In order to investigate the effects of row intercropping of bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) with borage (Borago officinalis L.) on its ecological characteristics such as weed and insect diversity, composition and density and their yield and evaluating of the best strip width, a field experiment was conducted based on randomized complete block design with three replications at the Agricultural Research Station, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran during growing reason of 2009-2010. Treatments included one row of bean + one row of borage (1:1), two rows of bean + two rows of borage (2:2), three rows of bean + three rows of borage (3:3), four rows of bean + four rows of borage (4:4) and pure bean and borage. Results indicated that the highest economic yield of bean and borage were achieved in monoculture with 4.46 and 0.12 t.ha and 4:4 with 2.30 and 0.05 t.ha, respectively. The row intercropping of bean with borage and strip width affected its ecological characteristics such as weed diversity, density and dry matter. With increasing crop diversity, weed density and dry matter decreased. The lowest and the highest weed dry matter were observed in pure bean and two rows of bean + two rows of borage, respectively. The maximum population of biological predators and pets were obtained in two rows of bean + two rows of borage (20.3%) and pure bean (20.5%), respectively. In general, row intercropping of common bean with borage increased land equivalent ratio, and strip width of 2:2 (1.55) was the most promising one.


Recent evidence suggests that executive processes shape reinforcement learning (RL) computations. Here, we extend this idea to the processing of choice outcomes, asking if executive function and RL interact during learning from novel goals. We designed a task where people learned from familiar rewards or abstract instructed goals. We hypothesized that learning from these goals would produce reliable responses in canonical reward circuits, and would do so by leveraging executive function. Behavioral results pointed to qualitatively similar learning processes when subjects learned from achieving goals versus familiar rewards. Goal learning was robustly and selectively correlated with performance on an independent executive function task. Neuroimaging revealed comparable appetitive responses and computational signatures in reinforcement learning circuits for both goal-based and familiar learning contexts. During goal learning, we observed enhanced correlations between prefrontal cortex and canonical reward-sensitive regions, including hippocampus, striatum, and the midbrain. These findings demonstrate that attaining novel goals produces reliable reward signals in dopaminergic circuits. We propose that learning from goal-directed behavior is mediated by top-down input that primes the reward system to endow value to cues signaling goal attainment.


Dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) is characterized in part by an associated gluten-sensitive enteropathy (GSE), and a strong association with the HLA antigens HLA-A1, -B8, -DR3, and -DQw2, essentially identical to that seen in patients with isolated GSE (celiac disease). A 4.0-kb RsaI RFLP has been identified using a DQ beta-chain cDNA and localized to the HLA-DP beta-chain region. This RFLP has been found more frequently in patients with isolated GSE than in normal HLA matched controls. We have analyzed genomic DNA from 24 patients with DH and 15 HLA-matched controls to determine if this 4.0-kb RsaI RFLP was present in patients with DH. Twenty-one of 24 (87%) of patients with DH were found to have this RFLP as compared to 7 of 10 (70%) HLA-DR3, -DQw2 matched control subjects (p = 0.23). Thus, the 4.0-kb RsaI RFLP detected in patients with isolated GSE is also present in patients with DH; however, its frequency in DH patients does not differ significantly from that of HLA matched controls. Family studies of patients with DH revealed that although the 4.0-kb RsaI RFLP segregated with the HLA-A1, -B8, -DR3, -DQw2 haplotype in one family, it did not segregate with this disease-associated haplotype in two other families. In both patient and control populations, this RFLP was associated with HLA-DPw1 or -DPw3 phenotypes; 25 of 26 (96%) HLA-DPw1 or -DPw3 subjects were found to have this RFLP compared to only 1 of 6 (17%) who did not express HLA-DPw1 or -DPw3 (pc = 0.0009). These population and family data suggest that this 4.0-kb RsaI RFLP is primarily associated with the HLA-DPw1, -DPw3 phenotype, rather than the clinical manifestations of DH. These data further document that the strongest association of DH with HLA antigens remains with HLA-DQw2 and HLA-DR3 antigens.


Dynamic economic theories usually have implications on and only on the conditional mean dynamics of economic processes. Using a generalized spectral derivative approach, Hong and Lee (2005, Review of Economic Studies 72, 499–541) recently proposed a new class of omnibus nonparametric specification tests for linear and nonlinear time series conditional mean models, where the dimension of the conditioning information set may be infinite. The tests can detect a wide range of model misspecifications in mean while being robust to conditional heteroskedasticity and time-varying higher order moments of unknown form. They enjoy an asymptotic "nuisance parameter–free" property in the sense that parameter estimation uncertainty has no impact on the asymptotic N(0,1) distribution of the test statistics. As a result, only the estimated residuals from the null parametric model are needed to implement the tests, and no specific estimation is required. Although parameter estimation uncertainty has no impact on the asymptotic distribution of the tests, it may have significant impact on the finite-sample distribution, and such an impact may become more substantial as the number of estimated parameters increases. In this paper, we adopt the Wooldridge (1990, Econometric Theory 6, 17–43) device for parametric m-tests to the Hong and Lee (2005) nonparametric tests to reduce the impact of parameter estimation uncertainty. Asymptotic size and power properties of the modified tests are investigated, and simulation studies show that the modified tests generally have better sizes in finite samples and are robust to parameter estimation uncertainty. In the meantime, the size improvement does not cause loss of power against a wide range of alternatives when using the empirical critical values for the tests. These results suggest that the modified generalized spectral derivative tests can be a useful tool in time series conditional mean modeling.We thank Bruce Hansen (the co-editor) and three referees for insightful and helpful comments and suggestions. We also are grateful for financial support from the National Science Foundation Grant SES–0111769 and the Cheung Kong Visiting Scholarship by the Chinese Ministry of Education and Xiamen University, China.


Pareto welfare criterion based only on people's willingness to pay for the project's output is regarded by many as being a narrow interpretation of an improvement in social well-being. A broader opinion is that even though poorer individuals may be less able to pay for a particular benefit, they may obtain greater utility from it. In line with the broader opinion, this paper looks at regional welfare weights in India on the basis of a conventional consumption utility function which assumes diminishing marginal utility. Estimated parameters are; elasticity of marginal utility of consumption, and per capita national and regional incomes which are used in the calculation of welfare weights for 17 states of India.


Traditionally, automotive suspension designs with passive components have been a compromise between the three conflicting demands of road holding, load carrying, and passenger comfort. Linear electromagnetic motor-based active suspension has superior controllability and bandwidth, provides shock load isolation between the vehicle chassis and wheel, and, therefore, has great potential. It also has the ability to recover energy that is dissipated in the shock absorber in the passive systems and results in a much more energy-efficient suspension system. This paper describes the issues pertinent to the design of a high force density tubular permanent-magnet (PM) motor for active suspension in terms of performance optimization, the use of a solid stator core for low-cost production and its impact on thrust force, and the assessment of demagnetization risk.


Magnesium oxide nanoclusters have attracted much attention due to their potential applications to catalysis and novel optoelectronic materials. In the present study, we have studied the electronic and magnetic properties of the stoichiometric magnesium oxide nanoclusters (MgO)n  for n = 2-20. Although the binding energy increases with the size of the cluster, it  reaches the asymptotic limit of about 66.0 eV per unit for relatively large n value. The static dipole polarizability also exhibits distinct size dependence, reflecting clearly the structural transition when the cluster grows. The polarizability and the binding energy of the clusters are found to be inversely related to each other and their correlation is rationalized by invoking the minimum polarizability principle. Moreover, principle of maximum hardness is also used to characterize the magic number clusters. A well-defined linear correlation is found between static dipole polarizability and the inverse of ionization potential. The most important feature of this work is the NMR study of MgO clusters which is reported for the first time. For each cluster size, the calculated NMR parameters at 17O nuclei together with electronic and structural data provide detailed insight  into the properties of bulk and in particular of nanosized structures. Variation of 17O chemical shieldings demonstrates the electrostatic environment divisions around the oxygen nuclei which in turn originate from the cluster structure and its symmetry.


This project contains a collection of original short fiction due for publication by Valley Press (January 2016). In addition to the publication of the single collection, most of the stories have been previously published separately in magazines, journals and anthologies. A full publication list is provided. The commentary which accompanies the collection explores my own research into structure and viewpoint. In the commentary, I will show my development from a scriptwriter for theatre, radio and television to short fiction writer; from epical story structures to more lyrical ones. I will explore structure in short fiction from my wide reading of the various theorists, such as John Gerlach, L Michael O'Toole, Paul March-Russell, and J Berg Esenwein; practitioners such as Anton Chekov, Katherine Mansfield, Raymond Carver and Helen Simpson; and broad practice-based experience as a professional writer. I will examine my own experiments with form, viewpoint and aspects of realism in short fiction.
The contemporary literary short story favours lyrical over that of epical structure. As a result of my background in scriptwriting, my stories combine epical and lyrical elements. The lyrical story has largely been associated with realism. My collection uses the lyrical story structure in combination with non-naturalistic elements, in order to 'reboot' the lyrical form. In addition, choice of viewpoint and an innovative approach to its novel use, form a thematic thread throughout my work. This exegesis outlines aspects of craft and technique pertinent to my background as a writer, which will demonstrate the distinctiveness of my short story collection.


The National Institute on Drug Abuse now considers cocaine the "drug of greatest national public health concern." Lower prices and a new administration route, cocaine smoking, have increased the potential for addiction. An estimated 2 million individuals in the United States may be addicted to cocaine, or four times the number addicted to heroin. Contrary to population representations of the intractable power of cocaine addiction, cocaine dependence is a treatable disorder. The primary care physician must become familiar with signs of dependence and with therapeutic approaches to cocaine abuse, with particular attention to emerging advances in both psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy.


A recently developed urodynamic testing procedure was used to evaluate disorders of micturition in 2 dogs. The procedure simultaneously recorded intravesical pressure and urine flow during micturition. In an 11-year-old spayed female Sheltie that could not urinate normally, a micturition study demonstrated functional outflow obstruction of the urinary bladder. Although the urethra was patent, the urethral resistance factor, as calculated from pressure and flow data, was extremely high during voiding efforts. A urethral transitional cell carcinoma along with secondary infection, inflammation, and fibrosis were found to be responsible for the dog's problem. Ability to urinate was restored following removal of the affected portion of the urethra. In a 6-year-old spayed female Doberman Pinscher with urinary incontinence during sleep, a micturition study demonstrated urethral incompetence. During infusion of 0.9% NaCl solution into the bladder, the fluid flowed through the urethra before the detrusor muscle contracted, and urethral resistance during voiding was low. The dog's incontinence was responsive to estrogen administration.


There is a growing demand for automatic assessment of spoken English proficiency. These systems need to handle large variations in input data owing to the wide range of candidate skill levels and L1s, and errors from ASR. Some candidates will be a poor match to the training data set, undermining the validity of the predicted grade. For high stakes tests it is essential for such systems not only to grade well, but also to provide a measure of their uncertainty in their predictions, enabling rejection to human graders. Previous work examined Gaussian Process (GP) graders which, though successful, do not scale well with large data sets. Deep Neural Network (DNN) may also be used to provide uncertainty using Monte-Carlo Dropout (MCD). This paper proposes a novel method to yield uncertainty and compares it to GPs and DNNs with MCD. The proposed approach explicitly teaches a DNN to have low uncertainty on training data and high uncertainty on generated artificial data. On experiments conducted on data from the Business Language Testing Service (BULATS), the proposed approach is found to outperform GPs and DNNs with MCD in uncertainty-based rejection whilst achieving comparable grading performance.


: Nowadays the pollens are the principal allergens implicated in anaphylactic reactions. Now one of our observations is of a case history of recurring acute urticaria, with malaise, hypotension, Quincke's oedema and dyspnea, linked with Aspergilus. The etiology is based on clinical observation, skin tests and specific IgE with a significant atopy. This observation shows that the anaphylactic reaction can also be associated with a mould such as Aspergillus.


The fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe is a single-celled free-living fungus that shares many features with cells of more complicated eukaryotes. Many of the genes required for the cell-cycle control, proteolysis, protein modification, and RNA splicing are highly conserved with those of higher eukaryotes. Moreover, fission yeast has the merit of genetics and its genetic system is already well characterized. As such, the current study evaluated the use of a fission yeast system as a tool for the functional study of mammalian genes and attempted to set up an assay system for novel genes. Since the phenotypes of a deletion mutant and the overexpression of a gene are generally analyzed for a functional study of specific genes in yeast, the present study used overexpression phenotypes to study the functions of mammalian genes. Therefore, based on using a thiamine-repressive promoter, two mammalian genes were expressed in fission yeast, and their overexpressed phenotypes compared with those in mammalian cells. The phenotypes resulting from overexpression were analyzed using a FACS, which analyzes the DNA contents, and a microscope. One of the selected genes was the mammalian Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1), which is activated and plays a role in the mitotic phase of the cell division cycle. The overexpression of various constructs of Plk1 in the HeLa cells caused cell cycle defects, suggesting that the ectopic Plk1s blocked the endogenous Plk1 in the cells. As expected, when the constructs were overexpressed in the fission yeast system, the cells were arrested in mitosis and defected at the end of mitosis. As such, this data suggests that the Plk1-overexpressed phenotypes were similar in the mammalian cells and the fission yeast, thereby enabling the mammalian Plk1 functions to be approximated in the fission yeast. The other selected gene was the N-Myc downstream-regulated gene 2 (ndrg2), which is upregulated during cell differentiation, yet still not well characterized. When the ndrg2 gene was overexpressed in the fission yeast, the cells contained multi-septa. The septa were positioned well, yet their number increased per cell. Therefore, this gene was speculated to block cell division in the last stage of the cell cycle, making the phenotype potentially useful for explaining cell growth and differentiation in mammalian cells. Accordingly, fission yeast is demonstrated to be an appropriate species for the functional study of mammalian genes.


Giuseppe (Beppo) Occhialini was born in Fossombrone (Umbria) on 5 December 1907. He spent his childhood and adolescence following his father, Raffaele Augusto, around Italy from one university appointment to the next. Together with (Lord) Patrick Blackett, F.R.S. (P.R.S. 1965–70), his father was to be one of the people who most influenced Occhialini's life and way of thinking. Between 1911 and 1917 the family lived in Pisa; then Beppo (who was at that time still called Peppino) moved to Florence, where he lived with his mother, Etra, until he graduated from university in 1929. In the years that followed he worked at the Institute of Physics of the University of Florence, first as a temporary research assistant and later in a permanent appointment. The seat of the institute was then in Arcetri, very near the observatory and the 'Gioiello', the villa of Galileo's last years. The physics course had been established in Florence only a short time before, thanks to the influence of Antonio Garbasso and Enrico Persico, two charismatic figures in the incredible scientific ferment that was running through the Italy of the 1920s and 1930s. Years later, Beppo's romantic temperament was to recall, of the Physics Institute, that 'the view from those windows made one forget the scantiness of the equipment, the lack of functionality of the convent-like structure and the difficulty of access'. To get to Arcetri, of course, he had to pedal up the hill on his bicycle from Florence.


We present evidence that restrictions to the set of feasible financial contracts affect buyer - supplier relationships and the organizational form of the firm. We exploit a regulation that restricted the maturity of the trade credit contracts that a large retailer could sign with some of its small suppliers. Using a within-product differences-in-differences identification strategy, we find that the restriction reduces the likelihood of trade by 11 percentage points. The large retailer also responds by internalizing procurement to its own subsidiaries and reducing overall purchases. Finally, we find evidence that relational contracts can help mitigate the inability to extend long trade credit terms.


ABSTRACT Background: Although ischemic stroke incidence has been in decline over the past 60 years, the same has not been observed among individuals younger than 55 years. Recent reports have shown a substantial increase in young stroke incidence, yet little is known about young stroke survivors. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the disease comorbidity profile and secondary prevention practices in stroke survivors younger than 50 years. Methods: This study used a retrospective data analysis of secondary stroke prevention practices among young stroke survivors using data from the 2015 National Health Interview Survey. Results: Approximately 57% of the sample reported having hypertension; 33%, high cholesterol; 13%, diabetes; and 7%, heart disease. In the past 12 months, more than 60% had seen a general doctor, neurologist, or specialist, and more than 75% were following low-dose aspirin advice or taking prescribed medications for blood pressure or cholesterol. Similarly, 84% had their blood pressure checked, and 66% had their cholesterol checked, but only 50% had a fasting test for their blood sugar in the past 12 months. Conclusions: Many young stroke survivors exhibit comorbid disease conditions that are similar to older stroke survivors. A large percentage are engaged in general chronic disease and secondary stroke prevention practices, yet less than two-thirds had seen a general doctor in the past 12 months. Primary care doctors and other health professionals are critical to the implementation of disease management strategies that consider their age, secondary stroke risk, expected life spans, and other issues that differ from older adult stroke survivors.


Extended-spectrum β-lactamases capable of hydrolyzing carbapenems are increasingly being reported for Pseudomonas aeruginosa (3). These enzymes have the broadest spectrum, hydrolyzing substrates including all β-lactam antibiotics except the monobactam aztreonam (3). These metallo-β-lactamases are of the IMP or VIM series and share less than 30% amino acid identity (2, 8). The IMP enzymes have been reported mostly for Southeast Asia isolates (3, 9, 11). The VIM enzymes have been more recently reported: β-lactamase VIM-1 from P. aeruginosa isolates in Italy (1, 2); VIM-2 in Marseilles and Paris in France (7, 8), in Greece (5) in Italy (6), and in Korea (K. Lee, J. B. Lim, J. Yum, D. Yong, J. R. Choi, Y. Chong, and J. M. Kim, Abstr. 40th Intersci. Conf. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother., abstr. 2003, p. 123). The IMP and VIM genes are chromosome or plasmid located and are part of gene cassettes in class 1 integrons (2, 7-11).

A retrospective analysis of susceptibility to β-lactams was conducted with 52 imipenem- and ceftazidime-resistant P. aeruginosa strains that had been isolated at Sant Pau Hospital in Barcelona from January 1996 to June 2001. Preliminary antibiotic susceptibility testing by disk diffusion showed that one isolate (strain Ka. 209) was resistant to ceftazidime and imipenem and susceptible to aztreonam.

This strain was isolated from bronchoalveolar lavage of a 6-year-old boy with fever and respiratory distress syndrome who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. He was admitted for allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. He had never travelled abroad. Despite first-line therapy with ceftazidime, amikacin, and amphotericin B, the patient died after 1 week.

The MICs of β-lactams for strain Ka. 209 were determined by agar dilution according to NCCLS guidelines (4). Strain Ka. 209 was resistant to all tested β-lactams but remained fully susceptible to aztreonam and of intermediate susceptibility to meropenem (Table (Table11).

TABLE 1.

MICs of β-lactams for P. aeruginosa strain Ka. 209, E. coli DH10B harboring recombinant plasmid pPOI-1, and reference strain E. coli DH10B

A β-lactamase extract from culture of strain Ka. 209 was subjected to analytical isoeletric focusing as described elsewhere (8), showing a β-lactamase with a pI of 5.6, revealed after imipenem hydrolysis detection (8).

PCR experiments were performed with primers specific for detecting IMP and VIM genes (8) with whole-cell and plasmid DNA extractions (8) of strain Ka. 209 as templates. Positive results were obtained with VIM-2 primers. A PCR product cloned in pPCRScript Cam (SK+) (8) was then sequenced on both strands from a recombinant plasmid (pPOI-1). The deduced amino acid sequence was 100% identical to that of VIM-2.

Whole-cell DNA and plasmid DNA analyses showed that strain Ka. 209 contained a single plasmid of ca. 50 kb (data not shown). Conjugation by mating strain Ka. 209 with ciprofloxacin-resistant P. aeruginosa PU21 and electrotransformation of its plasmid DNA into E. coli DH10B and P. aeruginosa PU21 failed (7, 8). Hybridizations with an 801-bp internal probe for blaVIM-2 (8) showed that blaVIM-2 was plasmid (not chromosome) encoded (data not shown).

This report constitutes a forewarning of the probable dissemination of plasmid-encoded carbapenem-hydrolyzing β-lactamases in P. aeruginosa at least in southern Europe.


The study aimed at the determination of the power absorbed by a potato tuber during its microwave-heating with regard to its electrical properties and biometric characteristics. Seed-potatoes, put in the microwave cavity with the capacity of 15.7 dm3 , were irradiated for 10 seconds with microwaves at frequencies of 2.45 GHz generated by a 100 W magnetron. The results showed that the method adopted in the experiment allowed for the estimation of microwave energy absorbed by the irradiated potato tuber and for its expression as the amount of absorbed power.


: The amniochorionic bands and adhesions in 2 malformed human fetuses are described. The anencephaly, left harelip with grossly distorted face, and rudimentary right upper limb of case 1, and multiple pits and cavities in the liver of case 2, are directly attributable to membranous adhesions. The toughness of the bands is indicative of their mesoblastic (chorionic) origin. The histolytic effect on the liver of case 2 may suggest a contact with the trophoblastic cells. The exomphalos of case 1, and extroversion of cloaca with other caudal defects of case 2, are possibly due to vascular and mesodermal deficits imposed by single umbilical artery.


This study uses the synthetic control method to investigate the impact of the 2012 bilateral organic equivalency arrangement between the European Union and the United States, the two largest organic markets in the world. Employing the newly-available USDA Global Agricultural Trade System (GATS) data on organic trade, we collectively analyze 23 products of U.S. organic exports representing fresh produce, coffee, and tomato sauce, at the quarterly level during the 2011–2014 period. We find that the policy generates an increase of 9.1% in the organic exports of these products to the European Union each quarter.


The risk posed by bioterrorism in Canada may be relatively small, but it is considered real enough that Health Canada Online now dedicates a special section to it.

The Health Canada Biological Agents Web site (www.hc-sc.gc.ca /english/epr/) lists 6 major areas of concern: anthrax, botulism, smallpox, tularemia, the Plague and viral hemorrhagic fever. It offers general information about each and includes recommendations for dealing with "suspicious packages."

Physicians seeking information on a huge range of infectious substances should visit www.hc-sc.gc.ca/pphb-dgspsp/msds-ftss/index.html, which provides details on agents ranging from adenovirus and Bacillus anthracis to Venezuelan equine encephalitis and yellow fever. Health Canada prepared the information for life sciences personnel as "quick safety reference material relating to infectious micro-organisms."

In the US, a new site targets physicians who may be faced with "suspicious" problems. Rare Infections and Bioterrorist Agents (www .bioterrorism .uab.edu) is sponsored by the American Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the University of Alabama's Center for Disaster Preparedness. The site includes detailed information on the 6 agents favoured by bioterrorists, assesses the risk posed by each of them and then offers increasingly detailed information.

"This Web site is an important new tool to help doctors and nurses identify rare infections that also could be potential bioterrorist threats," said Dr. John Eisenberg, AHRQ's director. "The evidence-based information we present will help frontline clinicians be better prepared in the event of another bioterrorist event."

In the section on anthrax, for example, a chart lists clinical symptoms and diagnosis/treatment strategies. If more information is needed a detailed reference section outlines everything from specific clinical manifestations of exposure to a history of the use of anthrax as a weapon.

Finally, a picture gallery illustrates various clinical situations. Each picture is accompanied by a short quiz. — Michael OReilly, ten.ylliero@ekim


A new modiÞ cation of the 2:1 phyllosilicate layer has been discovered in annealed celadonite, a Fe3+, Mg-rich dioctahedral mica. Plan-view diffraction patterns in TEM indicate a base-centered supercell with A = 3a and B = b, where a and b are the cell dimensions of the original mica. Basic h0l reß ections with h = 3n form an orthogonal lattice with one-layer periodicity, which is not expected for normal micas. The high-resolution TEM image along the <100> or related directions is similar to that expected from normal micas but the image along the <010> directions is completely different. From these images, it is concluded that the two tetrahedral sheets in a 2:1 layer are facing each other with no lateral a/3 stagger. In the proposed model that explains the high-resolution TEM images, two thirds of the spaces surrounded by two facing tetrahedral six-member rings accommodate three (Fe3+,Mg) cations and one third of the spaces are completely vacant. The (Fe3+,Mg) cations are coordinated by six or Þ ve oxygen atoms forming trigonal prisms or square pyramids, respectively.


Gravity waves play a fundamental role in driving the large-scale circulation of the atmosphere. They are influenced both by the variation in their sources and the filtering effects of the winds they encounter as they ascend through the atmosphere. In this thesis we present new evidence that gravity waves play a key role in coupling the troposphere, stratosphere and mesosphere. In particular, we examine the connection of gravity waves to two important large-scale oscillations that occur in the atmosphere, namely the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) in the troposphere and the Mesospheric Semi-Annual Oscillation (MSAO). We present the first ever demonstration that the MJO acts to modulate the global field of gravity waves ascending into the tropical stratosphere. We discover a significant correlation with the MJO zonal-wind anomalies and so suggest that the MJO modulates the stratospheric gravity-wave field through a critical-level wave-filtering mechanism. Strong evidence for this mechanism is provided by consideration of the winds encountered by ascending waves. The Ascension Island meteor radar is used for the first time to measure momentum fluxes over the Island. These measurements are then used to investigate the role of gravity-wave in driving a dramatic and anomalous wind event that was observed to occur during the first westward phase of the MSAO in 2002. Gravity waves are shown to play an important role in driving this event, but the observations presented here also suggest that the current theory of the mechanism describing these anomalous mesospheric wind events is not valid. Both of these studies highlight the critical importance of gravity waves to the dynamics of the atmosphere and highlight the need for further work to truly understand these waves, their processes and their variability.


Green fluorescent proteins (GFPs) and variants thereof are widely used to study protein localization and dynamics. We engineered a specific binder for fluorescent proteins based on a 13-kDa GFP binding fragment derived from a llama single chain antibody. This GFP-binding protein (GBP) can easily be produced in bacteria and coupled to a monovalent matrix. The GBP allows a fast and efficient (one-step) isolation of GFP fusion proteins and their interacting factors for biochemical analyses including mass spectroscopy and enzyme activity measurements. Moreover GBP is also suitable for chromatin immunoprecipitations from cells expressing fluorescent DNA-binding proteins. Most importantly, GBP can be fused with cellular proteins to ectopically recruit GFP fusion proteins allowing targeted manipulation of cellular structures and processes in living cells. Because of the high affinity capture of GFP fusion proteins in vitro and in vivo and a size in the lower nanometer range we refer to the immobilized GFP-binding protein as GFP-nanotrap. This versatile GFP-nanotrap enables a unique combination of microscopic, biochemical, and functional analyses with one and the same protein.


Background
Cardiovascular disease is often characterised by functional and structural changes in the blood vessel wall, usually associated with endothelial dysfunction. Therefore, interest in targeting the dysfunctional endothelial cell has heightened. Ca2+ signalling is crucial to endothelial cell physiology as it drives a number of intracellular signalling pathways. Store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) mediated by Orai1 channels is of particular interest as it provides a major Ca2+ influx pathway in endothelial cells, driving cell migration and proliferation, ultimately contributing to endothelial repair and integrity, angiogenesis and wound healing events. The novel hypothesis is that modulation of Orai1 channels will have important physiological effects on endothelial cell function.
Methods and Results
A novel series of Orai1 inhibitors has been identified in this thesis with improved pharmacological and physicochemical properties compared to existing SOCE inhibitors. Optimisation of compounds' structure-activity relationships (SAR) via Ca2+ measurement assays using human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) has revealed important insights into functionally important features of SOCE blockers. In conjunction with in silico modelling, a novel binding site in the Orai1 channel located in a small extracellular pocket has been proposed. The generation and subsequent testing of a quaternary ammonium analogue of the parent compound, JPIII supports the hypothesis. The novel SOCE inhibitors suppressed endothelial cell migration and proliferation without affecting cell viability. Reassuringly, the small molecules were well tolerated in vivo, supporting further development and testing of such blockers in animal models of cardiovascular disease. Here, a novel transgenic murine model with the potential for temporal and conditional disruption of Ca2+ permeation in Orai1 channels has been generated and characterised, offering new possibilities for better understanding of the physiological and pathological roles of Orai1 and the therapeutic potential of targeting this channel.
Conclusion
Novel SOCE inhibitors have been characterised in vitro, their mechanism of action interrogated and their properties optimised for the next stages of in vivo testing in an animal model of cardiovascular disease.


The talk traces briefly the development and changes of surgical training in the English-speaking world in the early days and the trials and tribulations of surgical training in Singapore a few decades ago. The factors that brought about the surge of American surgery from late 19th century to the first half of the 20th century are discussed. Structured surgical training leading to the exit point was introduced by William Halsted of Johns Hopkins Hospital around 1892, a system that was later adopted by all other medical disciplines and by all other hospitals in the US. It is considered to be the prime mover of the rapid progress of American medicine. Training surgeons to only the entry point while leaving the competence of trainees to chance, used to be common in the British surgical world. The trend now favours surgical training to the exit point. It is also the system being adopted in Singapore. Increasing demands of high standard of patient care and public accountability no longer allow us to be casual and permissive mentors of future generations of surgeons. Proper surgical upbringing requires a good structured programme that itself needs to be accredited and periodically reviewed. It also requires that discipline be observed on the part of trainees. Knowledge and skills are within the capability of our mentors to impart, but inculcation of good attitude and ethics in trainees is a harder goal to achieve.


Users are often overwhelmed by privacy decisions to manage their personal data, which can happen on the web, in mobile, and in IoT environments. These decisions can take various forms -such as decisions for setting privacy permissions or privacy preferences, decisions responding to consent requests, or to intervene and "reject" processing of one's personal data -, and each can have different legal impacts. In all cases and for all types of decisions, scholars and industry have been proposing tools to better automate the process of privacy decisions at different levels, in order to enhance usability. We provide in this paper an overview of the main challenges raised by the automation of privacy decisions, together with a classification scheme of the existing and envisioned work and proposals addressing automation of privacy decisions.


Purpose: The hedgehog (HH) signaling pathway is a key regulator in tumorigenesis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma and is upregulated in pancreatic adenocarcinoma cancer stem cells (CSCs). GDC-0449 is an oral small-molecule inhibitor of the HH pathway. This study assessed the effect of GDC-0449–mediated HH inhibition in paired biopsies, followed by combined treatment with gemcitabine, in patients with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Experimental Design: Twenty-five patients were enrolled of which 23 underwent core biopsies at baseline and following 3 weeks of GDC-0449. On day 29, 23 patients started weekly gemcitabine while continuing GDC-0449. We evaluated GLI1 and PTCH1 inhibition, change in CSCs, Ki-67, fibrosis, and assessed tumor response, survival and toxicity. Results: On pretreatment biopsy, 75% of patients had elevated sonic hedgehog (SHH) expression. On posttreatment biopsy, GLI1 and PTCH1 decreased in 95.6% and 82.6% of 23 patients, fibrosis decreased in 45.4% of 22, and Ki-67 in 52.9% of 17 evaluable patients. No significant changes were detected in CSCs pre- and postbiopsy. The median progression-free and overall survival for all treated patients were 2.8 and 5.3 months. The response and disease control rate was 21.7% and 65.2%. No significant correlation was noted between CSCs, fibrosis, SHH, Ki-67, GLI1, PTCH1 (baseline values or relative change on posttreatment biopsy), and survival. Grade ≥3 adverse events were noted in 56% of patients. Conclusion: We show that GDC-0449 for 3 weeks leads to downmodulation of GLI1 and PTCH1, without significant changes in CSCs compared with baseline. GDC-0449 and gemcitabine were not superior to gemcitabine alone in the treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer. Clin Cancer Res; 20(23); 5937–45. ©2014 AACR.


In this book the author argues that moral principles are principles of rational choice. According to the usual view of choice, a rational person selects what is likely to give the greatest expectation of value or utility. But in many situations, if each person chooses in this way, everyone will be worse off than need be. Instead, Professor Gauthier proposes a principle whereby choice is made on an agreed basis of co-operation, rather than according to what would give the individual the greatest expectation of value. He shows that such a principle not only ensures mutual benefit and fairness, thus satisfying the standards of morality, but also that each person may actually expect greater utility by adhering to morality, even though the choice did not have that end primarily in view. In resolving what may appear to be a paradox, the author establishes morals on the firm foundation of reason.


3234 2-Methoxy-estradiol (2-ME2), a natural metabolite of 17β-estradiol, was shown to inhibit angiogenesis and the proliferation of many human cancer cells both in vivo and in vitro, but not in normal cells. 2-ME was also shown to induce apoptosis in several tumor cell types through a variety of molecular mechanisms. However, the precise mechanism of action of 2-ME2 remains unknown. In the present study, we examined the role of 2-ME2 in the regulation of apoptosis in human Jurkat T-lymphocytes. Specifically, we investigated the regulation of topoisomerase II (topo II) activity and expression by 2-ME2 as well as the involvement of Bcl-2 in 2-ME2 induced apoptosis of Jurkat cells. We found that 2-ME2 inhibited replication and induced apoptosis of Jurkat cells in a dose and time-dependent manner. Cell cycle protein expression analysis demonstrated that inhibition of cell replication by 2-ME2 was due to the reduction of cyclins D3 and E and the tumor suppressor protein p21 Cip1/Waf1 , and the induction of p16 INK4A . 2-ME2- induced apoptosis was associated with a reduction in expression and phosphorylation (hence inactivation) of Bcl-2, induction of Bak protein expression, activation of caspases 3 and 9 and proteolytic cleavage of PARP. In order to further examine the role of Bcl-2 in 2-ME2 induced Jurkat cell apoptosis and replication, Jurkat cell lines were infected with recombinant retrovectors carrying the puromycin resistance gene with or without human Bcl-2 cDNA and selected with puromycin to generate Jurkat-Puro and Jurkat Bcl-2 cells. 2-ME2 inhibited the replication and induced apoptosis of Jurkat-Puro cells whereas overexpression of Bcl-2 blocked 2-ME2 induced apoptosis of Jurkat cells. In addition, topoisomerase-II activity assays demonstrated that 2-ME2-induced the activation of topo-II in Jurkat and Jurkat-Puro cells but not in Jurkat-Bcl-2 cells. The increase in topo-II activity induced by 2-ME2 correlated with increased phosphorylated topo-II expression in Jurkat and Jurkat-Puro cells but not in Jurkat-Bcl-2 cells. It seems that the increased topo-II activity is at least partly due to the increased levels of phosphorylated topo II. These results taken together suggest that activation of topo-II by 2-ME2 is an important component of the mechanism that leads to apoptosis. Ackowledgements : Supported by Cyprus Research Promotion Foundation, grant number 0603/25 and General Secretariat of Research and Technology, Ministry of Development in the framework of a Bilateral Agreement between Greece and Cyprus to AC and EK.


Background: Strong evidence indicates that venous thromboembolism is a presenting symptom of cancer. Cancer is a known cause of pulmonary hypertension; however, it remains unknown whether pulmonary hypertension is a marker of occult cancer. We examined the association between a pulmonary hypertension diagnosis and cancer risk in a cohort study using population-based data from the Danish health system. Patients and Methods: Using Danish nationwide registries, we identified 6335 patients with a pulmonary hypertension diagnosis and without a previous cancer diagnosis between 1995 and 2017. We computed the age-, sex-, and calendar year-standardized incidence ratio (SIR) as the ratio of observed to expected number of cancers using national incidence rates as the reference. We performed a subgroup analysis among patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension in the period in which a specific ICD-10 code was available (2006–2017). Results:We identified 212 cancers within the first year of follow-up and 796 cancers thereafter. The one-year risk of cancer was 3.3% and the one-year SIR was 1.96 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.70–2.23). In the second and subsequent years, the SIR remained elevated (SIR: 1.15 [95% CI: 1.08–1.24]). In patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, the one-year SIR was 1.41 (95% CI: 0.82–2.25). Conclusion: Cancer risk was clearly higher in patients with pulmonary hypertension compared with the general population. The association was particularly strong in the first year of follow-up, but remained elevated thereafter. However, absolute risks were low, limiting the clinical relevance of pursuing early cancer detection in these patients.


The authors report a case of cortical bone metastasis presenting as a soft-tissue mass in the thigh. Because of the initial clinical presentation, ultrasonography was performed first; plain radiography and a percutaneous biopsy provided additional diagnostic information. The authors describe the ultrasonographic findings and the role of this imaging technique in the final diagnosis of such lesions.


Purpose
This paper aims to examine how social marketing intervention programmes to measure, evaluate and document social marketing impact.

Design/methodology/approach
A systematic review of 49 nutritional behaviour intervention programmes (2006–2020) was conducted. To examine the social marketing impact of the programmes, a logic model of social impact was used. The model comprises inputs (the resources used for an intervention programme), outputs (the direct products resulting from the use of resources), outcomes (short- to medium-term programme effects) and impacts (long-term programme effects on the individual, community or societal levels).

Findings
Most intervention programmes set the goal of encouraging their target audience to increase fruit and vegetable intake, choose healthy food items, drink less sugary beverages or consume low-fat diaries, while few others sought policy or systems change. Multiple criteria were used for impact evaluation (e.g. exposure and reach, changes in knowledge, awareness, attitudes, behaviours and body mass index). (Quasi) experiments were the most popular method used for impact measurement, followed by the pre-post model of impact. Positive changes were found in 33 programmes, often reported in terms of short-term outputs or outcomes. Long-term impact particularly on the broader societal level was not indicated.

Originality/value
This research offers a systematic review of how social marketing impact is measured, evaluated and documented. It also provides some guidance for social marketers on how to shift from a reductionist, behavioural outcome-focussed approach towards an "expansionist" impact approach that explicitly considers social marketing impacts on the quality of life of individuals, communities and societies.


This paper argues that Christina Stead's short story, 'The Marionettist,' a story from her 1934 collection, The Salzburg Tales, is felt as uncanny. This paper is in part a response to a 2003 paper by Michael Ackland, which traces the debt 'The Marionettist' owes to E.T.A. Hoffmann's writing. This is a debt which, Ackland argues, does not extend to producing uncanny effects. This paper takes a different view, arguing that not only is 'The Marionettist' felt as uncanny, but that it derives its uncanny effects from various sources. Some of these sources correspond to the different classes of uncanny identified by Sigmund Freud in his 1919 essay, 'The Uncanny.' These classes are the repressed, the surmounted, and the death drive. My reading of Stead's story emphasizes Freud's suggestion that uncanny effects are dependent on timeless, or archaic, processes. In making this point a distinction is made between the content of the processes (for example, what is repressed), and the processes themselves (the act of repressing), and it is argued that only the content is historically susceptible. The paper proposes that this complicates a tendency by recent writers on the uncanny to limit the uncanny to modernity.


Among the (most important) reasons underlying the lack of convergence of some regions towards the national and the European Union average there has been the strong gap in technological endowment and innovation capacity. In this perspective, the requirements of the "knowledge-based economy" and the observed contribution of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to economic growth are very likely to have a significant impact upon regional growth: however, it is far from clear whether this effect will lead to greater convergence or, on the contrary, to stronger territorial polarization. From preliminary evidence, the new ICT paradigm is showing contradictory consequences, insofar as it seems to indicate more peculiar features and different transmission modalities than the 'old' technologies – for instance among SMEs. At the same time, the recent debate has focused on whether and to what extent such a technological shift can be viewed as "horizontal" – that is, able to propagate growth in the overall economic system, thus representing a "radical technological change" – or, rather, if it is a more limited and sector-specific type of progress. Yet, empirical evidence seems to reveal that ICT does not only show outstanding dynamics as a single industry, but also a great capacity to promote growth in other sectors, both traditional and technology-intensive; furthermore, the diffusion of the new technologies turns out to be highly spatially variable and externalities promoting the adoption of the new technology seem to be stronger at the sub-national level. Yet, the ICT spread does not affect uniformly different firms' dimensional classes and geographical systems - which vary deeply in terms of access capacity, connection variety and absorptive attitude - possibly giving further impulse to (or helping to reduce) the gap between cores and peripheries. As in the case of the 'old' technologies, not all regions are expected to be on the cutting edge of the information and communication paradigm, but all need to understand and adapt to the network age, build the capacity to participate in it and take advantage of its increasing social and economic rewards. As recently argued, there is some evidence of a growing diversification of regional economic disparities, which is generating a sort of 'patchwork' of manifest differentials in the patterns of socio-economic development within the EU. Starting from these ongoing transformations, the aim of this paper is to look at the recent trends in labour productivity in both small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and large firms which are active in the ICT production. Ultimately, the objective is to shed some light on the role of ICT-producing industries on regional growth – and on regional gaps - in the Italian economy, traditionally characterised by geographical polarization and imbalances which are among the sharpest in the "Europe of regions".


This study reviews the theories relating to competitiveness and the indicators used for its measurement on the one hand and the studies that relate tourism and growth on the other, with the purpose of establishing the links that exist between both concepts. This enables a model to be defined in which some factors that affect tourism competitiveness combine with capital and work to determine economic growth. The provision of inherited tourism resources, together with the provision of productive resources, and the links between them are the determining elements of the capacity of an economy to produce and therefore to grow.


We investigated whether the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) can predict stent thrombosis (STh) and high mortality rate in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). We analyzed data of 102 patients with STh and 450 patients with STEMI admitted to 2 high volume hospitals. Preprocedural NLR was significantly higher in patients with STh (P < .001). There was a significantly higher mortality rate in patients with high NLR during hospitalization (P < .001). Also, in the STh group there was a significantly higher mortality rate in patients with high NLR (P < .001). In receiver–operating characteristic analysis, NLR >4.8 had 56% sensitivity and 68% specificity for predicting STh. The NLR >4.9 had 70% sensitivity and 65% specificity for predicting in-hospital mortality. On multivariate regression analysis, NLR was found to be significantly related to STh. In patients with STEMI, preprocedural high NLR is associated with both STh and higher mortality rates.


Magnetotelluric (MT) data acquired during September-October, 1994, in northern Canada, were strongly influenced by non-uniform source field contributions from the auroral electrojet, and especially by intense auroral episodes. The largest effect on the estimate of the magnetotelluric impedance tensor elements was during intervals of highest magnetic activity, which primarily correlated with high auroral activity and was observed during local nighttime. In comparison, during the day the effect on the normal magnetotelluric impedance tensor response was usually, but not always, small. A robust controlled-leverage processing algorithm was applied to these data in an attempt to extract the stable uniform field estimates of the impedance. The differences between nonrobust and robust processing of the entire data set is compared to that obtained after dividing the time series into daytime and nighttime segments. The nonrobust estimate using all data is controlled by the nocturnal data, which are, in turn, dominated by non-uniform source effects. However, nonrobust processing of only the daytime data fails to recover a useful result. There is little difference between the robust response for the entire and daytime data provided that the fraction of auroral activity is not large, i.e., in excess of half of the available data series. In addition, examination of the time-dependence of the response functions shows that the strongest bias is observed during the initial quarter of an auroral event.


The intercalated compound Fe0.5TiSe2 has been studied by means of X-ray, neutron diffraction, electrical resistivity and magnetization measurements. This compound with Fe atoms located between Se-Ti-Se sandwiches has a monoclinic crystal structure and exhibits a long-range antiferromagnetic (AF) ordering below TN = 135 K. At T < TN, the Fe magnetic moments with a value ~ 3.0 µB are directed at an angle of (74.4±0.5)º to the layers and form a tilted antiferromagnetic structure with the propagation vector (½, 0, ½). It has been shown that application of magnetic field above 300 kOe may lead to transformations of the AF structure.


ABSTRACT This paper examines the effects of summer season weather and weather changes on small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the tourism and hospitality industry as perceived by enterprises in two coastal areas in Northern Norway. The study is concentrated on the possible importance of weather and indirect effects of weather for these businesses. The data are derived from two-stage semi-structured interviews with industry representatives. Weather and weather changes do not stand out as being a major concern among the respondents, although it is acknowledged that some types of weather, notably precipitation and low visibility, can negatively affect businesses. This is a pragmatic view that should be understood in relation to the mainly small operator size and the limited future planning of SMEs. At the same time, the operators are familiar with combining outdoor recreation and unpredictable weather meaning that the weather is just not "bad enough" to be concerned with, especially given tourist expectations of weather in these locations.


The history of Central Military Clinical Sanatorium Sochi begins the 31st May 1929, when according to the order No 137 by Revmilitarysoviet of the Republic and National commissar of health care of Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic was founded a Military sanitarium station in Sochi. The now-days CMCS Sochi has modern treatment-diagnostics base and everything that is necessary for high qualified treatment. There are different modern diagnostic methods: laboratories, roentgenologic; functional: reovasographics, veloergometry, electrocardiogram, ultrasonic dopplerographia, USI of internal and etc.


While music promotion has been important aspect for musicians, bands, and musical organizations for well over a century, the rise of social media in the digital era has profoundly changed the way these promoters perceived of and practice their commercial task of selling music. Paratexts (Gray, 20 1 Oa) offer an effective lens for focusing on these promotions while encoding/decoding (Hall, 1 980) justifies producer studies to examine and uncover vital aspects of production shape the text and medium theory adds further focus by recentering the medium as being distinctly influential . Existing research on music promotion highlights the uniqueness and evocativeness of the musical product while historically-based music promotion practice dictates that a cohesive image should be crafted for promotion and that uncommercialized physical spaces should be sought out by promoters . The distinct symbolic traits and delineation of each social media have also been documented and researched. To uncover the perceptions, practices, and underlying ideologies of promoters, a representative sample of 22 independent North American musicians, bands, and record labels were interviewed. I found that these promotional producers consider the social media environment to be a free and egalitarian space of transparent communication and connectivity, but implicitly perceive the social media audience to be an inattentive, passive, and malleable mass audience. In emphasizing continual creation and circulation of promotions on social media, producers are implicitly devaluing their musical work. In addition, though producers state an awareness that social media channels are different, they approach social media monolithically and seek to distance themselves from overly commercial goals when creating promotions . The interviews with producers reveal deep, recurrent connections and ideologies underlying stated perceptions and practices of music promotion. Though music promotion and social media usage will continue to shift and change, the underpinning ideologies and implicit belief of promoters will remain and social mediated promotions will continue to eclipse the central musical text.


A simple, fast and reproducible reverse phase liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method was developed for the determination of Anagrelide Hydrochloride in bulk drug and pharmaceutical dosage form. The method was developed using Inertsil ODS-3V C18 (150 × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) column, mobile phase 0.1% triethylamine in Milli-Q-water (pH 3.0 adjusted with orthophosphoric acid) and acetonitrile in the ratio of 70:30% v/v with isocratic elution at a flow rate of 1 mL/min. System Suitability test were performed for the assurance of quality performance of method. The drug was subjected to accelerated degradation for photolytic, hydrolytic, thermal, oxidative conditions. The retention time of Anagrelide Hydrochloride was found to be 6.985 min. The method was validated for accuracy, precision, specificity, linearity, limit of detection, limit of quantitation and robustness as per ICH guidelines. All the parameters were within limits. The mean recovery was 99.9%. Limit of detection was found to be 2.99 μg/ml and limit of quantitation was found to be 9.96 μg/ml. The proposed method gave good resolution of Anagrelide Hydrochloride and its degradation products. The developed method can be used for the routine quality control analysis.


This paper gives an overview of our recent works on the effect of magnetic annealing, i.e. annealing in a magnetic field, on the evolution of texture and grain boundary microstructure in ultra-fine grained and nanocrystalline magnetic materials differently produced; rapidly solidified Fe-6.5mass%Si ribbons, electrodeposited nanocrystalline nickel, and nanocrystalline Fe78Si9B13 alloy ribbon crystallized from the amorphous state. It was found that the effect of magnetic annealing was powerful and useful for controlling grain growth resulting in the evolution of different types of texture and grain boundary microstructure, depending on the condition of magnetic annealing. In particular, the magnetic crystallization of amorphous Fe78Si9B13 alloy was found to be powerful for producing a nanocrystalline material with a sharp texture and a special grain boundary microstructure.


Recent progress in Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) for modeling atomic simulations has the potential to revolutionize catalyst discovery, which is a key step in making progress towards the energy breakthroughs needed to combat climate change. However, the GNNs that have proven most effective for this task are memory intensive as they model higher-order interactions in the graphs such as those between triplets or quadruplets of atoms, making it challenging to scale these models. In this paper, we introduce Graph Parallelism, a method to distribute input graphs across multiple GPUs, enabling us to train very large GNNs with hundreds of millions or billions of parameters. We empirically evaluate our method by scaling up the number of parameters of the recently proposed DimeNet++ and GemNet models by over an order of magnitude. On the large-scale Open Catalyst 2020 (OC20) dataset, these graph-parallelized models lead to relative improvements of 1) 15% on the force MAE metric for the S2EF task and 2) 21% on the AFbT metric for the IS2RS task, establishing new state-of-the-art results.


Sensitive sensory mechanisms are instrumental in affording Pseudomonas aeruginosa the capacity to establish diverse yet severe human infections, which can manifest themselves in long-term untreatable disease. The ability of P. aeruginosa to tightly regulate gene expression and virulence factor production, in response to activation of these sensory components, enables the pathogen to sustain infection despite the host immune response and aggressive antibiotic treatment. Although a number of factors are recognized as playing a role in early infection, very little is known regarding the sensors involved in this process. In this study, we identified P. aeruginosa PA3191 as a novel host-responsive sensor that plays a key role during P. aeruginosa-host interactions and is required for optimum colonization and dissemination in a mouse model of infection. We demonstrated that PA3191 contributed to modulation of the type III secretion system (T3SS) in response to host cells and T3SS-inducing conditions in vitro. PA3191 (designated GtrS) acted in concert with the response regulator GltR to regulate the OprB transport system and subsequently carbon metabolism. Through this signal transduction pathway, T3SS activation was mediated via the RsmAYZ regulatory cascade and involved the global anaerobic response regulator Anr.


ABSTRACT Staphylococcus aureus isolates carrying the genes that encode for Panton-Valentine leucocidin (PVL), a highly potent toxin, have been responsible for recent outbreaks of severe invasive disease in previously healthy children and adults in the United States of America and Europe. To determine the frequency of PVL-positive isolates sent to the Staphylococcus Reference Unit (United Kingdom) for epidemiological purposes, we tested 515 isolates of S. aureus, and 8 (1.6%) were positive for the PVL locus. A further 470 isolates were selected to explore the association of PVL-positive S. aureus with clinical disease. Of these, 23 (4.9%) were PVL positive and most were associated with skin and soft tissue infections (especially abscesses). The PVL genes were also detected in isolates responsible for community-acquired pneumonia, burn infections, bacteremia, and scalded skin syndrome. Genotyping by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and multilocus sequence typing revealed that the PVL-positive isolates were from diverse genetic backgrounds, although one prevalent clone of 12 geographically dispersed methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) isolates was identified (ST80). All 12 isolates were stapylococcal cassette chromosome mec type IVc, had an agr3 allele, and shared a common toxin gene profile (sea-see, seg-sej, eta, etb, and tst negative but etd positive). ST80 strains with similar genetic characteristics have been responsible for community-acquired infections in France and Switzerland. The remaining PVL-positive isolates were mostly methicillin-sensitive S. aureus and belonged to 12 different sequence types, including ST22 and ST30, which are closely related to the most prevalent MRSA clones in United Kingdom hospitals, EMRSA-15 and EMRSA-16, respectively.


Clean water has been at a fairly unchanged level since the beginning of the earth,
however, life forms on earth increase as each seconds pass. Solar still is developed to
purify water using solar energy and make use of processes such as evaporation and
condensation. However, there are many factors affecting the performance of a solar still.
The main purposes of this project is to investigate the factors mentioned. Angle of glass
cover inclination has a significant effect on solar still performance, the angle of glass
cover should be as close to the angle of azimuth at the location as possible. Solar still is
able to capture the most sun irradiance when sun makes a perpendicular direction on the
glass cover. On the other hand, presence of heat storage material in solar still increase
the heat capacity of water and thus increase the yield of clean water from the system. 10°
inclination cover is able to produce approximately 500ml of water from experiment in
this research. However, the theoretical yield is calculated as 840ml. 10° being closest to
experiment location, 4°N has the highest yield.


Efficient intention formation might improve prospective memory by reducing the need for resource-demanding strategic processes during the delayed performance interval. The present study set out to test this assumption and provides the first empirical assessment of whether imagining a future action improves prospective memory performance equivalently at different stages of the adult lifespan. Thus, younger (n = 40) and older (n = 40) adults were asked to complete the Dresden Breakfast Task, which required them to prepare breakfast in accordance with a set of rules and time restrictions. All participants began by generating a plan for later enactment; however, after making this plan, half of the participants were required to imagine themselves completing the task in the future (future thinking condition), while the other half received standard instructions (control condition). As expected, overall younger adults outperformed older adults. Moreover, both older and younger adults benefited equally from future thinking instructions, as reflected in a higher proportion of prospective memory responses and more accurate plan execution. Thus, for both younger and older adults, imagining the specific visual–spatial context in which an intention will later be executed may serve as an easy-to-implement strategy that enhances prospective memory function in everyday life.


Globalisation has become an enduring reality of our times and more so in the field of education. Teachers are the harbingers of change in the global economy and school teachers have a major role in shaping the attitude of the society towards all social and economic phenomena including that of globalisation. At the Regional Centre of IGNOU situated at Cochin, Kerala an unique training programme was conducted for a year to train school teachers of the Atomic Energy Education Society (AEES) one of the elite educational organisations of the country in ICT applications. This opportunity was utilised by the researchers to conduct a study that holds multiple portends for policy makers to channel the direction of the forces affecting the globalisation of education.


Nitrous oxide (N2O) gas is a widely used anesthetic adjunct that is also commonly abused. In this study, the authors explored the receptor systems responsible for producing the discriminative stimulus effects of N2O. Mice were previously trained to discriminate exposure to N2O versus oxygen in a two-lever food reinforced operant task.N-Methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor channel blockers [(1)-MK-801 {(5S,10R)-(1)5-methyl-10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo[a,d]cyclohepten-5,10-imine maleate} and memantine] partially mimicked the stimulus effects of N2O. However, neither the competitive NMDA antagonist, CGS-1975 (cis-4-[phosphomethyl]-piperidine-2carboxylic acid), nor theNMDA glycine-site antagonist, L701-324 [7-chloro-4-hydroxy-3-(3-phenoxy)phenyl-2(1H)-quinolinone], produced N2O-like stimulus effects. A range of other receptor agonists and positive modulators also failed to produce N2O-like effects. (1)-MK-801 significantly enhanced the discriminative stimulus effects of N2O. The results of the present study support the hypothesis that the discriminative stimulus effects of N2O are at least partially mediated by NMDA antagonist effects similar to those produced by channel blockers.


ADDITIONAL INDEX WORDS. Carrizo citrange, chlorosis, Citrus sinensis, microarray, Swingle citrumelo ABSTRACT. Iron chlorosis is one of the most serious abiotic stresses affecting citrus (Citrus sp.) culture in the Mediterranean Basin. A trial was performed with potted tolerant and sensitive rootstocks that were grown in volcanic and calcareous soils. Microarray analysis allowed for the identification of differentially expressed genes putatively involved in iron (Fe) deficiency. Most of the differentially expressed genes isolated from the root tips were of unknown function; the remaining genes were related to the oxidative stress response (e.g., glutathione peroxidase), hormone metabolismandsignaling(e.g.,smallauxinupRNAfamilyproteingenes),biologicalregulation,proteinturnover,and the tricarboxylic acid cycle (e.g., aconitase). Additionally, the majority of the Fe stress-related genes expressed in the sensitive Swingle citrumelo (Citrus paradisi · Poncirus trifoliata) and tolerant Carrizo citrange (Citrus sinensis · P. trifoliata) rootstocks identified using real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were related to regulation, the oxidative stress response, and hormone metabolism and signaling, thereby confirming the array data. Furthermore, validation of the differentially expressed genes in seven tolerant and sensitive rootstocks grown in a field trial under chlorotic conditions was performed. In general, the gene expression profiles reflect the different responses of rootstocks, possibly as a result of the various genetic mechanisms involved in the response to Fe deficiency. Moreover, the expression of aconitase was analyzed in the roots and juice to evaluate the implication of the differentaconitaseisoforms(Aco),whicharederivedfromspecificcellularcompartments,inthedifferenttissues.The involvement of the mitochondrial isoform (Aco2) was directly correlated with the acidity of the juice, whereas the cytosolic one (Aco3), which corresponds to the aconitase isolated during the microarray analysis, was found specifically in the roots.


We assessed the clinical course of patients after store and forward teledermatology in comparison with conventional consultations. Patients being referred from primary care to dermatology clinics were randomly assigned to teledermatology or a conventional consultation. A total of 392 patients were randomized; 261 patients completed the study and were included in the analysis. Their clinical course was rated on a five-point scale by a panel of three dermatologists, blinded to study assignment, who reviewed serial digital image sets. The clinical course was assessed by comparing images sets between baseline and first clinic visit (if one occurred) and between baseline and nine months. There was no evidence to suggest a difference between the two groups in either clinical course between baseline and nine months post-referral (P = 0.88) or between baseline and the first dermatology clinic visit (P = 0.65). Among teledermatology referrals, subsequent presentation for an in-person dermatology clinic visit was significantly correlated with clinical course (P = 0.023). Store and forward teledermatology did not result in a significant difference in clinical course at either of two post-referral time periods.


Unravelling interrelations between charge, structure and biomolecular interactions defines an important analytical challenge in the development of new biomaterials. Theory and experimental techniques have been extended to explore processes occurring upon contact of polymeric biomaterials with aqueous environments. Significant progress was achieved in the quantitative reconstruction of streaming current data applying recent theories for the electrohydrodynamics of diffuse soft planar interfaces. Here, we review experimental approaches and theory to analyze the charging and structural changes of soft planar films in dependence on solution pH, salt concentration or temperature. Furthermore, we present and discuss data for stimuli-responsive polymer films and biohybrid hydrogel layers that demonstrate how the combination of streaming current, surface conductivity and swelling measurements allows for a comprehensive understanding of electrostatic and structural properties of these materials. In a third example we show how the combined application of fluorescence microscopy and electrokinetics provides new insights into fluidity modulations of phospholipid bilayers by electrolyte ions. Finally, we discuss potential future developments in the investigation of electrosurface phenomena.


Before synaptogenesis, early excitability implicating voltage-dependent and transmitter-activated channels is known to be crucial for neuronal development. We previously showed that preplate (PP) neurons of the mouse neocortex express functional Na(+) channels as early as embryonic day 12. In this study, we investigated the role of these Na(+) channels in signaling during early development. In the neocortex of embryonic-day-13 mice, activation of Na(+) channels with veratridine induced a large Ca(2+) response throughout the neocortex, even in cell populations that lack the Na(+) channel. This Na(+)-dependent Ca(2+) activity requires external Ca(2+) and is completely blocked by inhibitors of Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchangers. Moreover, veratridine-induced Ca(2+) increase coincides with a burst of exocytosis in the PP. In parallel, we show that Na(+) channel stimulation enhances glutamate secretion in the neocortical wall. Released glutamate triggers further Ca(2+) response in PP and ventricular zone, as indicated by the decreased response to veratridine in the presence of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor and NMDA-receptor inhibitors. Therefore, the combined activation of the Na(+) channel and the Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger triggers Ca(2+) signaling in the PP neurons, leading to glutamate secretion, which amplifies the signal and serves as an autocrine/paracrine transmitter before functional synapses are formed in the neocortex. Membrane depolarization induced by glycine receptors activation could be one physiological activator of this Na(+) channel-dependent pathway.


In a large Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) cloud, component failures are quite common. Such failures may lead to occasional system downtime and eventual violation of Service Level Agreements (SLAs) on the cloud service availability. The availability analysis of the underlying infrastructure is useful to the service provider to design a system capable of providing a defined SLA, as well as to evaluate the capabilities of an existing one. This paper presents a scalable, stochastic model-driven approach to quantify the availability of a large-scale IaaS cloud, where failures are typically dealt with through migration of physical machines among three pools: hot (running), warm (turned on, but not ready), and cold (turned off). Since monolithic models do not scale for large systems, we use an interacting Markov chain based approach to demonstrate the reduction in the complexity of analysis and the solution time. The three pools are modeled by interacting sub-models. Dependencies among them are resolved using fixed-point iteration, for which existence of a solution is proved. The analytic-numeric solutions obtained from the proposed approach and from the monolithic model are compared. We show that the errors introduced by interacting sub-models are insignificant and that our approach can handle very large size IaaS clouds. The simulative solution is also considered for the proposed model, and solution time of the methods are compared.


IZA DP No. 14381 MAY 2021 The Heterogeneous Impact of Short-Time Work: From Saved Jobs to Windfall Effects To understand which firms take-up short-time work and which workers they enroll in this program, we provide a model which shows that short-time work may save jobs in firms hit by strong negative revenue shocks, but not in less severely-hit firms, where hours worked are reduced, without saving jobs. Using detailed data on the administration of the program covering the universe of French establishments in the 2008-2009 Great Recession, we find that short-time work did indeed save jobs and increase hours of work in firms faced with large negative shocks. These firms have been able to recover rapidly in the aftermath of the Recession thanks to short-time work. We also provide evidence of large windfall effects which significantly increased the cost of the policy per job saved; yet we also find that short-time work remains more cost-efficient at saving jobs than wage subsidies. JEL Classification: E24, J22, J65


Introduction: Owing to the need to deliver results with greater definition in abdominoplasties, techniques must evolve. The objective of this study was to introduce the crossbow technique for plication along with its three variants that reinforces the concept of vertical and horizontal alignments of the aponeurosis of the rectus and oblique abdominis muscles at the same time, promotes 2 different traction vectors, and culminates in a greater definition of the abdominal wall, mainly in the hypogastrium and iliac fossa regions. Methods: From January 2016 to February 2018, 22 surgeries were performed exclusively with the types l, ll, or lll crossbow technique, both in esthetic surgery cases and post-bariatric patients. Results: The results were favorable both from the esthetic point of view, with greater definition of the hypogastrium, and from a clinical point of view, as none of the patients showed signs or symptoms different from those of the conventional techniques. Conclusion: The crossbow technique is a simple and reproducible tool in the medical armamentarium to improve abdominal esthetics. Although it promotes the strengthening of the hypogastric region, both for primary and secondary treatments of this region, only a sample size increase can demonstrate the possible advantages of the method. ■ ABSTRACT


A systematic study has been made of the strength of the intrinsic absorption, or loss, for millimeter to micrometer electromagnetic radiation propagating in simple ceramic materials. This study employed a number of model diatomic systems whose simplicity enabled the basic two-phonon decay process, responsible for this intrinsic loss, to be computed with precision, even at the lowest frequencies, on a dedicated microcomputer. It was found that, at least at low frequencies, the loss was a relatively structureless universal function of the atomic mass ratio, in general agreement with earlier results for real alkali halides. In particular, it was found that, if one atomic mass was markedly increased, the low-frequency damping dropped dramatically and a "window" appeared in the loss function. This behavior and its origins are discussed and illustrated by predictions of the absolute values of the intrinsic low-frequency losses for MgO and SrO at room temperature. The values for MgO are almost an order of magnitude larger, and in reasonable accord with values measured for typical ceramics, when estimated extrinsic losses are subtracted. The present studies also provide a natural explanation of the general observation that the loss at the fundamental lattice resonance frequency is, at least in centrosymmetric systems, dominated by three-phonon decay.


Abstract From November 1985 to 31 July 1997, 65 pediatric patients underwent heart transplantation at Bambino Gesù Hospital in Rome. Two of them underwent retransplantation, both 6 years after the first transplant. The 67 transplant patients had a mean age of 59 months; 11 were under 1 year of age. Their indications for transplantation were cardiomyopathies (38), lymphocytic myocarditis (8), and congenital heart diseases (19). Two patients of the first group successfully received a combined heart and kidney transplant. The 1‐, 5‐, and 11‐year actuarial survival rates for the 65 patients who underwent heart transplantation were 68%, 62%, and 42%, respectively. In the 1st postoperative year in patients who had had cardiomyopathy, a total of 50 episodes of acute rejection (AR), with one death, occurred (mean 1.7 AR/patient per year ± 1.5) and, in patients who had had congenital heart diseases, 19 ARs (one death) occurred with a mean of 1.58 AR/patient per year ± 1.4. The incidence of AR was significantly higher in patients who had had myocarditis with a total of 26 episodes (mean 3.7 AR/patient per year ± 2) and one death. Rehabilitation of heart transplanted children and infants was complete (NYHA class 1) in 52 % of patients of this series. We conclude that heart transplantation may give a good intermediate and long‐term survival in selected patients; the extension of indications to desperately ill patients, or patients with systemic diseases or complex congenital heart diseases may bring less encouraging results, but should not be definitely excluded. Scarcity of donors remains the main limit, being still the first cause of death for patients on our waiting list. Our limited experience seems to suggest that, as described in adults, the cellular amplification of the immune response might affect the post‐heart transplant follow up of pediatric patients with myocarditis resulting in a poor outcome for this population.


3D power Doppler angiography (3DPDA) allows quantification of blood flow within the placenta. The aim of this study was to investigate the interobserver reproducibility of quantitative 3DPDA as a tool to assess placental vascularity. Subjects were scanned at 12, 16 and 20 weeks gestations with a Voluson 730 Expert. 3DPD data were acquired from the whole placenta and analysed using VOCAL and 9 degree rotation steps. Each image was analysed by three observers who made two measurements in the transverse (B) plane. Interobserver reliability was assessed by two-way mixed intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and Bland–Altman plots estimated the level of agreement between the observers. 52 low risk women were scanned at varying gestations resulting in 30 subjects at each gestation and 90 datasets in total. The ICC for data analysis demonstrated a high level of measurement reliability at each gestation: ICC 0.871, 0.968 and 0.980 for VI; 0.911, 0.924 and 0.958 for FI; 0.981, 0.959 and 0.977 for VFI at 12, 16 and 20 weeks gestation. Bland–Altman plots showed a progressive reduction in the agreement between the observers with increasing gestation. This study demonstrates that 3DPDA data can be measured by different observers to produce a quantitative analysis of whole placental vasculature. Measurements become less reliable as gestation advances.


Background and objectives: Chemotherapy is the standard treatment for Nonmetastatic breast cancer. All the chemotherapeutic agents are capable of producing various Adverse Drug Reactions (ADR) in heterogeneous organs of the body. In this prospective cohort study, we assessed whether ADRs from three different chemotherapy regimens varies in patients with Non-metastatic breast cancer. Methods: Patients who satisfied eligibility criteria were enrolled and divided into three groups based on the chemotherapy regimen they had taken. The patients who received doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide (AC) followed by Docetaxel (T) were assigned to group AC-T, those who received AC followed by Docetaxel and carboplatin (Cb) were in group AC-TCb and those who received AC followed by Docetaxel and Trastuzumab (H) were assigned to group AC-TH. ADR reported by patients as well as from laboratory reports were Graded as per NCI CTCAE guidelines. Result and discussion: A total of 190 patients were enrolled of which, 84 patients (44.2%) received AC-T, 52 (27.4%) AC-TCb and 54 (28.4%) AC-TH regimen. Among thirteen system organ classification studied, general disorder was statistically significant (P value=0.012). Grade 3/4 hand-foot syndrome was present in 3 subjects from AC-T and 1 from AC-TCb. Vomiting, Grade 4 type was 1 from AC-T and AC-TCb had. One from AC-TCb had constipation, Grade 3. Mucositis Grade 4 type was observed from both AC-T and AC-TCb. One from AC-TCb had diarrhea, Grade 3. Although hematological reactions were a few but most of them belongs to severe type. 3 from AC-T, 1 from AC-TCb and 2 from AC-TH had anemia, Grade 3/4. 9 subjects from AC-T, 5 from AC-TCb and 4 from AC-TH had febrile neutropenia, Grade 3/4. 19 subjects from AC-T, 12 from AC-TCb and 11 from ACTH had neutropenia, Grade 3/4. 14 subjects from AC-T, 8 from AC-TCb and 7 from AC-TH had insomnia, Grade 3/4. One subject from AC-T had hearing impaired, Grade 4. Conclusion: All regimens tolerated by the subjects reasonably very well with majority of adverse effects were mild. Severe (Grade 3 or 4) adverse effects were rare.


Background Non-adherence to treatment is associated with poor asthma control, increased exacerbations, decline in lung function, and decreased quality of life. M-health applications have become increasingly in the last years, but little research regarding the efficiency of the instructional videos for correct inhaler use exist. The aim of this study is to assess and improve the inhalator technique and to establish which types of errors were made more often with the help of a mobile health application. Materials and methods Seventy-five patients with partially controlled or uncontrolled asthma, using any of turbuhaler, diskus, pressurized metered dose inhaler (pMDI) or soft mist inhaler (SMI), were included in the study. When they first entered the study, the patient's inhaler technique was assessed by a trained medical professional and the technique errors were categorized in handling, respectively inhalation errors. After the first evaluation, the patients downloaded an application on their Smartphone and were encouraged to use the application as much as needed to remind them the correct inhalation technique. The patients were re-called every three months for evaluation, treatment, and assessment of inhalation technique. Results We analyzed both handling and inhalation errors for each of the four considered inhalers. We observed a significantly reduced number of inhalation technique errors after using the mobile phone application. Turbuhaler median errors were 6.00, and after six months we did not observe errors. Diskus median error was 6.00, and after six months we observed a maximum of one error. pMDI median errors were 7.00, and after six months we observed just one error. Similarly, SMI median error was 7.00, and after six months we observed just one error. Conclusion Although technique inhalation errors are very common among asthma patients, video instructions provided through specific mobile phone applications could improve the inhaler technique in order to achieve a better control of the disease.


The Computer Architecture literature is now replete with papers concerned with the change in architectural direction from ever more complex single cores to single chip multi-core designs. Along with this opportunity come major challenges. Among them is the sheer size of the space of possible designs. The investigation of this space is far from complete. What is needed to aid in this task is an integrated suite of tools that provides support throughout the design life-cycle, from early prototyping to final design. Here we present a floorplan tool targeted towards early prototyping of pre-RTL CMP design concepts. As such, it acts as a complement to traditional floorplan tools that are more appropriate later in the design process. Early phase CMP design investigations into the distribution of power and temperature, pin allocation, core/cache cluster size, and NoC design trade-offs are examples of experiments that can benefit from CMP layout information without many of the design details needed to drive a traditional floorplanner. We use two such studies to validate the benefit of the tool in rapid prototyping. The floorplan is specified using a model similar to that supported by GUI toolkits such as Java Swing or Windows Presentation Foundation. The floorplan design is comprised of a hierarchy of components placed within containers that provide a variety of layout services. These services include support for geographic hints for component placement, generalized grid layouts, and other layout algorithms. The tool can also be integrated with other tools in the suite by absorbing area information from tools such as McPAT, and producing output for ingestion by tools such as HotSpot. In addition, the current services can act as the basis for building more specific layout algorithms such as those targeting a certain type of NoC configuration, cache partitioning strategy, or SIMD design. Finally, the architecture is flexible enough to allow for the inclusion of a traditional floorplan tool such as ParquetFP to support detailed floorplanning once enough design information is available. This tool, which we call ArchFP, can be downloaded from http://lava.cs.virginia.edu/archfp.


In Nigeria today, most urban centres are experiencing an increased rate of environmental deterioration, with refuse
dumped along the streets, behind homes and drainage channels. Therefore the urban dweller is very much in contact with
the waste generated by him. The government has not been able to handle satisfactorily the problem of solid waste. Every
state government in Nigeria has an urban council charged with, among other things, keeping the urban environment free
of solid waste. The Enugu State Environment Protection Agency [ ENSEPA] is charged with this responsibility in Enugu,
Nigeria. We only need to come out of our houses, and the next thing we see is refuse heaps not up to ten metres away from
the house. It is evident from the above discussion that the sanitary condition in Enugu, and in fact most of our urban areas
present a dreadful picture. The main problem could therefore be inadequate arrangements for the collection and disposal of
solid waste. However, in our rural communities, it has been observed that household solid waste does not pose a problem.
This might be due to the fact that the rural communities organise themselves into community action groups, to keep their
environment clean. Public places such as markets, village squares, cemeteries, streams or springs- water areas, as well as
pathways connecting various compounds and villages are kept in good sanitary conditions.There is a kind of togetherness
or neighbourliness going on in the rural communities. This communal living may have encouraged participation in local
activities. Is it possible that we could encourage such communal living within urban neighbourhoods?


We highlight the case of a two year old female who presented with a two month history of left posterior auricular swelling. The swelling developed following trauma, was painless and progressively enlarging. After extensive evaluation the mass was noted to be an extramedullary presentation of Acute T cell lymphoblastic lymphoma, which is rare. We decided to present this as a case report because of its unique presentation, diagnostic challenge and we also wish to highlight the importance of immunohistochemistry in diagnosis of malignancies.


Business firms are increasingly taking part in online business activities through internet as the size of the e-commerce market is rapidly growing in the recent years. Electronic commerce (EC) activities now become an essential part of the business strategy for survival as well as growth for both large enterprises and small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Previous studies on e-commerce mostly focused on the adoption of EC by business firms, and also have been carried out with the data from big enterprises. More often than not, the results obtained from the large business firms are used to provide the guidelines for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). SMEs are, however, different from large business firms in many aspects, and need to be studied on their own. This paper extends the previous research on EC in two aspects. Firstly, we study the e-commerce issues in the area of implementation in relation to the business firm's performance, beyond the adoption and diffusion of IT technology which has been the research issues in many previous research. Secondly, we focus on small and medium enterprises which comprise a large portion of national economy with significant influence.


A low power and robust class-C voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) is presented in this letter. It features 1) an automatic startup loop to achieve the optimal point and address the inherent risk of startup failure and 2) a digital amplitude control loop to stabilize amplitude and enhance the PVT (process, voltage and temperature) tolerance. The design is implemented in a 0.18 μm CMOS process. Measurement demonstrates the VCO has a 20% tuning range and phase noise of -123.0 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset from a 3.1 GHz carrier while consuming 1.57-mW power from a 1 V supply, yielding a Figure-of-Merit (FoM) of 191.1. While operating under the minimum power of 560 μW, it produces -111.3 dBc/Hz phase noise at 1 MHz offset from a 3.1 GHz carrier showing a 183.8 FoM.


The present paper is aimedto investigate the effect of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) on proliferation, migration and differentiation of endogenous neural stem cell in rat cerebral cortex with global brain ischemia-reperfusion. A global brain ischemia-reperfusion model was established. Immunohistochemistry was used to observe the pathological changes and the expression of BrdU and Nestin in cerebral cortex. RT-PCR was used to measure the NSE mRNA in brain tissue. The results of measurements indicated that in sham operation group, there was no positive cell in cerebral cortex, and the content of NSE mRNA did not change. In the operation group, the expression of BrdU and Nestin increased significantly at the end of the 3rd day, and peaked on the 7th day. NSE mRNA expression did not significantly increase. In bFGF group, compared with sham operation group and model group, the number of BrdU-positive and Nestin-positive cells increased significantly at each time point (P<0. 05), and peaked at the end of the 11th day, and the content of NSE mRNA increased significantly (P<0. 05). This research demonstrated that the proliferation of endogenous neural stem cells in situ could be induced by global cerebral ischemia and reperfu- sion, and could be promoted and extended by bFGF. In additiion, bFGF might promote endogenous neural stem cells differentiated into neurons.


Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a genetic syndrome usually initiated by exposure to volatile anesthetic agents or depolarizing neuromuscular blocking agents. We have used Ca2+‐selective microelectrodes to measure in vivo the intracellular ionized calcium ([Ca2+]i) in skeletal muscle fibers of MH‐susceptible swines before and during hyperthermic episodes and also after dantrolene administration. The animals were anesthetized with thiopental and fentanyl and maintained with a mixture of nitrous oxide (66%) and oxygen (34%). The malignant hyperthermic episode was triggered by exposure to halothane. Determinations of [Ca2+]i during the episode show an increase from 0.44 ± 0.01 μM ± SEM, n = 20 to 8.44 ± 0.68 μM (mean ± SEM, n = 10). Administration of dantrolene (2 mg/kg) during the hyperthermic episode reduces [Ca2+]i to 0.17 + 0.01 μM (mean ± SEM, n = 10) and reverses the clinical symptoms. These results show that the MH episode is associated with an increase in the myoplasmic free Ca2+ concentration and that the therapeutic effect of dantrolene is related to a decrease in [Ca2+]i.


In the present work, we have synthesized zero-dimensional (0D) and three-dimensional (3D) iron oxide (α-Fe2O3) sub-micron particles using a one-pot hydrothermal approach. Morphological studies reveal that the as-synthesized spherical α-Fe2O3 (SFO) material consists of nanospheres with void spaces. The prepared SFO delivers a high specific surface area of 100.80 m2 g−1 and significantly increases the contact area between the electrode and the electrolyte. The initial galvanostatic specific capacity of the SFO materials was 1306 mA h g−1 at a current density of 100 mA g−1, which is superior to that of bare cubic α-Fe2O3 (CFO). Moreover, the mesoporous SFO shows a good cycling stability with a capacity retention rate of 91.4% after 100 cycles. These attractive results suggest that the mesoporous SFO shows a good electrochemical performance as a negative electrode material for high-performance Li-ion batteries.