This paper investigates the endogenous emergence of democracy and rule of law in an economy where heterogeneous individuals can get involved in predation activities. Decisions about public policies concern the extent of fiscal redistribution and property rights, whose costs depend on the extent of predation in the population. We characterize the dynamic evolution of the economy in which both the political regimes and public policies are endogenously determined. The theory delivers several novel results. Multiple politico-economic equilibria involving different public policies can be sustained conditional on beliefs about property rights enforcement. Democratization is endogenous, but the features of democracies are shown to be crucially related to the conditions under which democratization initially takes place. Democratic transitions supported by a large consensus serve as coordination device and lead to better protection of property and more stable political systems than democratic transitions imposed under conflictual environments. Conflictual transitions lead to failed democracies with potentially worse property rights protection than oligarchies. The novel predictions are in line with existing evidence and with results from newly collected data on constitutional principles.


Introduction In Germany, regional data on the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are lacking for use in healthcare planning. We analysed regional differences in the prevalence of T2DM and treatment with antidiabetic agents. Methods Data from five regional population-based studies and the German National Health Interview and Examination Survey (GNHIES98) conducted between 1997 and 2006 were analysed. Estimates of self-reported diabetes, treatment, and onset of diabetes were compared. T2DM prevalence (95% CI) for the five regional studies was directly standardised to the German adult population (31 December 2007). Results From 11 688 participants aged 45–74 years, 1008 had prevalent T2DM, corresponding to a prevalence of 8.6% (8.1%–9.1%). For the GNHIES98 a prevalence of 8.2% (7.3%–9.2%) was estimated. Prevalence was higher in men (9.7%; 8.9%–10.4%) than in women (7.6%; 6.9%–8.3%). The age-standardised regional prevalence was highest in the East with 12.0% (10.3%–13.7%) and lowest in the South with 5.8% (4.9%–6.7%). The mean age of onset of T2DM was lower in Northeast (53+9SD) than in West-Germany (57+10SD). Treatment with oral antidiabetic agents was more frequently reported in the South (56.9%) than in the Northeast (46.0%), whereas treatment with insulin alone was more frequently reported in the Northeast (21.6%) than in the South (16.4%). Conclusion The prevalence of T2DM showed a Northeast and Southwest gradient within Germany with the highest standardised prevalence in the East, which is in accordance with regional differences in the distribution of risk factors for T2DM. Furthermore, the treatment with antidiabetic agents showed regional differences.


1. Parathyroid hormone and 25-hydroxy-vitamin D concentrations were measured in patients with severe primary osteoporosis and the results were compared with those found in normal subjects and in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism of vitamin D deficiency. 2. The parathyroid hormone concentrations in 19 patients with primary osteoporosis were within the normal range, both in the basal state (215 ± 85 ng/l, mean ± sd) and during a maximal stimulation (460 ±154 ng/l) induced by the infusion of disodium EDTA (70 mg/kg body weight). Increased serum concentrations of parathyroid hormone were found in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (821 ± 323 ng/l, n = 33) and nutritional vitamin D deficiency (565 ± 144 ng/l, n = 11). 3. Serum 25-hydroxy-vitamin D concentrations (16·8 ± 7·7 μg/l) were found to be normal in patients with primary osteoporosis. Slightly (9·1 ± 2·1 μg/l) or markedly lower (2·2 ± 1·1 μg/l) 25-hydroxy-vitamin D concentrations were found respectively in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism and secondary hyperparathyroidism due to vitamin D deficiency. The serum concentration of the vitamin D-binding protein was normal in all groups. 4. A clearcut separation was therefore obtained between osteoporotic subjects (normal parathyroid hormone and normal 25-hydroxy-vitamin D concentrations) and patients with either primary hyperparathyroidism (increased parathyroid hormone and normal 25-hydroxy-vitamin D) or vitamin D deficiency (high parathyroid hormone and very low 25-hydroxy-vitamin D).


Production planning in mineral exploitation should be undertaken to maximize exploited ore at a minimum unplanned dilution. Unplanned dilution reduction is among the ways to enhance the quality of products, and hence, reduce the associated costs, resulting in a higher profit. In this way, firstly, all the parameters contributing to unplanned dilution in underground stopes and specifically the cut-and-fill stoping method are identified. Secondly, the parameters are weighed using the fuzzy-Delphi analytical hierarchy process. Thirdly, the most effective parameters are selected among the pool of effective parameters. Finally, in order to present a novel classification system for an unplanned dilution assessment, a new index called stope unplanned dilution index (SUDI) is introduced. SUDI represents the extent to which a cut-and-fill stope is susceptible to unplanned dilution. That is, having the value of this index, one may classify the cut-and-fill stopes into five groups according to robustness versus unplanned dilution: very strong, strong, moderate, weak, and very weak. SUDI is applied to10 stopes in different parts of Venarch Manganese Mines (Qom, Iran). In this way, a semi-automatic cavity monitoring system is implemented in the stopes. The regression analysis method shows that there is a relationship between SUDI and the actual unplanned dilution in equivalent linear overbreak/slough with a correlation coefficient (R2 = 0.8957).


Interpolation of two-dimensional shapes described by iterated function systems is explored. Iterated function systems define shapes using self-transformations, and interpolation of these shapes requires interpolation of these transformations. Polar decomposition is used to avoid singular intermediate transformations and to better simulate articulated motion. Unlike some other representations, such as polygons, shaped described by iterated function systems can become totally disconnected. A new, fast and image-based technique for determining the connectedness of an iterated function system attractor is introduced. For each shape interpolation, a two parameter family of iterated function systems is defined, and a connectedness locus for these shapes is plotted, to maintain connectedness during the interpolation.


Background and objective: Many patients with brain infarction (BI) lack traditional risk factors, suggesting that other factors (including infectious agents) might contribute to stroke risk. We investigated Chlamydia pneumoniae infection in a large cohort of patients with BI according to aetiological subtypes and carotid atherosclerosis. Methods: We measured serum IgG and IgA to C pneumoniae by microimmunofluorescence in 483 BI cases and 483 controls matched for age, sex and centre. IgG ⩾1/32 and IgA ⩾1/24 were considered positive. Cases with BI proven by magnetic resonance imaging were consecutively recruited and were classified into aetiological subtypes. Carotid atherosclerosis (intima-media thickness, plaques, stenosis) was evaluated by duplex ultrasonography in all subjects following the same method and with central reading. Results: C pneumoniae IgG seropositivity was not associated with BI (adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.10, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.80–1.51) and did not increase the risk of any aetiological subtype. Overall, C pneumoniae IgA was not associated with BI (adjusted OR 1.54, 95% CI 0.84–2.81), but there was a significant interaction with hypertension. IgA seropositivity increased the BI risk in patients without hypertension (adjusted OR 2.79, 95% CI 1.15 to 6.74). When stratifying BI into subtypes, IgA seropositivity increased the risk of BI of unknown cause, but without significant heterogeneity. There was neither association with atherothrombotic, lacunar and cardioembolic BI nor with carotid intima-media thickness, carotid plaques or stenosis. Conclusions: We found no evidence that C pneumoniae seropositivity is associated with carotid atherosclerosis and BI, regardless of aetiological subtype; but it might be associated with an increased risk of BI in normotensive patients.


Nowadays the computer science is extremely important in business; thanks to it you can automate tasks, streamline processes and obtain information. The best resource for the new companies is the information. I mean, today the information is very necessary with the new technologies. Employers who are responsible to decide in their companies, have begun to understand that the information helps their business and also can be one of the best critical factors that can show us if the company work is successfully or not. (1) In recent years organizations have recognized the importance of managing key resources such as the working hours and the raw materials. ERP applications are often used to standardize business processes and unify data; the importance of that software in the companies is growing every day. Although we also can say that in some cases the ERP software doesn´t solve some business problems because there are processes that aren´t standard or common. Moreover, if we would create a module for our company it has to be usable .The usability is very important because that and the automation will help to increase the performance of coordinators. This project is a study of a particular case of a telecommunications company in which it has found a problem with the production process; In This Project we will be able to solve each problem that will appear in various stages of construction our module. These steps include: a study about if there are problems in the selected area of business, whether buying or building a new module, heuristic techniques and methods to improve the usability, quality of build module using polls, usability guidelines, use case... The results have improved the production of the company and the system provides the necessary information to the coordinators but the coordinators want further improvement. The study of the usability helps users to be ready to use the software correctly.


AIM
The purpose of this study was to compare the patient's postoperative discomfort when root canal irrigation was performed either with standard sodium hypochlorite or with sodium hypochlorite with the adjunct of a proteolytic enzyme.

METHODS
Two hundred patients were endodontically treated in two clinics. The type of irrigant to be used during root canal instrumentation was randomly assigned. Final irrigation was done using EDTA 17%. The canals were filled by warm vertical condensation with guttha-percha and the coronal seal was made using IRM. Patients were given a questionnaire to assess pain and swelling and the number of analgesics and other drugs taken during the first week after treatment.

RESULTS
A total of 166 questionnaires could have been evaluated. No significant difference was found between groups for pain, swelling and analgesics taken. Moderate pain and swelling was reported only in the first two days after treatment. No antibiotics use was reported. No guttha-percha excess beyond root apex was found by radiographic assessment.

CONCLUSIONS
The irrigating solution containing a proteolytic enzyme does not produce greater postoperative discomfort as compared to the conventional sodium hypochlorite in patients undergoing endodontic therapy.


Energy technologies, especially seen from the viewpoint of their importance as facilitators of development, are physical as well as social phenomena. This understanding is critical when considering energy that can advance sustainable development. Drawing from scholarly work, this development is taken to mean the same thing as sustainability. More importantly, although there has been much debate, particularly within the scientific community, there is agreement that the development needs to be balanced. The balance envisioned is on advancement in each of three key attributes or dimensions of the development; namely economic, social and environmental attributes. It would however appear that the social dimension is in many cases given low priority compared to the other dimensions, and this happens equally for energy technologies that drives the development.

With a view to elevating priority of social aspects of sustainability, insights into technologies and policies for energy provision and use are studied and presented in this thesis. The central argument in the thesis is that energy needs to be provided and used taking full account of social contexts. Studies on Kenya underscore paucity of socially relevant energy for sustainable development. From the research done, it is clear that there are social cognitive factors that give rise to a skewed understanding of sustainable energy. It is also evident that this type of energy and the technologies associated with it are primarily seen as means for advancement of environmental and economic interests.

Research investigations for the thesis indicate that subordination of social interests is largely notable in the case of developed countries, or societies of the North. The skewed understanding of sustainable energy seems to have been extended to developing countries, or societies of the South, largely via international development assistance mechanisms. For the Kenya case, and generally for the South it is recommended in the thesis that a cognitive and cultural reorientation be sought. This is with an aim of aligning the understanding and behaviour towards sustainable energy in a way that promotes social interests of sustainability.


Research has shown that through customization, a user can create a longer and more meaningful connection with their avatar. This research harnesses this emotional bond in order to create a more engaging experience in the queue at theme parks. Two methods were used to collect information. The first was an online survey about queuing, Bitmoji, and theme park behavior. The second was an on-site observational study to gain a more detailed look into guest behavior in a theme park queue. This research concludes with mockups and documentation for implementing a park-wide avatar system for alleviating queue boredom for the end user. Queues are not only for holding guests in a fair line, but for on-boarding, for the immersive story and background, and for entertainment. By personalizing and customizing the experience for the guest, a more enriching and emotional connection can be made to the attraction, and the park itself.


The expression of CYP2C12 is liver-specific and regulated at the transcriptional level by growth hormone (GH). In attempts to elucidate the nature of signaling molecules mediating the GH regulation of this gene in rat hepatocytes, a role for phospholipase A2 (PLA2) as a transducer of GH-induced levels of P4502C12 mRNA was investigated. GH was shown to induce tyrosyl-phosphorylation of p42 and p44 microtubule-associated protein (MAP) kinases and to reduce the electrophoretic mobility of a 100-kDa protein, immunologically related to cPLA2. These events were observed in parallel with GH-stimulated release of [3H]arachidonic acid ([3H]AA) from cellular phospholipids of rat hepatocytes labeled with [3H]AA. These rapid effects of GH action, as well as the GH-induced expression of CYP2C12, were inhibited in cells treated with the tyrosine kinase inhibitor herbimycin A. Similarly, when the GH-induced liberation of [3H]AA was blocked by the PLA2 inhibitor mepacrine or the Ca2+ channel blocker verapamil, GH-induced accumulation of P4502C12 mRNA was absent. These results suggest a correlation between PLA2 activity and GH regulation of the CYP2C12 gene. The inhibitory effect of mepacrine on GH induction of P4502C12 mRNA was reversed by AA addition, further supporting a role for eicosanoids in the regulation of CYP2C12. Finally, inhibitors of P450-mediated AA metabolism, SKF-525A and ketoconazole as well as eicosatetraynoic acid, blocked the GH-mediated induction of P4502C12 mRNA, whereas more specific inhibitors of cyclooxygenase or lipoxygenase metabolism did not. Based on these results, we suggest that GH signaling in rat hepatocytes, leading to increased expression of CYP2C12, involves PLA2 activation and subsequent P450-catalyzed formation of an active AA metabolite.


A chromosome polymorphism was detected between two early passage euploid Chinese hamster cell strains when a fluorescence shift of the small metacentric No. 9 chromosome was resolved by flow cytometry. The characteristics of the polymorphism were studied using cultures established from ear clippings taken from 16 additional hamsters from our breeding colony. Additional variants of chromosome 9 were detected using flow cytometry, and a subset of these variants were analyzed by G- and C-banding. An increase of fluorescence recorded by flow cytometry correlated with an increase of centromeric heterochromatin. Autosomal normalization of the flow karyotype from 18 different animals indicated three distinct peak positions for chromosome 9. The results indicate that a discrete block of constitutive heterochromatin may be present in one or two extra copies within the small inbred colony of hamsters studied. To determine the inheritance patterns, hamsters with known polymorphic No. 9 chromosomes were bred. The flow karyotypes derived from the offspring of these matings provide strong evidence that chromosomal polymorphisms are inherited in Mendelian fashion.


Photoluminescence (PL) spectra induced in LaAlO3 by ultraviolet (UV) photons were measured for two types of samples, i.e., single-crystal plates and thin films. The films, which were amorphous when deposited, became polycrystalline after being annealed at 800 °C or higher. When the excitation photon energy exceeded the band-gap energy of LaAlO3, three PL peaks appeared at approximately 1.60 eV in the single crystals and polycrystalline films deposited and annealed on a Si single-crystal substrate. When the films were deposited and annealed on a CaF2 single-crystal substrate, the in-plane lattice parameters became smaller and the energies of the three PL peaks shifted to higher values. This indicates that the three PL peaks are susceptible to a crystal field. Furthermore, the intensities of the three PL peaks did not depend on the measurement temperature. Taking these results together with their spectral shapes into consideration, the three PL peaks are due to the R-line luminescence resulting from Cr3+ impurities in LaAlO3. The detection of Cr3+ ions by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry failed, indicating that the Cr3+ content of the present samples is below 1 ppm. The fact that the PL peaks appeared in both the single-crystal plates and thin films obtained from different raw chemicals with different processes indicates that there is a strong possibility that the Cr3+ ions are present in Al ore. Another PL peak appearing at 2.8 eV in the single crystals was assumed to originate from oxygen vacancies.


A new scheme for power amplifiers is proposed, which can provide both high efficiency and linearity. The proposed amplifier operates in a virtual class-A mode under dual-bias control to maximize the power-added efficiency along with its inherent class-A linearity. The dynamic dual-bias control involves controlling both bias current and voltage of the amplifier with a varying envelope of input RF signals. The efficiency of the proposed amplifier is theoretically evaluated and compared with that of other conventional amplifier schemes. Based on theoretical analyses, several promising schemes for dual analog and digital bias control are proposed and discussed.


Abstract. Recent advances in the representation of soil carbon decomposition and carbon–nitrogen interactions implemented previously into separate versions of the land surface scheme JSBACH are here combined in a single version, which is set to be used in the upcoming 6th phase of coupled model intercomparison project (CMIP6). Here we demonstrate that the new version of JSBACH is able to reproduce the spatial variability in the reactive nitrogen-loss pathways as derived from a compilation of δ15N data (R = 0. 76, root mean square error (RMSE)  = 0. 2, Taylor score  = 0. 83). The inclusion of carbon–nitrogen interactions leads to a moderate reduction (−10 %) of the carbon-concentration feedback (βL) and has a negligible effect on the sensitivity of the land carbon cycle to warming (γL) compared to the same version of the model without carbon–nitrogen interactions in idealized simulations (1 % increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide per year). In line with evidence from elevated carbon dioxide manipulation experiments, pronounced nitrogen scarcity is alleviated by (1) the accumulation of nitrogen due to enhanced nitrogen inputs by biological nitrogen fixation and reduced losses by leaching and volatilization. Warming stimulated turnover of organic nitrogen further counteracts scarcity. The strengths of the land carbon feedbacks of the recent version of JSBACH, with βL = 0. 61 Pg ppm−1 and γL = −27. 5 Pg °C−1, are 34 and 53 % less than the averages of CMIP5 models, although the CMIP5 version of JSBACH simulated βL and γL, which are 59 and 42 % higher than multi-model average. These changes are primarily due to the new decomposition model, indicating the importance of soil organic matter decomposition for land carbon feedbacks.


We previously showed that otx2 activates ectopic formation of the Xenopus cement gland only in ventrolateral ectoderm, de®ning a region of the embryo permissive for cement gland formation. In this paper, we explore the molecular identity of this permissive area. One candidate permissive factor is BMP4, whose putative graded inhibition by factors such as noggin has been proposed to activate both cement gland and neural fates. Several lines of evidence are presented to suggest that BMP signaling and otx2 work together to activate cement gland formation. First, BMP4 is highly expressed in the cement gland primordium together with otx2. Second, cement gland formation in isolated ectoderm is always accompanied by coexpression of otx2 and BMP4 RNA, whether cement gland is induced by otx2 or by the BMP protein inhibitor noggin. Third, BMP signaling can modulate otx2 activity, such that increasing BMP signaling preferentially inhibits neural induction by otx2, while decreasing BMP signaling prevents cement gland formation. In addition, we show that a hormone-inducible otx2 activates both ectopic neural and cement gland formation within the cement gland permissive region, in a pattern reminiscent of that found in the embryo. We discuss this observation in view of a model that BMP4 and otx2 work together to promote cement gland formation. q 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.


The pin-rack gearing is a particular type of cycloidal gearing which transforms a rotation motion to a linear one. Comparing with rack and pinion gearing and hydraulic swing cylinder, the pin-rack gearing has a more compact structure, less mass and lower cost. Nevertheless, designers always worry about vibration, noise and low use life as pin-rack mechanism working caused by deficiency of design theory. The present research derived the pin-rack gearing tooth profile equation and studied the geometry relationship among design parameters. The results can help to improve the pin-rack gearing design.


The communications theory is a well established field whose origin could be traced back to approximately the early 20th century. This rich theory has found a very successful application since the 1980's - the mobile telephony through wireless cellular networks. Since the standardization process for the 4G technologies (LTE, LTE-Advanced) is in its final stage, it is time for the research community to articulate on what is likely to come next.


Subclavian arteriovenous fistulas are a rare but known complication of catheterisation procedures, pacemaker and internal cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implantation and surgery. These fistulas typically become apparent few days after procedure through clinical signs of a high output circulation. However, small fistulas can remain asymptomatic. We describe a case of a chronic Subclavian Arteriovenous Fistula (AVF) complicating an otherwise straightforward ICD device implantation procedure. The patient required urgent endovascular treatment to close the fistula.


Autonomic instability is well recognized in Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), particularly in the acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy subtype. Hypertension occurs in up to two-thirds of children with GBS but is rarely the main presenting feature. We describe a teenager who presented with tachycardia, dizziness, flushing, and significant hypertension as well as ascending limb weakness and sensory disturbance with areflexia. Because the predominant initial concern was hypertension, she was referred to pediatric nephrology and appropriate investigations for hypertension were conducted. Her neurologic findings prompted a neurology referral, and a diagnosis of GBS was made. The investigations for hypertension subsequently revealed increased urinary normetadrenaline levels in a range consistent with pheochromocytoma, prompting the question of dual pathology. Both autonomic symptoms and urinary metadrenaline levels subsided with GBS resolution, and further investigations excluded the diagnosis of pheochromocytoma. Our case highlights that significant dysautonomia can occur in children with GBS, with hypertension being a prominent early feature. Recognition that urinary metadrenalines can increase to levels seen in pheochromocytoma is important in avoiding diagnostic confusion.


Learning a foreign language provides an entry point into the lives of cultural 'others', as does the reading of realistic fiction. Responding to the challenges of both tasks requires concerted cognitive effort, but also creativity. First, individuals need to override the automatic tendency to prioritise their own point of view and then, at least temporarily, imagine themselves into another's position. When reading fiction, focalisation determines whose views the readers can access, but point of view is implicit in all language. L2 learners need to recognise and imitate the world view implicit in the target language. In this article, we present both skills – empathy and mimicry – as acts of creative cognition that develop from responding to literature. This article examines works of fiction written by 15–16-year-old Swedish learners of English in response to a short story by Salman Rushdie. The story contains culturally specific information, and the ending encourages readers to recognise their own assumptions alongside the focalising character. The study draws on cognitive narratology to examine the Swedish learners' fiction in terms of empathy and mimicry. The aims of the analyses are to determine how the short story and task design promote creative cognition, and to identify where the learners reveal a lack of understanding or an over-reliance on stereotypes.


Background and Aim: Enamel wear is among the main disadvantages of ceramic restorations. Recently, use of full zirconia crowns without dental porcelain has been suggested. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of feldspathic porcelain and zirconia on the wear of natural teeth. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 22 zirconia specimens were fabricated; out of which, 11 specimens were polished and chosen as zirconia specimens while the remaining 11 were used to fabricate porcelain specimens. A total of 22 natural human teeth were also obtained. The natural teeth were photographed by a stereomicroscope in a fixed position and the distance from the cusp tip to a reference point was measured. Next, 11 teeth opposed zirconia and the remaining 11 opposed porcelain specimens in a chewing simulator and subjected to 120,000 masticatory cycles. The teeth were photographed again and the greatest difference between the before and after values was recorded. Results: The mean (± standard deviation) wear rate was 153.8±95.68 and 306.3±127.74, in the zirconia and porcelain groups, respectively; and the two groups had a statistically significant difference in this respect (P=0.007). Conclusion: The mean wear was significantly lower in teeth opposing zirconia than in those opposing feldspathic porcelain.


Infrared absorption spectroscopy offers direct access to the vibrational signatures of molecular structure. Although absorption cross sections are nearly 10 orders of magnitude larger than the Raman cross sections, they are small in comparison with those of fluorescent labels. Sensitivity improvements are therefore required in order for the method to be applicable to single molecule/monolayer studies. In this work, we demonstrate a plasmon enhanced vibrational spectroscopy technique which allow for the measurement of molecule specific signatures at the monolayer level. Specifically, we show 4-5 order of magnitude enhancement of the amide-I and II backbone signature of protein monolayers, the signal resulting from only zeptomole quantities of molecules.


Holographic information storage systems using Collinear Technologies is proposed by Optware Corporation, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan, and in which the information and reference beams are modulated coaxially by the same spatial light modulator (SLM). With this unique configuration, the optical pickup can be designed as small as the DVDs and can be placed on one side of the recording disk. In a Holographic Versatile Disc (HVD) structure, the preformatted metadata reflective layer is used for the focus/tracking servo and reading address information, and the dichroic mirror layer is used for detecting holographic recording information without interfering with the preformatted information. A two-dimensional (2-D) digital page data format is used, and the shift-multiplexing method is employed to increased recording density of HVD. Experimental and theoretical studies suggest that the holographic material is very effective to increased recording density of the system. As the servo technology is being introduced to control the objective lens to be maintained precisely to the disk in the recording and the reconstructing process, a vibration isolator is no longer necessary. HVD will be compatible with existing disk storage systems, like CD and DVD, and enable us to expand its applications into other optical information storage systems


Purpose/Objectives: The role of a nurse case manager (NCM) incorporates practice that is built upon knowledge gained in other roles as well as components unique to case management. The concept of reflective practice was used in creating a framework to recognize the developmental stages that occur within community based case management practice. The formation of this framework and its uses are described in this article. Primary Practice Setting: The practice setting is a community based case management department in a large midwestern metropolitan health care system with Magnet recognition. Advanced practice nurses provide care for clients with chronic health conditions. Findings/Conclusions: Twenty-four narratives were used to identify behaviors of community based case managers and to distinguish stages of practice. The behaviors of advanced practice found within the narratives were labeled and analyzed for similarities. Related behaviors were grouped and descriptor statements were written. These statements grouped into 3 domains of practice: relationship/partnership, coordination/collaboration, and clinical knowledge/decision making. The statements in each domain showed practice variations from competent to expert, and 3 stages were determined. Reliability and validity of the framework involved analysis of additional narratives. The reflective practice process, used for monthly case review presentations, provides opportunity for professional development and group learning focused on improving case manager practice. The framework is also being used in orientation as new case managers acclimate to the role. Implications for Case Management Practice: Reflective writing has unveiled the richness and depth of nurse case manager practice. The depth of knowledge and skills involved in community-based case management is captured within this reflective practice framework. This framework provides a format for describing community based case manager practice development over the course of time and has been used as a tool for orientation and peer review.


This article analyses the discursive construction of collective memories and the function of commemorative events for national identity. It focuses on how the 30th anniversary of the Portuguese 1974 revolution was portrayed in the government's Programme of Action issued for the 2004 commemorations and in forty-three newspaper opinion articles also published in 2004. The 1974 revolution ended a 48-year right-wing dictatorship and has shaped subsequent historical events since the 1970s. When the Programme of Action changed the 1974 slogan 'April is revolution' into 'April is evolution', the written press responded by conducting a debate on this reframing. Using the Discourse-Historical Approach in CDA as the analytical framework, this paper highlights the discursive strategies on which the government's manifesto was built and explores the opinion articles' ongoing political and ideological tensions over the revolution, its commemorations, and how it paved the way into Europe, by describing the main macro-discursive strategies and raising issues regarding the (mis)representation of social actors and social action.


In this paper, we propose a routing algorithm called minimum fusion Steiner tree (MFST) for energy efficient data gathering with aggregation (fusion) in wireless sensor networks. Different from existing schemes, MFST not only optimizes over the data transmission cost, but also incorporates the cost for data fusion, which can be significant for emerging sensor networks with vectorial data and/or security requirements. By employing a randomized algorithm that allows fusion points to be chosen according to the nodes' data amounts, MFST achieves an approximation ratio of 5/4log(k + 1), where k denotes the number of source nodes, to the optimal solution for extremely general system setups, provided that fusion cost and data aggregation are nondecreasing against the total input data. Consequently, in contrast to algorithms that only excel in full or nonaggregation scenarios without considering fusion cost, MFST can thrive in a wide range of applications


Background
Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) is an important inflammation-related factor in the initial stage of proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR). The previous research showed that curcumin can inhibit IL-1β-induced proliferation of rabbit retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells, but the anti-inflammatory mechanism and effect of curcumin are still undefined.

Objective
This study was to observe the migration of IL-1β-induced rabbit RPE cells, and evaluate the function and mechanism of inhibition of curcumin on IL-1β-induced inflammation of RPE cells.

Methods
Cultured rabbit RPE cells of generation 4 were used in this experiment.The cells were cultured in serum-free DMEM and 0, 0.1, 1.0 and 10.0 μg/L IL-1β were separately added in the medium for 24 hours.The expressions of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) protein and mRNA in the cells were detected by Western blot and reverse transcription PCR to determine the optimal concentration of IL-1β.The cells were divided into IL-1β group and curcumin+ IL-1β group, and 1.0 μg/L IL-1 or 1.0 μg/L IL-1β combined with 10 μg/ml curcumin was respectively added into the medium for 24, 48 and 72 hours.The cells cultured by only serum-free medium served as the control group.Hematoxylin and eosin staining was conducted for the cells to count the number of cells migrating into the injured area under the optical microscope.The relative expression levels of COX-2 protein and mRNA in the cells were detected by Western blot and reverse transcription PCR, and the relative expression levels of nuclear factor (NF)-κBp65 and inhibitor of NF-κB-α (IκB-α) protein were also detected by Western blot assay.The expression intensity and location of NF-κBp65, IκB-α and COX-2 in the cells were detected by immunochemistry.

Results
RPE cells just isolated from the rabbit eyes were in round shape and abundant in melanin.The melanin significantly decreased in the fourth generations of RPE cells.The shape of cells became long and narrow, and net shaped distribution.Immunochemistry demonstrated the strong positive response of RPE cells for keratin (AE1/AE3). There were (31.93±1.21), (36.27±2.50) and (38.33±2.40) migratory cells in the control group after 24, 48 and 72 hours respectively.The number of migratory cells increased to 45.73±2.30, 71.13±1.92 and 80.60±1.71 in the IL-1β group, but obviously decreased to 13.13±2.20, 14.93±1.10 and 12.60±1.51 in the curcumin+ IL-1β group.A Significant increase in the migrating cell number was found in the IL-1β group compared with the control group and the curcumin+ IL-1β group in various time points (all at P<0.05). The relative expression levels of COX-2 protein and mRNA peaked in the 1.0 μg/L IL-1β group, so 1.0 μg/L of IL-1β was determined as the optimal concentration in the experiment.In 24, 48 and 72 hours after culture, the expression levels of COX-2 protein and mRNA in the cells were significantly lower in the curcumin+ IL-1β group than those in the control group (all at P<0.05). The relative expression level reached peak in NF-κBp65 protein and lowed bottom in IκB-α proteins at 48 hours after cultured in the IL-1β group, and the reverse trend was seen in the curcumin+ IL-1β group, with the significant differences between the two groups (both at P<0.05). Immunochemistry showed that NF-κBp65 was expressed strongly in the cell nuclei and cytoplasm in the IL-1β group and presented the weaker expression in the control group and the curcumin+ IL-1β group.Compared with the control group, the expression was weaker in IκB-α and stronger in COX-2 in the IL-1β group.In addition, the expression of IκB-α was enhanced and that of COX-2 was attenuated in the curcumin+ IL-1β group in comparison with the IL-1β group.

Conclusions
Curcumin inhibits the movement of rabbit RPE cells induced by IL-1β.IL-1β up-regulates the expression of COX-2 by activating NF-κB signal pathway, and curcumin plays an anti-inflammatory role by blocking this pathway.

Key words:
Curcumin/pharmacology; Retinal pigment epithelium/cytology; Cell migration/drug effect; Interleukin-1beta/antagonists i Cytokines/metabolism; Inflammation/etiology; Vitreoretinopathy, proliferative/drug therapy; Cells, cultured; Rabbits


In this paper we consider a decode-and-forward cooperative network, which is active in the same bandwidth as a primary user network. The cooperative or secondary user network applies a dynamic resource allocation algorithm to maximize its own performance while limiting the interference caused at the primary user receivers. The main contribution of this paper is the proposition of a new accurate approximation for the outage probability, which takes into account that the channel state information available at the transmitter is imperfect and outdated. The accuracy of the approximation and the performance of the resource allocation scheme are validated through numerical simulations.


The North American-Caribbean genera Pholcophora Banks, 1896 and Tolteca Huber, 2000 are representatives of Ninetinae, a group of small, cryptic, and thus poorly known pholcid spiders. We present the first comprehensive revisions of the two genera, including extensive SEM data and descriptions of seven new species from Mexico (Pholcophora mazatlan Huber sp. nov., P. papanoa Huber sp. nov., P. tehuacan Huber sp. nov., Tolteca huahua Huber sp. nov., T. manzanillo Huber sp. nov., T. oaxaca Huber sp. nov., and T. sinnombre Huber sp. nov.). We add new CO1 sequences of nine species to previously published molecular data and use these for a preliminary analysis of relationships. We recover a North American-Caribbean clade including 'true' (mainland) Pholcophora, Tolteca (Mexico), and a Caribbean clade consisting of the genus Papiamenta Huber, 2000 (Curaçao) and Caribbean 'Pholcophora'. First karyotype data for Tolteca (2n♂ = 13, X1X2Y and 15, X1X2Y, respectively) reveal a strong reduction of the number of chromosome pairs within the North American-Caribbean clade, and considerable karyotype differentiation among congeners. This agrees with considerable CO1 divergence among species of Tolteca but contrasts with very inconspicuous morphological divergence. Environmental niche analyses show that the widespread P. americana Banks, 1896 (western USA, SW Canada) occupies a very different niche than its Mexican congeners and other close relatives. Caribbean taxa also have a low niche overlap with 'true' Pholcophora and Tolteca, supporting the idea that Caribbean 'Pholcophora' are taxonomically misplaced.


Digital badges are digital indicators of achievement that are issued in response to a user action within a virtual environment. While badges have been successful in multiple domains, they do not always achieve their purpose. Past research indicates that this is likely a function of specific badging design and how well the badging system integrates with the system's needs and goals. The present article examines how careful badge design can be used to facilitate pedagogy and learning in virtual worlds. It integrates educational and psychological theory to discuss several key uses and best practices of designing digital badges for virtual worlds, including assessing peer skill in multiuser worlds, fostering curiosity to drive exploration of the world, setting appropriate goals to structure learning about the world, and teaching users about the world through feedback. Both entertainment and educational applications are discussed alongside examples to better communicate how to integrate badges in virtual worlds.


Background and Purpose: Polymorphisms and serum levels of Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMP) and Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinases (TIMP) have been studied with regard to atheromatous plaques and ischemic stroke, while no studies of DNA methylation (DNAm) patterns of MMP or TIMP have been performed to that end. Here, we evaluate DNAm levels of the MMP and TIMP gene families in human carotid plaques and blood samples of atherothrombotic stroke patients. Methods: We profiled the DNAm status of stable and ulcerated atherosclerotic plaques obtained as pair sets from three patients who underwent carotid endarterectomy surgery. We selected 415 CpG sites, mapping into MMPs and TIMPs genes for further study. Secondly, the statistically associated CpG sites were analyzed in blood samples from two separate atherothrombotic stroke cohorts (total sample size = 307), ischemic stroke-cohort 1 (ISC-1): 37 atherothrombotic patients and 6 controls, ischemic stroke-cohort 2 (ISC-2): 80 atherothrombotic patients and 184 controls. DNAm levels from plaque tissue and blood samples were evaluated using a high-density microarray Infinium, HumanMethylation450 BeadChip and Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChip. Results: Three CpG sites were statistically significantly associated with unstable plaque portions; cg02969624, q-value = 0.035 (TIMP2), and cg04316754, q-value = 0.037 (MMP24) were hypermethylated, while cg24211657 q-value = 0.035 (TIMP2) was hypomethylated. Association of cg04316754 (MMP24) methylation levels with atherothrombotic risk was also observed in blood tissue: ISC-1 p-values = 0.03, ISC-2 p-value = 1.9 × 10-04. Conclusions: The results suggest different DNAm status of MMP24 between stable and unstable atherothrombotic carotid plaques, and between atherothrombotic stroke and controls in blood samples.


We designed and implemented a distributed processing environment for uniformly communicating and sharing information among remotely located robots and human operators. This environment interconnects heterogeneous processors to withstand dynamically changing configurations and communications failures, and to support mixed-mode operation (simultaneous teleoperation and autonomous modes). The key design notion is undirected, data-driven communication: the recipients of data rather than the creators define communications paths for well-formed data blocks augmented by descriptive properties. Using this environment, we have implemented both a hierarchical path planner for an intelligent mobile robot operating over a local-area network and a telerobotic testbed that supports long-distance teleoperation.


Abstract This paper presents a methodology that permits accounting for acoustic fatigue effects when sizing safe-life structural skin-stringer panels at the conceptual design stage of aircraft product development. The approach is based upon estimation of the maximum noise radiated from an entry-into-service year 2020 turbofan. Sonic fatigue endurance is assessed for different skin-stringer panels having different values of skin thickness, rib pitch and stringer pitch. Three different materials were considered in this study: aluminium 2024-T3 alloys (Al 2024-T3); carbon fibre-reinforced plastics (CFRP); and, glass reinforced fibre metal laminate (Hybrid Glare-3). The study resulted in CFRP having the most favourable sonic fatigue performance. In order to link economic considerations into technical decision making, the sonic endurance methods were coupled with an industry grade costing analysis tool (SEER-HTM) to examine the impact of safe-life design on the panel cost and weight. The presented methodology has been shown to be sufficiently generic in nature and robust. This will not only assist in identifying acoustic fatigue as a potential critical design scenario, but will also increase throughput during conceptual design sizing and optimisation.


Principles and Parameters is a new textbook intended for the advanced undergraduate or postgraduate student of linguistics. In this readable and authoritative survey of the theory, incorporating much of Government and Binding (GB) theory, Peter Culicover summarizes the major proposals and results of Case theory, Theta theory, X'-theory, Binding theory, the theory of A- and A'- movement, locality conditions, and the theory of Logical Form (LF). He provides an up-to-date introduction to a number of more recent proposals, including Chomsky's Minimalist Program, Larsonian shells, and Kayne's Antisymmetry theory. A major concern and organizing principle of the book is to give the student an understanding of how specific methodological assumptions underlie the core analyses that have played a central role in the development of the theory. Each chapter is followed by an extensive set of exercises which lead the student from the point of applying the mechanics of the theory to developing and organizing new data, providing analyses, and exploring alternative hypotheses. There are also graded and annotated guides to further reading for each chapter, and, as a general aid to the student, a comprehensive glossary of terms. This book is intended for courses: Advanced Syntax; Government and Binding Theory; Principles and Parameters Theory Level: Final year undergraduate; postgraduate, supplementary for some second year undergraduate courses.


: The target of the case study was to investigate the efficiency of an alternative combined therapy scheme of herpes simplex infections versus the routine therapy by acyclovir or famvir as applicable to HIV-infected patients. leukinferon was shown to induce the antoherpetic acyclovir efficiency. The use of the latter concurrently with cycloferon for the treatment of infections provoked by herpes simple virus-1 (HSV-1) and HSV-2 in HIV-infected patients prolongs the remission period in case of the above opportunistic infections. The leukinferon anti-herpetic efficiency is, obviously, related with the phagocytosis stimulation and with its positive influence exerted on hemopoiesis. The combined therapy can be stated to be most effective in HIV, clinical stages B1 and 2.


In Chinese culture, certain digits are considered lucky and others unlucky. This thesis evaluates how numerical superstition affects financial decision-making in the Chinese A-share IPO market for the period between 2003-2015. Evidence has been found that suggests that numerical superstition influences the initial return on the issuing day of A-share IPOs on the Shanghai exchange. On this exchange newly listed firms with the unlucky number 4 and lucky numbers 6 and 8 in their ticker are initially traded at a discount. A superstition effect for the lucky numbers 6 and 8 dissipates after the first trading day but remains visible after the IPO for the unlucky number 4 and disappears within a month. The Shenzhen exchange showed no effects of numerical superstition on the initial return of the first trading date. The additional regression results indicate that after one month and onwards, having an unlucky number in a ticker has a negative influence on IPO underpricing . After the 3rd and 6th month the lucky number 6 is has a significant negative impact on stock return.


We previously showed that the intake of sesamin, a major lignan in sesame seed, decreased lipid peroxidation and elevated tocopherol concentration in rat tissues. In this study, we examined the effect of dietary sesame seed and sesamin on the ascorbic acid concentration in rat tissues. Rats (4-wk-old) were fed either a vitamin E-free diet, or a diet containing 50 mg gamma-tocopherol/kg, one containing 2 g sesamin/kg, one containing 50 mg gamma-tocopherol/kg and 2 g sesamin/kg, or one containing 200 g sesame seed/kg for 28 d. The dietary sesamin and sesame seed elevated ascorbic acid concentrations in the liver and kidney, and increased urinary excretion in those Wistar rats. The dietary sesamin also elevated the hepatic mRNA levels of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2B, and UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) 1A and 2B. In contrast, neither the sesamin nor the sesame seed affected the liver concentration of ascorbic acid in ODS rats with a hereditary defect in ascorbic acid synthesis, though the dietary sesame seed elevated the UGT1A and 2B mRNA levels in the liver. In addition, the sesame seed elevated the gamma-tocopherol concentration in the various ODS rat tissues and the ascorbic acid concentrations in the kidney, heart and lung, while reducing the thiobarbituric acid reactive substance concentration in the heart and kidney. These results suggest that dietary sesame seed and its lignan stimulate ascorbic acid synthesis as a result of the induction of UGT1A and the 2B-mediated metabolism of sesame lignan in rats. The data of ODS rat studies also suggest that dietary sesame seed enhances antioxidative activity in the tissues by elevating the levels of two antioxidative vitamins, vitamin C and E.


In the
unified subquark model of all fundamental particles and forces, the mass of the
Higgs boson in the standard model of electroweak interactions (mH) is predicted to be
about (where mw is the mass of the
charged weak boson), which agrees well with the experimental values of 125 - 126
GeV recently found by the ATLAS and CMS Collaborations at the LHC. It seems to
indicate that the Higgs boson is a composite of the iso-doublet subquark-antisubquark
pairs well described by the unified subquark model with either one of subquark
masses vanishing or being very small compared to the other.


OBJECTIVE
To study the change rules of inflammatory factors in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum of patients with viral meningitis.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
742 patients with suspected viral meningitis admitted to Department of Neurosurgery in our hospital from August 2012 to May 2016 were selected as research objects and retrospectively analyzed. 536 patients were diagnosed with viral meningitis by CSF with the lumbar puncture and brain computed tomography (CT), while the other 206 patients were diagnosed with non-infectious nervous system disease, as the control group. The levels of inflammatory factors interleukin-6 (IL-6) in peripheral blood and procalcitonin (PCT) in cerebrospinal fluid were detected and compared between two groups of patients.

RESULTS
Compared with those in control group, the white blood cell (WBC) count, and levels of serum IL-6 and PCT in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with viral meningitis were all increased (p<0.01). PCT and IL-6 were positively correlated with viral meningitis (r=0.8267, 0.9234). The sensitivity of the two items was 77.81% and 81.32%, respectively, and the specificity was 90.53% and 88.64%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS
The levels of inflammatory factors IL-6 and PCT in serum and CSF of patients with viral meningitis are slightly increased. The detection of the expression levels of IL-6 and PCT in patients with viral meningitis is of great significance for the preliminary diagnosis and rehabilitation of viral meningitis.


The paper proposes a hypernetwork-based method for stock market prediction through a binary time series problem. Hypernetworks are a random hypergraph structure of higher-order probabilistic relations of data. The problem we tackle concerns the prediction of price movements (up/down) on stock markets. Compared to previous approaches, the proposed method discovers a large population of variable subpatterns, i.e. local and global patterns, using a novel evolutionary hypernetwork. An output is obtained from combining these patterns. In the paper, we describe two methods for assessing the prediction quality of the hypernetwork approach. Applied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average Index and the Korea Composite Stock Price Index data, the experimental results show that the proposed method effectively learns and predicts the time series information. In particular, the hypernetwork approach outperforms other machine learning methods such as support vector machines, naive Bayes, multilayer perceptrons, and k-nearest neighbors.


Abstract. A method to constrain carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from open biomass burning by using satellite observations of co-emitted species and a chemistry-transport model (CTM) is proposed and applied to the case of wildfires in Siberia. CO2 emissions are assessed by means of an emission model assuming a direct relationship between the biomass burning rate (BBR) and the fire radiative power (FRP) derived from MODIS measurements. The key features of the method are (1) estimating the FRP-to-BBR conversion factors (α) for different vegetative land cover types by assimilating the satellite observations of co-emitted species into the CTM, (2) optimal combination of the estimates of α derived independently from satellite observations of different species (CO and aerosol in this study), and (3) estimation of the diurnal cycle of the fire emissions directly from the FRP measurements. Values of α for forest and grassland fires in Siberia and their uncertainties are estimated using the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) carbon monoxide (CO) retrievals and MODIS aerosol optical depth (AOD) measurements combined with outputs from the CHIMERE mesoscale chemistry-transport model. The constrained CO emissions are validated through comparison of the respective simulations with independent data of ground-based CO measurements at the ZOTTO site. Using our optimal regional-scale estimates of the conversion factors (which are found to be in agreement with earlier published estimates obtained from local measurements of experimental fires), the total CO2 emissions from wildfires in Siberia in 2012 are estimated to be in the range from 280 to 550 Tg C, with the optimal (maximum likelihood) value of 392 Tg C. Sensitivity test cases featuring different assumptions regarding the injection height and diurnal variations of emissions indicate that the derived estimates of the total CO2 emissions in Siberia are robust with respect to the modeling options (the different estimates vary within less than 15% of their magnitude). The CO2 emission estimates obtained for several years are compared with independent estimates provided by the GFED3.1 and GFASv1.0 global emission inventories. It is found that our "top-down" estimates for the total annual biomass burning CO2 emissions in the period from 2007 to 2011 in Siberia are by factors of 2.5 and 1.8 larger than the respective bottom-up estimates; these discrepancies cannot be fully explained by uncertainties in our estimates. There are also considerable differences in the spatial distribution of the different emission estimates; some of those differences have a systematic character and require further analysis.


This study proposes an approach integrating current methodology, which determines the amount of drug consumed per month/day per 1,000 inhabitants by measuring concentrations of illicit drugs and their metabolites in untreated wastewater, with geographic information system (GIS) designed for this specific purpose. The proposed approach contributes to existing studies by the use of multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) technique which enables the user to make spatial decisions based on analyzing the effecting parameters of illicit drug use. Usability of GIS technology for monitoring illicit drug consumption was showed in this study by applying the proposed methodology in a pilot study area. MCDM of the model established in the case study included four parameters: building use-cases, age, gender and population living in the study area. Weights of the stated parameters have been estimated using the analytic hierarchy process technique. As a result of the study, the proposed methodology produced a thematic map that classifies the monitoring area according to the potential for illicit drug use. Initial results of the proposed system produced by using sample data of a district in Istanbul were presented in this paper. Also, the challenges that may be encountered in the comprehensive applications of the proposed system was discussed in this study.


This paper describes the Art Collection Ecosystem – an application that allows users to tag and serendipitously browse content using Formal Concept Analysis. Within this application, tags are derived from meta-data of artworks within an existing asset management system and are classified according to theories derived from social tagging behaviour. We present past and recent iterations of its design, where it is evaluated as a contextual comparison to a popular image tagging application, Flickr. Through the process of iterative design and user evaluation, we produce results are of interest to any applied research and development that involves the exploration of digital library content using


Orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) dysfunction and poor decision making have been described in patients with chronic migraine and medication overuse. These neurobiological underpinnings might explain dependency‐like behaviors often described in this condition, such as loss of control over painkillers, high rates of relapse after detoxification, and compromised social functioning. We investigate whether the OFC impairment was a persistent trait in migraine, independent of clinical and affective features, a dynamic result of the need to cope with the increased pain and disability, or a temporary consequence of medication overuse.


OBJECTIVE
To study the effect of pioglitazone (a PPAR gamma agonist) treatment on blood pressure, endothelial function, and oxidative stress in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats.

METHODS
Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into control (n=32) and STZ-diabetic (n=32) groups. Rats were further randomized to receive pioglitazone (10 mg/kg) or placebo for 4 weeks, and the following protocols were carried out. Blood pressure, blood glucose level, and body weight were measured. Thoracic aorta was isolated and the dose-response curve of phenylephrine (PE) in the presence or absence of Nomega-nitro-L-arginine-methyl ester (L-NAME) was recorded. The dose-response curve of acetylcholine (Ach) in the presence or absence of indomethacin, L-NAME, and methylene blue was recorded. Tone-related basal nitric oxide release experiments were carried out. Lipid peroxidation, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and reduced glutathione were estimated in liver, kidney, and aorta. Aortic nitrite levels were also measured. Further, in vitro effects of PE and Ach in the presence of pioglitazone (0.1 M-10 mM) were measured in aortic rings of nondiabetic and STZ-diabetic rats. Pioglitazone-induced relaxations were recorded in PE-contracted rings (with intact and denuded endothelium) in the presence of L-NAME and in KCl-contracted rings.

RESULTS
Pioglitazone treatment reduced blood pressure without having any significant effect on blood glucose level and body weight of STZ-diabetic rats. Enhanced PE-induced contraction and impaired Ach-induced relaxations in STZ-diabetic rats were restored to normal by pioglitazone treatment. The presence of L-NAME but not indomethacin blocked Ach-induced relaxation in pioglitazone-treated STZ-diabetic rats. Basal nitric oxide release was significantly higher in pioglitazone-treated STZ-diabetic rats. Oxidative stress was significantly higher in STZ-diabetic rats and pioglitazone treatment significantly reduced it. High aortic nitrite levels of STZ-diabetic rats were significantly reduced by pioglitazone treatment. The presence of pioglitazone at higher concentrations (>10 muM), but not at lower concentrations, significantly changed the dose-response curve of PE or Ach. Pioglitazone relaxations at lower concentrations but not at higher concentrations were blocked by endothelium removal or by the presence of L-NAME.

CONCLUSION
Pioglitazone administration reduced oxidative stress, which prevented the breakdown of nitric oxide and increased nitric oxide levels, thereby restoring the endothelial function in aorta of STZ-diabetic rat. Hence, from the present study it can be concluded that pioglitazone administration in STZ-diabetic rats lowers blood pressure, protects against oxidative stress, and restores endothelial function.


: Three drug combinations, ipilimumab-nivolumab (Ipi-Nivo), pembrolizumab-axitinib (Pembro-Axi), and avelumab-axitinib (Ave-Axi), have received regulatory approval in the USA and Europe for the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma with clear cell component (mRCC). However, no head-to-head comparison data are available to identify the best option. Therefore, we aimed to compare these new treatments in a first-line setting. We conducted a systematic search in PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and clinicaltrials.gov for any randomized controlled trials of treatment-naïve patients with mRCC, from January 2015 to October 2019. The process was performed according to PRISMA guidelines. We performed a Bayesian network meta-analysis with two di ff erent approaches, a contrast-based model comparing HRs and ORs between studies and arm-based using parametric modeling. The outcomes for the analysis were overall survival, progression-free survival (PFS), and objective response rate. Our search identified 3 published phase 3 randomized clinical trials (2835 patients). In the contrast-based model, Ave-Axi (SUCRA = 83%) and Pembro-Axi (SUCRA = 80%) exhibited the best ranking probabilities for PFS. For overall survival (OS), Pembro-Axi (SUCRA = 96%) was the most preferable option against Ave-Axi and Ipi-Nivo. Objective response rate analysis showed Ave-Axi as the best (SUCRA: 94%) and Pembro-Axi as the second best option. In the parametric models, the risk of progression was comparable for Ave-Axi and Ipi-Nivo, whereas Pembro-Axi exhibited a lower risk during the first 6 months of treatment and a higher risk afterwards. Furthermore, Pembro-Axi exhibited a net advantage in terms of OS over the two other regimens, while Ave-Axi was the least preferable option. Overall evidence suggests that pembrolizumab plus axitinib seems to have a slight advantage over the other two combinations.


It is an essential aspect of science, technology and commerce to be able to communicate in a common language of units, procedure and phenomenology. Presently, there exist no such standards for the field of damage testing, leading to the present problems in scientific communication, comparison of test results and commercial activities. A necessary precursor to the standardization and proper cataloging of laser damage test data is a common nomenclature. There are many cases where parameters, phenomenology and test results are denoted by identical names. Moreover, there are cases where a single idea is known by multiple labels. This lack of standardization in the definitions and nomenclature leads to difficult, tedious and frequently unfruitful literature searches. This paper is intended to be the first step in the standardization of the field of laser induced damage by reviewing the literature and assigning in one review paper, a_set of exclusive definitions or labels to the various definitions of damage, threshold determination, spot size and pulse width. In making these assignments, a vehicle is provided for the necessary seminal .discussions leading to eventual adoption of accepted standards of procedure and definition for laser damage testing.


A geophysical survey with several techniques was carried out on a karst area in southern Sardinia (Italy), where a large sinkhole, 15m deep and 18m wide suddenly occurred. The sinkhole was situated at a distance of 50m from a railway and therefore it could represent an impending danger. The aim of the geophysical survey was to verify wether the sinkhole or other karst phenomena were someway extended up to the railway's lay-out. The geology of the area is very complex since, even at very shallow depths, shows the results of several events among which two tectonic cycles, compressive and distensive respectively, erosion processes, two continental sedimentary cycles. The main lithotypes which characterise the area, from bottom to surface are as follows (Atzeni et al., 1994): 1) fractured Paleozoic limestones and dolomites with water circulation and karst phenomena, 2)Tertiary continental sedimentary formation mainly made up of sandstones and clay marls, 3)Quaternary sediments. As shown by several test holes, in the study area the thickness of Quaternary overburden is in the order of 1-5m and that of Tertiary sediments in the order of at least 5-20m. The Paleozoic basement, which outcrops no far, was found in one test hole only, at a depth of 12m.


Automation in industry provides both cost and management benefits. Within the materials handling field, these benefits are provided by automated guided vehicle systems. Currently available systems suffer from the problems of path and vehicle dependence, i.e. the need for a guide wire and the customised nature of the autanatic equipnent which is only suitable for the vehicles with which it is supplied. Future systems will need to be more complex whilst maintaining the ability to suit the smaller, simpler systems. More interfacing with other automatic manufacturing and warehouse equipnent will be needed and the vehicles themselves will need more intelligence. A free-ranging, autonomous, intelligent, automatic vehicle would overcome the present limitations and simultaneously meet the expected future requirements. This thesis describes a research programme which is adequate to develop such a vehicle. This includes the design of a materials handling system which can operate equally well with both simpler wire guided vehicles and the more complex free ranging vehicles. The design is based on the roncept of delegated intelligence where the vehicle sub-systems are all controlled by microprocessors. The major advantage of automated guided vehicle systems is the flexibility they give to the materials handling operation and this is a direct function of the intelligence of the system. The provision of intelligence in the vehicle sub-systems has a maJor impact on the flexibility of the complete system. An automatic vehicle has various sub-systems of which the most immediate is steering. The vehicle steering system is designed in a modular manner. A mathematical model of the steerirg system has been developed and validated, and the building of the steering system on the basis of this model means that future system developnent will be for the sensors only and will be rapid. The control of the steering function by a microprocessor gives the system great flexibility, particularly with the use of software controlled manoeuvres.


Diabetes mellitus is a disease characterized by increased blood glucose levels. For overt type 2 diabetes to develop, both insulin action and insulin secretion must be perturbed. In the work presented in this thesis, two models were analyzed: hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) null mice and a pancreatic clonal β-cell line to study the mechanisms underlying insulin resistance and insulin secretion perturbations, respectively. To achieve this, techniques allowing a global analysis of the transcriptome, proteome and metabolome were used. HSL is best known as the enzyme hydrolyzing acylglycerides stored in adipose tissue. But HSL has broad substrate specificity and is widely expressed elsewhere than in adipose tissue. Its role in non-adipose tissues is not completely understood, but the phenotype revealed by the characterization of several independently generated HSL-null mouse lines during the recent years suggests that HSL has several functions in addition to its role in adipocyte lipolysis. The role of HSL in the liver was studied in this thesis. More specifically, the liver phenotype of HSL-null mice was investigated at the transcriptome (Paper I and IV) and proteome (Paper IV) levels. The obtained results didn't allow the obvious identification of possible mechanisms behind the hepatic insulin resistance observed in our HSL-null mouse strain. However, our results show that HSL plays an important role as a cholesteryl ester hydrolase in the liver and that HSL influences overall cholesterol homeostasis by indirectly controlling hepatic HDL-cholesterol clearance. We also demonstrated the importance of a cross-talk between white adipose tissue and liver that regulates cholesterol homeostasis via the type of non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) released. Moreover, changes in expression of proteins involved in polyamine metabolism were observed in the liver of HSL-null mice, which could be responsible for the increased liver weight characterizing HSL-null mice. The physiological response of HSL-null mice to aerobic treadmill exercise was also investigated (Paper II). HSL was shown to play an important role during aerobic exercise in controlling the mobilization of lipid stores from white adipose tissue, a function which cannot be fully compensated by any other acylglyceride lipases. Proteome and metabolome analyses were performed in Paper III to study glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in a β-cell line cultured in presence of normal or toxic glucose concentrations. A metabolite fingerprint which is characteristic for β-cells cultured at high glucose concentrations was obtained. (Less)


The CD19 antigen plays an important role in clinical oncology. In normal cells, it is the most ubiquitously expressed protein in the B lymphocyte lineage. CD19 expression is induced at the point of B lineage commitment during the differentiation of the hematopoietic stem cell, and its expression continues through preB and mature B cell differentiation until it is finally down-regulated during terminal differentiation into plasma cells. CD19 expression is maintained in B-lineage cells that have undergone neoplastic transformation, and therefore CD19 is useful in diagnosis of leukemias and lymphomas using monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and flow cytometry. Interestingly, CD19 is also expressed in a subset of acute myelogenous leukemias (AMLs) indicating the close relationship between the lymphoid and myeloid lineages. Because B lineage leukemias and lymphomas rarely lose CD19 expression, and because it is not expressed in the pluripotent stem cell, it has become the target for a variety of immunotherapeutic agents, including immunotoxins. Treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) with anti-CD19 mAbs coupled to biological toxins has proven to be effective in vitro and in animal models, and has shown some promising results in Phase I clinical trials. Recently, the analysis of anti-CD19 effects on lymphoma cell growth has highlighted a novel mechanism of immunotherapy. Engagement of cell surface receptors like CD19 by mAbs can have anti-tumor effects by the activation of signal transduction pathways which control cell cycle progression and programmed cell death (apoptosis).


Healthcare delivery transformation is happening at many different levels but these myriad activities all share one thing in common: they are impacted heavily by the old adage, "all politics are local." Recognizing that there are many points of entry to transformation, at many different system levels, the ADFM Healthcare Delivery Transformation Committee (HCDT) developed a graphic (Figure 1) to help understand how to engage with this healthcare delivery transformation process depending on the local context.

Figure 1

Departmental points of entry.

The graphic illustrates where the health system and community/population health interact and where within this overlap individual patient care takes place. This illustration is based loosely on a model put forth by the World Health Organization as a framework for people-centered integrated health services delivery.1

In addition to showing how elements of care models overlap, the graphic lists a series of resources for each component of the illustration, providing a literal menu to those interested in finding ways to partner for transformation. For example, leaders of a Department of Family Medicine may be interested in considering ways to partner with community or population health entities in their local environment and could look at the "Practical Playbook" for some examples of other systems and institutions that have successfully partnered with local community and public health organizations. ADFM's HCDT Committee updates this menu of resources periodically; the color version of the graphic with the menu of resources hyperlinked for easy access is available at: http://www.adfm.org/Members/PrimaryCareCommunicationToolkit.

The complexity of healthcare system change leads us to be like the proverbial "blind man and the elephant" in that we sometimes can identify the part we are dealing with, but are not as successful in recognizing the larger "beast." The graphic is designed to help with this challenge. Chairs, Administrators, Division Chiefs and other senior leaders in Departments of Family Medicine are best positioned to understand the local politics and to guide Departments in selecting entry points that will likely have the greatest impact and intended outcome.

We will continue to evolve this graphic through our work over the year to help Departments of Family Medicine and other organizations understand how they can partner and envision a different future within their own local reality.


We report on a male patient who experienced a previously unreported sequence of cryptogenic West syndrome in infancy and subsequent mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. His complex partial seizures were consistently characterised by motionless staring with brief right eye blinking. Scalp electroencephalography (EEG) showed bilateral temporal spikes which were dominant on the right side. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed no organic brain lesion. Invasive EEG recording captured seizures with right hippocampal onset. The patient became seizure-free following right temporal lobectomy at 27 years, 8 months of age. Pathological examination of the resected specimen revealed corpora amylacea and gliosis in the temporal cortex but no clear findings of hippocampal sclerosis. It is suggested that an epileptogenic lesion causing MRI-negative mesial temporal lobe epilepsy may give rise to apparent cryptogenic West syndrome in infancy.


Agricultural soils are the most important anthropogenic source of nitrous oxide to the atmosphere. We observed large shifts with time in the emission rate (from 170 to 16 ng N cm−2 h−1) and in δ15N of N2O emitted (from −46‰ to +5‰ relative to atmospheric N2) from a urea-fertilized and irrigated agricultural field in Mexico. We calculated overall instantaneous enrichment factors for the sampling period, which suggest that the microbial N2O production shifts from nitrification (week 1) to denitrification (week 2). Isotopic signatures of N2O emissions were not always in accord with other proxies (such as NO/N2O emission ratio or water-filled pore space) used to estimate the relative importance of nitrification and denitrification as N2O sources. These observations strongly suggest that the soil surface emissions integrate processes occurring at different depths in the soil and a decoupling of NO and N2O production in this system. Further clues as to the source of N2O come from the positional dependence of 15N in the emitted N2O, reported here for the first time in soil emissions. Enrichment at the central N position increased relative to the terminal N position by 9.3‰ during the first 4 days after irrigation, implying that nitrification preferentially enriches the central N position compared to denitrification. The overall δ15N signature we measured for N2O emitted from N-fertilized agricultural systems is more depleted than observed δ15N values for N2O emitted from more N-limited forest soils. Assuming that one half of the total agricultural N2O emissions associated with the global increase in soil nitrogen fertilizer use have an isotopic composition comparable to those of the agricultural fields reported here, we predict a decline in the isotopic signature of tropospheric N2O during this century of as much as 3‰ for 15N. Although many uncertainties remain, we suggest that measurements of δ15N-N2O in firn air will provide constraints on how the N2O budget has changed during the past century.


A number of competing failure mechanisms are involved in bearing failure initiation. For well manufactured bearings operating under clean and well controlled running conditions, sub-surface initiated fatigue is the classical initiation form. Three mechanisms dominate the concept of sub-surface induced initiation and growth: (i) The well documented slow structural breakdown of the steel matrix due to accumulation of fatigue damage in a process superficially similar to tempering, (ii) stress induced generation of butterflies by a process enabling the growth of butterfly micro-cracks and accompanying wings at non-metallic inclusions, and (iii) surface induced hydrogen intrusion causing hydrogen-enhanced fatigue damage accumulation in the matrix. The development of butterflies as a function of contact stress, over-rolling, and non-metallic inclusion characteristics is presented, and the influence of metallurgical cleanliness and processing history on this progression is discussed. The results of laboratory conducted tests are compared to results from field applications where premature spallings have occurred. The progression from butterfly micro-cracks to extending cracks with non-etching borders has been studied. Special interest has been paid to the interaction between the non-metallic inclusion composition and morphology and their propensity to generate butterfly wing formations, as this may affect the way that inclusion harmfulness should be judged in rolling bearing steel quality assurance efforts. Complex oxy-sulfides are the main butterfly initiators in today's bearing steels.


OBJECTIVE
To assess patient preferences for 1 of the recommended colorectal cancer screening options or stool DNA testing (sDNA), a novel noninvasive screening test.

STUDY DESIGN
Cross-sectional survey of ambulatory-care patients in the primary care setting.

METHODS
A decision aid was administered to eligible subjects, using a trained interviewer format. The decision aid described the pros and cons of colonoscopy, fecal occult blood testing (FOBT), flexible sigmoidoscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy plus FOBT, double-contrast barium enema, and sDNA. After reviewing the decision aid, subjects were asked to identify a preferred screening option, test features influencing their choice, and level of interest in decision making.

RESULTS
A total of 263 subjects completed the study. Colonoscopy (50.6%), sDNA (28.1%), and FOBT (18.3%) were preferred over the other screening options. Preferences were associated with race and education but not age, sex, or prior FOBT. Subjects who preferred colonoscopy rated accuracy as the most influential test feature, whereas those who preferred sDNA or FOBT rated concerns about discomfort or frequency of testing highest. Most subjects preferred a shared (54%) or patient-dominant (34%) decision-making process.

CONCLUSIONS
Colonoscopy was the most frequently preferred screening option for average risk individuals. Noninvasive stool-based tests, particularly sDNA, were identified by most individuals who preferred an alternative to colonoscopy. These findings affirm the need to elicit patient preferences when selecting a screening option and suggest that provider-patient decision making can be tailored to include fewer options.


The purpose of this literature review was to screen the valuable published articles regarding to the impacts of mini-implants on orthodontic science, briefly. The searching category was performed on the Pubmed using MeSH words such as "dental (mini) implants, orthodontic anchorage procedures, and orthodontic appliances." After preliminary sketch, they were grouped as follow: Those evaluating (a) common appliances for providing orthodontic anchorage, (b) biomechanical details of mini-implants and their insertion, (c) clinical application of mini-implants for orthognathic treatments, (d) limitations and possible complications. In conclusion, mini-implant evolved the orthodontic treatment plans and compromised the required orthognathic surgery. Malocclusion treatment and pure orthodontic or orthopedic movements in the three-dimensions have become recently possible by using mini-implant to provide skeletal anchorage.


This is a guide for Benedetta Carnaghi's First -Year Writing Seminar, A Life Under Cover -- Spies in History, Fiction and Cinema Home


Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of positive quantitative urine cultures in dogs with an inactive urine sediment.
Background: A urinalysis is a useful screening tool for the evaluation of evidence of bacterial cystitis and a quantitative urine culture is used for definitive diagnosis.
Evidentiary value: A retrospective chart review from June 2012 to December 2017 at three private practice emergency and specialty referral hospitals examined urine samples obtained from 100 client-owned dogs.
Methods: The signalment and clinicopathologic data was recorded for all canine patients that had urine samples obtained by cystocentesis that had an inactive sediment exam on urinalysis and subsequent quantitative urine cultures were performed.
Results: The prevalence of positive quantitative urine cultures in all dogs with an inactive urine sediment at the aforementioned institutions was 6% (6/100). Escherichia coli was the most commonly isolated bacteria.
Conclusion: Given the low prevalence of positive quantitative urine cultures in dogs with an inactive urine sediment and current guideline recommendations for management of subclinical bacteriuria, we do not recommend urine cultures for dogs without lower urinary tract signs. Further prospective study of patient subgroups, as well as controlled studies evaluating urine sample handling techniques using methods available to private practice practitioners are sorely needed.
Application: Emergency and general practicing veterinarians should consider a quantitative urine culture for dogs with lower urinary tract signs, even with an inactive sediment examination, and on a case-by-case basis for dogs with pertinent systemic diseases or known risk factors for bacterial cystitis.


ABSTRACT
 Renewable energy transition is one of the keys to mitigating climate change. While attention has been given to various economic, institutional, technological, and sociocultural barriers to this transition, it is unclear how acute interstate conflict shadowed by geopolitical forces shapes the deployment of renewables. The literature is split between those who speculate that conflict conditions discourage renewable energy proliferation and their critics. This ambiguity is surprising, since renewable energy is often suggested as a panacea for many conflict and post-conflict areas with dysfunctional centralised electricity systems. A systematic assessment of these competing hypotheses is challenging because of the absence of reliable data in fragile states and areas. This study is the first to use remote sensing to examine the temporal and spatial diffusion of renewables in the Gaza Strip against the backdrop of conflict conditions with Israel. It finds that Gaza has become a renewable energy leader despite conflict conditions exacerbated by deep poverty. The balance between discouraging and encouraging factors rests on different variables: the impact of the conflict on the free movement of labour, goods, and fuel, the intensity of the conflict, the role of economies of scale, opportunity costs, and alternative energy production costs.


Despite an extensive literature on civilian-military relations in the United States, little has been written about the role of the Secretary of Defense. Institutional data and historical experience nevertheless show that this centrally placed actor in fact plays a pivotal role : his style and place on the presidential team allow him to strike a balance between the needs of the military and political considerations. The example of Robert Gates' tenure as Secretary of Defense (November 2006 - June 2011) reflects this. The period following the start of his tenure was indeed characterized by a twofold dynamic : the strengthening of the military command and an apparent desire to depoliticize the role of Secretary of Defense. Together, these two processes defined the balance of civilian-military relations as Gates saw them, a balance that is not institutionalized but rather tacit. The informal character of Gates' style argues in favor of adopting a more dynamic sociological approach in preference to Samuel Huntington's classic theory of civilian control of the armed forces.


A methodology for the derivation of parallel implementations from program specifications is developed. The goal of the methodology is to decompose a program specification into a collection of module specifications via property refinement, such that each module may be implemented independently by a subprogram. The correctness of the implementation is then deduced from the correctness of the property refinement procedure and the correctness of the individual subprograms. The refinement strategy is based on identifying frequently occurring control structures such as sequential composition and iteration. The methodology is developed in the context of the UNITY logic and the UC programming language, and illustrated through the solution of diffusion aggregation in fluid flow simulations. >


The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM)'s day-1 combined radar/radiometer algorithm uses a rain-profiling approach which gives as much importance to the measurements of the TRMM satellite's precipitation radar (PR) and the TRMM microwave imager (TMI) as their respective intrinsic ambiguities warrant, which avoids any ad hoc shortcuts that might introduce large biases in the rain estimates, yet which is simple enough to be operational when TRMM is launched in 1997. The algorithm is based on the idea of estimating the rain profile using the radar reflectivities, while constraining this inversion to be consistent with the radiometer-derived estimate of the total attenuation. To perform the data fusion, the problem is expressed in terms of drop-size-distribution variables. Starting with an a priori probability density function (pdf) for these variables, a Bayesian approach is used to condition the pdf successively on the radar and the radiometer measurements. The resulting algorithm is mathematically consistent and physically reasonable. The conditional variances which it calculates serve to quantify the accuracy of its estimates: small variances indicate that the TRMM observations can indeed be explained by the models used; large variances imply that the models are not sufficiently consistent with the measurements.


Active Learning (AL), a pedagogical approach during which students focus on application of knowledge rather than memorisation was integrated into a new undergraduate pharmacy curriculum in a UK University. This paper evaluates student and faculty perceptions of AL. First and second year students enrolled on the pharmacy course and faculty members were invited to respond to an online questionnaire covering three domains: value, effort and instructor contribution during AL sessions. Thirty-five students (58.3%) and 9 (60%) faculty members participated in the study. Nine AL sessions were provided. A difference in the perceived effectiveness of AL between students and faculty was identified mostly in two AL activities: patient as teacher (an expert patient talking about his/her condition to pharmacy students) and prescription review. Students and faculty confirmed the value of the AL activities with agreeing and strongly agree. Students confirmed they put effort into these activities and recognised the instructor contribution during the sessions. Overall, students and faculty had a positive perception of the AL sessions.


Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) is a digital multicarrier modulation scheme that is employed in broadband wired and wireless communication as an effective solution with inter-symbol interference caused by a multipath channel. In light fidelity, the OFDM waveform is well-known and frequently implemented; however, the use of such technology with optical camera communication (OCC) is novel. This paper presents the one-dimensional OFDM OCC system. The modulation scheme based on OFDM uses a rolling-shutter effect to transmit data at a high rate. Based on theoretical and experimental validation, we propose a simple system design with various technical details such as system architectures and theoretical analyses of the link budget.


Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) have the potential to become one of the efficient and costeffective system for direct conversion of a wide variety of fuels to electricity. The performance, stability and durability of SOFCs depend strongly on the materials used for the fabrication of electrodes as well as the fabrication process. For anode supported SOFCs, the tape casting method has been the de facto standard for constructing cell components. Furthermore, organic solvents such as ethanol, propanol, terpineol and poly-ethers are generally used in industrial tape casting as the solvent medium to make the chemical slurries out of ceramic powders. Although, the use of organic solvents makes the dispersion of solid chemical particles relatively easier, it is not an environmentally friendly solution. In this thesis, we address this issue by investigating the possibility of fabricating anode supported SOFC cell components using water instead organic solvents. In addition, this thesis also looks at other aspects of fabricating anode supported cells, namely the need for active and barrier layers to prevent undesirable side relations during sintering and also to improve the performance of the fuel cell. We have in particular looked at the variation in the porosity of the anode support layer and the use of active layers and barrier layers. Hence, the fabricated SOFCs have five layers, namely the anode, active, electrolyte, barrier and the cathode layers. In order to validate the performance characteristics of the fabricated SOFCs, we have also modelled equivalent theoretical models using COMSOL Multiphysics (version 5.2) software. Our theoretical models are 3D models that are well suited to developing better approximations to the actual experimental data. The experimental performance was comparable to expectations based on literature data and indicated that our water based formulations are suitable for SOFC development. Moreover, our COMSOL model was able to fit the experimental behavior with careful selection of parameters.


Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) responsible for the extracellular matrix remodeling, the activation of various growth factors, and angiogenesis play an important role in the colorectal cancer (CRC) development. In the present work the comparative analysis of MMP-7, -8, -9, and -11 mRNA as well mRNA of the Ki-67 proliferation marker in tissue samples obtained from CRC patients and healthy individuals. Employing the real time PCR method the expression levels of several MMPs (MMP-7, -8, -9, and -11) and cell proliferation marker, Ki-67, were simultaneously measured in 256 tissue samples obtained from 112 patients with CRC: 112 samples of the primary tumor (CRC), 112 samples of the most distant border of morphologically normal colonic mucosa (MNT), 16 samples of liver metastases) and from 16 healthy volunteers who underwent colonoscopy and biopsy. The expression of both MMPs studied and Ki-67 was found to be elevated in CRC primary tumors and liver metastases compared with the normal mucosa. CRC tumor and metastatic cells exhibited similar proliferative activity. The metastases are characterized by the highest cross-correlation of MMPs among tissue types tested. For the first time it was shown that normal mucosa from healthy individuals and CRC patients varied in the MMP-8 expression level. They also had dissimilar MMP correlation patterns thus suggesting that epithelial cells adjusted to CRC tumor differ from mucosal epithelial cells of healthy individuals.


The aim in this study was to establish the associations between health behaviors and happiness in an Asian (Indian) population. In a cross-sectional survey we assessed happiness and health behavior among a sample of 800 randomly selected university students taking nonhealth (mainly engineering and sciences) undergraduate courses at Gitam University, Visakhapatnam in India. The students were 541 (67.6%) males and 259 (32.4%) females in the age range of 17 to 20 years ( M age 18.2 years, SD = 1.0). We performed multivariate analysis and found that better social support, better personal mastery, normal sleep duration, no current tobacco use, and eating breakfast daily or almost daily were associated with happiness. The findings partially confirmed the association between happiness and several health behaviors mediated by social factors. Our findings can be utilized in programs designed to improve overall well-being of university students in India.


Ubiquitous computing places humans in the center of environments saturated with computing and wireless communications capabilities, yet gracefully integrated, so that technology recedes in the background of everyday activities. The ubiquitous computing world then, is a world largely defined by applications. But such applications present an altogether new set of requirements. The special track on ubiquitous computing applications, first introduced in ACM SAC 2004, provides a forum for the discussion of all types of ubiquitous computing applications and related specialized infrastructures built for the deployment of targeted applications. Individual papers place applications within their use context and introduce novel and appropriate interaction paradigms while at the same time addressing related technical and business aspects and consequently identify novel opportunities or constraints.


The HIV epidemic in China and Vietnam is on the increase among injection drug users (IDUs). We report on the results of a pilot outreach study in northern Vietnam and southern China to test the feasibility of a peer-driven intervention (PDI) to prevent HIV among IDUs. In the PDI, recruitment relies on a "chain-referral" model in which IDUs carry-out the core outreach activities that salaried outreach-workers/peer-educators traditionally provide. A 6-month follow-up was built into the study design to measure possible changes in IDUs' risk behaviors. The impact results of the pilot study are reported bearing on several different measures, such as changes in IDUs' rates of lending or borrowing used syringes, willingness to enter into drug treatment, baseline and follow-up recruitment success, and effectiveness of serving as peer-educators in the community. The evidence suggests the PDI is highly feasible and deserving of greater research in both China and Vietnam.