The contribution of T lymphocyte subpopulations to intrapulmonary and systemic resistance against an opportunistic strain of Cryptococcus neoformans was examined. It was found that C. neoformans was destroyed when introduced into the lungs of normal mice, but disseminated to the brains of mice treated with an antibody that depleted them of CD4+ T cells. Depletion of either CD8+ or CD4+ T cells impaired the ability of the host to clear the yeast from the lung. These results, together with the observation that CD8+ T cells accumulate in the lungs of CD4+ T cell-deficient mice, suggest that CD8+ T cells play an important role in resistance to C. neoformans infection acquired via the respiratory tract.


The response of the plasma and urine concentrations of acidic and neutral amino acids to two bovine protein formulas (1.5 gm/100 ml) containing, respectively, 60% whey proteins and 40% caseins or 18% whey proteins an 82% caseins was measured in term infants. These two groups of infants were compared with a group of infants that were breast-fed; all infants were fed ad libitum. Concentrations of citrulline, threonine, phenylalanine, and tyrosine in the plasma and urine were higher in the formula-fed infants than in the breast-fed infants and were a reflection of the amount of protein provided. Concentrations of tyrosine and phenylalanine were higher in the plasma and urine of infants fed the casein-predominant formulas than they were in those fed whey-predominant formulas. The opposite was true for threonine, which was present in higher concentrations in plasma and urine of infants fed whey-predominant formulas than it was in infants fed casein-predominant formulas. Concentrations of taurine were lower in the plasma and urine of formula-fed infants than they were in breast-fed infants. These differences give further evidence that formulas now in common use may provide a protein intake in excess of protein requirements and that there is a dietary requirement for taurine in man which is not satisfied by such formulas. Although these differences have not been established as nutritionally deleterious, neither can they be assumed to be entirely acceptable.


Web sites are designed for graphical mode of interaction. Sighted users can visually segment Web pages and quickly identify relevant information. In contrast, visually-disabled individuals have to use screen readers to browse the Web. Screen readers process pages sequentially and read through everything, making Web browsing time-consuming and strenuous. The use of shortcut keys and searching offers some improvements, but the problem still remains. In this paper, we address this problem using the notion of context. When a user follows a link, we capture the context of the link, and use it to identify relevant information on the next page. The content of this page is rearranged, so that the relevant information is read out first. We conducted a series experiments to compare the performance of our prototype system with the state-of-the-art JAWS screen reader. Our results show that the use of context can potentially save browsing time as well as improve browsing experience of visually disabled individuals.


Primary hyperparathyroidism is due to inappropriate over secretion of parathyroid hormone by parathyroid glands. It is often diagnosed by routine biochemical screening. Advance disease can cause multiple complications involving renal, musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal and neuropsychiatric systems. Polyarthritis is a rare presentation of primary hyperparathyroidism. Chest pain and dyspnoea are two common symptoms of various pathological conditions found in respiratory units. Detailed analysis of clinical and investigation findings is utmost important to arrive at the proper diagnosis.We report a 45 year old female who had presented with arthritis involving multiple large and small joints for three years. She had been diagnosed as sero-negative rheumatoid arthritis and commenced on disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs. She presented to us with non-specific chest pain and shortness of breath associated with poorly controlled joint pain and found to have severe hypercalcaemia with multiple lytic lesions and a pathological fracture. The diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis was revised and excluded, and arthritis was recognized as the presenting feature of primary hyperparathyroidism following extensive evaluation. This case illustrates a rare presentation of a rare disease. The diagnosis of primary hyperparathyroidism is often delayed due to non-specific nature of symptoms in places without routine biochemical screening. Articular manifestations can occasionally be the presenting complains of patients with primary hyperparathyroidism. It may mimic many common conditions with arthritis. Hence, a thorough history combined with clinical examination is utmost important for physicians to arrive at proper diagnosis.


We present FiFTy, a modern file type identification tool for memory forensics and data carving. In contrast to previous approaches based on hand-crafted features, we design a compact neural network architecture, which uses a trainable embedding space, akin to successful natural language processing models. Our approach dispenses with explicit feature extraction which is a bottleneck in legacy systems. We evaluate the proposed method on a novel dataset with 75 file types - the most diverse and balanced dataset reported to date. FiFTy consistently outperforms all baselines in terms of speed, accuracy and individual misclassification rates. We achieved an average accuracy of 77.5% with processing speed of approx 38 sec/GB, which is better and more than an order of magnitude faster than the previous state-of-the-art tool - Sceadan (69% at 9 min/GB). Our tool and the corresponding dataset are available publicly online.


The steadiness and convolution of the interface between the freestream and recirculating/wake core regions in an axisymmetric, separated supersonic flow were studied using planar imaging. Five regions along the shear layer/wake boundary were investigated in detail to quantify the effects that key phenomena, such as the recompression and reattachment processes, have on the development of large-scale unsteady motions and interfacial convolution. These studies show that flapping motions, when viewed from the side, generally increase in magnitude, in relation to the local shear layer thickness, with downstream distance, except at the mean reattachment point, where they are slightly suppressed. When viewed from the end, the area-based (pulsing) fluctuations increase monotonically downstream as a percentage of the local area, whereas the position-based (flapping) motions show pronounced peaks in magnitude in the recompression region and in the developing wake. The interface convolution increases monotonically with downstream distance in both the side- and end-view orientations


SUMMARY: The regulation of the enzymes associated with one-carbon metabolism and the assimilation of nitrogen, together with the cellular composition of Hyphomicrobium X, were investigated. The effect of changing the methanol-carbon concentration with the NH+
4-nitrogen concentration remaining constant (C: N ratio) in the medium during chemostat growth at a constant dilution rate was studied. As the medium changed from a C-limitation to a dual C- and N- and finally a N-limitation, the culture gradually passed through three definite growth phases. In response to these environmental conditions the cellular composition and the specific enzyme activity patterns changed. The C-content of the cells changed very little. The N- and protein-content was constant over C-limiting conditions, but under dual C- and N-limiting and N-limiting conditions an accumulation of poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) occurred and as a consequence the N-content and protein-content of the cells decreased. The enzyme associated with N-assimilation during C-limitation was an NADP+-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase which was replaced by the high affinity glutamine synthetase and glutamate synthase pathway immediately the NH+4-N concentration in the medium became limiting. Similarly the specific activity of methanol dehydrogenase, which was high during C-limiting conditions, dropped to a low level as the NH+
4-N concentration decreased. Finally carbon balances were constructed throughout the experiment which showed that irrespective of the C:N ratio in the medium during C-limitation, the methanol-carbon was fluxed into biomass and CO2 only; during dual limitation the carbon was channelled into biomass, CO2 and PHB; and finally when the growth was in the presence of excess carbon no methanol-carbon was directed into over-metabolite production but, instead, the excess carbon was oxidized through the dissimilatory pathway.


The history and the ultimate future fate of the universe as a whole depend on how much the expansion of the universe is decelerated by its own mass. In particular, whether the expansion of the universe will ever come to a halt can be determined from the past expansion. However, the mass density in the universe does not only govern the expansion history and the curvature of space, but in parallel also regulates the growth of hierarchical structure, including the collapse of material into the dense, virialized regions that we identify with galaxies. Hence, the formation of galaxies and their clustered distribution in space depend not only on the detailed physics of how stars are formed but also on the overall structure of the universe. Recent observational efforts, fueled by new large, ground-based telescopes and the Hubble Space Telescope, combined with theoretical progress, have brought us to the verge of determining the expansion history of the universe and space curvature from direct observation and to linking this to the formation history of galaxies. Cosmological becomes simple


Collaborative Virtual Environments (CVEs) involve the use of a distributed architecture, and advanced interactive user interfaces to create a 'shared' sense of space where users located in different physical locations can interact. An important objective is to provide users with an illusion that the machine mediated experience is not mediated. The extent of this illusion is measured by the sense of 'presence' experienced. We explore 'shared presence' in a Cooperative Virtual Environment, that is providing the participants with a sense of presence of others in the environment, thus having a feeling that they are directly cooperating with real people. We describe our prototype system for a 'non-immersive' distributed virtual environment. We provide preliminary results on factors which increase the sense of 'shared presence' in a virtual environment. These include the use of avatars to represent the participants, providing simple communication and interaction with the environment. Our prototype has served as a good basis for our future work towards shared presence by highlighting areas that require attention, (such as providing communicative behaviour to avatars) and indicating good prospects such as the importance of how one represents the avatars.


This thesis contains primarily a study of CdTe/CdS heterojunction solar cells^ chiefly using photoluminescence spectroscopy. These solar cells show a good potential for commercial power generation in the near Aiture and are of interest to several major companies. A vital but little understood step in the manufacturing process is: annealing the cells in the presence of chlorine prior to back contact application. Studies are performed on a selection of thin film CdTe/CdS cells subjected to CdCl(_2) anneals of different duration. A chemical bevel etch was used to study the spectra at different depths into the sample and laser intensity arid sarhple temperature variations to identify the mechanisms behind the observed photoluminescence peaks. Evidence was found for the CdCl(_2) anneal promoting sulphur diffusion and subsequent grain boundary passivation in the CdTe, leading to increased minority carrier lifetimes and device efficiencies Attempts to obtain electroluminescence from the CdTe/CdS solar cells were madei By using current pulses electroluminescence was obtained in the 780-850nm range with discernible spectral features. Photoluminescence (PL) studies were also performed on a single crystal of CdTe grown to an unprecedented size of approx. 5 cm diameter at Durham university by a multi-tube seeded vapour method of crystal growth. Much higher resolution spectra were: obtained for this than for the solar cells. Several peaks were identified arid the mechanisms responsible were theorised. By taking slices of the crystal boule the PL spectra at different points-throughout the bulk of the crystal were determined. A series of high quality ion-implanted CdTe crystals were also studied! by intensity and temperature dependent PL in order to obtain a better understanding of the effects of known concentrations of known impurities on the PL spectra of CdTe. Specific PL features associated with certain dopants were observed.


Development of a health monitoring system in situ is so important as to properly maintain concrete structures under severe salt attack. Research Association for Infrastructure Monitoring System (RAIMS) is engaged in research on health monitoring of bridges and thus experiments on concrete bridges under the severe environment are widely conducted. As a preliminary research on an applicability of the health monitoring system, sensing devices for early detection of chloride penetration and rebar corrosion have been applied to a prestressed concrete (PC) bridge in service. Three sensing devices of a corrosion sensor, a reference electrode and an embedded sensor are placed in the bridge. So far, monitoring of the corrosion degree due to chloride attack has been continuously conducted for more than two years. Further, a simple device for easy-installation in a local bridge is proposed.


We study the long-run persistence of relative economic well-being in the face of highly adverse government policies using a combination of rich historical and contemporaneous data sources from Kyrgyzstan. Even after controlling for unobservable local effects, the economic well-being (measured by income, expenditures, or assets) of Kyrgyz households in the 2010s strongly correlates with the early 20th-century average wealth of the tribes from which these households descend. The degree of economic inequality at the tribe level in the 2010s correlates with the within-tribe wealth inequality in the early 20th century. In terms of channels of persistence, we find support for the inter-generational transmission of human capital, relative status, political power, and cultural traits. Transmission of material wealth, differences in natural endowments, or geographic sorting cannot explain the observed long-run persistence.


The pen shell, Atrina pectinata, is one of the commercial bivalves in East Asia and thought to be recently affected by anthropogenic pressure (habitat destruction and/or fishing pressure). Information on its population genetic structure is crucial for the conservation of A. pectinata. Considering its long pelagic larval duration and iteroparity with high fecundity, the genetic structure for A. pectinata could be expected to be weak at a fine scale. However, the unusual oceanography in the coasts of China and Korea suggests potential for restricted dispersal of pelagic larvae and geographical differentiation. In addition, environmental changes associated with Pleistocene sea level fluctuations on the East China Sea continental shelf may also have strongly influenced historical population demography and genetic diversity of marine organisms. Here, partial sequences of the mitochondrial Cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene and seven microsatellite loci were used to estimate population genetic structure and demographic history of seven samples from Northern China coast and one sample from North Korea coast. Despite high levels of genetic diversity within samples, there was no genetic differentiation among samples from Northern China coast and low but significant genetic differentiation between some of the Chinese samples and the North Korean sample. A late Pleistocene population expansion, probably after the Last Glacial Maximum, was also demonstrated for A. pectinata samples. No recent genetic bottleneck was detected in any of the eight samples. We concluded that both historical recolonization (through population range expansion and demographic expansion in the late Pleistocene) and current gene flow (through larval dispersal) were responsible for the weak level of genetic structure detected in A. pectinata.


A multichannel characterization for autoregressive moving average(ARMA) spectrum estimation in subbands with applications to cognitive radio spectrum sensing is considered in this presentation. The fullband ARMA spectrum estimation can be realized in two-channels as a special form of this characterization. A complete orthogonalization of input multichannel data is accomplished using a modified form of sequential processing multichannel lattice stages. Matrix operations are avoided, only scalar operations are used, and a multichannel ARMA prediction filter with a highly modular and suitable structure for VLSI implementations is achieved. The filter is therefore considered as a good candidate for FPGA and DSP chip based spectrum sensing functions in software defined radio implementations. Lattice reflection coefficients for autoregressive and moving average parts are simultaneously computed. These coefficients are then converted to process parameters using a newly developed Levinson-Durbin type multichannel conversion algorithm, so that they can be utilized in the classification of the spectrum. Coarse and fine spectrum sensing can be accomplished using different prediction filter configurations. The computational complexity is given in terms of model order parameters. The performance of the proposed method is compared visually and statistically to that of the multitaper method.


Procalcitonin (PCT) is a plasma polypeptide prohormone biomarker that helps distinguish bacterial infection from other causes of infection or inflammation. Several randomized controlled trials have investigated the role of PCT in acute infections. The aim of this review is to give an overview of the PCT biology, the background for using PCT as a biomarker and to summarize the current evidence for clinically applicable strategies for PCT-guided management in acute infections. We reviewed articles concerning PCT as a biomarker of acute infections, including this role in sepsis diagnosis, estimating the risk of bacteremia, treatment guidance in acute infections in critically ill patients and PCT for antibiotic reduction in acute respiratory infections and sepsis. PCT is effective for guidance of antibiotic discontinuation in acute infections. This is particularly well-documented (evidence level 1A) in acute respiratory infections and sepsis patients. PCT does not seem to help in diagnosing sepsis or when initiating antibiotics in critically ill patients. PCT is a thoroughly investigated biomarker that offers some so far unparalleled advantages in antibiotic reduction in acute infections, compared to other biomarkers, but this biomarker should probably not be used systematically for diagnostics.


Abstract Nowadays, different levels of stress and nervousness can be found in organizations. Owing to the fact that employees spend most of their time in organizations, stress may affect the health of employees. Hence, study of stress and the factors that make stress can be a viable decision in that by eliminating these factors organizations can have healthier employees. This study is a correlation study which aims to determine the possible relationship between toxic leadership and job stress. Data collection tools including two standard questionnaires were used. The questionnaire adopted from toxic leadership (Schmidt and Hanges 2009) to measure the toxic leadership in organizations and the NIOSH Generic Job Stress Questionnaire (Hurrell and McLaney 1988) to measure the job stress. In order to analyze the data SPSS software was used. Results show that there is a significant direct relationship between toxic leadership and the job stress of employees. In other words, the more toxic leadership perceived by employees, the more job stress they feel.


Mathematical models are discussed to deal with complex large-scale man-machine systems such as vessel (air, road) traffic and process control systems. Only interrelationships between subsystems are assumed. Each subsystem is controlled by a corresponding human operator (HO). Because of the interaction between subsystems, the HO has to estimate the state of all relevant subsystems and the relationships between them, based on which he can decide and react. This nonlinear filter problem is solved by means of both a linearized Kalman filter and an extended Kalman filter (in case state references are unknown and have to be estimated). The general model structure is applied to the concrete problem of vessel traffic control. In addition to the control of each ship, this involves collision avoidance between ships.<<ETX>>


The concept of sovereignty is more important than ever in the Cyber context, yet it is poorly understood. With this article, we are seeking to contribute towards a shared understanding of the concept of sovereignty by succinctly addressing the following six, interrelated, questions:

Who can claim to have sovereignty;
Over what can one have sovereignty;
What are the consequences of having sovereignty over something;
Who can violate sovereignty;
What is the threshold for violating sovereignty; and
What are the consequences of violating sovereignty?

However, this article is not limited to a descriptive account of the law as it stands today. A purely descriptive account would not provide a full picture of the complex concept of sovereignty, and we have felt it appropriate to enter the territory of law reform options in parts of the discussion.
While sovereignty is a technology-neutral concept and the article addresses it as such, particular attention is directed at sovereignty in the cyber context.


OBJECTIVE
This study aim was to determine the prevalence of microorganisms in the respiratory tract of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) admitted to the CF Reference Centre in Southern Italy between 2002-2010.

METHODS
Microbiology assessment of samples (sputum and tracheal aspirates) collected from patients with pulmonary exacerbation admitted to hospital was carried out. All patients were registered in a database and clinical and microbiological data were retrospectively analysed.

RESULTS
Overall, 188 patients were included and a total of 1217 samples were analysed. The most common microorganisms were Staphylococcus aureus (78.7% of the patients) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (58%), followed by Candida albicans (19.1%), Haemophilus influenzae (13.3%) and Aspergillus fumigatus (9.6%).

CONCLUSION
Compared to similar studies performed in other European countries, our microbiological data, especially the low occurrence of filamentous fungi, suggest a specific local epidemiology, probably related to some uncommon CFTR mutations, which are specific to Southern Italy.


The aim of this study was the exploration of early traumatic experiences related to emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional and physical neglect, as well as the connection of the dimensions of these early traumatic experiences with the experiencing of depressive symptoms in adulthood. A sample of 331 University students in Tirana, 60 males (N = 60) or 18.1% and 271 females (N = 271) or 81.9% completed the online Beck Inventory for Depression (BDI), and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF). The minimum age of the youth participating in the study was 18 years and the maximum age was 32 years, with an average of 20 years (M = 20.07) and the standard deviation (SD = 1.5). Descriptive, correlational and linear regression analysis were used for data processing through the SPSS 22. The study confirmed the connection between early traumatic experiences and the appearance of depressive symptoms in adulthood (r(329) = .333, p < .001). Among the dimensions of early traumatic experiences, it seems that a stronger connection with the occurrence of depressive symptoms relates to the size of emotional trauma. The size of child sexual trauma is connected to feelings of punishment and suicidal thoughts in adulthood. Early traumatic experiences seem to have a significant impact on how adults express themselves and choose to interact with their environment. Coping with problems of mental health and depression today can be closely related to the early traumatic experiences of juveniles and adults.


Recently many methods have been introduced to explain CNN decisions. However, it has been shown that some methods can be sensitive to manipulation of the input. We continue this line of work and investigate the explanation method GradCAM. Instead of manipulating the input, we consider an adversary that manipulates the model itself to attack the explanation. By changing weights and architecture, we demonstrate that it is possible to generate any desired explanation, while leaving the model's accuracy essentially unchanged. This illustrates that GradCAM cannot explain the decision of every CNN and provides a proof of concept showing that it is possible to obfuscate the inner workings of a CNN. Finally, we combine input and model manipulation. To this end we put a backdoor in the network: the explanation is correct unless there is a specific pattern present in the input, which triggers a malicious explanation. Our work raises new security concerns, especially in settings where explanations of models may be used to make decisions, such as in the medical domain.


The issue presented in this interlocutory appeal is whether a plaintiff in a medical malpractice action is prohibited from arguing or suggesting to the jury any monetary amounts for noneconomic damages. We hold that the language of Tennessee Code Annotated section 29-26117 (2000) prohibits the plaintiff from disclosing the amount of damages requested in the plaintiff's pleading, but does not preclude the plaintiff from arguing or suggesting monetary amounts for non-economic damages to jurors at trial. The judgment of the trial court is reversed, and this case is remanded for further proceedings.


intrauterine exchange transfusion. Now that would have been a triumph for television! Perhaps I should stay silent and not pillory the poor doctor, who, after all, was only playing the same part that we all play to our patients-that of appearing to know everything. But a more serious point arises. When I find errors in programmes about which I know something I worry about the errors in programmes about which I know nothing. Television is such a suggestive medium. How many people, I wonder, would swear that they saw on the television monitor the cannula entering the baby's vein and later saw the doctor syringing blood backwards and forwards to and from the fetus ? Yet it did not happen. Are we all suffering from Galen's delusion? He "saw" invisible pores in the septum of the heart in order to satisfy his view of the world. How many invisible pores in our view ? Perhaps that was the point that Dr Miller was trying to make.


Abstract Abundant well-preserved radiolarians were recovered from Ocean Drilling Program Leg 171B Hole 1051A, western North Atlantic, and range from upper middle Eocene radiolarian Zone RP16 through lower Palaeocene Zone RP6. This mid-latitude fauna contrasts with tropical faunas in lacking many tropical zonal markers and in its high proportion of diachronous first and last occurrences. The sequence from Hole 1051A contains the lower Eocene-middle Eocene and Palaeocene-Eocene (P-E) boundaries, and the only known record of a well-preserved Late Palaeocene Thermal Maximum (LPTM) radiolarian assemblage. There is no gross change observed in the composition of the fauna, only a minor increase in the number of first and last occurrences across the LPTM interval and P-E boundary. Calcareous evidence indicates two hiatuses, each 1–2 Ma long, one in the lowermost middle Eocene sequence and a second in the upper Palaeocene sequence. Presence of the middle Eocene hiatus is corroborated by an abnormally large radiolarian turnover. Twenty-six events are documented and show that most of radiolarian Zone RP10 and a substantial part of Zone RP9 are missing. Seven new species are described: Spongatractus klausi, Calocyclas aphradia, Lychnocanoma (?) parma, Sethocyrtis austellus, Sethocyrtis chrysallis, Thyrsocyrtis (Pentalacorys) krooni and Thyrsocyrtis (Thyrsocyrtis) norrisi.


We carried out sonographic examination of 160 type I diabetics measuring the renal volume, the parenchyma/renal pelvis index and the brightness of the parenchyma. Creatinine and beta-2-microglobulin in the serum, creatinine clearance and albumin excretion by urine were determined as functional parameters. In contrast to existing results, we were unable to find significant changes in kidney size or function in newly diagnosed diabetics (duration of diabetes up to 6 months). Both the parenchyma/renal pelvis index and the kidney parenchyma were unchanged compared to control persons of the same age. It was only if diabetes lasted from 6 months to 5 years, that the renal volume was 19% larger (192 +/- 37 cm3/1.73 m2) than that of recently diagnosed patients (p less than 0.01). The index had increased by 15%, whereas the creatinine clearance had increased by 18% to 121 +/- 27 ml/min as a result of increased perfusion. The renal volume decreased continuously over a five-year period of duration of diabetes. Initially, microalbuminuria became manifest, followed some time later by a decrease in creatinine clearance and a corresponding increase in creatinine and beta-2-microglobulin in serum. No change in parenchyma brightness was noted. Diabetics with moderate renal insufficiency (creatinine 1.2 to 2 mg/dl) compared to diabetics without insufficiency developed larger kidneys (207 cm3/1.73 m2; p less than 0.01). Only in case of severe insufficiency (creatinine greater than 2 mg/dl) did the kidneys did shrink significantly (121 cm3/1,73 m2, n = 8, p less than 0.01). The temporary enlargement of the kidneys could be a prognostically unfavourable sign pointing towards a developing diabetic nephropathy.


Historiographic discussions of the universality and regionality of science have to date focused on European cases for making regional science universal. This paper presents a new perspective by moving beyond European origins and illuminating a non-European scientist's engagement with the universality and regionality of science. It will examine the case of the Japanese botanist Nakai Takenoshin (1882-1952), an internationally recognized authority on Korean flora based at Tokyo Imperial University. Serving on the International Committee on Botanical Nomenclature in 1926, Nakai endorsed and acted upon European claims of universal science, whilst simultaneously unsettling them with his regionally shaped systematics. Eventually he came to promote his own systematics, built regionally on Korean flora, as the new universal. By analysing his shifting claims in relation to those of other European and non-European botanists, this paper makes two arguments. First, universalism and regionalism were not contradictory foundations of scientific practice but useful tools used by this non-European botanist in maintaining his scientific authority as a representative Japanese systematist. Second, his claims to universality and regionalism were both imperially charged. An imperially monopolized study of Korean plants left a regional imprint on Nakai's systematics. In order to maintain his scientific authority beyond its region of origin he had to assert either the expanding regionalism of 'East Asia' or universalism.


In 1971, Strength and Krieg reported the isolation of a gram-negative freshwater rod which exhibited bipolar flagellar fascicles clearly visible by dark-field microscopy. The flagellar fascicles exhibited helical wave propagation, basal bending, and an ability to coil up like springs. Despite the flagellar activity, the cells were apparently unable to swim freely. Such organisms appeared to be similar morphologically to an organism previously described by Houwink in 1953 and Jarosch in 1969. The present report describes a reliable isolation method for such organisms based on the use of L-proline and semisolid agar. Upon isolation, the organisms grew in flocs, from which a highly viscous matrix could be separated by high-speed centrifugation. After many transfers, the growth gradually became homogeneous and turbid, and the viscous substance could no longer be demonstrated. Under certain conditions of growth, steady straight-line motility could be observed and photographed within viscous flocs. Straight-line, free-swimming motility occurred in viscous suspensions of cells prepared by homogenization of flocs. In 8- to 12-h-old cultures in the nonviscous homogeneous condition, some cells could swim slowly in irregular, circular paths; other could move about on surfaces. When the viscosity of the medium was increased, nearly every cell could swim freely and steadily in straight paths. A viscosity of 200 centipoise was optimal for strain XI, whereas 10 centipoise was optimal for strains X and XII. These results suggest that the organisms may be highly adapted to life within viscous flocs. The organism exhibited nitrogenase activity when tested by methods developed by Dobereiner and her colleagues for "Spirillum" lipoferum; Aquaspirillum peregrinum also was found to possess nitrogenase activity. Investigation of the physiology and deoxyribonucleic acid base composition of strains X, XI, and XII has indicated that even though the organisms are straight rods, they are probably members of the genus Aquaspirillum. Important taxonomic considerations include: Coccoid body or "microcyst" formation, possession of a "polar membrane" similar to that occurring in certain spirilla, bipolar tufts of flagella, a strictly respiratory metabolism, inability to attack carbohydrates, positive catalase and oxidase reactions, and a deoxyribonucleic acid base composition of 62 to 65 mol% guanine plus cytosine. The organisms were assigned to a new species, Aquaspirillum fasciculus, and the type strain was deposited with the American Type Culture Collection under the number 27740.


Abstract Electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) is recognised as a means of interpersonal communication and a powerful marketing tool. However, previous studies have focussed on related motivations, and limited attention has been given to understanding the antecedents of eWOM communication behaviour in the travel industry. This study proposes a full and partial mediation model, which brings together for the first time three key antecedents: adoption of electronic communication technology, consumer dis/satisfaction with travel consumption experience, and subjective norm. The model aims to understand the impact of these antecedents on travellers' attitude towards eWOM communication and intention to use eWOM communication media. The data were collected from international travellers (n = 524), and structural equation modelling is used to test the conceptual framework. The findings of the study suggest that overall attitude towards eWOM communication partially mediates the impact of the traveller's adoption of electronic communication technology and subjective norm, and fully mediates the impact of consumer dis/satisfaction with travel consumption experience on travellers' intention to use eWOM communication media.


In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, philanthropists in Britain created a large number of clubs for young people. Whilst many of these were connected with churches, British Jewry founded a number of their own clubs for young Jewish men and women. These clubs were run in the East End of London and other urban centres with high numbers of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe such as Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow and Liverpool. The club managers were established Jews who lived in wealthier areas of the cities who sought to pass on positive British attributes to the immigrant population. In addition to secular activities such as sports, the clubs used religion as a way to encourage young immigrants to adapt to religious life in England, a neglected aspect of their work. This thesis explores the inclusion of a religious element within these clubs, examining the period from the beginning of the clubs existence in the 1880s, responding to the influx of Eastern European immigrants arriving in the UK, until the outbreak of the Second World War when the focus of Anglo-Jewish philanthropy shifted from domestic concerns to those within Europe and on combating anti-Semitism. This thesis explores how religion promoted an ideal of national identity, specifically designed for working class immigrant Jews, as well as the ways in which religion promoted gender identities which were designed to aid integration into British society. The first two chapters analyse Orthodox Jewish boys' and girls' clubs. As the majority of clubs fall into these categories these chapters will look at these groups as providing normative experiences. The third chapter will look at uniformed groups and explore the extent to which these groups provided a 'uniformed' experience not only in relation to outward appearance but also in terms of gendered religion. The final chapter will examine Liberal Jewish clubs, the major alternative to the other organisations explored. These were attacked by those within the Orthodox mainstream due to their religious affiliation and this thesis will discuss the ways in which this criticism was heightened in response to deviations from gender norms. This thesis therefore demonstrates the centrality of gender norms in religious programming for young people.


The output gap is a key concept in monetary policy, reflecting pressures on resources in the economy. However, it is unobservable, and so must be estimated. This paper outlines a suite of indicators used by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand to inform estimates of the output gap. The paper discusses the real-time properties of the suite of indicators, and uses two metrics to evaluate the performance of each indicator. The best-performing indicators of the output gap are those based on labour market variables, but the difference in performance between the indicators is small enough that the entire suite should be considered.


"Last night the new theatre which the Irish National Theatre Society has...was opened
under the happiest auspices…Long before the curtain rose the pit and gallery were
packed…On Baile's Strand is one of the best acting plays that Mr Yeats has
written…there is less of the mystical and more of the human element in the
composition than in most of Mr Yeats dramas [and] the characters are virile and
actual" (1976, 128-9).This quote, from the Freeman's Journal, illustrates the initial
success and relevance of The Abbey's opening play, Yeats' On Baile's Strand.
However, what one doesn't get from this review, is the reality of the mundane Abbey.
In 1904, as the first chapter of this thesis shall illustrate, The Abbey Theatre held one
of the smallest crowds in Dublin, and its success on opening night was nothing in
comparison to the audience Queen's Theatre just over the River Liffey held the very
same night. Yeats' brand of theatre was by no means popular in comparison to the
melodramas of J.W. Whitbread. Yet, as will be illustrated in chapter two, Yeats set
out to prove that his 'Theatre of Art' was to go against that very commercial and
political type of Irish play that theatres like Queen's performed, not to mention the
horribly materialistic types of entertainment at the other main Dublin theatres. He was
going to do it by blending "the simplicity and responsiveness to the supernatural and
the esoteric that he associated with the west of Ireland peasantry" (2005, 12). Also he
was going to add the elegance of the Anglo-Irish Ascendancy which he related to a
premodern time of "chieftains and kings" that was, in his words, "noble" (2005,
160&158).
But against popular belief, he was going to present it in English. This is the
reason many thought he was not fulfilling the job he set out to do; to create a
'national' theatre. Yet before this point, "all Irish nationalist popular political
movements" had reverted to the use of English in their "propaganda" (2005, 44).
However, as regards the furious debate as to whether Yeats was an active republican,
it appears he was never seriously aligned with any of these political movements.
Rather, as he stated in Samhain countless times, he thought propaganda and the use of
it in plays was not a viable solution to the Irish question. He instead chose symbolism
to demonstrate his own political beliefs, refusing to force politics on anyone. His main
aim was to present the living speech of the people and the character of the Irish person.
Yet, with On Baile's Strand, Yeats only achieved some of him aims. His political
ideals were kept under the guise of tension between Cuchullain and an added
character Conchubar, yet his aim of living speech was seriously undermined by his
occult associations and the chanting used in these groups. The final chapter shall
illustrate how On Baile's Strand both fulfilled and undermined the playwright's
attempts at creating a New Ireland, where politics were not at the forefront of art,
where they would force people to "tare each other's character to pieces" (1997,189).


The question of whether or not Leptophytum (Corallinaceae, Rhodophyta) should be recognised as a distinct genus has been addressed using new data generated from type and other specimens combined with analyses of previously published data from various authors. The results have shown that none of the criteria proposed to separate Leptophytum from Phymatolithon are reliable at generic level. Some lead to the exclusion of type species from genera, others are impossible to assess because information is lacking for virtually all included species, others have character states that intergrade and thus are unsuitable and still others appear to be useful for separating species but not genera. Most of the character states proposed as diagnostic of Leptophytum are unknown or are not present in most of the species that were explicitly included in the recent proposed re-instatement of the genus and, in some cases, species included in Leptophytum show the opposing character state for Phymatolithon. No serious conflict occurs between the holotype fragments of Leptophytum laeve (the type species of Leptophytum) and the designated epitype and the designation of an epitype is fully justified because all of the characters evident in the holotype are demonstrably ambiguous and could apply to more than one species. Moreover, new evidence supports the probable conspecificity of the holotype and the designated epitype and reinforces the conclusion that Leptophytum should not be recognised as a genus distinct from Phymatolithon. Nomenclaturally, the correct authorship of the name of the type species of Leptophytum is L. laeve Adey and not L. laeve (Stromfelt) Adey or L. laeve (Foslie in Rosenvinge) Adey, and for purposes of priority, the name Leptophytum laeve dates from 1966.


This paper examines the erosion and cyclic oxidation performance of novel thermal barrier coatings produced via the sol-gel route. The ceramic top coat, with a thickness of 5-80 m, was deposited via a sol-gel route onto standard MCrAlY and PtAl bond coats. In both the erosion and the cyclic oxidation tests it was found that the bond coat had a profound affect on the results. The erosion of the sol-gel coatings were compared to standard EB PVD and PS TBCs and were found to be significantly higher. The effect of aging (100 h at 1100°C) on the erosion rates was also evaluated and was found to increase the erosion rates. The information obtained from the erosion and cyclic oxidation tests have highlighted the need to develop and optimise the parameters for producing thicker coatings


Language is not a direct translation of a speaker's or writer's knowledge or intentions. Various complex processes and strategies are involved in serving the needs of the audience: planning the message, describing some features of a model and not others, organizing an argument, adapting to the knowledge of the reader, meeting linguistic constraints, etc. As a consequence, when communicating about a model, or about knowledge, there is a complex interaction between knowledge and language. In this contribution, we address the question of the role of language in modeling, in the specific case of collaboration over a distance, via electronic exchange of written textual information. What are the problems/dimensions a language user has to deal with when communicating a (mental) model? What is the relationship between the nature of the knowledge to be communicated and linguistic production? What is the relationship between representations and produced text? In what sense can interactive learning systems serve as mediators or as obstacles to these processes?


Polyomavirus large T antigen has an N-terminal domain of approximately 260 amino acids which can immortalize primary cells but lacks sequences known to be required for DNA binding and replication. Treatment of full-length large T with either V8 protease or chymotrypsin yields an N-terminal fragment of 36 to 40 kDa and a C-terminal fragment of approximately 60 kDa. This finding suggests a division of the protein into two domains. Proteolysis experiments show that the N-terminal domain does not have strong physical association with the rest of the protein. It also does not self-associate. A construct expressing only the N-terminal 259 amino acids is sufficient for immortalization. The independently expressed N-terminal domain is multiply phosphorylated, although at a lower level than the same region in full-length large T. The 259-residue protein binds to both pRb and p107 with somewhat lower efficiency than the full-length protein.


ABSTRACT Preventing human-wildlife conflict (HWC) constitutes a substantial challenge for wildlife agencies. The literature on HWC is primarily focused on public understanding of and perceptions toward HWC issues and on mitigation interventions, which often involve public education and outreach. Yet, the non-formal education and community outreach capacities of wildlife professionals remain relatively under-studied. This study develops new insights into the professional development (PD) needs of wildlife professionals relevant to non-formal education and community outreach aimed at mitigating HWC. Using data generated through a self-administered questionnaire designed to assess the self-efficacy of respondents in non-formal education and community outreach skill areas, this study proposes a PD sequence that prioritizes the relevant HWC training needs of a sample of wildlife professionals from the Four Corners region of the United States. The sequence spans curriculum development, media engagement, and evaluation. Recommendations for practice and future research are provided.


ABSTRACT Yersinia pestis causes primary pneumonic plague in many mammalian species, including humans, mice, and rats. Virulent Y. pestis strains undergo frequent spontaneous deletion of a 102-kb chromosomal DNA fragment, known as the pigmentation (pgm) locus, when grown in laboratory media, yet this locus is present in every virulent isolate. The pgm locus encodes, within a high-pathogenicity island, siderophore biosynthesis genes that are required for growth in the mammalian host when inoculated by peripheral routes. Recently, higher challenge doses of nonpigmented Y. pestis were reported to cause fatal pneumonic plague in mice, suggesting a useful model for studies of virulence and immunity. In this work, we show that intranasal infection of BALB/c mice with nonpigmented Yersinia pestis does not result in pneumonic plague. Despite persistent bacterial colonization of the lungs and the eventual death of infected mice, pulmonary inflammation was generally absent, and there was no disease pathology characteristic of pneumonic plague. Iron given to mice at the time of challenge, previously shown to enhance the virulence of pgm-deficient strains, resulted in an accelerated disease course, with less time to bacteremia and lethality, but lung inflammation and pneumonia were still absent. We examined other rodent models and found differences in lung inflammatory responses, some of which led to clearance and survival even when high challenge doses were used. Together, the results suggest that the Y. pestis pgm locus encodes previously unappreciated virulence factors required for the induction of pneumonic plague that are independent of iron scavenging from the mammalian host.


Numerous countries like China, France and Japan have declared Artificial Intelligence (AI) a key technology and announced comprehensive plans to promote research and development in AI. The German government has also begun to work on an AI strategy and just published a first blueprint with the core themes. In this paper, we argue that such a strategy needs to be broad and comprehensive, focusing on the development of an internationally-competitive AI ecosystem in Germany.
A strong AI ecosystem is characterized by strong networks between science, economic actors (big companies and startups alike) and society at large. Innovations arise in particular from close exchanges and collaboration between researchers, developers, universities, companies, investors and startups. To promote such an ecosystem, a wide range of different political measures on different levels have to be integrated into a broader, comprehensive strategy.
This paper discusses the central building blocks of an AI ecosystem in Germany, and offers concrete ideas and recommendations for an AI strategy based on this ecosystem approach.
1. AI research: Compared to other countries, Germany is lagging behind in research expenditures and must drastically increase them. Research support needs to be open to different technological approaches within AI. It also needs to be more agile to better react to emerging trends and new opportunities in AI research. Better work conditions overall are needed to compete for the best AI talent worldwide as well as clear benchmarks to measure progress in AI research.
2. Development of AI competencies across society: We do not only need top research. We also need broadly distributed AI competencies in society. Thus AI should not only be taught in computer sciences, but core AI modules should also be integrated into engineering and natural science programs, and be taught at schools of applied sciences.
3. Data as a basic resource for AI development: A strong AI ecosystem needs data for research and for the development of AI applications in industry, particularly with regard to deep learning (DL). This dimension of the ecosystem needs far more attention in Germany. Possible approaches to mobilize data for AI include the development of data pools and more advanced methods of anonymizing or synthesizing data. It is hard to compete with the big Internet platforms from the United States and China in terms of quantity of data. Instead, special emphasis on machine data, quality of data and alternative approaches to AI that can work with little data could be the cornerstones of an alternative path to a strong AI ecosystem. 4. Infrastructure demands for AI: Deep learning requires not only huge amounts of data but also great computing power. A national AI strategy would address the question of how we can ensure middle- and long-term access to the most powerful processing hardware possible for German AI research and applications.
5. AI development and AI application in the economy: The German economy and industry already struggles with digitalization. AI exacerbates this issue because it represents the next step of digitalization. Small- and medium-sized businesses in Germany, known as the Mittelstand, especially need support. This support could be, for example, through state-funded AI laboratories, in which companies can experiment with AI with little risk and at low costs. Mobilizing venture capital through public funds and providing better incentives for AI investments represent two more critical challenges. 6. Societal dimension of AI: The ethical and regulatory questions regarding AI need to be openly discussed and require input from many different stakeholders in German society. Here, we already see numerous initiatives and approaches, representing the topic's arrival on the political agenda. However, more has to be done to make AI competencies and technologies more familiar within society.
7. A national AI strategy in an international context: Germany can only succeed in the international competition in the long-term as part of an EU-wide approach. Striving for cooperation with France offers the chance to push for a comprehensive European AI strategy. Germany, and Europe as a whole, have to become more conscious of their strategic interests in AI and act accordingly.
A German AI strategy should focus on the ecosystem approach and propose concrete ideas and recommendations. The strategy also needs to address how we can identify and, if possible, measure how the strategy is being implemented, and how the AI ecosystem in Germany is developing. There are many important indicators that policy makers should consult in order to evaluate the effect of their actions: the attractiveness of German institutes and universities for leading international AI researchers, the number and quality of AI patents, achievements in publishing and visibility at the most important international AI conferences, venture capital investments, the founding of firms, or the number of companies with strong AI competencies and their growth. The good thing is that Germany does not have to start from scratch; numerous countries have already published national AI strategies in which many good ideas can be found. Now is the time for Germany to follow suit. Only then can Germany become a leader of AI development.


This thesis offers an examination of egg-collecting, which was a very popular pastime in Britain from the Victorian era well into the twentieth century. Collectors, both young and old, would often spend whole days and sometimes longer trips in a wide variety of different habitats, from sea shores to moorlands, wetlands to craggy mountainsides, searching for birds' nests and the bounty to be found within them. Once collectors had found and taken eggs, they emptied out the contents; hence, they were really eggshell collectors. Some egg collectors claimed that egg-collecting was not just a hobby but a science, going by the name of oology, and seeking to establish oology as a recognised sub-discipline of ornithology, these collectors or oologists established formal institutions such as associations and societies, attended meetings where they exhibited unusual finds, and also contributed to specialist publications dedicated to oology. Egg-collecting was therefore many things at once: a culture of the British countryside, from where many eggs were taken; a culture of natural history, taking on the trappings of a science; and a culture of enthusiasm, providing a consuming passion for many collectors. By the early twentieth century, however, opposing voices were increasingly being raised, by conservation groups and other observers, about the impact that egg-collecting was having on bird populations and on the welfare of individual birds. By mid-century the tide had turned against the collectors, and egg-collecting in Britain was largely outlawed in 1954, with further restrictions imposed in 1981.

While many egg collections have been lost or destroyed, some have been donated to museums, including Glasgow Museums (GM), which holds in its collections over 30,000 eggs. As a Collaborative Doctoral Award involving the University of Glasgow and GM, the project outlined in this thesis aims to bring to light and to life these egg collections, the activities of the collectors who originally built them, and the wider world of British egg-collecting. By researching archival material held by Glasgow Museums, published specialist egg-collecting journals and other published sources, as well as the eggs as a material archive, this thesis seeks to recover some of the practices and preoccupations of egg collectors. It also recounts the practical activities carried out during the course of the project at GM, particularly those involving a collection of eggs newly donated to the museum during the course of this project, culminating in a new temporary display of birds' eggs at Glasgow Museums Resource Centre.


The advent of cloud computing has driven away the notion of having sophisticated hardware devices for performing computing intensive tasks. This feature is very essential for resource-constrained devices. In mobile cloud computing, it is sufficient that the device be a thin client i.e. which concentrates solely on providing a graphical user interface to the end-user and the processing is done in the cloud. We focus on adaptive display virtualization where the display updates are computed in advance using synchronization techniques and classifying the job as computationally intensive or not based on the complexity of the program and the interaction pattern. Based on application, the next possible key-press is identified and those particular frames are pre-fetched into the local buffer. Based on these two factors, a decision is then made whether to execute the job locally or in the cloud or whether we must take the next frame from the local buffer or pull it from server. Jobs requiring greater interaction are executed locally in the mobile to reduce interaction delay. If a job is to be executed in the cloud, then the results of the processing alone are sent via the network to the device. The parameters are varied in runtime based on network conditions and application parameters to minimise the interaction delay.


Apart from the traditional division "the teacher-centered" or "the student-centered education" the third option is, according to my mind and experience, more promising, more effective and more flexible. Namely, "the teacher-centered" education looks like an obsolete and worn-out concept, while "the student-centered" is mostly recognized as contemporary approach which must totally replace the old concept with predominant teacher's authority. The teacher-centered notion encapsulates teachers as the focal points of education. In other words teachers are organizers who rule the whole process of education, while students are mostly passive observers which active participation is strictly limited. On the other hand "the student-centered" education allegedly eliminates all major deficiencies of traditional authoritarian style fostering students' participation in all phases of education. The focus is shifted from teaching to learning (from teachers to students). The solution seems workable, efficient and self-evident - which is not the case. Instead of two extreme positions the third option emerges as more efficient; "the quality-centered education". The purpose of my paper is to prove the benefits of the "third approach" and define its major characteristics.


Temperature variability in the Southwest US is investigated using skew-normal probability distribution functions (SN PDFs) fitted to observed wintertime daily maximum temperature records. These PDFs vary significantly between years, with important geographical differences in the relationship between the central tendency and tails, revealing differing linkages between weather and climate. The warmest and coldest extremes do not necessarily follow the distribution center. In some regions one tail of the distribution shows more variability than does the other. For example, in California the cold tail is more variable while the warm tail remains relatively stable, so warm years are associated with fewer cold extremes but not necessarily more warm extremes. The opposite relationship is seen in the Great Plains. Changes in temperature PDFs are conditioned by different phases of El Niño-La Niña (ENSO) and the Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO). In the Southern Great Plains, La Niña and/or negative PDO are associated with generally warmer conditions. However, in terms of extremes, while the warm tails become thicker and longer, the cool tails are not impacted—extremely warm days become more frequent but extremely cool days are not less frequent. In contrast, in coastal California, La Niña or negative PDO bring generally cooler conditions with more/stronger cold extremes but the warm extreme probability is not significantly affected. These results could have implications for global warming. If a rigid shift of the whole range occurs, then warm years are not necessarily a good analogue for a warmer climate. If global warming instead brings regional changes more aligned with a preferred state of dominant climate variability modes, then we may see asymmetric changes in the tails of local temperature PDFs.


The case format highlights key issues in presenting features, diagnosis, management, and prevention, and lends itself well to cases of infection. Those chosen reflect both common and important pathogens/infections, and less frequent but important conditions in terms of the outcome or the risk of onward spread. The cases are divided according to the main organ systems, such as respiratory and gastrointestinal, with a section for systemic infections and miscellaneous for those cases that do not neatly fit into any category. The book focuses on ensuring that the reader is aware of how to confirm a diagnosis rapidly, with references throughout to evolving laboratory techniques, provides advice on therapy, discusses recent epidemiological features, and addresses areas where there is some controversy. A combination of clinical photographs, imaging, laboratory illustrations, tables, and figures are included to highlight key points or features. Further reading provides information on aspects where there are ongoing developments. For the trainee in clinical microbiology and infection, it is not possible to cover all aspects of any curriculum in this format, and they are recommended to consult other sources. However, the cases presented will assist both them and their trainers in keeping abreast of recent developments and reminding them of key principles.


*These authors contributed equally to this work Purpose: To evaluate the effect of postoperative adjuvant transarterial chemoembolization (PA-TACE) on the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with macroscopic bile duct tumor thrombus (BDTT). Patients and Methods: This study included 109 patients who underwent R0 resection for HCC with BDTT between January 2008 and December 2017: non-TACE (48) and PA-TACE (61). Propensity-score matching (PSM) was conducted in a 1:1 ratio. Recurrence and overall survival (OS) rates were analyzed using the Kaplan–Meier method. Independent risk factors were identified by univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. Subgroup analysis was performed by risk-factor stratification. Results: The recurrence rates in the non-TACE and PA-TACE groups were different at 6 months (50.9% vs 26.9%, P=0.03) before PSM and at 6 months (59.3% vs 26.5%, P=0.02) and 12 months (81.4% vs 37.5%, P=0.022) after PSM. OS rates of the non-TACE and PA-TACE groups were different at 6 months (74.0% vs 91.6%, P<0.001) and 12 months (61.1% vs 77.6%, P=0.01) before PSM and at 6 months (73.0% vs 96.8%, P=0.01), 12 months (52.1% vs 89.6%, P=0.001), and 18 months (33.8% vs 64.4%, P=0.034) after PSM. PA-TACE was an independent prognostic factor for both recurrence and OS before and after PSM. Subgroup analysis showed that patients with no HBV infection, tumors >5 cm, macrovascular invasion, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) >400 ng/mL, or gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) >150 U/L benefited significantly from PA-TACE in terms of recurrence rates (all P<0.05). Patients with no HBV infection, multiple tumors, tumors >5 cm, macrovascular invasion, or AFP >400 ng/mL benefited significantly from PATACE in terms of OS (all P<0.05). Conclusion: PA-TACE could prolong the short-term prognosis of HCC with macroscopic BDTT and should be recommended for patients with no HBV infection, multiple tumors, tumors >5 cm, poor differentiation, macrovascular invasion, AFP >400 ng/mL, or GGT >150 U/L.


BACKGROUND
There is evidence that renal transplant recipients have accelerated atherosclerosis that is manifest by increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The high incidence of atherosclerosis is, in part, related to increased arterial stiffness, vascular dysfunction, elevated oxidative stress, and inflammation associated with immunosuppressive therapy. The carotenoid astaxanthin has shown potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

OBJECTIVE
The aim was to investigate the effects of oral astaxanthin on arterial stiffness, oxidative stress, and inflammation in renal transplant recipients.

DESIGN
This trial used a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind design in which 61 patients received either 12 mg astaxanthin/d or an identical placebo orally for 1 y. Primary outcomes were 1) arterial stiffness measured by aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV), 2) oxidative stress assessed by total plasma F2-isoprostanes, and 3) inflammation assessed by plasma pentraxin-3. Secondary outcomes included vascular function, carotid artery intima-media thickness, augmentation index, central blood pressure, subendocardial viability ratio, and additional measures of oxidative stress and inflammation. Patients underwent assessments at baseline and at 6 and 12 mo.

RESULTS
Fifty-eight participants completed the study. There were no significant between-group differences in the changes in any of the primary outcome measures (PWV changed by +9.5% and +6.0%, F2-isoprostanes changed by -3.0% and -9.7%, and pentraxin-3 changed by +50.6% and -11.0% in the placebo and astaxanthin groups, respectively). There were no significant between-group differences in secondary outcome measures. Larger-than-expected variability decreased the power of the study and increased the possibility of a type 2 statistical error.

CONCLUSION
Astaxanthin (12 mg/d for 12 mo) had no effect on arterial stiffness, oxidative stress, or inflammation in renal transplant recipients. This trial was registered at the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (http://www.anzctr.org.au/) as ACTRN12608000159358.


Global agreements to mitigate climate change, conserve biodiversity or combat desertification typically take center stage in scholarly discussions about international environmental politics. Even though the United Nations Environment Programme reported ten years ago that regional agreements make up two-thirds of all international treaties, regional cooperation has by comparison either received scant attention or been conceptually and empirically lumped together with global treaties. This lack of knowledge about the historical and current scope of regional governance is a serious obstacle to understanding the architecture of global environmental governance and to overcoming current bottlenecks in international environmental cooperation. In response, we report on the outcome of an analysis that complements the most comprehensive database on international environmental agreements (iea.uoregon.edu) with variables for analysis at the regional level. We introduce a multidimensional typology of regional agreements based on contiguous/noncontiguous agreement membership, contiguous/noncontiguous spatial ambit, and whether membership and ambit are adjoining and/or coextensive. We discuss the theoretical and empirical relevance of the different types of agreements and the nature and prevalence of special cases. Given the previous lack of research in this area, our primary purpose is to present a systematic account of regional environmental governance, leaving causal analysis to our own and others' future research. We identify a number of knowledge gaps and analytical directions in the conclusion.


Abstract Fine‐scale spatial genetic structure of populations results from social and spatial behaviors of individuals such as sex‐biased dispersal and philopatry. However, the demographic history of a given population can override such socio‐spatial factors in shaping genetic variability when bottlenecks or founder events occurred in the population. Here, we investigated whether socio‐spatial organization determines the fine‐scale genetic structure for both sexes in a Mediterranean mouflon (Ovis gmelini musimon × Ovis sp.) population in southern France 60 years after its introduction. Based on multilocus genotypes at 16 loci of microsatellite DNA (n = 230 individuals), we identified three genetic groups for females and two for males, and concurrently defined the same number of socio‐spatial units using both GPS‐collared individuals (n = 121) and visual resightings of marked individuals (n = 378). The socio‐spatial and genetic structures did not match, indicating that the former was not the main driver of the latter for both sexes. Beyond this structural mismatch, we found significant, yet low, genetic differentiation among female socio‐spatial groups, and no genetic differentiation in males, with this suggesting female philopatry and male‐biased gene flow, respectively. Despite spatial disconnection, females from the north of the study area were genetically closer to females from the south, as indicated by the spatial analysis of the genetic variability, and this pattern was in accordance with the common genetic origin of their founders. To conclude, more than 14 generations later, genetic signatures of first introduction are not only still detectable among females, but they also represent the main factor shaping their present‐time genetic structure.


In this paper we confirm the existence of improvements of firm productivity when domestic upstream and downstream firms become more internationalized and therefore offshore (import intermediate inputs) and inshore (export final output for intermediate input usage) intensively. China's accession to the WTO, which in the case of Belgium reduced trade barriers to China, help us confirm that these inter-industry productivity improvements can also be generated form a quasi-trade liberalization event. Upstream linkages are the dominant source of these productivity benefits and are reaped mainly from medium-low tech, labor intensive and upstream industries. Finally, we draw upon the importance of biases in our results from misspecifications common in the literature. From ignoring the dynamic nature of productivity, results appear overestimated or with sign reversals. From estimating a value-added instead of a gross-output production function, results become spurious.


Histological reporting of hepatic resections of colorectal liver metastases (CRLMs) is limited to confirmation of diagnosis and evaluation of resection margins. More exhaustive diagnostic reporting might be warranted. Here, we critically and systematically review the potentially important histological prognostic factors in CRLM. Histological features such as intrahepatic spread, resection margins, and tumour response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy have been defined. Intrahepatic spread (venous, lymphatic, bile duct and perineural invasion) was evaluated in a number of studies. Meta-analysis demonstrated a clear correlation between 5-year overall survival and both portal vein invasion (RR 1.8, 95% CI 1.3–2.5) and lymphatic invasion (RR 1.7, 95% CI 1.4–2.0). The impact of hepatic vein invasion and bile duct invasion on outcome is not clear. Perineural invasion was linked to survival in one study. Resection margin is an important prognostic factor; however, the significance of the width of negative margins remains controversial. Various studies have evaluated tumour response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, but different grading systems were used, and definite recommendations cannot be made. In conclusion, with the high incidence of CRLM and the increase in the number of hepatic resections, we need well-defined prognostic factors, studied in homogeneous patient populations, to optimize diagnostic work-up. This review identifies several of these factors.


A re there limits on how fast a physical effect can propagate in a system? The answer to this fundamental question has far-reaching consequences for practically any dynamic system we want to use or understand, from media for sending long-distance messages to extended bodies approaching thermal equilibrium. In a pioneering 1972 study, Elliott Lieb and Derek Robinson showed that the speed at which a physical effect could travel through a collection of interacting particles always has an upper limit [1]. The existence of the Lieb-Robinson bound, however, assumes that the particles are locally interacting, whereas many forms of "complex matter" of interest today involve long-range interactions. In a trio of papers, researchers now establish a bound for many long-range systems as well [2-4]. The findings settle a recent debate over if and when such bounds exist, and they may have implications for the choice of platform for quantum computation and other quantum technologies. You may have raised an eyebrow upon reading that the Lieb-Robinson bound was considered a discovery. After all, special relativity says that the speed of light is the ultimate limit on how fast a signal can travel, and this limit is built into the quantum field theory that describes the interactions between elementary particles. But researchers are also interested in whether an intrinsic limit on the speed of a physical effect exists simply by virtue of the way a system's particles interact. This limit determines, for instance, how quickly a jolt to an atom in a solid will influence a distant atom's behavior. When Lieb and Robinson explored this bound, they used a lattice of spins as a generic model of matter on a microscopic scale, where quantum mechanics prevails. The interactions in their model refer, for instance, to the energy cost of two spins pointing in opposite directions. The interactions are also short-ranged because the energy cost falls off exponentially with the distance between two spins, as exp(−x/d). Lieb and Robinson defined their "physical effect" as a correlation between two distant spins. Consider, for instance, a lattice with all spins initially aligned upwards (Fig. 1). Now imagine flipping one spin at x = 0. It will mainly stir its closest neighbors, which will stir theirs, and so on, and it will take some time t before a spin at a distant point x feels the initial flip. Lieb and Robinson quantified this correlation onset between distant spins with a so-called commutator, a mathematical object involving the quantum spin operator acting at x = 0 and t = 0 and the quantum spin operator acting at x and t. They showed that there is always a velocity v such that the "norm" of this commutator is negligibly small when x > vt. In modern language, physicists would say the speed of a physical effect is bound to an effective light cone (Fig. 1)-akin to the causal light cone of relativity. The slope of this cone is v, and the fact that it's constant means that the bound doesn't speed up or slow down with time.


Naturally fractured reservoirs such as the Marcellus shale require an integrated reservoir modeling approach to determine well spacing and well-to-well interference. The Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory (MSEEL) is a joint project between universities, companies, and government to develop and test new completion technologies and acquire a robust understanding of the Marcellus shale. The study presented in this paper aims to reveal an approach to determine reservoir depletion with time through coupled geological modeling and geomechanical evaluation followed by completion and well performance history matching for a multiwell pad in the Marcellus shale.
 The geomechanical model was prepared with interpreted vertical log data. A discrete natural fracture (DFN) model was created and used to determine the complexity of hydraulic fracture geometry simulated through complex fracture models on a two well pad. The microseismic data obtained during the hydraulic fracture simulations served as a constraining parameter for the hydraulic fracture footprint in these wells. Sensitivity to the DFN is realized by parametric variations of DFN properties to achieve a calibrated fracture geometry. Reservoir simulation and history matching the well production data confirmed the subsurface production response to the hydraulic fractures. Well spacing sensitivity was done to reveal the optimum distance that the wells need to be spaced to maximize recovery and number of wells per section.
 Hydraulic fracture geometry was found to be a result of the calibration parameters, such as horizontal stress anisotropy, fracturing fluid leakoff, and the DFN. The availability of microseismic data and production history matching through integrated numerical simulation are therefore critical elements to bring unique representation of the subsurface reaction to the injected fracturing fluid. This approach can therefore be consistently applied to evaluate well spacing and interference in time for the subsequent wells completed in the Marcellus. With the current completion design and pumping treatments, the optimal well spacing of 990 ft was determined between the wells in this study. However, wells to be completed in the future needs to be modeled due to the heterogeneity in the reservoir properties to ensure that wells are not either underspaced to cause well production interference or overspaced to create upswept hydrocarbon reserves in the formation.
 By adopting the key learnings and approach followed in this paper, operators can maximize subsurface understanding and will be able to place their wellbore in a nongeometric pattern based on reservoir heterogeneity to optimize well spacing and improve recovery.


Burying beetles reproduce on small vertebrate carcasses by exhibiting elaborate biparental brood care. Partner recognition in breeding Nicrophorus species (Coleoptera: Silphidae) relies substantially on information encoded in cuticular hydrocarbon profiles. Until recently, it was unknown whether breeding burying beetles also produce volatile low molecular weight substances and, if so, which functions can be attributed to such volatiles. The present study reports a survey of the volatiles released by males and females of Nicrophorus vespilloides Herbst in nonbreeding status and at different stages of breeding. Headspace analyses are performed by using solid phase micro‐extraction fibres and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The volatiles released by nonbreeding males and females include phenolic compounds, alcohols, aldehydes and ketones and are quite similar in both sexes. With the onset of breeding, the volatile profiles of males and females become distinct, with a number of female‐specific compounds occurring. An analysis of the anal secretions reveals the presence of some of the compounds previously detected in the headspace analysis. The specific chemical properties suggest that some of the volatiles may function against competitors and parasites, such as bacteria, fungi, nematodes and arthropods at the carcass breeding resource. By contrast, the emission of 4‐methyl branched esters by the females closely parallels the emission of the terpenoid methyl geranate and they may function together as a complex signal by the females. Signalling traits associated with biparental care and specific constraints associated with the ephemeral nature of the breeding resource may explain the occurrence of both groups of compounds in the volatile profiles.


In this paper we study the initial boundary value problem for the system −div [ (I +mm )∇p ] = s(x), mt −α ∆m+ |m|m = βm · ∇p∇p in two space dimensions. This problem has been proposed as a continuum model for biological transportation networks. The mathematical challenge is due to the presence of cubic nonlinearities, also known as trilinear forms, in the system. We obtain a weak solution (m, p) with both |∇p| and |∇m| being bounded. The result immediately triggers a bootstrap argument which can yield higher regularity for the weak solution. This is achieved by deriving an equation for ( (I +mm )∇p · ∇p j , j ≥ 1, and then suitably applying the De Giorge iteration method to the equation.


In response to the growing need to effectively manage the large numbers of released prisoners returning into the community, the Office of Justice Programs launched the Reentry Court Initiative (RCI). Nine sites were identified and charged with developing strategies to improve the tracking and supervision of offenders upon release and providing the services necessary to help offenders reconnect with their families and the community. The current article describes the RCI programs. Telephone interviews were conducted with key site contacts from each site. Site visits were conducted to three sites, at which semistructured interviews were held with 28 key stakeholders, including judges, program directors, supervision officers, case managers, and program participants. The sites employed diverse approaches in establishing their programs, with the judicial branch maintaining programmatic authority in five of the eight operational sites, and administrative law judges and/or parole boards serving as the legal authority in the remaining three. All RCI programs required regular court appearances, although not all established a specialized reentry court docket. The majority of sites appeared to offer comprehensive services to their program participants, with case management provided either through a specialized case manager or the supervision officer. Several barriers were common across the RCI sites, particularly the difficulties in obtaining employment, and appropriate, affordable housing for program participants.


Preterm birth is the most important cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality worldwide, and ranks among the top 10 of global causes of burden of disease. Since treatment of threatened preterm delivery has limited effectiveness, the focus is on primary and secondary prevention. Identification of risk indicators in early pregnancy provides the opportunity for preventive measures. To determine the potential impact of individualized risk indicators on the prediction of preterm birth, we reviewed the literature on this topic. Risk indicators for spontaneous preterm birth can be categorized in five groups; characteristics of the individual (ethnicity/race), characteristics of the fetus (fetal gender fetal number and chorionicity), obstetric history (history of preterm birth), modifiable risk indicators (social status, life style, infection) and signs of early labour; potential predictors (sonographic markers, biomarkes). Risk for preterm birth can be seen as a continuous transition from one state to the other...


Tannins are secondary metabolites that may influence feeding by mammals on plants. We analyzed hydrolyzable and condensed tannins in 30 plant species consumed by livestock and deer, as a preliminary attempt to study their possible implications on browsing and grazing in forest ecosystems. Heathers (Ericaceae) and plants of the Rose (Rosaceae) family had tannins, while forbs, grasses and shrubs other than the heathers did not show astringency properties. We found the highest tannin content of all the species in Rubus sp., with the highest value around 180 mg TAE/g dry weight in spring. Potentilla erecta, Alnus glutinosa and Quercus robur were next with 57 to 44 mg TAE/g dw. Total tannins in heathers ranged from 22 to 36 mg TAE/g dw. Levels of condensed tannins were higher than hydrolyzable for most of the species. Only Betula alba, Calluna vulgaris, Pteridium aquilinum and Vaccinium myrtillus had 100% hydrolyzable tannins. Tannin content of the species changed seasonally with highest values during the growing season, corresponding to late winter or early spring, depending on the species.


Noise pollution from wind turbines and blowers operating in the vicinity of residential buildings has in recent years been the focus of intensive research. This paper reports on the outcome of an experimental investigation to reduce the noise pollution through design, build and testing of a counter-rotating-double-row-fan with variable spacing. A single-row fan was selected as the benchmark fan. The mechanical noise and the background ambient noise were measured using the system operating with no-blades. The aerodynamic noise from the fan was then focused and air velocity, shaft-revolution, input-electric-power to fan, amplitude (dB) and Center Frequency (CF) in Hz of noise were measured using frequency-weighting of both "A" and "Linear". Coefficients of performance (COP), dB, CF, Tip speed ratio (TSR) were plotted for a range of spacing between two-blade-rows.It was noticed that double-shaft-fan relative to the benchmark single shaft fan has operated:a) At a lower TSR due to division of the motor power between two shafts.b) At a higher COP of up to 18% due to a higher air velocity generated at the same motor power.c) Quieter at a lower dB (of up to 10 dB).d) At the minimum noise levels (80 dB) at the spacing of 15mm-to-25mm, using the "Lin"-weighting.e) At the minimum noise levels (20 dB) at the spacing of 12mm-to 50 mm when measured at the "A"-weighting.f) With no significant change in frequency of noise when operate at the same TSR.Copyright © 2012 by ASME


On March 1, 2001, Jessica Gallinelli, managing director of Bancroft Capital Management, heard surprising and somewhat disturbing news about the proposed bid by General Electric Company (GE) for Honeywell International Inc. Despite recent public assurances about the deal from GEâ¬"s chairman and chief executive officer (CEO), John F. â¬SJackâ¬? Welch, Jr., the antitrust regulatory authority of the European Commission (EC) announced it had initiated a review of the proposed merger. Gallinelli, whose fund owned a large stake in Honeywell, considered this major development and wondered whether Bancroft should alter its investment.Immediately, Gallinelli instructed her associate to provide background material on the merger, an assessment of the probability the merger would be approved by antitrust regulators in the U.S. and Europe, and valuation analyses to assist Gallinelli in assessing Bancroftâ¬"s investment in Honeywell. She would need to decide quickly whether to hold or sell her fundâ¬"s 10 million shares in Honeywell and short position of 10 million shares in GE. As a risk arbitrageur, she thought prices would respond rapidly to the ECâ¬"s announcement. She remembered Jack Welchâ¬"s confidence of five months earlier that this was the â¬Scleanest deal youâ¬"ll ever see,â¬? and she wondered whether that was still the case.


In areas with prolonged extensional histories or multiple episodes of extension, temporally distinct extensional fault systems, including dip-slip-normal, oblique-slip, and/or strike-slip faults, may form. These fault systems may be spatially distinct, overlapped, or completely superimposed, and different fault systems may have different fault strikes and extension directions. Although fault strike is not a very sensitive indicator of principal stress directions, changes through time in fault strike of as much as 90° exceed the uncertainty. Overprinted extensional fault systems of different ages with significantly different (to 90°) fault strikes and extension directions provide strong evidence of changes in the regional stress field with time. Tens of millions of years of extension occurred in the Basin and Range Province of the United States and many temporally distinct fault sets formed through that time. We document at least four extensional episodes and the fault kinematics of each, where possible, in the central Hiko Range, eastern Nevada. The four Cenozoic extensional events are prevolcanic, synvolcanic, postvolcanic Miocene–Pliocene (?), and postvolcanic Pliocene (?)–Quaternary. The prevolcanic faults strike north-south and are interpreted as footwall faults to the regional Eocene–Oligocene Snake-Stampede extensional system, which caused approximately east-west extension. The synvolcanic faults are late Oligocene–Miocene age and strike east-west. Although they are rare and have minor offset, they accommodated north-south–directed extension. Postvolcanic faults, part of the Timpahute lineament, are approximately east-west– striking normal and northeast-striking oblique-slip faults. They also accommodated approximately north-south extension during Miocene time. The northeast-striking left-normal oblique-slip fault set formed as new faults and records a change between north-south and east-west extension in Miocene time. Later east-west extension occurred along the Pliocene (?) to Quaternary Hiko fault zone. These four overprinted extensional systems show two separate changes in normal fault strike of ∼90°, from north-south to east- west and from east-west back to north-south. Consequently, the extension direction similarly changed through time. We suggest that causes for the changes in direction of upper crustal extension include a change from stresses created by (1) plate interactions, which generated approximately east-west extension, to (2) mantle motions, which generated approximately north-south extension, and (3) back again. The extension related to mantle motions is associated with a band of volcanism that passed across the northern Basin and Range Province, moving generally from north to south, during the protracted period of extension. Therefore, a change from plate boundary– or interaction-derived stresses to mantle- or volcanism-related stresses and back again is possible.


This bachelor thesis investigates the discourses on violence among pupils in a school environment. The overall aim is to gain knowledge on how it is researched, interpreted and understood. The methods employed are genealogical analysis, discourse analysis and intersectional analysis. The analyzed texts consist of research reports, articles, dissertations and government authority guidelines. The theoretical framework drawn upon is post modernistic theory, social constructivism and intersectional theory. The main finding of the genealogical study may be that the "Olweus-discourse" may be construed as s dominating understanding of violence in school environment. In the Swedish National Agency for Education's guidelines the violence among pupils in schools is represented by "harassment" and "violations", whereas the recommended actions are mainly bureaucratic. The main conclusion of the intersectional analysis is that the studies guidelines might reinforce processes of normalization and that the Skolverket does not question the implications of the significant difference it refers to. All three studies suggest that a discourse of "systematic violence" as an understanding of violence between pupils in school is widespread. This bachelor thesis raises further questions about how discourse is further realized and how the performance of power in school environment is reinforced through "systematic violence".


At the turn of the 20 th century, the United States was widely considered to be a world leader in matters of child protection and welfare, a reputation lost by the century's end. This paper suggests that the United States' loss of international esteem concerning child welfare was directly related to its practice of executing juvenile off enders. The paper analyzes why the United States continued to carry out the juvenile death penalty after the establishment of juvenile courts and other protections for child criminals. Two factors allowed the United States to continue the juvenile death penalty after most states in the international system had ended the practice: the politics of American federalism and a system of racial subordination that excluded some juvenile off enders from the umbrella of child protection measures, a conclusion suggesting that racial prejudice has interfered with U.S. compliance with international norms of child welfare and juvenile justice.


We investigated the performance of a flight model of the position-sensitive tissue-equivalent proportional chamber (PS-TEPC) by irradiating with heavy-ion beams prior to launch to the International Space Station. The flight model operated stably with an effective gas gain of 1000 under a sealed gas. This gain was almost consistent with the effective gas gain under a gas flow. Energies of H, C, Si and Fe beams measured using the PS-TEPC flight model agreed well with calculations using the SRIM2008 code. Energy resolutions of 9.7% and 3.8% were obtained for the C and Fe beams, respectively. The uncertainties in dose equivalents were estimated to be better than 30% assuming both the theoretical model and best-fit function of linear energy transfer and referring to previously reported integrated dose fractions for an actual spacecraft. These features of the flight model satisfy the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements criteria for space dosimeters.


The Na(+)/Ca(2+)-exchanger (NCX) is the main mechanism by which Ca(2+) is transported out of the ventricular myocyte. NCX levels are raised in failing human heart, and the consequences of this for excitation-contraction coupling are still debated. We have increased NCX levels in adult rabbit myocytes by adenovirally-mediated gene transfer and examined the effects on excitation-contraction coupling after 24 and 48 h. Infected myocytes were identified through expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP), transfected under a separate promoter on the same viral construct. Control experiments were done with both non-infected myocytes and those infected with adenovirus expressing GFP only. Contraction amplitude was markedly reduced in NCX-overexpressing myocytes at either time point, and neither increasing frequency nor raising extracellular Ca(2+) could reverse this depression. Resting membrane potential and action potential duration were largely unaffected by NCX overexpression, as was peak Ca(2+) entry via the L-type Ca(2+) channel. Systolic and diastolic Ca(2+) levels were significantly reduced, with peak systolic Ca(2+) in NCX-overexpressing myocytes lower than diastolic levels in control cells at 2 m m extracellular Ca(2+). Both cell relengthening and the decay of the Ca(2+) transient were significantly slowed. Sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca(2+) stores were completely depleted in a majority of myocytes, and remained so despite increasingly vigorous loading protocols. Depressed contractility following NCX overexpression is therefore related to decreased SR Ca(2+) stores and low diastolic Ca(2+) levels rather than reduced Ca(2+) entry.


In this paper, a new capacitance extraction method called the dimension-reduction technique (DRT) is presented for three-dimensional (3-D) very large-scale integration (VLSI) interconnects. The DRT converts a complex 3-D problem into a series of cascading simple two-dimensional (2-D) problems. Each 2-D problem is solved separately, thus we can choose the most efficient method according to the arrangement of conductors. We have used the DRT to extract the capacitance matrix of multilayered and multiconductor crossovers, bends, vias with signal lines, and open-end. The results are in close agreement with those of Ansoft's SPICELINK and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) FastCap, but the computing time and memory size used by the DRT are several (even ten) times less than those used by SPICELINK and FastCap.


Background: Mesenchymal cancer cells, resistant to the traditional regulated cell death, are exquisitely vulnerable to ferroptosis. However, the underlying mechanism has been rarely studied. While glycolipid metabolism rewiring is a critical determination of both cancer cell mesenchymal phenotype and cell death resistance, we are interested in the underlying cross talk between glycolipid metabolism and mesenchymal cancer cell ferroptosis sensitivity. Methods: CCK-8, western blot and clone forming assay were used to access the effect of glucose on mesenchymal cancer cell ferroptosis susceptibility and O-GlcNAcylation level. GEPIA database, shRNA knockdown and various pharmacological inhibitors were used to analyze the relationship between O-GlcNAcylation and mesenchymal cancer cell ferroptosis in vitro and in vivo. A series of experiments were conducted to investigate the underlying mechanisms of glucose induced ZEB1 O-GlcNAcylation on mesenchymal cancer cell ferroptosis susceptibility. Results: Mesenchymal pancreatic cancer cells O-GlcNAcylation level and ferroptosis cell death was significantly increased under high glucose condition in vitro and in vivo. O-GlcNAcylation of ZEB1, rather than other transcription factors, was involved in this process. Mechanistically, glucose triggered ZEB1 O-GlcNAcylation at Ser555 site enhanced its stabilization and nuclear translocation, induced lipogenesis associated genes, FASN and FADS2, transcription activity, which ultimately resulted in lipid peroxidation dependent mesenchymal pancreatic cancer cell ferroptosis. Conclusions: These results identify a novel role of glycolipid metabolism and O-GlcNAcylation in mesenchymal cancer cells ferroptosis susceptibility, which broaden the molecular mechanism of ferroptosis and suggested a potential clinical therapeutic strategy for refractory tumors.


widening of the heart shadow and a small amount of fluid at the right lung base. The electrocardiogram showed some S-T elevation in V1-7 with later lowering of T. Pyrexia in this attack lasted for four days. The Wassermann reaction was negative. Three specimens of faeces gave negative cultures for HeLa cells and two specimens of serum gave negative monkey kidney tissue culture neutralization tests with the five types of Coxsackie virus, sub-group B. He took his own discharge after six days and has reported by letter. Three months after discharge he stated that he was very well and had had no further chest pain.