Background Mast cells have long been recognized to increase strikingly in number in the synovial membrane of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), accounting for 5% of the surface synovial membrane cells. Type II collagen has the longest half-life in cartilage matrix. The main cells which might affect articular cartilage in RA are synovial fibroblasts, synovial macrophages and mast cells. The latter two could express cathepsin S. Objectives We aimed to find the cells which have the biggest influence on type II collagen secreted from articular chondrocytes and the possible mechanisms in RA mice. Methods Four types of cells from collagen-induced arthritis model-established C57BL/6 mice were primary cultured, including synovial fibroblasts, peritoneal macrophages, bone marrow-derived mast cells and articular chondrocytes. The first three were co-cultured with articular chondrocytes separately. LHVS, a specific inhibitor of cathepsin S, and E64, a broad-spectrum inhibitor of cysteine protease, were added into the cocultures of macrophages and articular chondrocytes separately. Also, C48/80, an activator of mast cells, LHVS, and E64 were added into the cocultures of mast cells and articular chondrocytes separately. The culture supernatant fluid was collected. The concentration of cathepsin S and type II collagen were measured by ELISA. The expression of type II collagen mRNA in each group was detected with RTPCR. Results Macrophages and mast cells expressed cathepsin S, while synovial fibroblasts did not express cathepsin S. Synovial fibroblasts had little effect on the expression of type II collagen from articular chondrocytes. When articular chondrocytes were co-cultured with macrophages, the expression of type II collagen decreased (8.79±2.79ng/ml),compared with the control group (17.75±7.84ng/ml). The secretion of type II collagen could return to normal by the inhibitors of cathepsin S, both LHVS (16.15±8.05 ng/ml) and E64 (12.55±6.64 ng/ml). When articular chondrocytes were co-cultured with mast cells, the type II collagen could be restrained by C48/80 (9.82±0.42ng/ml), compared with the control group (26.09±9.34ng/ml). Similarly, the secretion of type II collagen could return to normal by LHVS and E64 (16.15±8.05 ng/ml, 12.55±6.64 ng/ml, respectively). There was no significant difference in the expression of type II collagen mRNA between different groups. It showed that the type II collagen was not suppressed at the transcription level, but was mainly destroyed by cathepsin S after secretion. Conclusions Macrophages and mast cells are the major sources of cathepsin S, which might be the main factor that destroys type II collagen secreted from articular chondrocytes in RA mice. Disclosure of Interest None declared


A new scheme for a random number generator based on quantum entangled photon pairs is demonstrated. Signal photons produced by optical parametric down-conversion are detected at two single-photon detectors after transmission or reflection at a 50/50% beamsplitter, to form a truly random binary sequence. Their arrival is signalled by their twin idler photons, so that a cw laser source may be used instead of attenuated laser pulses. Coincidence measurement is employed to obtain the bit sequences, which are shown to fully satisfy the standard tests for randomness.


Failure to control Aëdes aegypti in Puerto Rico has suggested resistance to the insecticides, particularly DDT. A laboratory colony (named Isla Verde strain) was established from material obtained near the International Airport. This strain proved highly resistant to DDT and dieldrin as well as various other insecticides. The scientific and practical significance of this is far-reaching. Heretofore, it was thought that populations of Aëdes aegypti could be resistant to the DDT group of insecticides or to the dieldrin group but not to both, and that one type of resistance involved biochemical, toxicological and genetic characteristics different from the other. This theory must now be modified or even abandoned. From the practical point of view, it is clear that the continued use of DDT or dieldrin for Aëdes aegypti control in Puerto Rico is questionable, for it is not wise to attempt to overcome high resistance by increasing the concentration or rate of application. Further, the situation demonstrated for Puerto Rico may also obtain in other islands of the Caribbean where Aëdes aegypti is known to be DDT-resistant.


Therapeutic options for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment have changed dramatically in recent years with the advent of novel immunotherapeutic approaches. Among these, immune checkpoint blockade (ICB), using monoclonal antibodies, has shown tremendous promise in a small proportion of patients. In order to better predict patients that will respond to ICB treatment, biomarkers such as tumor-associated CD8+ T cell frequency, tumor checkpoint protein status and mutational burden have been utilized, however, with mixed success. In this study, we hypothesized that significantly altering the suppressive tumor immune landscape in NSCLC could potentially improve ICB efficacy. Using sub-therapeutic doses of our Salmonella typhimurium-based therapy targeting the suppressive molecule indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (shIDO-ST) in tumor-bearing mice, we observed dramatic changes in immune subset phenotypes that included increases in antigen presentation markers, decreased regulatory T cell frequency and overall reduced checkpoint protein expression. Combination shIDO-ST treatment with anti-PD-1/CTLA-4 antibodies enhanced tumor growth control, compared to either treatment alone, which was associated with a significant intratumoral influx of CD8+ and CD4+ T lymphocytes. These results suggest that the success of ICB therapy may be more accurately predicted by taking into account multiple factors such as potential for antigen presentation and frequency of suppressive immune subsets in addition to markers already being considered. Alternatively, combination treatment with agents such as shIDO-ST could be used to create a more conducive tumor microenvironment for improving response rates to immunotherapy.


A generalized inverse approach is used to derive two fast adaptive recursive least squares (RLS) algorithms and an exact and stable initialization algorithm for the prewindowed signal case. The partitioning techniques are directly applied to the signal matrix rather than the covariance matrix. The simulations show that the method has better numerical properties than existing fast algorithms, especially when the Kalman gain is concerned. Interesting relations among the variables in the fast RLS algorithms are provided. These relations can be used to derive other variations of fast RLS algorithms. They can also be used to develop new rescue schemes. Finally, a numerical analysis illustrates some pitfalls of the fast RLS algorithms. >


Recent Supreme Court decisions have tightened up the standards for obtaining class certification and virtually eliminate class arbitration as well. However, while the Court has made it more difficult for plaintiffs' attorneys to use class resolution of claims as a prosecutorial tool, the lower federal courts appear to relax certification standards when the parties seek to certify a settlement class. Because of the preclusive power of a class action, which binds all class members who do not opt out, the class action remains a potent settlement tool. The 2014 Randolph W. Thrower Symposium panel that served as the foundation for this paper, "Binding the Future: Global Settlements and the Death of Representative Litigation," asked, however, whether class settlements are bad for class members.This Article begins by analyzing the Supreme Court's certification decisions and agrees with most commentators that although class actions are not dead, the device's utility as a prosecution tool has been compromised. However, the Article then shows that certification of class actions for settlement purposes is alive and well. Finally, the Article identifies possible alternatives to the use of class actions. Although much attention has been (and should be) directed at the fairness of proposed settlements, the Article suggests that it is fortunate that the lower federal courts are not applying class certification standards as stringently in the class settlement context. This is because, despite all the problems inherent in class action practice, class actions remain the best of a range of options for protecting the rights of class members, particularly in low-value claim cases.


Since the development of semiconductor technologies, exascale computing and its associated applications have required increasing degrees of efficiency. Semiconductor-transistor-based circuits (STbCs) have struggled in increasing the GHz frequency. Emerging as an alternative to STbC, the superconducting electrons (SCE) technology promises higher-speed clock frequencies at ultra-low power consumption. The rapid single flux quantum (RSFQ) circuits have a theoretical potential for three orders of magnitude reduction in power while operating at clock frequencies higher than 100 GHz. Although the security in semiconductor technology has been extensively researched and developed, the security design in the superconducting field requires field demands attention. In this paper, C-SAR is presented that aims to protect the superconducting circuit electronics from Boolean satisfiability (SAT) based attacks. The SAT attack is an attack that can break all the existing combinational logic locking techniques. C-SAR can immunize against SAT attacks by increasing the key search space and prolonging the clock cycles of attack inputs. Even in the worst case of C-SAR, in face of S-SAT a specially designed SAT attack, C-SAR can also soar the attack cost exponentially with key bits first, then linearly with the length of camouflaged DFF array. We have shown in this work that the cost of C-SAR is manageable as it only linearly increases as a function of key bits.


Using a structured literature search and meta-regression procedures, this study sought to determine whether associations between joint attention and language are moderated by group (autism spectrum disorder [ASD] vs. typical development [TD]), joint attention type (responding to joint attention [RJA] vs. other), and other study design features and participant characteristics. Studies were located using database searches, hand searches, and electronic requests for data from experts in the field. This resulted in 71 reports or datasets and 605 effect sizes, representing 1,859 participants with ASD and 1,835 TD participants. Meta-regression was used to answer research questions regarding potential moderators of the effect sizes of interest, which were Pearson's r values quantifying the association between joint attention and language variables. In the final models, conducted separately for each language variable, effect sizes were significantly higher for the ASD group as compared to the TD group, and for RJA as compared to non-RJA joint attention types. Approximate mental age trended toward significance for the expressive language model. Joint attention may be more tightly tied to language in children with ASD as compared to TD children because TD children exhibit joint attention at sufficient thresholds so that language development becomes untethered to variations in joint attention. Conversely, children with ASD who exhibit deficits in joint attention develop language contingent upon their joint attention abilities. Because RJA was more strongly related to language than other types of joint attention, future research should involve careful consideration of the operationalization and measurement of joint attention constructs. VC 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


A new pulse-scan-based driving method that can significantly reduce total address time delay of discharge ignition during the address period in a plasma display panel (PDP) is proposed. By applying lower negative scan-pulse voltage to the Y electrode for a short interval, the proposed scheme accelerates the ignition of the gas discharge between addressing electrode (A) and scanning electrode (Y), and then, it reduces the ignition time delay which is closely related to the addressing time. Consequently, the high-speed addressing method can be achieved by it because the width of each scan pulse or each address pulse can be reduced. Therefore, this earned addressing time can directly contribute to the implementation of a single-scan (SS) driving scheme or the improvements in brightness with more sustain pulses. Experimental results with a prototype 50-in full-high-definition SS PDP module show that the total address time delay (Td = Tf +Ts) of discharge ignition with the proposed pulse-scan driving method is reduced by about 10% compared with the conventional driving method.


Surface micromachining is characterized by the fabrication of micromechanical structures from deposited thin films. Originally employed for integrated circuits, films composed of materials such as low-pressure chemical-vapor-deposition polycrystalline silicon, silicon nitride, and silicon dioxides can be sequentially deposited and selectively removed to build or "machine" three-dimensional structures whose functionality typically requires that they be freed from the planar substrate. Although the process to accomplish this fabrication dates from the 1960's, its rapid extension over the past few years and its application to batch fabrication of micromechanisms and of monolithic microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) make a thorough review of surface micromachining appropriate at this time. Four central issues of consequence to the MEMS technologist are: (i) the understanding and control of the material properties of microstructural films, such as polycrystalline silicon, (ii) the release of the microstructure, for example, by wet etching silicon dioxide sacrificial films, followed by its drying and surface passivation, (iii) the constraints defined by the combination of micromachining and integrated-circuit technologies when fabricating monolithic sensor devices, and (iv) the methods, materials, and practices used when packaging the completed device. Last, recent developments of hinged structures for postrelease assembly, high-aspect-ratio fabrication of molded parts from deposited thin films, and the advent of deep anisotropic silicon etching hold promise to extend markedly the capabilities of surface-micromachining technologies.


Vegetative buds represent developmental stage of Norway spruce ( Picea abies L. Karst.) needles where chloroplast biogenesis and photosynthetic activity begin. We used the analyses of polyphasic chlorophyll a fluorescence rise (OJIP) to compare photosystem II (PSII) functioning in vegetative buds and fully photosynthetically active mature current-year needles. Considerably decreased performance index (PI_ABS) in vegetative buds compared to needles pointed to their low photosynthetic efficiency. Maximum quantum yield of PSII (F_v/F_m) in buds was slightly decreased but above limited value for functionality indicating that primary photochemistry of PSII is not holdback of vegetative buds photosynthetic activity. The most significant difference observed between investigated developmental stages was accumulation of reduced primary quinine acceptor of PSII (Q_A^−) in vegetative buds, as a result of its limited re-oxidation by passing electrons to secondary quinone acceptor, Q_B. We suggest that reduced electron transfer from Q_A^− to Q_B could be the major limiting factor of photosynthesis in vegetative buds.


Pat Boran is one of the most versatile, polyvalent and innovative voices in contemporary Irish poetry. In spite of his prolific career as a poet, editor, and fiction writer, and the positive reviews his work has received over the years (i.e. Smith 2007; Linke 2009; Dempsey 2011; Cornejo 2016; Kehoe 2018), Boran has received very little critical attention in Irish Studies. This critical introduction intends to cover this gap in academia, by offering a more detailed critical appraisal of a poetic voice largely underrated within Irish literary criticism, as O'Driscoll (2007, xiv-xv) laments in his introduction to his Selected Poems. In particular, I will offer a brief critical overview of Boran's six collections of poetry, and I will concentrate on several aspects which seem to distinguish him as a writer: his sense of "detached lyricism" (that is to say, his intensive biographical but at the same time impersonal style); the importance that local rootedness exerts in his work; and his idiosyncratic way of handling themes such as masculinity.


More than 20% of the world's agricultural land may contain acid soil. Aluminum toxicity becomes a serious growth limiting factor in many plant species when the soil pH is lower than 5.5. Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes differ widely in tolerance to excess Al, and breeding of more tolerant genotypes is a priority in many affected regions. Our objectives were to confirm the number of genes for Al tolerance and determine their chromosomal arm location in the Brazilian wheat cv. BH 1146 and to identify DNA markers linked to Al tolerance gene(s). A population of recombinant inbred lines, developed by single-seed descent from the cross of BH 1146 x 'Anahuac', was screened for Al tolerance with two methods in hydroponic nutrient solution. Both methods showed a bimodal distribution for Al tolerance, consistent with single gene inheritance. Eighty-three low-copy DNA clones were used to screen for polymorphism between the parents. Clone bcd1230 detected a restriction fragment that is located 1.1 centiMorgans from this gene on Chromosome 4DL and explained 85% of the phenotypic variation in Al tolerance. We propose the symbol Alt BH to designate the major gene for Al tolerance located on 4DL. This RFLP marker can aid the transfer of this gene into sensitive germplasms.


PURPOSE: To compare physiological, performance and perceptual responses to the squat exercise done with a barbell, to those using an exoskeleton (Institute of Human and Machine Cognition; Pensacola FL) designed for use during manned space flight. METHODS: Subjects (n = 15) made four laboratory visits, which began with two familiarization sessions on the exoskeleton, followed by two squat workouts in which the exercise mode (exoskeleton, barbell) was administered in a randomized sequence. Per workout they performed four repetitions each against progressively heavier (23, 34, 45.5 and 57 kg) loads separated by 90-second rests. A series of physiological, performance and perceptual data from the final two laboratory visits were collected before, during and after workouts. Per workout, we collected the same dependent variables. Z-scores were used to identify outliers, which along with its paired value from the other workout, were eliminated from further analyses. To assess data validity, dependent physiological, performance and perceptual variables from each workout were compared with paired t-tests and Cohen's d. RESULTS: All subjects completed each workout (100% compliance). Z-scores results show less than 0.5% of our total data were deemed outliers. Average t-test and Cohen's d values were 0.68 and 0.25 respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Prior research suggests t-test and Cohen's d values less than 1.0 and 0.4 respectively denote acceptable degrees of data similarity. Based upon these guidelines, current results denote an acceptable degree of data validity derived from exoskeleton squats. We conclude exoskeleton squats yield physiological, performance and perceptual responses like those done with a barbell, and warrant continued inquiry involving microgravity simulation in human subjects.


This exploratory research aims at analyzing the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) from a company's perspective and the impact of the different successful CSR practices followed by industry leaders to increase their competitive advantage and brand equity. The scope of the report is limited to CSR practices of companies towards the community. It is a comparative study about the practices adopted by companies in view with the changing times. 15 companies of different sectors have been studied based on CSR theory, most of which also feature in 'The Global 50 Sustainable Companies of 2011 list' compiled by Corporate Knights Research Group with verification performed using 'The Bloomberg Professional'. The results obtained from these companies through their websites and journals have been illustrated. The paper also gives details as to when and to what extent a company is to consider CSR practices, the different CSR practices that can be adopted, concerns of the public towards a CSR oriented company and how it results in a win-win situation for both the corporate sector and the community that it serves. CSR actions are becoming more and more visible and numerous, both in the business environment and at governmental level. The CSR concept was initially used by national companies more as a marketing and media coverage instrument, rather than for its ethical values. As time went by, it became clear that the business environment is a key element in finding solutions to community issues. It is crucial that while making decisions, a responsible company takes into account the impact of its actions on the general public, the environment - internal and external- in which it operates and the economy as a whole. As organizations across the world continue to rethink their role in the wider society, refine their CSR practices and strategies and gain more capabilities to do so, their role in society is set to evolve. Keywords:  CSR, Corporate Governance, CSR Policies, Corporate Sustainability Report, Industry Leaders


Herein the taxonomical status of some poorly known Noccaea (Brassicaceae) species is revised. Moreover, the morphological, distributional and ecological properties of these species are updated. Some overlooked species in Turkey such as Noccaea versicolor and N. aptera are recollected and their descriptions emended and discussed. N. huber-morathii is also recollected from its type locality after its first collection. The description and distribution of N. huber-morathii are also updated. New distribution areas for N. tatiaae and N. aghrica , which have been insufficiently known species in Turkey, are also given.


Objectives. To determine distribution of lead levels among children in a low-risk area; to validate a prescreening questionnaire; and to determine if universal lead screening is necessary in children in this area. Design. Blood lead levels and questionnaires were obtained on eligible patients. Data were analyzed using stepwise regression analysis. Setting. Community clinics and a health maintenance organization (HMO) in the Minneapolis-St Paul metropolitan area. Patients. A total of 9603 children at well-child visits, age 6 months to 6 years at community clinics, and 6 months to 3 years at the HMO. Outcome Measures. Whole blood lead levels (WBLs) and questionnaires. Results. The total sample rate of WBLs at ≥10 μg/dL was 12%, at ≥15 μg/dL was 3½%, and at ≥20 μg/dL was 1.2%. At both 10 μg/dL and 15 μg/dL, the non-HMO group was at higher risk. For both groups, risk factors included living in the central cities, and living in housing built before 1950. For the non-HMO group a history of the child eating paint chips, or the child or a sibling having previous lead poisoning were also risk factors. Conclusions. Not all children need lead screening. Children living in the central cities, or with the risk factors of living in housing built before 1950 or a previous history of lead poisoning should be screened.


Cerebral tissue oximetry (CTO) based on near-infrared spectroscopy provides clinically relevant information on tissue perfusion and has been used specifically in infant monitoring and during cardiac surgeries. With different sensor designs in the selection and configuration of light sources and detectors and implemented analysis algorithms in tissue oxygen saturation (StO2) extraction, substantial differences were observed between different commercially available CTO device measurements. Tissue models (phantoms) mimicking a human head both optically and anatomically provide the controllable, safe, universally agreeable, and reproducible environment for the evaluation of CTO device performances. In this article, we implemented our realistic and dynamic multilayer mixed solid and liquid phantom design with controlled and repeatable test procedures in the evaluation of multiple commercially available CTO devices. Performances were evaluated for each CTO device within themselves, across each other and a reference device simultaneously under continuously changing oxygen saturation conditions. Results indicated the feasibility of our phantoms in CTO device performance testing and suggested that in general, CTO device measurements were very precise (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$S_{\mathrm {res}} < 1.48$ </tex-math></inline-formula>%) and highly correlated (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$R^{2} > 0.89$ </tex-math></inline-formula> and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$p < 0.0001$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) but had varying levels of accuracy, sensitivity, static, and proportional bias (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$15.4{\%}< A_{\mathrm {rms}} < 21.1$ </tex-math></inline-formula>%, 0.31 < sensitivity (regression slope) <0.43, and 35.94< bias (regression intercept) <49.74). In addition, gauge repeatability and reproducibility (Gauge R&R) analysis provided that most of the CTO devices were within acceptable ranges with precision-to-tolerance (P/T) ratio <10%, a number of distinct categories (NDC) >5, and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) >80%.


BALB/c mice are susceptible to the induction of Graves' hyperthyroidism. To investigate the susceptibility of BALB/c substrains of mice to the induction of hyperthyroidism, we immunized BALB/cJ and BALB/cByJ mice with an adenovirus expressing amino acid residues 1-289 of thyrotropin receptor (TSHR). The data presented in this article showed that 17 of 26 (65%) BALB/c and only 4 of 30 (13%) BALB/cBy mice developed hyperthyroidism. Hyperthyroid mice displayed characteristics of Graves' disease, such as thyroid-stimulating antibodies and enlarged thyroid glands. To explore the differences in the susceptibility of these substrains for hyperthyroidism, we examined the TSHR antibodies in three different assays. The TSHR antibodies determined in a radioreceptor assay (TSH binding inhibitory immunoglobulins) were similar in both of these BALB/c substrains. The TSHR antibody titers of total IgG, IgG1, and IgG2a were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and were found to be similar in these mice. There were no significant differences between these two groups of mice in the thyroid-stimulating antibody activity. However, BALB/cBy mice had significantly higher TSH-blocking antibody activity compared to BALB/c mice. TSHR-specific proliferation of splenocytes and secretion of cytokines interferon-gamma and interleukin-4 by spleen cells were comparable in both the groups. BALB/cJ and BALB/cByJ mice both belong to same MHC haplotype, H-2(d), but differ in the Qa-2 region of class Ib molecule. This report shows the importance of other genes, such as Qa-2 region of class Ib molecule in addition to MHC class II, in the susceptibility of Graves' hyperthyroidism.


An experimental and theoretical study was performed to evaluate the characteristics of an asymmetrically situated line plume in a filling box falling through a quiescent uniform environment. The plume spanned the width of the rectangular box, and salt water was used for the buoyant fluid. The experiments were conducted in two different sized tanks, and the total of forty-two experiments was run in three sets: the plume was centered in the tank, placed at the edge of the side wall, and located at several intermediate positions between the end of the wall and mid-point of the tank. The time-averaged front movement of the experiments (obtained from the light attenuation technique) was compared with the theoretical results. The solution for the position of the time-averaged front was first expressed as a function of the height of the box and filling time from an ideal line plume model based on the theory of Morton et al., 1956. The analysis showed that when the plume was centered and against the wall, the stratification results upheld a fair relationship with the standard filling box model. However, asymmetrically located plumes didn't validate the model using the standard value of 𝐶=0.47. The observations showed that this disagreement might be caused due to the higher entrainment of the ambient fluid in the plume and the bending of the plume towards the closest wall. The bending time of the plume was found to be proportional to the filling time and that was controlled by the plume outflow velocity. The study showed that the average outflow velocity is 0.93𝑓13 for 𝐶=0.47 which is compatible with the predicted time-averaged model for the outflow with the same value of 𝐶. An empirical equation for the bending time was developed and described in terms of ≈𝜆𝐿/𝑓13. Comparison between the theoretical model and experiments shows that the entrainment in the asymmetric line plumes is higher relative to the symmetric line plume.


Responding to environmental change requires a better understanding of how institutions—the rules and norms that structure human interactions—enable society to adapt to impacts of such change. By drawing on the Adaptive Capacity Wheel framework and empirical cases of coastal resource management decentralisation in the context of the Peam Krasaop Wildlife Sanctuary (Cambodia), Tam Giang Lagoon (Viet Nam) and the state of South Australia (Australia), this study examines how institutions support adaptive capacity. The characteristics of institutions analysed both facilitated and constrained adaptive capacity, depending on the enabling and disabling conditions at play. Despite the constraints, institutions have, to a certain extent, enabled actors to: organise themselves; learn and improve resource management; mobilise leadership, resources and authority; and, make progress towards improved governance. These illustrate the creation and mobilisation of adaptive capacity, which resulted in positive outcomes in responding to environmental change. In some of the cases studied, reinforcing enabling conditions of adaptive capacity will require creating livelihood alternatives, alleviating poverty, reducing inequality, and building human and social capital.; ;


The present work explores the theoretical basis of sound propagation through periodic media and provides experimental evidences of stop-band properties of sonic crystals, periodic arrays of scatterers immersed in air.
In order to investigate the sound field generated by sonic crystals, three theoretical models are used. The band structures are analysed with the Plane Wave Expansion method, while the Multiple Scattering Theory is used to calculate the magnitude of the scattered sound field. The Finite Element analysis is used for both purposes and to provide a stronger bond between the calculations of the theoretical models and the experimental results.
Experimental measurement campaigns are performed at the Open University, Milton Keynes (UK) and at the University of Bologna. The two laboratories offer different testing facilities, respectively an anechoic chamber and a large industrial hall. Three square unit cells are analysed, varying the lattice constant and/or the filling fraction in order to provide a correlation between the two experimental setups.
Measurements are performed to assess the characteristics of the sound field transmitted and reflected from the arrays, posing a special attention to the contribution of side and top edge diffraction. The evanescent behaviour of modes inside the lattice has been investigated by carrying out Impulse Response measurements inside the crystal and testing, with an intensity probe, the components of the sound field that exit the crystal in the two main directions. Finally, standardised indices are calculated that allow to compare the screening performance of sonic crystals to those of common noise barriers.
All measurements setups report coherent results among them and with respect to the theoretical calculations, representing a solid platform for further developments.


Abstract Art can be used to enrich the subject of science and science can be used to motivate study in art. This can stimulate new ways to regard the relationship of art and science in classrooms. Theoretical and practical examples will highlight: early and contemporary artists who developed ideas about art forms in nature; the impact an Aesthetics and Science Workshop had on university professors; and a successful science and art secondary education curriculum implemented in an East Harlem school. Introduction Art and science are generally considered totally separate disciplines. Science encourages objective observation, measurement, and precision through rational thinking, while the arts encourage affective engagement and participatory learning, "celebrating the life of feeling and imagination." (1) Visual art is underappreciated even in the educational community. It is often the first subject cut in a budgetary crisis. In contrast, maths and science are always thought of as necessary to strengthen an individual's capacities for competing in the employment marketplace for which education prepares them. Rational and measurable, the sciences appear to be more relevant in our assessment and accountability-driven world in which teachers find themselves. Accessing the imagination no longer seems relevant in the classroom and aesthetic experience of little or no importance, largely because it cannot be measured. The shortsighted fallacy of such thinking must be contested and educators must take a leadership role in this arena. The visual arts can significantly contribute to the enhancement of learning in many disciplines, including the sciences. As Professor of Art Education Arthur Efland wrote, "Art enables human beings to realize their spirit and their destiny in the actions and products of their imagination". (2) This paper addresses the topic of art and science as ways of knowing and how science and artistic expression can be enriched by each other. Art can be used to enhance the study of science and science can be used to motivate study in art. This presentation is not a comprehensive survey of either discipline; rather it is intended to stimulate new ideas relating to the status of art and science in classrooms. One part describes profiles of artists from the past and present who developed theoretical ideas about art forms in nature through scientific inquiry. The second part summarizes the impact an Aesthetic and Science Workshop had on a group of university professors. Finally, a description of an application of an interdisciplinary curriculum I was involved in as a high school visual arts teacher that sparked discoveries in science and art learning. Questions raised in this discussion refer to the British scientist and writer C.P. Snow's most noted lectures regarding his concept of The Two Cultures, where he considers that the breakdown of communication between the sciences and the humanities is a major hindrance in [solving] the world's problems. (3) What do aesthetic and scientific inquiry share in common? How can teachers build bridges between the two disciplines in ways that impact the lives of students? Educators can benefit by considering these questions. My thesis is in agreement with Snow's perspective that, it is not about the superiority of the humanities over the sciences, or the slighting of the importance of science. Rather, that expectations of educators today must be to develop perceptual, cognitive, and expressive capabilities, useful in multi disciplinary learning and relevant to the lives of students they teach. Forms In Nature: Early Artists "The artist uses imagery and metaphor; the scientist, numbers and mathematics." (4) Art and science were first united in the discovery of linear perspective by the sculptor and architect, Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1446). This system is a: geometric procedure for projecting space onto a plane, analogous to the way the lens of a photographic camera now projects a perspective image on the film. …


Methodological approaches to the assessment of alimentary load of nutritional supplements (ALNS) have been based. Description for the different models for assessment of ALNS according to the allowable daily intake and the use of hygienic regulations is presented.


Abstract Meaning Representation parsing is a sentence-to-graph prediction task where target nodes are not explicitly aligned to sentence tokens. However, since graph nodes are semantically based on one or more sentence tokens, implicit alignments can be derived. Transition-based parsers operate over the sentence from left to right, capturing this inductive bias via alignments at the cost of limited expressiveness. In this work, we propose a transition-based system that combines hard-attention over sentences with a target-side action pointer mechanism to decouple source tokens from node representations and address alignments. We model the transitions as well as the pointer mechanism through straightforward modifications within a single Transformer architecture. Parser state and graph structure information are efficiently encoded using attention heads. We show that our action-pointer approach leads to increased expressiveness and attains large gains (+1.6 points) against the best transition-based AMR parser in very similar conditions. While using no graph re-categorization, our single model yields the second best Smatch score on AMR 2.0 (81.8), which is further improved to 83.4 with silver data and ensemble decoding.


This article reports an investigation into the miscibility and morphology of octaisobutyl-substituted polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (ibPOSS) nanocages over a wide concentration range (25–75 wt%) in polymer matrices, produced by solution blending. Three different, strategically chosen polymers were used: polystyrene (PS), poly(isobutyl methacrylate) (PIBMA), and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), to allow the effect of matrix structure and polarity on miscibility to be investigated. Differential scanning calorimetry, dynamic mechanical analysis, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy were used to characterize the composite systems. The Tg of PMMA and PIBMA were found to increase with introduction of ibPOSS, whereas PS did not show any significant change of Tg with increasing POSS content, indicating differing degrees of interaction. The phase separation has been found and a cubic POSS crystal structure has been observed in all blends with different size. The glass transition increased with concentration, even though all compositions were predominantly phase-separated, and we suggest that this is due to the influence of the external face of the crystalline units on the polymer chains, and possibly some polymer contained within the crystalline POSS phase. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2010. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers


New normalized data reusing can significantly improve convergence rates over traditional LMS adaptive filtering methods. However, these methods can still be slow to converge for highly-correlated input data. The convergence rate of this normalized adaptive algorithm can be significantly improved by accelerating these methods using the conjugate gradient and Tchebyshev algorithms. Use of these acceleration techniques can be shown to be approximately equivalent to the popular methods of affine projection albeit at a lower overall computational complexity. Simulation examples illustrate that significant performance improvement may be obtained using these methods of acceleration. Theoretically optimal performance bounds for this method of data reusing are illustrated by proof and simulation.


In this interview, Ye Yumin, the interviewee, first clarifies basic concepts of Economics such as Urban Economics, a city's economy, and industrial structure upgrading, and points out that, to most Chinese cities, the failure of industrial structure upgrading and new driving force fostering largely is due to their inadequate labor force structure. She argues that today's primary task of China's urbanization is to ensure people's overall well-being, encourage their activity and cultivate talents, accumulating human capital to support the continuous upgrading of industrial structure and developing new driving forces. Ye further argues that, in the age of Ecological Civilization, urban planners and designers play an important role in strengthening cities' competitiveness with inclusive renewal and design concepts, while highlighting that China's new reform of a Super-Ministry System is in line with contemporary needs to improve the overall competitiveness of the country in the future and to safeguard the public interests. Finally, by recognizing the application scopes of the both top-down Management mode and bottom-up Governance mode, Ye articulates that all problems in China's PPP cases are caused by the poor credibility of both public and private parties, and a sound credibility system and mechanism is urgently required, which would define duties of both parties.


The default multilayer neural network topology is a fully interlayer connected one. This simplistic choice facilitates the design but it limits the performance of the resulting neural networks. The best-known methods for obtaining partially connected neural networks are the so called pruning methods which are used for optimizing both the size and the generalization capabilities of neural networks. Two of the most promising pruning techniques have therefore been selected for a comparative study. It is shown that these novel techniques are hampered by having numerous user-tunable parameters, which can easily nullify the benefits of these advanced methods. Finally, based on the results, conclusions about the execution of experiments and suggestions for conducting future research on neural network pruning are drawn.


Allura red, sunset yellow, tartrazine and caramel are food colorants and they have well defined potentiometry because of their phenolic structures. The assay of mixture containing food colorants were executed with potentiometry without any chemical separation. The multivariate calibration technique was applied to simultaneous determination of the food colorants in food sample. This method is principal component regression (PCR). The mixture of colorants (alone or mixture) were titrated by potassium hydroxide potentiometry. The linear relationship between the volumes of titrant and the concentrations of analytes was obtained by chemometric method. PCR calibration in the range of 0.6 to 2.2 mL of the potentiometric method for the calibration set was prepared in the range Δλ= 0.05 mL values were read at intervals. In the next step, PCR method, commercial beverage sample caramel, allura red, tartrazine and sunset yellow quantity determinations were performed at the same time. PCR calculated from experimental data, calibration method, a good fit between the observed and the results were compared statistically.


A cultured small cell lung cancer cell line (Lu-134-B-S) established from a xenotransplanted tumor in a nude mouse, which had originated from a primary focus of small cell lung cancer, showed morphological changes when the medium was changed from RPMI 1640 supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum to RPMI 1640 supplemented with 10% delipidized fetal calf serum. That is, it consisted of "classic" small cells in the former medium, but after eight passages in the latter medium many cells became squamous cells, possessing abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm and intercellular bridges. Immunohistochemically, they reacted to antikeratin and antiinvolucrin antibodies. Electron microscopically, well developed desmosomes and associated tonofibrils were noted, and electrophoretically, the amount of medium (Mr 57,000 and 59,000) and large-sized (Mr 67,000) keratins were found to increase with the change of the medium. These changes reversed to the original small cell morphology within 4 weeks after addition of vitamin A (retinoic acid) to the medium. These findings suggested that deficiency of vitamin A caused the change of the cell from small to squamous cell and vice versa.


Voided charged Polypropylene films have very large piezoelectric d33 coefficient and have emerged as a kind of novel electromechanical transducer materials. In this paper, we propose the analysis method of piezoelectric d33 coefficient of voided charged Polypropylene film by finite element model. The very flat voids are simulated by the hollow oblate tetrakaidecahedron and periodic boundary conditions are implied. The electrostatic analysis is conducted and elastic deformation is solved by using ANSYS FE software. Qualitative analysis is presented for the piezoelectric d33 coefficient, and several influencing parameters are discussed, including void geometry and charge density. This finite element model can provide help in the analysis and design of voided charged polymer film with complex microstructures.


BACKGROUND
Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) for primary reperfusion in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) has largely been superseded byf primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and is estimated to be performed in ≤ 5% of STEMI cases.

OBJECTIVES
To compare early CABG (within 30 days following admission) and primary PCI outcomes following STEMI.

METHODS
We analyzed a retrospective cohort of patients hospitalized with acute STEMI for early reperfusion therapy between January 2008 and June 2016. Short- and long-term outcomes were assessed for patients with STEMI undergoing primary PCI vs. early CABG as reperfusion therapy.

RESULTS
The study comprised 1660 STEMI patients, 38 of whom (2.3%) underwent CABG within 30 days of presentation. Unadjusted 30-day mortality was more than twice as high in the CABG group (7.5%) than in the PCI group (3.3%); however, it did not reach statistical significance. Similar results were demonstrated for mortality rates beyond 30 days (22% vs. 14%, P = 0.463). All patients undergoing CABG beyond 72 hours following admission survived past 2 years. Multivariate analysis found no differences between the two groups in long-term mortality risk. propensity score matched long-term mortality comparison (30 days-2 years) yielded a 22% mortality rate in the CABG groups compared with 14% in the PCI group (P < 0.293).

CONCLUSIONS
Early CABG was performed in only a minority of STEMI patients. This high-risk patient population demonstrated worse outcomes compared to patients undergoing PCI. Performing surgery beyond 72 hours following admission may be associated with lower risk.


The UN Paris Agreement of November 2016 recognises the need for a 'cleaner and more efficient energy system' as a core policy goal to address climate change. The spatial and urban form of cities is a key factor in achieving more efficient energy production and consumption and becomes more important with rapid urbanisation across much of the world. City urban form and planning are therefore potentially powerful levers for the energy transition. This paper examines the extent to which city 'energy strategies' address the critical spatial and urban form characteristics of cities as a means to achieve a more efficient energy system. We construct an assessment framework of key aspects of the spatial and urban development of cities related to transport and accessibility and urban form. The framework is used to assess the degree to which energy strategies take into consideration aspects of urban development in four cities that are taking significant action on the energy policy: Hong Kong Oakland, Oslo, and Vancouver. We conclude that in these cities there is only fragmentary consideration of the potential of shaping spatial and urban form in the interests of energy efficiency.


The present article reports on an evaluative study undertaken on a language course so as to indicate its strengths and weaknesses with the purpose of improving future ones. Third-year undergraduate students of Applied Linguistics at the Higher Institute of Languages of Tunis are supposed to receive grammatical instruction from a course labelled 'Communicative Grammar' (CG) following the theory of Communicative Language Teaching. In order to provide an account of the extent to which the current teaching practice conforms to the theory behind it, the main research instrument used in this study is document analysis. Analysis of the aims stated in the syllabus and the objectives of the course book revealed a significant mismatch between theory and practice. It showed that discrepancies exist especially in terms of content as the linguistic information specified in the syllabus and contained in the course book are not consonant with the type of content postulated by Communicative Grammar. Inadequacies exist also at the methodological level, mainly because the activities used throughout the course include linguistic activities instead of communicative tasks. Since this mismatch is attributed mainly to the teachers' academic ability, the article ends with some recommendations of suggestions that can be adapted to meet the daily challenges of improving learning in the classroom.


This research has as focus the study of the learning in two horizontal networks in to agribusiness retail segment. This link plays a dominant role in the process that defines the choices of the other companies and suppliers (other links) that participate in these interorganizacional relationships. In this way, the objectives of this article are: (i) to identify the individual learning strategies adopted by the organizations that participate in the analyzed horizontal networks; (ii) to identify how the companies in the horizontal networks learn (the learning method) and; (iii) to verify in which evolutionary status of interorganizacional learning the researched companies are. This research is characterized as qualitative and exploratory nature and the adopted method is the multiple cases study. The results revealed the existence of differences among the strategies, the methods and the evolutionary status of interorganizacional learning adopted by the companies in the studied networks. These differences can be derived from participation of an external coordinator and of the existence of a joined actions and attitudes planning process. In the net where there is an external coordinator we can identify a collaborative behavior. The interactive learning method is used in this net and the evolutionary stage is characterized as re-orientation. In the net where has not an external coordinator we identify a strategic behavior that leads to avoidance and commitment that leads to competition. The learning methods used in this net are active learning and passive learning and the evolutionary stage is characterized as convergent.


The wet densities of various types of dormant bacterial spores and reference particles were determined by centrifugal buoyant sedimentation in density gradient solutions of three commercial media of high chemical density. With Metrizamide or Renografin, the wet density values for the spores and permeable Sephadex beads were higher than those obtained by a reference direct mass method, and some spore populations were separated into several density bands. With Percoll, all of the wet density values were about the same as those obtained by the direct mass method, and only single density bands resulted. The differences were due to the partial permeation of Metrizamide and Renografin, but not Percoll, into the spores and the permeable Sephadex beads. Consequently, the wet density of the entire spore was accurately represented only by the values obtained with the Percoll gradient and the direct mass method. The dry densities of the spores and particles were determined by gravity buoyant sedimentation in a gradient of two organic solvents, one of high and the other of low chemical density. All of the dry density values obtained by this method were about the same as those obtained by the direct mass method.


Empirical evidence suggests that investor protection has significant effects on ownership concentration and asset prices. We develop a dynamic asset pricing model to address the empirical regularities and uncover some of the underlying mechanisms at play. Our model features a controlling shareholder who endogenously accumulates control over a firm, and diverts a fraction of its output. Better investor protection decreases stock holdings of controlling shareholders, increases stock mean-returns, and increases stock return volatilities when ownership concentration is sufficiently high, consistent with the related empirical evidence. The model also predicts that better protection increases interest rates and decreases the controlling shareholder's leverage. Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers : G12, G32.


Water availability is predicted to be reduced and temperature to rise in the global climate change context. Future climate conditions may thus represent a serious risk for coffee cultivation especially in less favorable environment. Agroforestry has been postulated as a promising strategy to adapting to climate changes. Shade tree may minimize radiation and temperature near the soil surface and reduce soil evaporation. Shade tree may enhance infiltration, reduce runoff and increase rainfall water use efficiency by taking up water from deep soil layers. However, shade tree may reduce the water that reaches the soil by rainfall interception. Trees may consume additional water and can establish a competitive relationship depending on tree species characteristics, soil water availability, site conditions and management.
In this experiment water dynamics and use was monitored in a mature agroforestry experiment where coffee shaded by a mixture of Tabebuia rosea and Simarouba glauca is compared to full sun coffee over 2012 and 2013. The water balance was obtained by two independent approaches: 1) measuring directly all components of water balance (trees and coffee transpiration; soil evaporation; rainfall interception); and 2) measuring changes in the soil water stock through Time Domain Reflectometers (TDR) probes.
Agroforestry (AFS) showed greater transpiration and lower soil surface evaporation compared to full sun (FS). Shade tree did not represent a serious constraint for coffee water use during most of the period of the experiment. Coffee water consumption represented 75% of the total transpiration in agroforestry while Tabebuia rosea transpired 17% and Simarouba glauca 8%. Complementarity was demonstrated by root niche differentiation between coffee and Simarouba glauca that seemed to be more suitable as coffee shade tree compared to Tabebuia rosea. We also demonstrated high competition between coffee and shade tree when an atypical very dry season occurred. Transpiration was stabilized although the high evaporative demand and coffee leaf water potential reached its lowest value in AFS which suggested high level of coffee water stress. Adaptation strategies for coping with climate change using shade trees need to be devised taking into account this quantified information into account


Date Presented 04/04/19
 The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to gain a deeper understanding of attitudes, beliefs, and personal experiences about reproductive decision making and its influence on QOL from the perspective of those with HD and their spouses. OTs are uniquely trained to evaluate and provide interventions based on client factors that may impact health, well-being, and participation in occupations. Implications for OT were discussed.
 Primary Author and Speaker: David LeVan
 Contributing Authors: Kathryn Fillman, Juliet Corrigan, Rachael Mack, Zoe Maslowski


At Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG), seismic activities have focused on static and dynamic imaging of the reservoir to reduce risk for appraisal and development drilling. Imaging and reservoir characterization constrain the "static" reservoir model, and 4D reservoir monitoring constrains the "dynamic" reservoir model. Over the last several years we have successfully tested and implemented prestack depth migration, 4-C OBS acquisition and processing, and towed-streamer 4D in various parts of ACG. Results from these technologies are being used to shape the longer-term (20+ years) seismic strategy of the development—in particular, how 4D seismic surveillance should be implemented across ACG.


Four patients with myeloma disease were examined. The debut was characterized by stubborn strong pain in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Involvement of the TMJ presents as arthralgia but not arthritis. A specific feature of the disease is possibility of rather long functioning of the joint and absence of any inflammatory changes. X-Ray examinations show multiple round clearly seen 1 to 5 mm defects in the bone without any destructive or degenerative changes. Myeloma disease is to be differentiated from TMJ involvement in systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, Bechterew's disease, in elderly patients or patients with a long disease standing from involution involvement of the TMJ (Costen's syndrome) or osteoarthrosis deformans.


Modern structural biology relies on Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), X-ray crystallography, and cryo-electron microscopy for gaining information on biomolecules at nanometer, sub-nanometer, or atomic resolution. All these methods, however, require averaging over a vast ensemble of entities, and hence knowledge on the conformational landscape of an individual particle is lost. Unfortunately, there are now strong indications that even X-ray free electron lasers will not be able to image individual molecules but will require nanocrystal samples. Here, we show that non-destructive structural biology of single particles has now become possible by means of low-energy electron holography. As an example, individual tobacco mosaic virions deposited on ultraclean freestanding graphene are imaged at 1 nm resolution revealing structural details arising from the helical arrangement of the outer protein shell of the virus. Since low-energy electron holography is a lens-less technique and since electrons with a deBrogl...


In this paper, we investigate the problem of training neural machine translation (NMT) systems with a dataset of more than 40 billion bilingual sentence pairs, which is larger than the largest dataset to date by orders of magnitude. Unprecedented challenges emerge in this situation compared to previous NMT work, including severe noise in the data and prohibitively long training time. We propose practical solutions to handle these issues and demonstrate that large-scale pretraining significantly improves NMT performance. We are able to push the BLEU score of WMT17 Chinese-English dataset to 32.3, with a significant performance boost of +3.2 over existing state-of-the-art results.


Fatigue is a major problem in various rheumatic diseases. Only a few studies so far have focused on the occurrence of fatigue in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) (1).The aim of this study was to explore the prevalence and impact of fatigue in patients with PsA and its potentially association with disease activity in daily routine rheumatologic care.105 consecutive outpatients with definitive PsA (mean age 62 years, mean disease duration 8 years) were included in this prospective study. Patients received a clinical examination and laboratory tests. Furthermore, following assessments were used: assessment of disease activity (patient (PG) and physician global (PhG), NRS, 0-10), DAS28, CDAI, pain (NRS, 0-10), HAQ, SF-36, fatigue (NRS (0-10) and Chalder Fatigue Scale (CFS; bimodal: 0-3 no fatigue, 4-11 fatigue; Likert scale: 0-3 no fatigue, 4-33 fatigue, 19-33 severe fatigue/chronic fatigue syndrome) (2).In the CFS questionnaire 56/105 patients (53%) were classified as fatigue cases (bimodal score >4). 22/105 (21%) suffered from severe fatigue/chronic fatigue syndrome (score > 19, Likert scale). Mean fatigue was 14,9 (CFS, Likert Scale) and 4,5 (NRS). In n=47 (45%) patients fatigue was present <3 months, in 22 (21%) patients 3-6 months, whereas in n=34 (32%) >6 months. Intraday fatigue occurred in 75-100% of full daytime in 20 patients (19%).An extensive impairment of the health related quality of life has been shown in all categories of SF36 (PF=46; RP=52, BP=42, GH=53, VI=45, SF=74, RE=51, MH=68). Fatigue strongly correlated with 6 dimensions of SF36: RP r= -0,61, BP r= -0,73, GH = -0,66, VI r= -0,79, SF r= -0,54, MH r= -0,59.On average disease activity was low (mean DAS28 = 2,5) with a range from 0,5 to 7,8.Fatigue strongly correlated with the PG (r=0,72) as well as with DAS28 (r=0,49), CDAI (r=0,57), pain (r=0,71), tender joint count (r=0,41) and HAQ (r=0.57). The PhG showed only a poor correlation with fatigue (r=0,29). There was no correlation with ESR (r= -0,01), CRP (r=0,14) and swollen joint count (r=0,17).63/105 (60%) patients were in DAS28 remission (DAS28 < 2.6) but 24/63 (38%) of them suffered from fatigue. 39/105 (37%) patients were exhibiting DAS28 disease activity (DAS28 > 2.6). All these patients suffered from fatigue, 29/39 (74%) had severe fatigue.Our results show that fatigue is a major problem in PsA with relevant impact on the health related quality of life. The relatively high percentage of patients suffering from fatigue despite clinical remission or low disease activity suggests that fatigue could be an independent outcome criterion in PsA that should be considered as an additional dimension of remission.It seems that the clinical routine assessments of disease activity including laboratory tests and PhG do not identify fatigue in PsA sufficiently. Therefore a standardized acquisition of fatigue should be part of studies and daily routine care for PsA patients.[1]Krajewska-Włodarczyk A et al (2017): Fatigue – an underestimated symptom in psoriatic arthritis. Reumatologia. 2017; 55(3): 125–130.[2]Chalder, T et al (1993): "Development of a fatigue scale". Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 37 (2): 147–153.Catalina B. Vigener-Buxel: None declared, Hans-Eckhard Langer Shareholder of: Novartis, Roche, Merck, Sanofi-Aventis, Stephanie Gabriele Werner: None declared, René Chatelain: None declared


The evolution of maize yields under drought is of particular concern in the context of climate change and human population growth. To better understand the mechanisms associated with the genetic polymorphisms underlying the variations of traits related to drought tolerance, we used a systems genetics approach integrating high-throughput phenotypic, proteomics and genomics data acquired on 254 maize hybrids grown under two watering conditions. We show that water deficit, even mild, induced a strong proteome remodeling and a reprogramming of the genetic control of the abundance of many proteins. We identify close co-localizations between QTLs and pQTLs, thus highlighting environment-specific pleiotropic loci associated to the co-expression of drought-responsive proteins and to the variations of phenotypic traits. These findings bring several lines of evidence supporting candidate genes at many loci and provide novel insight into the molecular mechanisms of drought tolerance.


Abstract A retrospective analysis of ten patients with anomalous left coronary artery arising from the pulmonary artery operated between 1979 and 1990 was undertaken. All presented with evidence of left ventricular dysfunction and "ischemic" mitral regurgitation. Surgical repair consisted of an aortopulmonary tunnel (Takeuchi) procedure in eight and direct left coronary artery reimplantation in two. Two patients required postoperative support with a left ventricular assist device. There were no operative or late deaths (CL 0% to 17%) for a follow‐up of over 670 patient months. All patients are in New York Heart Association Class I or II, though two patients are still receiving anticongestive medications. One patient has required further surgery for pulmonary artery stenosis, and another has had a mitral valve replacement because of severe mitral regurgitation. One additional patient has moderate‐to‐severe residual mitral regurgitation and two have a trivial left coronary to main pulmonary artery fistula. All have a patent, nonstenotic left coronary artery and much improved left ventricular function and perfusion as assessed by echocardiography, thallium scan, gated blood pool scan, and angiography. There have been no documented arrhythmias, clinically or on Hotter monitoring. The ECGs have shown resolution or improvement of the initial changes of ischemia/infarction in all patients. Chest X‐rays have shown normalization of cardiothoracic ratio in eight of ten patients. Excellent early and late results can be achieved following timely surgical repair. Marked improvement in left ventricular function has been observed in patients with poor preoperative left ventricular function, even in the presence of extensive ischemia/infarction.


In this study, a comparison of two discretization methods in the numerical modeling of the free surface flow over stepped and ogee spillways has been presented. FLUENT has been used for the numerical solution via Finite Volume Method (FVM), and for the Finite Element Method (FEM) ADINA has been used in literature. These two methods have been compared with experimental results of free surface flow over spillways. It is worth mentioning that k-e model has been used for modeling the turbulence of flow. According to study results, an acceptable match has been observed between the two methods and experimental results. Nevertheless FVM has presented more acceptable results in some regions compared to FEM.


Melbourne, has recently reported (with excellent aortogram pictures) another case of paraplegia following aortography. His case was further complicated by a temporary anuria. After a test dose of 7 ml. of " urokon " two separate injections, one of 45 ml. and one of 32 ml., of urokon were made. There was no evidence in his case of the contrast being injected outside the lumen. However, a large quantity of contrast medium injected by a pressure apparatus was used by him, and the technique was similar to that of Mr. Gaylis and Dr. Laws. Incidentally, pressure pumps have, judging from the literature, often been used to inject the medium at far too high a rate. The speed suggested by Mr. Gaylis and Dr. Laws (10 ml. a second) is of course a safe one, but such instruments which are capable of very high injection pressures can be extremely dangerous in other and unskilled hands.


The Muhammadiyah movement aims to stimulate religious life according to Koran and Sunnah. Nevertheless, many Indonesians still believe that Muhammadiyah refuses to recognize local cultural heritage and traditions. This paper discusses two aspects of Muhammadiyah, namely Salafism and modernism, as elements of tajdid (renewal) that encourage modernity in Aceh. The spirit of tajdid in Muhamadiyah's perspective has two meanings: (1) purification in akidah and ibadah (worship) in line with the practices of Prophet Muhammad SAW; and (2) tajdid means dynamizing people's lives with a creative spirit that is suitable to the challenges and demands of modern era.


We are one: The role of group identity and self-sacrificial leaders on the generation of social capital within youth sport programs by Dorothy R. Collins Popular culture often assumes that participation in youth sport has a host of positive benefits, including the ability to generate social capital, spur future occupational success and encourage greater levels of civic engagement (Coalter, 2007). There is; however, little empirical evidence to support this ideal (Coakley, 2011). In fact, little is known about the specific conditions within a sport organization that likely to facilitate youth sport organizations to become more adept at generating, maintaining, and distributing social capital to their members. Using the Community of Practice framework (Wenger, McDermott & Snyder, 2002) as a lens, the author investigated the conditions under which youth sport organizations are most effectively able to generate social capital for their members. In doing so, the author explores the relationship between team identification and role identification. This is therefore the first empirical test of the theoretical work of Lock and Heere (2017) that proposed that team identification, driven by social identity theory (Tajfel, 1978) and role identification, driven by identity theory, are unique but interdependent constructs. Using structural equation modeling, the author proposed and supported a model in which the relationship between team identification and role identification was explored. Furthermore, this model examined the importance of self-sacrificial leadership on the ability of youth sport organizations to generate social capital for its members. The results of this study demonstrate that role identification positively impacts the development of team identification. Team identification and self-sacrificial leadership behaviors of the organization's leaders positively impacted the development of social capital within the organization. Role identification does not have a positive impact on the creation of social capital. Implications for youth sport organizations and participants, including suggestions about the importance of fostering team identification are discussed. Finally, directions for future research, particularly with regards to how to effectively develop team identification and how this may relate to athlete retention are discussed.


Depression and chronic fatigue are frequently associated with heart disease. They may precede the onset of myocardial infarction, singly or together, and increase the morbidity and mortality of patients with a history of MI. Virtually all such patients have a transient depression, usually accompanied by anxiety, with onset soon after hospitalization. Although this depression is transient and usually abates spontaneously, it frequently warrants therapeutic intervention. Psychosocial and personality factors play a significant role in the recovery of a patient with a cardiac condition. The clinician must be alert for the effects of changing roles within the family and behaviors that may lead to chronic invalidism. Anxiety disorders, often combined with depression, may mimic cardiac disease and may result from it, leading to chronic fatigue and weakness. Proper diagnosis usually leads to considerable improvement. Cardiac drugs, in addition to many others, may produce depression and fatigue that may be misdiagnosed. Often, discontinuing or changing a medication will lead to marked diminution of such symptoms. Observational and listening skills are key ingredients of the "art" of medicine; they can lead to interventions that are not only therapeutic, but which improve the "quality" of life.


Mole National Park is the largest and the oldest national park in Ghana and an important bird area, yet its waterbird fauna is poorly documented because it is situated in the northern ecological zone far away from the coast of Ghana. Information on the seasonal variation in the park's bird abundance and diversity is generally patchy but necessary for effective birdwatching planning and management of the park's birds. Therefore, as a guide to potential ecotourists interested in waterbirds, this study described the seasonal variation in waterbird species diversity and abundance at Mole National Park. As waterbirds mostly congregate around open wetlands and their abundance is more appropriately determined by counting all individuals in the congregant, data were collected using the total area count of waterbirds from August 2015 to October 2015 (the wet season) and from December 2015 to February 2016 (the dry season). Secondary data on arrival of tourists in the park were also analysed. The park's waterbird species richness was 29 in the dry season compared to 18 in the wet season. There was significant difference (p < 0.05) in the abundance of waterbirds in the dry season in which 4014 waterbirds were encountered compared to 646 in the wet season. The yearly tourist arrival data at Mole National Park shows an increasing trend with peak visitation period occurring during the wet season. The chances of tourists encountering more species and numbers of waterbirds in the park are higher in the dry season compared to the wet season.Conservation implications: Species richness and abundance of waterbirds in Mole National Park varied according to the wet and dry seasons with both the number of species and abundance higher in the dry season than the wet season. It is therefore indicative that most birdwatchers who visit the park in the wet season miss out on a number of species and numbers of waterbirds. To achieve effective birdwatching, management should schedule birdwatching activities to coincide with the dry season as the chances of encountering more species and numbers of waterbirds are higher.


This research looks at the coverage of Thanksgiving during the past 100 years on 11 daily urban newspapers published in the United States in an effort to assess journalistic practices related to the coverage of routine news stories and to understand how through its coverage newspapers represent and interpret social, political, and economic change. The Thanksgiving holiday was chosen because it has been a traditional news story consistently covered each year in the press and an analysis of the coverage provides insights into the basic routines of journalism including news conventions, journalistic values, and norms over the past 100 years.


Purpose

This study aims to examine the unexpected portion of the pension discount rate to determine if the pension discount rate is being used to manage earnings for both financially healthy and financially unhealthy firms as categorized based upon their Altman z-score for bankruptcy.

Design/methodology/approach

Regression analysis is conducted with the unexpected portion of the pension discount rate as the dependent variable and various metrics indicating potential firm strengths and weaknesses as the independent variables.

Findings

This study finds evidence that suggests managers for both groups of firms are using their choice of discount rate to manage bottom-line earnings. These findings highlight the patterns of various firm choice differences found between the two groups and the magnitude of the differences between the groups.

Originality/value

Three streams of literature are considered in this research: earnings management, defined pension plans and z-score bankruptcy. This study extends prior research by examining the unexpected portion of the pension discount rate based on the z-score determination of whether a firm is considered financially healthy or financially unhealthy. Our findings highlight the impact of various firm choice differences found between the two groups of firms.


Presented is a complete functional model of parallelism in FPGA based Canny computations. Distinguished are top-, high-, mid- and low level of parallelism. The specific  use of each level in tthe different parts of Canny algorithm is thoroughly explored. Studied is the impact of all levels of parallelism on speed on the basis of particular formulae. The mathematics and speed capabilities of a specific type of FPGA based multiplication is analyzed in the context of parallelism.


BACKGROUND/AIMS
Previous studies have found that the injection of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (rBMSCs) in a mouse model of acute hepatic failure significantly relieves intestinal damage and endotoxemia. However, the mechanism of this process remains unknown. This study demonstrated the differentiation of rBMSCs into enterocyte-like cells and possible molecular mechanisms for this with the aim of finding a new treatment for intestinal epithelial injury and endotoxemia during liver failure.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
rBMSCs were isolated from rat femurs and tibias. Differentiation was induced by co-culturing rBMSCs with rat intestinal epithelial cells (mIEC-6) using Transwell plates; after three, seven, and ten days of induction, expression of specific differentiation molecules were quantified. To inhibit the activity of the Mitogen-activated protein kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) signaling pathway, an inhibitor of Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1/2 (MEK1/2) was added to the co-culture medium, and western blot analysis was performed after 36 or 72 h to evaluate the expression of ERK1/2 signaling pathway markers (p-MEK1/2 and p-ERK1/2).

RESULTS
The rBMSCs differentiated into enterocyte-like cells when co-cultured with mIEC-6 cells. Inhibition of ERK1/2 signaling abrogated the activity of MEK1/2, but MEK increased after 72 h, and the epithelioid differentiation of rBMSCs was consistent with the change in MEK expression.

CONCLUSION
rBMSCs differentiate into intestinal epithelium after co-culture with mIEC-6 by regulation of the ERK1/2 signaling pathway. Further research is needed to elucidate the network of mechanisms.


Background Despite gout's well-known pathogenesis and the availability of effective urate-lowering therapy (ULT), management remains poor. However, limited research has sought to improve care among this patient population. An in-depth understanding of provider and patient perspectives on barriers to the delivery of optimal gout care is critical to informing the development of evidence-based interventions to effectively improve disease management and patient outcomes. Objectives To systematically review and thematically synthesize qualitative studies to date reporting provider and patient barriers to gout management. Methods We conducted a mapped search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and Social Sciences Citation Index databases and selected qualitative studies reporting provider and patient perspectives on gout management. Thematic synthesis was used to combine the source studies and identify key themes across studies. Two authors independently read and annotated the data and after discussion agreed on an initial coding framework. Concepts were organized into descriptive themes, and the relationships between these descriptive themes were further explored to develop higher-order analytical themes. Results Our search strategy retrieved 2,750 articles after the removal of duplicates. After full-text review, 20 studies spanning several geographic settings worldwide (i.e., the US, the UK, New Zealand, Australia, and the Netherlands) met all inclusion criteria and were included in our systematic review. Of these, 16 studies reported gout patient perspectives (n=480 patients), while only 7 studies reported provider perspectives (n=120 providers, including general practitioners, rheumatologists and other specialists, and allied health professionals). Thematic synthesis identified three predominant interlocking analytical themes among providers: (a) knowledge gaps and management approaches, (b) perceptions and beliefs about gout patients, and (c) system barriers to optimal gout care (Table 1). We further identified four predominant themes among gout patients: (a) limited gout knowledge (e.g., the "curable" nature of gout), (b) attitudes toward taking medication, (c) interactions with healthcare providers, and (d) practical barriers to chronic medication use (Table 1). Conclusions Our thematic synthesis identified several barriers to gout care, particularly knowledge gaps among both providers and patients as well as implementation barriers to the provision of optimal care. Knowledge translation initiatives emphasizing the "curable" nature of gout targeting both providers and patients as well as strategies to reduce system barriers and support regular medication use are urgently needed to improve gout care. Acknowledgements This study was supported in part by a grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (PCS 146388). We wish to thank the Arthritis Patient Advisory Board of Arthritis Research Canada for providing their consumer input into this project. Disclosure of Interest None declared


Abstract. This article provides an overview of the effects of land-use on the fluxes of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) and from peatlands in the Nordic countries based on the field data from about 100 studies. In addition, this review aims to identify the gaps in the present knowledge on the greenhouse gas (GHG) balances associated with the land-use of these northern ecosystems. Northern peatlands have accumulated, as peat, a vast amount of carbon from the atmosphere since the last glaciation. However, the past land-use and present climate have evidently changed their GHG balance. Unmanaged boreal peatlands may act as net sources or sinks for CO2 and CH4 depending on the weather conditions. Drainage for agriculture has turned peatlands to significant sources of GHGs (mainly N2O and CO2). Annual mean GHG balances including net CH4, N2O and CO2 emissions are 2260, 2280 and 3140 g CO2 eq. m−2 (calculated using 100 year time horizon) for areas drained for grass swards, cereals or those left fallow, respectively. Even after cessetion of the cultivation practices, N2O and CO2 emissions remain high. The mean net GHG emissions in abandoned and afforested agricultural peatlands have been 1580 and 500 g CO2 eq. m−2, respectively. Peat extraction sites are net sources of GHGs with an average emission rate of 770 g CO2 eq. m−2. Cultivation of a perennial grass (e.g., reed canary grass) on an abandoned peat extraction site has been shown to convert such a site into a net sink of GHGs (−330 g CO2 eq. m−2). In contrast, despite restoration, such sites are known to emit GHGs (mean source of 480 g CO2 eq. m−2, mostly from high CH4 emissions). Peatland forests, originally drained for forestry, may act as net sinks (mean −780 g CO2 eq. m−2). However, the studies where all three GHGs have been measured at an ecosystem level in the forested peatlands are lacking. The data for restored peatland forests (clear cut and rewetted) indicate that such sites are on average a net sink (190 g CO2 eq. m−2). The mean emissions from drained peatlands presented here do not include emissions from ditches which form a part of the drainage network and can contribute significantly to the total GHG budget. Peat soils submerged under water reservoirs have acted as sources of CO2, CH4 and N2O (mean annual emission 240 g CO2 eq. m−2). However, we cannot yet predict accurately the overall greenhouse gas fluxes of organic soils based on the site characteristics and land-use practices alone because the data on many land-use options and our understanding of the biogeochemical cycling associated with the gas fluxes are limited.


This case study explores the value of high potential coaching as part of a leadership development programme. As empirical and participant-based research for coaching (effectiveness) in a talent management context is scarce, both participant and organisation perspectives were explored. This research shows that the coaching readiness of participants could be influenced, both by the organisation and the relationship with the coach. The findings show that both the organisation and the participants valued personal realisations, increased effectiveness and career moves, although emphasised different elements. Findings could be relevant for coaching in a talent management context or for when engagement in coaching is not voluntary.


The objective of partially adaptive array design is to reduce the number of adaptive weights without significantly degrading the performance of the adaptive array. Previous work includes numerical techniques for approximately minimizing the average generalized sidelobe canceller (GSC) output power for a desired number of adaptive weights, where the average is over a range of jammer parameters. Our new "power-space method" also attempts to minimize the average GSC output power, but under a constraint that the reduced-dimensional solutions for all of the scenario trials lie in the same subspace. This constraint allows us to use the singular value decomposition to get the rank-reducing transformation, thereby simplifying the optimization problem. Using computer simulation, we show that our transformation yields lower output power in comparison with a previously reported example that used the numerical methods. The simplicity of the method allows large ranges of jammer parameters to be considered, Using our transformation, we consider how closely the reduced-rank solutions match the full-rank solutions and how the quality of this match relates to the output power of the partially adaptive array.


Abstract Boyeria cretensis belongs to the most threatened European dragonfly species. It is restricted to some isolated permanent streams on the island of Crete. The streams have a pronounced gallery vegetation and are situated in a narrow belt of altitude between 50 and 400 m. We understand very little about the biology of this species so information is required to develop effective conservation measures. The life cycle and spatial distribution of the larvae were studied at a small perennial stream in the central part of Crete during three consecutive years. The larvae showed a preference for calcareous sinter mineral substrate associated with organic material such as roots, leaves and wood. This microhabitat selection is supposed to be mainly an antidrift strategy, since B. cretensis lives in habitats with a dynamic hydrology during the rainy period in winter. On the other hand, it may also be a strategy to avoid predation from fish and crabs. The last seven larval stadia were determined by wing sheath length and head width. Based on data of head width frequency distributions, a univoltine or semivoltine life cycle is discussed.


Vibration and stability studies have been undertaken on glass fibre reinforced polymer composite unstiffened and stiffened plates to optimise their dynamic properties. Boundary conditions, stiffeners and orthotropy of the material add to the complexity of a mathematical solution and to overcome this problem experimental and analytical studies were undertaken. The former method was carried out by impact hammer and an FFT digital signal analyser and the latter method was undertaken using finite element computer software. The current research concentrated upon the procedures and possible techniques available to optimise the dynamic properties of the plate without introducing weight penalty with the object of achieving an efficient structural performance coupled with an economic design. It has been shown that most of the increase in frequency and critical buckling load was directly related to the increase in stiffness of the stiffener and its position on the plate structure. The mode shapes have provided information regarding the most advantageous position for the setting of the stiffeners; they must be positioned away from nodal lines. The effect of the stiffener was significant for the fully clamped and clamped/free plates where only bending modes of vibration are present. However, for the completely free plates, where both bending and torsional modes of vibration could occur, the effect that the stiffeners have on the torsional modes was minimal. To locate precisely the position of the stiffener may be difficult when the plates are subjected to in-plane compressive loads, because higher order mode shapes may interchange. The mass-saving advantage which has been obtained in this research has shown that the stiffened plates with top-hat stiffeners were seen to have higher natural frequencies, within a specific vibration mode, compared to stiffened plates with rectangular stiffeners (blade).


Many standard robotic platforms are equipped with at least a fixed 2D laser range finder and a monocular camera. Although those platforms do not have sensors for 3D depth sensing capability, knowledge of depth is an essential part in many robotics activities. Therefore, recently, there is an increasing interest in depth estimation using monocular images. As this task is inherently ambiguous, the data-driven estimated depth might be unreliable in robotics applications. In this paper, we have attempted to improve the precision of monocular depth estimation by introducing 2D planar observation from the remaining laser range finder without extra cost. Specifically, we construct a dense reference map from the sparse laser range data, redefining the depth estimation task as estimating the distance between the real and the reference depth. To solve the problem, we construct a novel residual of residual neural network, and tightly combine the classification and regression losses for continuous depth estimation. Experimental results suggest that our method achieves considerable promotion compared to the state-of-the-art methods on both NYUD2 and KITTI, validating the effectiveness of our method on leveraging the additional sensory information. We further demonstrate the potential usage of our method in obstacle avoidance where our methodology provides comprehensive depth information compared to the solution using monocular camera or 2D laser range finder alone.


After independence, South Africa embarked on a land reform programme that is meant to redress the highly inequitable land ownership which resulted from Apartheid. The programme comprises land redistribution, land restitution and land tenure. On restitution projects, the maintenance of production has been highly problematic. Loss of production means there is very little or no livelihoods impacts from restitution. The beneficiaries of restitution projects usually have neither farming experience nor capital to continue or restart the farm operations. As a result, most restitution projects are either non-functional or are functioning at a meager fraction of previous levels. Most studies on restitution have been carried out by studying the beneficiaries but not previous owners. I use the social constructivist paradigm to explore personal experience through engagement using the interview as a data collection tool. I explore the perspectives of a previous land owner who provides insights into how the restitution programme could be made more successful by letting a conversation occur between the previous owners and beneficiaries. I posit that it is essential to include the previous owners to reduce the trauma from loss of their lifestyle while also reducing beneficiaries' trauma caused by lack of benefits from restitution.


Abstract Two new, extinct taxa of peccaries from upper Miocene deposits of the western Amazon Basin provide the first data documenting the presence of these North American mammals in South America in the Miocene. One, Sylvochoerus woodburnei n. gen. n. sp., is allied morphologically to Tayassu pecari, whereas the second, Waldochoerus bassleri n. gen. n. sp., is more similar to Pecari tajacu. Both new taxa reflect an intermediate position between middle Miocene peccaries and modern Tayassu and Pecari. The specimens reported here were unstudied, but when collected they were referred to living species of Tayassu and Pecari based on their general similarity to species of those two living genera, and they were dated to the Pleistocene, presumably based on a long–standing model of the Great American Faunal Interchange. The presence of peccaries in South America at approximately the same time that South American ground sloths began appearing in upper Miocene deposits of North America, and soon after the appearance of gomphotheres in South America, indicates that dispersal between the Americas was earlier and involved more taxa than previously interpreted. Molecular divergence data are consistent, in part, with a late Miocene dispersal of peccaries to South America.


We investigated the long-term responses of tobacco tissues to salt stress, with a particular interest for growth parameters, proline (Pro) accumulation, and carbohydrate metabolism. Exposure of 17-day-old tobacco plants to 0.2 M NaCl was followed by a higher decrease in dry matter in roots than shoots with a decrease of both Chlorophyll a and b. Analysis of potassium, sodium and chloral accumulation showed dramatic effect to K + accumulation especially in shoots, whereas Na + and Cl - accumulation were strongly increased in shoots with NaCl treatment, but with minor effects in the roots. Salinity stress conditions induced a strong increase in sugar free content in the shoot and root and Pro and 2- oxoglutarate biosynthesis in tobacco tissues. However, salt-stress resulted in significant increase in the activity of NADPH and NADH malate dehydrogenase dependency, particularly in the roots, and this effect was reversed with NADP + and NAD + -dependent malate dehydrogenase, but the activity of these enzymes was also maintained significantly higher in the absence of NaCl. Significant decreases in NADPH-depend isocitrate dehydrogenase was also observed after long-term salt treatment in tobacco plants. In addition, a gradual increase was observed in the in vitro aminating GDH activity, but the in vitro deaminating activity remained unchanged under salinity stress. These results confirmed the hypothesis that the salinity-generated MDH and GDH induction act as anti-stress enzymes in ammonia detoxification and production of Glu for Pro synthesis. Keywords: Tobacco, carbohydrate metabolism, salinity stress


The primary anatomical defect leading to periventricular nodular heterotopia occurs within the neural progenitors along the neuroepithelial lining of the lateral ventricles and results from a defect in the initiation of neuronal migration, following disruption of the neuroependyma and impaired neuronal motility. Growing evidence indicates that the FLNA-dependent actin dynamics and regulation of vesicle formation and trafficking by activation of ADP-ribosylation factors (ARFs) can play an important role in this cortical malformation. We report the first inherited variant of ARF1 in a girl with intellectual disability and periventricular nodular heterotopia who inherited the variant from the father with previously undiagnosed single nodular heterotopia and mild clinical expression. Additionally, both patients presented some features suggestive of hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia. These clinical features showed similarities to those of three previously reported cases with ARF1 missense variants, confirming that haploinsufficiency of this gene causes a recognisable neurological disorder with abnormal neuronal migration and variable clinical expressivity.


E-cadherin-mediated cell-cell adhesion is critical for naive pluripotency of cultured mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). E-cadherin-depleted mESC fail to downregulate their pluripotency program and are unable to initiate lineage commitment. To further explore the roles of cell adhesion molecules during mESC differentiation, we focused on p120 catenin (p120ctn). Although one key function of p120ctn is to stabilize and regulate cadherin-mediated cell-cell adhesion, it has many additional functions, including regulation of transcription and Rho GTPase activity. Here, we investigated the role of mouse p120ctn in early embryogenesis, mESC pluripotency and early fate determination. In contrast to the E-cadherin-null phenotype, p120ctn-null mESCs remained pluripotent, but their in vitro differentiation was incomplete. In particular, they failed to form cystic embryoid bodies and showed defects in primitive endoderm formation. To pinpoint the underlying mechanism, we undertook a structure-function approach. Rescue of p120ctn-null mESCs with different p120ctn wild-type and mutant expression constructs revealed that the long N-terminal domain of p120ctn and its regulatory domain for RhoA were dispensable, whereas its armadillo domain and interaction with E-cadherin were crucial for primitive endoderm formation. We conclude that p120ctn is not only an adaptor and regulator of E-cadherin, but is also indispensable for proper lineage commitment.


Using transmission electron microscopy, we studied the structures and compositions of Fe sulfides within cells of magnetotactic bacteria that were collected from natural habitats. Ferrimagnetic greigite (Fe3S4) occurred in all types of sulfide-producing magnetotactic bacteria examined. Mackinawite (tetragonal FeS) and, tentatively, sphalerite-type cubic FeS were also identified. In contrast to earlier reports, we did not find pyrite (FeS2) or pyrrhotite (Fe12xS). Mackinawite converted to greigite over time within the bacteria that were deposited on electron microscope grids and stored in air. Orientation relationships between the two minerals indicate that the cubic-close-packed S substructure remains unchanged during the transformation; only the Fe atoms rearrange. Neither mackinawite nor cubic FeS are magnetic, and yet they are aligned in chains such that when converted to magnetic greigite, the probable easy axis of magnetization, [100], is parallel to the chain direction. The resulting chains of greigite are ultimately responsible for the magnetic dipole moment of the cell. Both greigite and mackinawite magnetosomes can contain Cu, depending on the sampling locality. Because bacterial mackinawite and cubic FeS are unstable over time, only greigite crystals are potentially useful as geological biomarkers.