Because of their unique physical, chemical, electrical, and mechanical properties, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have attracted a great deal of research interest and have many potential applications. As large-scale production and application of CNTs increases, the general population is more likely to be exposed to CNTs either directly or indirectly, which has prompted considerable attention about human health and safety issues related to CNTs. Although considerable experimental data related to CNT toxicity at the molecular, cellular, and whole animal levels have been published, the results are often conflicting. Therefore, a systematic understanding of CNT toxicity is needed but has not yet been developed. In this Account, we highlight recent investigations into the basis of CNT toxicity carried out by our team and by other laboratories. We focus on several important factors that explain the disparities in the experimental results of nanotoxicity, such as impurities, amorphous carbon, surface charge, shape, length, agglomeration, and layer numbers. The exposure routes, including inhalation, intravenous injection, or dermal or oral exposure, can also influence the in vivo behavior and fate of CNTs. The underlying mechanisms of CNT toxicity include oxidative stress, inflammatory responses, malignant transformation, DNA damage and mutation (errors in chromosome number as well as disruption of the mitotic spindle), the formation of granulomas, and interstitial fibrosis. These findings provide useful insights for de novo design and safe application of carbon nanotubes and their risk assessment to human health. To obtain reproducible and accurate results, researchers must establish standards and reliable detection methods, use standard CNT samples as a reference control, and study the impact of various factors systematically. In addition, researchers need to examine multiple types of CNTs, different cell lines and animal species, multidimensional evaluation methods, and exposure conditions. To make results comparable among different institutions and countries, researchers need to standardize choices in toxicity testing such as that of cell line, animal species, and exposure conditions. The knowledge presented here should lead to a better understanding of the key factors that can influence CNT toxicity so that their unwanted toxicity might be avoided.


Background: Acute compartment syndrome of the limb is an orthopedic emergency. The leg compartments, usually following fracture of the tibia are most commonly implicated. Study Design and Setting: This is a retrospective study on the scope of compartment syndrome among patients with limbs traumas who were treated between October 2007 and September 2015 in a private orthopedic and trauma center situated in a highly populated south eastern Nigerian city. Patients and Methods: The medical records as well as data from the operation register master list of patients with limb injuries were studied. Limb injuries considered significant enough for in-hospital treatments with or without other associated system injuries were included while patients with any form of arterial disease or claudication were excluded. Results: A total of 1362 patients met the inclusion criteria. Fourteen patients (1.02%) had acute compartment syndrome. The commonest underlying pathology was fracture of the tibia in eight patients (57%). Two patients (14%) were due to tight traditional bone setters′ splints and one (7%) was from burns eschar. There was a slight male predominance and young adults in their primes were mostly affected. Conclusion: Acute compartment syndrome of the limb is not very common. Early clinical diagnoses in the absence of the pressure monitoring equipment is recommended and emergency fasciotomies are necessary to salvage the limbs.


The purpose of this study is to examine employee performance of PT. XYZ branch head office. This problem can be seen from the level of turnover and absenteeism has increase from year to year. This study aims to analyze how the influence of job satisfaction factors and work motivation to employee performance and analyze the dominant factor affecting employee performance. This study examine job satisfaction factors (X1) and Work Motivation (X2) towards employee performance (Y).The population in this study were all employees of PT. XYZ branch head office. 80 respondents were taken as sample using Google Form and this data in tought with SPSS program version 23. The analytical method used is multiple regression analysis.Where all independent variance have positive and significant effect on the dependent variable. Adjusted R Square value is equal to 0,89. 89% showed that employee performance variables described by job satisvaction factors and work motivation. The remaining 11% of employee performance is explained by other variables.


Abstract Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS) is a genetic disorder caused by the expression disruption of genes on the paternally inherited allele of chromosome 15q11.2-q13. Apart from clinical diagnostic criteria, PWS is confirmed by genetic testing. Methylation-specific multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MS-MLPA) is one of the molecular techniques used to analyze this syndrome. This study aimed to evaluate the concordance of the test results of MS-MLPA with conventional techniques in the diagnosis of PWS in Thai patients. Forty leftover specimens from routine genetic testing (MS-PCR and FISH) were tested to obtain MS-MLPA results. By comparison, perfect concordance was shown between the result of MS-MLPA and those of conventional techniques. In conclusion, MS-MLPA is an accurate and cost-effective assay that can be used to confirm PWS diagnosis with explicit deletion of affected genes.


This chapter focuses on the three major leadership styles, namely, laissez faire, trans- actional and transformational leadership styles and their relationship to the leadership outcomes (extra effort, effectiveness, and satisfaction). A review is conducted on related leadership theories, development of leadership styles and the relationship between leadership styles and the outcomes. The survey using convenient sampling method was carried out in the Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand. A quantitative analysis was conducted on collected data using statistical methods (such as correlation and regres - sion analysis) and state-of-the-art data mining techniques (rule-based approaches and decision tree modelling) were also used to ascertain the relationship between leadership styles and leadership outcome. The data mining techniques were used to extract hidden trends and patterns in the data to report various ways to increase the employee outcomes by fine-tuning leadership styles. The results of such research would enable the small-and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to identify the most prevalent leadership styles and to devise actionable strategies to improve the best suitable leadership styles for the management.


CD59, belonging to membrane complement regulatory proteins (mCRPs), inhibits the cytolytic activity of complement and is overexpressed in many types of solid cancers. The aim of the present study was to detect the expression of CD59 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and to investigate the relationship between decreased CD59 expression and tumorigenesis of NSCLC by transfecting recombinant retrovirus encoding shRNA targeting human CD59 into the human NSCLC cell line NCI-H157. CD59 expression in NSCLC was detected by immunocytochemistry (IHC). In the human NSCLC cell line NCI-H157, CD59 mRNA and protein expression suppressed with lentivirus-mediated RNAi was confirmed by using RT-PCR and western blotting, respectively. The proliferation and apoptosis of NCI-H157 cells was measured by using MTT assay and FACS. The resistance to complement cracking ability was detected by LDH assay. Caspase-3 expression in cells was assessed by IHC. Bcl-2 and Fas protein was determined by western blotting both in vitro and in vivo. CD59 is overexpressed in human NLCLC cancer. In NCI-H157 cells, lentivirus-mediated RNAi significantly reduced both CD59 mRNA and protein expression, which resulted in suppressing cell proliferation and increasing cell apoptosis. When incubated with fresh normal human serum (8%, v/v) for 1 h at 37 ̊C, the cell viability was decreased and cell apoptosis was increased in siCD59-infected NCI-H157 cells compared to siCD59-C-infected cells. Reduced CD59 expression led to increased expression of caspase-3 and Fas and decreased expression of Bcl-2. Furthermore, the nude mouse tumor graft weight was significantly decreased and survival rate was significantly increased in the siCD59 group. CD59 is overexpressed in human NLCLC. CD59 silencing in NSCLC cancer cells via retrovirus-mediated RNAi can enhance complement-mediated cell apoptosis, inhibiting the growth of NSCLC. CD59 may serve as a potential target for gene therapy in NSCLC.


In this textual analysis I have examined the book Att folja Jesus by Ulf Ekman and information from Word of Life's official website. The aim of this study is to see how a religious leader is shaping the identity of the groups members after a certain pattern that differs from the surrounding, secular society. The research focus  of this essay includes several aspects:  how a culture is formed in a religious minority in contrast to the prevailing cultural context; how the material can be explained by Paul Pruyser's theory on the psychological worlds; how what Ulf Ekman writes about distinguishing themselves from the environment differs from how other religious minority groups distinguish their identity;  and,  how the psychological world, expected behavior, and context of Word of Life can be structured by Valerie DeMarinis' model of assessment. I have placed Word of Life in a realistic illusionistic world developed from Paul Pruyser's theory of psychological worlds. I have also used Valerie DeMarinis' orientation model for meaning making systems for placing Word of Life in its cultural context. The investigation revealed that the group is a religious minority in Sweden. After this, I compared Word of Life with other religious minority groups. I chose to focus on Jewish identity in the American South and in Copenhagen, which showed that the individuals who were interviewed who felt that their Jewish  identities were under attack became defensive. Ekman, however, ordered his members to be inclusive but theologically conservative and to seek a counterculture existence. I placed the steps of 'belonging'  into DeMarinis' assessment model, which showed how the psychological world is leading up to the achievement of the expected behavior, and how the surrounding cultural context affects the model.


The Covid-19 pandemic has caused for closing of all institutions imparting face-to-face teaching globally. In India, the University Grants Commission (UGC) instructed all its institutions running regular courses to opt blended mode of teaching. In this connection, implementation of Blended teaching and assessment was a new challenge for the teacher education institutions. The teacher education institutions offering Elementary and Secondary teacher education courses started working as guided by the UGC. CEMCA, New Delhi and Ravenshaw University, Cuttack collaboratively empowered teacher educators from Odisha to implement Blended Learning in their pre-service teacher education classrooms. The objectives of this paper was to identify blended learning skill sets needed by teacher educators in Odisha and to design, organise and evaluate blended learning training programs for teacher educators of Odisha. Through a baseline study, the training needs of the teacher educators, their perception towards different components of blended learning and the skill level of ICT integrated online teaching was identified. Based on the baseline study, a series of capacity building programs were designed and conducted through online at three phases during September to October 2021. These programs dealt with areas of Integration of ICT Tools in Teaching Learning; OER, Techno-pedagogy and Online Assessment; and Design and Development of Lessons for Blended Learning. 105 teacher educators participated in the workshop. Participants of the capacity building program found the program useful to enhance their technological – pedagogical and content skills – with the workshops / demonstrations and hands-on experience. The teacher educators further reported that the skill set learned during the training was useful to design courses that implemented blended learning. A major theme that emerged from this study was the need for institutional policy on blended learning so as to empower teacher educators to implement blended learning.


Consumers, the public authorities, and the food industry are all concerned with the safety of meat. The increasing demand for safer food from the consumers and the public authorities puts pressure on producers to identify efficient methods to reduce risks. Earlier studies have shown that consumers state a willingness to pay for safer meat - but we know very little about how different methods to reduce risks affect the consumers' preferences for safer meat. In the present study, a choice experiment for a representative sample of the Danish population was conducted to elicit whether consumers' willingness to pay for reducing the risks of Salmonella infections was affected by the specific risk reduction methods (risk reductions using the current policy, at farm level, or decontamination at slaughterhouse using water/steam or lactic acid). More specifically, the consumers were asked to choose between different packages of minced pork that differed with respect to Salmonella risks, risk reduction method, and price. The sample consisted of 844 Danish consumers, who answered a questionnaire over the internet. Our results indicate that consumers demand safer meat, but not at all costs - there is a limit to what they will pay and they care about how the risk reduction is obtained. They prefer risk reductions to take place at farm level followed by decontaminations using water/steam and (least preferred) lactic acid.


Localized periodontal recession (LPR) are not rarely in adults: 39.4% in the age of 20-24 years, 44.3% in the age of 35-44 years. It seems to occur a relative increasing number mainly in the age group of 20-24 years: 44.4%. Patients decreased with LPR show in comparison to healthy people a smaller diameter of the canin's apical basis both in upper and lower jaw, a smaller circumference of the alveolar crest as well as an upper canin-crown which is turned out from the teeth arcus in a more labial direction. The chronic trauma of teeth brushing is very important in the pathogenesis of the LPR. Prevention of LPR involves individual oral health education to protect the vestibular gingiva from chronic brushing-trauma.


A man in his 50s was injured in a motor vehicle crash and was intubated at the scene. On day 10 of intubation, he underwent a tracheotomy. He was successfully decannulated 8 months later. The patient then presented 1 year later with complaints of hoarseness since intubation. He felt short of breath at the end of sentences. He had undergone a neurosurgical procedure after the motor vehicle crash and was notified by the anesthesiologist that he was a difficult intubation. On physical examination, he had a rough, hoarse voice without any stridor. His oral cavity revealed a Mallampati classification IV. Flexible laryngoscopy revealed bilateral vocal fold immobility (Figure, A). Results of a computed tomographic scan of his neck were unremarkable. Findings from a laryngeal electromyography were normal. The patient subsequently underwent a microdirect laryngoscopy with jet ventilation for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. On first attempt of intubation, the Hunsaker tube got stuck in the posterior glottis. The attending otolaryngologist then exposed the airway with a Dedo laryngoscope and intubated the patient (Figure, B). An interarytenoid adhesion with a posterior opening was visualized. Palpation of the cricoarytenoid joints demonstrated that the joints were mobile. There was no evidence of subglottic or tracheal stenosis. What is your diagnosis? A B C


INTRODUCTION The site of Boulder Dam is in Black Canyon of the Colorado River, approximately 75 miles below the mouth of the Grand Canyon (Fig. 1). At the dam, the river, when at low-water stage, is slightly less than 650 feet above sea level. As the top of the dam is 580 feet higher, the water in the reservoir can rise almost to the 1230-foot contour. The resulting lake will be 115 miles in extreme length, and will have several long, narrow arms in valleys tributary to the Colorado. The width will vary from a few hundred feet in the narrow canyons to a maximum of eight miles in the low country near the mouth of the Virgin River. As a result of field studies in neighboring areas, the writer realized that this lake would cover geologic features of great interest. Only hasty reconnaissance surveys had been made of most . . .


Serum zinc concentrations in 47 patients with acute pelvic inflammatory disease were compared with those of 50 women in a control group. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate, the white cell count and acute-phase protein (alpha 1- and alpha 2-globulin) values were used to confirm or exclude infection among the patients studied. All these values differed significantly in the control and study groups. The mean zinc level in patients with pelvic inflammatory disease was 0.725 +/- 0.154 micrograms/ml and that in the control group 0,862 +/- 0.117 micrograms/ml. This difference was statistically significant (P less than 0.001).


The authors evaluated peripheral neuropathy in 34 female workers of hypermarket checkout counter, via neurologic examination and electric neuromyography. Average length of service in checkout counter was 4 years, maximal one--8 years. All the examinees demonstrated slower peripheral nerve impulse conductivity. 22% of the examinees presented significantly lower nerve impulse conductivity. Right median neuropathy was diagnosed in 47% of the examinees, left one--in 38% of the cases, and ulnar neuropathy--in 24% of the cases. Possibility is that work conditions at major hypermarket checkout counters require improvement.


The primary search was provided according to the abstracts database Scopus on request «person-centred approach». As a result, two distinct studying traditions was found. First, referring to the classic person-centered approach of Carl Rogers formed in the Advisory practice uses it in the organization. Additionally, view the compliance category all articles link to two books on Rogerian approach (Kirschenbaum & Henderson, 1990; Rogers, 1977). The second tradition uses a statistical method Latent Profile Analysis, this method contrasts studies centered on the establishment of links between research variables (Variable-centered), studies that are divided into groups of "clustering" of the subjects themselves (Person-centered). None of the articles of this tradition have reference to the work of Rogers and his followers. The search was limited organizational and psychological themes. We took into account only articles in English. In the column "number of citations" stated the absolute number of citations of this publication in the Scopus database on 19/09/2016.


Dongting Lake is located at the downstream of Three Gorges Dam (TGD) and the hydrological drought is intensified after the impoundment of TGD as the dry period has been extended from 123 days/year before the operation of TGD (1981–2002) to 141 days/year (2003–2016) on average. Particularly, the Dongting Lake's water shortage becomes very severe. To solve the problem caused by upstream dams, an innovative flood control scheme (IFCS) was introduced, and its feasibility of application in Dongting Lake is studied using the hydrodynamic module of Mike 21. The results show the IFCS can effectively convert the peak discharge of floodwater in wet seasons into water resources in dry seasons as the IFCS could significantly increase the usable water storage of the lake. For example, the usable water storage could increase to 2.85 billion m3 and 1.81 billion m3 in the extreme drought year of 2006 and 2011, respectively. The average increment of the water level would be about 0.4 m, 0.6 m, and 0.5 m in the West Dongting Lake (WDL), South Dongting Lake (SDL), and the East Dongting Lake (EDL), respectively, if the water stored in the inner lake was discharged uniformly in 30 days (27 November to 27 December 2006) with the application of IFCS. This study may provide an innovative method to alleviate the water shortage problem in Dongting Lake and other similar lakes.


References 1 Mason RA, Fielder CP. The obstructed airway in head and neck surgery. Anaesthesia 1999; 54: 625–8. 2 Annamaneni R, Hodzovic I, Wilkes AR, Latto IP. A comparison of simulated difficult intubation with multipleuse and single-use bougies in a manikin. Anaesthesia 2003; 58: 45–9. 3 Marfin AG, Pandit JJ, Hames KC, Popat MT, Yentis SM. Use of the bougie in simulated difficult intubation. 2. Comparison of single-use bougie with multiple-use bougie. Anaesthesia 2003; 58: 852–5.


ETFRN news No. 50: Forests and Climate Change: adaptation and mitigation. This newsletter contains interesting materials for those who think about the question how to proceed with forests and climate change after Copenhagen, with or without an agreement. Here below are presented some observations from this newsletter: • Adaptation and mitigation are separate issues in the climate discussions, but in forest practice they are two sides of the same coin. • We need forest management directed at the realization of different objectives at the same time, we do not need pure 'carbon forests'. Not addressing 'people' and 'planet' considerations is increasingly seen – by both the public and private sector – as a business risk. • Not all countries will be able to comply with REDD rules in the short term. The voluntary carbon market will remain important. • REDD is an opportunity and a risk for local communities. Risks should be made transparent, and open and equal participation by communities in design and decision-making should be promoted • REDD and other forest-based climate change mitigation measures are likely to be low-cost and effective in the short to medium term. Some stakeholders fear that forests may become a too-cheap mitigation option and corrupt the overall climate agreement. In most calculations, however, the costs of developing, operating and managing the institutional system required to produce credible and sustainable forest carbon credits are not internalized in forest carbon prices. If they were, forest carbon prices would become much higher and more realistic. • The role of forests must be clarified and articulated in National Adaptation Programs of Action (NAPAs). At present most political attention and financing is focused on REDD, and, in general, on climate mitigation. Only recently has the concern for the role of forests in adaptation gained ground; this emanates from the growing recognition that climate change will happen anyway. Moreover, climate change will affect the most vulnerable ecosystems and poorer regions. • There is a clear need for harmonization and coherence in the certification market (SFM, and carbon, fair trade etc.). Certification is not necessarily the only credible basis for payment. As illustrated in this issue, mutual trust can be an alternative, particularly for small-scale initiatives that cannot afford the high transaction costs of certification.


The Red List of Ecosystems is a growing toolbox for assessing risks to biodiversity at the ecosystem level, which is complementary to the Red List of Threatened Species and important for the protection of key species' habitats. The IUCN Red List of Ecosystems Criteria was adopted as an official global standard for assessing the risks to ecosystems by the IUCN Council. With the revision and extension of the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems Criteria, this framework is gradually improved, which plays an important role in biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management. However, it faces challenges in ecosystem mapping, the concepts of ecosystem collapse and practical application. This paper reviews the development of the Red List of Ecosystems and introduces the five criterions in the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems protocol (declining in distribution, restricted distribution, abiotic degradation, biotic degradation and quantitative estimates of risk of ecosystem collapse) and how it is used. While focusing on the challenges in the assessment with the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems Criteria, we also discuss the potential solutions to these problems based on remote sensing and ecological models. We points out that the explicit definition of ecosystem collapse and the classification system of ecosystems is essential for applying the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems Criteria; the scale effects have great impacts on the results of assessment; assessment at hierarchical scales may be a potential method to provide spatial information for the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems; incorporating remote sensing •综述•


Background Intimate partner violence (IPV) against women is associated with a wide range of adverse outcomes. Although mental disorders have been linked to an increased risk of perpetrating IPV against women, the direction and magnitude of the association remain uncertain. In a longitudinal design, we examined the association between mental disorders and IPV perpetrated by men towards women in a population-based sample and used sibling comparisons to control for factors shared by siblings, such as genetic and early family environmental factors. Methods and findings Using Swedish nationwide registries, we identified men from 9 diagnostic groups over 1998–2013, with sample sizes ranging from 9,529 with autism to 88,182 with depressive disorder. We matched individuals by age and sex to general population controls (ranging from 186,017 to 1,719,318 controls), and calculated the hazard ratios of IPV against women. We also estimated the hazard ratios of IPV against women in unaffected full siblings (ranging from 4,818 to 37,885 individuals) compared with the population controls. Afterwards, we compared the hazard ratios for individuals with psychiatric diagnoses with those for siblings using the ratio of hazard ratios (RHR). In sensitivity analyses, we examined the contribution of previous IPV against women and common psychiatric comorbidities, substance use disorders and personality disorders. The average follow-up time across diagnoses ranged from 3.4 to 4.8 years. In comparison to general population controls, all psychiatric diagnoses studied except autism were associated with an increased risk of IPV against women in men, with hazard ratios ranging from 1.5 (95% CI 1.3–1.7) to 7.7 (7.2–8.3) (p-values < 0.001). In sibling analyses, we found that men with depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, alcohol use disorder, drug use disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and personality disorders had a higher risk of IPV against women than their unaffected siblings, with RHR values ranging from 1.7 (1.3–2.1) to 4.4 (3.7–5.2) (p-values < 0.001). Sensitivity analyses showed higher risk of IPV against women in men when comorbid substance use disorders and personality disorders were present, compared to risk when these comorbidities were absent. In addition, increased IPV risk was also found in those without previous IPV against women. The absolute rates of IPV against women ranged from 0.1% to 2.1% across diagnoses over 3.4 to 4.8 years. Individuals with alcohol use disorders (1.7%, 1,406/82,731) and drug use disorders (2.1%, 1,216/57,901) had the highest rates. Our analyses were restricted to IPV leading to arrest, suggesting that the applicability of our results may be limited to more severe forms of IPV perpetration. Conclusions Our results indicate that most of the studied mental disorders are associated with an increased risk of perpetrating IPV towards women, and that substance use disorders, as principal or comorbid diagnoses, have the highest absolute and relative risks. The findings support the development of IPV risk identification and prevention services among men with substance use disorders as an approach to reduce the prevalence of IPV.


Abstract The construction industry plays a significant role in the infrastructure development of many countries. Construction projects suffer from a lot of setbacks despite sophistication and advancement in technology and professionalism. This study, therefore, assessed the factors that triggered the emergence of rework and the benefits derived from eliminating such triggers in the Nigerian construction industry. The study adopted a quantitative survey approach in which a structured questionnaire was adopted as the research instrument. Factor analysis using principal component analysis was adopted to determine the factors that triggered the rework and the pattern of relationship that existed amongst the factors; relative importance index (RII) was used to assess the benefits of eliminating rework triggers. The study concluded that the factors that triggered the emergence of rework were omission and planning issues, change issues, funding and communication issues, and poor workers and resource control. Repeat patronage, higher productivity, and reduced delivery time reduced the rework and waste and improved the employee job satisfaction and morale; they were the benefits derived from eliminating rework triggers. It was recommended that there is a need for clarity, effectiveness, and timeliness of instruction and information dissemination amongst project participants and the participation of contractors, subcontractors, and other stakeholders at the design stages to avoid omissions and construction changes.


Toxic shock syndrome(TSS)is rare complication after minor surgical procedure. A 22-yearold man was admitted our hospital with spontaneous pneumothorax on the right side. Few days after pleural drainage, he developed a high fever often over 40℃ and a rash,most demonstrating a truncal, "sunburn"pattern. Initially, he was diagnosed as right pylothorax, but the clinical course was not typical and antibiotic treatment was not effective. Two weeks later,desquamation of the hands and feet were noted, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA) isolated from the pleural effusion were identified as TSS toxin(TSST)-1 and enterotoxin-C producing. He was diagnosed as probable TSS, and recovered by steroid therapy. Early awareness and recognition of this disease is necessary for surgeons.


Two independent radioimmunoassay techniques for the major phenobarbital-inducible cytochrome P-450 (PB P-450) of rat liver microsomal membranes are described. The first technique employs as the source of radiolabelled antigen the products of translation in vitro labelled with [35S]methionine. The second technique employs purified antigen labelled with 125I and is quicker, less expensive and more precise. Both assays are highly specific for PB P-450 and can detect quantities of this variant as small as 1 ng. This is several orders of magnitude more sensitive than any method described previously for the quantification of cytochromes P-450, and consequently the technique is particularly well suited for the quantification of so-called constitutive cytochrome P-450 variants that are present in very low amounts. The results of the radioimmunoassays demonstrate that the apparent 2.6-fold induction of total cytochromes P-450 after phenobarbital treatment is due to a 43-fold increase in Pb P-450. Although beta-naphthoflavone increases the total content of cytochrome P-450 of microsomal membranes 1.4-fold, it actually causes a 55% decrease in the amount of PB P-450. Thus different xenobiotics can have differential effects on the expression of the genes for specific cytochrome P-450 variants.


The peroxisome proliferation-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) is expressed in many cell types including mammary epithelium, ovary, macrophages, and B- and T-cells. PPARγ has an anti-proliferative effect in pre-adipocytes and mammary epithelial cells, and treatment with its ligands reduced the progression of carcinogen-induced mammary tumors in mice. Because PPARγ-null mice die in utero it has not been possible to study its role in development and tumorigenesis in vivo. To investigate whether PPARγ is required for the establishment and physiology of different cell types, a cell-specific deletion of the gene was carried out in mice using the Cre-loxP recombination system. We deleted thePPARγ gene in mammary epithelium using WAP-Cre transgenic mice and in epithelial cells, B- and T-cells, and ovary cells using MMTV-Cre mice. The presence of PPARγ was not required for functional development of the mammary gland during pregnancy and for the establishment of B- and T-cells. In addition, no increase in mammary tumors was observed. However, loss of the PPARγ gene in oocytes and granulosa cells resulted in impaired fertility. These mice have normal populations of follicles, they ovulate and develop corpora lutea. Although progesterone levels are decreased and implantation rates are reduced, the exact cause of the impaired fertility remains to be determined.


We examined the effect of several recently-introduced anti-oncogenic agents acting against the tyrosine kinase (Trk) receptor family on the survival and biological characteristics of human endogenous cardiac stem cells (eCSCs) in vitro. Three of these Trk inhibitor (Trk-I) drugs (imatinib mesylate; sunitinib malate; sorafenib tosylate) were examined, due to their contrasting ranges of Trk targets, using concentrations comparable to the 'peak' and 'trough' levels seen in clinical plasma samples (for 24 hours and 7?days respectively). The cardiotoxicity associated with Trk-Is may involve their damaging effects on the resident eCSCs through inhibition of the ability of the CSCs to: maintain their stemness and self-renewal; generate new cardiomyocytes and other cells needed for cardiac tissue homeostasis; produce pro-survival growth factors supporting other injured cells in the myocardium. We identified an impact of all three drugs upon eCSC survival, using a fluorescein diacetate viability assay, with effects seen with 'peak' and 'trough' concentrations. Expression levels of several genes (Akt, HGF, Wnt2, Nkx2.5) linked with eCSC-to-cardiomyocyte lineage differentiation were significantly reduced by Trk-I application. Further to this, examination of the percentages of eCSCs which committed to the cardiomyocyte lineage during differentiation for 14 days was significantly reduced by sorafenib tosylate. In addition, the Trk-Is' impacts upon a range of pro-survival growth factors (previously identified as being expressed by eCSCs), and second messenger systems linked with the targeted Trk receptors were examined. In summary, we identified that Trk-Is impact upon human eCSC biology and their ability to contribute to myocardial tissue repair.


Property Localization for Grain Boundary Diffusivity via Inverse Problem Theory Christian Kurniawan Department of Mechanical Engineering, BYU Master of Science The structure and spatial arrangement of grain boundaries strongly affect the properties of polycrystalline materials such as corrosion, creep, weldability, superconductivity, and diffusivity. However, constructing predictive grain boundary structure-property models is taxing, both experimentally and computationally due to the high dimensionality of the grain boundary character space. The purpose of this work is to develop an effective method to infer grain boundary structure-property models from measurement of the effective properties of polycrystals by utilizing the inverse problem theory. This study presents an idealized case in which structure-property models for grain boundary diffusivity are inferred from a noisy simulation. The method presented in this study is derived from a general mathematical expression of inverse problem theory. The derivation of the method is carried step by step by considering diffusivity as the property of interest. The use of the Bayesian probability approach in the inference method makes the uncertainty quantification possible to perform. This study demonstrates how uncertainty quantification for the inferred structure-property models is easily performed within the idealized case framework. The method of quantifying the uncertainty is carried by utilizing the Metropolis-Hastings algorithm and Kernel Density Estimation method. The validation of the method is carried out by considering structure-property models with one, three, and five degrees of freedom. Twoand three-dimensional simulated polycrystals are used in this study to obtain the simulation data. The two-dimensional simulated polycrystals used in this study are generated using grain growth simulation performed using a front-tracking algorithm. The three-dimensional polycrystals used in this study are generated using Neper software resulting in a real-like polycrystals. The structure-property models used in the validation are picked by considering the qualitative features that reflect trends observed in literature. The inference method is performed by ignoring any knowledge about the structure-property model in the process.


Adam Smith warned of the prevalence of corporate conspiracies more than two hundred years ago. Since then, interest in cartels has sometimes intensified (during the Great Depression, for example) and sometimes diminished, but the need for control has always remained on the antitrust agenda. This well-documented book reviews the economic case against corporate collusion, as well as the arguments made for a more permissive attitude.


ABSTRACT Basal layers of stratified epithelia express keratins K5, K14, and K15, which assemble into intermediate filament networks. Mutations in K5 or K14 genes cause epidermolysis bullosa simplex (EBS), a disorder with blistering in the basal layer due to cell fragility. Nonkeratinizing stratified epithelia, e.g., in the esophagus, produce more keratin K15 than epidermis, which alleviates the esophageal symptoms in patients with K14 mutations. Hypothesizing that increasing the cellular content of K15 could compensate for the mutant K14 and thus ease skin blistering in K14 EBS patients, we cloned the promoter of the K15 gene and examined its transcriptional regulation. Using cotransfection, gel mobility shifts, and DNase I footprinting, we have identified the regulators of K15 promoter activity and their binding sites. We focused on those that can be manipulated with extracellular agents, transcription factors C/EBP, AP-1, and NF-κB, nuclear receptors for thyroid hormone, retinoic acid, and glucocorticoids, and the cytokine gamma interferon (IFN-γ). We found that C/EBP-β and AP-1 induced, while retinoic acid, glucocorticoid receptors, and NF-κB suppressed, the K15 promoter, along with other keratin gene promoters. However, the thyroid hormone and IFN-γ uniquely and potently activated the K15 promoter. Using these agents, we could boost the amounts of K15 in human epidermis. Our findings suggest that treatments based on thyroid hormone and IFN-γ could become effective agents in therapy for patients with EBS.


The scope of the Technical Forum Group (TFG) on Agents in Bioinformatics (BIOAGENTS) was to inspire collaboration between the agent and bioinformatics communities with the aim of creating an opportunity to propose a difierent (agent-based) approach to the development of computational frameworks both for data analysis in bioinformatics and for system modelling in computational biology. During the day, the participants examined the future of research on agents in bioinformatics primarily through 12 invited talks selected to cover the most relevant topics. From the discussions, it became clear that there are many perspectives to the fleld, ranging from bio-conceptual languages for agent-based simulation, to the deflnition of bio-ontology-based declarative languages for use by information agents, and to the use of Grid agents, each of which requires further exploration. The interactions between participants encouraged the development of applications that describe a way of creating agent-based simulation models of biological systems, starting from an hypothesis and inferring new knowledge (or relations) by mining and analysing the huge amount of public biological data. In this report we summarise and re∞ect on the presentations and discussions.


Self-injurious behavior (SIB) is a chronic disorder that often begins in early childhood; however, few studies have examined the onset of SIB in young children. This preliminary study reports on the identification, assessment, and observation of SIB in 32 children who had begun to engage in SIB within the previous 6 months. Participants were under 5 years of age and presented with or were at risk for intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. Assessment measures included parental interviews, developmental and language measures, standardized measures of problem behavior, and direct observations conducted in the home. Results indicated that for most children, SIB emerged prior to age 1 year, and most children developed multiple topographies of SIB and other problem behaviors. Multiple measures were useful in identifying SIB and in characterizing the behavior by topography, frequency, and severity. Findings from the examination of child communication in relation to SIB were inconclusive. Results are discussed in relation to theories of SIB emergence and previous observational studies of young children with SIB.


Period 2 (PER2) is an important factor in daily oscillations called circadian rhythms, which are emerging as one of the most important regulatory networks, responsible for homeostasis and transcriptional regulation of a number of genes. Our work shows that PER2 could act as a co-activator of the constitutive androstane receptor (CAR), a key nuclear receptor (NR) that regulates the metabolism of endobiotics and xenobiotics. Bioinformatic analysis shows that PER2 and CAR possess structural elements that could enable them to interact which was confirmed experimentally by CoIP experiment. Co-transfection of mouse hepatocarcinoma cells with plasmids overexpressing Per2 and Car increases expression of Bmal1, a potential CAR target gene, more than transfections with Car only. This is the first report indicating the interaction of PER2 and CAR.


A series of novel color tunable dandelion-like SiO2:Ln3+ (Ln = Eu, Tb) nanophosphors of approximately 70 nm diameter were prepared using a simple hydrothermal route. The phase, time-dependent shape evolution, morphology, sizes, and luminescence properties of the as-prepared products were well characterized by means of X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry, and photoluminescence spectra as well as kinetic decay curves. Under ultraviolet excitation, the Eu3+ and Tb3+ singly doped SiO2 samples showed strong red and green emission, respectively. Furthermore, the luminescence colors of the as-prepared Tb3+, Eu3+ co-doped dandelion-like SiO2 nanophosphors could be altered from green to red, including green-yellow, yellow, orange yellow and reddish orange, by simply adjusting the doping concentrations of Eu3+.


ABSTRACT The aim of this paper is to identify the controls on the rates of illitization in Texas Gulf Coast shales under diagenetic conditions. Two different mineral transformations are considered: the transformation of smectite to (nearly) illite and the precipitation of discrete illite, i.e., the formation of pure illite. Analyses of potassium feldspar and kaolinite abundance, in addition to K2O, Al2O3, and TiO2 contents, in shales from three wells are used to supplement published data in order to identify the mineral reactions responsible for the smectite-to-illite transformation in shales involving illite/smectite (I/S) mineral series. These data indicate that the first stage of the smectite-to-illite reaction in shales (R = 0 structures, ca. 0- 50% illite content) is controlled by the presence of feldspar and hence also by the dissolution kinetics of feldspar. The empirically derived activation energy for the first I/S transformation in shales is similar to that for K-feldspar dissolution. Kaolinite is not involved in this transformation in the shales investigated. The second stage of the reaction sequence (R = 1 structures, ca. 50- 100% illite content) occurs after potassium feldspar has largely or completely disappeared from the shale system. This indicates that the feldspar no longer controls the second stage of the smectite-to-illite transformation, and suggests another, external, source of potassium for the reaction in the shales. This assumption is supported by the relative increase of potassium content of the shales, at least in two of the three studied wells. Kaolinite does not seem to be involved either in this second stage of the I/S reaction sequence. The formation of discrete illite crystallites in shales is independent of the I/S transformation reactions and takes place only after a very significant period of time has elapsed. The slow rate of this reaction reflects the low activity of potassium in solutions that are in equilibrium with shale, in comparison with sandstones, where a rapid precipitation of pure illite can in some cases be observed. It is suggested that the different reactions in the smectite-to-illite transformation necessitate different sources of potassium either from within or outside an argillaceous whole-rock system. These different sources of potassium give rise to different rates for the I/S conversion reaction and the formation of illite.


The menaquinone:cytochrome creductase, or bc complex, of Bacillus subtilisbelongs to a third class of bc-type complex, distinct from the bc 1 andb 6 f classes. Using a mutagenesis approach, we demonstrate that the cytochrome b (QcrB) andc (QcrC) subunits of the complex give rise to bands at 22 and 29 kDa, respectively, after denaturing electrophoresis; that both subunits are required for proper complex assembly and/or stability; and that both subunits retain one heme molecule under denaturing conditions. This unusual property of a b-type cytochrome was investigated further. We present evidence for the existence of a covalent linkage between the polypeptide and hemeb H and of an important role for Cys43 in binding of heme b H. It is proposed that heme is also covalently attached to the cytochromeb subunit of b 6 fcomplexes of chloroplasts and cyanobacteria.


OBJECTIVES
To evaluate the trends in glucocorticoid (GC) therapy in patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA).

METHODS
Using a population-based inception cohort, GC therapy details were collected for all patients with GCA diagnosed between 1950-2009. GC usage for patients diagnosed with GCA between 1980-2009 was compared to those diagnosed between 1950-1979.

RESULTS
The mean starting dose was similar in both time-periods but the mean cumulative dosages at different time points were significantly higher for patients diagnosed between 1980-2009 than in 1950-1979 (at 1-year: 6.3 vs. 4.1g; and at 5 years 10.7 vs. 7.6g, respectively, p<0.001). The median time to permanent discontinuation of GC was 2.6 years for 1980-2009 vs. 1.5 years for 1950-1979 (p=0.004). The risk for GC-associated adverse events was similar in both time periods (p=0.52).

CONCLUSIONS
GCA patients diagnosed in the last three decades were treated with higher cumulative GC doses and were less likely to achieve GC discontinuation. However, their risks for GC-related complications were not significantly higher than their earlier counterparts.


A thermodynamic study of copper ions by jack bean urease (JBU) was carried out at two temperatures of 27 and 37?C in Tris buffer (30 mM; pH=7.0) using an isothermal titration calorimetry. There is a set of twelve identical and non-interacting binding sites for copper ions. The intrinsic dissociation equilibrium constant and the molar enthalpy of binding are 285 µM and ?15.2 kJ/mol at 27?C and 346 µM and ?14.6 kJ/mol at 37?C, respectively. The molar entropy of binding is ?17.2 J K-1 mol-1at 27?C and +19.1 J K-1 mol-1 at 37?C. Hence, the binding process of copper ion to JBU is not only enthalpy driven but also it is entropy driven, which the role of entropy driven should be more effective by increasing the temperature.


The American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG) and Genomics/Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) previously reported standardized guidance for the assessment of genetic variants. One of the criteria regarding the prevalence in a case-control study, PS4, is important due to its evidence of pathogenicity. Despite recent studies approaching gene- and disease-specific probands, interpretation of a variant to PS4 still has certain limitations for rare variants. Here, we suggest a generalized method, Bayesian odds ratio (BayesianOR), applicable to PS4 via decomposing a disease to its symptoms and applying a Bayesian framework. Using this approach, we demonstrate reproducibility of the calculation of the original odds ratio from well-studied epilepsy data and verify the applicability to in-house frequencies for various rare diseases. In addition, BayesianOR showed a significant difference in tendency with different ClinVar pathogenicity, using in-house data. Thus, the novel method described here should provide an improved interpretation of sequence variants. Furthermore, we anticipate that it will enhance the diagnosis of patients with rare diseases.


The first edition of this text (published by Elsevier in 1990) is probably in every footwear examiner's library, so it is easy to say that the second edition belongs there too. Small improvements were made throughout, although the first edition will no doubt remain a classic reference, a benchmark in its time. Alas, Tempus Fugit, and the new edition is necessary to provide many needed updates to the original text, particularly in the chapter on enhancement of impressions. The new edition's format is a little larger than the first edition, allowing some of the photographs to be enlarged, although the contrast is higher in the original so the improvement is debatable. Three new chapters added at the end of the book represent the major change to the work. The chapter devoted to the evidence in the 0. J. Simpson case is a highlight of course. If you have the first edition and like it, by all means get the second edition.


Nanosizing is frequently used as formulation approach to increase the bioavailability of poorly water-soluble drugs. However, standard size reduction processes can be relatively time-consuming. It was found that the modification of the physical properties of a starting material by means of spray-drying can be used to improve the effectiveness of a subsequently performed high pressure homogenization. Such a process belongs to the combinative particle size reduction methods and is also referred to as H 42 process. Based on previous studies, it was hypothesized that the improved efficiency was a result of reduced crystallinity of the modified drug. The present study was conducted in order to asses this hypothesis in a systematical manner by applying design of experiment (DoE) principles. Resveratrol was selected as model compound for this study. It was processed by both standard high pressure homogenization and by a combinative particle size reduction process (the H42 process). An optimized resveratrol/surfactant ratio for the spray-dried intermediate was identified by using the response-surface methodology. The optimization led to a nanosuspension with a mean particle size of 192 nm, which is much smaller than the mean particle size of 569 nm when standard high pressure homogenization was used. Both predominately crystalline and predominately amorphous solids resulted from the spray-drying process. In contrast to the initial hypothesis, the smallest particle sizes were achieved by processing predominately crystalline intermediate with high pressure homogenization.


Malaysia has experienced various types of disasters in the last 50 years. Besides natural disasters such as floods (monsoonal and flash floods), landslides, mudslides, earthquakes (especially in Sabah) and tsunami, Malaysia has also experienced man-made disasters such as fires and explosions, vehicle accidents, haze including transboundary haze and others. In almost all episodes of the disasters, the government has played a major role, starting from the formulation of the policy on disasters, disaster preparedness, rescue and relief efforts, and redevelopment of the affected areas. It is vital for the public to participate in each cycle of disaster management (pre-disaster, during disaster and post-disaster). The absence of support and understanding of local community towards disaster risk and preparedness could ruin disaster management risk reduction efforts. In many instances, the role of local communities in Malaysia's disaster preparedness is somewhat invisible. Thus, the community should be empowered to deal and prepare for disasters to ensure the overall effectiveness of disaster management in Malaysia. In Malaysia's context, the strength of the faith-based organisations (FBO) should also be utilised in disaster preparedness efforts. This literature review or secondary source-based article examines the current situation in disaster preparedness among Malaysian communities and discusses the challenges that lie ahead in shaping the culture of preparedness in the communities. In conclusion, Malaysia community disaster preparedness needs to be improved. The communities (including FBO), directly or indirectly affected by disasters, should also be empowered to prepare for disaster.


The development of technology from year to year is increasingly rapid and diverse. All systems that exist in human life began to be designed with technology that requires large data storage. Big Data technology began to be developed to accommodate very large data volumes, rapid data changes, and very varied. Developing countries are starting to use Big Data a lot in developing their systems, such as healthcare, agriculture, building, transportation, and various other fields. In this paper, it explains the development of Big Data applied to the sectors previously mentioned in developing countries and also the challenges faced by developing countries in the process of developing their systems.


Social networking sites (SNSs) facilitate self-expression and promote social connections. There has been growing scholarly attention to the affect-charged collectivities created online in the aftermath of disasters and mass traumas. This study was designed to examine how individuals affiliate in SNS-based commemoration of a mass trauma, taking advantage of a large Weibo (the Chinese equivalent of Twitter) data set which captures users' responses over 4 years to the anniversary of the Nanjing massacre, a major traumatic event in Chinese history. Machine learning–based content analysis was combined with dyadic-level network analysis to examine the content Weibo users create and the conversational structures they formed. The results reveal that homophily, geographic proximity, and preferential attachment work in tandem with displays of emotion to influence the formation of online conversational ties. Expressions of negative emotions were found to facilitate or inhibit the homophily effect. Being exposed to the display of anger amplifies the homophily effect among the users, while sadness weakens it. The findings point to the importance of examining specific emotions rather than global (positive–negative) feelings in understanding the dynamics of SNS-based interaction.


The economic literature has argued for a long time that income mobility could attenuate the degree of cross-sectional inequality by offering people opportunities to improve their socio-economic position. Using the longitudinal data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) from 1989 to 2011, we measure income mobility as the degree to which longer-term incomes are distributed more or less equally than yearly income. Five main results are emphasized. First, there is strong income mobility in rural China that partly offsets yearly income inequality. Second, income mobility has decreased since the 2000s, indicating that income distribution is becoming more rigid. Third, mobility is mainly associated with transitory income fluctuations, particularly in the two tails of the distribution. Fourth, income mobility has an equalizing effect on income distribution. Fifth, we show that non-agricultural income mobility has substantially increased over the period and that its equalizing nature has also recently increased. While the development of the non-agriculture sector in rural China was a crucial factor in explaining the increase in rural inequality until the mid-2000s, we suggest that the large-scale generalisation of such non-agricultural opportunities partly accounts for the decline in rural inequality observed since the mid-2000s.


Dairy farming is one of the important activities among the rural farmers as it provides sustainable income and reduces unemployment to a large number of rural families. The present study was conducted to collect the information on housing managemental practices adopted by different categories of dairy farmers in Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh. A total of 240 dairy farmers were selected through multi stage random sampling technique and an exploratory research design was applied by using pretested interview schedule. The study revealed that majority of the farmers (50.41%) housed their dairy animals inside dwelling house due to non availability of housing materials. About 82.08% of dairy farmers adopted loose housing system and used galvanized iron sheets (57.91%) as roofing material. Most of the farmers constructed the shed with mud floor (45.83%) followed by concrete (40.83%)) and brick floor (13.30%). Majority of the farmers (77.91%) have not provided drainage facility since they preferred to earthen floor. The manger was not provided by majority of the farmers and feeding the animals on the ground (40.83%). Significant number of farmers provided adequate space (85.83%) and light and ventilation (57.91%) to the animals. None of the farmers practised grooming of dairy animals. A considerable number of farmers have provided water trough (76.67%) but not provided bedding material (63.33%) to their animals. Only 26.25% of farmers segregated the pregnant animals before calving. The managemental care during summer (34.17%) was not practised by majority of the farmers, but contrary to these findings, about 65% of the farmers adopted cold management by providing bedding material to the animals. Hence it can be concluded that adoption of suitable improved housing managemental practices will substantially help in increasing the production as well as income generation of the farming community.


Hydrogen-producing microorganisms are believed to play an important role in energy metabolism of micro-organisms in anaerobic environments and hence are one of the crucial factors for influencing the activity and develop-ment of these microorganisms. Consequently, they provide the biological foundation for the biotechnology such as MEOR (Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery) and microbial fixation of CO2 and conversion of it into CH4 and etc. How-ever, knowledge on the community of hydrogen-producing microorganisms and their potential in subsurface formations are still limited. In this study, hydrogen-producing microorganisms in the production water from an oilfield as well as enrichment cultures were analyzed with clone library analysis of [FeFe]-hydrogenase encoding genes. The results show that [FeFe]-hydrogenase genes in production water are diverse and related to Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Spirochaetes and uncultured. Anaerobic incubations established within the oil reservoir production water and generating 202 mmol H2/mol glucose during 7-day incubation at 55°C indicate a high frequency of members of the Firmicutes. This study implies that hydrogen-producing microorganisms in oil reservoir may play a positive role in promoting the in situ bio-process via hydrogen production once common nutrients are available. These data are helpful for evaluating, developing, and utilizing hydrogen-producing microorganisms in oil reservoirs for biological fixation and conversion of CO2 into CH4 as well as MEOR.


The paper investigates the syntax of an indirect causative construction, 'make'-causatives in Sason Arabic (SA), with a focus on the syntactic status of the implicit embedded agent and the embedded structure. Differing from the analyses of other languages for similar constructions, the study demonstrates that this construction embeds both an active and passive VoiceP. It contends that the implicit embedded agent may be introduced (i) as a full DP in Spec,VoiceP, being subject to Romance ECM-type restrictions, and providing striking evidence of Ā-movement feeding licensing relationships, or (ii) as a free variable à la Heim (1982) generated in the Voice head itself. The latter possibility also raises implications regarding licensing, suggesting that licensing of a grammatical object is dissociated from the projection of a specifier.


High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) is a subtype of epithelial cancer originating from thefallopian tubes and it is a the most abundant and lethal subtype of epithelial ovarian cancer.The standard treatment for HGSOC consists of surgery and platinum-taxane chemotherapy,and even though 80% of patients have an excellent initial response, the majority relapse within18 months leading to less than 45% 5-year survival rate. Thus, it is important to develop toolsto predict the patient's response and identify which patients who benefit from the treatment.This study focuses on using prospectively collected samples from 37 HGSOC patients, specificallyhematoxylin and eosin stained(H&E) histopathological images corresponding to primarytreatment phase, in order to predict the response to chemotherapy in HGSOC.The study is mainly composed by two phases. Firstly, tools have been developed to extractfeatures, as Haralick and local binary patterns(LBP) features, by means of texture methods,and an existing pipeline has been modified to obtain 185 morphological features related to thedensity and the heterogeneity of the cells, starting from H&E images. Secondly, machine learningmethods were used to predict the response to chemotherapy based on the herein extractedfeatures, considered both individually and in combination with each other.The accuracy of the response to the chemotherapy prediction obtained in the end is >78% andthe results demonstrate that H&E images allow prediction of chemotherapy response in HGSOCand shed light on the role of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes in HGSOC.


ABSTRACT The loose Bank supervision keeps the potency of crime in banking field to exits. Crime in banking field does harm a lot of people, because basically most of wealth managed by bank belongs to people. Effective supervision strategy that can be applied to minimalize crime in Banking such as: (1). In making regulation and policy must be oriented on observation result, involving experts and oriented on the market, (2). Bank supervision must be oriented on the risk and intensify and effectify supervision, (3). The role of Bank of Indonesia must be supervisor and sanction giver, (4). Law upholding must be srived for consistently and consequently so that it is able to minimalize moral hazard, (5). Supervision organization structure must be dynamic and oriented on the team work development, (6). Quality of supervision Human Resource must be on the basic of special skill. Keyword: crime, banking, bank supervision


The oral bacterial microbiome encompasses approximately 700 commonly occurring phylotypes, approximately half of which can be present at any time in any individual. These bacteria are largely indigenous to the oral cavity; this limited habitat range suggests that interactions between the various phylotypes, and between the phylotypes and their environment, are crucial for their existence. Molecular cataloging has confirmed many basic observations on the composition of the oral microbiome that were formulated well before ribosomal RNA-based systematics, but the power and the scope of molecular taxonomy have resulted in the discovery of new phylotypes and, more importantly, have made possible a level of bacterial community analysis that was unachievable with classical methods. Bacterial community structure varies with location within the mouth, and changes in community structure are related to disease initiation and disease progression. Factors that influence the formation and the evolution of communities include selective adherence to epithelial or tooth surfaces, specific cell-to-cell binding as a driver of early community composition, and interorganismal interaction leading to alteration of the local environment, which represents the first step on the road to oral disease. A comprehensive understanding of how these factors interact to drive changes in the composition of the oral microbial community can lead to new strategies for the inhibition of periodontal diseases and dental caries.


Metacercariae of Diplostomidae are widely distributed in America and may cause diplostomiasis, an ocular disease in fishes. The aim of this study is to report the occurrence of metacercariae of Austrodiplostomum compactum in Plagioscion squamosissimus (non-native fish species) from Nova Avanhandava Reservoir, Tietê River, Brazil and an explanation for the high infection rates with this parasite in the Paraná River Basin is proposed. Eyes of 70 hosts were examined, the metacercariae were preserved and identified. The prevalence (P), mean intensity of infection (MII) ± standard deviation, mean abundance (MA) ± standard deviation, were calculated and a bibliographic review was performed. There was no difference in parasitism between male and female hosts. The values of P = 80%, MII = 21.55 ± 3.25 and MA = 17.24 ± 2.91 were high, as in most studies in areas where P. squamosissimus were introduced, while these values were low in areas of natural occurrence. This may be explained by the genetic susceptibility of the host to the parasite. The entire population of P. squamosissimus from the Upper Paraná has been founded by a few specimens, resulting in very low genetic variability. Consequently, the population may be highly susceptible to A. compactum.


Osteoblastomas are rare neoplasms of the spine. The majority of the spinal lesions arise from the posterior elements and involvement of the corpus is usually by extension through the pedicles. An extremely rare case of isolated C2 corpus osteoblastoma is presented herein. A 9-year-old boy who presented with neck pain and spasmodic torticollis was shown to have a lesion within the corpus of C2. He underwent surgery via an anterior cervical approach and the completely-resected mass was reported to be an osteoblastoma. The pain resolved immediately after surgery and he had radiologic assessments on a yearly basis. He was symptom-free 4 years post-operatively with benign radiologic findings. Although rare, an osteoblastoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of neck pain and torticollis, especially in patients during the first two decades of life. The standard treatment for osteoblastomas is radical surgical excision because the recurrence rate is high following incomplete resection.


We present a radiomics model to discriminate between patients at low risk and those at high risk of treatment failure at long-term follow-up based on eigentumors: principal components computed from volumes encompassing tumors in washin and washout images of pre-treatment dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE-) MR images. Eigentumors were computed from the images of 563 patients from the MARGINS study. Subsequently, a least absolute shrinkage selection operator (LASSO) selected candidates from the components that contained 90% of the variance of the data. The model for prediction of survival after treatment (median follow-up time 86 months) was based on logistic regression. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was applied and area-under-the-curve (AUC) values were computed as measures of training and cross-validated performances. The discriminating potential of the model was confirmed using Kaplan–Meier survival curves and log-rank tests. From the 322 principal components that explained 90% of the variance of the data, the LASSO selected 28 components. The ROC curves of the model yielded AUC values of 0.88, 0.77 and 0.73, for the training, leave-one-out cross-validated and bootstrapped performances, respectively. The bootstrapped Kaplan–Meier survival curves confirmed significant separation for all tumors (P  <  0.0001). Survival analysis on immunohistochemical subgroups shows significant separation for the estrogen-receptor subtype tumors (P  <  0.0001) and the triple-negative subtype tumors (P  =  0.0039), but not for tumors of the HER2 subtype (P  =  0.41). The results of this retrospective study show the potential of early-stage pre-treatment eigentumors for use in prediction of treatment failure of breast cancer.


Zn4Sb3 was successfully produced by a hot pressing technique, and its thermoelectric properties were investigated in the temperature range from 4K to 300K. The Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and thermoelectric figure of merit showed a discontinuity in variation at 242K, indicating the α-Zn4Sb3 to β-Zn4Sb3 phase transformation. Lattice thermal conductivity was found to be dominant in the total thermal conductivity of Zn4Sb3. Therefore, it is expected that thermoelectric properties can be improved by reducing the lattice thermal conductivity inducing phonon scattering centers.


It is common in industrial construction projects for data to be
collected and discarded without being analyzed to extract useful knowledge. A
proposed integrated methodology based on a five-step Knowledge Discovery in
Data (KDD) model was developed to address this issue. The framework transfers
existing multidimensional historical data from completed projects into useful
knowledge for future projects. The model starts by understanding the problem
domain, industrial construction projects. The second step is analyzing the
problem data and its multiple dimensions. The target dataset is the labour
resources data generated while managing industrial construction projects. The
next step is developing the data collection model and prototype data ware-house. The data warehouse
stores collected data in a ready-for-mining format and produces dynamic On Line
Analytical Processing (OLAP) reports and graphs. Data was collected from a
large western-Canadian structural steel fabricator to prove the applicability
of the developed methodology. The proposed framework was applied to three
different case studies to validate the applicability of the developed framework
to real projects data.


Major severe weather events can cause a significant loss of life and property. We seek to revolutionize our understanding of and our ability to predict such events through the mining of severe weather data. Because weather is inherently a spatiotemporal phenomenon, mining such data requires a model capable of representing and reasoning about complex spatiotemporal dynamics, including temporally and spatially varying attributes and relationships. We introduce an augmented version of the Spatiotemporal Relational Random Forest, which is a random forest that learns with spatiotemporally varying relational data. Our algorithm maintains the strength and performance of random forests but extends their applicability, including the estimation of variable importance, to complex spatiotemporal relational domains. We apply the augmented Spatiotemporal Relational Random Forest to three severe weather data sets. These are: predicting atmospheric turbulence across the continental United States, examining the formation of tornadoes near strong frontal boundaries, and understanding the spatial evolution of drought across the southern plains of the United States. The results on such a wide variety of real‐world domains demonstrate the extensive applicability of the Spatiotemporal Relational Random Forest. Our long‐term goal is to significantly improve the ability to predict and warn about severe weather events. We expect that the tools and techniques we develop will be applicable to a wide range of complex spatiotemporal phenomena. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Statistical Analysis and Data Mining 4: 407–429, 2011


DAFF's treatment effect on Yellow River reservoir water under different reflux ratios is studied in this paper. Determination of indicators are turbidity、CODMn、NH4+-N、UV254、particle counter and unconventional indicators, such as biomass、TOC、olfactory threshold and smell of factors. The best reflux ratio is 14%; The average value of NH4+-N、CODMn 、UV254、and turbidity of carbon-sand filter's outlet is 0.125、1.61mg/L、0.033cm-1 and 0.21NTU, accordingly, the average removal rates are 58.64 %、40.44 %、27.96 % and 90.26 %; The micro-organisms in filter material are mainly existed in the upper layer of activated carbon filter; The micro-organisms provide carbon-sand filter beneficial conditions for its biological degradation effect.


This study was designated to clarify the influence of activation of porcine matured oocytes by calcium ionophore on in vitro development of the parthenotes. The follicular oocytes were matured, activated and cultured in North Carolina State University-23 (NCSU-23) medium supplemented with 10% porcine follicular fluid (pFF). The in vitro-matured oocytes were exposed to calcium ionophore at concentrations of 12.5, 25 or 50 μM for 3, 5, 7 or 9 min. The activation rate of the oocytes increased as concentration of ionophore decreased, being at 27-33 and 6877 % for the oocytes treated with 50 and 12.5 μM ionophore, respectively. Almost all activated oocytes were haploid. The highest cleavage rate (76%) and developmental rate to morula (41%) were observed in the oocytes treated with 12.5 μM ionophore for 5 min. However, development to blastocyst was observed only in the oocytes treated with 25 μM ionophore for 3 and 5 min (3 and 4% of treated oocytes, respectively). We concluded that the activation treatment of the porcine oocytes with 12.5 μM ionophore for 5 min provided the highest developmental rate to morula, but this treatment is not sufficient to overcome a developmental block at the morula stage.


Global warming has been a very critical issue for the past decades which is primarily due to carbon emissions brought by rapid industrialization. To address this, various strategies have been introduced to lessen environmental impacts and reduce carbon dioxide emission. Biological approach using microalgae is one of the most promising methods for the direct conversion of carbon dioxide. An atomic scale analysis is of great importance as it provides information beyond what traditional experiments can offer. The present study involves an atomic level of analysis on the carbon dioxide absorption intended for the development of microalgae biofixation method. The study was conducted using Molecular Dynamics simulations to analyze the effects of temperature and salinity on the dynamics and transport of carbon dioxide into the microalgae lipid bilayer. A total of 20 simulation sets equilibrated at temperature from 300 to 330 K and salinity level of 0.18 to 0.55 M was undertaken. The permeation coefficient of carbon dioxide molecules was calculated using the inhomogeneous solubility diffusion model while the force auto correlation function was used to estimate the diffusion coefficient. The resulting transport mechanisms of carbon dioxide showed an increasing pattern with increasing temperature and salinity despite membrane pathway compression. The highest calculated diffusion coefficient of 7.7101x10−5cm2s−1 was at 330 K and 0.05 M salinity level while the permeation coefficient was 2.3994x10−3cms−1 at 330 K and 0.55 M. Hence, the study suggests that the mobility of carbon dioxide molecule increases with linearly with temperature.


There is an essential physiological role for estrogen in male reproduction. Conversely, exposure to exogenous sources of estrogen has negative effects on reproductive physiology and fertility in men. Infertility, affecting nearly 15% of couples, is defined as the inability to conceive after one year of unprotected sexual intercourse. In at least 20% of cases, male reproductive pathology is the major cause for a couple's infertility. Thus, it is essential to investigate potential causes of infertility in adult males. Evidence shows that exposure to certain endocrine disruptors is associated with reduced semen quality and impaired fertility in men. Bisphenol A and Diethylstilbestrol are endocrine disruptors that act as exogenous sources of estrogen and have been associated with male reproductive pathology. This review will examine the role of exogenous estrogens on changes in gene expression of estrogen receptors ERα, ERβ, and GPR30. Previous studies have had conflictive results, suggesting that the effects of exogenous estrogens on male reproduction are multi-faceted. Future studies should focus on determining whether exogenous estrogens have a stimulatory and/or inhibitory effect on gene expression and whether this relationship is dose-dependent or if it follows a more complex dosage pattern.


Deciduous forests occupy only 1-2% of forested area of Yakutia and do not play a significant role in the forest cover of the republic. However, the species composition of these communities is quite diverse and peculiar. Data on liverwort species composition of birch forests (Betula lanata (=B. ermanii var. lanata) in South Yakutia are given for the first time. In total, 37 species and two varieties of 26 genera of liverworts were recorded there. Two species, Bazzania tricrenata and Diplophyllum obtusatum, were found in Yakutia only in this type of forest. Although stone birch forests occupy small areas in the territory of the republic, rare species Anastrophyllum michauxii, Frullania koponenii, Orthocaulis attenuatus, Tritomaria exsecta are found there. Stone birch forests play a significant role in liverworts diversity conservation. A comparison of stone-birch forests in different parts of Yakutia is given, along with the similar comparison for spruce and larch forests, showing more stable hepatic diversity in stone-birch forest in areas with contrasting climate in comparison with other types of forests.


Microbial communities underpin earth's biological and geochemical processes, but their complexity hampers understanding. Here we draw upon predictions from the theory concerning selfish genetic elements (SGEs), combined with approaches from experimental evolution, comparative metagenomics and biochemistry, and show how naturally occurring SGEs can be used to manipulate genes that underpin community function. Communities comprising hundreds of bacterial genera established from garden compost were propagated with bi-weekly transfer for one year in nitrogen-limited minimal medium with cellulose (paper) as sole carbon source. At each transfer, SGEs from one set of independent communities were collected, pooled and redistributed among this same set of communities (horizontal treatment). A control was included in which SGEs never moved beyond the community in which they were originally present (vertical treatment). SGEs along with genes of ecological relevance were rapidly amplified across horizontal communities and their dynamics tracked. Enrichment of genes implicated in nitrogen metabolism, and particularly ammonification, prompted biochemical assays that showed a significant functional difference between communities subject to horizontal versus vertical treatments. This simple experimental strategy offers a powerful new approach for unravelling dynamical processes underpinning microbial community function.


Response to hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection [HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) and antibody to HBsAg (anti-HBs)], serum iron, total iron-binding capacity, hematological status (erythrocytes, Hb, and hematocrit), and evidence of liver damage (serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase; aspartate aminotransferase, L-aspartate:2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase, EC 184.108.40.206) were determined for 201 patients on chronic renal dialysis. Four factors-serum iron level, transminase level, sex, and HBV response [i.e., infected-HBsAg(+) (HBsAg positive), anti-HBs(+) (anti-HBs positive), or no response]-were analyzed simultaneously to test the hypothesis that serum iron is higher in those with HBsAg in their serum than in those without HBsAg, independent of the transaminase level. Four independent, statistically significant two-factor interactions were identified. (i) Serum iron is higher in those HBsAg(+). (ii) Serum iron is higher in those with increased transaminase. (iii) Transaminase is higher in those HBsAg(+). (iv) Males are more likely to be HbsAg(+) and females are more likely to be anti-HBs(+). Also, those who are HBsAg(+) have significantly higher percent iron saturation (serum iron/total iron-binding capacity). That is, the hypothesis was supported by the findings. Several additional biological hypotheses are suggested, including a possible role of increased iron levels in susceptibility and response to HBV infection and the possible relationship between higher iron levels and the likelihood of HBV infection progressing to primary hepatocellular carcinoma. In addition, further tests of the initial hypothesis in nonhospitalized populations with endemic HBV infection are proposed.


ABSTRACT The eradication of smallpox (variola) and the subsequent cessation of routine vaccination have left modern society vulnerable to bioterrorism employing this devastating contagious disease. The existing, licensed vaccines based on live vaccinia virus (VACV) are contraindicated for a substantial number of people, and prophylactic vaccination of large populations is not reasonable when there is little risk of exposure. Consequently, there is an emerging need to develop efficient and safe therapeutics to be used shortly before or after exposure, either alone or in combination with vaccination. We have characterized the human antibody response to smallpox vaccine (VACV Lister) in immunized volunteers and isolated a large number of VACV-specific antibodies that recognize a variety of different VACV antigens. Using this broad antibody panel, we have generated a fully human, recombinant analogue to plasma-derived vaccinia immunoglobulin (VIG), which mirrors the diversity and specificity of the human antibody immune response and offers the advantage of unlimited supply and reproducible specificity and activity. The recombinant VIG was found to display a high specific binding activity toward VACV antigens, potent in vitro VACV neutralizing activity, and a highly protective efficacy against VACV challenge in the mouse tail lesion model when given either prophylactically or therapeutically. Altogether, the results suggest that this compound has the potential to be used as an effective postexposure prophylaxis or treatment of disease caused by orthopoxviruses.


Social networking has emerged as a predominant form of communication and human interaction. Businesses have also adopted social networks as a means for interacting with consumers and conducting business activities. As a result of this widespread adoption, it is imperative for businesses to leverage social technologies to stay competitive in the global economy.Integrating Social Media into Business Practice, Applications, Management, and Models provides the most up-to-date research findings and future directions for customer relationship management in contemporary enterprises. Covering a wide range of topics such as management issues, innovative ideas, state-of-the-art business applications, and evaluation of social media products and services, this comprehensive publication is a useful reference for researchers, instructors, and social media managers, as well as students in various e-commerce and business programs.


In this short note, we introduce Bandersnatch, a new elliptic curve built over the BLS12-381 scalar field. The curve is equipped with an efficient endomorphism, allowing a fast scalar multiplication algorithm. Our benchmark shows that the multiplication is 42% faster, compared to another curve, called Jubjub, having similar properties. Nonetheless, Bandersnatch does not provide any performance improvement for either rank 1 constraint systems (R1CS) or multi scalar multiplications, compared to the Jubjub curve.


Pea (Pisum sativum L.) is a model plant that has been used in classical genetics and organ development studies. However, its large and complex genome has hindered research investigations in pea. Here, we generated transcriptomes from different tissues or organs of three pea accessions using next-generation sequencing to assess single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and further investigated petal differentially expressed genes to elucidate the mechanisms regulating floral zygomorphy. Eighteen samples were sequenced, which yielded a total of 617 million clean reads, and de novo assembly resulted in 87,137 unigenes. A total of 9044 high-quality SNPs were obtained among the three accessions, and a consensus map was constructed. We further discovered several dorsoventral asymmetrically expressed genes that were confirmed by qRT-PCR among different petals, including previously reported three CYC-like proliferating cell factor (TCP) genes. One MADS-box gene was highly expressed in dorsal petals, and several MYB factors were predominantly expressed among dorsal, lateral, and/or ventral petals, together with a ventrally expressed TCP gene. In sum, our comprehensive database complements the existing resources for comparative genetic mapping and facilitates future investigations in legume zygomorphic flower development.


Summary The range of motion of 10 fresh cadaveric ankle specimens was measured for flexion, anterior-posterior drawer, inversion-eversion, and internal-external rotation under conditions that simulated normal weight-bearing. At a 70 kg load, range of motion significantly diminished in all directions (p < 0.005). Plantar flexion was diminished to a greater degree than dorsiflexion. For anterior-posterior drawer in the loaded state, ankle flexion did not play a significant role in determining stability. Factors such as ligamentous attachments may be more critical than mortise geometry in determining anterior-posterior translation. For torsion and version, stability was greatest in dorsiflexion. That ankle stability is related to articular congruity with increased load-bearing emphasizes the importance of anatomical restoration of the ankle mortise in the injury state.


The fast‐field program (FFP) has proven to be a useful tool for determining low‐frequency sound fields generated by stationary sources in horizontally stratified atmospheres and oceans. Extension of the FFP to the case of moving sources is the topic of this paper. It is shown that the exact moving source solution involves a three‐dimensional inverse Fourier transform (with respect to frequency and two horizontal wave numbers), that unfortunately is computationally infeasible. By shifting to source‐following, Lorentz coordinates, however, the solution can be reduced to an approximate, one‐dimensional, inverse transform involving only the horizontal, radial wave number. The result is an efficient computational method that works well at any subsonic Mach number, and includes accurate calculation of frequency Doppler effects in the presence of refraction. An example simulation of the noise field generated by a landing aircraft will be provided.


This paper describes the morphosyntactic and semantic characteristics of clausal object complementation in the Great Lakes Bantu Language Ruuli (JE103). In addition to providing an overview of the complementation strategies in Ruuli, parallels will be drawn to constructions described for related languages as well as common cross-linguistic patterns in clausal complementation. Ruuli employs several different complementation strategies, including indicative, subjunctive, and infinitive constructions. Complement clauses can be either unmarked or marked with a complementizer, the most common of which is nti. These two options are also available for direct speech. Other less common complementizers, which cannot be used to introduce direct speech complements include oba, nga and ni. As individual complement-taking predicates do not allow for every complementation strategy, we will explore the semantic and morphosyntactic conditions which predict the choice of complement. To this end, we consider several predictors. We investigate the restrictions imposed by various complement-taking predicate types, e.g. knowledge predicates, phasal predicates and utterance predicates. Then we consider whether the complement expresses a proposition (a truth-valued meaning unit) or a stateof-affairs (a non-truth valued meaning unit) and whether the subject arguments in the two clauses are identical.


Background Numerous studies report an association between coffee or caffeine consumption and pregnancy loss; however, the nature and strength of this relationship have not been clearly established. Based on recent studies, our meta-analysis aimed to test whether a dose–response relationship between coffee or caffeine consumption and pregnancy loss exists. Methods We searched for articles in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus published until May 2022. Two independent reviewers extracted data and rated the quality of the evidence using the GRADE approach. We applied a random-effects, one-stage dose–response meta-analysis. Results A total of 34 articles (18 cohort studies and 16 case-control studies) were included in this review. Results showed a significantly higher risk of pregnancy loss for coffee consumption before (Pooled ES: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.01–1.43) and during pregnancy (Pooled ES: 1.26; 95% CI: 1.04–1.57), and for coffee consumption during pregnancy in case-control studies (Pooled ES: 1.20; 95% CI: 1.19–6.41). Findings from this meta-analysis demonstrated that caffeine intake during pregnancy was associated with a significantly higher risk of pregnancy loss in cohort (Pooled ES: 1.58; 95% CI: 1.23–2.01) and case-control studies (Pooled ES: 2.39; 95% CI: 1.69–3.37, P < 0.001), respectively. A dose–response analysis suggested that an increase of a cup of coffee per day during pregnancy was associated with 3% increased risk of pregnancy loss; 100 mg of caffeine per day during pregnancy was also associated with 14 and 26% increased risk of pregnancy loss in cohort and case-control studies, respectively. A non-linear dose–response association was observed between coffee intake and the risk of pregnancy loss. Conclusion This study confirms that coffee or caffeine consumption raises the risk of pregnancy loss. Researchers are encouraged to conduct more studies to explore the underlying mechanisms and active compounds in coffee and caffeine. Systematic Review Registration [www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/], identifier [CRD42021267731].


1925 Recently, cannabinoids, the active components of marijuana and their endogenous counterparts, have been shown to inhibit the growth of malignant tumors both in vitro and in vivo. On the other hand, the treatment of cancer cells with nanomolar concentrations of cannabinoids lead to accelerated cell proliferation. Orally applicable delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol and its synthetic derivative have been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration to be used as the antiemetic drugs during chemotherapy for cancer patients. However, it hasn't been well known how cannabinoids modulate the effects of chemotherapeutic agents to malignant tumors. In this study, we investigated how the endogenous cannabinoid anandamide (AEA) modulates the effect of paclitaxel to gastric cancer cell lines. In NUGC-3, 10μM AEA enhanced the effect of paclitaxel time-dependently and depending on the dose of paclitaxel. After 4 days treatment of 10μM paclitaxel, cell viability was reduced to 37.5% of control. Cell viability was further reduced to 7.1% after treatment of 10μM paclitaxel with 10μM AEA. The same effect was observed in HGC-27, AZ-521 and MKN-1. On the other hand, at nanomolar concentrations AEA did not change the cytotoxic effects of paclitaxel in those cell lines. Double-stained with Annexin V-FITC and Propidium Iodide, 10μM AEA treatment of NUGC-3 and HGC-27 increased the population of annexinV (+) apoptotic cells, and enhanced paclitaxel-induced apoptosis. On the other hand, at nanomolar concentrations, AEA didn't change the apoptosis induced by paclitaxel in NUGC-3. In cell cycle analysis 10μM AEA decreased G2/M arrest induced by paclitaxel and enhanced the increase of sub-G1 phase in NUGC-3 and HGC-27. Our study indicates that AEA and paclitaxel could be a good combination in the treatment of gastric cancer and that medication of cannabinoids can be appropriately used in the treatment by paclitaxel.


Gonadal dysgenesis is the name given to any of a multitude of conditions that can cause impaired development of the gonads, i.e., the testes or ovaries . The most notable of these conditions is Turner syndrome, a disorder affecting 1 in every 2500 live female births, with an array of associated symptoms and complications . Although there are many syndromes of which gonadal dysgenesis is a component, this article will focus on Turner syndrome, 46, XX, 46, XY, and mosaic forms of gonadal dysgenesis. Understanding the genetics behind gonadal dysgenesis allows clinicians to better predict the disorder's phenotypic presentation, in turn, improving both screening methods for associated medical problems and the ongoing care of those medical problems. This article will explore the cellular, biochemical, and molecular basis behind the genetic processes that cause gonadal dysgenesis and study the clinical implications of this subset of disorders.


The study investigated amelioration effects of coconut oil (CO) on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, ruminal fermentation, and blood metabolites in Hainan Black goat kids. Twenty-four Hainan Black goat kids (10 days of age) were assigned randomly to four treatments for 90 days, including pre-weaning (10–70 d of age) and post-weaning (70-100 d of age) days. The treatment regimens were control (CON), low CO (LCO), medium CO (MCO), and high CO (HCO) with 0, 4, 6, 8 g CO per goat per day, respectively. During the pre-weaning period, the average daily gain (ADG) linearly and quadratically increased (P < 0.05), whereas the average daily feed intake (ADFI) linearly decreased, and the feed conversion ratio (FCR) also decreased linearly and quadratically by increasing CO supplementation (P < 0.05). During the post-weaning period, increasing CO supplementation linearly and quadratically increased the BW at 100 days and ADG (P < 0.05), but quadratically decreased the ADFI and FCR (P < 0.05). The digestibility of ether extract (EE) linearly and quadratically increased with increasing CO supplementation (P < 0.05). Supplementation of CO linearly increased ruminal pH (P < 0.05), but linearly decreased (P < 0.05) ammonia-N, total VFAs, molar proportions of acetate, ruminal microbial enzyme activity of carboxymethyl-cellulase, cellobiase, xylanase, pectinase and α-amylase, and number of total protozoa, the abundance of Ruminococcus albus, Ruminococcus flavefaciens, Fibrobacter succinogenes, Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens, Prevotella ruminicola, and Ruminobacter amylophilus. The estimated methane emission decreased linearly and quadratically with increasing CO addition (P < 0.05). The serum concentration of triglycerides (TG), non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and growth hormone (GH) linearly (P < 0.05) increased by raising the CO supplementation. The present results indicate that CO supplementation at 6 g/day per goats is optimum due to improved growth performance and decreased estimated methane emission. Supplementation CO up to 8 g/day depressed growth and feed conversion due to its suppression of growth performance, rumen protozoa, cellulolytic bacteria and microbial enzyme activity, and reduced ADF and ADF digestibility.


Aims
In patients with atrial fibrillation, catheter ablation and cardioversion carry a risk of peri-procedural thromboembolic events; current guidelines recommend anticoagulation in these settings. This study aimed to report the baseline demographics and clinical characteristics of patients enrolled in the prospective, observational XANTUS study who underwent catheter ablation or cardioversion, and adverse outcomes with each of these procedures in patients treated with rivaroxaban.

Methods and results
Data collected included information on catheter ablation and cardioversion, and adverse outcomes occurring within 30 days of these procedures: incidence of treatment-emergent adjudicated symptomatic thromboembolic events and major bleeding; and cardiovascular and all-cause death. Incidence of these adverse outcomes at 42 days after cardioversion was also analysed. Patients undergoing either procedure had significantly lower mean CHA2DS2-VASc and HAS-BLED scores than those who did not, and were more frequently hospitalized at study baseline. Within a period of 30 days after intervention, symptomatic thromboembolic events were reported in 1.2% and 0.6% of patients undergoing ablation or cardioversion, respectively; major bleeding events were reported in 2.9% and 0.4% of patients undergoing ablation or cardioversion, respectively. No patients died within 30 days of intervention. Incidence of symptomatic thromboembolic and major bleeding events remained low at 42 days after cardioversion.

Conclusion
Similar to the results of prospective and non-interventional studies, the low rates of symptomatic thromboembolic events and major bleeding in patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing ablation or cardioversion and treated with rivaroxaban in XANTUS suggest that its use is associated with an acceptable benefit-risk profile in this setting.

Trial registration number
Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT01606995.