Aim: To investigate the effects of quercetin on hypoxic-ischemic injury (HI) in neonatal mice and the mechanisms of action. Methods: 40 male C57BL/6J neonatal mice aging seven days were randomly divided into 4 groups: a sham with normal saline group (SOS), a sham with Quercetin group (SOQ), a hypoxia/ischemia with normal saline group (IHS), and a hypoxia/ischemia with quercetin group (IHQ). Then, 72 h after HI, mice were sacrificed to collect the brain tissues. Measuring the IL-1α and IL-6 concentrations by Elisa assay in brain. The nerve cell apoptosis of mice brain were measured by TUNEL assay. The IKK-β and NF-κB proteins expressions were measured by Immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay. Area of infarction and cerebral damage were measured by Nissl staining. Results: HIE induced neuronal death and tissue necrosis. Compared with IHS group, neuronal death and infarction area were significantly reduced in the IHQ group (P<0.05, respectively). Compared with IHS group, the IL-1α and IL-6 were significantly depressed, and IKK-β/NF-κB pathway were significantly suppressed in IHQ group (P<0.05, respectively). Conclusion: Quercetin improved HIE induced brain injury via IKK-β/NF-κB pathway.


Abstract South Korea is the only nation to become an important donor nation after being a recipient of Official Development Assistance (ODA) for several decades. In 2010, it became a member of the OECD's Development Assistance Committee, and while it has continued to use its experience as a former ODA recipient to inform its distribution practices, it also has evolved its ODA policies in response to changes in international norms and the imperatives associated with being a DAC-member nation. We know that, while policies may change, actual ODA disbursements—which nations are selected as recipients and receive ODA in what amounts—may lag or even remain unchanged. In this paper, we use the case of South Korea to determine how actual ODA disbursements change in response to policy changes. To accomplish this, we use a selection model to conduct a statistical analysis of South Korea's ODA disbursements using dyadic data from 1987 to 2016. Our results indicate that, while there has been continuity in terms of which nations receive South Korean ODA, there were also notable changes in its disbursements. Specifically, the ODA policy changes the South Korean government enacted did result in an altered profile of nations that were targeted by South Korea as ODA recipients.


The key aim of the research is to study how the Introduction of m-Learning into my first year electronic modules will promote improved student understanding of problematic knowledge and key threshold concepts. M-Learning (or mobile-learning) facilitates the use of compact digital mobile devices as a tool to enhance and extend the reach of teaching and learning activities. The key challenge is to develop a method that would further engage students in identifying and addressing problematic knowledge and associated key threshold concepts. Within electronic engineering, first year students are presented with a number of key concepts that form the foundation for future learning. As such, a large amount of independent student effort is required to review material in order that problematic knowledge and threshold concepts can be identified. Without this independent effort, traditional approaches such as teacher-led tutorials can result in limited success. This paper reports on a study focusing on a group of thirty-five first year students enrolled in an electrical and electronic systems engineering course at Dundalk Institute of Technology. It is a qualitative based study using focus groups and interviews to access the use of m-Learning as an enhancement to formative assessment in both identifying and addressing troublesome knowledge. Initial results have shown that the adoption of an m-learning approach utilised in parallel with formative assessment has facilitated both the development and implementation of a more problematic knowledge and key threshold concept lead student-focused tutorial sessions. Although still at an early stage of investigation, the use of m-Learning has encouraged greater student engagement, which in turn has promoted stronger student reflection and identification of individual problematic knowledge and threshold concepts within the target modules. This in turn has resulted in an increase of student participation in tutorials.


A wide gap exists between the state of the art in developing Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) software and current practices concerning the design, execution, and maintenance of business processes. WSN software is most often developed based on low-level OS abstractions, whereas business process development leverages high-level languages and tools. This state of affairs places WSNs at the fringe of industry. The makeSense system addresses this problem by simplifying the integration of WSNs into business processes. Developers use BPMN models extended with WSN-specific constructs to specify the application behavior across both traditional business process execution environments and the WSN itself, which is to be equipped with application-specific software. We compile these models into a high-level intermediate language—also directly usable by WSN developers—and then into OS-specific deployment-ready binaries. Key to this process is the notion of meta-abstraction, which we define to capture fundamental patterns of interaction with and within the WSN. The concrete realization of meta-abstractions is application-specific; developers tailor the system configuration by selecting concrete abstractions out of the existing codebase or by providing their own. Our evaluation of makeSense shows that i) users perceive our approach as a significant advance over the state of the art, providing evidence of the increased developer productivity when using makeSense; ii) in large-scale simulations, our prototype exhibits an acceptable system overhead and good scaling properties, demonstrating the general applicability of makeSense; and, iii) our prototype—including the complete tool-chain and underlying system support—sustains a real-world deployment where estimates by domain specialists indicate the potential for drastic reductions in the total cost of ownership compared to wired and conventional WSN-based solutions.


We have analyzed a three-mode model system to study quantum effects in a dissociative process. An algorithm which combines Hamilton's and time-dependent Schroedinger equations in an SCF manner is applied. Large differences in the qualitative behaviour of trajectories are observed which suggests a chaotic nature. The monitoring of the energy transfer or trajectories themselves by interactive computer graphics can be used to forecast possibilities of dissociation. It is also noted that the initial conditions strongly affect the dissociation process. We compare fully classical calculations with these mixed mode results, and analyze the reasons behind disparities.


In this study, survey of three field experiment (I, II and III) of liming effects on field crop yields in the western Slavonia province (Croatia) was shown. The experiments with increased rates of carbocalk - waste of sugar factory - (five steps up to 90 t/ha and four steps up to 60 t/ha, for I and II, respectively) and dolomite meal (up to 15 t/ha - III) were conducted in autumn of 2000 (I and II) and spring of 2003 (III). The experiments were conducted in four replicates and basic plots measured 64.3, 87.5 and 92.4 m2, for I, II and III, respectively. As affected by liming soil pH was increased as follows (initial and realized pH in 1nKCl): 3.89 and 7.30 (I), 3.42 and 6.87 (II), 4.20 and 6.87 (III). Liming (I) resulted with considerable increases of field crop yields as follows: up to 50% and 36% (maize for 2001 and 2002, respectively), up to 49% (sunflower 2003) and up to 30% (barley 2004). In general, by application of carbocalk to level of 90 t/ha, yields drastically decreased mainly to level of control as affected by overliming. Liming (II) considerably influenced on maize yields by increases up to 26% (4-year mean from 2001-2005) with variation these effects among the years from 7% to even 50%. Yields of sugar beet (2004) were increased up to 43% (30 and 43 t/ha, for 0 and 30 t/ha of lime, respectively). Liming (III) resulted by maize yield increases for 22% (2003: mean of the trial 10.42 t/ha) and for 9% (2006: mean 12.41 t/ha). Also, winter barley more responded to liming (yield increase in 2007 for 33% (mean 7.70 t/ha) in comparison with winter wheat (yield increase in 2005 for 10%: mean 6.73 t/ha).


2812 Introduction: Overexpression of MCT1 (multiple copies in a T-cell malignancy), a novel candidate oncogene, in murine fibroblasts is associated with malignant transformation (Prosniak et al, Cancer Res, 1998; Dierov et al, JCB, 1999). To establish the role of MCT1 in the pathogenesis of breast cancer, we stably transfected MCT1 cDNA into MCF7 breast cancer cells that lack endogenous expression of this protein. Three MCT1-overexpressing MCF7 clones (N1, N4 and N7) and empty-vector control were selected for in vitro and in vivo studies. Results: In vitro studies: Transfection of MCT1 gene into breast cancer cells resulted in slightly increased production of estrogen receptor α (ERα), increased levels of DNA synthesis and a higher growth rate in response to estradiol (E2) compared to empty-vector control and parental MCF7 cells. The pure antiestrogen ICI 182,780 (ICI, fulvestrant) inhibited the E2-stimulated proliferation of MCF7-MCT1 cells further substantiating that E2 stimulation of growth was through the functional ER.To examine invasive capacity of MCF7-MCT1 cells we used a 96-well Cell Invasion Assay. All three clones of MCT1-transfected cells showed increased invasiveness in the presence of 50% FBS compared to empty-vector control. Soft agar colony formation assay, however, did not display statistically significant differences of anchorage independent growth between MCT1-transfectants and empty-vector control. We next examined expression of procathepsin D (pCD) and cathepsin D (CD), both markers for invasive potential of MCF7-MCT1 cells. We found that while the expression of CD in MCF7-MCT1 clones was comparable with levels in MDA-MB-231 cells, the levels of pCD reached levels of those in MDA-MB-231 or higher only after stimulation with E2. ICI was able to block the E2-stimulated enhancement of pCD in MCT1-overexpressing cells. In vivo studies: When inoculated into the mammary fat pad of ovariectomized nude mice (10 mice/group), MCT1-overexpressing cells (N1 and N7) had higher tumor rates and formed tumors that were larger than those produced by empty-vector control cells injected under the same conditions. At week 17, the largest N1 tumor was 0.96 cm2 in size, the largest N7 tumor was 0.88 cm2 and empty-vector tumor was 0.25 cm2. To determine the metastatic potential of MCF7-MCT1 cells, we examined spontaneous metastases in lung and liver tissues isolated from sacrificed mice. No evidence of micrometastases was seen in any of the animals in all groups. Conclusion: MCT1 overexpression in breast cancer cells resulted in more aggressive growth characteristics and invasiveness in vitro, as well as greater tumorigenicity when injected into nude mice. The increase tumorigenesis induced by MCT1 transfection into breast cancer cells suggest that MCT1 overexpression may play a role in the pathogenesis and progression of human breast cancer.


ARTICLE INFO This paper deals with motion planning of Tractor-trailer robots, which are car-like robot dragging several trailers with no driving force. Each trailer has a nonholonomic kinematic constraint which increases the complexity of the path planning problem. We solved this problem by implementing the Equivalent Size concept, which depending on the size, number, and link-point positions of trailers, transforms a tractor-trailer path planning problem into a single car-like robot path planning problem. In this paper a new path planning algorithm is proposed for car-like robots which utilize the Fast Marching Method (FMM), which is a numerical method for solving the Eikonal differential equation, and the concept of Virtual Obstacles. The algorithm is fast, works independent of the shape of obstacles, and is easy to implement. To evaluate the quality of the solutions the algorithm is compared with the grid search and nonholonomic RRT algorithms. The results showed that the new method has by far lower runtime compared to the other algorithms, while producing short and smooth paths.


This is the third In Brief of a four-part series on the findings from a quantitative analysis of media and case law relating to sorcery accusation–related violence (SARV) in Papua New Guinea during a 20-year period (1996–2016). As In Brief 2017/29 highlighted, often large groups of people were involved as perpetrators and witnesses. This In Brief concentrates on reported responses by the community and the state to specific incidents of SARV. Overall the analysis suggests both relative impunity for those who engage in SARV and a high degree of community complicity in the violence, indicated by the fact that in 59 per cent of cases no actions at all were reported as being taken by anyone to help or support the victim(s) in any way. More positively, since 2002 there is a clear ascending trend in the rates of attempted rescue and support of victims by police, villagers and churches reported in the media.


Purpose: To evaluate digital tomosynthesis (DTS) technology for daily positioning of patients receiving accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) and to compare the positioning accuracy of DTS to three-dimensional cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Methods and Materials: Ten patients who underwent APBI were scanned daily with on-board CBCT. A subset of the CBCT projections was used to reconstruct a stack of DTS image slices. To optimize soft-tissue visibility, the DTS images were reconstructed in oblique directions so that the tumor bed, breast tissue, ribs, and lungs were well separated. Coronal and sagittal DTS images were also reconstructed. Translational shifts of DTS images were obtained on different days from the same patients and were compared with the translational shifts of corresponding CBCT images. Seventy-seven CBCT scans and 291 DTS scans were obtained from nine evaluable patients. Results: Tumor beds were best visible in the oblique DTS scans. One-dimensional positioning differences between DTS and CBCT images were 0.8–1.7 mm for the six patients with clips present and 1.2–2.0 mm for the three patients without clips. Because of the limited DTS scan angle, the DTS registration accuracy along the off-plane direction is lower than the accuracy along the in-plane directions. Conclusions: For patients receiving APBI, DTS localization offers comparable accuracy to CBCT localization for daily patient positioning while reducing mechanical constraints and imaging dose. Published by Elsevier Inc.


The esthetic demands in smile are continually rising, being thus, critical factors such as; dental midline, smile line, incisal embrasures, tooth position, width to length crown ratio, symmetry of contra-lateral gingival margins, and gingival display need to be taken into consideration. The aim of this case report is to describe the improvement of smile esthetics in a patient that after orthodontic therapy, presented excessive gingival display, asymmetric gingival margins, and shape altered upper right and left lateral incisors, which in turn compromised dental esthetics. The present clinical case required comprehensive treatment process, including proper diagnosis and excellent communication between the prosthodontist and periodontist in order to carry out successful esthetic crown lengthening and restorative dentistry. Results were followed-up for 2 years after the case completion. A pleasant smile was obtained, showing stability over time.


The goal of this research work is to investigate and develop a framework for medical visualization, answering the needs of both end users (clinicians), working in their specific domain, and application designers, who build applications and visualizations for them. Most flexible visualization systems currently available are based on the dataflow paradigm. Dataflow-based systems suffer from a poor management of the screen real estate, which is a problem for end users. In order to deal with this problem, spreadsheet-based visualization systems –which are a generalization of conventional spreadsheets– were introduced. In comparison with dataflow-based visualization systems, spreadsheet based systems spend their screen space on operands rather than operators, which are usually more interesting to the user. We proposed a spreadsheetbased framework for interactive medical visualization. This framework is analyzed with regard to its usability and validated with concrete medical use cases. We have also investigated specific visualization methods and interaction techniques to answer the needs of clinicians. We used a multilevel color-mapping of scalar values on models of organ for effectively comparing bones even if the data set contain errors. We proposed also a method for organizing high-dimensional data sets that are difficult to explore on a two dimensional layout. A haptic rendering application is also presented for investigating the use of haptics for providing the clinicians with tools that allow them to "touch" and "feel" the virtually simulated tissues in addition to their visual rendering.


Abstract Background: Over the last decades, the incidence of ocular adnexal lymphomas has been increasing. Over the last decade advances in the imaging of ocular adnexal lymphomas have enabled precise biopsies of the tumors. Biopsies are necessary for immunophenotyping, correct molecular classification and the immediate start of the appropriate treatment. Patients and Methods: In a retrospective study, we collected data from 16 patients (19 eyes) treated for lymphoma of the ocular adnexa between 2006 and 2011 with various tumor sites. We evaluated ocular symptoms of the patients in correlation to the tumor localization on imaging and determined the access of biopsy. Follow-up period (13.7 ± 15.4 months) and therapy were analyzed. Results: The mean age of study patients was 67.4 ± 13.6 years. Seven patients presented with exophthalmos, 6 with upper lid swelling, 5 with double vision, 5 with reduced visual acuity and one patient with retinal detachment. None of the patients complained of pain. In 7 cases the location of the OAL was superior, in 6 retrobulbar, in 4 patients in the lacrimal gland (1 bilaterally affected), one case with lacrimal sac infiltration and another with isolated subconjunctival lymphoma. Patients with retrobulbar tumors complained of visual loss, whereas patients with anterior orbital tumors showed localized nodular swelling. In 11 cases (58 %) the diagnosis was marginal zone B-cell lymphoma (MALT), in 5 (26 %) follicular lymphoma. 11 patients (69 %) received curative and one HIV-positive patient palliative radiation. Three patients were treated with systemic rituximab due to generalized lymphoma and one of them was complemented with CHOP therapy. One patient received chemotherapy alone (CHOP). During the follow-up the HIV-positive patient died. Conclusions: All our lymphoma patients showed full tumor regression, without side effects from radiotherapy. In this study we emphasize the need to perform a diagnostic biopsy. The risk of biopsy by a trained surgeon is small. Early and accurate diagnosis is crucial for proper treatment. In unclear situations repeated biopsies might be necessary.


We present evidence about the role of rent sharing in fostering the interdependence of labour markets around the world. Our results draw on a firm-level panel of more than 2,000 multinationals and more than 5,000 of their affiliates, covering 47 home and host countries. We find considerable evidence that multinationals share profits internationally, by paying higher wages to their workers in foreign affiliates in periods of higher profits. This occurs even across continents, and not only within Europe, as shown in earlier research. The results are robust to different tests, including a falsification exercise based on 'matched' parents. Finally, we show that different measures of the heterogeneity between parents and affiliates tend to increase rent sharing while the number of affiliates tends to decrease rent sharing, results we argue are consistent with bargaining views.


The neutron-rich isotopes $^{58-63}$Cr were produced for the first time at the ISOLDE facility and their masses were measured with the ISOLTRAP spectrometer. The new values are up to 300 times more precise than those in the literature and indicate significantly different nuclear structure from the new mass-surface trend. A gradual onset of deformation is found in this proton and neutron mid-shell region, which is a gateway to the second island of inversion around \emph{N}=40. In addition to comparisons with density-functional theory and large-scale shell-model calculations, we present predictions from the valence-space formulation of the \emph{ab initio} in-medium similarity renormalization group, the first such results for open-shell chromium isotopes.


Background
According to anxiety-buffer disruption theory (ABDT, Pyszczynski & Kesebir, 2011), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) results, in part, from a breakdown in a person's cultural worldview, which subsequently leaves them vulnerable to experiencing death anxiety (Yalom, 1980, 2008). The cognitive model (Ehlers & Clark, 2000), in turn, proposes that negative appraisals relating to a trauma and its sequelae maintain the symptoms of PTSD. The purpose of the current study was to examine a possible theoretical link between ABDT and the cognitive model. Specifically, it aimed to investigate whether negative trauma-related appraisals play a role in undermining traumatised individuals' cultural worldviews, thereby leaving them more vulnerable to experiencing death anxiety.
Method
A two-way between-groups experimental design was employed to examine this. Participants with high and low PTSD symptom severity were randomly assigned to either a mortality salience or control condition. Participants were then instructed to complete measures of their cultural worldview and negative trauma-related appraisals.
Results
No relationship was found between participants' cultural worldviews and their negative trauma-related appraisals.
Doctoral thesis: The role of cognitive appraisals in Andre Bolster
the disruption of anxiety-buffer functioning among
trauma survivors experiencing posttraumatic distress
iii
Discussion
Due to methodological limitations in the study's design, it was not possible to draw any firm conclusions concerning the relationship between cultural worldviews and negative trauma-related appraisals. Nevertheless, it seems that no relationship exists between both variables. This is because cultural worldviews and negative trauma-related appraisals appear to operate according to different levels of logic. While cultural worldviews function on a pre-logical level, negative trauma-related appraisals are more conscious and rational in their orientation. The theoretical and clinical implications of this are discussed and areas for future research recommended.


In order to evaluate the contributions of physico-chemical buffering to the adjustment of intracellular pH in response to changes of temperature in tissues of dogfish ( Scyliorhinus stellaris ), the CO 2 equilibration method for the determination of intracellular buffer values was modified to yield data for the mathematical simulation of the intracellular compartments as closed buffer systems, and for the calculation of transmembrane bicarbonate transfer in vivo . The respective buffer values of imidazole-like and phosphate-like buffer substances were estimated to be about 39 and 11 in white muscle, 21 and 18 in red muscle and 27 and 10 mequiv/(pH.1 cell water) in heart muscle. In white muscle, the observed changes of intracellular pH can be explained by physico-chemical buffering and changes of P CO 2 . In red muscle and heart muscle considerable amounts of bicarbonate have additionally to be transferred across the cell membrane to achieve the temperature-dependent variations of pH observed in vivo.


Computer simulation modeling for policy development in planning has had difficulty gaining a consistent foothold. Reasons for this include bad experiences with large-scale, comprehensive models (e.g., Forrester, 1969) and the lack of theory that one can quantify (Batty, 1994). Batty (1994) has suggested that new types of computational models, based on the tenets of complexity theory (Bernard, under revision) may prove useful. One type of complexity theory model is an "adaptive agent based model" in which the actions, interactions, and adaptations of many autonomous, heterogeneous "agents" (households, firms, etc.) produce emergent, system-wide behavior. One can examine this emergent behavior using commonly employed metrics, but one can also garner a richer, more intuitive understanding of how the individual behavior of the agents self-organize to produce the entire system. Using this type of modeling for small-scale planning problems can both inform planning theorists and improve planning practice by providing rich understanding that standard quantitative models do not. In this paper, I will present an agent-based model of rent control. Household agents (with different income levels) rented apartments from landlord agents Ð these apartments were situated on a lattice. Landlord agents continually adapted to the conditions of the marketplace (apartment demand, type of rent control in place, and so on, raising and lowering their prices as they saw fit. I varied conditions of rent decontrol and measured various metrics, such as vacancy rate, apartment quality, tenant income, and average rent paid. I found that a market with rent control typically has tenants with lower incomes than a non-rent controlled market, even substantially after the market has been suddenly decontrolled. In addition, I found that there were lower vacancy rates in regimes of rent control. As these results are not based on actual data, they are merely presented as suggestive. In fact, the point of abstract computational models such as the one presented here is not as the ultimate predictors of policy decisions, but as tools to inform and provoke discussion among policy makers. Thus, I will conclude by speculating on the use of adaptive agent-based models for assisting in policy formulation.


The authors describe the multitiming buffering architecture (MTBA) and the pseudo hierarchical word decoding architecture (pseudo-HWD). These architectures have been implemented on a 4M emitter-coupled logic (ECL) SRAM with a 0.6- mu m BiCMOS process, and have effectively reduced the peak current of the decoding circuit by 32% and maximum di/dt by 63%, as compared with the three-level HWD. The SRAM achieved a 7-ns access time and a 160-mA active current at 50 MHz.<<ETX>>


This study aims to identify the school practices of fourth grade students enrolled in the counseling and guidance undergraduate programs in Turkey. These practices were studied according to (a) development of counseling and guidance programs, (b) program evaluation and accountability practices, (c) administration of psychological tests, (d) performance of selfreports and interview techniques, and (e) other practices (coordination, peer helpers, referrals, consultation, and orientation). The study sample consists of 345 fourth year students in 2006. The results obtained demonstrated that the candidate counselors failed to carry out the practices required for efficacy in the skills given above. The most common practices were concerned with self-reports and interview techniques. The results were discussed in the light of the relevant literature and some suggestions were presented.


Background: Evidence of an association between fish and meat consumption and risk of dementia is inconsistent and nonexistent in populations in developing countries. Objective: The objective was to investigate associations between fish and meat consumption with dementia in low- and middle-income countries. Design: One-phase cross-sectional surveys were conducted in all residents aged ≥65 y in 11 catchment areas in China, India, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Mexico, and Peru. A total of 14,960 residents were assessed by using the 10/66 standardized protocol, which includes face-to-face interviews for dietary habits and a cross-culturally validated dementia diagnosis. Results: Dietary intakes and the prevalence of dementia varied between sites. We combined site-specific Poisson regression prevalence ratios (PRs) for the association between fish and meat consumption and dementia in 2 fixed-effect model meta-analyses adjusted for sociodemographic and health characteristics and fish and meat consumption as appropriate. We found a dose-dependent inverse association between fish consumption and dementia (PR: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.72, 0.91) that was consistent across all sites except India and a less-consistent, dose-dependent, direct association between meat consumption and prevalence of dementia (PR: 1.19; 95% CI: 1.07, 1.31). Conclusions: Our results extend findings on the associations of fish and meat consumption with dementia risk to populations in low- and middle-income countries and are consistent with mechanistic data on the neuroprotective actions of omega-3 (n–3) long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids commonly found in fish. The inverse association between fish and prevalent dementia is unlikely to result from poorer dietary habits among demented individuals (reverse causality) because meat consumption was higher in those with a diagnosis of dementia.


Relying on one of the more notable entrepreneurial settings, an initial public offering (IPO), this article extends prior work on top management team (TMT) characteristics. We examine whether or not prestigious TMTs at the time of an IPO enhance organizational legitimacy and thereby provide a signal to potential investors. Because an IPO represents an entrepreneurial context characterized by high levels of uncertainty, we also consider the impact of environmental uncertainty on the TMT prestige/investor valuation relationship. We find that both an element of TMT prestige and environmental uncertainty influence investor valuations. However, we also find that the influence of prestige does not assuage investors when analyzing IPOs in different environmental conditions.


Summary This study was carried out to determine the prevalence and intensity of amphistomiasis in native cattle and mixed breed Holstein from Mazanderan province, in the north of Iran in association with sex, age, breed and season. During the 4 seasons of 2008, at meat inspection the rumen and reticulum of 132 native cattle and 104 mixed breed were examined by naked eye for amphistomiasis. All amphistomes found in each cattle were collected separately and preserved in 70% alcohol containing 5% glycerin for further studies. Our findings revealed the overall prevalence rate and Mean ± SE of intensity 33.9% and 864.4 ± 127.2 amphistomes per animal, 40.9% and 1012.5 ± 179.4 in native cattle, and 25% and 557.42 ± 99.9 in mixed breeds, respectively. A few amphistomes were collected from the reticulum of a native cattle. There was no significant relation between the intensity of the infection and the breed (P=0.094), whereas the relation between breed and the prevalence of infection (P=0.0103), and that of age and the infection (P=0.016) were significant. The older group (5≤) harbored more trematodes than ≤2 and 3–4-year-old, and p-values: P=0.026 and P=0.032 were significant, respectively. Difference was observed between the intensity of infection in different age groups. Again a highly significant relation was shown between gender and the prevalence of infection (P<0.001), but not with the intensity of infection (P=0.206). Despite the difference in the seasonal variations of prevalence (P=0.133), and the relation between the intensity of infection and season (P=0.794), these were not statistically significant. At least 20 amphistomes from each infected cattle were stained using aceto-alum carmine and the identified species were: Calicophoron calicophorn (42.85%), Gastrothylax crumenifer (34.5%), Paramphistomum gotoi (21.8%) and Carmyerius spatiosus (0.75%). Calicophoron calicophorn is a new host and distribution record for studied areas as well as Iran.


In recent years there has been an increased interest in measuring animal personality. It is argued that personality in animals is expressed through the behaviours they display. In this study personality has been investigated in a group of eight captive bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Data from focal samplings were analysed by using behavioural codings and the Five-factor model consisting of Openness to experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness and Neuroticism. The results revealed that the dolphins display both distinct personality differences as well as similarities in these factors. By calculating coefficients of association it was found that the dolphins also prefer the company of certain individuals over others. Knowledge of individual personality differences and its implications can be helpful in aspects such as management and reintroduction programs, evolution and genetics and in providing a complementary perspective to explain other behavioural and cognitive studies. ISBN LiTH-IFMEx--2415--SE ____________________________________________


A dissolved oxygen sensor based on fluorescence quenching of the oxygen-sensitive ruthenium complex, [Ru(II)-tris(4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline]2+, which has been immobilised in a porous silica sol-gel-derived film, is reported. Ormosil sensing films are fabricated using the modified silica precursors methyltriethoxysilane (MTEOS) and ethyltriethoxysilane (ETEOS), and are dip-coated onto planar glass substrates. Due to their increased hydrophobicity compared with conventional sol-gel precursors, such as tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), the use of these modified precursors enables the fabrication of the optimum sensor films for the purposes of dissolved oxygen sensing.
This project aims to investigate a number of issues that have been identified as being of crucial importance for optimum sensor performance. In particular, the long-term stability of the sensor films is investigated and issues such as dye leaching and photobleaching are discussed. The development and optimisation of a suitable barrier layer for the purpose of optical isolation of the sensor films is also detailed. Additionally, an investigation to establish the temperature dependence of the sensor is reported. Finally, the progress towards a commercial instrument is documented.


Introduction Lovastatin, the inhibitors of 3-hydroxy 3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase, is widely used in treatments of coronary artery diseases. Lovastatin induces apoptosis in nucleate cells, such as macrophages, cancer cells, and skeletal muscle cells. Lovastatin has side effects of thrombocytopenia and hemorrhage, however, the possible pathogenesis of the side effects have still remained unknown. Methods and Results In this study, we found that collagen and thrombin-induced platelet aggregation was obviously reduced in platelets treated by lovastatin, while platelet activation (expression of P-selectin or PAC-1 binding on platelet surface) was not detected. The apoptosis markers in both intrinsic mitochondrial pathway (ΔΨm changes, PS exposure, Bax/Bak and Bcl-XL expression, and caspase9/3 activation) and extrinsic pathway (caspase 8) were detected in platelets treated with lovastatin. Apoptosis decreased in platelets after being pretreated by tetrapeptide arginine-glycine-aspartic acid-serine (RGDS) peptide (the GPIIb/IIIa antagonist). Lovastatin was intraperitoneally injected into C57 mice at a dose of 5 mg/kg for four hours. The circulating platelets were significantly decreased by lovastatin compared with that of vehicle control. Conclusion Lovastatin induced platelet apoptosis by both intrinsic mitochondrial and extrinsic pathways, which might be the possible pathogenesis of thrombocytopenia or hemorrhage in patients treated with lovastatin. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


The Mars Science Laboratory Mission (MSL) plans to deploy NASA's largest, highest Mach number, and highest payload extra-terrestrial aerodynamic decelerator to the surface of Mars in 2010. The 21.5-m Viking-scaled Disk-Gap-Band (DGB) parachute will deploy at up to Mach 2.2 and 750 Pa, the upper deployment condition range demonstrated by the Viking Balloon Launched Decelerator Test (BLDT) program. All previous Mars parachute systems have derived their supersonic qualification from Viking heritage. MSL differs from the previous Mars programs in that it is 33% larger than the Viking parachute and will spend up to seven seconds above Mach 1.5, a flight regime known to induce the canopy area oscillations, characterized by variations in drag and collapses in the band region of the parachute. To reduce risk to the mission, MSL has embarked on a multi-phase delta qualification by analysis and subscale supersonic wind tunnel test program to address the fundamental physics of the supersonic operation of DGB parachutes. The program explores the cause of the area oscillation phenomena and the performance of the parachute system as a function of Mach number, Re number, parachute to capsule size and proximity. With a physical understanding of the parachute flow field and parachute response to it, the existing Viking BLDT heritage qualification data can be leveraged to the larger scale of MSL, enabling a heritage-based supersonic qualification. To achieve this, MSL will determine by fluid dynamics simulation validated by subscale supersonic wind tunnel tests, that the supersonic flight characteristics of the Viking scale/material DGB and MSL scale/material DGB are aerodynamically similar. The first phase is computational fluid dynamics of a 2% scale rigid parachute canopy and capsule validated by a 2% scale wind tunnel test of the rigid configuration in the NASA AMES 9x7 ft unitary tunnel. Results from this program indicate excellent qualitative and quantitative validation of the capsule wake velocity predictions and fundamental physics of the aerodynamic drivers of the supersonic instability. Phase two is fluid structure interaction analysis of a flexible canopy with capsule validated by 4% scale wind tunnel tests in the GRC 10x10 ft unitary tunnel. The final phase is the application of the validated FSI tools to the prediction of the full scale parachute performance in Mars type deployment conditions, providing predictions of supersonic drag performance, stability and canopy loading. The methodology and results of the analysis and test program as well as validation results to date will be presented.


Multi-messenger astrophysics is undergoing a transition towards low-latency searches based on signals that could not individually be established as discoveries. The rapid identification of signals is important in order to initiate timely follow-up observations of transient emission that is only detectable for short time periods. Joint searches for gravitational waves and high-energy neutrinos represent a prime motivation for this strategy. Both gravitational waves and high-energy neutrinos are typically emitted over a short time frame of seconds to minutes during the formation or evolution of compact objects. In addition, detectors searching for both messengers observe the whole sky continuously, making observational information on potential transient sources rapidly available to guide follow-up electromagnetic surveys. The direction of high-energy neutrinos can be reconstructed to sub-degree precision, making a joint detection much better localized than a typical gravitational wave signal. Here we present a search strategy for joint gravitational wave and high-energy neutrino events that allows the incorporation of astrophysical priors and detector characteristics following a Bayesian approach. We aim to determine whether a multi-messenger correlated signal is a real event, a chance coincidence of two background events or the chance coincidence of an astrophysical signal and a background event. We use an astrophysical prior that is model agnostic and takes into account mostly geometric factors. Our detector characterization in the search is mainly empirical, enabling detailed realistic accounting for the sensitivity of the detector that can depend on the source properties. By this means, we will calculate the false alarm rate for each multi-messenger event which is required for initiating electromagnetic follow-up campaigns.


Dopants imaging using scanning capacitance microscopy (SCM) and scanning spreading resistance microscopy are used for identifying doped areas within a device, the latter being analyzed either in a top view or in a side view. This paper presents a sample preparation workflow based on focused ion beam (FIB) use. A discussion is then conducted to assess advantages of the method and factors to monitor vigilantly. Dealing with FIB machining, any sample preparation geometry can be achieved, as it is for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) sample preparation: cross-section, planar, or inverted TEM preparation. This may pave the way to novel SCM imaging opportunities. As FIB milling generates a parasitic gallium implanted layer, a mechanical polishing step is needed to clean the specimen prior to SCM imaging. Efforts can be conducted to reduce the thickness of this layer, by reducing the acceleration voltage of the incident gallium ions, to ease sample cleaning.


Mechanosensitive (MS) channels are implicated in pathologies of the renal and pulmonary systems. Abnormal activity in MS channel reduces cell viability causing a variety of pathologies. MS channels are also responsible for sensation of pain and hearing. Despite the vital importance of MS channels, very little is known about the gating mechanisms of these channels. Attempts to study the mechanisms are severely limited by the lack of suitable instrumentation. A better understanding of the structure-function interaction of MS channels is necessary to find pharmacological leads for the pathologies. Activation data based on indirect activation of MS channels using hypo- or hyper-osmotic solutions or viscous drag is confounded by factors like membrane stretch and cytoskeletal stress. Traditional patch clamp does not allow direct access to the cell by other probes. While a planar patch clamp chip may allow for such access, most of the existing planar patch clamp chips are focused on high throughput screening for pharmaceutical targets and have designs that limit multi-parametric studies. We present here instrumentation that combines atomic force microscopy with cellular electrophysiology based on planar patch clamp approach. The instrumentation allows multi-parametric studies on single cells and provides unique insights into mechanisms of activation of not just MS channels, but ion channels in general by combining cellular electrophysiology, optical microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Using HaCaT cells as our model system we have obtained functional maps of distribution MS channels across cell surface. The maps reveal that the distribution of MS channels on HaCaT cells is highly non-uniform and that the channels are present in small clusters instead of dispersed as single entities. Our results using direct mechanical stimulation of single cells reveal that threshold stress level is required in order to activate MS channels and that the stress has a limited spatial range. Investigation of kinetics of the electrical response to direct mechanical stimulation reveals that the MS channels respond to the mechanical signal after a small time lag, which we attribute to the conformational changes necessary while the channel is being gated. We hope that the insights gained from studying the mechanosensitive channels of HaCaT cells will also advance the understanding of MS channels in general. Apart from opening new avenues in MS channel research, the instrumentation can also be useful in studying the dynamics and gating of ligand gated channels by appropriately tagging the AFM cantilever. With further improvements in the speed of AFM imaging, it will also be possible to observe the gating of channels in real time at molecular scale by imaging the channel on the cell while the channel is being gated.


A 76-year-old male with a severely deforming rheumatoid arthritis, eosinophilia, polymyositis, and episcleritis developed a transient tonic pupil. The episcleritis, and a muscle biopsy revealing an occlusive arteritis with eosinophilia, suggest that a wide-spread rheumatoid arteritis caused a reversible ischemic insult to the ciliary ganglion and thus created a transient denervation of the pupil.


To the Editor. The control of pain alter surgery involving harv esting of iliac crest bone gralts can be challenging. Meth ods of successful pain control often require the use of opioids, which have side effects. most commonly sedation. nausea/vomiting. and bowel immotility, These side effeas are discou raging to th e patie nt and surgical team. as discharge can be delayed . Oral surgical patients complain of discom[on [rom the fada l swelling but commonly do not describe it as pain. However. after an oral surgical procedure involving the ha rvesting ol iliac crest bone gralt . the patients do complain of severe hip pain. I have found a simple. cheap. and very effective method of pain control when the pain [rom the harvest site predom ina tes Iollowing surgery. This involves the placement ol an epidural cathe ter percutaneously into the wound above th e periosteu m and inlusing 0.2% bup ivacaine with the assistance of a patient-co ntrolled anal gesia device. I have Infused basal rates 01 12 mUh with a 2-ml bolus dose every 15 minut es. The resul ts have been exce llent. A recent patient had und ergone iliac crest harvesting 5 years prior to this operati on and clearly remembered the severe postoperative hip pain . With the technique described. her pain scores were in the 1-3 range on a scale 01 110 lor the 36 hou rs she had the in fusion , and she stated that she wished this tech nique had been available to her 5 years previousl y. Broil et aL' have described this technique [or use after orthopedic vertebral decompression and fusion wit h autogenous bone. In their report, they instructed patients to request reinjeaion of local anesthetic if and when the don or site (specifically different [rom the venebral surgical site) became painful, It is of interest that in the oral surgical patient th e gralt site is the only painlul site, and thus we as anesthesio logists can significantly improve th e postoperative course 01thes e patien ts. Variations of this technique involve placement ol the cathe ter belo w the periosteum . and the use of an in termittent bolus technique with various combinations of bupivacaine with and without ep inep hrine.t -s This is a simple tech nique invo lving essentially no risk of hypotension. musde weakness. or local anesthetic toxicity. Because ol its success in the ora l surgical patie nt. I will now expand my use of this technique to all patients regard less 01 type 01 surg ery il they undergo iliac crest bone harvesting.


We read the exceedingly rare case study recently described by Hota et al. about giant ovarian cyst in term pregnancy1. The patient was a 25-year-old woman undergoing therapy for hypothyroidism, with history of three previous deliveries (P1L1A1). USG of abdomen and pelvis was normal with respect to gestational age in the second trimester, and ovarian cyst was not seen. However, the USG of control done on the third trimester revealed a left ovarian cyst (21x18 cm), with normal obstetric features. The weight of removed cyst of 29x20 cm was 4.9 kg, and the histopathology diagnosis was ovarian mucinous cystadenoma1. The authors emphasized the rarity of concomitat pregnancy and ovarian cyst, and 15% of these mucinous cysts are malignant1. Huge ovarian cysts are more often benign, and less frequently they are diagnosed in association with normal pregnancies1. Major concerns in this setting should be the early diagnosis, close follow-up of the cyst growing, and appropriate intervention1. Interestingly, in the case herein commented the ovarian cyst was not detected by USG in the first two trimesters of pregnancy.


Listeria monocytogenes , a Gram-positive pathogenic food-borne bacterium, is notably resistant to chill and osmotic stress. Listeria is characterized by an unusual proportion of branched-chain fatty acid (>85%), primarily anteiso-15:0 and anteiso-17:0. Cells grown at lower temperatures contain significantly less anteiso-17:0 than those grown at higher temperature. Cold-shock studies were performed to determine the mechanisms by which Listeria perceives cold shock and changes its membrane composition. This study made three comparisons: (i) The lipids of L. monocytogenes cultured at 30°C were compared with those of cells grown at 6°C. Extraction of total lipids yielded 4‐4·5 and 6·5‐7 mg ml -1 cell mass (wet weight), respectively. Total lipids contained 3‐4% and 2‐2·5% lipid phosphorus, respectively, reflecting a higher content of neutral lipids in cells grown at 6°C. (ii) The fatty-acid compositions of different lipid classes (total lipids, the major phospholipid, and the glyco-containing phospholipid class) all responded by increasing the proportion of anteiso-15:0 fatty acids at low temperature. (iii) The fatty-acid composition of the neutral and polar lipids from the early stage of the temperature response (3 days at 5°C) and the effect of chloramphenicol or cerulenin were examined. The results indicated that anteiso-15:0 fatty acids were selectively increased in the newly synthesized neutral lipids, but the polar lipids did not show an apparent change in fatty-acid composition. These changes in membrane fatty-acid composition did not require new protein synthesis (the process was chloramphenicol insensitive) and the existing condensing enzyme activity was necessary to the fatty-acid response (the process was cerulenin sensitive). © 1998 Academic Press


A method is described for the chromatographic separation of mixtures of egg-yolk proteins of low solubility, by using a hydrophobic column (phenyl-Sepharose) and eluting with increasing concentrations of aqueous urea at low pH. The resolving power of the method was established by tests on proteins and protein fragments of known sequence. The theoretical basis for the method remains, however, unclear. Factors such as the aggregation of the protein often appeared to be more important than its hydrophobicity in determining the urea concentration needed for elution. The method was applied to the mixture of apoproteins from the low-density lipoprotein (density about 0.95 g/ml) of avian egg yolk. For the previously studied apoproteins from egg yolk of the hen (Gallus domesticus), hydrophobic chromatography provided a new and convenient method for isolating the main apoproteins (hen apovitellenins I-VI). For the hitherto unexplored apoproteins from egg yolk of the duck (A nas platyrhynchos) the method has now been used to isolate three new proteins, two of which were not readily separated by methods based on molecular size. The elution pattern obtained with duck egg-yolk apoproteins is not the same as that of the hen egg-yolk apoproteins, although we suggest a relationship for the three new apoproteins based on their amino acid compositions and other properties. Possible roles for the apoproteins in avian egg yolk are described.


On the basis of coupled-mode theory, a new class of solitary solutions for the electromagnetic wave propagating in an infinite one-dimensional lossless periodic structure with an intensity-dependent refractive index is presented. In contrast to in-gap solitons, the solitary solutions have, in general, their carrier frequency outside the frequency gap of the periodic structure. They show some remarkable properties: bright soliton and dark soliton solutions, bistability, and straight-speed propagation. >


: The differences between acute and chronic pain are many and varied. They are so different from one another that they must be considered separate entities. The chronic pain patient does not fit the traditional acute illness model as conceptualized by patients and healthcare providers. Because of the complex nature of the pain mechanism as a protective "reflex" and the fact that the pain response gets caught up in emotional expression, pain becomes a learned behavior pattern. When the patient who presents to the dental office suffering from pain is found not to respond to conventional methods of treatment, the dentist should first consider the nature of the pain response and the fact that the patient may not meet all the requirements for the acute illness model. The manner in which the patient describes his or her pain can be a major clue as to the temporal classification of the pain, thus allowing the dentist the advantage of better decision-making. Great discernment on the part of the dental practitioner must be exercised in order to provide the optimum care for the patient. It is important for the dentist to consider the fact that there may be no underlying cause for the pain and it may be necessary to make proper referrals for management of this type of patient. At a more practical and human level, patients want to know if their pain will ever completely go away. Patients are frightened that their pain is attributable to some unrecognized pathology (catastrophic thinking). This drives them to search for the ultimate cure. Going from practitioner to practitioner worsens the confusion as the patient hopes that someone will be able to illuminate the problem. By being able to classify the pain into a recognizable and explainable syndrome, the pain practitioner is often able to offer hope to the patient. Although treatment often does not yield a completely pain-free state, understanding the basis for the pain can provide significant relief through proper management.


Colorectal cancer (CRC), a primary cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide is expected to rise in the coming years. A better understanding of the metabolic changes taking place during the disease progression is needed for effective improvements of screening strategies and treatments. In the present study, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) metabolomics was used to quantify the absolute concentrations of metabolites in faecal extracts from two cohorts of CRC patients and healthy controls. The quantification of over 80 compounds revealed that patients with CRC had increased faecal concentrations of branched chain fatty acids (BCFA), isovalerate and isobutyrate plus valerate and phenylacetate but diminished concentrations of amino acids, sugars, methanol and bile acids (deoxycholate, lithodeoxycholate and cholate). These results suggest that alterations in microbial activity and composition could have triggered an increase in utilisation of host intestinal slough cells and mucins and led to an increase in BCFA, valerate and phenylacetate. Concurrently, a general reduction in the microbial metabolic function may have led to reduced levels of other components (amino acids, sugars and bile acids) normally produced under healthy conditions. This study provides a thorough listing of the most abundant compounds found in human faecal waters and presents a template for absolute quantification of metabolites. The production of BCFA and phenylacetate in colonic carcinogenesis warrants further investigations.


In this paper we inquire into the beauty and beauty art in Hindu epic literature, such as Mahabharata, Ramayana and so on. This is just a preliminary theoretical study on the theme and so the details of beauty art (makeup, ornaments, dress & etc.) which have been so far occasionally examined are not dealt with by us.We take beauty as luster of appearance and define beauty art as a technique for the increase and decrease of luster. We go on to examine the various aspects of beauty and beauty art, considering such various view-points as [1] beauty is alluring power, [2] the relation between appearance and inner qualities, [3] two types of beautification: by removal of stains and by equipment of shining elements, [4] bad nature of frail women. Especially view-point [1] is related to the religious relation between men and gods in India. In the same way, [2] corresponds to the duality of body and soul which is very important for understanding Indian culture.


The issue of the ways to preserve and strengthen an individual's mental health and the effective means of promoting his/her psychological well-being and life satisfaction is a new and promising area of research in modern psychology. The article presents an empirical analysis of personal resources; their development is the basis of an individual's psychological well-being and effective functioning, when he/she can realize his/her potential, overcome life's difficulties effectively and work productively. In this context, the correlations of the components of psychological well-being with self-determination abilities, coping strategies and actual abilities were analysed. The inner orientation, which had the greatest impact on the prognostic model of psychological well-being, correlated with awareness of the meaning of one's own life, understanding of life goals, and the belief in the ability to achieve them. The primary actual capabilities, which determined emotional experiences in relation to oneself and in interpersonal relationships, correlated with almost all examined indicators. The linear regression analysis that was conducted showed that the primary actual capabilities, namely, hope, love, trust, and time are of special importance in an individual's achieving one's positive life priorities.


The aim of this study was to observe the impact of learning of neurology using augmented reality dynamic holography (ARDH). Methods A cohort of 50 medical students were recruited and exposed to presentations on neurological topics such as stroke, neuronal degeneration and brain physiology following injuries. Primary outcomes consisted of subjective metrics on education impact by (i) answering a 10-point questionnaire on a 7-point Likert scale (ii) undergoing a 5-minute semi-structured interview using thematic analysis. Results Subjective metrics: 45 (90%) participants completed the 10-point perception questionnaire using a 7-point Likert scale. 1 being strongly disagree and 7 being strongly agree. Out of 10 questions, 6 questions had a median of 5, 3 questions had a median of 4 and only one question had a median of 3. Semi-structured interviews Thematic analysis was conducted on semi-structured interviews. Students commented on a clear preference for the visualization of animation graphics, the use of colors, 3D dynamic motion associated to different perspective tools, a sequential approach and interaction with the holographic display. Conclusion Dynamic holography has been applied to common neurological topics as short presentations to medical students. ARDH was well received and represents a new educational tool for teaching complex topics.


Background Neisseria gonorrhoeae have acquired resistance to many antimicrobials including third generation cephalosporins and azithromycin, the current co-therapy recommended by the Canadian STI guidelines for gonorrhea treatment. Resistance to azithromycin and molecular sequence types were determined for N. gonorrhoeae circulating in Canada. Methods From 2014–2017, N. gonorrhoeae isolates and data collected by Canadian provincial public health laboratories was submitted to the National Microbiology Laboratory (N=12,776) for N. gonorrhoeae multi-antigen sequence typing (NG-MAST) and azithromycin MIC determination (resistance MIC≥2.0 mg/L) by agar dilution, as described by the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute. Results Azithromycin resistance was identified in 3.3% (127/3,809), 4.7% (198/4,190), 7.2% (326/4,538) and 11.6% (616/5,290) of N. gonorrhoeae in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively, a significant increase between 2014–2017 (p<0.001). MICs ranged from 2-≥256 mg/L. The most common sequence types identified in the azithromycin resistant isolates include: 2014; ST10451 (n=40), ST10567 (n=38) and ST11765 (n=10); 2015; ST12302 (n=110), ST10451 (n=34) and ST9047 (n=23); 2016: ST12302 (n=240), ST15750 (n=27) and ST10451 (n=10); 2017; ST12302 (n=375), ST14698 (n=119) and ST15750 (n=17). ST12302 was newly recognized in 2015 and identified in only two provinces, Quebec and Ontario, but spread to Alberta (n=10) and British Columbia (n=16) in 2017. ST12302 is associated with low-level azithromycin resistance (MIC=2 mg/L). ST10451 emerged in 2014 in Quebec, Ontario and Alberta and was also identified in 2015–2017. ST10451 is related to ST1407 (differing by 1 bp) which is an internationally-recognized epidemic strain, harboring cephalosporin resistance. Conclusion Azithromycin resistance in N. gonorrhoeae is established and spreading in Canada, increasing significantly between 2014 and 2017. This exceeds the 5% level at which the WHO states an antimicrobial should be reviewed as an appropriate treatment. Continued surveillance of antimicrobial susceptibilities and sequence types of N. gonorrhoeae is necessary to identify clusters, inform treatment guidelines and mitigate the impact of resistant gonorrhea. Disclosure No significant relationships.


Examines how one of Britain′s largest bingo companies, Top Rank put in place a major training programme in 90 clubs across Britain to improve customer service. Shows the process of identifying the need for training, finding a suitable programme (actually customizing an existing one) and measuring the results. Particularly stresses the growing importance of trainer training in industry – i.e. companies training their own people to become trainers. The training programme, customised to Top Rank′s needs by the Hotel and Catering Training Company, proved highly effective in achieving the desired goals. Craft Trainer Awards were given to 250 managers who were trained in the art of training their staff.


Low-band-gap push-pull copolymers are promising donor materials for bulk heterojunction organic solar cells. One of the best push-pull copolymers are composed of bridged dithiophene pushing units and benzothiadiazole (BT) pulling units, but BT has no proper position to accommodate alkyl side chains introduced to enhance the solubility of the resulting copolymers in organic solvents. On the other hand, N-alkylthienopyrroledione (TPD), which has an alkyl side chain attached to its pyrrole moiety, has been combined with various bridged dithiophene pushing units to give high-solubility donor polymers whose power conversion efficiencies are higher than those of the BT-based polymers especially after a morphology control. However, our well-validated time-dependent density functional theory calculation on the intrinsic (single-chain) electronic structure, which has been proved powerful to estimate the efficiency, gives a contradictory prediction that both polymers would show essentially the same efficiency. Intrigued by this, we subsequently perform density functional theory calculations on their π-stacked-pair models in a number of stacking configurations and conclude that the enhanced performance of the TPD-based polymers is ascribed to their enhanced inter-chain interaction resulting from their enhanced dipole moments in the push-pull direction. Enhanced morphological ordering (π-stacking and π-conjugation) in their solid films, which is not considered in electronic-structure calculations, would reduce the band gap (as proved by the low-energy shoulders in UV/vis absorption spectra), improve the charge transfer (as shown by the calculated transfer integral, transfer rate, and hole mobility), and enhance the power conversion efficiencies (as observed after a morphology control).


One shows that Cartan's method of adapted frames in Chapter XII of his famous treatise of Riemannian geometry, leads to a classification theorem of homogeneous Riemannian manifolds. Examples of classification in 3D dimensions obtained by Cartan are given using this powerful method. AMS 1991 subject classifications. Primary 53C30


An AlGaN/GaN lateral field-effect rectifier with intrinsic ON-state current limiting capability is demonstrated by adding a Schottky contact metal (length of L D ) beyond the ohmic contact region at the cathode electrode. The onset of the current limiting function is self-activated when the voltage drop across the two-dimensional gas (2DEG) channel under the Schottky contact reaches the pinch-off voltage of the as-grown AlGaN/GaN heterojunction. With L D = 2 ?m and a drift region length of 7 ?m, the proposed lateral rectifier exhibited an ON-state current that was self-limited at 1.56 kA/cm 2 , while achieving a reverse breakdown voltage of 347 V at a lmA/mm leakage current.


Background & objectives: Being more efficient and widely used, limiting antigen (LAg)-avidity enzyme immunoassay (EIA) based on the recent infection testing algorithm (RITA) has been developed for differentiating recent and established HIV-1 infection. So far, LAg-avidity EIA has not been validated among the Indian population. Hence, the present study was planned to identify recent HIV infections in high risk patients in the North-West region of India using modified LAg-avidity RITA. Methods: Four hundred HIV-positive high risk patients registered on pre-antiretroviral therapy (ART) programme in the last one year, from five ART centres in North-Western States of India, were included for identifying the recent HIV infections. One hundred HIV-positive cases registered for pre-ART for greater than two years in ART centres were included for estimating false recent rate (FRR). Single-well LAg-avidity EIA-based modified RITA was used to identify recent HIV infection cases. Results: Of the 400 HIV-1-positive samples, 64 (16%) were found to have been infected within the past 130 days. The proportion of recent HIV infections was 16.8 per cent (18/107) among female sex workers, 10.7 per cent (9/84) among men who have sex with men and 17.7 per cent (37/209) among injecting drug users. The FRR was one per cent (1/100). Interpretation & conclusions: LAg-avidity EIA-based modified RITA provided good discrimination between recent and non-recent HIV infection, hence, it could be considered suitable for estimating HIV incidence in sentinel surveillance system in India.


Emotional photographs from the Far East to discover a product of excellence. The latest textile treasure discovered by Loro Piana grows in the waters of Inle Lake in eastern Myanmar: the fibre of the lotus flower. This extraordinary raw material of vegetable origin is obtained from the aquatic plant that was sacred to the Buddha. The Intha people, children of the lake, use ancient techniques passed down across generations to work the fibres into a very fine thread exclusively by hand. In six chapters of photographs, the volume leads the reader through the magic hills of the Shan plateau and among lake pile-dwellings, where the slow rhythm of a timeless existence in total harmony with nature is measured out in the harvesting of the lotus, the catching of fish and the cultivation of fruits and vegetables in floating gardens. Every year during the rainy season, the Intha harvest the stems of the lotus flower and extract the fibres that will be spun into thread, just over a hundred grams in a full days work, performed according to the slow rhythm of tradition, which now may become a source of livelihood for future populations as well.


Trypanosoma cruzi adenylate cyclase catalytic subunits may interact with regulatory factors from rat liver membranes, reconstituting heterologous systems which are catalytically active in assay mixtures containing MgATP. The systems show stimulatory responses to glucagon and guanosine 5'-[beta gamma-imido]triphosphate (p[NH]ppG) or fluoride. Reconstitution was obtained by three different methods: fusion of rat liver membranes (pretreated with N-ethylmaleimide) to T. cruzi membranes; interaction of detergent extracts of rat liver membranes with T. cruzi membranes; or interaction of purified preparations of T. cruzi adenylate cyclase and of liver membrane factors in phospholipid vesicles. The liver factors responsible for the guanine nucleotide effect were characterized as the NS protein. Data also indicate that reconstitution requires the presence of a membrane substrate.


We study the means of preparing and coherently manipulating atomic wave packets in optical lattices, with particular emphasis on alkali-metal atoms in the far-detuned limit. We derive a general, basis-independent expression for the lattice potential operator, and show that its off-diagonal elements can be tailored to couple the vibrational manifolds of separate magnetic sublevels. Using these couplings one can evolve the state of a trapped atom in a quantum coherent fashion, and prepare pure quantum states by resolved-sideband Raman cooling. We explore the use of atoms bound in optical lattices to study quantum tunneling and the generation of macroscopic superposition states in a double-well potential. Far-off-resonance optical potentials lend themselves particularly well to reservoir engineering via well-controlled fluctuations in the potential, making the atom-lattice system attractive for the study of decoherence and the connection between classical and quantum physics. @S1050-2947~98!00803-8#


Irregular employment of migrant workers is usually considered a consequence of their illegal stay in the receiving country. The Italian case does not confirm this connection. It is true that almost all migrants entered Italy without a permit of stay and for work and were forced to take not registered jobs. However, even when they were legalised and were entitled to regular employment, a large proportion of them went on working in the underground economy. This peculiar situation can be explained mainly by the huge and well rooted Italian domestic underground economy. In a world where national borders are more and more strictly closed, Italy exerts a special pull effect on those migrants who are prone to accept illegal staying and irregular working conditions, as migratory chains transmit the image of a country where staying and making money is easy, even not holding a stay permit. Nevertheless, if migrants cannot be said to have created the underground economy in Italy, they do contribute to its continuation as they supply the suitable labour. On the other hand, the large incorporation of migrants in the underground economy prevents their settlement, because they are required to have regular work in order to renew the permits to stay they achieved thanks to the legalisation process. In most jobs irregular migrant workers replaced a domestic labour less and less prone to accept them, in others they are complementary. The area of real competition with domestic labour is relatively narrow also because migrants are increasingly living in the Centre-Northern regions, which are near to full employment for manual labour. However, the fact that the demand for migrant labour comes mainly from the underground economy has a negative impact on Italian society, which does not recognise the economic contribution of migrant workers. Measures aiming to make migrant workers emerge from the underground economy had only partial and temporary success, as the last legalisation campaign showed. It should be necessary to seriously address the issue of the domestic underground economy, but this is a long way off.


Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) remains fatal for 40% of patients, both due to refractory disease and toxicity from traditional therapeutic agents. Zebrafish provide an efficient and robust leukemia model with the capacity for embryonic screens to test new drugs in vivo. Naturally-occurring Prodigiosin has demonstrated potential as an anti-cancer agent, but toxicity prevents its use as a chemotherapeutic. Here, we present four novel derivatives, prodigiosenes designated DSB-8, -31, -39, -50, synthesized using a multi-step sequence beginning with simple pyrroles. These synthetic compounds demonstrated anti-leukemia activity in vitro against cells in the NIH/NCI Developmental Therapeutics Program, including K562, CCRF-CEM, MOLT-4, RPMI-8226 and SR cell lines. We have previously xenografted human leukemia cells into 48 hour zebrafish embryos and developed a cell quantification assay to evaluate drug responses (Corkery et al BJH, 2011). To assess the anti-leukemia activity and toxicity of our novel prodigiosenes in vivo, we first conducted toxicity curves using 48-hour zebrafish embryos treated for 72 hours to determine an optimal dose (50% of maximum tolerated dose [MTD]). Prodigiosenes DSB-39 (1.0 uM) and DSB-50 (1.5 uM) were tolerated better than DSB-8 (0.2 uM) and DSB-31 (0.2 uM). Subsequently, 40-50 CM-DiI-labeled K562 chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) cells were injected into the yolk sac of 48-hour zebrafish embryos, which were treated with prodigiosenes at 50% MTD. Engrafted embryos were followed using live cell microscopy. Embryos treated with 0.03% DMSO served as negative control, showing abundant K562 cell proliferation and entry of cells into circulation. Embryos treated with 20 µM imatinib mesylate (IM), a targeted inhibitor of the BCR-ABL1 oncoprotein in K562 cells, served as a positive control, demonstrating no cell proliferation or migration. By comparison, prodigiosenes inhibited K562 cell activity to a similar or greater degree than IM. Qualitatively, the effects of prodigiosenes were graduated: DSB-8 (n=6/7) was cytostatic, DSB-31 (n=5/8) and DSB-50 (n=6/9) were moderately cytotoxic, and DSB-39 (n=7/7) was strongly cytotoxic. To quantify this effect, we are applying a modified ex vivo proliferation assay. Embryos are dissociated to a single cell suspension at 24 and 72 hours post-injection followed by immunohistochemistry directed to human CD34. Our work extends the use of zebrafish xenografts to determine the in vivo sensitivity of human cancer cells to novel drugs and suggests that tailored prodigiosenes may represent novel therapeutic agents for leukemia with improved anti-cancer potency and reduced toxicity.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4258. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-4258


In recent years, Vietnam has witnessed its economic slowdown. In the labor market, low wages, poor working conditions, violations of labor law are common; labor disputes and strikes increase and these have been negatively affecting workers' lives. Reason for this situation is that the market economy has developed at a higher level; Vietnamese enterprises have become more and more competitive. In the struggle for survival, they seek for lower production costs by all possible ways, including wages and the workers unavoidably became a victim. Labor relations are not harmonious because of the imbalance of bargaining power between the two bargaining actors; collective agreements are underdeveloped. By using a comparative approach, mainly focusing on the labor legislation of Vietnam and Sweden, this dissertation provides relatively in-depth analyses on theoretical and practical issues of collective agreements. It also points out the remaining shortcomings in the Vietnamese bargaining legislation and puts forwards various recommendations to improve the bargaining system in Vietnam. (Less)


Drawing on the conceptual framework of implicit-explicit CSR, this paper distinguishes governmental/regulatory force and market/societal force as the two main determinants of CSR and argues governmental/regulatory force is the dominant drive for implicit mandatory CSR while market/societal force is the dominant drive for explicit voluntary CSR. By using China, the world's second largest economy, as an example, this paper examines how do the governmental/regulatory force shape a country's CSR system, as opposed to the market/societal force. Moreover, due to the rise of corporations' explicit CSR activities and shrink of implicit mandatory CSR rules in the West, this paper also endeavors to find out whether implicit practice of business responsibility in China will transform into explicit CSR activities. After looking into the tradition, current momentum as well as the inadequacy of conventional business casereasoning in China, this paper concludes that despite the increasing role of market/societal force in advancing CSR, governments remain the dominant drive for CSR development in China, which in turn implies for example more governmental intervention and regulations defining minimum standards of corporate behavior. This paper also discusses different functions that governments can potentially take in further shaping and promoting CSR.


In this paper a theoretical and empirical model is developed for analysing the decisions of individual farmers whether or not to produce wildlife and landscape services, how much of these services to produce and form an environmental co-operative in order to reduce transaction costs or to build up bargaining power. The model is applied for Dutch dairy farmers as the main users of agricultural land in the Netherlands. Simulations show that the reduction of transaction costs makes it attractive for farmers to form an environmental co-operative in case of a fixed price for wildlife and landscape services. Therefore more wildlife and landscape services are produced and more farmers are involved compared to a situation with individual supply. If demand is no longer perfectly elastic an increase in wildlife and landscape services production leads to lower prices offsetting part of the production and profit increase caused by lower transaction costs. However, if the environmental co-operative acts like a monopolist its bargaining position leads to a decrease in the production of wildlife and landscape services and higher prices.


A noncooperative approach to plant-wide distributed model predictive control based on dissipativity conditions is developed. The plant-wide process and distributed control system are represented as two interacting process and controller networks, with interaction effects captured by the dissipativity properties of subsystems and network topologies. The plant-wide stability and performance conditions are developed based on global dissipativity conditions, which in turn are translated into the dissipative trajectory conditions that each local model predictive control MPC must satisfy. This approach is enabled by the use of dynamic supply rates in quadratic difference forms, which capture detailed dynamic system information. A case study is presented to illustrate the results. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 59: 787–804, 2013


A rapid and inexpensive method has been developed to estimate rates of benzo(a)pyrene phenol production by perfused rat liver. This method is based on the measurement of benzo(a)pyrene phenols utilizing a simple fluorometric procedure. Within 2 to 3 min after infusion of benzo(a)pyrene bound to serum albumin, phenols are excreted into the perfusate, primarily as glucuronide and sulfate conjugates. Maximal rates of phenol release were 8 to 10 nmol/g/hr in livers from control rats and 40 to 42 nmol/g/hr in livers from 3-methylcholanthrene-treated rats. Fasting of 3-methylcholanthrene-treated rats for 24 hr prior to perfusion experiments did not affect either the rate of phenol production or the extent of their conjugation. Ethanol (20 mM) inhibited rates of phenol formation by 50% in livers from fasted, 3-methylcholanthrene-treated rats but had no effect on benzo(a)pyrene hydroxylase activity in isolated hepatic microsomes. These data indicate that ethanol inhibits phenol formation from benzo(a)pyrene in intact liver, probably by diminishing the supply of the cofactor reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate.


Data monitoring is a key recommendation of the WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel, a global framework adopted in May 2010 to address health workforce retention in resource-limited countries and the ethics of international migration. Using data on African-born and African-educated physicians in the 2013 American Medical Association Physician Masterfile (AMA Masterfile), we monitored Sub-Saharan African (SSA) physician recruitment into the physician workforce of the United States (US) post-adoption of the WHO Code of Practice. From the observed data, we projected to 2015 with linear regression, and we mapped migrant physicians' locations using GPS Visualizer and ArcGIS. The 2013 AMA Masterfile identified 11,787 active SSA-origin physicians, representing barely 1.3% (11,787/940,456) of the 2013 US physician workforce, but exceeding the total number of physicians reported by WHO in 34 SSA countries (N = 11,519). We estimated that 15.7% (1,849/11,787) entered the US physician workforce after the Code of Practice was adopted. Compared to pre-Code estimates from 2002 (N = 7,830) and 2010 (N = 9,938), the annual admission rate of SSA émigrés into the US physician workforce is increasing. This increase is due in large part to the growing number of SSA-born physicians attending medical schools outside SSA, representing a trend towards younger migrants. Projection estimates suggest that there will be 12,846 SSA migrant physicians in the US physician workforce in 2015, and over 2,900 of them will be post-Code recruits. Most SSA migrant physicians are locating to large urban US areas where physician densities are already the highest. The Code of Practice has not slowed the SSA-to-US physician migration. To stem the physician "brain drain", it is essential to incentivize professional practice in SSA and diminish the appeal of US migration with bolder interventions targeting primarily early-career (age ≤ 35) SSA physicians.


We present a new method for automatic segmentation of heterogeneous image data that takes a step toward bridging the gap between bottom-up affinity-based segmentation methods and top-down generative model based approaches. The main contribution of the paper is a Bayesian formulation for incorporating soft model assignments into the calculation of affinities, which are conventionally model free. We integrate the resulting model-aware affinities into the multilevel segmentation by weighted aggregation algorithm, and apply the technique to the task of detecting and segmenting brain tumor and edema in multichannel magnetic resonance (MR) volumes. The computationally efficient method runs orders of magnitude faster than current state-of-the-art techniques giving comparable or improved results. Our quantitative results indicate the benefit of incorporating model-aware affinities into the segmentation process for the difficult case of glioblastoma multiforme brain tumor.


Vitamin A is synthesized from β-carotene in cell-free homogenates of rat intestinal mucosa, the biosynthetic enzymatic activity being present in the soluble protein fraction of the homogenate. Also required are a heat-stable factor in the particulate fraction, molecular oxygen, and bile salts. The reaction is stimulated by glutathione. The product, obtained in yields of up to 50 percent, has been identified as vitamin A aldehyde (retinal) by way of its semicarbazone derivative. The reaction mechanism involves the central cleavage of β-carotene into two molecules of retinal.


Abstract Introduction: There has been little qualitative research examining how physical examination skills are learned, particularly the sensory and subjective aspects of learning. The authors set out to study how medical students are taught and learn the skills of listening to sound. Methods: As part of an ethnographic study in Melbourne, 15 semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with students and teachers as a way to reflect explicitly on their learning and teaching. Results: From these interviews, we found that learning the skills of listening to lung sounds was frequently difficult for students, with many experiencing awkwardness, uncertainty, pressure, and intimidation. However not everyone found this process difficult. Often those who had studied music reported finding it easier to be attentive to the frequency and rhythm of body sounds and find ways to describe them. Conclusions: By incorporating, distinctively in medical education, theoretical insights into "attentiveness" from anthropology and science and technology studies, the article suggests that musical education provides medical students with skills in sensory awareness. Training the senses is a critical aspect of diagnosis that needs to be better addressed in medical education. Practical approaches for improving students' education of attention are proposed.


BACKGROUND
Intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IVPCA) and patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) were studied in terms of analgesic efficacy, respiratory function and side effects after thoracic surgery for 24h. PCEA using fentanyl and bupivacaine as compared to IVPCA using morphine provides better pain relief both at rest and during coughing and is associated with fewer side effects.

AIMS
To compare IVPCA and PCEA in terms of analgesic efficacy, respiratory function and side effects after thoracic surgery.

SETTINGS AND DESIGN
Tertiary care teaching hospital. Prospective, randomized and open study.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Thirty ASA-I or II patients undergoing thoracotomy were assigned randomly to receive either IVPCA using morphine or PCEA using fentanyl and bupivacaine combination postoperatively. No background infusion was administered in either group. Postoperative evaluation included pain intensity both at rest and during coughing, degree of sedation, arterial blood gas, forced vital capacity (FVC), peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR), presence of side effects such as nausea/vomiting and pruritus at 0, 2, 8, 12 and 24h. The primary outcome of the study was the percentage of patients with analgesia failure defined as VAS>30 despite three consecutive PCA boluses requiring rescue analgesia with intravenous fentanyl.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
Data were analyzed using t -test, chi2 test and Mann-Whitney test.

RESULTS
Significantly less number of patients required rescue analgesia in PCEA group ( P< 0.05). Pain relief was better both at rest and during coughing ( P< 0.05) in PCEA group as compared to IVPCA. Patients in the PCEA group were less sedated and had fewer incidences of side effects, i.e. nausea/vomiting and pruritus. Postoperative FVC and PEFR were reduced significantly compared to baseline only in IVPCA group ( P< 0.05).

CONCLUSION
After thoracic surgery, PCEA using fentanyl and bupivacaine as compared to IVPCA using morphine provides better pain relief both at rest and during coughing and associated with fewer side effects.


The appropriateness of technology being purchased, transferred, and used by emerging economies has been an issue raised at different world forums and discussed with no appreciable change in the state of affairs. However there are changes occurring due to the innovative ways in which the same technology is put to use resulting in products that have found easy acceptance amongst the users. This development questions the premise on which appropriateness of technology is judged. The paper reviews the existing literature on appropriate technology and makes an attempt to identify the characteristics of an appropriate technology and validates these characteristics through the case study approach. The research points out two different facets of use of technology, one in which high technology and the products based on it are adopted without any modification and accepted too. The other is the use of high technology to develop products that are appropriate but are very different from the products for which the high technology was initially developed. Whether the technology is high or basic should not be a debatable issue, but technology that finds acceptance in the emerging economies becomes appropriate. Only those technologies have found acceptance, which take into consideration the economic, cultural, and environmental conditions prevailing in these emerging economies. The findings and the conclusions of the paper have implications for the policy makers as well as business enterprises of not only emerging economies but also of industrialised countries.


This paper studies the role of imported inputs in explaining firms' export behaviour. Unlike most of the existing literature we are also able to control for the participation of domestic firms to multinational networks. This allows us to test to what extent the recurrent evidence that importing foster exporting activity is instead a figment of the fact that importers are also part of multinational groups. Our evidence, based on Swedish manufacturing firms, suggests that imported inputs, rather than multinationality, are a key determinant of firms' export propensity and product scope. This result is particularly strong for SMEs, and it is driven by imported intermediates and (to a lesser extent) capital goods.


. Let us consider a heat conduction problem on the unit square, solve it analytically and compare this series solution with both the results obtained by MATLAB/PDE-Toolbox (using the FE-method) and a self-implementation achieved with Mathematica (using the method of lines). Extending Finite-Difference formulae to higher precision gives rise to the idea of utilizing the CTDS-method, best suitable on regular and equidistant grids, also on other domains. By introducing apt co-ordinates one is therefore able to do a parametrization, e.g. of the unit disk, by the square. Conformal transformation from square to disk provides this parametrization, the original implementation can easily be extended and we find by again comparing a series solution to our obtained simulation results, that order of convergence is being preserved. Moreover, our conformal transformation provides the fundamental tensor and no further structural errors are being introduced as the involved elliptic functions can be evaluated to arbitrary precision.


Since passive acoustic monitoring is widely used, unidentified acoustic signals from marine mammals are commonly reported. The signal characteristics and emission patterns are the main clues to identify the possible sources. In this study, the authors describe two previously unidentified sounds, recorded at up to five widely-spaced sites (30 × 30 degree area) in the southern Indian Ocean, in 2007 and between 2010 and 2015. The first reported signal (M-call) consists of a single tonal unit near 22 Hz and lasting about 10 s, repeated with an interval longer than 2 min. This signal is only detected in 2007. The second signal (P-call) is also a tonal unit of 10 s, repeated every 160 s, but at a frequency near 27 Hz. Its yearly number increased greatly between 2007 and 2010, and moderately since then. Based on their characteristics and seasonal patterns, this study shows that both signals are clearly distinct from any known calls of blue whale subspecies and populations dwelling in the southern Indian Ocean. However, they display similarities with blue whale vocalizations. More particularly, the P-call can be mistaken for the first tonal unit of the Antarctic blue whale Z-call.


This study aims to examine the influence of the Tri Hita Karana culture, good village governance and human resource competence on fraud prevention by being moderated by morality. Using the method of analysis, namely multiple linear regression with Moderated Regression Analysis. The total population is 133 villages, and to get the appropriate sample a random sampling technique and a total of 00 villages are sampled. This research was conducted in Tabanan-Bali Regency wich is the district with the highest number of villages and recipients of village funds in the Province of Bali. Research data collection using a questionnaire with survey techniques, the results of which are tri hita karana culture and human resource competencies have a significant positive effect on fraud prevention, while good village governance has a negative and not significant effect on fraud prevention. Another result is that the variable of morality successfully moderates the relationship between human resource competencies on fraud prevention, but is found to be unable to moderate the influence of Tri Hita Karana and good village governance on the prevention of village fund fraud. 5


Soil respiration (soil CO 2 efflux) originates from autotrophic root respiration and heterotrophic microbial respiration in the bulk soil and in the rhizosphere. Since soil respiration is one of the major fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems, small changes in the magnitude of this flux could have large effects on the concentration of CO 2 in the atmosphere. However, processes in the soil are highly complex and many aspects are still poorly understood. Therefore, detailed studies on soil respiration and related parameters were carried out in a highly heterogeneous unmanaged deciduous forest in the National Park Hainich (western Thuringia, Germany) and in an elevated CO 2 experiment in an agricultural field close to Braunschweig, Germany.


Technetium (99mTc) labelled isonitrile complexes are recently introduced agents for imaging myocardial perfusion and viability. This study presents the first clinical experience with a locally prepared agent 99mTc methoxy iso butyl isonitrile (MIBI). Sixteen randomly selected cases (M:F 14:2, mean age 48 years) were included; clinically 4 patients were asymptomatic, 6 had history of MI while remaining 6 had angina with no previous incidence of MI. Separate injections were given for rest and stress studies either on the same day (9 cases) or on separate days (7 cases). All patients were stressed according to the Modified Bruce Protocol and 99mTc MIBI was injected at peak stress. Early blood pool and delayed static images showed reasonably good localization of MIBI in the viable myocardium and image quality was also comparable to what has been reported in literature. Scans were negative for any perfusion abnormality in 6 cases, positive for single vessel disease in 6 and for two vessels disease in 4 patients. We conclude that the locally prepared 99mTc MIBI has optimal sensitivity and pharmacokinetic properties for myocardial imaging and detection of CAD. Moreover the local preparation would also entail considerable foreign exchange saving.


Loss of upper-limb function is a problem following stroke. Recent research has led to the emergence of new treatments but progress is hampered by lack of reliable objective measures of impairment, and understanding of the underlying impairment mechanisms associated with loss and recovery of functional activity. The aim of this research was to identify, using neuromechanical measurement methods, inter-relationships between motor impairments, and correlates of motor impairments with functional activity limitation in the upper limb of acute and chronic stroke survivors. An instrumented rig has been developed to measure impairments: muscle weakness, active range of movement, motor control accuracy in rhythmic and discrete tracking tasks, spasticity, coactivation, contracture and non-neural stiffness. In pilot studies, signal processing and data analysis techniques have been used to generate novel, clinically and physiologically relevant indices to quantify impairments. In a Main Study, 13 older impaired participants in the acute phase post-stroke, 13 in the chronic phase 14 age-matched unimpaired participants underwent rig assessments and performed a test of upper limb activity. A sub-group of impaired participants were tested on two days for test-retest reliability evaluation. Statistical tests have confirmed the validity of the impairments to distinguish between acute and chronic patients and unimpaired individuals, except coactivation during discrete movements and non-neural stiffness. Repeatability coefficients for the active test indices have been presented as benchmark values for use in future trials. The muscle activation indices showed lower repeatability which highlights the challenge of using these to measure change over time. The impairments that contributed to lower motor control accuracy were reduced extensor weakness, delayed extensor onset timing, coactivation and smaller extension AROM and PROM; coactivation was more strongly associated with motor control accuracy than with spasticity or stiffness. The most important contributors to functional activity in the acute group was extensor weakness, and in the chronic group was motor control accuracy and coactivation (rhythmic task). Contracture was important contributor in both groups, and was associated with weakness and loss of active range of movement rather than spasticity. The findings support the notion that rehabilitation strategies should focus on increasing muscle strength and prevention of contracture. However, assessment of more complex impairments like motor control accuracy and coactivation may be crucial to better target therapy, especially in the later phases post-stroke.