THE FACT that the abdominal aorta distal to the renal arteries can be totally occluded by disease and the legs still be viable has been recognized for many years. Reports by Ortner and Griswold,1Goodwin and Petrie,2and deWolfe and his associates3have described cases of this type. Leriche4has given his name to the resulting symptom-complex of severe low back and buttock pain on walking, characteristic of high-level intermittant claudication associated with leg ischemia and impotence in the male. This segmental lower aortic and/or common iliac segmental occlusion is commoner than previously realized, and the increasing awareness of its existence has resulted in the discovery of many previously unrecognized cases. In the past year I have seen 10 such cases and their description and management form the basis of this report. Segmental occlusion of the distal aorta is frequently associated with varying degrees of involvement


Background
The prevalence of maternal perinatal obesity is rising, and in turn, increases health risks and morbidity for both mother and child. Past evidence suggests the preconceptional Strong Healthy Women (SHW) intervention can reduce multiple biobehavioral risk factors for adverse perinatal health. The SHW intervention, however, was time- and resource-intensive to deliver. Mobile health (mHealth) technologies provide an opportunity to expand intervention reach while reducing implementation cost and burden. Previous research suggests that preconceptional women are broadly supportive of using smartphones for behavior change, yet few studies have elicited their specific preferences for a targeted mHealth intervention. The objective of this study was to evaluate women's preferences for receiving SHW content via smartphone to supplement the design of SMART SHW, a redeveloped version of the intervention that utilizes smartphones to enhance delivery.

Methods
Overweight/obese (mean BMI =31.4) preconceptional community women (N=40) participated in semi-structured focus group interviews. SHW components across four content areas (physical activity, nutrition, stress, weight management) were presented to participants; women provided preferences for program elements viewed as acceptable to convert to smartphone. Thematic analysis was used to analyze interview data. After the interviews were completed, an iterative review of the data to determine which aspects of SHW were feasible to modify for mobile delivery was conducted.

Results
Women preferred to receive SHW communications, surveys, and educational materials on their smartphones via texting, mobile websites, and a SMART SHW app; MyFitnessPal and a wearable pedometer were preferred methods for tracking nutrition and activity. Salient mHealth design themes included providing pop-ups as reminders, using web-based videos to supplement the curriculum, and presenting on-screen information in a concise format. In designing the final prototype, 87% of participant preferences were able to be incorporated.

Conclusions
Smartphone devices can enhance the reach of face-to-face behavioral interventions by reducing implementation burden. Engaging end-users (in this case, preconceptional women with overweight/obesity) in the mHealth design process through semi-structured focus groups is a feasible and useful approach. Eliciting and leveraging user preferences guides the development of an intervention framework that is highly acceptable to the target participants.


BACKGROUND
Warfarin, which requires coagulation monitoring, is associated with relatively high rates of thromboembolism despite providing adequate prophylaxis. This study compared an oral direct thrombin inhibitor, ximelagatran, with warfarin in order to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the medication for the prevention of venous thromboembolism in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty.

METHODS
Following surgery, patients were randomly assigned to fixed-dose oral ximelagatran (36 mg twice daily) or warfarin (target international normalized ratio, 2.5), both administered for seven to twelve days in a double-blind, double-dummy design. Warfarin was initiated on the evening of the day of surgery, and ximelagatran, on the morning after surgery. The primary efficacy end point was the incidence of asymptomatic deep-vein thrombosis determined by bilateral venography, objectively confirmed symptomatic deep-vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, and death from all causes during treatment.

RESULTS
Adequate venograms or confirmed symptomatic events (efficacy population) were obtained for 1949 patients. Venous thromboembolism and death from all causes occurred in 22.5% (221) of 982 ximelagatran-treated patients and in 31.9% (308) of 967 warfarin-treated patients (p < 0.001). Proximal deep-vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism were observed in 3.1% (thirty) and 0.2%, respectively, of the patients in the ximelagatran group and in 3.4% (thirty-three) and 0.4%, respectively, of the patients in the warfarin group. The six deaths from all causes included 0.3% (four) of the ximelagatran-treated patients and 0.2% (two) of the warfarin-treated patients. Major bleeding was noted in 1% (twelve) of the ximelagatran-treated patients and in 0.4% (five) of the warfarin-treated patients (p = 0.09).

CONCLUSIONS
Oral ximelagatran (36 mg twice daily), administered without coagulation monitoring or dose adjustment and started the day after total knee arthroplasty, demonstrates superior efficacy compared with warfarin prophylaxis, with no wound complications and no significant difference with respect to bleeding events, although the rate of major bleeding events was greater with ximelagatran than with warfarin.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE
Therapeutic Level I.


Hydrogen removal can be accomplished via different steelmaking routes (VOD, ASEA, RH). Focus was given on the first two technologies. As main differences between the systems based on a (multi)-plug equipped ladle, in VOD the vacuum chamber is obtained by coupling a roof with a tank, in ASEA plant –where electromagnetic melt stirring is also exploited - coupling occurs directly with the ladle, leading often to a non perfect sealing. Moreover, VOD plant is able to perform under vacuum steel degassing treatment at pressure values lower than usually reached in ASEA plant, and is also equipped with a oxygen lance allowing to produce stainless steels with very low carbon and nitrogen content. The industrial need of achieving very low hydrogen contents for big ingots casting with an acceptable costs/benefits ratio called for a comparison between performances of different vacuum treatments strategies. A CSM numerical degassing model was applied to 140 ton ladle conditions either after ASEA or VOD treatment.


There are advantages and disadvantages of the green power generation technologies using Renewable Energy Sources (RES) such as solar, wind energy, fuel cells, and biomass power generation, which can be used for generating distributed power. RESs cannot directly replace the existing electric energy grid technologies. The latter are far too well established to abandon, while the new RES technologies are not sufficiently developed to meet the total energy demand. Therefore, it is sensible to gradually infuse RES into existing grids and transform the system over time. In this paper, there is a full exploitation of RES components which are critical to managing carbon emission and the limitations of the current grid to the new RES technologies, which face barriers to fullscale deployment as a conclusion.


This study aims to determine how primary school eighth grade (14 years old) gifted students use knowledge types while solving problems. In the context, the data were collected through clinical interviews conducted with three gifted students. The students' voice recordings during problem solving and the solutions they wrote on the paper formed the data of the study. We found out that gifted students use more algorithmic knowledge and less schema knowledge in the problems that they had to solve. It can be said that the reduced usage of schema knowledge is likely to be a result of the fact that the gifted students produce different solutions using the field knowledge instead of remembering the schemas of similar problems they have encountered before.


Alkaloid extracts from the plant Aconitum species have been used in various forms of herbal remedies predominantly as anti-inflammatory and analgesic agents. Many of these alkaloids are extremely potent cardiotoxins and documented cases of various arrhythmias with fatal outcomes have been reported. We report a case of self-medication with 'tincture of aconite' resulting in severe bradycardia, reversible panconduction defect evidenced by sinus inactivity, atrioventricular dissociation with idiojunctional rhythm and left bundle branch block pattern resulting in hypotension and syncope. Complete reversal of ECG findings with marked improvement in symptoms was noted within a few hours. Herbal medicines containing aconite alkaloids may result in severe cardiotoxicity, and strict regulatory measures are warranted to curb unsupervised use for therapeutic purposes.


: Three cases of spontaneous tumors (one benign and two malignant) are reported in nude rats bred at the All-Union Cancer Research Center, Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR. An eight-month-old rat developed a sebaceous adenoma in the region of the abdomen. The other one-year old rat developed hemoblastosis with infiltrations in the lung, liver, kidneys, spleen, and lymph nodes. A 4-month-old rat developed colloidal (follicular) thyroid cancer.


Long-life electronic products need to be put in stress environment for long durations in traditional ESS(environmental stress screening) tests in order that items having infant mortality or defects are weeded out from products. However, long stress durations cause aging effects on good items. For some products, failures are defined in terms of performance characteristics degrading some critical values. For the purpose of reducing durations and aging effects, this paper analyzes the difference of performance characteristics between normally degraded products and abnormally degraded products, and assumes the distribution of products' degradation characteristic variable is contaminated distribution model, then presents a degradation screening test design. This design firstly ascertains the model coefficient using identifiable condition of contaminated distribution combined with the analysis of degradation test, then ascertains screen duration and screen critical value. Lastly, this paper gives an example to illustrate the availability of the design.


An analysis of 82 non-synonymous Pisum fulvum accessions for sequence variation in a fragment of the STAYGREEN (SGR) locus revealed 57 alleles, most of which differed in indel structure. Eight additional P. fulvum accessions, each supposedly synonymous with a different accession of the initial group, were also analyzed. In every case the paired synonymous accessions possessed the same SGR sequence but varied slightly for a 6-trait morphological phenotype, indicating that SGR sequence is a much more reliable indicator of accession identity than is a morphological characterization. SGR sequence analysis confirmed our previous finding that P. fulvum accessions separate into two allele groups. This division was not supported by results of previous studies that were based on sequences distributed across the entire genome, suggesting that the division may have been produced by selection at a nearby locus and that the SGR phylogeny may not be good indicator of overall relationships within the species. One P. fulvum accession, PI 595941 (=JI1796), displayed an SGR sequence outside the variation typical of the species. Instead, its allele resembled alleles limited to a set of Pisum sativum landraces from the Middle East, suggesting hybridization between ancestors of PI 595941 and some primitive form of domesticated P. sativum. With one exception from the extreme northwest corner of Israel, P. fulvum accessions collected north of latitude 35.5° N were fixed for alleles from group A. These northern accessions also displayed greatly reduced SGR sequence diversity compared to group A accessions collected from other regions, suggesting that the northern populations may represent recent extensions of the range of the species. Group B accessions were distributed from Lake Tiberias south and were generally sympatric with the southern group A accessions. Although group B accessions occupied a smaller area than group A, the SGR sequence diversity in this group (28 alleles in 33 accessions) exceeded that for group A.


Shuttle-like lead tungstate (PbWO4) microcrystals are synthesized at room temperature using the precipitation method with the cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide. Results from both the X-ray diffraction and the scanning electron microscopy show that the lattice distortions of the PbWO4 microcrystals are reduced significantly when the annealing temperature is increased to 873 K. The result from the ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy shows that the exciton absorption appears in the sample annealed at 673 K. The self-trapped exciton luminescence due to the Jahn-Teller effect is also observed in the blue band. The interstitial oxygen ions in the WO42− groups are mainly resposible for the enhancement effect of the green luminescence of the annealed samples. The above results are supported by the spectrum analysis of the as-grown and the post-annealed samples using the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.


The formation of two-dimensional crystalline film of n-pentadecane (C15H32) on a flat substrate with attractive forces similar to that of the metals or graphite substrate is investigated with molecular dynamics simulation. By controlling the deposition rate of the molecules, we observed the behavior in adsorption and conformational change of single molecule and the growing process of the n-pentadecane film. Two distinct sub-processes are recognized in the formation of the crystalline film, the formation of the molecular clusters and the coalescence of the molecular clusters. It is found that the conformational changes are gentle when only or few molecules are deposited on the substrate. However, this change becomes drastic as more molecules are gathered together. The accelerated conformational variation is attributed to the no-bonding molecular interaction. Copyright © 2011 VBRI press.


We report an approach for programming electrical conductivity of a bio-based leathery skin devised with a layer of 60 nm metallic nanoparticles. Lignin-based renewable shape-memory materials were made, for the first time, to program and restore the materials' electrical conductivity after repeated deformation up to 100% strain amplitude, at a temperature 60–115 °C above the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the rubbery matrix. We cross-linked lignin macromolecules with an acrylonitrile–butadiene rubbery melt in high quantities ranging from 40 to 60 wt % and processed the resulting thermoplastics into thin films. Chemical and physical networks within the polymeric materials significantly enhanced key characteristics such as mechanical stiffness, strain fixity, and temperature-stimulated recovery of shape. The branched structures of the guaiacylpropane-dominant softwood lignin significantly improve the rubber's Tg and produced a film with stored and recoverable elastic work density that was an order of m...


In the 1990s, innovation in information and communication technologies (ICT) looked set to transform traditional publishing and media through more efficient production, new forms of distribution, the entry of new players and much greater choice for consumers. The Internet offered the prospect for everyone to be a publisher or broadcaster. "New media" were the buzzwords. But with the bursting of the Internet bubble, what is the future for publishing and media? This article looks at the major trends and driving forces shaping the future of Europe's media sector, examines some scenarios, and considers their policy implications.


The sensitivity of various angular and energy distributions to the CP of a Higgs candidate are considered for the process e−e− → e−e−h, where h is either a scalar or a pseudoscalar Higgs. This process may differ from the corresponding production at an ee collider in the availability of both beams being polarized. Beam polarization enhances the sensitivity of the azimuthal distribution.


This study documents how residential segregation is visible in social interactions in the (semi) public space of the red line L-train in Chicago. While public spaces are often celebrated as spaces of cosmopolitanism, people tend to interact mainly with people who look similar and appear to be living in the same area in Chicago. People of different race and class, represented by the station where they board the train, do not encounter each other much in the L-train because of the existing residential segregation in the city of Chicago. Blacks ride from the south to downtown while whites ride from the north to downtown. Different time frames are reserved for different people. Furthermore, on the train itself people prefer to be interacting with and sit next to people who appear alike; who seem to be from the same part of the city. Hence, I argue that social interactions on the subway are mainly an expression of geographical and social exclusion in the city. Residential segregation is visible in the "segregation of social interactions" in the red line L-train. Consequently, while de jure segregation has been abolished in the 1960s in Chicago, segregating practices are still going on de facto in everyday life.


Neutrophils play a crucial role in acute and chronic lung diseases including ALI, COPD, CF and severe asthma, and their presence in the lung has been correlated to disease severity and progression. Among the mediators of neutrophil recruitment into the lung CXCL8 is considered the major player.

CXCL8 exerts its chemotactic activity by binding to glycosaminoglycan (GAG) co-receptors on inflamed cells, thus creating a solid-phase haptotactic gradient and being properly presented to GPC receptors CXCR1/2 on neutrophils.

We have engineered higher affinity for GAGs into human CXCL8 obtaining a protein-based competitor for the CXCL8/GAG interaction. By further knocking-out the GPCR domain, we have obtained a decoy protein (PA401) with potent anti-inflammatory characteristics.

PA401 has been tested in murine models of lung inflammation induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) showing strong dose-dependent neutrophil reduction in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) after intravenous (IV) and subcutaneous (SC) administration.

In the present study we have compared PA401 activity after IV and intratracheal (IT) administration in the same model, using saline exposed mice as control. PA401 plasma levels were also measured to assess pharmacokinetic profiles.

PA401 has strongly reduced BALF neutrophils number after IV and IT administration (up to -76%). The blood cells increase due to LPS exposure was also partly normalized by IV, but not IT treatment, possibly due to the differences in plasma exposure.

PA401 is a new biopharmaceutical with a unique mode of action interfering with lung neutrophilic inflammation and with activity after systemic and local delivery to the lung.


Nanosecond electrical pulses have been successfully used to treat melanoma tumors by using needle arrays as pulse delivery systems. Reducing the pulse duration of intense electric field pulses from nanoseconds into the subnanosecond range will allow us to use wideband antennas to deliver the electromagnetic fields into tissue with a spatial resolution in the centimeter range. To explore the biological effect of intense subnanosecond pulses, we have developed a generator that provides voltage pulses of 160 kV amplitude, 200 ps rise time, and 800 ps pulse width. The pulses are delivered to a cylindrical Teflon chamber with polished flat electrodes at either end. The distance between the electrodes is variable and allows us to generate electric fields of up to 1 MV/cm in cell suspensions. The pulses have been applied to B16 (murine melanoma) cells, and the plasma membrane integrity was studied by means of trypan blue exclusion. For pulse amplitudes of 550 kV/cm, approximately 50% of the cells took up trypan blue right after pulsing, whereas only 20% were taking it up after 1 h. This indicates that the plasma membrane in a majority of the cells affected by the pulses recovers with a time constant of about 1 h. The cells that show trypan blue uptake after this time suffer cell death through apoptosis. Evaluation of the experimental results and molecular dynamics modeling results indicate that with a pulse duration of 800 ps, membrane charging and nanopore formation are the dominant bioelectric effects on B16 cells. This information has been used in a continuum model to estimate the increase in membrane permeability and, consequently, the increase in pore size caused by repetitive pulsing.


In this study, we investigate 70 days of distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) recordings in the Canary Islands using an undersea fiber-optic telecommunication cable that links the islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria. Two DAS interrogators connected to both ends of the cable turned the fiber into an array of 11,968 strain sensors covering a total length of ∼120 km. We present the details of the experiment, noise analysis, and examples of recorded signals. Seismic ambient noise levels assessment indicates poor local coupling of the cable due to the irregular bathymetry that results in high-amplitude acoustic oscillations in some channels. The DAS array recorded several types of nonseismic (vehicles, surface gravity waves, ships) and seismic signals. Local and regional earthquakes were detected with magnitudes mbLg≥2. Surface waves from teleseismic events at a distance of ∼3000 km were also identified in the strain recordings. Here, we report the first observations with DAS of hydroacoustic T waves generated by oceanic earthquakes located at the Central Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the Cape St. Vincent region. Events had magnitudes from Mw 4.2 to 6.9, and the hydroacoustic waves were recorded at epicentral distances from 780 to 3400 km. Our findings show that submarine fiber-optic cables can effectively be used to assess the seismic activity in remote oceanic areas.


Backgrounds: Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] are causally associated with risk of cardiovascular risk. Previous studies have proved that Lp(a) is an independent risk factor, which positively associated with stroke; but its role as a risk factor for coronary artery disease(CAD) remains controversial. We conduct this metaanalysis to determine the relationship between Lp(a) and CAD.
Methods: We retrieved articles in two electronic databases including PubMed and ScienceDirect, using the MeSH terms "lipoprotein a" OR "lipoproteins "AND "coronary artery diseases". These articles were prospective studies, ranged from 2006 to August 2018.
Results: A total of 8 studies with 86808 participants and 8180 CAD events were incorporated in the meta-analysis. Compared with the low Lp(a) levels, the pooled HR was 1.132 (95% CI, 1.063-1.204, p=0.000). However, the eligible studies were heterogeneous (Q=25.74; I2=68.9%; p=0.001). Subgroup analysis for Lp(a) on CAD overall survival based on age and Lp(a) measurement method were also conducted. The results showed that Lp(a) is a risk factor for future CAD events, especially in the young.
Conclusion: Lp(a) level is an independent risk factor for CAD and may be especially relevant for young patients. Different detection methods for Lp(a) may modified the predictive value of lipoprotein (a) for coronary heart disease.


Family genealogy tracing the descendants of Jorgen and Ane Ingvardsen who immigrated from Denmark and settled in Danevang, Texas around 1904. The table of contents lists: Tusind Tak, History, Register Report of Ingvart Hansen Ingvardsen, Kinship Report of Ingvart Hansen Ingvardsen, and an index (starting on page 37). Documentation also includes immigration records for family members with a photocopy of the original manifest, and photographs from several generations.


Wild birds are the natural reservoir of the avian influenza virus (AIV) and may transmit AIV to poultry via direct contact or indirectly through the environment. In the Netherlands, a clinically suspected free-range layer flock was reported to the veterinary authorities by the farmer. Increased mortality, a decreased feed intake, and a drop in egg production were observed. Subsequently, an infection with low pathogenic avian influenza virus was detected. This study describes the diagnostic procedures used for detection and subtyping of the virus. In addition to routine diagnostics, the potential of two different environmental diagnostic methods was investigated for detecting AIV in surface water. AIV was first detected using rRT-PCR and isolated from tracheal and cloacal swabs collected from the hens. The virus was subtyped as H10N7. Antibodies against the virus were detected in 28 of the 31 sera tested. An intravenous pathogenicity index (IVPI) experiment was performed, but no clinical signs (IVPI = 0) were observed. Post-mortem examination and histology confirmed the AIV infection. Multiple water samples were collected longitudinally from the free-range area and waterway near the farm. Both environmental diagnostic methods allowed the detection of the H10N7 virus, demonstrating the potential of these methods in detection of AIV. The described methods could be a useful additional procedure for AIV surveillance in water-rich areas with large concentrations of wild birds or in areas around poultry farms. In addition, these methods could be used as a tool to test if the environment or free-range area is virus-free again, at the end of an AIV epidemic.


Electromyographic (EMG) signal analysis is the process of resolving a composite EMG signal into its constituent motor unit potential trains (classes) and it can be configured as a classification problem. An EMG signal detected by the tip of an inserted needle electrode is the superposition of the individual electrical contributions of the different motor units that are active, during a muscle contraction, and background interference.

This book addresses the process of EMG signal decomposition by developing an interactive classification system, which uses multiple classifier fusion techniques in order to achieve improved classification performance. The developed system combines heterogeneous sets of base classifier ensembles of different kinds and employs both a one level classifier fusion scheme and a hybrid classifier fusion approach. Performance of the developed system was evaluated using synthetic simulated signals of known properties and real signals and compared with the performance of the constituent base classifiers. This book is directed toward graduate students and researchers in the area of electromyography and professionals in electromyography clinics.


The study aimed to identify patterns of adult role combinations across the transitional domains of housing, educational attainment, work, partnership, and parenthood at age 27, and to investigate their antecedents and concurrent psychosocial well-being correlates. Data were derived for 354 Finns (born in 1959) from the Jyvaskyla Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development. Three latent classes were identified: Work-orientation with delayed parenthood ( WO ; 46%; completed adult transitions of independent living, education, work, and partnership), Traditional work and family (35%; completed all five adult transitions), and Academic track with no children ( AT ; 19%; completed independent living, education, work, and partnership transitions). Individuals in the Traditional pattern were more likely to be women, whereas individuals in the AT and WO patterns were more likely to be men. The socio-economic status (SES) and structure of the family of origin did not differentiate the patterns, but individuals in the AT pattern had had higher school success and educational aspirations in adolescence than those in the other patterns. Early adult life satisfaction and career stability were higher, and depressive symptoms and binge drinking lower in the Traditional pattern than in WO . Life satisfaction was also higher in AT than in WO .


Background: Most women with Uterine Leiomyomata (UL) attribute various negative experiences in their lifetime to symptoms related to UL such as: abnormal uterine bleeding, various pressure symptoms and pelvic pain. Most of the research on UL examined the efficacy of treatment modalities, but only few researchers have addressed the impact of the disease on the women's HealthRelated Quality of Life (HRQL). Methods: This is a descriptive, prospective, hospital-based qualitative study. The data was collected by: Focus Group (FG) interviews and by structured questionnaire. 200 women with symptomatic UL were recruited over a period of 6 months. The data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) data analysis tool, Version 20. Results: The majority of women (98%) graded their symptoms as moderate or severe. The mostly affected group are those in the reproductive age (20 to 39 years). 69% of the employed women claimed that the disease has affected their work and 55% of them reported UL as a reason for their absence from work. 27.2% of all women think that the disease has moderately restricted their social and physical activities, whereas 66.4% think the impact on their work is severe. 28.3% of all women think that their sexual life was moderately dysfunctional because of the disease and 52.2% think the effect was severe. 36.8% and 61.6% of all women reported moderate to severe psychological concerns respectively, such as: the sensation of fear, feeling of unfairness, and discouragement. Conclusions: Uterine leiomyomata are a common health concern for women in the child-bearing age. Symptomatic UL has apparently a negative impact on: women HRQL, sexual and social lives and it appears to affect their work performance. There is no significant correlation between the women symptoms and type of employment; however, the study is suggestive of a possible positive correlation between the women severity of symptoms and: social activities, energy, mood, sense of control, and sexual function. UPINE PUBLISHERS Open Access L Interventions in Gynecology and Women's Healthcare Research Article ISSN: 2637-4544 DOI: 10.32474/IGWHC.2018.02.000139 Int Gyn & Women's Health Copyrights@ Amir Ehadi Elzein Elnahas, et al. Citation: Marwa M A A, Faisal M S B, Amir E, Ameer O A. Impacts of Uterine Leiomyomata on Women's Quality of Life. Int Gyn & Women's Health 2(3)2018. IGWHC.MS.ID.000139. DOI: 10.32474/IGWHC.2018.02.000139. 161 Many women with UL may have symptoms like: a) Heavy and/or prolonged menses


[1] The pace of change in the arctic system during recent decades has captured the world's attention. Observations and model simulations both indicate that the arctic experiences an amplified response to climate forcing relative to that at lower latitudes. At the core of these changes is the arctic hydrologic system, which includes ice, gaseous vapor in the atmosphere, liquid water in soils and fluvial networks on land, and the freshwater content of the ocean. The changes in stores and fluxes of freshwater have a direct impact on biological systems, not only of the arctic region itself, but also well beyond its bounds. In this investigation, we used a heuristic, graphical approach to distill the system into its fundamental parts, documented the key relationships between those parts as best we know them, and identified the feedback loops within the system. The analysis illustrates relationships that are well understood, but also reveals others that are either unfamiliar, uncertain, or unexplored. The graphical approach was used to provide a visual assessment of the arctic hydrologic system in one possible future state in which the Arctic Ocean is seasonally ice free.


The demand for multimodal sensing systems for robotics is growing due to the increase in robustness, reliability and accuracy offered by these systems. These systems also need to be spatially and temporally co-registered to be effective. In this letter, we propose a targetless and structureless spatiotemporal camera-LiDAR calibration method. Our method combines a closed-form solution with a modified structureless bundle adjustment where the coarse-to-fine approach does not require an initial guess on the spatiotemporal parameters. Also, as 3D features (structure) are calculated from triangulation only, there is no need to have a calibration target or to match 2D features with the 3D point cloud which provides flexibility in the calibration process and sensor configuration. We demonstrate the accuracy and robustness of the proposed method through both simulation and real data experiments using multiple sensor payload configurations mounted to hand-held, aerial and legged robot systems. Also, qualitative results are given in the form of a colorized point cloud visualization.


Causal discovery procedures aim to deduce causal relationships among variables in a multivariate dataset. While various methods have been proposed for estimating a single causal model or a single equivalence class of models, less attention has been given to quantifying uncertainty in causal discovery in terms of confidence statements. The primary challenge in causal discovery is determining a causal ordering among the variables. Our research offers a framework for constructing confidence sets of causal orderings that the data do not rule out. Our methodology applies to structural equation models and is based on a residual bootstrap procedure to test the goodness-of-fit of causal orderings. We demonstrate the asymptotic validity of the confidence set constructed using this goodness-of-fit test and explain how the confidence set may be used to form sub/supersets of ancestral relationships as well as confidence intervals for causal effects that incorporate model uncertainty.


The global far right is extremely broad in nature and far from monolithic. While the "far right" is often used as an umbrella term, using the term runs the risk of over-simplifying the differences and linkages between white supremacist, anti-immigration, nativist, and other motivating ideologies. These beliefs and political platforms fall within the far-right rubric, and too often the phrase presents a more unified image of the phenomena than is really the case. In truth, the "far right" and the individual movements that comprise it are fragmented, consisting of a number of groups that lack established leadership and cohesion. Indeed, these movements include chauvinist religious organizations, neo-fascist street gangs, and paramilitary organs of established political parties. Although such movements largely lack the mass appeal of the interwar European radical right-wing extreme, they nevertheless can inspire both premeditated and spontaneous acts of violence against perceived enemies. This report is intended to provide policymakers, practitioners, and the academic community with a roadmap of ongoing shifts in the organizational structures and ideological currents of radical right-wing extremist movements, detailing the difference between distinct, yet often connected and interlaced echelons of the far right. In particular, the report identifies and analyzes various aspects of the broader far right and the assorted grievances it leverages to recruit, which is critical to gaining a more nuanced understanding of the potential future trajectory of these movements.


A dual circularly polarized wideband array working over a 2:1 bandwidth was previously developed. This array had the following requirements: 2:1 bandwidth, capable of steering up to 30° in theta, dual circular polarization, Relative Sidelobe Level (RSLL) < −10dB, Axial Ratio (AR) < 3dB and reflection coefficient (S11) < −10dB. In this paper, we extend the array bandwidth to 15:1 through adding connections between the arms of neighboring spirals to improve the S11 at lower frequencies and using the WAVES (Wideband Array with Variable Element Size) technique to reduce the RSLL at higher frequencies.


BACKGROUND
Infertility affects ∼7% of all men. Despite much progress, mainly in genetics, its etiology remains obscure in ∼50% of cases. To fill this gap, imaging of the male genital tract (MGT) has progressively expanded, providing useful information in the assessment of MGT abnormalities.

METHODS
A critical, systematic review of the available literature was performed using Medline, with no restrictions regarding date of publication (i.e. from inception date until March 2014), along with analysis of previous reports in color Doppler ultrasound (CDUS) atlas textbooks. Normal anatomy and sonographic characteristics of the MGT have also been summarized.

RESULTS
Testicular volume (TV) is tightly associated with both sperm and hormonal parameters. Ultrasound (US) offers a greater accuracy in TV measurement than Prader orchidometer (PO). However US- and PO-derived TV are closely related, making PO-derived TV informative enough in the work-up of the infertile man in everyday clinical practice. US-derived TV might play an independent role in specific clinical conditions (i.e. large hydrocele, inguinal testis, enlarged epididymis). Scrotal US may detect signs of testicular dysgenesis, often related to an impaired spermatogenesis and to a higher risk of malignancy, or testicular lesions suggestive of malignancy. A decreased testis vascularization is characteristic of testicular torsion, whereas hyperemia is often observed in epididymo-orchitis or in some malignant conditions (i.e. lymphoma, leukemia). The impact of varicocele detection and surgical correction on sperm parameters/fatherhood is debated. At present, the clinical management of varicocele is mainly based on physical examination. However, CDUS is useful in assessing venous reflux, when palpation is unreliable and/or in detecting recurrence/persistence after surgery. Epididymis head and/or tail dilation is suggestive of MGT obstruction or inflammation and both are related, along with echo-texture abnormalities, to impaired sperm parameters. Scrotal and transrectal US (TRUS) are useful in detecting congenital uni- or bilateral absence of vas deferens (CBAVD), which may be associated with epididymis, seminal vesicles (SV) or kidney abnormalities/agenesis. TRUS plays a key role in assessing obstructive azoospermia and detecting distal CBAVD or anomalies related to ejaculatory ducts obstruction, such as ejaculatory duct abnormalities, prostate median cysts or SV enlargement/emptying impairment. TRUS findings lead to operational decision-making, such as testicular sperm extraction in the case of CBAVD, cyst aspiration in the case of a large prostatic median cyst, and surgical treatment if ejaculatory duct abnormalities are observed. TRUS may reveal prostate volume reduction (suggestive of hypogonadism) or enlargement, which can be related to aging or even metabolic abnormalities. Finally, TRUS may reveal prostate and SV echo-texture abnormalities suggestive of inflammation or SV stasis.

CONCLUSIONS
MGT-CDUS is a useful tool in detecting abnormalities related to impaired male reproductive health. However, it suffers from a lack of standardization and often produces subjective/vague diagnoses. To fill this gap, the European Academy of Andrology has promoted an ongoing multicenter study aimed at defining the MGT-CDUS characteristics of healthy, fertile men.


The comment of Commissioner Hayne in his Final Report of the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry – that 'industry codes … occupy an unusual place in the prescription of generally applicable norms of behaviour' – was directed to voluntary industry codes. The term is nevertheless used indiscriminately, and industry codes inhabit each regulatory strategy – self-regulation, quasi-regulation, co-regulation and explicit government regulation. The term 'industry code of conduct' is not a term of art with a settled meaning and is widely used as a convenient term to describe a diverse range of industry rules –from aspirational ethical statements of industry associations with no effective coverage, content or enforcement, to legislated prescriptions in various forms which are imposed by, and attract, the full majesty of the law. This article examines the role, operation, and legal effect of industry codes under each of the regulatory strategies and proposes a more rigorous taxonomy.


Background Annual retinal exams for patients with diabetes are critical as diabetic retinopathy is the number one cause of preventable blindness in working-age adults in the United States. Currently, most patients with diabetes in the United States receive a referral from their primary care provider to see an ophthalmologist for their annual dilated eye exam, which can be an added inconvenience and expense. As such, there is a need for alternative screening strategies within an outpatient network. The use of a telemedicine platform in a primary care setting serves as a novel strategy to increase diabetic retinopathy screening rates. In order to provide better access to diabetic retinopathy screening for our patients, cameras were placed in 3 primary care practices in October 2017 as part of an 8-month pilot program. Specialized cameras from Intelligent Retinal Imaging Systems (IRIS) were used to acquire images that could be interpreted remotely by ophthalmologists within the LifeBridge Health network for the diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy and the detection of other types of pathology (eg, macular edema). Objective The aim of this retrospective descriptive study was to examine whether a telemedicine platform can be used as a cost-effective way to increase diabetic retinopathy screening rates in the primary care setting. Methods Aggregate screening volume and diagnostic data were collected for each of the 3 practice locations for the 8-month pilot period (October 30, 2017, through June 30, 2018). Additionally, payor reimbursement data and equipment cost data were used to determine the payback period for each of the 3 practice locations. Results The pilot program proved the business case that implementation of the IRIS camera in 3 practice locations could result in enough patients being screened to pay for the cost of the camera within a maximum of 2 years. The 3 practices showed increased diabetic retinopathy screening rates of 1%, 6%, and 24%, respectively, and were all able to screen enough patients to be on track to pay off the cost of the camera within 2 years of implementation. Aggregate data from the pilot period showed that of the 1213 patients who were screened, approximately 17.1% (n=207) were diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy and an additional 17.7% (n=215) were suspected of having some other form of pathology. Of note, 10.1% (n=123) were also identified as being "IRIS saves," defined as having pathology identified that was severe enough to be considered an imminent threat to their vision. Conclusions This retrospective descriptive study suggests that a telemedicine platform can be used to improve diabetic retinopathy screening rates in the primary care setting within a large health care system in a cost-effective way that allows for the cost of the equipment to be recouped through billing within a maximum of 2 years.


The species Beta vulgaris encompasses wild and cultivated members with a broad range of phenological development. The annual life cycle is commonly found in wild beets, which germinate, bolt and flower within one season. Biennials such as sugar beet require prolonged exposure to cold temperature over winter to acquire floral competence. Sugar beet is the only sucrose-storing crop grown for sugar production in Europe. Flowering time strongly affects yield and is a trait of high agronomic relevance. From Arabidopsis, we learned about the prominent module of CONSTANS (CO) and the FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT), which induces flowering and appears conserved among various plant species. In beet, two FT paralogs, BvFT1 and BvFT2, have been detected, having evolved antagonistic functions. Despite, BOLTING TIME CONTROL 1 (BTC1) and BvBBX19, encoding a DOUBLE B-BOX TYPE ZINC FINGER protein, were identified to control life cycle switch in beet. However, a true orthologue of CO has not yet been found. This study aimed at extending the knowledge of the genetic factors behind bolting in Beta species. Mapping of a new bolting locus led to the identification of the btc1l allele which caused life cycle switch in beet, due to minor sequence variation in the coding region. Phenotyping of a diverse Beta panel revealed that geographical origin has a strong impact on life cycle adaptation. Haplotype analysis of BTC1, BvBBX19, BvFT1 and BvFT2 uncovered a high conservation of the protein-domains with regard to SNP occurrence and indicate that domestication of cultivated sugar beets is mainly attributed to BTC1. The results of this work notably contribute to the knowledge about the evolution of life cycle variation in Beta species under natural conditions and under breeding selection. Moreover, the identified btc1l allele may provide a future resource for breeding winter beets.


Atomistic simulations using molecular dynamics (MD) method are conducted to check the conditions of the onset of fracture at the interface edges with a variety of angles. The simulations are facilitated with model bi-material systems interacting with Morse pair potentials. Three simulation models are considered, i.e. the interface edges with angles 45°, 90° and 135°, respectively. The simulation results show that, at the instant of crack initiation, the maximum stresses along the interfaces reach the ideal strength of the interface; also, the interface energies just decrease to below the value of the intrinsic cohesive energy of the interface. And the onset of fracture at the interface edges with different geometries is controlled by the maximum stresses or the cohesive interfacial energy.


A new model of consumer behavior is developed using a hybrid of cognitive psychology and microeconomics. The development of the model starts with the mental coding of combinations of gains and losses using the prospect theory value function. Then the evaluation of purchases is modeled using the new concept of "transaction utility." The household budgeting process is also incorporated to complete the characterization of mental accounting. Several implications to marketing, particularly in the area of pricing, are developed.

This article was originally published in Marketing Science, Volume 4, Issue 3, pages 199--214, in 1985.


Injection of E. coli endotoxin in dogs promotes hemodynamic changes in circulating blood volume and blood components. Adult mongrel dogs were given endotoxin and studied for 3 hours. Red-blood-cell (RBC) volume and whole-blood volume was measured using the Cr-51 RBC labeling method. Hematocrit and RBC counts were taken at various time periods. Whole-blood volume was not found to change significantly over the test period; however, plasma volume demonstrated a significant decrease by 60 minutes with a parallel increase in RBC volume. Hematocrit increased significantly by 60 minutes and continued its rise to a 30% increase at 3 hours. Circulating RBC counts demonstrated a 26% increase. RBC precursors such as reticulocytes and normoblasts were counted using standard microscopic methods and were observed to increase after injection of endotoxin. These data suggest that the increases in hemoconcentration after administration of endotoxin are caused not only by the loss of plasma from the circulation but also by release of RBCs from blood-forming organs.


Marine biofouling has severe economic impacts and cyanobacteria play a significant role as early surface colonizers. Despite this fact, cyanobacterial biofilm formation studies in controlled hydrodynamic conditions are scarce. In this work, computational fluid dynamics was used to determine the shear rate field on coupons that were placed inside the wells of agitated 12-well microtiter plates. Biofilm formation by three different cyanobacterial strains was assessed at two different shear rates (4 and 40 s-1 ) which can be found in natural ecosystems and using different surfaces (glass and perspex). Biofilm formation was higher under low shear conditions and differences obtained between surfaces were not always statistically significant. The hydrodynamic effect was more noticeable during the biofilm maturation phase rather than during initial cell adhesion and Optical Coherence Tomography showed that different shear rates can affect biofilm architecture. This study is particularly relevant given the cosmopolitan distribution of these cyanobacterial strains and the biofouling potential of these organisms. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


The relations among marsh elevation, flooding frequency and duration, an d marsh accretion in  Spartina alternfiora marsh in coastal Louisiana were evaluated over a 39-month period by using field surveys, tide gauge records, and direct measures of recent accretion above artificial soil markers. New sample plots were randomly selected at the beginning of each of two time periods, April 1985-March 1990 (Period I) and December 1989-July 1991(Period 2), and vertical accretion was measured seasonally during both periods. Hydroperiod was calculated for each plot by using the mean elevation of the marsh surface at each plot and local tide gauge records. The range in elevations of the Period 1 field plots (2.1 cm) differed considerably from Period 2 field plots (12.1 cm). Marsh surface topography exerted a strong influence on the frequency and duration of marsh surface flooding, with plots at lower elevations flooded a greater percentage of the time than plots at higher elevations (41 vs. 37% for Period 1; 73 vs. 50% for Period 2). Accretion was significantly related to duration of flooding during both periods (p = .037, Period 1; p = 0.019. Period 2). Accumulation of both organic and mineral matter was also significantly related to duration of flooding (p = 0.007, organic; p = 0.009. mineral), implying that allochthonous organic matter as well as mineral matter was delivered to the marsh surface during flooding. These data indicate that accretion and accumulation varied temporarily and spatially in relation to hydroperiod and suggest that accretion at lower marsh elevations is not always sufficient to maintain an equilibrium position in the intertidal zone.


Enzootic strains of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) have been isolated from febrile patients in the Peruvian Amazon Basin at low but consistent levels since the early 1990s. Through a clinic-based febrile surveillance program, we detected an outbreak of VEEV infections in Iquitos, Peru, in the first half of 2006. The majority of these patients resided within urban areas of Iquitos, with no report of recent travel outside the city. To characterize the risk factors for VEEV infection within the city, an antibody prevalence study was carried out in a geographically stratified sample of urban areas of Iquitos. Additionally, entomological surveys were conducted to determine if previously incriminated vectors of enzootic VEEV were present within the city. We found that greater than 23% of Iquitos residents carried neutralizing antibodies against VEEV, with significant associations between increased antibody prevalence and age, occupation, mosquito net use, and overnight travel. Furthermore, potential vector mosquitoes were widely distributed across the city. Our results suggest that while VEEV infection is more common in rural areas, transmission also occurs within urban areas of Iquitos, and that further studies are warranted to identify the precise vectors and reservoirs involved in urban VEEV transmission.


To further improve the fault coverage and accuracy of fault location in SRAM based on FPGAs interconnect, an efficient method of fault detection and location is presented. Eight types of programming based on multiple times programmable FPGA is used, and further improved fault coverage and accuracy of fault location. Analysis showed that the proposed methods could cover all interconnect single faults and locate five single faults to specific switch or locate bridge fault to a pair of segments.


The aim of this study is to analyze the structures of land use in ecological farming in the EU countries, for which EUROSTAT made the statistics available. The survey concerns the period between 2004 and 2012. The method of data clustering has been used there in order to classify the structure of land use. The taxonomic analysis allowed for differentiating 5 subgroups from the data base.  They have cross-sectional and time-series character as well as similar cropping patterns. The agricultural sector reacted to the increasing demand for organic products in two ways: by the extension of the crops' acreage or by the change in the structures of land use (in order to match the product offer with the demand). However, the conducted surveys did not indicate the essential changes in the structures of land use. In consequence, a significant level of stabilization of supply's structure was created.


Objectives The purpose of the study was to evaluate the mucosal immune response in women affected by primary human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, in comparison with HPV-negative women with no previous history of HPV. Methods A case–control study comparing the activity of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and lactoferrin (LF) between 19 HPV-positive and 19 HPV-negative women matched for age. Plasmatic and cervicovaginal levels of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) exhibiting MPO and LF receptors were measured using cytofluorimetric analysis and expressed as mean of percentages. Results Cervicovaginal levels of MPO-/LF- PMN were lower among HPV-negative women, with a mean rate of 18.81% (SD, 21.38), as opposed to a mean rate of 35.56% (SD, 21.02) (P = 0.020) in HPV-positive women. A similar significant difference was not proven in plasma. The mean rates of plasmatic levels of MPO-/LF- PMN were 36.21% (SD, 16.87) and 36.93% (SD, 10.54) (P = 0.875) in cases and controls, respectively. All patients were evaluated 1 year later, and only 6 cases became negative. Conclusions The presence of MPO-/LF- PMN has been considered as a marker of lower rate of apoptosis of HPV-infected cells. This could explain why HPV-positive women are less capable to deal with a primary infection.


AIM
This study aimed to investigate the association between a combination of elevated triglyceride (TG) and reduced high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels and target lesion revascularization (TLR) following everolimus-eluting stent (EES) implantation. The adverse impact of clinical, lesion, and procedural characteristics on TLR in patients with elevated TG and reduced HDL-C levels was also assessed.

METHODS
We retrospectively collected data on 3,014 lesions from 2,022 consecutive patients, who underwent EES implantation at Koto Memorial Hospital. Atherogenic dyslipidemia (AD) is defined as a combination of non-fasting serum TG ≥ 175 mg/dL and HDL-C <40 mg/dL.

RESULTS
AD was observed in 212 lesions in 139 (6.9%) patients. The cumulative incidence of clinically driven TLR was significantly higher in patients with AD than in those without AD (hazard ratio [HR] 2.31, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.43-3.73, P=0.0006). Subgroup analysis showed that AD increased the risk of TLR with the implantation of small stents (≤ 2.75 mm). Multivariable Cox regression analysis showed that AD was an independent predictor of TLR in the small EES stratum (adjusted HR 3.00, 95% CI 1.53-5.93, P=0.004), whereas the incidence of TLR was similar in the non-small-EES stratum, irrespective of the presence or absence of AD.

CONCLUSIONS
Patients with AD had a higher risk of TLR after EES implantation, and this risk was greater for lesions treated with small stents.


Mathematical programming model for synthesis of heat exchanger network for distillation unit is established. MINLP problem for heat exchanger network is solved by branch-bound method. Two kinds of heat exchanger network with splitting stream and without splitting stream are obtained. 142 heat exchangers, 8 coolers and 4 heaters are needed in the heat exchanger network without splitting stream. 34 heat exchangers, 8 coolers, 4 heaters, 11 splitters and 11 mixers are needed in the heat exchanger network with splitting stream. The matching situation including heat load, heat exchange area, duty of utilities, flow fraction of splitting, temperature of inlet and outlet, etc. for cold and hot streams in the heat exchanger network with splitting stream is presented in detail, Analysis the relationship between total heat exchange area, total heat load, total capital cost and annual operation cost of the heat exchanger network. Taking the number of heat exchangers and operational flexibility of heat exchange network into consideration, the heat exchanger network with splitting stream is suggested to be selected.


The objective of this paper is to estimate the short run and long run own- price elasticity of pesticide demand in Greece in a profit maximization context. A single equation approach is adopted and the dynamic aspects of pesticide demand are captured by the use of cointegration techniques. The policy implications of the empirical findings concern the price responsiveness of pesticide demand in Greece to potential changes in pesticide price due to the imposition of an environmental tax on that polluting input. The estimated short run elasticity of pesticide demand is -0.8 whereas the long run estimate is slightly larger, approximately -0.9. The short run pesticide elasticity with respect to output price is 1.58 and the long run 1.75 both highly elastic estimates. The reduction of output prices may thus be expected to bring about a larger reduction in pesticide use than the imposition of a tax on that input.


A variety of automatic speech recognition experiments have been executed that support a measure of confidence for utterance classification. The confidence measure tested was the ratio of the two best "Hamming distance" scores obtained in matching utterance templates with an unknown utterance. The results show that it is possible to reliably predict when the utterance classifier has made the correct decision.


We present a scatter point cloud denoising method, which can reduce noise effectively, while preserving mesh features such as sharp edges and corners. The method consists of two stages. Firstly, noisy points normal are filtered iteratively; second, location noises of points are reduced. How to select proper denoising neighbors is a key problem for scatter point cloud denoising operation. The local shape factor which related to the surface feature is proposed. By using the factor, we achieved the shape adaptive angle threshold and adaptive optimal denoising neighbor. Normal space and location space is denoising using improved trilateral filter in adaptive angle threshold. A series of numerical experiment proved the new denoising algorithm in this paper achieved more detail feature and smoother surface.


We show analytically how periodic spinning affects the polarization mode dispersion of a fiber in three different practical regimes that are determined by the values of three length scales: the beat length, the birefringence correlation length, and the spin period. We determine in which limits the spin is effective in reducing the mean differential group delay.


We report on hole g-factor measurements in three terminal SiGe self-assembled quantum dot devices with a top gate electrode positioned very close to the nanostructure. Measurements of both the perpendicular as well as the parallel g-factor reveal significant changes for a small modulation of the top gate voltage. From the observed modulations we estimate that, for realistic experimental conditions, hole spins can be electrically manipulated with Rabi frequencies in the order of 100MHz. This work emphasises the potential of hole-based nano-devices for efficient spin manipulation by means of the g-tensor modulation technique.


Increased sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) has been implicated in hypertension induced by chronic exposure to intermittent hypoxia (CIH) in both human and rodents. We have previously reported that the basal femoral arterial tone
 in vivo
 was primarily mediated by α1-adrenergic SNA, and hence was useful for assessing SNA in living animals in disease models, such as hypertension. While SNA hyperactivity is believed to be region specific in certain types of hypertension, such as that induced by angiotensin II plus salt, the aim of this study is to determine whether sympathetic tone is increased in femoral arteries in CIH-induced hypertension and to characterize vascular reactivity in CIH animals. Mice with smooth muscle-specific FRET-based Ca/calmodulin sensitive myosin light chain kinase biosensor were exposed to CIH (5% nadir O
 2
 for 1 min, followed by 21% O
 2
 for 1 min) or sham exposure (21% O
 2
 constantly) 8 hrs/day for 5 weeks. At the end of the exposure, blood pressure, measured with an intra-carotid artery catheter (1.5% isoflurane), was greatly increased in CIH group (91 ± 4 mm Hg, n = 8, vs. 83 ± 2 mm Hg in sham control, n = 6, P < 0.05). Mid-thigh femoral arteries were slightly dissected and superfused with physiological saline solution. Simultaneous arterial diameter and quantitative cytoplasmic [Ca
 2+
 ] in smooth muscle cells within intact arteries were measured with Intra-Vital FRET microscopy. Under resting condition, femoral arteries from CIH-treated mice exhibited significantly increased basal tone (38 ± 4% vs 29 ± 4% of PD in control group, n = 5/group) and [Ca
 2+
 ] (280 ± 27 vs 205 ± 27 nM). Local application, to the exposed portion of arteries, of phentolamine (0.01-3 μM) and prazosin (1 μM), caused more relaxation and [Ca
 2+
 ] reduction in CIH than in handled control group. Dose-dependent vasoconstriction induced by phenylephrine, however, was similar, suggesting that the expression or sensitivity of the adrenoceptor was not altered. Passive outer diameter, an indicator of arterial remodeling, measured in Ca
 2+
 -free solution, were not different between control and CIH groups. These results indicate that the increased femoral arterial tone
 in vivo
 was also neurogenic, primarily due to hyper-(central) SNA in mice that developed hypertension following CIH.


A model of dynamic R&D behavior is presented in which participants in the race have imperfect information about the (true) "hazard rate" of the R&D process. In this model, a firm will be ambivalent about a rival firm's success at an intermediate stage. On the one hand, the probability of winning is reduced, since a rival firm is ahead and the technological gap is larger. This effect is always negative. On the other hand, the discovery could be a signal that the project is not as hard after all ("If you can do that, why not me?"), which could shorten the expected time needed for the discovery. This is a positive effect of a rival firm's success, one that is not present in existing models and hence has been ignored up to now. According to the relative magnitude of these two opposing effects, a much richer description of real-world R&D behavior is obtained. This article also provides a potential explanation of the strategic practice of innovation shelving.


Amyloid binding molecules with greater hydrophilicity than existing ligands were synthesized. The lead candidate ET6-21 bound amyloid fibrils, and amyloid deposits in dog brain and human brain tissue ex vivo. The ligand was used to prepare novel amyloid-targeted liposomal nanoparticles. The preparation was tested in the Tg2576 and TetO/APP mouse models of amyloid deposition. Gd chelates and Indocyanine green were included in the particles for visualization by MRI and near-infrared microscopy. Upon intravenous injection, the particles successfully traversed the blood-brain barrier in these mice, and bound to the plaques. Magnetic resonance imaging (T1-MRI) conducted 4 days after injection demonstrated elevated signal in the brains of mice with amyloid plaques present. No signal was observed in amyloid-negative mice, or in amyloid-positive mice injected with an untargeted version of the same agent. The MRI results were confirmed by immunohistochemical and fluorescent microscopic examination of mouse brain sections, showing colocalization of the fluorescent tags and amyloid deposits.


Middle income countries are undergoing demographic changes at unprecedented levels. Rate of growth of the elderly population is three times that of the population as a whole. Eastern countries are facing the problem at alarming levels. In eastern models of aging, independence among community dwellers must not be confused with "indepenendent community living" as described in western aging theories. It is imperative to proactively adopt strategies that can help older adults minimize disability, stay independent and contribute to society. Poor health insurance coverage, lack of population-specific clinical practice guidelines, among others are stumbling blocks for graceful aging in low and middle income economies. There is a need to address awareness on health vulnerability and education on the economics of retirement planning. Non-integration of preventive rehabilitation in insurance ambit is an even bigger challenge Considering the sheer volume of the rehabilitation needs it is necessary to rely on a problem-solving based approach in the decision making for allocation of resources to this population. Promotion of physical activity early in life and continuing into old age need to be analysed for its benefits in preventing morbidity related to old age. Additionally, there is a need to develop / adapt optimal, populationspecific interventions to improve physical functioning in Asian older adults. Findings from cross sectional studies conducted on selected urban and semi urban population in southern India forms the crux of this presentation. The applications and generalisability of findings for middle income economies would be the contribution of the talk. An Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) report on the chronic morbidity profile in the elderly states that hearing impairment is the most common morbidity followed by visual impairment.(8) However, different studies show varied leads to the morbidity pattern. A study conducted in the rural area of Pondicherry reported decreased visual acuity due to cataract and refractive errors in 57% of the elderly followed by pain in the joints and joint stiffness in 43.4%, dental and chewing complaints in 42%, and hearing impairment in 15.4%. Other morbidities were hypertension (14%), diarrhea (12%), chronic cough (12%), skin diseases (12%), heart disease (9%), diabetes (8.1%), asthma (6%), and urinary complaints (5.6%).(9) A similar study that had been conducted among 200 elderly people in rural and urban areas of Chandigarh in Haryana observed that as many as 87.5% had minimal to severe disabilities. The most prevalent morbidity was anemia, followed by dental problems, hypertension, chronic obstructive airway disease (COAD), cataract, and osteoarthritis.(10) A study on ocular morbidities among the elderly population in the district of Wardha found that refractive errors accounted for the highest number (40.8%) of ocular morbidities, closely followed by cataract (40.4%) while other morbidities included aphakia (11.1%), pterygium (5.2%), and glaucoma (3.1%).(11) In a community based study conducted in Delhi among 10,000 elderly people, it was found that problems related to vision and hearing topped the list, closely followed by backache and arthritis. Elderly people that belong to middle and better income groups are susceptible to develop obesity and its related complications thanks to a sedentary lifestyle and decreased physical activity. In a study conducted among 206 elderly persons attending the Geriatric Clinic at a tertiary care hospital in Delhi, about 34% of the men and 40.3% of the women were obese respectively. Elderly people are highly susceptible to mental morbidities thanks to ageing of the brain, problems related to physical health, cerebral pathology, socio-economic factors like breakdown of the family support systems, and decrease in economic independence. The mental disorders that are frequently encountered include dementia and mood disorders. Other disorders include neurotic and personality disorders, drug and alcohol abuse, delirium, and mental psychosis. The rapid urbanization and societal modernization has brought in its wake a breakdown in family values and therefore the framework of family support, economic insecurity, social isolation, and elderly abuse leading to a host of psychological illnesses. In addition, widows are susceptible to face social stigma and ostracism. The socioeconomic problems of the elderly are aggravated by factors


Link prediction on dynamic graphs is an important task in graph mining. Existing approaches based on dynamic graph neural networks (DGNNs) typically require a significant amount of historical data (interactions over time), which is not always available in practice. The missing links over time, which is a common phenomenon in graph data, further aggravates the issue and thus creates extremely sparse and dynamic graphs. To address this problem, we propose a novel method based on the neural process, called Graph Sequential Neural ODE Process (GSNOP). Specifically, GSNOP combines the advantage of the neural process and neural ordinary differential equation that models the link prediction on dynamic graphs as a dynamic-changing stochastic process. By defining a distribution over functions, GSNOP introduces the uncertainty into the predictions, making it generalize to more situations instead of overfitting to the sparse data. GSNOP is also agnostic to model structures that can be integrated with any DGNN to consider the chronological and geometrical information for link prediction. Extensive experiments on three dynamic graph datasets show that GSNOP can significantly improve the performance of existing DGNNs and outperform other neural process variants.


Background In the practice of breast augmentation and reconstruction, implant irrigation with various solutions has been widely used to prevent infection and capsular contracture, but to date, there is no consensus on the optimal protocol to use. Recently, application of povidone iodine (PI) for 30 min has shown in vitro to be the most effective irrigating formula in reducing contamination in smooth breast implants. However, as 30 min is not feasible intraoperatively, it is necessary to determine whether shorter times could be equally effective as well as to test it in both smooth and textured implants. Methods We tested the efficacy of 10% PI at 1′, 3′, and 5′ against biofilms of 8 strains (2 ATCC and 6 clinical) of Staphylococcus spp. on silicone disks obtained from Mentor® and Polytech® implants of different textures. We analyzed the percentage reduction of cfu counts, cell viability and bacterial density between treatment (PI) and control (sterile saline, SS) groups for each time of application. We consider clinical significance when > 25% reduction was observed in cell viability or bacterial density. Results All textured implants treated with PI at any of the 3 exposure times reduced 100% bacterial load by culture. However, none of the implants reached enough clinical significance in percentage reduction of living cells. Regarding bacterial density, only 25–50 μm Polytxt® Polytech® implants showed significant reduction at the three PI exposure times. Conclusion PI is able to inhibit bacterial growth applied on the surface of breast implants regardless of the exposure time. However, no significant reduction on living cells or bacterial density was observed. This lack of correlation may be caused by differences in texture that directly affect PI absorption.


For a universe containing a cosmological constant together with uniform arrangements of magnetic fields, strings, or domain walls, exact solutions to the Einstein equations are shown to lead to a universe with ellipsoidal expansion. The magnetic field case is the easiest to motivate and has the highest possibility of finding application in observational cosmology.


To determine whether the age-related reduction in basal metabolic rate (BMR) is explained by a quantitative and/or qualitative change in the components of lean tissue, we conducted a cross-sectional study in groups of young (n = 38, 18-35 yr) and older (n = 24, 50-77 yr) healthy individuals. BMR was measured by indirect calorimetry. Body composition was obtained by using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), which permitted four compartments to be quantified [bone mineral mass, fat mass (FM), appendicular lean tissue mass (ALTM), and nonappendicular lean tissue mass (NALTM)]. Absolute BMR and ALTM were lower, whereas FM was significantly higher in the older, compared with young, subjects. BMR, adjusted for differences in FM, ALTM, and NALTM, was significantly lower in the older subjects by 644 kJ/day. In separate regression analyses of BMR on body compartments, older subjects had significantly lower regression coefficients for ALTM and NALTM, compared with young subjects. Hence, the age-related decline in BMR is partly explained by a reduction in the quantity, as well as the metabolic activity, of DEXA-derived lean tissue components.


We develop a theoretical and empirical model to measure the benefits and costs of policy options for controlling a seedborne, imported fungus, Verticillium dahliae, seriously affecting lettuce production in California. In 1995, the disease Verticillium wilt, caused by the fungus V. dahliae, unexpectedly appeared in a lettuce crop in Watsonville, Santa Cruz County. Since then, the disease has spread rapidly through the Parajo Valley, the prime lettuce production region of California. Plant pathologists have determined spinach seeds to be the primary pathway by which the fungus is introduced to the soil (Atallah et al., 2010). Once introduced, the pathogen persists in the soil for many years, affecting subsequent crops. We develop a simulation model to describe growers' profit maximizing decisions regarding which crops to plant, the timing of the plantings, and efforts to control the disease. We also estimate a structural econometric model explaining crop choice decisions made by growers in Monterey County. A simulation model allows for the incorporation of biological parameters estimated from the work of plant pathologists. In addition, we can compare different scenarios, in particular those that growers are hesitant to implement in their fields without knowing the impacts.


The influence of extracts from Varroa destructor, a parasitic mite of the honeybee Apis mellifera, on the proteinase activity of worker bee haemolymph was analysed in vitro, along with the influence of bee haemolymph on the proteolytic activity of V. destructor extract. The study was conducted in three different environments: pH 7.5 (high activity of bee enzymes and very low activity of parasite enzymes), pH 5 (moderate activity of enzymes from both sources) and pH 3.5 (limited activity of bee proteinases and high activity of mite proteinases). Based on electrophoretic studies, the inhibition of the activity of bee haemolymph proteinases by V. destructor extracts was observed at each pH. The study at pH 7.5 with commercial inhibitors of the 4 main classes of proteinases (pepstatin A, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), E-64 (trans-epoxysuccinyl-L-leucylamido-(4-guanidino)-butane), soybean trypsin inhibitor and Kunitz inhibitor) suggested that parasite extracts mainly inhibited serine proteinases and, to a lower degree, cysteine and aspartyl proteinases. At pH 3.5 and pH 5, a decrease of approximately 40% in parasite proteinase activity was also observed in the presence of bee haemolymph. The result points to the presence of aspartyl proteinase inhibitors in bee haemolymph, which may be an important defence element for bees during food intake by a mite. It was demonstrated that trypsin and trypsin inhibitors are active in the excretion/secretion products of V. destructor, the proteinases of which may assist the parasite in food suckling by preventing haemolymph coagulation, among other things.


An area of study that has attracted the attention of health communication scholars for the past several years is health disparities. Health disparities are differences in health outcomes between socially disadvantaged and advantaged groups. This special issue of the Journal of Communication is focused on communication strategies to reduce health disparities. It features 10 articles that report original empirical studies or literature reviews of health disparities-related research. Communication scholars working in this area have a distinct opportunity to conduct theory-driven applied research with the potential to promote the health and wellbeing of the most vulnerable among us.


A BSTRACT Purpose: To determine the frequency of color vision deficiency among young age groups visiting a tertiary care eye hospital for pre-employment health screening. Study Design: Descriptive, cross sectional study. Methods: Data was collected using non-probability consecutive sampling technique. All candidates who appeared for medical fitness for pre-employment screening were included. Candidates belonged to various regions of Pakistan. Informed consent was taken. Complete history and ophthalmic examination including visual acuity, best corrected visual acuity, anterior segment examination and dilated posterior segment examination was performed. Intra ocular pressure was measured by Goldmann Applanation Tonometer. Colour vision was checked before pupillary dilation using Ishihara test plates. Candidates were clearly instructed about test plates. Candidates with ocular abnormality were referred to the specialized units. The data analysis was done by IBM SPSS 20 software. Results: One thousand and five hundred (1500) candidates were screened. Out of these, 88.3% (1325) were males and 11.6% (175) were females. Mean age of the candidates was 20.35 ± 4.46 years. Approximately five percent (4.8%, n = 73/1500) candidates had color vision deficiency. Out of these, 94.52% (69) candidates were unaware of their condition. Conclusions: Color blindness in this study was 4.86%. Majority of the color blind persons were males and most of them were unaware of their condition.


Using insights from the classical sociology of deviance and social structure (notably Durkheim and Merton) we explore the enduring impact of the social and economic changes which started in the UK in the early 1980s. In the two subsequent decades the UK went through a period of radical economic restructuring, leading to lasting social change. We seek to gauge the effect of these combined social and economic processes, which we label social and economic 'storms', at the national level. In so doing we assess, and ultimately defend, the heuristic utility of this conceptualisation, considering the extent to which such social and economic storms (individually and collectively) weakened bonds between individuals, within and between families, and across communities. We use proxy measures of economic and social changes in combination with recorded crime statistics to explore the degree to which such processes might be associated with victimisation rates. We find that crime was related to these macro-level 'storms', although ultimately they were driven by economic variables. Our analyses show how political decision making can shape long-term trends in crime rates.


Remembering is a social cultural activity. Contributors to this Special Issue were asked to address how conversations about personally experienced past events might or might not influence subsequent memory, especially in light of current controversies regarding historical memories of sexual abuse. For many years, the study of human memory focused on the individual engaging in a cognitive activity that produced a specific representation of a past event at a specific time point. But as the papers in this issue make clear, memory is an active ongoing social process that has cascading effects over time, an idea first developed by Bartlett (1932) and championed by Neisser (1982). Even when reminiscing to ourselves, there is an imagined audience, a way of expressing memories of our past selves to our current selves (Halbwachs, 1925/1952). What is remembered about any given event on any given day will depend on both the history of that memory, the specific local context within which the individual is remembering, and the larger sociocultural developmental history within which the individual is embedded (Nelson & Fivush, 2004). In this commentary, we pull the threads through these contributions, and discuss three major factors that contribute to remembering: language, emotion and time. These are, obviously, "big" constructs, but we try to weave together arguments and findings presented across the contributions to this issue. We end with some thoughts on what this might mean specifically for remembering childhood sexual abuse.


Change detection by background subtraction is a common approach to detect moving foreground. The resulting difference image is usually thresholded to obtain objects based on pixel connectedness and resulting blob objects are subsequently tracked. This paper proposes a detection approach not requiring the binarization of the difference image. Local density maxima in the difference image - usually representing moving objects - are outlined by a fast non-parametric mean shift clustering procedure. Object tracking is carried out by updating and propagating cluster parameters over time using the mode seeking property of the mean shift procedure. For occluding targets, a fast procedure determining the object configuration maximizing image likelihood is presented. Detection and tracking results are demonstrated for a crowded scene and evaluation of the proposed tracking framework is presented.


Undergraduate learning in STEM is enhanced by participation in tractable and relevant research projects. Simultaneously, it is challenging to design meaningful research opportunities that remain affordable, engage students in most aspects of the scientific process, and offer opportunities for transformative learning experiences. We designed a collaborative 12-week undergraduate research project based on the quantification of litter along two urban streams in the Oklahoma City (United States) metropolitan area, addressing a regional issue with global implications. This study engaged six undergraduate students at a low cost with commonly available equipment. Three faculty involved brought expertise in physical stream characterization, ecology, statistics, and mathematical modeling, allowing students to approach data analysis from multidisciplinary and collaborative perspectives. Students participated in nearly all stages of scientific research, including a brief literature survey, data collection and analysis toward addressing research questions, interpretation of results, and presentation at a scientific meeting. Post-project surveys revealed that students held highly favorable perceptions in relation to overarching project goals, including improvements in data management and quantitative analysis, in comprehension of scientific abstracts, in grasping the scientific process, and in skill development toward future career goals. Student perceptions regarding the importance of participation in generating data, interest in future data analysis, and the importance of receiving financial compensation for participation were less favorable and varied. Despite increased interest in conducting future field work, interest in pursuing a career in research was slightly diminished after participation in the project. Evidence of transformative learning existed in the targeted areas of scholarly activity and health and wellness. We discuss the benefits of our study design, including suggestions for improvement and the adaptability of this study for other educational contexts.


Based on results of early as well as recent behavioural studies, the present review compares the performance of different eye regions in exploiting information on shape, colour and motion, relevant to the honeybee's foraging task. The comparisons reveal similarities, as well as differences, among the performances of various eye regions, depending on the visual parameter involved in the task under consideration. The outcome of the comparisons is discussed in the light of anatomical and optical regional specializations found in the bee's peripheral visual pathway, as well as in the light of the foraging bee's natural habits. It is concluded that the functional differences found among different eye regions are based on neural mechanisms subserving the bee's natural needs, rather than on peripheral specializations.


Abstract The OSPAR priority list entails a strategy, for monitoring the listed chemicals as well as prescribing cessation targets. However, not much is known about the best available technologies for dealing with cases of environmental pollution from these chemicals. On the other hand, Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) are among the most effective environmental treatment technologies. The scientific literature was reviewed for data regarding the application of selected AOPs in the treatment of the chemicals on the OSPAR list with emphasis on the efficacy and cost of the technologies. Remarkably, almost two decades since the OSPAR list was adopted, there are hardly any studies in which the cost applying any AOP to an "OSPAR chemical" related contamination has been explored. When the scope of the study was expanded beyond the OSPAR list and the initially selected AOPs, not much data was found either. It is clear from this study that the subject of the comparative cost evaluations of AOPs is one requiring more attention. The consequence is that some of the vital data required for evaluating the practical applicability of AOPs in real treatment applications is lacking. The review article seeks to draw attention to this gap in the scientific literature.


In this research, capability of adsorption of modified chitosan Nano composites with functionalized mesoporous silica which synthesized by electrospinning method in the removal of direct black ANBN dye has been studied. Silicate mesoporous were functionalized during synthesis process and then the intended Nano fibers were produced by using of electrospinning device. Synthesized Nano fibers were recognized by analyzing the FT-IR, XRD, FE-SEM, and TEM and tension test. The removal of direct black ANBN dye from aqueous solution in a continuous system was done by this adsorbent by studying the effects of some parameters such as type and amount of adsorbent, pH, initial concentration of colored solution and contact time; And at the end finding appropriate isotherms for direct black dye adsorption was done. The result show that simple CTS/SBA-15 have the best removal efficiency in 40 min of contact time, in acidic pH, with 0.05 gr adsorbent and 60 mg/L initial concentration. By examining the adsorption isotherms, it has been clearly defined [that] Removal of this dye follows Freundlich model. In order to compare accurately and evaluate the efficiency of the synthesized sample, the adsorption of Direct Black ANBN was investigated by two different adsorbents: CTS/SBA-15 and Chitosan. According to the results, CTS/SBA-15 Nano fibers have suitable efficiency for removal of direct black ANBN dye.


The synthesis and SAR studies of tricyclic imidazo[4,5-b]pyridin-2-ones as human corticotropin-releasing factor receptor (CRF1) antagonists are discussed herein. Compound 16g was identified as a functional antagonist that inhibited CRF-stimulated cyclic adenosine monophosphate production and CRF-induced adrenocorticotrophic hormone release. Pharmacokinetics studies in rats showed that 16g was orally bioavailable, had good brain penetration, and had a moderate half-life. In our effort to identify CRF1 antagonists with improved pharmacokinetics properties, 16g exhibited a favorably lower volume of distribution.


The task team that must carry forward the resolutions of the high-level summit on Briefing Patterns in the Legal Profession has a critical and heavy burden on its figurative shoulders. It will have to meet the aspirations of many black and female practitioners to rectify skewed briefing patterns. It will also have to prove many cynics wrong.


OBJECTIVE. Our goal was to comprehensively examine bunk bed–related injuries in the United States by using a nationally representative sample. METHODS. Using the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System database, cases of nonfatal bunk bed–related injuries treated in US emergency departments from 1990 through 2005 were selected by using the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System bunk bed product code (0661). Cases concerning individuals ≤21 years old were included. RESULTS. An estimated 572 580 children and adolescents aged ≤21 years were treated in US emergency departments for bunk bed–related injuries during the 16-year study period, yielding an average of 35 790 cases annually. An average of 42 per 100 000 population were treated annually. Bunk bed–related injuries occurred more frequently among males (60.6%). Lacerations were the most common type of injury (29.7%), followed by contusions and abrasions (24.0%) and fractures (19.9%). The body parts most frequently injured were the head and neck (27.3%) in all age groups. Falls were the most common mechanism of injury (72.5%). Of the cases for which locale of injury was recorded, 93.5% occurred at home. Approximately half of the bunk bed–related injuries that occurred at schools involved individuals aged 18 to 21 years (50.9%). An estimated 2.9% of injuries resulted in hospitalization or transfer to another hospital or required additional observation. The number of bunk bed–related injuries showed no significant trend from 1990 to 2005. CONCLUSIONS. Bunk beds are a common source of injury among children and adolescents, and these injuries mostly involve the head and face. Given the continuing large numbers of bunk bed–related injuries at homes and in schools, increased efforts are needed to prevent bunk bed–related injuries among children and adolescents.


Hexakis[4-(2,4-diamino-1,3,5-triazin-6-yl)phenyl]benzene (4) incorporates a disc-shaped hexaphenylbenzene core and six peripheral diaminotriazine groups that can engage in hydrogen bonding according to established motifs. Under all conditions examined, compound 4 crystallizes as planned to give closely related noninterpenetrated three-dimensional networks built from sheets in which each molecule has six hydrogen-bonded neighbors. In the structure of compound 4, the number of hydrogen bonds per molecule and the percentage of volume accessible to guests approach the highest values so far observed in molecular networks. Analogue 5 (which has the same hexaphenylbenzene core but only four diaminotriazine groups at the 1,2,4,5-positions) and analogue 7 (in which the two unsubstituted phenyl groups of compound 5 are replaced by methyl groups) crystallize according to a closely similar pattern. Analogues with flatter pentaphenylbenzene or tetraphenylbenzene cores crystallize differently, underscoring the importance of maintaining a consistent molecular shape in attempts to engineer crystals with predetermined properties.


The paper presents an overview of the Moscow market of centers of sexual well-being (CSWB), which construct a new niche in the market of psychological services, providing counseling services in matters of sexual and psychological well-being. Human notions of happiness and sexual well-being acquire there a commercial basis and become a good that can be purchased for a certain cost, like any product or service. Centers of sexual well-being use various strategies of legitimizing their activities to create a sustainable demand for their services. These legitimation strategies are deeply rooted in the culture of society and is a necessary condition for the centers' work. During the research, a qualitative content analysis of the websites of eight centers of sexual well-being in Moscow was conducted. It was found out that this market today is small and underdeveloped, services are provided in the form of trainings and consultations, while there is no single standard of professions, education and seniority. The cost of training varies from 1500 rubles up to 80 000 rubles per person, while almost all the centers are targeted at the female target audience, and the attraction of new ones is due to various types of shares. On the basis of the coding matrix, the main strategies of legitimation were identified and described: the way to achieve happiness in the personal and family sphere (1); the tool for the development of human capital (2); the educational project of public discourse about sex (3) and the form of leisure (4). These strategies can be used by the centers together, they are not mutually exclusive. The overall result of the work is a detailed description of the CSWB market, the rules and principles for the functioning of market participants, a description of their legitimation strategies. This work can be useful for researchers interested in exploring new emerging markets, where demand is constructed by producers with the help of certain strategies of legitimating themselves and their specific "good". In addition, this work is useful to all those who are interested in studying the organization of sexual well-being on a commercial basis and the associated spectrum of economic and psychological services.


Tyrosine phosphorylation regulates multiple cell signaling pathways and functionally modulates a number of ion channels and receptors. Neurotransmitter transporters, which act to clear transmitter from the synaptic cleft, are regulated by multiple second messenger pathways that exert their effects, at least in part, by causing a redistribution of the transporter protein to or from the cell surface. To test the hypothesis that tyrosine phosphorylation affects transporter function and to determine its mechanism of action, we examined the regulation of the rat brain γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) transporter GAT1 expressed endogenously in hippocampal neurons and expressed heterologously in Chinese hamster ovary cells. Inhibitors of tyrosine kinases decreased GABA uptake; inhibitors of tyrosine phosphatases increased GABA uptake. The decrease in uptake seen with tyrosine kinase inhibitors was correlated with a decrease in tyrosine phosphorylation of GAT1 and resulted in a redistribution of the transporter from the cell surface to intracellular locations. A mutant GAT1 construct that was refractory to tyrosine phosphorylation could not be regulated by tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Activators of protein kinase C, which are known to cause a redistribution of GAT1 from the cell surface, were additive to the effects of tyrosine kinase inhibitors suggesting that multiple signaling pathways control transporter redistribution. Application of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which activates receptor tyrosine kinases, up-regulated GAT1 function suggesting one potential trigger for the cellular regulation of GAT1 signaling by tyrosine phosphorylation. These data support the hypothesis that transporter expression and function is controlled by the interplay of multiple cell signaling cascades.


Summary In this paper, I developed for the purpose of ensuring stability in the data processing of the file to save space. If the file is writethrough compression techniques give the effect to reduce storage space. In the result, we can save storage space on small embedded systems to maximize the capacity is used. This paper was implemented using the ext3 file system of the Linux Operating System. The compression algorithm was implemented in ext3 file system. EXT3 journaling file system through selective compression algorithm prevents the performance degradation and uses the available storage space efficiently. In experiment, the time consuming for compression does not take so long. It shows that the selective compression algorithm is better on space-efficient vs. time-consuming.


CONTEXT
The coronary artery calcium score (CACS) has been shown to predict future coronary heart disease (CHD) events. However, the extent to which adding CACS to traditional CHD risk factors improves classification of risk is unclear.

OBJECTIVE
To determine whether adding CACS to a prediction model based on traditional risk factors improves classification of risk.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS
CACS was measured by computed tomography in 6814 participants from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), a population-based cohort without known cardiovascular disease. Recruitment spanned July 2000 to September 2002; follow-up extended through May 2008. Participants with diabetes were excluded from the primary analysis. Five-year risk estimates for incident CHD were categorized as 0% to less than 3%, 3% to less than 10%, and 10% or more using Cox proportional hazards models. Model 1 used age, sex, tobacco use, systolic blood pressure, antihypertensive medication use, total and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and race/ethnicity. Model 2 used these risk factors plus CACS. We calculated the net reclassification improvement and compared the distribution of risk using model 2 vs model 1.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Incident CHD events.

RESULTS
During a median of 5.8 years of follow-up among a final cohort of 5878, 209 CHD events occurred, of which 122 were myocardial infarction, death from CHD, or resuscitated cardiac arrest. Model 2 resulted in significant improvements in risk prediction compared with model 1 (net reclassification improvement = 0.25; 95% confidence interval, 0.16-0.34; P < .001). In model 1, 69% of the cohort was classified in the highest or lowest risk categories compared with 77% in model 2. An additional 23% of those who experienced events were reclassified as high risk, and an additional 13% without events were reclassified as low risk using model 2.

CONCLUSION
In this multi-ethnic cohort, addition of CACS to a prediction model based on traditional risk factors significantly improved the classification of risk and placed more individuals in the most extreme risk categories.