Introduction Striatal dopamine transporter (DAT) imaging using 123I-ioflupane single photon positron emitted computed tomography (SPECT) (DaTScan, GE) identifies 5−20% of newly diagnosed Parkinson's disease (PD) subjects enrolling in clinical studies to have scans without evidence of dopaminergic deficit (SWEDD). These individuals meet diagnostic criteria for PD, but do not clinically progress as expected, and they are not believed to have neurodegenerative Parkinsonism. Inclusion of SWEDD participants in PD biomarker studies or therapeutic trials may therefore cause them to fail. DaTScan can identify SWEDD individuals, but it is expensive and not widely available; an alternative imaging approach is needed. Here, we evaluate the use of neuromelanin-sensitive, iron-sensitive, and diffusion contrasts in substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) to differentiate SWEDD from PD individuals. Methods Neuromelanin-sensitive, iron-sensitive, and diffusion imaging data for SWEDD, PD, and control subjects were downloaded from the Parkinson's progression markers initiative (PPMI) database. SNpc volume, SNpc iron (R2), and SNpc free water (FW) were measured for each participant. Results Significantly smaller SNpc volume was seen in PD as compared to SWEDD (P < 10–3) and control (P < 10–3) subjects. SNpc FW was elevated in the PD group relative to controls (P = 0.017). No group difference was observed in SNpc R2. Conclusion In conclusion, nigral volume and FW in the SWEDD group were similar to that of controls, while a reduction in nigral volume and increased FW were observed in the PD group relative to SWEDD and control participants. These results suggest that these MRI measures should be explored as a cost-effective alternative to DaTScan for evaluation of the nigrostriatal system.


A novel Schiff base derivative, 4,4'-(propane-1,3-diylbis(azanylylidene))bis(naphthalen-1(4H)one) (PAN), was synthesized from the reaction of 1,4-naphthoquinone with 1,3-diaminopropane. Synthesized substance was characterized by using 1H and 13C NMR, FT-IR, UV–Vis spectroscopies and elemental analyses. Optimized geometry, geometric parameters, molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) diagram and vibrational wavenumbers of the PAN were calculated by using Density Functional Theory (DFT) at B3LYP/6-311G(d,p) level. 1Hand 13C-NMR chemical shifts were theoretically obtained using the gauge independent atomic orbital (GIAO) method with mentioned level of theory. Furthermore electronic transitions, frontier molecular orbital energies (FMOs) such as HOMO and LUMO were also calculated by timedependent DFT (TD-DFT) approach. Theoretically calculated spectroscopic data were found to be quite compatible with those obtained experimentally.


NHK has been doing research on satellite broadcasting as a new broadcasting medium and on HDTV as a new television service since the 1960s. Now, HDTV services via satellite and terrestrial digital broadcasting have been achieved worldwide. As the next step, NHK is moving forward with research and development on an ultra high definition TV as a future television service that goes beyond HDTV. NHK called it Super Hi-Vision. We believe that our experience in the research and standardization processes for HDTV technology will be greatly useful in our efforts to realize Super Hi-Vision.


Time underlies many interesting human behaviors. Thus, the question of how to represent time in connectionist models is very important. One approach is to represent time implicitly by its effects on processing rather than explicitly (as in a spatial representation). The current report develops a proposal along these lines first described by Jordan (1986) which involves the use of recurrent links in order to provide networks with a dynamic memory. In this approach, hidden unit patterns are fed back to themselves; the internal representations which develop thus reflect task demands in the context of prior internal states. A set of simulations is reported which range from relatively simple problems (temporal version of XOR) to discovering syntactic/semantic features for words. The networks are able to learn interesting internal representations which incorporate task demands with memory demands; indeed, in this approach the notion of memory is inextricably bound up with task processing. These representations reveal a rich structure, which allows them to be highly context-dependent while also expressing generalizations across classes of items. These representations suggest a method for representing lexical categories and the type/token distinction.


Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) has been defined as ideas, inventions, and creative expressions based on which there is a public willingness to bestow the status of property. IPR provide certain exclusive rights to the inventors or creators of that property, in order to enable them to reap commercial benefits from their creative efforts or reputation. There are several types of intellectual property protection like patent, copyright, trademark, etc. Patent is recognition for an invention, which satisfies the criteria of global novelty, non-obviousness, and industrial application. IPR is prerequisite for better identification, planning, commercialization, rendering, and thereby protection of invention or creativity. Each industry should evolve its own IPR policies, management style, strategies, and so on depending on its area of specialty. Pharmaceutical industry currently has an evolving IPR strategy requiring a better focus and approach in the coming era.Indian pharmaceutical industry is growing at the faster rate. On the other hand, Indian pharma companies are looking for global business opportunities in the form of export business, contract research and clinical trials. Many Indian companies started realizing the importance of Intellectual Property Rights. The volume of money spent on R&D also growing to a greater extent. There are many challenges faced by the Indian pharma companies' right from their initial investment to strengthen their R&D and up to obtainment of Patent and other IP Protection for their new innovations. There are many legal formalities are to be carried out for drug discovery, documentation, clinical trials etc., Cost of investment, expiry of patented drugs, lack of clinical trials, more legal formalities, complications in obtaining IP Protection are the major problems faced by Indian Pharmaceutical Companies. This study mainly focused on both the problems encountered by the companies as well as the opportunities available for Indian Pharmaceutical Companies in the form of IPR. The common problems associated with IPR with special reference to Indian Pharma Companies led to greater opportunity for this study.As Indian pharmaceutical companies start truly investing in R&D and developing their own molecules available for patenting, it is undeniable that they will want to protect their innovation through patents. Therefore, the Indian government ought to be promoting and protecting patents of multinational companies too. Patent protections and other forms of Intellectual Property (IP) rights are important for industry and R&D. Without strong protections companies, especially pharmaceutical companies do not have incentives for R&D or developing new, innovative drugs. KeywordsIntellectual Property Rights, Patent, Research & Development, Clinical Trials, Copyrights,


The introduction of Executive Information Systems (EIS) to the health-care industry has brought confusion over the relationship between EIS and Decision Support Systems (DSS). This article describes how EIS is distinguished from DSS by its technical origins, the ways decision-makers use both systems, and the process of building and using EIS and DSS. As hospitals become more adept at using the features which EIS technology offers, the inherent differences between EIS and DSS will become even more apparent.


In the aim to prevent and manage major accidents on an industrial site, many methodologies and directives have been developed. But, in France no formalised methodology has been proposed to competent authorities to determine a risk level of an industrial site. A first work of methodologies' synthesis permitted to propose some basis of a new methodology. This one will be based on the industrial site, the environment and the safety management. To reach this aim, four indexes are developed; the first one concerning the hazard source (the establishment), the second one the flux (the vector of propagation of accident considering the specific environment), the third one the vulnerability of targets (human, environmental or equipment), and finally the fourth one concerning the safety management (prevention and protection actions). This new approach will provide a cartography of risk level for an industrial site and its vicinity to bring a decision help for risk managers and competent authorities.


Automated fact-checking is a needed technology to curtail the spread of online misinformation. One current framework for such solutions proposes to verify claims by retrieving supporting or refuting evidence from related textual sources. However, the realistic use cases for fact-checkers will require verifying claims against evidence sources that could be affected by the same misinformation. Furthermore, the development of modern NLP tools that can produce coherent, fabricated content would allow malicious actors to systematically generate adversarial disinformation for fact-checkers.

In this work, we explore the sensitivity of automated fact-checkers to synthetic adversarial evidence in two simulated settings: ADVERSARIAL ADDITION, where we fabricate documents and add them to the evidence repository available to the fact-checking system, and ADVERSARIAL MODIFICATION, where existing evidence source documents in the repository are automatically altered. Our study across multiple models on three benchmarks demonstrates that these systems suffer significant performance drops against these attacks. Finally, we discuss the growing threat of modern NLG systems as generators of disinformation in the context of the challenges they pose to automated fact-checkers.


. The influence of two biostimulants on leaf gas exchanges and leaf characteristics of English oak ( Quercus robur L.) was evaluated in a urban environment over two growing sea-sons. Trunk diameter and shoot growth were also monitored. Treatments included 1) control (no biostimulants); 2) Root Grow WP™, a commercial hydrosoluble powder made of a mix of humic acids, marine algae, Yucca extracts, vitamins, amino acids, and nitrogen-fixing bacteria; and 3) Mycobacter DP™, a commercial granular mix of endo- and ectomycorrhizal fungi, biostimulants bacteria, humic acids, carbohydrates, vitamins, acrylamide, Yucca extracts, and marine algae. No statistical differences were found on trunk diameter increase and shoot growth. Photosynthesis, evaporation rate, and water-use efficiency were higher in plants treated with biostimulants than control plants on every observation date. No differences were found regarding leaf fresh/dry weight ratio and specific leaf weight, while chlorophyll content, leaf area, and leaf dry weight were higher in the treated plants, especially in the second year after planting. Nitrogen concentration in leaf tissue was higher in the treated trees, while the content of the other mineral nutrients was not affected by the products. No differences emerged between the two biostimulants used. Though this study supports the utility of biostimulants application as an aid to promote plant establishment in adverse sites, especially in terms of plant physiology, it is difficult to make specific recommendations on their application and on the choice of the best biostimulant product for Quercus robur in our conditions.


This paper reports on the research and data/infrastructure challenges faced in moving pervasive computing technology to large numbers of home deployments from both a controlled clinical and laboratory setting. The purpose of these home deployments is twofold; to provide a number of services to a cohort of elders and to collect a rich array of physiological, environmental and computational context data for clinical study. By adopting a scenario based design framework we can incorporate the results from ethnographic study, ongoing application development to help realise a suite of hardware, software, services and sensors from our
technology platform suitable for in-situ study.


This study investigated the effects of grain storage practices on smallholder farmers' maize marketing behaviour using primary data collected from 413 random households in Makoni and Shamva Districts of Zimbabwe. The data was analysed using the ordered probit model and the study results revealed that storage practices had significant effects on the maize marketing behaviour of smallholder farmers. Storage using insecticide and traditional granary increased the chances of farmers to become net sellers of maize. Using insecticide in storage reduces the amount of grain that is lost in storage hence farmers are able to preserve the amount of grain available for consumption and also for sale. This implies that safe storage of maize may increase household incomes thus reducing poverty. This also contributes to improved food security. Investment in safe grain storage technologies is thus a fundamental key policy issue in developing countries. Quantity harvested, market location, household head's sex and other household factors influenced maize marketing behaviour of smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe.


In this paper we propose a nonmonotone line search combination rule for unconstrained optimization problems and show that it possesses the global convergence property. We establish the corresponding algorithm and illustrate its effectiveness by virtue of some numerical tests. Simulation results indicate that the proposed method is very effective


We demonstrate by high resolution low temperature electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) measurements that the long range ferromagnetic (FM) order in the vanadium- (V-)doped topological insulator Sb_{2}Te_{3} has the nature of van Vleck-type ferromagnetism. The positions and the relative amplitudes of two core-level peaks (L_{3} and L_{2}) of the V EELS spectrum show unambiguous change when the sample is cooled from room temperature to T=10  K. Magnetotransport and comparison of the measured and simulated EELS spectra confirm that these changes originate from the onset of FM order. Crystal field analysis indicates that in V-doped Sb_{2}Te_{3}, partially filled core states contribute to the FM order. Since van Vleck magnetism is a result of summing over all states, this magnetization of core level verifies the van Vleck-type ferromagnetism in a direct manner.


In the development of Diesel engine fuel injection systems it is necessary to have an approximate knowledge of the absolute viscosity of the fuel oil under high hydrostatic pressures. This report presents the results of experimental tests conducted by Mr. Jackson Newton Shore, utilizing the A.S.M.E. high pressure equipment.


A very rapidly convergent solution (in the form of a likelihood ratio test) for the problem of detecting a discrete-time stochastic process in additive white Gaussian noise has been derived. This likelihood ratio test is applied to the problem of moving-target detection as encountered in an airport-surveillance radar system. Using real radar data, the receiver operating characteristics are obtained for two different implementations of this adaptive detection algorithm, and for the three generations of the classical moving-target-detection algorithm presently in use in modern radar systems. The best of the two implementations of the adaptive detection algorithm employs Kalman prediction tapped delay-line filters and attains a minimum of 3 dB average performance improvement relative to the classical moving-targer-detection algorithms.


The Large Volume Detector (LVD) is a 1 kton liquid scintillator detector located at Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, Italy, at the average depth of 3600 m w.e.The experiment has been continuously taking data since June 1992.
The muon dataset collected by LVD over 25 years (from 1992 to 2016) consists of $~5.5 \cdot 10^{7}$ events, being the largest ever provided by a single detector underground. The analysis of the global time series shows a modulation of muon flux underground with period of $T=(365.1\pm0.2)\,$days, an amplitude of 1.5 % and a maximum at the beginning of July. A clear correlation with atmospheric temperature variations is present, with a measured coefficient of ${\alpha_{T}= 0.93 \pm 0.02}$. This is in agreement with the expected value at LVD depth and with the value measured by other experiments in the same underground site.


The PITSLRE kinases belong to the large family of cyclin-dependent protein kinases. Their function has been related to cell-cycle regulation, splicing and apoptosis. We have previously shown that the open reading frame of the p110(PITSLRE) transcript contains an IRES (internal ribosome entry site) that allows the expression of a smaller p58(PITSLRE) isoform during the G2/M stage of the cell cycle. In the present study we investigated further the role of cis- and trans-acting factors in the regulation of the PITSLRE IRES. Progressive deletion analysis showed that both a purine-rich sequence and a Unr (upstream of N-ras) consensus binding site are essential for PITSLRE IRES activity. In line with these observations, we demonstrate that the PITSLRE IRES interacts with the Unr protein, which is more prominently expressed at the G2/M stage of the cell cycle. We also show that phosphorylation of the alpha-subunit of the canonical initiation factor eIF-2 is increased at G2/M. Interestingly, phosphorylation of eIF-2alpha has a permissive effect on the efficiency of both the PITSLRE IRES and the ornithine decarboxylase IRES, two cell cycle-dependent IRESs, in mediating internal initiation of translation, whereas this was not observed with the viral EMCV (encephalomyocarditis virus) and HRV (human rhinovirus) IRESs.


Many of today's interactive server applications are implemented using actor-oriented programming frameworks. Such applications treat actors as a distributed in-memory object-oriented database. However, actor programming frameworks offer few if any database system features, leaving application developers to fend for themselves. It is challenging to add such features because the design space is different than traditional database systems. The system must be scalable to a large number of servers, it must work well with a variety of cloud storage services, and it must integrate smoothly with the actor programming model. We present the vision of an actor-oriented database. We then describe one component of such a system, to support indexed actors, focusing especially on details of the fault tolerance design. We implemented the indexing component in the Orleans actor- oriented programming framework and present the result of initial performance measurements.


A 60-year-old black woman had a large hyperkeratotic lesion and multiple smaller hyperkeratotic papules and plaques on the lower part of her legs in areas of erythema ab igne. Histologic examination of the largest lesion showed hyperplastic carcinoma in situ and the multiple smaller lesions showed varying degrees of squamous cell atypia and dermal elastosis. Histologically, these lesions were identical to solar-induced atypia, indicating that squamous cell carcinoma arising in erythema ab igne may be biologically similar to actinic carcinoma. Discussed here are clinical and histologic features of the thermal-induced lesions and other types of thermal-induced carcinomas.


It is measured that upconversion fluorescent intensity of a new molecule is proportional to the quartic of excitation density. This demonstrates that it is a four-photon absorption process. Furthermore, at high-density ultrashort pulse laser pumping, an emission appears to satisfy four criteria of lasing, including the highly directional emission,the short emission duration, the spectral narrowing, and changing to linear output/input relationship above at hreshold. The experimental results demonstrate that the four-photon-process-induced amplified spontaneous emission occurs.


In some species of insects, individuals with fully developed wings and capable of flying coexist with flightless individuals that lack functional wings. Their diets may differ if long-winged individuals are more mobile and therefore likely to be better at finding and utilizing high quality food resources, or if they have different food preferences or physiological requirements. Despite its potential importance, differences in the diet of dispersal phenotypes have not been unequivocally demonstrated under natural conditions. To test for dietary divergence, we compared natural abundances of carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios (d13C and d15N) in long- and short-winged free ranging Tetrix subulata pygmy grasshoppers collected as adults from two natural populations. Overall, this comparison of stable isotopes indicated long-term differences in the diet of the two wing morphs in both populations, but not between males and females of the same morph. We conclude that it is likely that the dietary niches of the long winged and flightless individuals differ under natural conditions. This may reduce intra-specific competition, offset the expected trade-off between flight capacity and reproduction and promote ecological speciation.


Advantages of soft, flexible materials with developments in refined magnetic actuation can be intertwined for a promising platform to work on a resilient, adaptable manipulator aimed to meet ever-increasing demands in safe regulated medical environments. Taking advantages of these soft magnetic polymers, we propose a novel, soft-squishy and flexible bend sensor by determining the relationship between inductance changes with bending angle. This bend sensor employs flexible wire embedded in a silicone elastomer with the different permeable core. The principle notion is to have a comprehensive analysis of the change in morphology of the sensor with bending angle which can be translated to inductance generated therein. The performance of the sensor is evaluated with various experimental trials while analytical modeling elucidates that the bend angle is linearly proportional to the sensor signal citing R-square value up to 0.9204. The proposed sensor produces the desired output in the electromagnetic frequency range of 8–10 MHz with a tunable sensitivity of 0.418 mV/rad. The sensor is robust enough to stretch up to twice of its original length. The main advantage of this bend sensor is its simple fabrication technique, flexibility, robustness, and economical. Conclusively, this paper on induction based tactile bending sensor is proved to produce robust output and can be extrapolated to sense bending angle using induction principle for the rehabilitative device, wearable robots, and related biomedical applications requiring low cost, soft and flexible operations.


This thesis examines the impact of seasonal and inter-annual variations in
rainfall on food supply and disease environment, and hence the biological
welfare of savannah populations in southern Zimbabwe. Ecological dynamics
are thought to determine the impact of rainfall, and this hypothesis is
tested through the comparison of populations either side of a major
ecological boundary between heavy clay rich and sandy soils.
Due to differences in soil-moisture productivity relations, and the level
and form of ecological heterogeneity, the sandveld environment shows much
less seasonal and inter-annual variation in agro-ecological productivity
than does clayveld, and this is reflected in food supply and consumption.
Child anthropometric and birth weight data from several years shows
opposite seasonality, and weight-loss in a serious drought was most
marked on clay-rich soils as predicted. Differences in soil-moisture
relations also influence disease environment dynamics; child morbidity
shows the same seasonal and inter-annual contrasts between the zones as
found with nutritional status. Furthermore, infant mortality is increased
following dry years on clay-rich soils whilst high rainfall leads to
increased infant mortality on the sandy soils. These differences in
welfare dynamics between sandveld and clayveld appear to typify conditions
in other moist and dry savannah areas respectively.
Variability in grain production results from unequal access to livestock
for ploughing and manure, but urban wage labour derived remittances also
affect wealth. The extent and nature of socio-economic differentiation
varies between ecological zones for historical reasons, and its impact on
welfare (together with that of religion and maternal education) is variable
and complex, operating at several levels in household and lineage.
Maternal education has a marked impact on child well-being, particularly
upon infant mortality. Dramatic improvements in Infant mortality and
declines in fertility since Independence (1980) reflect upgrading of
medical services and education provision for women, Indicating the limits
of ecological welfare determinants.


This paper tries to examine Chinese dream expressed in the Chinese-style fashion design in ter Madam of its passion, power and politics. Passion in Chinese-style fashion design means a deep love and understanding of traditional Chinese culture and its spirit which inspires and nourishes lots of fashion designers. This passion is the same as that initiates the Chinese dream to be a great country in the world. The power of Chinese-style fashion design mainly means the soft power. To create and spread the Chinese-style fashion design and Chinese clothing culture is also part of Chinese dream, which will not only make Chinese's life more beautiful, help build people's confidence, but also attract the attention, admiration and aspiration of people around the world. The politics of Chinese-style fashion design means the spirit of opening-up, confident and friendship shown in Sinoforeign diplomatic relationships. President Xi Jinping and the first lady take the lead in spreading traditional Chinese culture and cultivating national spirit in the road of rejuvenation of Chinese culture.


Most of the pupils are witness bullying behavior at school. The variety of the roles that bystanders play in school bullying should be seen as a chance of promoting anti-bullying strategies and interventions. The authors suggest the usage of an automated speech emotion recognition technique as part of a multiple methods tool-box of exploring bullying, so as, teachers to identify the nature of the psychological impact experienced by pupils participating in bullying, and to intermediately respond to serious bullying episodes. In this paper we present a speech emotion recognition technique using K Star classifier. Berlin Emotional Database was used for the experiment. This work focuses on speaker and utterance dependent and independent framework. In the speaker dependent framework, K STAR achieves accuracy 77%, while in the speaker independent framework the classification rate reaches 74%. Finally, it is assumed that teachers understanding bystanders' emotions, and consequently, their coping styles in bullying episodes, they could introduce strategies that give pupils who witness bullying positive roles to counter bullying.


In this work, a cost-effective sine pulse-width modulation (SPWM) control of an inverter has been implemented using Arduino UNO microcontroller, which can be used with various power stages. The proposed model is focused on power electronics training or learning. It allows users to practice the control of an inverter without the need to be in a face-to-face laboratory. The proposed model facilitates remote experimentation to acquire the required knowledge or competencies.


Turkey has a long history of large earthquakes in three major fault zones that place two-thirds of the country. Following the two major earthquakes that struck the nortwestern part of Turkey in 1999, several attempts have been taken at hospitals, schools or administrative buildings. The two earthquakes prompted museum professionals and policymakers to consider measures to protect museum collections as well as buildings against earthquake. After the 1999 earthquakes, various projects, scientific researches, trainings and meetings were and are still being held on the seismic protection of museum collections and there are ongoing efforts. Seismic protection of museum collections is a relatively new topic in Turkey. Although the subject is on the agenda of museum professionals or engineers in some of the earthquake-prone countries such as USA, Japan, Greece, Italy and India in more than three decades, it is not represented enough in the world preservation/conservation literature. The paper aims to provide information about the challenges faced in Turkish museums before the 1999 earthquakes, and mitigation efforts taken at national and institutional levels in the last decade. The data is complemented with two questionnaire surveys, as well as literature review and observations. It concludes with suggestions that might be applied to other earthquakeprone countries which have similar problems. The paper provides an input to the literature through the examples of mitigation efforts in Turkish museums and suggestions for future actions.


Introduction : It is generally agreed that juvenile periodontitis is more likely caused by genetic factors than environmental/bacterial factors. Until now, all research reports focus on alveolar bone destruction as a characteristic symptom. This is questioned in the present study. The Hypothesis : It is hypothesized that initial so-called bone loss in juvenile periodontitis can be explained as arrest in alveolar bone apposition during alveolar growth. Therefore, the purposes of this study are to analyze the morphology of cortical bone at the alveolar process located between the second premolar and first molar and to analyze whether the time of occurrence of juvenile periodontitis coincides with the time of the body growth spurt maximum of the individual. Orthopantomograms and dental films from 29 patients diagnosed with juvenile periodontitis were analyzed. Visual assessment of cortical bone on the alveolar process anterior to the first molar was performed. In addition, skeletal hand maturation was scored on hand radiographs from five patients and the maturity was related to body height. The results showed that in 18 patients the alveolar bone had a distinct compact with a normal level compared to the enamel cementum border of the second premolar and a pathological deep level compared to the enamel cementum border of the first molar. This abnormal alveolar bone level was first diagnosed shortly after pubertal maximum. Furthermore, 11 patients had uneven, indistinct alveolar cortical bone with the same abnormal level compared to the column of the second premolar and first molar. Evaluation of the Hypothesis: As a conclusion, it is evaluated that patients in the early stage of juvenile periodontitis have a bone loss due to arrest in alveolar bone growth anterior to the first molars during the early stage of the disease. Thereafter, the destruction of the cortical bone occurs.


This work describes a quality-by-design (QbD) approach to determine the optimal coating process conditions and robust process operating space for an immediate release aqueous film coating system (Opadry® 200). Critical quality attributes (CQAs) or associated performance indicators of the coated tablets were measured while coating process parameters such as percent solids of the coating dispersion, coating spray rate, inlet air temperature, airflow rate and pan speed were varied, using a design of experiment protocol. The optimized process parameters were then confirmed by independent coating trials. Disintegration time of coated tablets was not affected by the coating process conditions used in this study, while tablet appearance, as determined by measurement of tablet color, coating defects and gloss was determined to be a CQA. Tablet gloss increased when low spray rate and low percent solids were used, as well as with increased coating pan speed. The study used QbD principles and experimental design models to provide a basis to identify ranges of coating process conditions which afford acceptable product quality. High productivity, color uniformity, and very low defect levels were obtained with Opadry 200 even when using a broad range of coating process conditions.


Bovine NAD(+)-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase was shown previously to contain four subunits of approx. 40 kDa (subunits 1-4) possessing different peptide maps and electrophoretic properties [Rushbrook and Harvey (1978) Biochemistry 17, 5339-5346]. In this study the heterogeneity is confirmed using enzyme purified by updated methods and from single animals, ruling out allelic variability. Subunits 1 and 2 were differentiated from each other and from subunits 3 and 4 by N-terminal amino acid sequencing. Subunits 3 and 4 (subunits 3/4) were identical in sequence over 30 residues. The N-terminal residues of subunits 1 and 2 were homologous but not identical with the beta- and gamma-subunits respectively of the comparable pig heart enzyme. Subunits 3/4 were identical over 30 residues with the N-terminus of the pig heart alpha-subunit. Full-length sequence, including that for mitochondrial import, is presented for a protein with the processed N-terminus of subunits 3/4, deduced from cloned cDNA obtained utilizing the N-terminal sequence information. The derived amino acid sequence for the mature protein contains 339 amino acids and has a molecular mass of 36,685 Da. Complete identity with N-terminal and Cys-containing peptides totalling 92 residues from the alpha-subunit of the pig heart enzyme [Huang and Colman (1990) Biochemistry 29, 8266-8273] suggests that maintenance of a particular three-dimensional structure in this subunit is crucial to the function of the enzyme. An electrophoretic heterogeneity within the pig heart alpha-subunit, similar to that shown by bovine subunits 3/4, was demonstrated. One reordering of the Cys-containing peptides of the pig heart alpha-subunit is indicated. Sequence comparison with the distantly related NADP(+)-dependent enzyme from Escherichia coli, for which the three-dimensional structure is known [Stoddard, Dean and Koshland (1993) Biochemistry 32, 9310-9316] shows strong conservation of residues binding isocitrate, Mg2+ and the NAD+ moiety of NADP+, consistent with a catalytic function.


The prevalence of chronic disease in childhood has increased, placing families in constant contact with health professionals. In such situations the relationship with health professionals has an important role. Few scientific studies address this theme, in spite of its being highlighted as fundamental for effective interaction. The aim of this study was to characterize how the family of a child with a chronic disease perceives its relationship with health professionals. Twenty caregivers for children with chronic diseases were interviewed. The theoretical and methodological frameworks were, respectively, symbolic interactionism and thematic content analysis. The analytical process revealed four themes: role of the caregiver, stressful relationships, services and professionals, and seeking welcoming relationships. The outcomes of this interactional process, which show an incongruity of expectations and behaviors between professionals and families, are poor and generate feelings of abandonment. These can be eased through listening and understanding by other families in similar situations.


The first Korean cold room facility for ice mechanics experiments was assembled in 2004. Since then, the 4 m x 6 m cold room facility has been used, extensively under various environmental and loading conditions. After reviewing published references on cold room testing methods and also by trial and error, the standard procedures for testing and preparing laboratory ice material were established for the measurement of basic ice properties. In this paper, laboratory experimental techniques with the cold room facility and standard procedures established for ice material properties are introduced. Test specimens include laboratory-grown fresh water ice and frozen soils. Tests are carried out for unconfined compressive strength. Preparation and dimension of the specimen are the most important issues arising in cold room tests. The details of specimen preparation, testing procedure and strength test results are also discussed.


Average Glandular Dose (AGD) is the quantity generally accepted for dose monitoring of X ray mammographic examinations. A survey of breast characteristics (compressed breast thickness, peak breast density) and AGD values was carried out on a database describing the acquisition conditions of 147,487 routine mammographic images acquired in Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific on GE Healthcare Senographe DS and Essential mammographic equipment. These systems compute the breast density in the densest part of the image and the related AGD using normalized glandular dose values interpolated from published tables. The correlation between peak breast density and compressed breast thickness was determined for the different geographical zones, as well as the distributions of the AGD. Breasts in Asia-Pacific were on average significantly thinner and denser than in Europe and North America. Breasts in North America were on average significantly thicker and denser than in Europe. The average AGD per image was 1.42mGy in North America and Asia-Pacific, and 1.48mGy in Europe. We computed the difference in AGD values between an individual density correction factor based on the peak breast density and a population-averaged density correction factor, as routinely used for dosimetry surveys in Europe. The resulting collective AGD values derived from the two distributions were similar (difference


Global positioning system (GPS) receivers find growing applications in indoor and outdoor communication environments, including urban and rural areas. Interference and noise sources for GPS receivers may assume Gaussian or non-Gaussian distributions. The GPS receiver performance under Gaussian additive noise has been studied. Non-Gaussian noise may equally contaminate the GPS satellite signals and disturb the receiver delay lock loops (DLL), producing significant tracking errors. These sources include impulsive noise, ultra-wideband (UWB) signals, and impulse and noise radar signals for target tracking and indoor imaging applications. This paper considers non-Gaussian noise of finite variance and examines its effect on the discriminator outputs for the commercial GPS receiver that uses the coarse acquisition (C/A) code. The correlator noise output components are produced from the correlation between the noise sequence and the early, late, and punctual reference C/A code. Due to the long time averaging, which is characteristic of the GPS correlation loops, these components assume Gaussian distributions. The discriminator tracking error variance is derived, incorporating the effect of noise, the front-end precorrelation filter, and the sampling rate.


A new approach to assess environmental integrity based on PRC analysis was proposed, tested, validated and developed. Environmental health assessment and community studies usually result in complex biological data sets. In order to find ecologically relevant patterns and tendencies from such sets of data it is necessary to reduce all the information to a summarised and simplified form, which might be more easily interpreted by ecologists, politicians, end-users and the population in general. However, several multivariate ordination methods currently used (e.g. redundancy analy- sis, principal component analysis, or multi-dimensional scaling) produce complex diagrams for the non-ecologist, which do not allow changes in biological communities over time to be easily under- stood. Here, we propose a recently developed method, principal response curves (PRC) analysis, to overcome these issues. This method has advantages over traditional ordination techniques, or any biotic index, in that it provides a powerful statistical analysis of temporal data series along spatial gra- dients. The PRC technique can make use of non-disturbed or unpolluted areas as reference sites with which other areas are compared, making it possible to assess changes in species composition between different areas over time. Moreover, individual species responses to stress agents can be inferred from the PRC curves. As well as providing insights into the behaviour of natural ecosys- tems — in particular, how ecosystem integrity changes over time — this new approach can potentially provide a practical tool for monitoring and implementing environmental policy instruments.


The films of Federico Fellini (1920-1993) deal equally with truth-tellers and pretenders, realists and fabulists. His colorful, surreal vision of cinema is so distinctive that the term ""Felliniesque"" is common among film buffs, even those who have not seen any of his films. This collection of interviews spans the director's entire career from 1957 to 1993. Fellini began making films shortly after World War II, working in a style similar to the Italian neorealists Roberto Rossellini and Vittorio De Sica, but he soon distinguished himself from them by introducing elements of his dreams into his movies. While his earlier masterpieces--such as I Vitelloni, La Strada, and The Nights of Cabiria--are realistic in setting and plot, his post-1960 films are baroque and surrealist. Even 8 1/2, one of his recognized masterpieces and widely regarded as a veiled autobiography, is deeply fantastical. Fellini's feverish imagination is evident in interviews as well. His friends and enemies alike were quick to call him a buggiardo--a big liar. It is perhaps more accurate to note that Fellini understood the inherent theatricality of all performance, including the interview form, and that artifice is just as revealing as plain truth. In his conversations with interviewers and the media, he often blurred the line between truth and sheer invention. Bert Cardullo is a professor of English and American literature at Fatih University in Istanbul, Turkey. He is the author of In Search of Cinema: Selected Writings on International Film Art and Vittorio De Sica: Director, Actor, Screenwriter, among other books.


We consider Schelling's bounded neighbourhood model (BNM) of unorganised segregation of two populations from the perspective of modern dynamical systems theory. We derive a Schelling dynamical system and carry out a complete quantitative analysis of the system for the case of a linear tolerance schedule in both populations. In doing so, we recover and generalise Schelling's qualitative results. For the case of unlimited population movement, we derive exact formulae for regions in parameter space where stable integrated population mixes can occur. We show how neighbourhood tipping can be adequately explained in terms of basins of attraction. For the case of limiting population movement, we derive exact criteria for the occurrence of new population mixes and identify the stable cases. We show how to apply our methodology to nonlinear tolerance schedules, illustrating our approach with numerical simulations. We associate each term in our Schelling dynamical system with a social meaning. In particular we show that the dynamics of one population in the presence of another can be summarised as follows
{rate of population change} = {intrinsic popularity of neighbourhood} - {finite size of neighbourhood} - {presence of other population}
By approaching the dynamics from this perspective, we have a complementary approach to that of the tolerance schedule.


British National Formulary 1981 on p 150not p 159 as misprinted in Dr Finch's letter) is that prophylaxis with sulphonamides is indicated only for known sulphonamidesensitive strains. This is emphasised in the article by Jones and Abbott2 (the actual drug to be used for chemoprophylaxis is not mentioned in the paper by De Wal et a13 quoted by Dr Finch and Mr Gilbey). Jones and Abbott note the high prevalence of sulphonamide resistance in group A strains and the 20-25 (', resistance found in other serogroups; and this parallels experience in Scotland.4 Hence we would emphasise the point that, in the absence of bacteriological guidance, sulphonamides should not be used for the prophylaxis of meningococcal disease but that rifampicin is the drug of choice. Where an outbreak can be shown to be due to a fully sulphonamide-sensitive strain of meningococcus (and this should be verified by a reference laboratory as a matter of urgency) the use of sulphonamide is warranted and a local policy should be agreed between involved doctors, so that early action can be taken with a preparation which is readily available and of known efficacy. R J FALLON


"Objectivist" writers, conjoined through a variety of personal, ideological, and literary-historical links, have, from the late 1920s to the present, attracted emulation and suspicion. Representing a nonsymbolist, postimagist poetics and characterized by a historical, realist, antimythological worldview, Objectivists have retained their outsider status. Despite such status, however, the formal, intellectual, ideological, and ethical concerns of the Objectivist nexus have increasingly influenced poetry and poetics in the United States.Thus, argue editors Rachel Blau DuPlessis and Peter Quartermain, the time has come for an anthology that unites essential works on Objectivist practices and presents Objectivist writing as an enlargement of the possibilities of poetry rather than as a determinable and definable literary movement. The authors' collective aim is to bring attention to this group of poets and to exemplify and specify cultural readings for poetic texts--readings alert to the material world, politics, society, and history, and readings concerned with the production, dissemination, and reception of poetic texts.The contributors consider Basil Bunting, Lorine Niedecker, George Oppen, Carl Rakosi, Charles Reznikoff, and Louis Zukofsky within both their historical milieu and our own. The essays insist on poetry as a mode of thought; analyze and evaluate Objectivist politics; focus on the ethical, spiritual, and religious issues raised by certain Objectivist affiliations with Judaism; and explore the dissemination of poetic texts and the vagaries of Objectivist reception. Running throughout the book are two related threads: Objectivist writing as generally a practice aware of its own historical and social contingency and Objectivist writing as a site of complexity, contestation, interrogation, and disagreement.


AIM To study the effect of the drug metadoxin on drug-metabolizing liver function in patients with liver lesions alcoholic etiology (ALD). MATERIALS AND METHODS 36 patients with ALD, of which 16 patients were diagnosed with hepatitis, while 20 - with the liver cirrhosis. All the patients underwent biochemical blood analysis and the study of drug-metabolizing liver function according to the pharmacokinetics of antipyrine in saliva before and after treatment with metadoxin. Metadoxin was administered at a dose of 500 mg once a day for 28 days. Concentrations of antipyrine in saliva samples were determined by HPLC. RESULTS. It was shown that of 36 patients examined in the 28-patients with ALD (group 2) there was a significant decrease in activity of liver enzymes according to the test with antipyrine (T1/2 = 28.7 +/- 3.4, CL = 17,9 +/- 5.2; p < 0,01 vs normal), whereas in 8 patients (group 1) was noted the typical for alcohol inductive influence on the activity of liver monooxygenases (T1/2 = 7.8 +/- 1.5, CL = 39.1 +/- 6.8; p < 0,05 vs normal). As a result of the 28-day therapy with metadoxin was a normalization of the pharmacokinetic parameters of AP in Gr. 1 (12.6 +/- 1.8; p < 0.05; NS vs normal) and a significant improvement of it in patients of Gr. 2 (17.9 +/- 5.2, vs N, p <0.05). Biochemical markers of ALD (AST/ALT, GGT, ALP) also demonstrated a positive dynamics in patients of both study groups. Correlation analysis of changes in CL and GGT (r1) and changes in AST/ALT and T1/2 (r2) showed a fairly high degree of correlation between these parameters (r1 = 0.58, r2 = 0.65). CONCLUSION The results showed marked improvement of drug-metabolizing liver function according to the test with antipyrine in patients with ALD after treatment with metadoxin.


The purpose of a voice conversion (VC) system is to change the perceived speaker identity of a speech signal. We propose an algorithm based on converting the LPC spectrum and predicting the residual as a function of the target envelope parameters. We conduct listening tests based on speaker discrimination of same/difference pairs to measure the accuracy by which the converted voices match the desired target voices. To establish the level of human performance as a baseline, we first measure the ability of listeners to discriminate between original speech utterances under three conditions: normal, fundamental frequency and duration normalized, and LPC coded. Additionally, the spectral parameter conversion function is tested in isolation by listening to source, target, and converted speakers as LPC coded speech. The results show that the speaker identity of speech whose LPC spectrum has been converted can be recognized as the target speaker with the same level of performance as discriminating between LPC coded speech. However, the level of discrimination of converted utterances produced by the full VC system is significantly below that of speaker discrimination of natural speech.


ABSTRACT Exposure to an aerial environment or severe nutrient limitation induces asexual differentiation in filamentous fungi. Submerged cultivation of Aspergillus niger in carbon- and energy-limited retentostat cultures both induces and fuels conidiation. Physiological and transcriptomic analyses have revealed that this differentiation strongly affects product formation. Since conidiation is inherent in the aerial environment, we hypothesized that product formation near zero growth can be influenced by affecting differentiation or development of aerial hyphae in general. To investigate this idea, three developmental mutants (ΔfwnA, scl-1, and scl-2 mutants) that have no apparent vegetative growth defects were cultured in maltose-limited retentostat cultures. The secondary-metabolite profile of the wild-type strain defined flavasperone, aurasperone B, tensidol B, and two so far uncharacterized compounds as associated with conidium formation, while fumonisins B2, B4, and B6 were characteristic of early response to nutrient limitation by the vegetative mycelium. The developmental mutants responded differently to the severe substrate limitation, which resulted in distinct profiles of growth and product formation. fwnA encodes the polyketide synthase responsible for melanin biosynthesis during aerial differentiation, and we show that conidial melanin synthesis in submerged retentostat cultures and aurasperone B production are fwnA dependent. The scl-1 and scl-2 strains are two UV mutants generated in the ΔfwnA background that displayed reduced asexual conidiation and formed sclerotium-like structures on agar plates. The reduced conidiation phenotypes of the scl-1 and scl-2 strains are reflected in the retentostat cultivation and are accompanied by elimination or severely reduced accumulation of secondary metabolites and distinctly enhanced accumulation of extracellular protein. This investigation shows that submerged conidiation and product formation of a mitosporic fungus cultured at low specific growth rates can be fundamentally affected by interfering with the genetic program for differentiation of aerial hyphae, opening new perspectives for tailoring industrial performance.


In this paper, we study an excitable, biophysical system that supports wave propagation of nerve impulses. We consider a slow-fast, FitzHugh-Rinzel neuron model where only the membrane voltage interacts diffusively, giving rise to the formation of spatiotemporal patterns. We focus on local, nonlinear excitations and diverse neural responses in an excitable one- and two-dimensional configuration of diffusively coupled FitzHugh-Rinzel neurons. The study of the emerging spatiotemporal patterns is essential in understanding the working mechanism in different brain areas. We derive analytically the coefficients of the amplitude equations in the vicinity of Hopf bifurcations and characterize various patterns, including spirals exhibiting complex geometric substructures. Furthermore, we derive analytically the condition for the development of antispirals in the neighborhood of the bifurcation point. The emergence of broken target waves can be observed to form spiral-like profiles. The spatial dynamics of the excitable system exhibits two- and multi-arm spirals for small diffusive couplings. Our results reveal a multitude of neural excitabilities and possible conditions for the emergence of spiral-wave formation. Finally, we show that the coupled excitable systems with different firing characteristics participate in a collective behavior that may contribute significantly to irregular neural dynamics.


BACKGROUND
Gene expression microarray studies for several types of cancer have been reported to identify previously unknown subtypes of tumors. For breast cancer, a molecular classification consisting of five subtypes based on gene expression microarray data has been proposed. These subtypes have been reported to exist across several breast cancer microarray studies, and they have demonstrated some association with clinical outcome. A classification rule based on the method of centroids has been proposed for identifying the subtypes in new collections of breast cancer samples; the method is based on the similarity of the new profiles to the mean expression profile of the previously identified subtypes.

METHODS
Previously identified centroids of five breast cancer subtypes were used to assign 99 breast cancer samples, including a subset of 65 estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) samples, to five breast cancer subtypes based on microarray data for the samples. The effect of mean centering the genes (i.e., transforming the expression of each gene so that its mean expression is equal to 0) on subtype assignment by method of centroids was assessed. Further studies of the effect of mean centering and of class prevalence in the test set on the accuracy of method of centroids classifications of ER status were carried out using training and test sets for which ER status had been independently determined by ligand-binding assay and for which the proportion of ER+ and ER- samples were systematically varied.

RESULTS
When all 99 samples were considered, mean centering before application of the method of centroids appeared to be helpful for correctly assigning samples to subtypes, as evidenced by the expression of genes that had previously been used as markers to identify the subtypes. However, when only the 65 ER+ samples were considered for classification, many samples appeared to be misclassified, as evidenced by an unexpected distribution of ER+ samples among the resultant subtypes. When genes were mean centered before classification of samples for ER status, the accuracy of the ER subgroup assignments was highly dependent on the proportion of ER+ samples in the test set; this effect of subtype prevalence was not seen when gene expression data were not mean centered.

CONCLUSIONS
Simple corrections such as mean centering of genes aimed at microarray platform or batch effect correction can have undesirable consequences because patient population effects can easily be confused with these assay-related effects. Careful thought should be given to the comparability of the patient populations before attempting to force data comparability for purposes of assigning subtypes to independent subjects.


The behavioural phase state and coloration of hatchling Schistocerca gregaria were examined in a series of experiments to determine the means by which phase characteristics are passed between generations. Both crowding of solitary-reared females at the time of oviposition and high egg pod densities promoted behavioural gregarization, although the former appeared to be a rather more potent factor. In contrast, egg pod density alone appeared to promote the development of hatchlings with dark patterns characteristic of the gregarious phase. The phase characteristics of hatchlings were unaffected when sand previously used for oviposition was used to collect further egg pods. Early separation of presumptive gregarious eggs from egg pods laid by crowd-reared females led to solitarization of the hatchlings, indicating that a factor, either in or around the eggs, removed by early separation promoted gregarization. Both the eggs and foam plugs of egg pods from crowd-reared, gregarious females appeared to be a source of this gregarizing factor. In contrast, there was no evidence for a solitarization factor in egg pods from solitary-reared S. gregaria. Saline extracts of egg pod foam plugs produced an active factor which promoted gregarization both in eggs from solitary-reared females and in eggs from gregarious females which were separated and washed to removed the factor. Solitary eggs were influenced by the gregarizing factor in foam plug extracts for up to 1 day after oviposition. Saline extracts of foam plug retained their activity for up to 1 day. Initial studies on the properties of this factor were made. We conclude that the foam plugs of egg pods from crowd-reared, gregarious locusts contain a small (<3 kDa), hydrophilic gregarizing factor which is produced at the time of oviposition and which predisposes hatchlings to attain characteristics of the gregarious phase.


With the advance of the weather radar technology, dual-polarization (dual-pol) radar data are now available for hydrological studies, which go beyond the traditional rainfall products relying purely on rain gauge data. Previous studies have focused on the evaluation of rainfall products and their hydrological responses using point-based observational data; however, spatial patterns of simulated hydrological variables are equally important to be considered in order to fully address the distributed effect of the precipitation estimates. In the present study, we compare three rainfall estimations based on rain gauge, single-polarization, and dual-pol radar data. Special attention is given to the use of the two radar products and their corresponding hydrological simulations of both surface water and groundwater. Performance of the hydrological simulations is evaluated based first on traditional point-based observations of stream discharge and groundwater head, and second on remotely sensed land surface temperature data. For the latter, the empirical orthogonal function analysis, which quantifies spatial pattern similarities, is employed. The Skjern River catchment in western Denmark is selected as the study site, and the results show that all three models perform equally well in terms of the traditional aggregated evaluation criteria, such as Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) andRMSEon time series data. It is found that the differences of simulated hydrological spatial patterns are sensitive to rainfall signal intensity, as well as the simulation scale in space (,100 km) and time (subdaily). Our study suggests that the currently available observational data have limited capabilities to clearly differentiate the performance of the three applied models due to the low resolution.


Temperature dependence of magnetic characteristics of Fe and Fe-Ni invar is considered in the dynamic nonlocal approximation of the spin-fluctuation theory. Numerical calculations show that the magnetic characteristics can have a discontinuous jump at high temperatures, well below the Curie temperature. Using methods of the catastrophe theory, we investigate the effect of small changes in the initial data on the results of the calculation. It is demonstrated that the discontinuous jump can only be smoothed but cannot be eliminated entirely without a significant change in the system of equations of the spin-fluctuation theory. Possible variants of such changes are discussed.


Evidence of the effectiveness of community-based interventions in improving immunization coverage in populations of low coverage is limited. Vaccine-preventable diseases is a major public health challenge in low-income countries where Uganda lies, and immunization is the only reliable strategy for child survival. The study's objective was to assess the influence of a community-based intervention on the uptake of immunization services to recommend strategies to health stakeholders to improve immunization coverage. A quasi-experimental study was conducted in three phases. Structured and key informant interviews were used as data collection tools. Phase one provided baseline data before the intervention, the second phase was a community-based intervention, and the third phase was post-intervention evaluation. There was no significant difference on the uptake of BCG, POLIO-0, POLIO-1, POLIO-2, DPTHeP-Hib1, DPTHeP-Hib2, PCV1 and PCV2 immunizations between the intervention and control group post-intervention (P= 1.00, α =0.5). The level of knowledge on immunization was 68.8% and 29.6% in the intervention and control groups, respectively. The difference between the two was statistically significant (P=0.00 = α= 0.5). There was a significant association between the level of knowledge of the caregivers on immunization and the uptake of immunization services (P=0.00, α=0.5). There was also a statistically significant difference in immunization coverage between the intervention and control groups (97.5%) and (75.1%) for the intervention and control groups, respectively. The difference was statistically associated with the community-based intervention (P =0.00, α=0.5). Community-based interventions influenced the uptake of routine immunization services.


ABSTRACT Due to the association of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) with breast cancer risk, estrogenically active soy isoflavones are considered as an HRT alternative to alleviate menopausal symptoms. However, several recent reports challenged the health benefits of soy isoflavones and associated them with breast cancer promotion. While glyconic isoflavones are the major constituents of soybean seeds, due to their low cell permeability, they are considered to be biologically inactive. The glyconic isoflavones may exert their effects on membrane-bound estrogen receptors or could be converted to aglycones by extracellular β-glucosidases. Therefore, we hypothesized that despite their low cell permeability, soybean cultivars with high glyconic isoflavones may promote breast cancer cell growth. To test this, composition and estrogenic activity of isoflavones from 54 commercial soybean cultivars were determined. Soybean seeds produced in identical climate and growth conditions were used to minimize the effects of extraneous factors on isoflavone profile and concentrations. The glyconic daidzin concentration negatively correlated with genistin and with other aglycones. Relative to control, isoflavone extracts from 51 cultivars were estrogenic and promoted the growth of estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer cell line MCF-7 from 1.14 to 4.59 folds and other three cultivars slightly reduced the growth. Among these, extracts from three cultivars were highly estrogenic and promoted MCF-7 cell growth by 2.59–4.64 folds (P<0.005). Among six isoflavones, daidzin was positively associated with MCF-7 cell growth (P<0.005, r = 0.13966), whereas the negative correlation between genistin and MCF-7 cell growth was nearly significant (P≤0.0562, r = −0.026141). Furthermore, in drug interaction studies daidzin-rich isoflavone extracts antagonized tamoxifen, an ER inhibitor. Taken together, our results suggest that the glyconic daidzin-rich soy isoflavone extracts may exert estrogenic effects and promote ER+ breast cancer growth.


Background & objectives: Observation of an increased frequency of an intermediate deficiency of serum alpha1-antitrypsin (α1-AT) in patients with Tropical Pulmonary Eosinophilia (TPE) was earlier reported. Though the possibility of existence of an acquired deficiency was suggested, without phenotyping a hereditary α1-AT deficiency in TPE could not totally be ruled out. In this study, we have done Pi (Protease inhibitor) phenotyping to investigate the possibility of association of any heterozygous (or homozygous) α1-AT deficiency in patients with TPE. Methods: Serum a1antitrypsin (α1-AT) was measured in 103 patients (Group A) with TPE, 99 patients with pulmonary eosinophilia who had associated intestinal worm infestation (Group B) and 43 healthy volunteers who served as controls. In 19 α1-AT deficient patients (9 of Group A and 10 of Group B), α1-AT level was measured before and after treatment. In 58 patients with TPE and in 5 controls, phenotyping was done. Results: Fifteen patients of Group A and 16 from Group B showed intermediate α1-AT deficiency (150 mg % or less. None of the control subjects had α1-AT deficiency (<200 mg%). After treatment with DEC and/or deworming, in 19 patients there was a significant (P < 0.001) rise in α1-AT levels. Results of phenotyping showed that all had M1 or M2 allele and none had S or Z variant (either homozygous or heterozygous) thus ruling out any underlying genetic cause for the observed α1-AT deficiency. Interpretation & conclusions: The observed α1-AT deficiency may be due to the chronic inflammation in TPE and associated oxidative stress. However, in such α1-AT deficient patients with TPE and those with worm infested pulmonary eosinophilia, faecal α1-AT concentration and faecal α1-AT clearance should be routinely estimated to rule out the possibility of any intestinal protein loss.


Objectives To compare hospital treatments for major stroke types in Chinese adults by stroke pathological types, sex, age, calendar year, hospital tier, region and other factors. Design Cross-sectional analysis of medical records retrieved from 20 229 stroke cases in the China Kadoorie Biobank. Setting Ten diverse areas (five urban, five rural) in China. Participants First-incident stroke cases who were recruited during an 11-year follow-up of 0.5M participants in the China Kadoorie Biobank. Methods Electronic copies of medical records of stroke cases were retrieved for clinical adjudication by local neurologists. Stroke cases were classified as ischaemic stroke (IS) (including lacunar infarction (LACI) and non-LACI (non-LACI)), intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH), subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) and unspecified stroke types. Results Among 20 299 first-ever stroke cases, 17 306 (85%) had IS, 7123 had non-LACI, 6690 had LACI, 3493 had silent LACI, 2623 (13%) had ICH and 370 (2%) had SAH. Among IS cases, antiplatelet treatment was used by 64% (65% non-LACI, 66% LACI, 56% silent LACI), lipid-lowering by 50% (52% non-LACI, 53% LACI, 43% silent LACI) and blood pressure-lowering by ~42% of all IS types, with positive trends in the use of these treatments by calendar year and hospital tier. Among ICH cases, 53% used blood pressure-lowering and 10% used lipid-lowering treatments, respectively. In contrast, traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) were used by 59% of IS (50% non-LACI, 62% LACI, 74% silent LACI), 38% of ICH and 30% of SAH cases, with positive trends by calendar year and by hospital tier. Conclusions Among IS cases, use of antiplatelet and lipid-lowering medications increased in recent years, but use of TCM still exceeded use of blood pressure-lowering treatment. In contrast, blood pressure-lowering treatment was widely used for ICH, but only half of all ICH cases used blood pressure-lowering treatment.


Electrochemical mechanisms in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) pose a significant challenge in deriving models that are highly accurate, have low computational complexity, and enable real-time state and parameter estimation. In this article, we propose a machine learning model as an important building block of a physics-based ANCF-e model that was recently proposed for LIBs. This machine learning model is used to estimate nonlinear potentials, including the open-circuit potential, electrolyte potential, and lithium-intercalation overpotential. Such an estimation is shown to result in a much smaller computational complexity and therefore can enable real-time state and parameter estimation. Three different machine learning architectures are explored, including multilayer perceptron, radial basis function (RBF)-based neural networks, and support vector machines. The training of these machine learning models is carried out using current profiles obtained with an electric vehicle model from driving cycles as inputs and ANCF-e model-based outputs. The underlying ANCF-e model is validated both through a high-fidelity numerical approach, including COMSOL and an experimental test using commercial LIBs. Both validations are carried out under both constant current discharging and dynamic load cycles. The resulting performance using these machine learning models is compared using different metrics, including estimation errors, convergence rates, training time, and computational time. The results indicate that an RBF-based neural network leads to better estimation of the underlying potentials in LIBs and that all machine learning models require a computational time that is 95% smaller than a physics-based approach for this estimation.


In a survey of entomopathogenic nematodes associated with plants and trees in areas adjacent to production citrus groves in Florida, a new species of nematode in the genus Heterorhabditis was found based of morphological and molecular studies. The new nematode is described as Heterorhabditis floridensis n. sp. H. floridensis n. sp. is characterized by males, females, and infective juveniles. For males, the number of papillae in the terminal group of bursa is variable, either with 2 pairs of papillae (40%), with 3 papillae on one side and 2 papillae on the other side (30%), with one pair of papillae (20%), or with three pairs of papillae (10%). SW and GS values are 179 and 50, respectively. Females have a typical vulva pattern, which is different from that of closely related nematode species H. bacteriophora, H. mexicana, and H. indica. For infective juveniles, EP=109 (101–122) µ m, ES=135 (123–142) µ m, tail length=103 (91–113) µ m, and a=27.6 (25–32) are different from those of the above-mentioned three related nematodes. Phylogenetic analysis based on ITS regions show that the new species forms a clade with H. mexicana, H. baujardi and H. indica and differs from these species by several nucleotide autapomorphies.


Studies were conducted to evaluate the nutritive value of eight selected forages (Tridax procumbens, Merremia aegyptia, Aspilia africana, Tithonia diversifolia, Alchornea cordifolia, Alchornea laxiflora, Synedrella nodiflora, and Newbouldia laevis) consumed by ruminants in South-Western Nigeria. Chemical composition and qualitative analysis of saponins, phenol and steroids of the plants were determined. In vitro gas production (IVGP) was carried out for 72 hours on the plants. Metabolizable energy (ME), Organic matter digestibility (OMD) and Short chain fatty acids (SCFA) were predicted and methane (CH4) was measured. Five of the plants were subjected to acceptability study using cafeteria method. The result of the chemical composition revealed that M. aegyptia had the highest value of CP (22.09 %) while Tridax procumbens had the lowest (10.50 %). A. africana had the highest content of Calcium, Phosphorus and Zinc with values of 3.10 %, 0.93 % and 39 ppm respectively. The analysis of secondary metabolites showed that A. africana, T. diversifolia and S. nodiflora were high in saponin while A. cordifolia, A. laxiflora, T. diversifolia and A. africana were implicated for condensed Tannin. N. laevis recorded a high level of steroids. Results showed significant variations in the values of IVGP, ME, OMD, SCFA and CH4 obtained for the plants. The order of preference of the plants by the calves were M. aegyptia>A. cordifolia > N. laevis > A. axiflora> T. diversifolia. The study revealed that the forages are rich in crude protein as well as micro and macro minerals. They are also rich in highly fermentable carbohydrates which affirm them as ruminant feed resource.


RipX of Ralstonia solanacearum is translocated into host cells by a type III secretion system and acts as a harpin-like protein to induce a hypersensitive response in tobacco plants. The molecular events in association with RipX-induced signaling transduction have not been fully elucidated. This work reports that transient expression of RipX induced a yellowing phenotype in Nicotiana benthamiana, coupled with activation of the defense reaction. Using yeast two-hybrid and split-luciferase complementation assays, mitochondrial ATP synthase F1 subunit α (ATPA) was identified as an interaction partner of RipX from N. benthamiana. Although a certain proportion was found in mitochondria, the YFP-ATPA fusion was able to localize to the cell membrane, cytoplasm, and nucleus. RFP-RipX fusion was found from the cell membrane and cytoplasm. Moreover, ATPA interacted with RipX at both the cell membrane and cytoplasm in vivo. Silencing of the atpA gene had no effect on the appearance of yellowing phenotype induced by RipX. However, the silenced plants improved the resistance to R. solanacearum. Moreover, qRT-PCR and promoter GUS fusion experiments revealed that the transcript levels of atpA were evidently reduced in response to expression of RipX. These data demonstrated that RipX exerts a suppressive effect on the transcription of atpA gene, to induce defense reaction in N. benthamiana.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the prevention of hepatolithiasis and biliary stricture post choledochojejunostomy using choledochoscopy technique and evaluate feasibility and efficacy of choledochojejunostomy and artificial valve of efferent loop in preventing reflux.

METHODS
To analyze the data of 47 patients with hepatolithiasis who had been operated with Roux-en-Y cholangiojejunostomy and artificial valve of efferent loop to prevent bilio-intestinal regurgitation. Of the patients, 19 were marked with silver nip at the jejunum export of bilio-intestinal anastomosis. The regurgitation, recurrence, anastomotic stricture and their managements after the surgery were investigated.

RESULTS
The bilio-intestinal regurgitation were found in 32 cases (32/47, 68.1%), it suggested that artificial valve could not prevent bilio-intestinal regurgitation efficiently. Two cases of hepatolithiasis recurred and were cured by sinus tract placement with the aid of silver nip mark under choledochoscope instead of re-operation. Of the 6 cases with anastomotic stricture, 5 cases were treated successfully with stone extraction, biliary stent dilatation under the percutaneous transhepatic cholangioscopy (PTCS) and the other one case died.

CONCLUSIONS
Silver nip mark provides safe and simple path for the cholangioscopy, it made the treatment of the recurrent biliary stricture and stone safe and brief, made the cholangioscopy play more important role in the hepatolithiasis, residual stone and biliary stricture. PTCS is mini-invasive, safe, simple and effective.


BACKGROUND
Cyclophosphamide can decrease proteinuria and improve renal function in patients with idiopathic membranous nephropathy, but has a high risk of side effects. We studied whether mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) could be a reasonable alternative with fewer side effects.

STUDY DESIGN
Clinical trial with historic controls.

SETTINGS & PARTICIPANTS
32 cases and 32 controls with idiopathic membranous nephropathy and renal insufficiency at multiple centers. For comparison, we selected matched historic controls treated with cyclophosphamide.

INTERVENTION
MMF, 1 g twice daily, for 12 months versus cyclophosphamide, 1.5 mg/kg/d, for 12 months. Both groups also received intermittent methylprednisolone and alternate-day prednisone.

OUTCOMES & MEASUREMENTS
Serum creatinine, proteinuria, and side effects during and after treatment.

RESULTS
Median follow-up was 23 months (range, 11 to 46 months). Median serum creatinine levels were 1.8 mg/dL (159 micromol/L) in both groups at baseline and 1.4 mg/dL (124 micromol/L) in the MMF group versus 1.3 mg/dL (115 micromol/L) in the cyclophosphamide group at 12 months (P = 0.4). Proteinuria values at baseline and 12 months were protein of 8.40 and 1.41 g/d in the MMF group versus 9.19 and 1.13 g/d in the cyclophosphamide group (P = 0.5 at 12 months), respectively. Cumulative incidences of remission of proteinuria at 12 months were 66% in the MMF group versus 72% in the cyclophosphamide group (P = 0.3). Five patients (16%) in the MMF group versus none in the cyclophosphamide group had disease that did not respond to therapy (P = 0.05). Twelve patients (38%) experienced a relapse and 9 patients (31%) were re-treated in the MMF group compared with 4 (13%) and 2 patients (6%) in the cyclophosphamide group (P < 0.01 and P = 0.024, respectively). Side effects occurred in 24 patients (75%) in the MMF group and 22 patients (69%) in the cyclophosphamide group (P = 0.6).

LIMITATIONS
Nonrandomized control group, short duration of follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS
A 12-month course of MMF decreased proteinuria and improved renal function in the majority of patients, but did not appear as effective or better tolerated than cyclophosphamide. Long-term data and randomized controlled trials are needed to ascertain the efficacy of MMF in patients with idiopathic membranous nephropathy.


Glucocorticoids (GCs) are widely used in medicine for their immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory effects. They are prescribed to patients with systemic inflammatory diseases and are frequently used in the fields of internal medicine (rheumatology, hematology, pulmonology, gastroenterology, etc), dermatology and transplant medicine. In rheumatology practice, initially, there was considerable enthusiasm about these drugs because of the striking relief of symptoms observed in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who were treated with GCs. However, GCs soon became known for their deleterious effects on bone. When the wide array of potentially serious adverse effects became apparent, the use of GCs decreased. More recently the careful administration of GCs to patients with RA and other rheumatic diseases generally has become accepted. The side-effects of GCs are numerous, even in low dosages. One of the most important side effects of GC use is osteoporosis. As less as five mg (of prednisolone or equivalent) daily can lead to a decrease in bone mineral density (BMD) and an increased risk of fractures.
In this thesis several studies in patients with a rheumatic disease treated with GCs are described. We conclude that in RA patients treated with GCs there is a two-fold increase in the number of vertebral deformities compared to RA patients not treated with GCs. Every 1-milligram (mg) increase in daily GC dosage increases the risk of a vertebral deformity with 5%. Bone metabolism in RA patients is altered. In comparison to healthy controls, bone resorption in RA patients is increased and bone formation is normal to slightly decreased. This uncoupling of bone resorption and formation leads to bone loss. A meta-analysis showed that activated vitamin D3 metabolites like alfacalcidol are effective in prevention of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIOP). In a randomized, double-placebo, double-blind clinical trial in 201 patients with a rheumatic disease starting treatment with GCs in a dosage of 7,5 mg/day or higher, bisphosphonates like alendronate, however, appeared to be more effective than alfacalcidol in prevention of GIOP. In patients with a rheumatic disease and a mean age of 60 years starting GC treatment in a dosage of 7,5 mg/day or higher, both alendronate and alfacalcidol are not cost-effective. Only in patients with a high base risk (i.e. high age, fracture history, GC dosages above 15 mg/day, etc) these medications can be more cost-effective. Measurement of bone markers for prediction of BMD in patients treated with GCs is not useful. Bisphosphonate therapy should be initiated immediately in patients starting GCs in a dosage of 15 mg/day or higher and/or with a vertebral fracture after the fifth decade, and in postmenopausal women and men over 70 years of age starting with a GC dosage between 7,5 to 15 mg/day. Measurement of BMD in this group is not recommended.


We propose to the community a comprehensive UV/optical/NIR imaging survey of Galactic star formation regions to probe all aspects of the star formation process. The primary goal of such a study is to understand the evolution of circumstellar protoplanetary disks and other detailed aspects of star formation in a wide variety of different environments. This requires a comprehensive emission-line survey of nearby star-forming regions in the Milky Way, where a high spatial resolution telescope+camera will be capable of resolving circumstellar material and shock structures. In addition to resolving circumstellar disks themselves, such observations will study shocks in the jets and outflows from young stars, which are probes of accretion in the youngest protoplanetary disks still embedded in their surrounding molecular clouds. These data will allow the measurement of proper motions for a large sample of stars and jets/shocks in massive star-forming regions for the first time, opening a new window to study the dynamics of these environments. It will require better than 30 mas resolution and a stable PSF to conduct precision astrometry and photometry of stars and nebulae. Such data will allow production of precise color-color and color magnitude diagrams for millions of young stars to study their evolutionary states. One can also determine stellar rotation, multiplicity, and clustering statistics as functions of environment and location in the Galaxy. For the first time we can systematically map the detailed excitation structure of HII regions, stellar winds, supernova remnants, and supershells/superbubbles. This survey will provide the basic data required to understand star formation as a fundamental astrophysical process that controls the evolution of the baryonic contents of the Universe.


Abstract Background Variability in prevalence estimation of intellectual disability has been attributed to heterogeneity in study settings, methodologies, and intellectual disability case definitions. Among studies based on national household survey data specifically, variability in prevalence estimation has partly been attributed to the level of specificity of the survey questions employed to determine the presence of intellectual disability. Specific aims & method Using standardised difference scoring, and 'intellectual disability' survey data from the 2007 Northern Ireland Survey on Activity Limitation and Disability (NISALD) (N=23,689) and the 2011 Northern Ireland Census (N=1,770,217) the following study had two aims. First, we aimed to demonstrate the effects of survey question specificity on intellectual disability prevalence estimation. Second, we aimed to produce reliable estimates of the geographic variation of intellectual disability within private households in Northern Ireland while also assessing the socio-demographic, health-related and disability characteristics of this population. Findings Prevalence estimates generated using the more crudely classified intellectual disability Census data indicated a prevalence of 2% for the overall population, 3.8% for children aged between 0 and 15 years, and 1.5% for citizens aged 16 years or older. Intellectual disability prevalence estimates generated using the more explicitly defined 2007 NISALD data indicated a population prevalence of 0.5% for the overall population, 1.3% for children aged between 0 and 15 years, and 0.3% for citizens aged 16 years or older. The NISALD estimates were consistent with most recent international meta-analysis prevalence estimates. According to the NISALD data, the majority of those with an intellectual disability were male, lived outside Belfast, and experienced severe intellectual disability, with multiple comorbid health conditions. Discussion The current findings highlight the importance of survey question specificity in the estimation of intellectual disability prevalence and provide reliable prevalence estimates of intellectual disability in Northern Ireland. The findings also demonstrate the utility of administrative data for detecting and understanding intellectual disability, and inform recommendations on how to maximise use of future intellectual disability Census data


Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of adding dexmedetomidine compared with dexamethasone to bupivacaine to prolong the duration of spinal anesthesia and analgesia in lower abdominal operations. Patients and methods This randomized double-blind study included 60 ASA I or II patients, aged between 25 and 55 years old, scheduled for lower abdominal operations. They were administered 0.5% intrathecal bupivacaine injection and randomly divided into one of three groups: control group (GC), in which patients were administered additional 1 ml of saline; GDX group, in which patients were administered 4 mg dexamethasone; and GDM group, in which patients were administered 10 μg dexmedetomidine. The patients were monitored for heart rate, mean arterial pressure, oxygen saturation, onset and duration of sensory and motor block, intraoperative and postoperative sedation and pain, and adverse events. Results Compared with GC, GDM had significantly faster onset of sensory block (P = 0.006), longer duration of sensory block (P < 0.001), longer duration of motor block (P = 0.013), longer duration of postoperative analgesia (P < 0.001), and significantly higher sedation score (P < 0.001). Compared with GDX, GDM had significantly longer duration of sensory block (P = 0.025) and longer duration of postoperative analgesia (P < 0.001). Compared with GC, GDX had significantly longer duration of sensory block (P < 0.001) and longer duration of postoperative analgesia (P < 0.001). The three groups were comparable in terms of the onset of motor block (P = 0.637) and frequency of adverse events. Conclusion Intrathecal dexmedetomidine and dexamethasone are safe and effective adjuncts to intrathecal bupivacaine anesthesia in lower abdominal surgery. Dexmedetomidine showed to provide more rapid onset and longer duration of sensory block, longer duration of motor block, and longer postoperative analgesia.


In this article we discuss the collection and nature of diversity data relating to origin (ethnicity, race, nationality, indigeneity), gender/sex and disability in higher education institutional workforces across 24 locations within Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America and Oceania. The research emerges from the Curtin Open Knowledge Initiative project (n.d.), in which we analyse data relating to published research literature, its open access status, citations and collaborations for institutions, publishers and research funding bodies. Our project explores demographic data relating to workforce diversity and research production; we examine who creates knowledge and how diversity is transmitted through research. Collecting and analysing higher education workforce demographic diversity data reveals a global datascape with considerable variation in practices and data collected. The data reflect political and social histories, national and international policies and practices, priorities and funding. The presence and absence of public data provide an opportunity to understand differing national situations and priorities beneath the statistics. We open a conversation about how the concepts of equity, diversity and inclusion differ between groups of countries, which makes global comparisons difficult. By identifying higher education data and gaps, we also encourage institutions and countries to review their workforce demographics and their intersection with research production. Awareness of institutional diversity levels through data analysis can guide institutions towards knowledge openness.


A graph G is an efficient open domination graph if there exists a subset D of V(G) for which the open neighborhoods centered in vertices of D form a partition of V(G). We completely describe efficient open domination graphs among lexicographic, strong, and disjunctive products of graphs. For the Cartesian product we give a characterization when one factor is K2.


Nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA) based lithium-ion battery electrodes exhibit a distinct asymmetry in discharge/charge behavior toward high bulk stoichiometry (low state of charge). We show that basic electrochemical relationships, that is, the Nernst equation and the Butler–Volmer equation, are able to reproduce this behavior when a two-step reaction mechanism is assumed. The two-step mechanism consists of (1) lithium-ion adsorption from the electrolyte onto the active material particle surface under electron transfer and (2) intercalation of surface-adsorbed lithium atoms into the bulk material. The asymmetry of experimental half-cell data of an NCA electrode cycled at 0.1 C rate can be quantitatively reproduced with this simple model. The model parameters show two alternative solutions, predicting either a saturated (highly covered) or a depleted surface for high bulk lithiation.


A new genus and two new species of Eremoneura are described from mid-Cretaceous amber of the Charentes region, in south-western France. Chimeromyia vulloi sp. nov., from early Cenomanian amber of Fouras, is the first record of Chimeromyiidae from France. It extends the geographical distribution of this family, which was hitherto known only from Cretaceous ambers of Lebanon, Spain, and Myanmar. A key to all known species of Chimeromyia is provided. Additionally, a specimen from latest Albian–earliest Cenomanian amber from Archingeay, which was studied using synchrotron imaging, is described as Francomyina incomparabilis gen. et sp. nov., and is left unassigned to family within Eremoneura. The affinities of both new species are discussed.


Abstract. We have developed a new method to determine ice nucleating particle (INP) concentrations observed by the Texas A&M University continuous flow diffusion chamber (CFDC) under a wide range of operating conditions. In this study, we evaluate differences in particle optical properties detected by the Cloud and Aerosol Spectrometer with POLarization (CASPOL) to differentiate between ice crystals, droplets, and aerosols. The depolarization signal from the CASPOL instrument is used to determine the occurrence of water droplet breakthrough (WDBT) conditions in the CFDC. The standard procedure for determining INP concentration is to count all particles that have grown beyond a nominal size cutoff as ice crystals. During WDBT this procedure overestimates INP concentration, because large droplets are miscounted as ice crystals. Here we design a new analysis method based on depolarization ratio that can extend the range of operating conditions of the CFDC. The method agrees reasonably well with the traditional method under non-WDBT conditions with a mean percent error of ±32.1 %. Additionally, a comparison with the Colorado State University CFDC shows that the new analysis method can be used reliably during WDBT conditions.


Like many other substances employed in medicine, radium, as well as possessing extremely useful properties when rightly applied, may produce dangerous toxic effects (cf. Rolleston, and others). The first harmful consequences to be observed were burns, affecting the skin not only of the patient, but also of those who administered the treatment or were otherwise engaged with radium. Besides the immediate lesion, which was generally of long duration, there appeared to be involved a risk of subsequent malignant change. Other unfortunate consequences of the external but prolonged and less intense action of radium are of a more general nature. They are principally weakness, changes in the bone-marrow and the blood-system—resulting in serious and even fatal aplastic anemia, leukopenia, and rarely leukemia—sterility, and fibrosis of the parenchymatous organs.

The cases of occupational poisoning among watch dial painters, investigated and reported in America since 1924 by Blum, Hoffman, and above all by Martland and his co-workers, called attention to a new form of radium intoxication, differing in principle from the forms mentioned above.


The Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) was established in April 2007. OHE and RAND Europe were commissioned by the Oxford BRC to undertake a programme of top-down evaluations of aspects of the impact of the BRC since its inception. This programme of research has looked at the health, economic and scientific impact of Oxford BRC's research activity, whether achieved directly from the outcomes of the many specific pieces of BRC-supported research, or indirectly due to the BRC's impact on research activity/awareness/culture in health services and industry. Overall this programme of research indicated that the Oxford BRC has had a number of positive impacts on health care provided at OUH, through both direct and indirect effects. It is clear that Oxford BRC research plays a major role within the totality of research activity at OUH. In particular, Oxford BRC has - - Added positively to the reputation of OUH, and has facilitated collaboration between OUH clinical staff and academic researchers; - Had a positive effect on commercial activity; - Been associated with an increase in the number of publications and collaborations amongst relevant institutions within the Oxford region Please note [a chapter of this report]( https://health-policy-systems.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12961-016-0163-7) has also been published in Health Research Policy and Systems.


Background: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been used occasionally as an alternative treatment for uveal melanomas. The present study describes the clinical and histopathologic features of five choroidal melanomas after PDT. Methods: Three patients with pigmented choroidal melanomas were treated with PDT and intravitreal bevacizumab 1 week before undergoing biopsy and brachytherapy to minimize the risks of bleeding during the biopsy. Another two patients received PDT as a primary treatment for peripapillary amelanotic melanomas, one of them also in combination with bevacizumab. Results: The tumors treated with PDT and bevacizumab showed a marked reduction in tumor vascularity assessed by indocyanine angiography, and the biopsies were conducted without recognizable bleeding, showing viable tumor cells. The tumors receiving PDT as a primary treatment were followed by progressive tumor growth that led to enucleation years after. The histopathology revealed overlying fibrosis with invasion of sclera and optic nerve. Conclusion: Photodynamic therapy and bevacizumab can induce closure of the superficial vasculature of a pigmented choroidal melanoma, but in none of our cases, there was evidence of tumor destruction from this treatment. Preoperative PDT may be useful to reduce the potential of bleeding at the time of tumor biopsy. Our cases do not support the use of a single session of PDT as a primary treatment for pigmented small choroidal melanomas.


In order to elucidate water vapour behaviour in soil in arid regions due to the diurnal cycle of meteorological conditions, column experiments using a saline sandy soil from Western Australia were undertaken under controlled atmospheric conditions. The upper surface of the sand column was exposed to conditions of constant temperature (25 °C) and constant relative humidity changed stepwise from 20 % to 65 % and vice versa with or without applied radiated heat. Furthermore, experimental cases in which the heat application only was given stepwise and stopped under the 65 % relative humidity atmospheric condition, corresponding to daytime and night-time, were also conducted. When only atmospheric humidity was changed stepwise, the soil vapour density, ρv, followed a function of x/√t(x : depth, t : elapsed time). This characteristic, and related results were explained through a modified vapour diffusion equation in ρv under an isothermal condition proposed in this paper. Comparison of experimentally determined vapour diffusivity with a model calculation showed that evaporation and condensation within the profile significantly retarded the movement of water vapour density profile as a breakthrough curve. The above obtained characteristic behaviours of vapour water are important in understanding the water transfer between the ground surface and atmosphere as well as that in the soil profile, in arid areas.


The effects of classical swine fever (CSF) virus infection on the porcine leukocyte subsets were investigated by flow cytometry in acute, chronic and convalescent forms of the disease. The virus antigen could be first detected in the monocytes on postinfection (p.i.) day 10 while in the lymphocytes on p.i. day 13. It could be established that the ratio of CD6+ cells decreased until p.i. day 6, but afterwards it started to increase and reached different values. The CD4+CD8+, the CD8+ and the CD6- cells were obviously higher virus positive than the CD4+ and the CD4-CD8-subsets, but essentially all subsets could be infected. The ratio of CD8+ cells increased during the disease, while the number of double positive cells decreased, and that of the CD4+ cells was variable. The viral antigen could be detected in a lower percentage of the CD4+CD8+, CD8+, CD6+ and CD6- cells of the pigs affected with the chronic form of the disease than in those with the acute form. During the experiments no viral antigen could be detected in the leukocytes of the pig that became convalescent, though the changes in its leukocyte subsets were very similar to those seen in pigs in which the viral antigen could be detected. The studies have revealed that essentially all leukocyte subsets can be infected with the CSF virus, but in very different amounts.