Abstract. Human milk contains a bile salt‐stimulated lipase in amounts that, at pH 6. 5 and in the presence of bile salts, might account for a total hydrolysis of the milk triacylglycerols in less than 30 min. In the absence of bile salts the enzyme has no activity against milk fat or against emulsified trioleylglycerol. The primary bile salts sodium cholate and sodium chenodeoxycholate and their taurine and glycine conjugates, but not the secondary bile salt sodium deoxycholate or its taurine and glycine conjugates, caused a pronounced activation of the enzyme against emulsified trioleylglycerol. The lipase was stable at pH 3. 5 and 37°C for 1 hour. It was inactivated when incubated with trypsin or chymotrypsin at pH 6. 5 but these inactivations were almost abolished in the presence of bile salts. High concentrations of pepsin slowly inactivated the enzyme at pH 4. 0. The bile salt‐stimulated lipase in human milk is thus stable enough to be active in the intestine, and it is present in high enough activity to contribute significantly to the hydrolysis of the milk triaclyglycerols in the intestine.


Introduction: There is no effective standard of care for older AML pts who are unfit for induction. We explored the combination of the BCL-2 inhibitor venetoclax (ven) with azacitidine (aza) for this population in a multi center phase 1b study (NCT02203773), and report clinical results from our center, as well as mechanistic insights regarding the activity of this regimen derived from correlative studies performed with our pt samples. Methods: The dose escalation/expansion trial combined aza or decitabine, at the standard dose and schedule, with ven daily in older AML pts unfit for induction. Our institution enrolled into the aza arm. Pts were eligible if ≥65 and with adequate organ function. Response assessments employed International Working Group (IWG) criteria; if a morphologic remission was achieved without count recovery, delay of the subsequent cycle by up to 14 days was permitted, with growth factors per institutional guidelines, and best response was upgraded if counts improved in this timeframe. Minimal residual disease (MRD) testing was performed by digital droplet PCR (ddPCR) with a sensitivity of 0.01%. Mass cytometry was performed using CyTOF. Results: 33 pts enrolled and received at least 1 day of therapy. 23 received 400 mg venetoclax, 9 received 800 and 1 received 1200 (Table 1). 2 elected to come off study after 1 week of therapy did not respond (resistant disease). No variables tested predicted outcomes in the 31 pts who had >1 week of therapy (Table 2); 5/5 with monosomal karyotype, 5/5 with FLT3 and 2/2 with TP 53 responded. 3 proceeded to transplant; none have relapsed after 14, 8 and 4 months. 4/33 (12%) relapsed; only 1 relapse occurred in a patient who continued on therapy, after 13 months. 3/4 relapsed after coming off study for a hip fracture (N=1), personal decision (N=1) and development of mastocytosis (N=1). The median response duration has not occurred; mean is 484 days (std error 44). Median progression free survival (PFS) has not occurred; mean is 294 days. Median overall survival (OS) has not occurred; mean is 376 days (Figure 1). We used ddPCR to measure MRD in all pts with amenable mutations (N=18). Of these, 14 have completed ≥1 cycle with ≥3 months of follow-up, and were analyzed for MRD. 3 achieved MRD negativity; 1 who remains on therapy (cycle 16, 453 days), and surprisingly, 2 who discontinued therapy, for personal reasons and cytopenias, after 1 and 6 cycles. They remain in MRD negative CR and CRi after 24 and 16 months. Another who achieved a CR and discontinued therapy after 3 cycles for personal reasons has also had no further therapy for 25 months and continues to be in CR with borderline MRD detectability (0.024%). Detailed temporal analysis of 2 pts who achieved a CR and CRi using CyTOF and single cell RNA-seq methods showed rapid and extensive targeting of primitive AML cell types (Figure 2, not all data shown). This data indicates effective targeting of the AML stem cell population. Ongoing functional studies using xenograft models will corroborate direct targeting of AML stem cells. Conclusion: Ven with aza is a highly active regimen for untreated elderly AML pts who are not candidates for induction chemotherapy; all but 1 pt who stayed on study for >1 week achieved an IWG response, primarily CR/CRi. There were no serious adverse events related to ven and very few significant related adverse events. Responses were durable with few relapses, particularly for pts who remained on treatment; 3 pts who elected to stop all therapy have had no recurrence with considerable follow up. MRD detection with ddPCR reveals the depth of response possible with aza+ven; several pts in long term follow up have achieved MRD negative remissions, including 2 who discontinued all therapy after 6 months or less with no subsequent treatment for 24 and 16 months. Median PFS and OS were not reached with median follow up time of nearly 1 year. The universality, depth and durability of responses, coupled with the CyTOF and single cell RNA-seq data, suggest this regimen effectively targets the leukemia stem cell population. Disclosures Pollyea: Agios, Pfizer: Research Funding; Takeda, Ariad, Alexion, Celgene, Pfizer, Pharmacyclics, Gilead, Jazz, Servier, Curis: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees.


Pre‐eclampsia is a serious multisystem disorder with diverse clinical manifestations. Although not causal, endothelial dysfunction and reduced nitric oxide bioavailability are likely to play an important role in the maternal and fetal pathophysiology of this condition. Lack of treatment modalities that can target the underlying pathophysiological changes and reverse the endothelial dysfunction frequently leads to iatrogenic preterm delivery of the fetus, causing neonatal morbidity and mortality, and the condition itself is associated with short‐ and longer term maternal morbidity and mortality. Drugs that target various components of the nitric oxide–soluble guanylyl cyclase pathway can help to increase NO bioavailability. The purpose of this review is to outline the current status of clinical research involving these therapeutic modalities in the context of pre‐eclampsia, with the focus being on the following: nitric oxide donors, including organic nitrates and S‐nitrosothiols; l‐arginine, the endogenous precursor of NO; inhibitors of cyclic guanosine 3′,5′‐monophosphate breakdown, including sildenafil; and other novel inhibitors of NO donor metabolism. The advantages and limitations of each modality are outlined, and scope for development into established therapeutic options for pre‐eclampsia is explored.


In the era of big data, all walks of life are affected by internet, internet of things and cloud computing, the big data brings qualitative change to accounting development, and enterprise's demand for accounting talents is also changing. However, in the traditional higher vocational colleges, there are some problems in accounting teaching, such as the low awareness of internet, too much attention to theoretical knowledge and the weakness of teachers. In the face of the change of the new situation, higher vocational colleges, which train the specialized accounting talents for enterprises, should make positive changes. This paper analyzes the predicament of accounting education in higher vocational colleges, and points out that under the background of big data, the teaching of accounting in higher vocational colleges should emphasize the cultivation of professional practice ability, optimize the setting of accounting courses, and construct the monitoring mode of digital teaching effect evaluation.


There is a great deal of concern about the increasing number of older adults who suffer from chronic disease. These conditions result in persistent health consequences and have an ongoing and long-term negative impact on people and their quality of life. Furthermore, the probability that a person will experience the onset of multiple chronic conditions, known as comorbidities, increases with age. Despite the prevalence of comorbidity in later life, scant research exists regarding specific patterns of disease and the co-occurrence and complex interactions of the chronic conditions most closely associated with aging. It is important to review the body of literature on comorbidities associated with physical and psychiatric syndromes in later life to gain an overview of some of the most commonly seen disorders in older adults: hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, arthritis, depression, and dementia. Specific patterns of disease and the co-occurrence and complex interactions of chronic conditions in later life are explored. In conclusion, we consider the need for a more informed understanding of comorbidity, as well as a related plan for addressing it.


Purpose: Carcinoma cervix forms a major burden among malignancies in women in India. Anemia is very common among Indian women and a high proportion of carcinoma cervix patients present with anemia. Previous studies show that hemoglobin level may be considered as a prognostic factor in carcinoma cervix. It has been observed that anemia is associated with diminished radiocurability in patients with carcinoma of the cervix. However, the therapeutic benefit of the measures to correct anemia remains debatable. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of hemoglobin concentrations and its correction by blood transfusions before and during treatment and the response to chemoradiation. Materials and Methods: Fifty patients with histologically proven squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix (Stage II to IV) from December 2018 to May 2020 were taken up for this study. Patients received definitive chemoradiation of 50 Gy in 25 fractions, 2 Gy/fraction, 5 fractions per week, along with-weekly injection cisplatin/carboplatin, followed by brachytherapy. All patients had their pretreatment hemoglobin levels measured at the first consultation. The effects of hemoglobin concentrations at presentation and during therapy on the clinical response to radiotherapy were studied. Blood transfusions and the time point when transfusions were given were recorded. Results: Eighteen patients received packed red blood cell transfusion before the start of radiation therapy and 9 patients received packed cell transfusion during radiation therapy. Out of the 18 patients who received transfusion before RT, 3 patients had complete response. Out of the 9 patients who received transfusion during radiation, 4 had complete response. The presence of anemia had a significant impact on the response rate. Pretreatment anemia was associated with poor response and local control among patients who underwent chemoradiotherapy for cervical cancer. Conclusion: Pretreatment hemoglobin and hemoglobin levels during radiation therapy were prognostic factors for local control, in addition to stage and histology, which might have independently predicted the outcome.


Changes in stock prices randomly occur due to market forces with reoccurrence possibilities. This process, also known as the structural break model, is captured through changes in the linear model parameters among periods with the Markov Switching Model (MSwM) used for detection. Furthermore, using the smallest Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) value on all feasible MSwM alternatives formed for a daily stock price, the complete MSwM model with its Markov transition is determined. This method has been tested and applied to daily stock price data in several sectors. The result showed that the number of regime models coupled with its transition probability helped investors make investment decisions.


This paper considers the interaction between the microeconomic decisions facing households and the macroeconomic environment in a setting where households have `real-world' mortgage contracts. In particular, we consider the possible consequences of the important changes in the framework for setting monetary policy in the United Kingdom in recent decades that have coincided with a more stable and low inflation environment. We set a model of households with 'real-world' mortgages in a partial equilibrium overlapping generations framework calibrated to UK data. We find that the welfare gains of the change of regime would have been considerable. However, the baseline calibration of the model implies that the volatility of aggregate consumption growth would actually be higher in the steady state in the more stable environment of the 1990s regime. This is due to greater synchrony in the response of households to shocks, offsetting the smaller magnitude of macroeconomic shocks. This effect is amplified by higher levels of debt in the 1990s. The result that aggregate consumption volatility could be higher in the current regime suggests that the observed fall in aggregate consumption volatility cannot necessarily be attributed to the more stable macroeconomic environment and the role of mortgage debt. If this result applies, this would suggest that the observed fall in volatility may be due either to other factors or may be a transitional phenomenon rather than a feature of the new steady state.


The southern fringes of the South American landmass provide a rare opportunity to examine the development of moorland vegetation with sparse tree cover in a wet, cool temperate climate of the Southern Hemisphere. We present a record of changes in vegetation over the past 17,000 years, from a lake in extreme southern Chile (Isla Santa Inés, Magallanes region, 53°38.97S; 72°25.24W), where human influence on vegetation is negligible. The western archipelago of Tierra del Fuego remained treeless for most of the Lateglacial period; Lycopodium magellanicum, Gunnera magellanica and heath species dominated the vegetation. Nothofagus may have survived the last glacial maximum at the eastern edge of the Magellan glaciers from where it spread southwestwards and established in the region at around 10,500 cal. yr BP. Nothofagus antarctica was likely the earlier colonizing tree in the western islands, followed shortly after by Nothofagus betuloides. At 9000 cal. yr BP moorland communities expanded at the expense of Nothofagus woodland. Simultaneously, Nothofagus species shifted to dominance of the evergreen Nothofagus betuloides and the Magellanic rain forest established in the region. Rapid and drastic vegetation changes occurred at 5200 cal. yr BP, after the Mt Burney MB2 eruption, including the expansion and establishment of Pilgerodendron uviferum and the development of mixed Nothofagus-Pilgerodendron-Drimys woodland. Scattered populations of Nothofagus, as they occur today in westernmost Tierra del Fuego may be a good analogue for Nothofagus populations during the Lateglacial in eastern sites.


The impacting action of flood destroyed dramatically the rural buildings. In this paper, the rural building was analyzed numerically to investigate the destruction of rural building due to the flood impact. The rural building was discretized into 7950 8-node block elements and 4098 Goodman elements to simulate the brick and mortar respectively. The rule impact loading of flood on rural building was calculated using the criterion of gravity similarity according to test results. Finally, the stress, the displacement and the failure process of the rural building are studied. Firstly, the mortar element locates on the wall between the door and the window failure and more and more mortar and brick elements failure with the increasing loading. Finally, the right wall was damaged because the door and the right window decreased its stiffness. Because the failure mortar and brick elements decrease the stiffness of the structure, the displacements of the rural building increased nonlinearly with the increasing loading.


Context. Galactic cosmic ray (GCR) intensities around solar minimum times are modulated by magnetic drifts that depend on the overall solar polarity. GCR intensities reach a higher but more narrow peak during negative minima than during positive minima. However, despite these higher intensities, the variation of GCRs over timescales of solar rotation is smaller during negative minima than during positive minima. Aims. We study the variation of GCR intensity over the 27-day synodic solar rotation and over the 14-day half-rotation, in particular the long-term trend and cyclic pattern of this variation, and propose a unifying explanation for the observations. Methods. We used two high-latitude neutron monitors, Oulu and Apatity, which are most sensitive to the low-energy part of the GCR spectrum and thereby more strongly affected by the changes in the conditions of the local heliosphere. We calculated the yearly mean amplitudes of the GCR intensity variation during the full solar rotation ( A 27 ) and half-rotation ( A 14 ) in 1964–2016. Results. We verify that the A 27 and A 14 amplitudes exhibit a clear 22-yr Hale cycle during solar minima at both stations, with larger amplitudes in positive minima. We find that the mean amplitude of the Hale cycle is about 30–45% of the mean amplitude for A 14 , while is only about 15–30% for A 27 . We also find that all amplitudes depict a declining long-term trend, which we suggest is due to the weakening of solar polar magnetic fields during the last four solar cycles and the ensuing latitudinal widening of the heliospheric current sheet (HCS) region. An exceptionally wide HCS region during the last solar minimum, when A 14 reached its all-time minimum, is demonstrated by Ulysses probe observations. Conclusions. Our results emphasize the effect of polarity-dependent drift and the properties of the HCS in modulating the variation of GCR intensity during solar rotation in solar minimum times. The second rotation harmonic yields a larger Hale amplitude than the first because it is more probable for the Earth to be outside the HCS only once during the rotation than twice or more, which more strongly reduces A 14 during negative polarity times than A 27 . With the HCS region widening from minimum to minimum, the decrease in A 14 is relatively faster than in A 27 .


Many essential portfolio management tasks incorporate the development of views on future correlation between assets. To the extent that such views are formed by analyzing historical data, they are associated with estimation errors. The authors discuss estimation errors for active strategies and describe how such errors affect hedging and portfolio construction decisions. They point out that for active strategies with time horizons extending over multiple data points within the historical sample, the number of independent observations is not provided by the number of data points in such a sample, but is considerably smaller instead. That leads to a situation where the correlation estimation error scales down with the sample size much more slowly than it does over the square root of the sample size—the rate that traditional thinking suggests. A t-statistic reflecting this intuition is offered for a single strategy hedging problem. The authors also consider a new "litmus test," which could help determine whether or not a correlation matrix across multiple active strategies can be effectively estimated from historical data. Implications for hedging and construction of hedge fund and risk premia portfolios are discussed briefly as well.


It has been suggested that Swedish policy during the early post-war period was strongly directed towards mobility-increasing expenditures – most notably relocation allowances – aimed at moving labour from north to south. While this view has dominated the academic discussion on labour market policy, there is little direct evidence. We make three claims. First, the relocation allowances have to be evaluated against the regional policy. Second, by doing so we show that the mobility-oriented policy was predominant only for a short period of time: in the early 1970s, there was a decisive shift towards a policy directed at stimulating employment in the north. Third, drawing on this, we revaluate the previous view on policy making in Sweden. Our analysis suggests that the Social Democratic government acted in a voter-maximizing way. The relocation allowances were introduced at the behest of the Trade Union Confederation (LO). The regional subsidies were expanded when voter sentiment turned against the perceived depletion of rural regions. However, this strategy interacted with the political and institutional environment. The new election law in 1970 and political competition from the Centre Party pushed the Social Democrats to shift their policies on regional subsidies.


Abstract. The region of the Sporades islands located in central Greece is at the mercy of many natural phenomena, such as earthquakes due to the marine volcano Psathoura and the rift of Anatolia, forest fires, floods, landslides, storms, hail, snowfall and frost. The present work aims at studying the perceptions and attitudes of the residents regarding how they face and manage natural disasters. A positive public response during a hazard crisis depends not only upon the availability and good management of a civil defense plan but also on the knowledge and perception of the possible hazards by the local population. It is important for the stakeholders to know what the citizens expect so that the necessary structures can be developed in the phase of preparation and organization. The residents were asked their opinion about what they think should be done by the stakeholders after a catastrophic natural disaster, particularly about the immediate response of stakeholders and their involvement and responsibilities at different, subsequent intervals of time following the disaster. The residents were also asked about the most common disasters that happen in their region and about the preparation activities of the stakeholders.


Objective: To investigate whether hip shape contributes to osteoarthritis (OA) development, we investigated relationships between known OA susceptibility loci and hip shape in a population-based cohort of peri-menopausal women. Methods: Hip shape was measured using Statistical Shape Modelling, on hip DXA scans from mothers in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). The proximal femur and superior acetabulum were outlined, and independent hip shape modes generated. In a sub-regional model, points were restricted to the acetabulum and superior femoral head. Associations between 10 OA-related SNPs, identified by literature search, and shape modes were analysed in a multivariate canonical correlation analysis. Results: 3,111 females had genetic and hip shape data (mean 48 years). The KLHDC5-PTHLH rs10492367 OA risk allele was associated with a wider upper femur in the whole shape model (P=1x10 -5 ). The DOT1L rs12982744 OA risk allele was associated with reduced superior joint space in the sub-regional shape model (P=2x10 -3 ). COL11A1 rs4907986 OA risk allele was associated with lateral displacement of the femoral head relative to the acetabulum in the sub-regional shape model (P=5x10 -4 ). Regional association plots identified an additional COL11A1 locus in moderate LD with rs4907986, which was more strongly associated with hip shape (rs10047217, P=6x10 -6 ). Co-localisation analysis indicated sharing of genetic signals for hip shape and hip OA for the KLHDC5-PTHLH and COL11A1 loci. Conclusion: Hip OA susceptibility loci were associated with shape in this study suggesting that these loci (and potentially yet to identified hip OA loci) could contribute to hip OA in later life via perturbing biologic pathways that mediate morphology development.


An improved analytical strategy for the analysis of complex lipid mixtures using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) in combination with high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) is reported. Positive ion MALDI RTOF MS was applied as a rapid screening tool for the various neutral (e.g. triacylglycerols) and polar (e.g. glycerophospholipids and -sphingolipids) lipid classes derived from crude lipid extracts of e.g. human plasma as well as soybean lecithin. Finally, MALDI seamless post-source decay (PSD) product ion analysis was performed in order to obtain further structural information (head- and acyl-group identification) of selected lipid species and structure verification. A Coomassie Brilliant Blue R-250 staining protocol for lipids on HPTLC plates was evaluated and was found to be fully compatible with subsequent MALDI-MS. Lipids were analyzed after elution from the HPTLC phase material of the selected band (corresponding to certain lipid classes) by using the proper organic solvent mixture or in few cases directly from the HPTLC plates (a type of on-line HPTLC/MALDI-MS coupling). More than 70 distinct lipid species from seven different lipid classes in the range between m/z 500 and 1500 could be identified from the lipid extracts of human plasma and soybean lecithin, respectively. The general high sensitivity of MALDI-MS detection allowed the analysis of even minor lipid classes from only very small volumes of human plasma (50 microL). The combination of HPTLC, Coomassie staining and positive ion MALDI curved field RTOF-MS represents a straightforward strategy during lipidomics studies of food and clinically relevant human lipid samples.


The effects of sympathetic nerve stimulation on beat rate, force, intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) measured using fura 2, and membrane potential were recorded from the spontaneously beating toad sinus venosus. Short trains of stimuli evoked an increase in the beat rate and force. During this tachycardia the amplitude of pacemaker action potentials was not changed, but there was an increase in the basal level of [Ca2+]iwith little change in peak [Ca2+]imeasured during each action potential. Depletion of intracellular Ca2+ stores with caffeine (3 mM) abolished all responses to sympathetic nerve stimulation. The effects of caffeine were fully reversible. Caffeine (3 mM), in the presence of the Ca2+-ATPase inhibitor thapsigargin (30 μM), abolished irreversibly the chronotropic and inotropic responses evoked by sympathetic nerve stimulation. Ryanodine (10 μM) attenuated, but did not abolish, these responses. These results suggest that, in the toad sinus venosus, increases in force and beat rate evoked by sympathetic nerve stimulation result from the release of Ca2+ from intracellular Ca2+ stores.


Study objective: To identify the survey method which generates the most representative sample of respondents in an ethnic community Design: Three survey methods (including sampling from the telephone book and telephone surveys, cluster sampling of households from areas with known high concentrations of migrants from the target community and face-to-face interviews, and sampling of persons listed on the electoral roll and a mailed survey) were employed concurrently in a defined area. Setting: Metropolitan Sydney, Australia. Participants: Persons aged 18 years or more born in Lebanon. Main results: The telephone survey method consistently outperformed cluster sampling and sampling from the electoral roll in terms of cost, response and contact rates, ease and speed of administration and representativeness of the sample. All methods generated a similar age profile but over-represented females compared with census data for the study area. There was relatively little duplication of respondents. The proportion of respondents who rated their health as fair or poor was comparable. Conclusions: Telephone surveying of migrant populations is a recommended strategy for health research in the Lebanese migrant population in metropolitan Sydney, and is also likely to be recommended for migrant populations with ethnically identifiable surnames.


When horseradish peroxidase is injected into the optic tectum of a chick, axons of ganglion cells transport it centripetally to their cell bodies in the retina at a rate of about 72 millimeters per day. After intraocular injections in the young chick, the peroxidase is transported centripetally along efferent axons, and is concentrated in cell bodies within the isthmo-optic nucleus. This retrograde movement of protein from axon terminal to cell body suggests a possible mechanism by which neurons respond to their target areas.


We previously developed a hamster oral papilloma virus (HOPV) tumor model. We also showed that immunization with a DNA vaccine consisting of naked plasmid DNA (pDNA) encoding the L1 region of the HOPV genome (pHOPV-L1) had a cancer suppressing effect in this model. Here, we investigated if the use of electroporation as a vaccine delivery system could enhance the effect of this vaccine. A pHOPV-L1 vaccine was generated and was inoculated (100 μg/animal) intramuscularly into hamsters (n=10 per group), who then underwent eight rounds of electroporation of 50, 100, or 200 V/cm (VE50, VE100, and VE200 group, respectively). Control groups (n=10 per group) were untreated (N), or were treated with electroporation alone (E50, E100, and E200 groups) or vaccination alone (V group). The animals then underwent carcinogenic treatment over the next 69 days, during which 9,10-dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene (DMBA) was applied onto lingual mucosa and a lingual wound was created. Histopathological analysis of lingual tissue indicated that all of the animals in the N and E groups developed lingual carcinoma that was accompanied by koilocytosis in the squamous carcinoma lesions. In contrast, 4, 5, 7 and 9 animals in the V, VE50, VE100 and VE200 groups, respectively, showed no carcinoma lesions. All of the animals with carcinomas ultimately showed a decreasing trend in weight, as well as HOPV infection that was detected using real-time PCR analysis. On the other hand, all animals without carcinomas increased in weight over the entire course of the experiment and did not display HOPV infection. These data confirm that a vaccine consisting of naked pDNA from the L1 region of HOPV can suppress HOPV-associated cancer, and show that its cancer suppressing effects can be enhanced by low-voltage electroporation following inoculation. We conclude that low-voltage electroporation is a useful and safe delivery system for DNA vaccines and should be further exploited.


This thesis considers the way in which a selection of the poetry of Elizabeth Barrett Browning (henceforth to be referred to as EBB) exhibits what I will refer to as a poetics of reciprocity. My focus is on EBB's ballads of the 1830s and 40s, her amatory sonnet sequence Sonnets from the Portuguese, and those ballads found in Last Poems. Lyric poetry is, traditionally, said to be defined by a monologic lyric speaker. Mikhail Bakhtin, for instance, pronounced that the mono-stylistic and cohesive nature of poetic language distinguished it from novelistic prose. However, it was, in part, Bakhtin's insistence that poetry was by definition monologic that triggered my dialogic investigation of EBB's poetry. Despite the range of work, both formal and temporal, that I consider in these three chapters, the discussion is nevertheless united by a consideration of EBB's fascination with language, and her concomitant departure from the conventions of the monologic lyric speaker. In her early ballads, I explore EBB's presentation of unreliable speakers and protagonists. These figures prove elusive to read because of their use of duplicitous or untrustworthy language, or they falter in the act of interpretation themselves. In EBB's Sonnets from the Portuguese, I consider the way in which the poet opts for the language of conversation to evoke, in a fresh and powerful manner, the love between her speaker and her beloved. I suggest that this strategy, in part, compensated for the way in which clichéd literary language used to describe the experience of loving had been drained of vigour. Finally, in Last Poems I consider EBB's presentation of speech as a social act that is influenced by the speaker's status in society. In these late ballads, women's attempts to wield language in an effective way are demonstrated to be dependent upon various conditions that reduce or enhance the potency of their speech acts. While Bakhtin's essay "Discourse in the Novel," in addition to the work of critics such as E. Warwick Slinn and Marjorie Stone, has been vital to the formulation of my thesis, I have, largely, relied upon a formalist approach to EBB's poetry. In my close readings I examine EBB's interrogation of language in her ballads and sonnets in light of her conscientious use, in particular, of metre and rhyme.


We examined the relationship between HIV prevention beliefs related to male circumcision and sexual behaviour/sexually transmitted infection (STI) acquisition among traditionally circumcised men in Cape Town, South Africa. HIV-negative men (n = 304), circumcised for cultural/religious reasons, attending a health clinic in Cape Town, South Africa, completed cross-sectional surveys. Generalized linear models were used to analyse the relationships between unprotected vaginal sex acts, number of female sexual partners, STI diagnoses and male circumcision-related beliefs and risk perceptions. Men who were aware that circumcision offers protection against HIV (relative risk [RR] = 1.19, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.06-1.32, P < 0.01), endorsed risk compensation related to male circumcision (RR = 1.15, 95% CI = 1.11-1.12, P < 0.01) and perceived lower risk of HIV infection when circumcised (RR = 1.08, 95% CI = 1.04-1.12, P < 0.01) were more likely to report unprotected vaginal sex acts. Similar patterns were also identified when predicting number of female sexual partners. Men who were more likely to endorse risk compensation related to male circumcision were also more likely to be diagnosed with a chronic STI (odds ratio [OR] = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.06-2.53, P < 0.05). Our findings suggest that we must not overlook the effects of beliefs towards male circumcision for HIV prevention among men traditionally circumcised; doing so may undermine current efforts to reduce HIV transmission through male circumcision.


: Highly differentiated spontaneous hepatomas of 13-15-month-old CBA mice are not capable to produce embryo-specific serum protein--alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). AFP synthesis is induced in such tumors by minimal mechanical injuries (application of mild incisions to the tumor nodes). On the third day after surgery AFP-positive cells are detectable in two zones: 1) along the inflammatory area in the peripheral parts of incisions; 2) near large blood vessels that drain the involved parts. It is suggested that the mechanism of AFP synthesis regulation in highly differentiated hepatomas is identical to that in the normal liver and is related to local structural rearrangements.


The teleseismic records of three strong earthquakes which inflicted heavy damage and loss of many thousands of lives in northeastern Iran during 1978 and 1979 are analyzed. The observed R_2 and R_3 phases of the 16 September 1978 Tabas earthquake across the IDA network are inverted to derive the gross source parameters of the main shock. The synthetic seismograms computed for the inferred source model are compared with observations. The agreement is generally good at most of the stations. However, unexpected asymmetrical observations at ESK, CMO, KIP, and PFO stations cannot be explained by directivity alone. Possible factors responsible for these observations may include regional heterogeneities or the departure of fault plane from simple planar geometry. The resulting focal mechanism agrees with nearly pure reverse mechanism with a NW-SE strike. The seismic moment estimate for this earthquake is about 1.5 × 10^(27) dyne-cm (M_w = 7.4). The seismic moment of the same earthquake obtained from long-period P-wave observations at six WWSSN stations is smaller than the above estimate by a factor of 2.
Starting with the geologic field data of the Qainat earthquakes of 14 and 27 November 1979, the R_2 and G_2 phases on the ultra-long-period instruments at Pasadena and Berkeley are analyzed to estimate their seismic source moments. The estimated values are 1.0 × 10^(26) dyne-cm for the 14 November and 8.0 × 10^(26) dyne-cm for the 27 November 1979 events. Their corresponding moment magnitudes are 6.6 and 7.2, respectively.


ABSTRACT The survival of a bacterium with a depleted oxygen or nutrient supply is important for its long-term persistence inside the host under stressful conditions. We studied a gene, dps, from Mycobacterium smegmatis, encoding a protein, Dps (for DNA binding protein from starved cells), which is overexpressed under oxidative and nutritional stresses and provides bimodal protection to the bacterial DNA. Characterization of the dps promoter in vivo is therefore important. We cloned a 1-kb putative promoter region of the dps gene of M. smegmatis in an Escherichia coli-Mycobacterium shuttle vector, pSD5B, immediately upstream of the lacZ gene. Promoter activities were assayed in vivo both in solid medium and in liquid cultures by quantitative β-galactosidase activity measurements. To characterize the minimal promoter region, a 200-bp fragment from the whole 1-kb sequence was further cloned in the same vector, and in a similar way, β-galactosidase activity was quantitated. Primer extension analysis was performed to determine the +1 transcription start site of the gene. Point mutations were inserted in the putative promoter sequences in the −10 and −20 regions, and the promoter sequence was confirmed. The promoter was not recognized by purified M. smegmatis core RNA polymerase reconstituted with purified Mycobacterium tuberculosis σA or σB during multiple- and single-round in vitro transcription assays. Promoter-specific in vivo pull-down assays with an immobilized 1-kb DNA fragment containing the dps promoter established that extracellular function sigma factors were associated with this starvation-inducible promoter. Single-round transcription at the dps promoter further supported the idea that only core RNA polymerase reconstituted with σF or σH can generate proper transcripts.


Building Assessment Tools (BATs) are widely used to estimate the performance of building and to assist designers in making decisions. As building codes and rating systems move from prescriptive to performance-based metrics, BATs are increasingly used to show compliance. BATs use computational methods and the results are mostly in a single annualised metric. However, the scientific community has shown that aleatory factors such as occupant behaviour and weather make the potential energy use of a building far from being a single deterministic value. Also, it is known that there is a significant deviation between predicted (at design stage) and actual energy use in buildings. These variations reduce the credibility of the predictions, questioning the acceptance of BATs results without considering underlying errors. This problem is amplified in under-policed construction sectors. India is one such example, where the adoption of Energy Conservation Building Code is becoming mandatory and one of its compliance method is based on BATs. Our work, therefore looks at the uncertainty in a typical multi-storey commercial office building's performance in Delhi and shows implications of variable inputs in the results. The paper first reviews the use of BATs and existing studies on simulation uncertainty. Then uncertainty is evaluated in energy simulation of a sample building, including effects of inconsistent construction practices. EnergyPlus is then fed values sampled (by Monte-Carlo method) from probability distribution functions of inputs (building fabric and operational parameters). Further sensitivity and uncertainty analysis of the results is performed. From the 3500+ simulations, the most sensitive inputs found were Wall U-values, cooling setpoints and infiltration. The variation in cooling demand and discomfort hours is more than three times between best and worst cases.


Hydrophobic silver nanoparticles have been carried out by use of ascorbic acid in cyclohexylamine and aqueous medium. Nanosilver can be effectively coated with oleic acid and possesses oil-soluble property. Oleic acid as an extractant is also effective at stabilizing particles of similar size in an oil phase when the AgNO3 is reduced in a coexisting aqueous phase. Stable spherical silver nanoparticles 15~25 nm in diameter with a well-crystallized structure were obtained at 120 °C. The thermal stability of surface-coated silver prepared in cyclohexylamine solution was monitored by UV-vis spectral analysis.


Sir,-Candura and Moscato refer (1984;41: 552-3) to various publications according to which exposure to amines resulted in occupational asthma. In particular the findings by L Belin and coworkers are mentioned. The amines described in the seven publications quoted in the paper belong without exception to the class of aliphatic amines whereas the authors assume that toluenediamine (TDA), which belongs to the class of aromatic amines, might also cause occupational asthma. There was, according to the bronchial provocation test as carried out by the authors, no indication that this assumption was correct. This finding is in line with the experience that aromatic amines in general do not cause asthmatic symptoms. The authors claim that TDA is formed from toluenediisocyanate (TDI) during the chemical pro-


Abstract The World Health Organization recently reported that maternal mental health is a major public health concern. As many as one in four women suffer from psychiatric disorders at some point during pregnancy or the first postpartum year. Furthermore, self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITBs) represent one of the leading causes of death among women during this time. Thus, efforts to identify women at risk for serious forms of psychopathology and especially for SITBs are of utmost importance. Despite this urgency, current single-diagnostic approaches fail to recognize a significant subset of women who are vulnerable to perinatal stress and distress. The current study was among the first to investigate emotion dysregulation—a multilevel, transdiagnostic risk factor for psychopathology—and its associations with stress, distress, and SITBs in a sample of pregnant women (26–40 weeks gestation) recruited to reflect a range of emotion dysregulation. Both self-reported emotion dysregulation and respiratory sinus arrhythmia, a biomarker of emotion dysregulation, demonstrated expected associations with measures of mental health, including depression, anxiety, borderline personality pathology, and SITBs. In addition, self-reported emotion dysregulation was associated with blunted respiratory sinus arrhythmia responsivity to an ecologically valid infant cry task. Findings add to the literature considering transdiagnostic risk during pregnancy using a multiple-levels-of-analysis approach.


Model-based joint uncertainty decoding (JUD) has recently achieved promising results by integrating the front-end uncertainty into the back-end decoding by estimating JUD transforms in a mathematically consistent framework. There are different ways of estimating the JUD transforms resulting in different JUD methods. This paper gives an overview of the estimation techniques existing in the literature including data-driven parallel model combination, Taylor series based approximation and the recently proposed second order approximation. Application of a new technique based on the unscented transformation is also proposed for the JUD framework. The different techniques have been compared in terms of both recognition accuracy and computational cost on a database recorded in a real car environment. Experimental results indicate the unscented transformation is one of the best options for estimating JUD transforms as it maintains a good balance between accuracy and efficiency.


Gerardo Reichel-Dolmatoff spent much of his life studying the oral culture of the Tukano Indians in the Northwest Amazon, including 20 years simply learning the four key Tukanoan languages. Through his translations and commentaries of the yurupari fertility mythologem and ritual complex, Tukano oral art is revealed as an important expression of tribal philosophical and religious thought. The four Tukano "texts" in this volume, "speak of emotions, paint images and construct sceneries". They contain coded cultural history and lead us into the meaning of oral traditions: meaning contained in admonitions, instructions, and explanations which constitute the fundamental precepts of social customs, conflict resolution, gender attitudes, and ecology. Reichel-Dolmatoff places the analytical study of South American oral art on a par with the great exegetic traditions of the Old World.


The number of people conducting exercise in a natural environment, such as walking parts of an ancient pilgrimage, is increasing, justifying scientific research to its health effects. Walking part of the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, consisting of 280 km in 12 days, resulted in a sustained weight loss of around 2 kg, but no other beneficial metabolic of vascular effects persisting for at least 2 months after the pilgrimage. However, during the pilgrimage, there was a large, steady decrease in LDL-cholesterol (LDL-c), reaching a maximal decrease on day 10 of 1.1±0.7 mmol/l (-29%) compared to study baseline. Furthermore, male and female participants walking this pilgrimage with higher speed showed a larger increase in HDL-cholesterol (HDL-c), but a smaller decrease in LDL-c and total cholesterol than the participants walking with lower speed, and a higher walking speed was independently related to a higher increase in HDL-c and a lesser decrease in LDL-c. The underlying mechanisms of these changes in serum lipids were not investigated, but consumption of cholesterol for cellular metabolism and repair due to muscle damage seems the most likely explanation. Patients with the metabolic syndrome, participating in a nurse-led lifestyle modification program aiming at increasing physical activity and changing dietary habits, reached a average body weight loss of 2,5% (-2.3 kg. 95%CI -3.8--0.8) after 1 year. Both the amount of baseline physical activity and the change in physical activity during the study, were independently related to beneficial changes in parameters of body weight and insulin resistance. The effects of changes in physical activity on measures of body weight and insulin resistance are small, but increasing physical activity remains a cornerstone in the first step treatment of the metabolic syndrome. In the present thesis we present arguments for obesity and insulin resistance as both causes and consequences of sympathetic nerve activation. We show that typically ultrasonographically measured visceral adipose tissue thickness is independently related to increased resting heart rate in men and, to a smaller extent, in women, even after adjustment for body mass index. Furthermore we show that there is an independent relation between resting heart rate and incident type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) during follow-up in patients with clinically manifest vascular disease. Resting heart rate has been accepted as a risk factor for premature mortality in patients with heart disease, and heart rate reduction is important in the treatment of these patients. In the present thesis we show that an increase in resting heart rate of 10 beats/minute is independently related to an increase in all-cause mortality of 14% (95%CI 7-21%), in vascular mortality of 15% (95%CI 6-25%) and in incident type 2 diabetes of 10% (95%CI 0-21%), in patients with clinically manifest vascular diseases, irrespective of the location. Therefore, we suggest that measurement and evaluation of resting heart rate should become routine practice in the management of patients with clinically manifest vascular diseases and the effect of heart rate reduction therapy in these patients should be investigated.


This paper estimates urban and rural poverty rates across five Chinese administrative regions (Shanghai, Liaoning, Guangdong, Henan and Gansu) in 2014 using representative household level data from the China Family Panel Studies survey. The types of government transfer payments that households in poverty received and the ability for such payments to lift households from poverty are also assessed. Consistent with official estimates, the results highlight substantial disparities in poverty rates between administrative regions. Smaller differences exist between urban and rural locations within the same administrative region. In 2014, the most common types of government transfer received by households in poverty were agricultural subsidies or social assistance - principally the dibao. Regarding the latter, the results suggest some improvement in payment targeting in rural areas, but most dibao recipients had income above the poverty line (as defined in this paper) in 2014. Furthermore, across all administrative regions, the vast majority of households living below the defined poverty line did not receive social assistance at that time.


In this paper, we propose a novel method to reduce the high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) of the optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal. The method is based on the technique of the Hadamard transform combined with a companding transform. We experimentally demonstrate that, in an optical intensity-modulation direct-detection OFDM transmission system, the hybrid method has better performance in reducing the PAPR compared with the case of applying only the Hadamard transform or only a companding transform.


Since the reform and opening-up, there has been a great change in spatial pattern of China's vegetable production. This paper studied vegetable production in provinces of China in 1978-2013. From the sequential characteristics, China's vegetable production area is constantly growing and takes on stage characteristic. From the spatial distribution, China's vegetable production takes on the trend of "going down the south†and "marching the west†. In order to grasp rules of changes of vegetable production and the influence factors, this paper made theoretical and empirical analysis on factors possibly influencing distribution of vegetable production. Results show that major factors influencing distribution of China's vegetable production include irrigation condition, non-agricultural employment, market demand, knowledge spillover, comparative effectiveness, rural road and government policies.


We report the identification of bang senseless (bss), a Drosophila melanogaster mutant exhibiting seizure-like behaviors, as an allele of the paralytic (para) voltage-gated Na+ (NaV) channel gene. Mutants are more prone to seizure episodes than normal flies because of a lowered seizure threshold. The bss phenotypes are due to a missense mutation in a segment previously implicated in inactivation, termed the "paddle motif" of the NaV fourth homology domain. Heterologous expression of cDNAs containing the bss1 lesion, followed by electrophysiology, shows that mutant channels display altered voltage dependence of inactivation compared to wild type. The phenotypes of bss are the most severe of the bang-sensitive mutants in Drosophila and can be ameliorated, but not suppressed, by treatment with anti-epileptic drugs. As such, bss-associated seizures resemble those of pharmacologically resistant epilepsies caused by mutation of the human NaV SCN1A, such as severe myoclonic epilepsy in infants or intractable childhood epilepsy with generalized tonic-clonic seizures.


Introduction: The pandemic does not stop, neither does the studies on it; This pandemic produces pain, sadness, despair and deaths, the numbers of which are incalculable. Faced with this difficult and painful situation, laughter raises its flag of hope. Objective: The study aims to describe the levels and demographic factors of laughter, in the context of COVID-19. Methods: The study corresponds to a quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional approach. The data were obtained through a virtual survey, whose participants were 101, from the three regions. Results: Of the 101 participants, 87 (between 20 and 60 years old) are located in the high level and 14 in the medium level. Similarly, 14 (among single, married, divorced and cohabitants) in the medium level and 87 in the high level. Of the three regions (coast, mountains and jungle), 14 in the medium level and 87 in the high level. On the other hand, 6 men and 8 women are in the medium level, in the high 28 and 59, respectively. In the factor: religion, 14 (among Catholics, Adventists, Evangelicals and others) in the medium level, 87 in the high. According to the factor: educational level (primary, secondary and higher), 14 and 87 are located in the low and high level, respectively. In the family and friends circle, laughter is always experienced: 58.4% and 66.3%, respectively; for respondents it is easier to laugh, always, 54.5% and 66.3%, in the family environment and with friends, respectively. They declared that laughter prevents diseases, strengthens health, prevents covid-19, strengthens the immune system and limits the production of the hormone cortisol (responsible for stress), always 70.3%, 31.7%, 81.2; 31.7%, 71.3% and 83.2%, respectively. Conclusion: In the context of COVID-19, the most significant levels of laughter found in the study are two: medium and high; the most weighted demographic factors are: age, sex, religion, and employment status.


The following dissertation investigates the sequestration of Cs and Rb in the wedge zone regions of hydroxy-interlayered vermiculite (HIV), a clay mineral commonly found in the southeastern United States. Savannah River Site soils are studied from the highly contaminated Department of Energy Site. The soils are found to preferentially adsorb Cs and Rb (to a lesser extent) with respect to K and be highly enriched with respect to upper continental crust. Enrichment is found to be a function of weathering progression. Molecular modeling results support the hypothesis that Cs is the sterically favorable ion in the interlayer wedge zone of HIV. INDEX WORDS: Cesium, Hydroxy-interlayered vermiculite, Clay mineralogy, Molecular modeling THE ENRICHMENT OF STABLE CESIUM AND RUBIDUM IN SAVANNAH RIVER SITE SOILS


A structure consisting of two elastic plates bonded by a thin and soft adhesive layer is considered. Non‐linear plate models are obtained by using the method of formal asymptotic expansions. A distinguishing feature of this problem is that the only quantitative property of the adhesive that has to be taken into account is the response of the material subjected to a pure shear load.


Building on the controversy over foreign citations in domestic courts, this article reflects on the U.S. Supreme Court's practice of quoting EU law and the European Court of Human Rights' case law. It offers a detailed examination of how the U.S. Supreme Court has used European sources and shifts the debate over whether it should use them, by explaining a different way in which the court could exploit them. The article focuses on the three fields in which such foreign case law has either influenced the U.S. Supreme Court decisions or otherwise impacted the judges' reasoning: laws targeting homosexual conduct; federalism; and the death penalty. It singles out the relevant passages of each U.S. Supreme Court decision, explores the European sources that it points to, and evaluates how accurately the court depicts them. It turns out that all the references that the U.S. Supreme Court has made to European jurisprudence are either mistaken or misleading. The article argues that the foreign jurisprudence should not have been ignored, but rather should have been used better, investigated deeper, and utilized as an informational tool to aid the court's reflections than merely to bolster its already decided interpretation of the U.S. Constitution. The basic requirement for using foreign laws correctly is an adequate understanding of what such laws mean in the legal order from which they come and how they resonate with the context in which they are imported.


Background: Thermal stress during early imbibitional phase of germination causes disruption of redox-homeostasis by increasing accumulation of ROS Reactive Oxygen species (assessed in terms of hydrogen peroxide) and significant reduction of antioxidative defense (assessed in terms of catalase and peroxidase) in germinating tissues of cowpea (Vigna ungiculata). It also induces oxidative damage to newly assembled membrane system by aggravating membrane lipid peroxidation [measured in terms of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS)]. Cantharis is a homeopathic remedy used for treating burn injuries in humans. The objective is to see whether potentized Cantharis could ameliorate heat stress in germinating seeds of cowpea. Methodology: Seeds, imbibed in water overnight, were divided into four groups (n=50/group): Control I (Water 200c), Control II (Ethanol 200c), treated with Cantharis 200c and untreated and unstressed. Water soaked seeds were dipped in control/drug solution for 5 min and then washed. Control II and Cantharis 200c were diluted with water 1:1000 to minimize the ethanol effect. Except the fourth group, all other groups were subjected to heat stress (450C for 8 hours). All the groups were allowed to germinate for 5 days in germination chamber at 25 ± 20C. Groups 1 and 2 (Control I and II) served as systematic negative controls throughout the experiment. Ten independent replications were performed for each group in parallel. All experiments were randomized and blinded. Results: The systematic negative controls (I, II) did not produce any significant effect. The results in terms of germination, growth, soluble sugar, protein, accumulation of reactive oxygen species and loss of membrane permeability clearly exhibit that Cantharis 200c could mitigate heat stress significantly (p<0.05) as compared to the controls I, II. Final germination percentage after 120 hrs was found to be 60%, 48%, 86%, 88%, for groups 1, 2, 3, 4, respectively. Total chlorophyll (Chl-a + Chl-b), carotenoids and total chl/carotenoid ratio were found to be highest in groups 3 and 4. Assessment of membrane lipid peroxidation in terms of TBARS and accumulation of reactive oxygen species Cite as:. Int J High Dilution Res. 2018;17(3-4): 9-19. 9 International Journal of High Dilution Research 2018; 17(3-4):9-19 Available online at www.highdilution.org (H2O2) showed minimum concentration in group 3 and 4. Conclusion: Cantharis 200c can counteract the deleterious effects of heat stress on juvenile tissues and membranes and can be used effectively to counter heat stress in tropical countries especially during summer.


Heme has been traditionally viewed as a stable protein cofactor in hemoproteins. Only recently it is also being viewed as a signaling and regulatory molecule that binds temporarily to proteins and regulates their activation or inhibition. Information on the structural characteristics of heme regulatory motifs (HRMs) is scarce. Based on known HRMs from literature, nona-peptides containing the three heme-iron coordinating amino acids cysteine, histidine and tyrosine were employed for structural characterization by NMR and other biophysical techniques. Diamagnetic gallium protoporphyrin IX was used as a substitute for paramagnetic heme in NMR spectroscopy. Among the known cysteine-based HRMs, the Cys-Pro containing peptides are well structured as compared to the His and Tyr-based peptides. Furthermore, the distance between two heme-iron coordinating amino acids in a protein plays a critical role in the formation of penta- or hexacoordination. The observations of the peptide studies were further investigated at the protein level. As one example, the heme regulation of the voltage-gated potassium channel Kv1.4 has been studied at the structural level. These channels are involved in the control of neuronal excitability and regulation of neurotransmitter release. The N-terminal stretch of this channel opens and closes (inactivation) in response to the current flow and thus shapes the action potential. Heme binds to this N-terminal stretch through a CXXH motif and a distant histidine, reversibly inhibits the inactivation and thus might play an important role of counteracting the effects associated with neuropathological conditions. This interaction has been investigated using NMR spectroscopy and a model for inhibition of channel inactivation has been proposed. Finally, our peptide-based structure investigation has paved way for the identification of several yet unknown heme-regulated proteins.


The aim of this paper is to engage with the debate concerning the extent to which the introduction of Police and Crime Commissioners (PCC) across England and Wales in November 2012 will democratise police accountability. It seeks to challenge the idea that democratising police accountability can be reduced to a simple matter of giving people a vote in deciding who will be responsible for holding a chief constable to account. The much debated dangers of introducing party politics into the police accountability mechanisms are considered in this respect. Alternative aspects of democratic thinking are considered in the paper, ones that provide a richer understanding of giving people a more meaningful and direct role in how chief constables are held to account. The democratic notions of 'involvement' and 'empowerment' are considered as they apply in relation to police governance understood more broadly within a liberal democratic context. The potential of illiberal democratic tendencies developing within policing are highlighted, especially where a narrow focus on populist democratic thinking dominates within police accountability mechanisms. The central argument in the paper is that democratising police accountability in a meaningful way requires greater involvement of key stakeholders within communities, especially those most likely to be affected by police actions. Examples of such stakeholders are identified within a particular English community, in which an empirical study will be conducted at a later stage by one of the authors. This paper seeks to contribute to the criminological literature on police accountability and governance within liberal democratic settings.


Granulocytopenia is the leading alteration of the natural host defense mechanisms, whether caused by an underlying disease or associated with anticancer chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Severe granulocytopenia predisposes to septicemia which is now more often due to Gram positive than to Gram negative bacteria. The empiric therapy of febrile episodes with rapidly bactericidal antibiotics has dramatically modified the prognosis of septicemia. The optimal treatment remains controversial although the usual regimen include both a cephalosporin (or a large spectrum penicillin) with an aminoglycoside. The empiric treatment with a specific anti-Gram positive antibiotic such as vancomycin does not modify prognosis, adds significant side-effects and increases the cost. Monotherapy has been associated with the need for treatment modification in 30-80% of the episodes depending on the type of infection (fever of unknown origin, clinically or microbiologically documented infection). The patients who remain febrile despite adequate antibacterial empiric treatment beneficiate of an empiric antifungal treatment. Care should be taken about the recent emergence of vancomycin-resistant Staph. haemolyticus, Corynebacterium JK and non-JK, and non-aeruginosa pseudomonas (only susceptible to cotrimoxazole). More fungal infections are observed with a significant emergence of non-albicans Candida, dermatophytes and filamentous fungi (P. boydii, Fusarium, ...) associated with disseminated infections.


"The Spirit of the Corps: The British Army and the Pre-national Pan-European Military World and the Origins of American Martial Culture,1754-1783," argues that during the eighteenth-century there was a transnational martial culture of European soldiers, analogous to the maritime world of sailors and the sea and attempts to identify the key elements of this martial culture, as reflected in the mid-eighteenth-century British Army, and briefly describes its transmission to the army of the United States. "The Spirit of the Corps" describes a pan-European military world had it origins in the wars of religion that engulfed Europe in the sixteenth and seventeenth-centuries, and was a long established institution by the eighteenth-century. "The Spirit of the Corps" suggests that honor provided the justification and raison d'etre for the pan-European military world, and could be found embodied in the officer's gentlemanly sense of honor, and the espirit de corps of the rank and file. "The Spirit of the Corps" goes on to describe other important elements of the pan-European martial culture which included: weak military discipline and a relative loose control over soldiers which resulted in the soldier's life being viewed as one of relative freedom, the operation of an implicit contract between followers and leaders, a military community that included non-combatants, women, and children, a process of martial enculturation, a sense of military style that extended into drill and uniforms, and espirit de corps which loomed especially large during an era when nationalism and ideology were relatively minor factors. "The Spirit of the Corps" concludes by arguing that the Continental Line of the American Revolution was imbued with the culture of the British Army, and the pan-European military world; in its turn, this pan-European martial culture was, transmitted to the regular army of the United States were its presence could be seen clearly as late as 1940, and in some ways, can still be detected today.


Summary Background Treatment of the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection with ganciclovir has beneficial indirect effects on the complex interactions of HCMV with restenosis, atherosclerosis, and transplant vascular sclerosis. The current study reports on direct effects of ganciclovir on expression of ICAM-1 and cell proliferation, key events of coronary atherosclerosis/restenosis. A potential clinical relevance of the data will be evaluated with the help of SI/MPL-ratio's. Material/Methods Definition of the SI/MPL-ratio: relation between significant inhibitory effects in vitro/ex vivo and the maximal plasma level after systemic administration in vivo (ganciclovir: 9 μg/ml). Part I of the study investigated in cytoflow studies the effect of ganciclovir (0.05–5000 μg/mL) on TNF-a induced expression of intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) in endothelial cells derived from umbilical veins (HUVEC), human coronary endothelial cells (HCAEC), and human coronary smooth muscle cells (HCMSMC). Part II of the study analysed the effect of ganciclovir (0.05–5000 μg/mL) on cell proliferation (HUVEC, HCAEC, and HCMSMC). In part III cytotoxic effects of ganciclovir (0.05–5000 μg/mL) were studied (HUVEC, HCAEC, and HCMSMC). Results Ganciclovir caused slight but significant inhibitory effects on expression of ICAM-1 in HUVEC, HCAEC, and HCMSMC. In all three cell types studied strong dose depending significant antiproliferative effects of ganciclovir were detected. Partially, the antiproliferative effects of ganciclovir were caused by cytotoxic effects. Conclusions SI/MPL-ratio's >1 in HCAEC and HCMSMC indicate that the inhibitory effects of gancliclovir on ICAM-1-expression and cell proliferation may only be expected in vivo following local high dose administration e.g. in drug eluting stents (DES).


Shrub willows (Salix spp.) are emerging as a viable lignocellulosic, second-generation bioenergy crop with many growth characteristics favorable for marginal lands in New York State and surrounding areas. Willow rust, caused by members of the genus Melampsora, is the most limiting disease of shrub willow in this region and remains extremely understudied. In this study, genetic diversity, genetic structure, and pathogen clonality were examined in Melampsora americana over two growing seasons using genotyping-by-sequencing to identify single nucleotide polymorphism markers. In conjunction with this project, a reference genome of rust isolate R15-033-03 was generated to aid in variant discovery. Sampling between years allowed for regional and site-specific investigation into population dynamics, in the context of both wild and cultivated hosts within high density plantings. This work revealed that this pathogen is largely panmictic over the sampled areas with few sites showing moderate genetic differentiation. This data supports the hypothesis of sexual recombination between growing seasons as no genotype persisted across the two years of sampling. Additionally, clonality was determined as a driver of pathogen populations within cultivated fields and single shrubs, however there is also evidence of high genetic diversity of rust isolates in all settings. Together, this work provides a framework for M. americana population structure in the Great Lakes region, providing crucial information that can aid in future resistance breeding efforts.


OBJECTIVE
To test the hypothesis that breed, age, sex, body condition, and environment are risk factors for development of calcium oxalate uroliths in dogs.

DESIGN
Case-control study.

ANIMALS
1,074 dogs that formed calcium oxalate uroliths and 1,724 control dogs that did not have uroliths.

PROCEDURE
A validated multiple-choice questionnaire was designed to collect information from veterinarians and owners within 1 year of the date of urolith detection concerning signalment and environment of the dogs. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to calculate odds ratios to assess whether breed, age, sex, body condition, and environment were risk factors for calcium oxalate urolith formation.

RESULTS
Middle-aged (8- to 12-year-old) castrated male dogs had increased risk for formation of calcium oxalate uroliths. Urolith formation was also associated with increasing age. Dogs of certain breeds, including Miniature and Standard Schnauzer, Lhasa Apso, Yorkshire Terrier, Bichon Frise, Shih Tzu, and Miniature and Toy Poodle, had increased risk for developing calcium oxalate uroliths. Overweight dogs also had increased risk.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Knowledge of patient and environmental risk factors for development of calcium oxalate uroliths may facilitate development of surveillance strategies that result in earlier detection of this disease. Modification of environmental factors and body weight may minimize calcium oxalate urolith formation and recurrence.


Due to the increasing progress in various industries, paying attention to the internal processes of the organizations is more visible to stay on the competitive scene. Therefore, many organizations attempt to simplify and evaluate their internal processes using re-engineering. By reviewing the conducted studies, it can be stated that one of the existing problems in the implementation of re-engineering projects is the selection of the optimal portfolio of processes. Hence, this study aims to provide a bi-objective mathematical model for selecting processes in the re-engineering project by considering two key assumptions include improvement in achieving organizational goals and staff resistance. To this end, first, the impact of processes on organizational goals is specified by experts and then the goals' weights are obtained using a fuzzy Best Worst Method. Finally, the proposed model is solved by an augmented e-constraint method and the optimal portfolio of processes is selected. Also, a public Hospital of Sari as a real-world case study is employed to set the values of model parameters. Finally, the obtained results are reported and using a sensitivity analysis, several directions are provided. The results show that changes in the staff resistance directly affects the second objective function, while changes in the improvement created by each process affect the first objective function. Also, changes in costs have little effect on either objective functions.


Background Our 450-bed general hospital had a unit dose dispensing system in 100% of inpatient wards until July 2010, when an automated dispensing system (ADS) incorporating most of the medicines was introduced in the Large Burns Unit (LBU). Purpose To quantify the variation in drug expenses allocated per patient after introduction of an ADS in the LBU and to identify the products mainly affected by this change. Materials and Methods To quantify the variation in the expenses allocated, The authors compared two equal periods of four months, before the introduction of the ADS (September-December 2009) and four months after (September-December 2010). The authors used the average book price to calculate the cost of the Unit, by adding the cost of stock replenishment and unit dose medicines dispensed in the case of the first period and extracted from the ADS in the case of the second period. Results In the period prior to ADS implementation, Unit expenses were 53,037 euros of which 45.43% were allocated to the patient. After ADS implementation, the Unit cost 50,732 euros to run, of which 73.33% were allocated per patient. Of the 68 products that went from dispensing stock to ADS, the ones that mainly affected the change in the medicines expense allocation per patient were: sulfadiazine (47.5%), midazolam (8.5%) atracurium (5.8%), propofol (5.5%) and ketamine (4.3%). Conclusions The medicines that mainly affected the change in the allocation of medicines belong to the D06, N05, M03 and N01 ATC classification groups in financial terms:, these were traditionally dispensed by replenishing stock. This has represented a significant reduction in the Unit stock. The ADS improve the allocation per patient of medicines expenses, including special units with prior unit dose dispensing, which enables the pharmacist to increase the level of knowledge about drug use in the Unit.


General anesthetics exert their effects on the central nervous system by acting on ion channels, most notably pentameric ligand-gated ion channels. Although numerous studies have focused on pentameric ligand-gated ion channels, the details of anesthetic binding and channel modulation are still debated. A better understanding of the anesthetic mechanism of action is necessary for the development of safer and more efficacious drugs. Herein, we present a computational study identifying two anesthetic binding sites in the transmembrane domain of the Gloeobacter violaceus ligand-gated ion channel (GLIC) channel, characterize the putative binding pathway, and observe structural changes associated with channel function. Molecular simulations of desflurane reveal a binding pathway to GLIC via a membrane-embedded tunnel using an intrasubunit protein lumen as the conduit, an observation that explains the Meyer-Overton hypothesis, or why the lipophilicity of an anesthetic and its potency are generally proportional. Moreover, employing high concentrations of ligand led to the identification of a second transmembrane site (TM2) that inhibits dissociation of anesthetic from the TM1 site and is consistent with the high concentrations of anesthetics required to achieve clinical effects. Finally, asymmetric binding patterns of anesthetic to the channel were found to promote an iris-like conformational change that constricts and dehydrates the ion pore, creating a 13.5 kcal/mol barrier to ion translocation. Together with previous studies, the simulations presented herein demonstrate a novel anesthetic binding site in GLIC that is accessed through a membrane-embedded tunnel and interacts with a previously known site, resulting in conformational changes that produce a non-conductive state of the channel.


Inflammatory mediators like bacterial lipopolysaccharide induce monocytes to express tissue factor (TF), the cell-surface protein that triggers the blood clotting cascade in hemostasis and thrombotic disease. The physiologic ligand for TF is the serine protease, factor VIIa (FVIIa), and the resulting bimolecular enzyme, TF/FVIIa, can be reversibly inhibited by tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI). Culturing monocytic cells in the presence of both FVIIa and TFPI caused down-regulation of TF expression via reducing its half-life. To exert this effect, FVIIa had to be competent to bind both TF and TFPI, and TFPI had to contain the C-terminal domain required for binding to other cell-surface receptors, including the low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP). TF down-regulation by FVIIa plus TFPI was abrogated by the 39-kDa receptor-associated protein, which blocks binding of all known ligands to LRP. Furthermore, treatment with FVIIa plus TFPI caused monocyte TF to colocalize with α-adaptin, a component of clathrin-coated pits. Thus, in addition to reversibly inhibiting TF/FVIIa catalytic activity, TFPI also mediates the permanent down-regulation of cell-surface TF in monocytic cells via LRP-dependent internalization and degradation. This represents an unusual mechanism for receptor internalization, requiring ligand-dependent bridging of one cell-surface receptor (TF) to a second cell-surface receptor (LRP), the latter being capable of clathrin-mediated internalization.


Pepper paste is a traditional fermented product consumed in many countries. In traditional way mashed fresh fruits of Capsicum annuum are subjected to spontaneous fermentation and preserved by addition of high amounts of salt and boiling. Recently, inadequate amounts of traditionally produced pepper paste and consumer demand towards more hygienic products makes the industrial production of pepper paste inevitable. Industrial production of red pepper paste is dependent on some major factors: initial microflora, thermal processes, pH, total soluble solids, addition of salt and chemical preservatives. This study determined the effect of microorganisms, salt (0 and 1 g kg -1 ) and Na-benzoate (1 g kg -1 ) on the spoilage of semi and fully processed pepper pastes during storage. In addition to fresh pepper analysis, 7 experimental groups were produced by using various combinations of salt, Na-benzoate and four levels of total soluble solids (27 to 36 o Brix). Evaporation and pasteurization processes caused about 5 log CFU/g reduction in the number of initial bacteria (p≤0.05). After first evaporation step low solid content (27 to 30 o Brix) samples without salt were spoiled by microorganisms during storage. Samples with high solid content (33 to 36 o Brix), salt and Na-benzoate were maintained their quality. In all of the experimental groups Nabenzoate inhibited the activity of yeasts and moulds. However, its inhibitory effect on bacterial species was limited. The color change and the effect of various factors on color were also determined. The color of pepper pastes was not affected by Na-benzoate but addition of salt and the amount of soluble solids had a darkening effect. The pH change in pepper paste is dependent on development of lactic acid bacteria. Lactic acid, salt, solid content and heat processes like pasteurization are important factors on the quality of semi and fully processed pepper paste during storage.


A CV joint outer race is an important load-supporting part in cars. Its geometry is very complicated. Traditional hot and cold forging methods have their own limitations to produce such a complex shaped part. Therefore, multistage forging may be advantageous to produce this part. The key point of outer race is performing the geometry of ball grooves with negative slope angle. Traditional methods form the ball groove by machining that takes long time and waste many portions of the material. Thus near net shape forging is an attractive option for producing of outer race. In this study, the process sequence in the multistage forging of a CV joint outer race has been investigated by using the rigid plastic finite volume method and forging process sequence is designed which can produce a near net-shape housing without defects within a given press capacity. Finally physical modelling with commercial lead is used to verify the reliability of numerical simulation results.


Abstract We present an analytical comparison between linear slow feature analysis and second-order independent component analysis, and show that in the case of one time delay, the two approaches are equivalent. We also consider the case of several time delays and discuss two possible extensions of slow feature analysis.


This study examined the effects of a 4-week yogic breath meditation intervention on physiological (blood glucose and cardiovascular) and psychological measures of self-control, particularly attention control via performance on the Stroop cognitive task. We recruited healthy participants from the University of California, Los Angeles campus. The final sample (N = 67) consisted of graduate (n = 1) and undergraduate (n = 66) students. Participants were randomized to an intervention or control group and assessed before and after the 4-week class series. There were no intervention effects on Stroop task performance, heart rate and blood pressure (all ps > .10). Participants in the control group exhibited a sharper decline in blood glucose in response to the Stroop task compared to participants in the intervention group at post-intervention (p = .07). In addition, participants in the control group exhibited lower positive affect levels than participants in the intervention group at post-intervention (p = .04) and a decline in acceptance based coping from pre- to post-intervention (p = .05). However, the difference in positive affect was mainly driven by feelings of pride (p = .06). Participants in the intervention group exhibited higher levels of spiritual coping (p = .01), emotional expression (p = .08) and acting with awareness (p = .03) than participants in the control group at post-intervention. There were no group differences in other domains of self-control such as health behaviors. While the intervention was not associated with an improvement in the primary outcome, attention control, the results suggest that breath-based meditation might buffer the depleting effects of self-control, as measured by declines in blood glucose levels. Breathing-based meditation might further help to prevent a decline in adaptive coping behaviors and acting with awareness. The study was novel in that, to my knowledge, it was the first meditation intervention study that used different types of breathing techniques as the active intervention ingredient. Studying factors that determine when and how breathing-based meditations affect self-control efforts is an intriguing topic for future research studies.


Objective: Using Megavoltage photons generated by medical linear accelerator is a common modality for the treatment of malignant. The crucial problem for using photon beams >8MV is the photoneutron yields that increase the risk of secondary cancer that treated with high-energy photon beams. The contaminated neutrons produced in different components of the accelerator head and rely on many parameters. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of field size on the neutron dose equivalent in center and far from it at the Elekta Sl 75/25 18 MV linear accelerator. Methods: Neutron dosimetry was carried out with CR-39 films with using of chemical etching technique. The measurement was done at isocenter, 25 cm and 50 cm far from it at 100 cm SSD for squared field with 5 up to 30 cm side. Results: The results revealed that the neutron dose equivalent increased with increasing field sizes especially for 5*5 cm 2 field size. It was decreased with increasing distance from the isocenter. Conclusion: The effect of field size on neutron contamination depend on amount of field aperture where in small field size 5×5 cm 2 less variation need for significant change but for larger field size 10×10 cm2 this variation must be larger. The contaminated neutron outside photon field is independent of field size. A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T


Earlier work from this and other laboratories has revealed the presence within Mycobacterium spp. of three classes of glycolipid antigens which we have called the glycopeptidolipids, the lipooligosaccharides and the phenolic glycolipids. Representative structures of each from different species and sub-species have been proposed. More recently, new variants of these antigens and older structures have been analyzed by Fourier transform infrared, NMR, particularly at high temperatures, and, most notably, by fast atom bombardment and Californium desorption mass spectrometry. Extraordinary novelty and diversity were revealed, particularly at the distal non-reducing end of the oligosaccharide chains, marked by the presence of new branched-chain sugars, amino sugars and sugar acids. These epitopes and monoclonal antibodies to them have been used for the critical identification of mycobacteria. In addition, the pure antigens are the basis of specific serological tests for various mycobacterioses. The resurgence of interest in "atypical" mycobacteria stems from their occurrence as opportunistic pathogens in many patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, although they have long been associated with pulmonary and other organ infections. Foremost among these mycobacteria are serovars of the Mycobacterium avium-Mycobacterium intracellulare complex (the M. avium complex). The surface antigens which differentiate these serovars are glycopeptidolipids, related to "mycoside C" and, accordingly, composed of a glycosylated lipopeptide "core", fatty acyl-D-Phe-D-alloThr-D-Ala-L-acanyl-O- (3,4-di-O-methyl-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside), to which a haptenic oligosaccharide is linked at the threonine substituent; this oligoglycosyl unit is the source of type specificity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Primary energy consumption has increased by 49% and CO2 emissions by 43% during the last two decades, and the predictions indicate that the growing trend will continue as a consequence of the notable growth in world population. Nations with developing economies (South America, Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia) have an average annual energy consumption rate of 3.2%, whereas the rate is 1.1% for most of the developed economies (North America, Japan, Australia and Western Europe). In this paper, overall energy consumption in the UK by sector is evaluated from 1973 oil crisis to the present. The scope is split into four sectors as transport, domestic, industrial and services sector and the results for each are presented in a comparable way. Percentage of total primary energy consumption and final energy consumption by fuel type are presented. Several factors affecting the overall energy consumption are also investigated.


BACKGROUND
The outcome of the Fontan operation largely depends on patient selection because this procedure is a physiological correction. Among the several selection criteria for the Fontan operation, the importance of adequate size of the pulmonary artery remains controversial. To clarify whether or not pulmonary artery size is indispensable as one of the selection criteria for the Fontan operation, we considered the physiological importance of pulmonary artery size and investigated how pulmonary artery size influenced postoperative hemodynamics of the Fontan operation.

METHODS AND RESULTS
In congenital heart disease of decreasing pulmonary blood flow, 40 patients were examined for this analysis. Pulmonary artery indexes (cross-sectional area of the right and left pulmonary arteries divided by body surface area) were measured as the expression of pulmonary artery size, and the relations of pulmonary artery index (PAI) to pulmonary vascular resistance (Rp) and compliance (Cp) were studied. There was no significant correlation between PAI and Rp, whereas a significant correlation was found between PAI and Cp (r = .71, P = .001). Furthermore, Cp influenced postoperative hemodynamics of the Fontan operation by affecting peak central venous pressure and total impedance, which was the afterload to the ventricle. Impedance increased abruptly when PAI was less than approximately 100 mm2/m2.

CONCLUSIONS
The smaller pulmonary artery size is hemodynamically disadvantageous after the Fontan operation, with resultant rise in peak control venous pressure and increased afterload to the single ventricle.


Background: The interaction of aging-related, genetic, and environmental factors is thought to contribute to the etiology of late-onset, sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD). We previously reported that serum levels of p,p′-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), a long-lasting metabolite of the organochlorine pesticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), were significantly elevated in patients with AD and associated with the risk of AD diagnosis. However, the mechanism by which DDT may contribute to AD pathogenesis is unknown. Objectives: This study sought to assess effects of DDT exposure on the amyloid pathway in multiple in vitro and in vivo models. Methods: Cultured cells (SH-SY5Y and primary neurons), transgenic flies overexpressing amyloid beta (Aβ), and C57BL/6J and 3xTG-AD mice were treated with DDT to assess impacts on the amyloid pathway. Real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, multiplex assay, western immunoblotting and immunohistochemical methods were used to assess the effects of DDT on amyloid precursor protein (APP) and other contributors to amyloid processing and deposition. Results: Exposure to DDT revealed significantly higher APP mRNA and protein levels in immortalized and primary neurons, as well as in wild-type and AD-models. This was accompanied by higher levels of secreted Aβ in SH-SY5Y cells, an effect abolished by the sodium channel antagonist tetrodotoxin. Transgenic flies and 3xTG-AD mice had more Aβ pathology following DDT exposure. Furthermore, loss of the synaptic markers synaptophysin and PSD95 were observed in the cortex of the brains of 3xTG-AD mice. Discussion: Sporadic Alzheimer's disease risk involves contributions from genetic and environmental factors. Here, we used multiple model systems, including primary neurons, transgenic flies, and mice to demonstrate the effects of DDT on APP and its pathological product Aβ. These data, combined with our previous epidemiological findings, provide a mechanistic framework by which DDT exposure may contribute to increased risk of AD by impacting the amyloid pathway. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP10576


The behavior and performance of the Russian wheat aphid, Diuraphis noxia (Mordvilko), on fungal endophyte-infected and endophyte-free perennial ryegrass, Lolium perenne L., was investigated in the laboratory and field. Aphids did not select endophyte-free over endophyte-infected leaf sheaths and stem segments in petri dish preference tests. Similarly, the probing behavior of D. noxia on endophyte-free and infected L. perenne did not vary in laboratory tests. However, compared with aphid counts on endophyte-free plants, counts on infected plants were significantly lower on the first day and thereafter in laboratory population growth tests. Numbers of D. noxia were higher on endophyte-free plants than on infected plants of L. perenne in replicated field plots. The results are discussed in relation to the possible mechanisms of resistance involved, our knowledge of the performance of other cereal aphids on endophyte-infected grasses, and the use of endophytic fungi as aphid biocontrol agents.


When the IgG1 fraction of anti-idiotypic antibodies raised in guinea pigs is injected into mice, sensitization of idiotypic T and B lymphocytes occurs (1-3). In the present study we analyze the genetic requirements for T-helper cell sensitization by anti-idiotypic antibody. This was done by measuring, in a suitable panel of mouse strains, helper cell responsiveness to two anti-idiotypic reagents which recognize distinct, strain-specific idiotypes, namely the A5A and the S117 marker. Whenever helper cell sensitization by anti-idiotypic antibody was successful, helper function could be specifically inhibited by the same and only the same anti-idiotype. This indicates that helper cells induced by anti-idiotypic antibody express idiotypic determinants on their receptors for antigen. Helper cell sensitization by anti-idiotypic antibody was found in all strains expressing the corresponding or a cross-reactive idiotype at the immunoglobulin level. Idiotype-negative strains were always unresponsive to anti-idiotypic stimulation. In addition, responsiveness did not depend on the H-2 haplotype. Since the A5A and the S117 idiotype are markers for V genes in the heavy-chain linkage group, the present results support the view that the same genes in the Ig-1 complex code for variable portions of immunoglobulins and T-helper cell receptors.


This talk is a summary of an updated version of the book "The Impact of the Space Experiments on Our Knowledge of the Physics of the Universe", published in 2004 by the Kluwer Academic Publishers, reprinted from the review paper by Giovannelli, F. and Sabau-Graziati, L.: 2004, Space Sci. Rev. 112, 1-443 (GSG2004), and subsequent considered lucubrations.

The structure of this review paper is the following:

- Antecedent fact
- Introduction
- How to know our Universe
- The use of wisdom in Physics
- The present situation about the knowledge of the physics
 of our Universe
- Habitable zone in the Milky Way and exoplanets
- Origin of terrestrial life
- Conclusions


Background: Lichen planus (LP) is a common inflammatory skin disease. Pathogenesis of LP includes two possible mechanisms; related or unrelated to antigen. Regarding different clinical features of cutaneous and mucosal types of LP, for the first time, we decided to perform a qualitative and quantitative study of immune cells in different types of cutaneous LP and in comparison with normal skin. Methods: A total of 88 specimens (60 cases of cutaneous LP, 28 cases of normal skin) were selected from 2016 to 2017 in Kerman, Iran. Evaluation of immune cells was carried out based on qualitative and quantitative analysis. These findings were statistically calculated by descriptive statistical tests including frequency and mean ± standard deviation. Quantitative data were analyzed by independent t-test, chi-square, and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Data were analyzed using SPSS16 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). A p value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Our study demonstrated that the mean number of immune cells was significantly higher in lichen planus group in comparison with the control group. Number and staining intensity of Langerhans cells (LCs) in the LP group were significantly greater in epidermal than dermal region. Mastocytes were located mostly within the deep dermis in the LP group. Hypertrophic and atrophic LP had the highest and the lowest number of immune cells (i.e., mastocytes, LCs, and CD3 positive cells), respectively, with a significant difference. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that immune cells were seen in larger numbers in the hypertrophic type of cutaneous LP which is consistent with the chronicity of this disease.


This article is the result of a research carried out in a private hospital of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The patient care model of the Mastology Department includes an interdisciplinary staff that aims for the comprehensive treatment of these surgical patients. The research is based on clinical approach, under the framework of Analytical Psychology. Feminine archetypal images are symbolically represented by the Main Goddesses of the Olympus. It is natural for one of these expressions to prevail throughout a woman's life, or even in specific moments of her life, but it is important to recognize that all of them are part of the feminine soul. We can, therefore, define and understand the Goddesses from Greek Mythology symbolically as being representative of the various feminine psychogenic forces that are projected. In reality, they are internal images that can be used to help know and understand personal issues and changes that are necessary in a woman's life, enabling personal growth and the possibility to identify herself with the more authentic elements of her being. In this work experience, the feminine force showed itself to be a force of creation, of expression and of overcoming.


Abstract A planet may be defined as habitable if it has an atmosphere and is warm enough to support the existence of liquid water on its surface. Such a world has the basic set of conditions that allow it to develop life similar to ours, which is carbon-based and has water as its universal solvent. While this definition is suitably vague to allow a fairly broad range of possibilities, it does not address the question as to whether any life that does form will become either complex or intelligent. In this paper, we seek to synthesize a qualitative definition of which subset of these 'habitable worlds' might develop more complex and interesting life forms. We identify two key principles in determining the capacity of life to breach certain transitions on route to developing intelligence. The first is the number of potential niches a planet provides. Secondly, the complexity of life will reflect the information density of its environment, which in turn can be approximated by the number of available niches. We seek to use these criteria to begin the process of placing the evolution of terrestrial life in a mathematical framework based on environmental information content. This is currently testable on Earth and will have clear application to the worlds that we are only beginning to discover. Our model links the development of complex life to the physical properties of the planet, something which is currently lacking in all evolutionary theory.