 82 (51.9%) females. The median age was 36.5 (range 19 to 65) years. The perceived cause of visual impairment (VI) and blindness was not significantly related to the level of education (P = 0.239). Reasons for not seeking eye-care services even when they had eye problems included finances 22 (13.9%), distance from eye-care center 4 (2.5%), lack of awareness 2 (1.3%), job situation 1 (0.6%) and fear 3 (1.9%). Of the 158 participants 30 (19%) had a close relative who had visual impairment (VI) or was blind. Most of the participants 151 (95.6%) had normal bilateral presenting visual acuity, 2 (1.3%) mild visual impairment and 5 (3.2%) moderate VI.The commonest ocular disorder was refractive error 39 (48.8%), followed by allergic conjunctivitis 14 (17.5%).Glaucoma 5 (6.3%) was the second potentially blinding ocular disorder, with 4 presenting with advanced disease. Cataract was seen in 4 (5.0%) and posterior segment disease in 2 (2.5%) participants. Conclusion: This study has shown that there is a lot of ignorance concerning causes of blindness and visual impairment among this group. There is therefore a need for awareness creation and eye health education and screening programs to detect ocular disorders.


We analyze the reach of Linear Colliders (LC)s for models of dynamical electroweak symmetry breaking. We show that LCs can efficiently test the compositeness scale, identified with the mass of the new spin-one resonances, till the maximum energy in the center-of-mass of the colliding leptons. In particular we analyze the Drell-Yan processes involving spin-one intermediate heavy bosons decaying either leptonically or into two Standard Model (SM) gauge bosons. We also analyze the light Higgs production in association with a SM gauge boson stemming also from an intermediate spin-one heavy vector.


Background: Nowadays, contact lens had become a trend especially among young adults. As one of an optical device, contact lenses will be placed directly in front of our cornea. It is a safe optical device to wear as long as the wearers practicing a correct contact lens care. However, a failure to apply a proper practice in daily routines can cause contact lens complications which might lead to visual threatening.
Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the level of awareness towards contact lens care among contact lens users in UiTM Puncak Alam. Methods: In this cross sectional descriptive study, 60 participants from UiTM Puncak Alam were selected as the respondents to answer the questionnaire on their level of awareness in contact lens care. The participants who wear the contact lens were identified from UiTM Primary Optometry Clinic and Contact lens Clinic. Besides that, the questionnaires were also distributed at the faculties located in UiTM Puncak Alam.
Results: Among all the participants involved, majority of 95% were female, meanwhile 5% of the participants were male and their mean age were 22.38 ± 1.485 years. The results of the study revealed that the level of awareness towards contact lens care among students in UiTM Puncak Alam was high. 83.3% of them agreed that tap water cannot be used to clean the contact lens. All of the respondents (100%) acknowledged that hand washing is essential before handling the contact lens. It was also found that 86.7% of them agreed that eye examination is necessary before prescribing the contact lens while 85% of them stated that after care assessment is also crucial after using it. Conclusion: As a conclusion this study has succeeded in determining the high level of awareness towards contact lens care in UiTM Puncak Alam. Their level of awareness in contact lens plays important roles to help in preventing any contact lens complications later.


The phenomenon that a cavity rotates faster than the rotational speed of the pump in the direction of rotation is called super-synchronous rotating cavitation (super-S RC). It is known that super-S RC is often observed in rocket turbopumps, but that it is rare to be observed in industrial pumps. Therefore, we form a hypothesis that its occurrence is related to the rotational speed of pumps. In this study, experiments of an inducer were conducted at four rotational speed at Kakuda Space Center in the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. The pressure fluctuation and the rotor vibration were measured, and the propagation velocity ratio of super-S RC and the frequency of unsteady cavitation in the super–S RC were determined at each rotational speed. As a result, when the cavitation number is the same, the propagation velocity ratio is almost the same regardless of the rotational speed of the inducer. It means that the faster the rotational speed, the faster the unsteady cavitation oscillates in the inducer despite the condition of the same cavitation number. It indicates that rotating cavitation does not occur under a certain rotational speed because of the limitation of the frequency of unsteady cavitation, which is known in hydrofoil.


Accompanying the Internet of Things (IoT) is a demand of advanced applications and services utilizing the potential of the IoT environment. Monitoring the environment for a provision of context-aware services to the human beings is one of the new trends in our future life. The IoTivity Cloud is one of the most notable open-source platform bringing an opportunity to collect, analyze, and interpret a huge amount of data available in the IoT environment. Based on the IoTivity Cloud, we aim to develop a novel platform for comprehensive monitoring of a future network, which facilitates on-demand data collection to enable the network behavior prediction and the quality of user experience maintenance. In consideration of performance evaluation of the monitoring platform, this paper presents results of a preliminary test on the data acquisition/supply process in the IoTivity Cloud.


Abstract In both domestic and also industrial settings robotic Co-Workers are expected to become a commodity. Even though the particular application areas may vastly change, a robot always needs to act in a dynamic and partially unknown environment. It shall reactively generate motions and prevent upcoming collisions. If contact is desired or inevitable, it has to handle it robustly and safely. For preventing collisions in a real-time fashion the Circular Fields method is a powerful scheme, which we developed further and evaluated extensively. After an initial analysis in rather complex 2D simulations, we extend the evaluation to 3D as well as 6D, where we introduce a hybrid strategy based on Circular and Potential Fields. Finally, the 6D implementation of a hybrid Circular & Potential Fields approach is used to perform the experimental analysis for static multi-object parcours and to avoid a dynamically moving human in a 6D task motion. Based on the algorithms for collision avoidance we also develop and experimentally verify an algorithm for tactile exploration of complex planar 3D wire elements, whose structure is a-priori unknown.


The worldwide rise in obesity makes this the first non-infectious epidemic in human history. The rapid increase is, in fact, influenced more by environment than biology. In an effort to halt the trend, Quebec has launched a major awareness-raising campaign that focuses on healthy environments and targets stakeholders in schools, municipalities, communities and the health sector. The purpose of the present study, then, is to determine how this campaign can promote action towards environments conducive to healthy lifestyles. The theoretical framework is based on planned change. The objectives are to 1) evaluate the quality of awareness-raising methods offered by trainers, and 2) place the impacts of the sessions into perspective. A qualitative approach was prioritized, consisting of two focus groups conducted with 17 trainers. From the standpoint of a healthy environment, sensitization sessions expanded networking, provided a common frame of reference and drove coherent actions for stakeholders involved. As an agent of change, the trainer played a key role in implementing the sessions. The conditions offered encouraged the transition from awareness to information, thereby generating significant results in terms of action. A sensitization session is thus a prerequisite for training transformation activities aimed in innovation.


The nucleotide sequences of the 18S rDNA and ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 gene fragments were determined in Prorocentrum sp . , which was collected from Hai Phong city, Vietnam in 2004. The length of the 18S rDNA and ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 gene fragments in Prorocentrum sp. were 1059 bp and 657bp, respectly. By comparing the Prorocentrum sp . sequence data with the published sequences of P. lima , P. arenarium , P. maculosum , P. concavum , P. panamensis , P. micans , P. minimum , P. mexicanum , P. emarginatum and P.triestinum in the GeneBank and constructing the phylogenetic tree, the phylogenetic relationships between Prorocentrum sp . and the ten other Prorocentrum species were established. The classification of Prorocentrum species based on the 18S rRNA gene coincided with the classification based on the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 gene. The results showed that the genetic distances between the species within these two groups were low. The similar of these Prorocentrum species was 94% and they were divided into two groups. The first group included P. emarginatum. The second group included other species with 2 subgroups; the first subgroup included P. arenarium , P. lima , P. maculosum , P. concavum and P. panamensis and the second subgroup included Prorocentrum sp., P. mexicanum , P. micans and P. minimum . Among these species, Prorocentrum sp . had a close phylogenetic relationship with P. mexicanum ( 99.9%). The morphological characteristics of Prorocentrum sp . also showed a relatively high similarity with P. mexicanum . It has been shown that Prorocentrum sp. collected from Haiphong belonged to the species P. mexicanum . The nucleotide sequence of the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 gene fragments of P. mexicanum (collected from Hai Phong) was submitted to the GeneBank with accession number-AY886 763.


U.S. dairy operations are sorted via a multinomial logit model into three production systems: pasture-based, semi-pasture-based, and conventional. Region, farm size, financial situation, and production intensity measures impact system choice. Analysis follows to determine the impact of production system on enterprise profitability. Region, farm size, and demographic variables impact profitability, as does system choice: semi-pasture-based operations were less profitable than conventional operations on an enterprise, per hundredweight of milk produced basis. Significant differences were not found in the profitability of pasture-based operations versus those using other systems.


Two isoforms of the D2 dopamine receptor exist, termed D2 short (D2s) and D2 long, which differ by the presence or absence of 29 amino acids. To examine the possible coupling of the D2s isoform to voltage-dependent K+ current, NG108-15 cells that were transfected with and stably express this isoform were studied using whole-cell patch-clamp techniques. In transfected, but not untransfected, cells dopamine and quinpirole (QUIN) reduced the normally observed peak outward K+ current, and this effect was abolished by the D2 antagonist sulpiride but not by the alpha 2-adrenergic receptor antagonist idazoxan or the D1 antagonist (R)-(+)-SCH-23380. The D1 receptor agonist SKF 38393 had no effect. QUIN-induced inhibition of K+ current was prevented by loading the cells with the Ca(2+)-chelator 1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid, suggesting a critical role for intracellular Ca2+ mobilization. In contrast, reduction of the concentration of extracellular Ca2+ and inclusion of the Ca2+ channel blocker cobalt did not modify the reduction of K+ current produced by stimulation of D2s receptors. A critical role for intracellular calcium mobilization in the observed effects was further supported by the observation that increases in cytosolic Ca2+ produced by thapsigargin mimicked the effect of QUIN, whereas intracellular ryanodine, which blocks Ca2+ mobilization, abolished the QUIN responsiveness. Finally, the effect of D2S activation on K+ current was not modified by pretreatment of the cells with pertussis toxin. These results suggest that the D2s dopamine receptor expressed in NG108-15 cells inhibits the activity of native K+ current via a mechanism that is dependent upon the mobilization of intracellular Ca2+ and does not involve a pertussis toxin-sensitive G protein.


Wiarta R, Indrayani Y, Mulia F, Astiani D. 2019. Short Communication: Carbon sequestration by young Rhizophora apiculata plants in Kubu Raya District, West Kalimantan, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 20: 311-315. Mangrove forest ecosystem has been known for its roles in buffering coastal abrasions and being a reservoir for seafood production. However, very little information is available on its role in sequestering carbon and how its annual growth ability can benefit climate change mitigation. This study aims to determine carbon storage and sequestration by one, three and five-year-old Rhizophora apiculata Blume planted in PT. Ovivipari Bina Semesta (PT. BIOS). This study was conducted for over five months during 2015-2016, in purposively selected mangrove rehabilitation area. It used both harvestings as well as non-harvesting methods for estimation of carbon stock and carbon sequestration. The results show that the mangrove species has a very high ability to sequester carbon per unit area. The amount of carbon stored in plants aged 1 year, 3 years and 5 years were 0.363 tonnes ha, 5,591 tonnes ha and 7,240 tons ha respectively. The study also indicated that the carbon stock values obtained by non-harvesting method using allometric equation were higher than the values obtained by harvesting method.


This work aims to examine the barriers to improving energy efficiency as encountered by Energy Services Companies (ESCOs) in Jordan, based on seven theoretical models and a comprehensive survey. This paper employs a quantitative methodology based on a statistical survey of ESCOs in Jordan during 2018. The survey, which covers 120 firms, explores four sets of measures: technical, functional, corporate image and economic. The empirical results illustrate that energy efficiency improvement contributes to saving of substantial energy hence minimizing the emission of greenhouse gas. The results of the survey showed that 60% of respondents are convinced of the provided services. The highest rate (75%) was for the completion of the transaction which is met the deadlines, the rate for the continuous service amelioration provided by the company is 71%, and 63% for those who believed that public safety is taking into consideration by the company. The results also showed that 60% of the respondent are convinced with an employee's performance, which is appeared from their answers by strongly agree or agree. The highest rate of 70% of respondent believes that the staff are wellbehaved and nice to deal with. For government policies, reducing energy use and promoting investment in the technologies of energy efficiency, as viewed by ESCOs, are key factors in improving energy efficiency and reducing barriers.


OBJECTIVE
An analysis is made of the etiologic factors underlying actinic cheilitis and of the results obtained following surgical treatment of the disease in a series of 54 patients (32 males and 22 females).

STUDY DESIGN
The case history was evaluated, along with the triggering factors, histopathological pattern and recurrence of lesions. A cold scalpel vermilionectomy was performed in 41 patients, followed by primary closure of the defect using an oral mucosal flap. The remaining 13 patients were subjected to carbon dioxide laser vermilion ablation.

RESULTS
The history of the patients revealed liver disease associated to alcohol consumption in 35.2% of cases and tobacco smoking in 77.8%. As regards solar exposure, 53.1% of the men referred open-air professional activities, while 100% of the women presented important solar exposure. The most frequent clinical manifestations were bleeding and the presence of leukoplakia patches; pain was reported in only 16% of cases. Over 40% of the patients were asymptomatic. Following treatment, and after a follow-up period of at least 6 months, 90.7% of the subjects showed complete healing. Of the 5 patients reoperated upon, four healed and one evolved towards squamous cell carcinoma.

CONCLUSION
Vermilionectomy is the recommended treatment for actinic cheilitis, using either a cold scalpel or carbon dioxide laser. A histological study of the lesion is indicated in all cases to secure early detection of possible malignization. The control of the possible etiologic factors is also essential.


ABSTRACT Higher education (HE) provides a unique opportunity to accomplish social and economic integration and mitigate the impact of displacement for forcibly displaced migrants (FDMs) in the long run. Against this backdrop, the purpose of the study is to explore the HE experiences of Syrian FDMs in Turkey. Utilizing snowball sampling, 24 FDMs in Turkey were interviewed. The results suggested that for the FDMs, HE was a mechanism for reconstructing their lives. However, they faced several challenges before and after access to HE. These challenges emanated from the education system itself due to the difficulties in accessing official documents from the home country, managing the admission process of different universities and language barriers as well as the broader social, economic, and cultural systems (e.g., public pushback). Concerning the challenges rooted in its education system, Turkey exhibited a dynamic approach to dealing with the problems and opening space for Syrian FDMs in HE. However, the challenges resulting from discrimination cause Syrian FDMs to question their sense of belonging stemming from cultural, geographical, and religious proximity to Turkey and reexamine their intentions of staying in Turkey forever.


Non-Local Attention (NLA) brings significant improvement for Single Image Super-Resolution (SISR) by leveraging intrinsic feature correlation in natural images. However, NLA gives noisy information large weights and consumes quadratic computation resources with respect to the input size, limiting its performance and application. In this paper, we propose a novel Efficient Non-Local Contrastive Attention (ENLCA) to perform long-range visual modeling and leverage more relevant non-local features. Specifically, ENLCA consists of two parts, Efficient Non-Local Attention (ENLA) and Sparse Aggregation. ENLA adopts the kernel method to approximate exponential function and obtains linear computation complexity. For Sparse Aggregation, we multiply inputs by an amplification factor to focus on informative features, yet the variance of approximation increases exponentially. Therefore, contrastive learning is applied to further separate relevant and irrelevant features. To demonstrate the effectiveness of ENLCA, we build an architecture called Efficient Non-Local Contrastive Network (ENLCN) by adding a few of our modules in a simple backbone. Extensive experimental results show that ENLCN reaches superior performance over state-of-the-art approaches on both quantitative and qualitative evaluations.


In this paper, we propose a general framework to investigate cooperative non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) using two-stage relay selection (TSRS) in spatially random relaying networks. More specifically, we consider both amplify-and-forward and decode-and-forward protocols and compare the performance between them. From practical consideration, we adopt a stochastic geometry-based model and assume that the spatial topology of relays is modeled by using homogeneous Poisson point process (PPP). Based on such a setting, an effective coverage area of the relays modeled by using homogeneous PPP in cooperative NOMA systems is developed and performance comparison between TSRS and the conventional max–min RS scheme is also presented. According to the locations of the NOMA users, we develop the complete strategies for calculating the effective coverage area of the relays. Furthermore, in the high signal-to-noise ratio regime, asymptotic expressions are provided to show that the outage probability tends to a constant which is only related to the density of homogeneous PPP and the effective coverage area of the relays. For a given outage probability, we reveal the relationship between the shortest and longest radii of the effective district of the relays. Finally, Monte Carlo simulations are provided to verify the accuracy of the analytical results.


Team‐based care has been emphasized as a strategy to improve and optimize outcomes for broad groups of patients who have presented with often complex medical conditions including large vessel cerebral occlusion. Although neurointerventionalists from different specialties perform mechanical embolectomy, which has become the standard of care for large vessel cerebral occlusion, these specialties are limited by relatively low numbers typically concentrated in a small number of sites. In this single center experience, approximately 50 patients with large vessel stroke were transferred out of an emergency room to other centers despite the availability of an experienced cardiologist with extensive carotid experience. Such transfer strategies typically result in delays in receiving reperfusion and, therefore, may decrease the success rates and substantial improvement that can be obtained by patients in this setting. Trained interventional cardiologists in centers with limited 24/7/365 coverage could achieve rapid revascularization and reperfusion saving lives. In order to accommodate the need for treating these patients, carotid stent trained cardiologists should enter the arena, learn mechanical embolectomy, and be supported by their colleagues from other disciplines on acute stroke care teams.


Introduction The recently published paediatric inflammatory bowel disease (PIBD) Paris classification highlights that patients diagnosed before their 10thbirthday (Paris A1a) have a different clinical phenotype at presentation than those diagnosed aged 10–16 years (A1b). However, data regarding accurate incidence rates, disease natural history, medication use and surgery in the A1a group is lacking. Method All A1a PIBD patients within our prospective, regional PIBD database from South-East Scotland (SES) diagnosed from 08/97–07/14 had data recorded regarding demographics, phenotype data, details of medical therapy and surgery; data at last paediatric follow-up (FU) was also collected. Accurate incidence data was generated using publicly available population data for SES. Statistics were performed in GraphPad Prism and R with Poisson regression analysis for incidence data. Results 121 A1a PIBD patients (77 Crohn's disease [CD], 28 ulcerative colitis [UC] and 16 IBD-unclassified [IBDU]) were identified in the 17 yr period (31% of entire PIBD cohort); 52% were male. Median FU was 7.1yrs (IQR 3.6–9.6). The incidence of A1a PIBD during 2000–2013 was 4.4/100,000/yr (CD 2.8/100,000/yr; UC 1.0/100,000/yr; IBDU 0.6/100,000/yr); there was no significant increase in incidence between 2000–2006 and 2007–2013 (p = 0.577). At diagnosis 20% of CD patients diagnosed at 2–5 yrs had panenteric disease, 36% isolated colonic disease, and 16% had isolated oral and/or perianal disease; all had inflammatory behaviour. At prolonged FU phenotype was stable. In the older CD cohort (6–9 yrs) 41% had panenteric disease at diagnosis (45% at FU), 25% had isolated colonic disease, and 17% of this group progressed to penetrating/fistulising disease at follow-up. The older age-group were more likely to have panenteric disease at diagnosis (p = 0.002) or progress to penetrating disease (p < 0.001). A1a patients were exposed to immunosupressive therapy and had surgery performed later after diagnosis than A1b patients (p < 0.05); successful remission at anti-TNF therapy induction was achieved in 57% of patients. 20 patients (17%) had IBD-related surgery while in paediatric services. Conclusion A third of patients are diagnosed with PIBD present before 10 years of age, with the incidence of very early-onset disease remaining stable in recent years. The requirement for immunosuppression, especially biological therapy, is significant and represents a high disease burden in these patients. Intriguingly, differences exist between those diagnosed at 6–9 years in that they are exposed to immunosuppressants and undergo surgery sooner after diagnosis and are more likely to have panenteric CD at diagnosis and to progress to penetrating disease. Disclosure of interest None Declared.


With the use of more specialized equipment in our radiology departments, we are able to examine more patients with greater efficiency. However, our role as radiologic technologists is only partially fulfilled if our concern over the number of patients and the functional aspects of the equipment restricts us from adequately communicating with the patient during the radiographic examination.


Ovine scrapie is a neurodegenerative disease caused by polymorphisms of the prion protein gene (Prnp); especially the amino acid residue alterations at codons 136, 154, and 174, in sheep have been found to be associated with susceptibility to scrapie disease. We studied Prnp polymorphisms in local sheep of Khuzestan, Iran. In this study, a total of 250 healthy and randomly chosen sheep were investigated. Information from the breeder was considered in order to avoid family connections. The genetic DNA of blood samples was extracted, amplified and sequenced. At codon 136, are two different amino acid residues A and V with frequencies of 98.8 and 1.2%, respectively. In our study, the amino acid residue at 154 in all the prion protein (PrPs) was A. At codon 171, are three different amino acid residues Q, R and H with frequencies of 68.4, 21.8 and 9.8%, respectively. The frequency of the amino acid residues ARQ/ARQ at codons 136, 154, and 171, respectively, which is associated with medium-high susceptibility to scrapie, was 43.2%. The frequencies of genotypes ARQ/ARR, ARQ/ARH, ARQ/VRQ, ARR/ARH and ARH/ARH were 38, 10, 1.2, 5.2 and 2.4, respectively. The scrapie-resistant genotype ARR/ARR was not found. Also, the highly susceptible genotype VRQ/VRQ at these codons were not detected in the tested sheep. In addition, five polymorphism were identified ( G127V, N146S, Y172D, S173N, and V179E ) at different codons of PrP gene. Key words : Prion protein gene (Prnp), polymorphisms, susceptibility, scrapie.


The content of this article falls within the textual and generic trend of research on paratext. The author describes the meaning of paratexts in fantasy literature via the example of glossaries, which fulfill a special role in the process of creating and perceiving this type of literary text. The argumentation process is subordinated to two perspectives. The first involves the sub-creation of a secondary reality — the Second World in fantasy, which from the beginning to the end grows out of the imagination of the writer and which is complete and internally consistent. In the course of reading, the reader "enters" into a completely different world from that experienced every day. What is needed, therefore, is a kind of guide that allows him to "move around" without disturbing the created universe. Paratext fulfills this function. Hence the second perspective is Gérard Genette's thesis, according to which the paratext is identified with the text surrounding the proper text, coming from the author and remaining within the same volume (peritext), and one of its basic roles is to help in the interpretation and proper decryption of the creator's (author's) intentions. On the basis of the glossaries studied in fantasy texts, it can be concluded that structurally they constitute the determinants of a textual frame, and although there is no linear continuity between the main text and the glossary, considering the content that is contained in it, they serve to strengthen the coherence of the main text. In general, the presence of glossaries facilitates reading the text, allows "unmasking" the intentions of the author and categorizing elements of the plot of a specific work, a given part of the cycle or saga against the background of the whole universe.