Epidemiological studies and in vitro analysis demonstrate correlations between selenium status and human pre-eclampsia (PET). Selenium is an essential component in the anti-oxidant proteins glutathione peroxidase and thioredoxin reductase, which are produced in lower amounts in pre-eclamptic placenta. This study examined the effect of modulating dietary selenium content in pregnant rats. Rats were fed diets containing no selenium, 239 microg/kg selenium or 1000 microg/kg selenium, four weeks prior to and following conception. Significant pregnancy-specific increases in systolic blood pressure (116.4 +/- 5.2 mmHg vs 108 +/- 6.8 mmHg vs 111.4 +/- 4.7 mmHg) and proteinuria (9.68 +/- 2.12 microg/ml vs 5.93 +/- 1.59 microg/ml vs 4.43 +/- 0.96 microg/ml) were demonstrated in animals fed a selenium free-diet when compared with normal or high selenium diets. Placental weight and pup number were not affected by selenium deprivation, however a significant decrease in the pup weight was evident. Selenium deprivation caused dose-dependent decreases in liver glutathione peroxidase (28.55 +/- 3.82 mmoles/min/mg vs 34.68 +/- 8.64 mmoles/min/mg) and thioredoxin reductase (2.37 +/- 1.25 U/mg vs 6.68 +/- 1.82 U/mg) activity, whereas superoxide dismutase activity remained constant. Placental activity of these enzymes also decreased leading to oxidative stress as measured by increased lipid peroxides (17.92 +/- 1.78 micromoles/mg vs 8.30 +/- 5.52 micromoles/mg) and protein carbonyls in tissue extracts from selenium-free animals. These results suggest that selenium deficiency in pregnant rats leads to symptoms similar to those seen in human PET and may provide an experimental model for studying this complex disease.


ABSTRACT The results of a reconnaissance study of 58 samples of Pennsylvanian carbonate beds, collected over a wide range of areas within the state and the whole stratigraphic section, reveal that significant quantities of ferroan-dolomite are present. Methods of analysis were: (1) X-ray diffraction patterns for estimation of relative abundance of calcite and dolomite structures, (2) differential thermal analysis for identification of ferroan-dolomite, and (3) thin section petrology for characterization of textures and relationships between carbonate minerals in the rocks. Some representatives of all limestone beds below the Trivoli limestone (mid-McLeansboro group) contain ferroan-dolomite; higher limestones are almost completely calcitic. The limestones in the lower part of the McLeansboro g oup, particularly the Bankston Fork, consistently show some high ferroan-dolomite percentages. There is no apparent correlation of dolomite content with basin or shelf occurrence, or surficial weathering. Study of thin sections shows that dolomite rhombs are secondary and are most abundant in association with certain rock textures. Suggestions are made for further study on problems of mineralogy and genesis of limestone and dolomite beds.


Abstract: In sub-Saharan Africa, the demand for higher rice production continues to grow rapidly. Although there is a huge potential for increasing rice production through expansion of the rice cultivation area in wetlands, iron (Fe) toxicity tends to occur and consequently results in low rice yield. Development and deployment of varieties tolerant to Fe toxicity is one of the practical options to overcome this constraint. Several tolerant varieties have been developed through conventional breeding but progress in breeding has been generally slow mainly due to large genotype × environment interaction and field heterogeneity, which make rice selection ineffective. In addition, there are no valid managed-stress screening protocols which are highly efficient and that can predict rice performance in the diverse target environments of West Africa. Many O. glaberrima accessions have superior tolerance, but only a few of them have been utilized in breeding programs. The known quantitative trait loci (QTLs) related to Fe toxicity, have not been used for marker-assisted selection (MAS), as they gave small effects with a large confidence interval. Accelerating rice breeding efficiency for tolerance to Fe toxicity requires establishment of reliable screening protocols, use of O. glaberrima accessions as donors, identification of large-effect QTLs and MAS using such QTLs. This paper reviews the past and current efforts in West Africa to develop new varieties with superior tolerance to Fe toxicity.


Thick ash-fl ow tuffs provide marker beds through fossiliferous Eocene and Oligocene marine and non-marine sedimentary rocks near Eugene, Oregon. New mapping, radiometric dating, and paleomagnetic stratigraphy of these tuffs and rocks now allow dating of local fossil fl oras. The Comstock, Goshen, Rujada, and Willamette fl oras have been widely used as evidence for Eocene-Oligocene climatic cooling and drying. Eocene leaves from Comstock and Hobart Butte included such thermophilic taxa as Liquidambar. The early Oligocene Goshen fl ora lacked Liquidambar but retained many thermophilic species with large leaves that have entire margins and acuminate apices (drip tips). In contrast, fossil leaves from later Oligocene Rujada and Willamette fl oras are small and serrate, and most lack drip tips. Marine faunas also indicate climatic cooling and local disappearance of thermophilic molluscs such as Anadara, Ficus, and Conus. Our dating and compilation of plant and molluscan fossil occurrences indicate a steady rise in species diversity from 46 Ma to maximal diversity of thermophilic taxa at 35‐34 Ma, then extinctions of 60% of plant species after 33.4 Ma and 32% of marine invertebrates after 33.2 Ma, both signifi cantly postdating the Eocene-Oligocene boundary at 33.7 Ma. Plant diversity rebounds during the early Oligocene, but marine invertebrates continue to decline into the Oligocene in part due to the retreat of fully marine environments from the Eugene area. Neither these data, nor evidence from coeval fossil plants and soils in central Oregon, support the notion of a "Terminal Eocene Event," nor any other single, abrupt paleoclimatic shift or extinction. The Eocene-Oligocene biotic and climatic transition was drawn out over some 6 m.y. Abrupt forcings such as meteorite impacts or volcanic eruptions are less likely explanations for cooling and diversity decline than long-term processes such as mountain building, changing ocean currents, or reorganization of the carbon cycle by coevolution of grasses and grazers.


Malaria, as one of the most serious infectious diseases causing public health problems in the world, affects about two-thirds of the world population, with estimated resultant deaths close to a million annually. The effects of this disease are much more profound in third world countries, which have very limited medical resources. When an intense outbreak occurs, most of these countries cannot cope with the high number of patients due to the lack of medicine, equipment and hospital facilities. The prevention or reduction of the risk factor of this disease is very challenging, especially in third world countries, due to poverty and economic insatiability. Technology can offer alternative solutions by providing early detection mechanisms that help to control the spread of the disease and allow the management of treatment facilities in advance to ensure a more timely health service, which can save thousands of lives. In this study, we have deployed an intelligent malaria outbreak early warning system, which is a mobile application that predicts malaria outbreak based on climatic factors using machine learning algorithms. The system will help hospitals, healthcare providers, and health organizations take precautions in time and utilize their resources in case of emergency. To our best knowledge, the system developed in this paper is the first publicly available application. Since confounding effects of climatic factors have a greater influence on the incidence of malaria, we have also conducted extensive research on exploring a new ecosystem model for the assessment of hidden ecological factors and identified three confounding factors that significantly influence the malaria incidence. Additionally, we deploy a smart healthcare application; this paper also makes a significant contribution by identifying hidden ecological factors of malaria.


The consequences of climate change as observed in the arid regions of the world are notable and leaving significant ecological influence around the globe. The consequences of climate change, in particular, the water & food scarcity have become worldwide issue. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports suggested that over the following century, changing climate would affect sea levels, river flows and rainfall patterns all over the globe. It has been anticipated that the influence of the climate change will transform every aspect of life including the agriculture, crops and cropping systems, water resources and biota etc. In order to maintain a balance in the global systems, there is a need of advanced knowledge on these issues, the objective oriented policies and changes in the institutional planning and development. In the present work, we highlight the potential impacts of climate variability and consequent changes in food, agriculture, socio-economics, water and land resources on the arid regions of the world. Additionally, the review also highlights some of the responses and measures adopted globally in order to combat the issue of climate change and its impacts on the arid regions.


The political and socio-economic challenges over the last nine years broadly referred as the Zimbabwe crisis' have witnessed the flight of millions of Zimbabweans to save themselves and their families left behind. As a result, remittances being sent back to support families are estimated to be around USD1 billion a year. However, despite these huge flows of remittances, studies that try to understand this phenomenon especially amongst recipients are scant. This study takes a micro-level approach by exploring the role of remittances in household livelihoods in the high density suburb of Glen Norah in Harare. The study utilises in-depth interviews with recipient household heads in Glen Norah as the primary data collection technique and also uses informal conversations and observation to support them. The research also uses these methods to draw information from remittance senders and other actors involved in remitting in Johannesburg. This research shows that households in Glen Norah have adopted multiple strategies to allow them to manage in the crisis. However, it will be argued that as resources have dwindled in the country, an external means of sustenance in the form of remittances has increasingly been playing a more central role as the crisis has deepened. The study shows how patterns of remittances have changed to allow households to cope as the crisis has deepened. It also shows how remittances have been used to support survival and livelihood strategies before concluding that remittances have enabled households in Glen Norah to manage at probably the most difficult juncture of the crisis and may have capacitated them to engage in livelihood strategies.


Lock-in thermography (LIT) has been successfully applied in different excitation and analysis modes including classical LIT, analysis of the time-resolved temperature response (TRTR) upon square wave excitation and TRTR analysis in combination with arbitrary waveform stimulation. The results obtained by both classical square wave- and arbitrary waveform stimulation showed excellent agreement. Phase and amplitudes values extracted by classical LIT analysis and by Fourier analysis of the time resolved temperature response also coincided, as expected from the underlying system theory. In addition to a conceptual test vehicle represented by a point-shaped thermal source, two semiconductor packages with actual defects were studied and the obtained results are presented herein. The benefit of multi-parametric imaging for identification of a defect's lateral position in the presence of multiple hot spots was also demonstrated. For axial localization, the phase shift values have been extracted as a function of frequency [4]. For comparative validation, LIT analyses were conducted in both square wave and arbitrary waveform excitation using custom designed and sample-specific stimulation signals. In both cases result verification was performed employing X-ray, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) as complementary techniques.


The production and use of antibiotics are becoming increasingly common worldwide, and the problem of antibiotic resistance is increasing alarmingly. Drug‐resistant infections threaten human life and health and impose a heavy burden on the global economy. The origin and molecular basis of bacterial resistance is the presence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Investigations on ARGs mostly focus on the environments in which antibiotics are frequently used, such as hospitals and farms. This literature review summarizes the current knowledge of the occurrence of antibiotic‐resistant bacteria in nonclinical environments, such as air, aircraft wastewater, migratory bird feces, and sea areas in‐depth, which have rarely been involved in previous studies. Furthermore, the mechanism of action of plasmid and phage during horizontal gene transfer was analyzed, and the transmission mechanism of ARGs was summarized. This review highlights the new mechanisms that enhance antibiotic resistance and the evolutionary background of multidrug resistance; in addition, some promising points for controlling or reducing the occurrence and spread of antimicrobial resistance are also proposed.


Abstract Introduction: Rotavirus infection is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in infants and young children with diarrhea throughout the world. Material and Methods: In this study, we aimed to determine the detection rate of rotavirus infection in 181 children less than 5 years of age presenting with acute gastroenteritis and admitted to a tertiary care hospital in Ankara, Turkey, from April to November 2012. We documented the epidemiological data by elucidating the prevalent genotypes. Stool specimens were collected, and rotavirus antigen in the samples was detected using ELISA. G and P genotypes were determined by RT-PCR via type specific primers. The nucleotide sequence of the concerned genes was determined by Sanger sequencing and phylogenetic analysis was performed by neighbor-joining method. Results: Of the 181 samples, 28 (15.5%) were positive for the rotavirus antigen. Twenty-seven samples were positive for G genotypes and 21 were positive for P genotypes. Genotypes G1 (7.1%), G2 (7.1%), G3 (7.1%), G4 (3.6%), G9 (71.5%) and P4 (3.6%), P8 (71.4%) were identified. Genotype G9P[8] (50%) was predominant in the combination of G and P genotypes. Most of the G9 strains of this study formed an independent cluster in Lineage III, except two strains which clustered with an Ethiopian G9 strain of 2012. Conclusions: It seems that during 2012 season, genotype G9P[8] increased significantly in Ankara due to a new circulating strain of G9.


Changes in consumer shopping behavior and in retail spaces, such as shopping malls, department stores and e-commerce, have modified localization models of traditional retail shops, also affecting urban fabric and spatial distribution of urban rent. Even city centers have undergone significant transformations or even decline, especially if local economic system and real estate market are weak and recessionary. A significant amount of commercial properties may have long vacancy due to excess supply, since many traditional shops close their business because they are no longer competitive and, moreover, there is no immediate takeover by new tenants. The decline of central urban areas depends on the interaction of multiple economic, social and cultural factors, but it can be countered by urban policies oriented not only to physical redevelopment of urban fabric, but also to social cohesion and multiculturalism. Migrants bearers of varied cultural values, coming from different continents and settling permanently in the Italian cities, have rented some of these empty properties by locating retail shops specifically oriented to their own communities or also to the citizens needs. The presence of migrants contributes, indeed, to support the retail real estate demand, to mitigate the minus-valorization of real estate capital and also to contain the revenues contraction. This phenomenon has been analyzed in some streets of the historic centre of Palermo that are traditionally shopping areas and have become the privileged place for locating retail shops managed by immigrants.


Within the past decade, material disorder—especially that of the domestic variety— has come to stand alternately as evidence, symptom, and potential cause of mental disorder in the North American popular and psychiatric imagination. Sources ranging from the newly defined Hoarding Disorder diagnosis in the DSM-V, to popular media, to agents of the burgeoning clutter-management industry describe disorder in terms of an irrational attachment, closeness, or overidentification with objects. At the same time, these sources imagine order to result from the cool distance and controlled passion a person is able to maintain toward his or her possessions. Drawing on more than twenty interviews and numerous fieldwork encounters with professional organizers (POs) in Toronto between 2014 and 2015, this article describes how POs aim to reorient their clients materially, morally, and affectively to relieve the disorder they report in their lives. Here, I argue, POs emerge as a species of late capitalist healer whose interventions are animated by a paradoxical double movement. For just as POs act to loosen the object attachments and disrupt the "secret sympathy" their clients share with their possessions, they operate within a realm of magical correspondence where matter and mind are imagined to reflect and affect one another, and where bringing order to a client's possessions means also bringing order to his or her mind.


Dysphagia is a common disability seen in stroke survivors that has been associated with high morbidity and mortality. Research has indicated that implementing clinical guidelines and algorithms improves dysphagia management and patient outcomes. A decision-making algorithm designed to enhance the assessment and dietary treatment of swallowing difficulties in the acute stroke patient was implemented on a dedicated neuroscience unit in January 2002. Following implementation, the medical records of 30 acute stroke patients consecutively admitted to the unit between February and May 2002 were reviewed for stroke and dysphagia characteristics, dysphagia-related complications, discharge dispositions, interdisciplinary baseline assessments, and nursing evaluations throughout the hospitalization. Of those patients admitted with stroke, 56.7% were dysphagic. As compared with the nondysphagic patients, the dysphagic patients had three times' longer inpatient stay, an increased incidence of complications, higher morbidity, and increased need for inpatient rehabilitation services and institutionalized care following discharge. Twenty percent of patients did not receive aformal evaluation of swallowing function within the first 48 hours of admission. In 10% of the patients, diets were changed following the formal evaluation of swallowing to change an unsafe, prescribed diet. More than 70% of patients showed clinical improvement in swallowing function during their hospitalization. Nurses tended to document assessments of general neurological factors (e.g., level of consciousness) related to swallowing function more frequently than factors felt to be more specific to swallowing (e.g., choking) and nutrition (e.g., tolerates diet). The results support the important role of the neuroscience nurse in the early and ongoing assessment of swallowing function and in providing directions to further improve the quality of care delivered to stroke patients with various degrees of swallowing dysfunction.


INTRODUCTION
Body composition assessment and determination of the amount and distribution of body fat, respectively, form an essential part of the basic clinical assessment of an obese patient. However, there are no recommended methods to determine the amount of fat in obese population. The aim of our study was to compare the methods most frequently used to determine the amount of body fat in overweight and obese women in clinical practice (multi-frequency bio-electrical impedance analysis--BIA using the Bodystat, Omron and Tanita machines and the skinfold test using a calliper) with a reference method (DEXA). The study further aimed to compile prediction formulae enabling clinicians to calculate the percentage of body fat when using the available body fat measurement techniques.

METHODS
The study included 61 overweight and obese women (mean age 48.6 years +/- 13.9 years). Four practice-based body fat assessment methods were used - bioimpedance technique with tetra-polar electrode arrangement (Bodystat machine), bioimpedance technique with bi-pedal electrode arrangement (Tanita machine), hand-held bioimpedance technique (Omron machine) and the anthropometry assessment--the skinfold calliper technique. These methods were compared to the method considered as the reference--the whole body densinometry (DEXA).

RESULTS
The results obtained using the listed body fat assessment methods suggest that the resulting body fat measurements differ importantly depending on the method used. The highest correlation with DEXA was found for the Bodystat BIA (r = 0.9096, p < 0.001). Prediction formulae were constructed for a more accurate calculation of body fat content when using the techniques evaluated in the present study.

CONCLUSION
When the newly compiled formulae are employed, the body fat assessment obtained with any of the methods applied in the present study will approximate DEXA. The BIA techniques were found to be particularly precise. Therefore, further evaluation of these techniques is recommendable to support their use as methods for monitoring the efficacy of weight reduction programmes in overweight and obese patients.


Objectives: Lilii Bulbus (LB), a lung-moistening herbal medicine, has been used to treat the symptoms of pulmonary fibrosis, including dry cough and dyspnea. In this study, we investigated whether LB water extract (LIB) has antifibrotic effects in a mouse model of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis. Materials and Methods: The effects of LIB and its mechanisms of action were investigated in a mouse model of bleomycin-induced (2 mg/kg, intratracheal) pulmonary fibrosis. LIB (30, 100, and 300 mg/kg) was administered orally twice daily for 10 days after induction. Changes in body weight, lung histology, inflammatory cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and the levels of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), and proinflammatory cytokines were evaluated. Results: LIB treatment decreased histological fibrotic change according to Ashcroft score, inflammatory cells, including total cells, macrophages, inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6) in BALF, and TGF-β and α-SMA production in lung tissue. Conclusion: LIB exerted antifibrotic effects in a mouse model of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis by inhibiting inflammatory reactions and fibrotic mediators including TGF-β and α-SMA.


In this work, the degradation of several environmental pollutants by Alcaligenes eutrophus JMP134 (pJP4) was studied. It has been reported that this strain grows on 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetate, 3-chlorobenzoate, and phenol, and that it is resistant to Hg2+ toxicity. Except degradation of phenol, all these properties are encoded on pJP4. Although this bacterium was unable to grow on several chlorophenols or chloroguaiacols as sole carbon and energy source, it proliferated in 4-chlorophenol, 2,4-dichlorophenol, and 2,4,6-trichlorophenol. Degradation of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (up to 0.4 mM) did not depend on the presence of pJP4, since the cured strain JMP222 also expressed this property. In chemostats fed with 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (0.4 mM) or phenol (1 mM) plus 2,4,5-trichlorophenol (0.05 mM), strain JMP134 was able to degrade 2,4,5-trichlorophenol. On the other hand, strain JMP134 grew at higher levels of HgCl2 (0.1 mM) or merbromine (1.5 mM) in rich medium, but growth was not detected in minimal medium cultures, containing either chlorinated or nonchlorinated compounds. The ability of strain JMP134 to survive and degrade chlorphenols in the presence of pulp bleaching effluent was assessed in aerated batch cultures. This biodegradable organic matter-and chlorophenol-containing effluent allowed the proliferation of the strain JMP134. When 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetate or 2,4,6-trichlorophenol was added, complete degradation of these compounds was detected. The degradation was not affected by the presence of indigenous microorganisms or the amount of degradable material. © 1996 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


In order to explore new methods for the control of domestic pests at low cost and without human disturbance, we examined the diet of Hemidactylusfrenatus from the stomach content analysis of 53 females and 47 males. The specimens were captured in ten urban areas of the state of Morelos, Mexico; where H. frenatus is well established and where interactions with humans are frequent. The diversity (H´) of the food, the variation between the components, and the overlap of the trophic niche between males and females were examined; as well as the differences between the rainy and dry seasons.The diet consisted of eleven arthropod groups, the most representative being Diptera (Culicidae) 23.73%, Araneae 20.45%, Hymenoptera (Formicidae and Cynipidae) 17.05%, Lepidoptera 14.20% and Coleoptera (Chrysomelidae) 10.80%. There were no significant differences in the diet by sex, nor between the dry and rainy seasons. The diversity of food consumed between males and females showed a high overlap value (Ojk=0.94709). Although it is true that the diet is opportunistic and is associated with the availability of food in urban areas; the increase in the consumption of Lepidoptera and hematophagous mosquitoes (Dipera) in the rainy season, to almost double that which occurs in dry, suggests that geckos can contribute to the control of these insects. Experimental studies are suggested to test this hypothesis.


Increasing thefts of sensitive data owned by individuals and organizations call for an integrated solution to the problem of storage security. Most existing systems are designed for personal use and do not address the unique demands of enterprise environments. An enterprise-class encrypting file system must take a cohesive approach towards solving the issues associated with data security in organizations. These include flexibility for multi-user scenarios, transparent remote access of shared file systems and defense against an array of threats including insider attacks while trusting the fewest number of entities. In this thesis, we formalize a general threat model for storage security and discuss how existing systems that tackle a narrow threat model are thus susceptible to attacks. We present the conceptualization, design and implementation of TransCrypt, a kernel-space encrypting file system that incorporates an advanced key management scheme to provide a high grade of security while remaining transparent and easily usable. It examines difficult problems not considered by any existing system such as avoiding trusting the superuser account or privileged user-space process and proposes novel solutions for them. These enhancements enable TransCrypt to protect against a wider threat model and address several lacunae in existing systems.


CONTEXT
Micropapillary variant of urothelial carcinoma (MPUC) is a rare but well-recognized tumor of the urinary bladder. Tumors with micropapillary areas accompanying conventional urothelial carcinoma are more aggressive compared to conventional urothelial carcinoma and show variable keratin 7, keratin 20 and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her 2)neu expression.

AIM
The aim of the study was to analyze the clinical, morphological and immunohistochemical profile of MPUC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) chips of seven cases of invasive MPUC with subsequent cystoprostatectomy specimens of five patients was reviewed. Epithelial membrane antigen (EMA), Keratin 7, Keratin 20, and Her 2 immunohistochemistry were performed in all cases. Follow-up information was available for all patients (2-36 months).

RESULTS
All seven patients were male, and their ages ranged from 50 to 62 years. All cases presented with hematuria. The micropapillary pattern was seen in 20-95% of the tumor. All cases showed extensive lymphatic emboli with detrusor muscle invasion. Lymph node metastasis was present in all cases undergoing cystoprostatectomy except one. Keratin 7 and abluminal pattern of EMA positivity were seen in all cases. Keratin 20 was positive in five cases (71%), and Her 2neu positivity was seen in four cases. Three patients died 2, 3, and 6 months after initial diagnosis, among which two were Her 2 positive and one was Her 2 negative. There was no clear prognostic significance of Her 2 positivity.

CONCLUSION
(1) MPUC is a rare but highly aggressive tumor. (2) Micropapillary is usually the predominant pattern. (3) Keratin 7 is expressed universally, whereas Keratin 20 expression is variable. (4) Her 2 expression has no clear influence on the survival.


Background: Autism spectrum disorder is the most commonly occurring growth disorder. A deficiency in social skills, interests, behaviour and repetitive and limited actions, and a deficiency in communication and social interactions are the hallmarks of autism.
Materials and Methods: this research was a one-group semi-experimental study run by storytelling with a role playing method on studied units. The target population in this study were all patients with autism, who had registered in autism centers in Khorramabad city in 1396 (2017). 30 autistic children aged 6-16 years were selected using an available sampling method. The children were divided into 6 groups of 5 people. The intervention was conducted during 15 sessions of 45 minutes for each group, with a maximum of three stories in each session performed by the Carroll Gray method (a total of 90 sessions in two months). The data was collected and then processed by the ATEC questionnaire before and after the intervention.
Results: The results of analytical tests showed that the communication and social skills of the children before and after the intervention had a significant difference. A communication skill (speech, language, and communication) mean of 0.885 before the intervention, was followed by one of 1.2 afterwards. The correlation between the responses before and after was 0.532, which is significant, with Sig= 0.002. The social skills mean of 0.885 before the intervention, was followed by one of 1.2 afterwards. In this context. The correlation between the responses before and after was 0/684 which is significant, with Sig = 0.000.
Conclusion: The findings show that storytelling with a role play method is one of the most effective and economical therapeutic interventions for improving the communication and social function of children with autism.
Keywords: autism, storytelling with Role Playing method, children, communication skills, social skills.


Sarah Bodman was invited to give the lecture 'From Physical to Digital - What Do Artists Do with Books?' at the University of Minnesota. Artists' books have been around for centuries, but as digital technology has advanced so quickly recently, so have the ways in which artists produce works of art in, or based upon the book format. So what are artists doing with books these days? This presentation will look at some of the ways artists in the USA, Europe and further afield are approaching the book format now. Examples of artists' books will be discussed, from beautiful paper-based editions to more experimental video and online book works, and what the messages behind these books are.


This essay applies the analytic category of technologies proposed by historian Marcy Norton as complex systems of knowledges, practices, and products generated in specific social contexts to a study of the sixteenth-century bureaucratic surveys known as the Relaciones geográficas (RG) manuscripts. As a methodological intervention, the principal aim is to draw out the relatively understudied Indigenous knowledges and practices found throughout the corpus. The first section of the essay outlines the conceptual framework of technologies and contextualizes the RG survey and response processes. The remainder of the essay discusses Indigenous technologies including collective land memory, natural resources, and herbal medicines recorded in the Archdiocese of Mexico corpus of RGs (appendix), thirty-one manuscripts in total.


After an oil spill in the Gulf, British Petroleum had to compensate victims of the accident. The total compensation was $11 billion. As suggested by the theory of convenience, a financial motive, an organizational opportunity and a personal willingness can explain deviant behavior by members of the elite in society to gain from the compensation program. In the case of the BP Deepwater Horizon settlements, attorneys were both presenting claims on behalf of victims as well as approving claims on behalf of petroleum company BP. It was a profitable assignment for attorneys, and some attorneys made it even more profitable for themselves by kickbacks and by both applying for and approving compensations. As illustrated in this case study, a report of investigation can serve as an empirical basis for the study of convenience theory.


In November 1984, Jeffrey Masson filed a libel suit against writer Janet Malcolm and the New Yorker, claiming that Malcolm had intentionally misquoted him in a profile she wrote for the magazine about his former career as a Freud scholar and administrator of the Freud archives. Over the next twelve years the case moved up and down the federal judicial ladder, at one point reaching the U.S. Supreme Court, as lawyers and judges wrestled with questions about the representation of "truth" in journalism and, by extension, the limits of First Amendment protections of free speech. Had a successful Freudian scholar actually called himself an "intellectual gigolo" and "the greatest analyst who ever lived"? Or had a respected writer for the New Yorker knowingly placed false, self-damning words in her subject's mouth?In "Literary Journalism on Trial", Kathy Roberts Forde explores the implications of Masson v. New Yorker in the context of the history of American journalism. She shows how the case represents a watershed moment in a long debate between the advocates of traditional and literary journalism and explains how it reflects a significant intellectual project of the period: the postmodern critique of objectivity, with its insistence on the instability of language and rejection of unitary truth in human affairs. The case, Forde argues, helped widen the perceived divide between ideas of literary and traditional journalism and forced the resolution of these conflicting conceptions of truth in the constitutional arena of libel law.By embracing traditional journalism's emphasis on fact and objectivity and rejecting a broader understanding of truth, the Supreme Court turned away from the First Amendment theory articulated in previous rulings, opting to value less the free, uninhibited interchange of ideas necessary to democracy and more the "trustworthiness" of public expression. The Court's decision in this case thus had implications that reached beyond the legal realm to the values and norms expressed in the triangular relationship between American democracy, First Amendment principles, and the press.


This paper considers the multi-input multi-output (MIMO) relay channel where multiple antennas are employed by each terminal. Compared to single-input single-output (SISO) relay channels, MIMO relay channels introduce additional degrees of freedom, making the design and analysis of optimal cooperative strategies more complex. In this paper, a partial cooperation strategy that combines transmit-side message splitting and block-Markov encoding is presented. Lower bounds on capacity that improve on a previously proposed non-cooperative lower bound are derived for Gaussian MIMO relay channels.1


In wireless sensor networks (WSNs), sensor nodes eventually die due to battery depletion. WSNs in which new nodes are periodically redeployed with certain intervals, called generations, to replace the dead nodes are called multi-phase WSNs. In the literature, there are several key predistribution schemes proposed for secure operation of WSNs. However, these schemes are designed for single-phase networks which are not resilient against continuous node capture attacks; even under temporary attacks on the network, the harm caused by the attacker does not heal in time. However, the periodic deployments in multi-phase sensor networks could be utilized to improve the resiliency of the WSNs by deploying nodes with fresh keys. In the literature, there is limited work done in this area. In this paper, we propose a key predistribution scheme for multi-phase WSNs which is resilient under node capture attacks. In our scheme, called random generation material (RGM) key predistribution scheme, each generation of deployment has its own random keying material and pairwise keys are established between node pairs of particular generations. These keys are specific to these generations. Therefore, a captured node cannot be abused to obtain keys of other generations. We compare the performance of our RGM scheme with a well-known multi-phase key predistribution scheme and show that RGM achieves up to 3-fold more resiliency. Even under heavy attacks, our scheme's resiliency performance is 35 % better in steady state.


We review the literature to identify common problems of decision-making in individuals and groups. We are guided by a Bayesian framework to explain the interplay between past experience and new evidence, and the problem of exploring the space of hypotheses about all the possible states that the world could be in and all the possible actions that one could take. There are strong biases, hidden from awareness, that enter into these psychological processes. While biases increase the efficiency of information processing, they often do not lead to the most appropriate action. We highlight the advantages of group decision-making in overcoming biases and searching the hypothesis space for good models of the world and good solutions to problems. Diversity of group members can facilitate these achievements, but diverse groups also face their own problems. We discuss means of managing these pitfalls and make some recommendations on how to make better group decisions.


Objectives To update the WHO estimate of preterm birth rate in China in 1990–2016 and to further explore variations by geographic regions and years of occurrence. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis. Data sources Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane Library and Sinomed databases were searched from 1990 to 2018. Eligibility criteria Studies were included if they provided preterm birth data with at least 500 total births. Reviews, case–control studies, intervention studies and studies with insufficient information or published before 1990 were excluded. We estimated pooled incidence of preterm birth by a random effects model, and preterm birth rate in different year, region and by livebirths or all births in subgroup analyses. Results Our search identified 3945 records. After the removal of duplicates and screening of titles and abstracts, we reviewed 254 studies in full text and excluded 182, leaving 72 new studies. They were combined with the 82 studies included in the WHO report (154 studies, 187 data sets in total for the meta-analysis), including 24 039 084 births from 1990 to 2016. The pooled incidence of preterm birth in China was 6.09% (95% CI 5.86% to 6.31%) but has been steadily increasing from 5.36% (95% CI 4.89% to 5.84%) in 1990–1994 to 7.04% (95% CI 6.09% to 7.99%) in 2015–2016. The annual rate of increase was about 1.05% (95% CI 0.85% to 1.21%). Northwest China appeared to have the highest preterm birth rate (7.3%, 95% CI 4.92% to 9.68% from 1990 to 2016). Conclusions The incidence of preterm birth in China has been rising gradually in the past three decades. It was 7% in 2016. Preterm birth rate varied by region with the West having the highest occurrence.


Abstract While Global Studies has been pursued for research and teaching purposes for a few decades, there is little agreement on what substantiates the field. The Framing the Global project tackles this question by arguing for a renewed engagement with the empirical. It asks global scholars to step back from the analytic, to return to a space where pre-conceived methods, theories, and disciplines do not guide our findings. In this way, scholars must engage in a pre-analytic un-framing before they can define the particularities of their global. Each author in this forum enters into the global through an entry point, a point of specific empirical significance – whether a diaspora, a classroom, a biennale circuit, the AIDS regime, or plastic buckets and masks – that guides the way they trace what is global. In addition to exploring the need for un-framing Global Studies, Kahn and Gille also explain how un-framing and re-framing might help us understand global pedagogies and pandemics, by demonstrating how critical an engagement with the empirical is for contemporary global challenges that require us to excavate our understandings and shatter concepts that predominate rather than engage.


Decision Support System is an application that can assist students in determining the direction in senior high school (SMA) based on Multiple Intelligence tests using techniques MADM (Multiple-Attribute Decesion Making) by the method of Simple Additive Weighting (SAW) and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Multiple Intelligence is used to determine the intelligence possessed by the students based on test results. The input of this system is the student academic data, questionnaire specialization, psychologists and test data is Multiple Intelligence. The results of analysis system showed that the most influential factor in determining of the majors based on interest is the interest of students, academic grades, test psychologist and wishes of parents. The recommendations manual majors only based on the value of report cards, grades National Examination and Intelegent Quotient scores. Accuracy in the calculation of the value system based SAW method has an accuracy of 80% according to the student's choice. While the decision by the AHP method has an accuracy of 30% in accordance with the student's choice. Index Terms —Multiple Intelligence, Multi-Attribute Decision Making, Simple Additive Weighting Method and Analytic Hierarchy Process.


The regulatory peptide substance P has been implicated in the development and persistence of inflammatory synovitis. The authors used quantitative in vitro receptor autoradiography to compare synovial binding of 125Iodine-Bolton Hunter-labeled substance P ([125I]BH-SP) in rats and humans and between uniflamed and persistently inflamed synovium. [125I]BH-SP binding to microvascular endothelium paralleled the distribution of substance P-immunoreactive nerves and had characteristics of the neurokinin (NK) 1 class of tachykinin receptor. Specific binding was inhibited by the selective NK1 receptor antagonist, FK888, and the dual NK1/NK2 receptor antagonist FK224, with Hill coefficients near unity. FK888 was > 1000 times and FK224 > 10 times more potent at inhibiting binding in human compared with rat synovium. Synovium from patients and rats with chronic arthritis contained heterogeneously distributed inflammatory cell infiltrates. For the 10 microvessels with the densest [125I]BH-SP binding in each section, no significant differences in binding density, affinity, or Ki values for substance P, FK888 or FK224 were found between synovium from naive and monoarthritic rats, nor between that from patients with rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis. However, in both rat and human specimens, microscopic examination suggested that microvascular [125I]BH-SP binding in intensely infiltrated regions of synovium was less dense than in adjacent, less infiltrated areas. It was concluded that NK1 receptors are similarly distributed in rat and human synovium but show major differences in selectivity for antagonists such as FK888. NK1 receptors in synovium may mediate proinflammatory actions of locally released substance P; defective neurovascular regulation may contribute to the persistence of chronic arthritis.


Chip MultiProcessor (CMP) architectures are dominant trend in parallel processing systems. With the number of on-chip processors rising to the hundreds, allocation and management of the processors are also important factor to achieve high efficiency of CMPs. In this paper, the authors study a Processor Allocator (PA) for CMP based on torus Network-on-Chip. The best, IFF and IAS algorithms for mesh-based CMP are presented and their torus extension is proposed. The synthesis of both IFF and IAS allocation techniques for mesh and torus topologies is performed and its results are analyzed. The presented outcomes reveal the significant advantage of the PA driven by bit map algorithms. The mesh-based PA driven by the IFF scheme outperformed the other techniques by good frequency characteristic and low logic utilization. For the torus-based PA only the IFF technique with torus extension remains the reasonable solution, however its performance characteristic is weaker in comparison to the mesh counterpart.


In order to prevent injury and save lives, earthquake early warning systems like Mexico's public Sistema de Alerta Sísmica Mexicano (sasmex) must pair timely, effective hazard detection with effective alert dissemination to responsive users. The alert makes seismicity meaningful to its users 18 in new ways. This article draws on contemporary sts concerns with how mate rials come to be meaningful in order to reckon with how an earthquake alert comes to be a kind of earthquake emergency. Engaging ethnographically with an alert which did not presage violent shaking, and subsequent public discussion of its effects, I argue for taking the social production of emergency seriously. By highlighting responses to and potential effects of this earthquake emergency, I push back against simple techno-optimism to highlight the necessity of public education to support potentially life-saving tools like the Sistema de Alerta Sismica Mexica no . Making emergencies into opportunities for Mexico City residents may require introducing new kinds of public outreach and education about not just the alert, but about the possibilities and limits of technoscientific disaster prevention.


PURPOSE
To improve the image quality of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) by modification of examination conditions.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
MRCP of 72 patients was performed with a 1.5 T system (Magnetom Vision, Siemens, 25 mT/m) using two breath-hold techniques, half-fourier acquisition with multislice T2-WI HASTE in MIP technique, and single shot T2-WI turbo-spin-echo (RARE) with different slice thicknesses. The effects of n-butylscopolamine were assessed. Furthermore, oral contrast agents [barium sulfate, Fe(II)-gluconate, Fe(II,III)-oxide] in various concentrations were used. The slice thickness was varied for the RARE sequence (3-7 cm).

RESULTS
N-butylscopolamine had no influence on image quality. Improvements could be attained by variation of the slice thickness. A significant reduction of disturbing background noise was obtained by oral application of iron gluconate, or iron oxide-containing contrast media. Similar improvements were achieved with barium sulfate.

CONCLUSIONS
Variation of slice thickness allows an improvement of MRCP quality. Oral contrast media improve the image quality of MRCP. The expense of contrast media may be a determinant of choice.


The inability to maintain body weight within prescribed ranges occurs in a significant portion of the human spinal cord injury (SCI) population. Using a rodent model of long-term high thoracic (spinal level T3) spinal cord transection (TX), we aimed to identify derangements in body weight, body composition, plasma insulin, glucose tolerance, and metabolic function, as measured by uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) expression in interscapular brown adipose tissue (IBAT). Sixteen weeks after SCI, body weights of injured female rats stabilized and were significantly lower than surgical control animals. At the same time point, SCI rats had a significantly lower whole body fat:lean tissue mass ratio than controls, as measured indirectly by NMR. Despite lower body weight and fat mass, the cumulative consumption of standard laboratory chow (4.0 kcal/g) and mean energy intake (kcal.day(-1).100 g body wt(-1)) of chronic SCI rats was significantly more than controls. Glucose tolerance tests indicated a significant enhancement in glucose handling in 16-wk SCI rats, which were coupled with lower serum insulin levels. The post mortem weight of gonadal and retroperitoneal fat pads was significantly reduced after SCI and IBAT displayed significantly lower real-time PCR expression of UCP1 mRNA. The reduced fat mass and IBAT UCP1 mRNA expression are contraindicative of the cumulative caloric intake by the SCI rats. The prolonged postinjury loss of body weight, including fat mass, is not due to hypophagia but possibly to permanent changes in gastrointestinal transit and absorption, as well as whole body homeostatic mechanisms.


Community-based initiatives address community issues by providing a multi-agency approach to prevention and intervention services (Connell et al.,1995). When incorporating multiple agencies, it can be challenging to obtain multiple perspectives and gaining consensus on the priorities and direction for these initiatives. This study employed a participatory approach called concept mapping to build consensus amongst stakeholder groups in a victims' assistance program. This multiple-method technique provided visual representations of the findings assessing community initiative providers' perceptions of barriers to accessing victim's assistance services for children and families who experience or witness violence or trauma. Visualizations organized findings into interpretable groups of statements to label and provide actionable next steps for community initiative providers. Several results of interest emerged from this study. First, there are varying community and system facets that providers perceive to be barriers to children's and families' access to care; some are within the trauma provider system of care whereas other barriers are perpetuated within the community. In addition, stakeholders rated barriers based on their prevalence and capacity to change within the community. Average ratings varied by cluster, with distrust of the trauma-informed system of care as the most prevalent barrier and workforce development as the barrier noted as the easiest to change. Stakeholder group ratings for prevalence of all clusters were higher for program staff than from law enforcement officers and mental health providers whereas ratings for capacity to change were in greater agreement between stakeholder groups overall. Moreover, program staff noted that the concept mapping process and visualizations provided them with a means to discuss actionable steps with community-based initiative providers of the victim's assistance program as a whole.


This article sheds light on the involvement of members of the public in the United Kingdom's resilience agenda through an examination of the Project Argus initiative. The article argues that it is principally through knowledge sharing between state and citizen that Argus seeks to foster increased resilience. It then moves on to elaborate the idea of the resilient citizen, emphasising the way in which it represents a potentially more permeating form of institutionalisation of the resilience agenda. The development of the resilient citizen, the article concludes, captures a bargain struck between state and citizen: extra knowledge for extra responsibility.


The purpose of the present study was to investigate postsurgical change in body composition in patients who have undergone surgery for acromegaly. Eight patients with acromegaly had determination of serum GH, insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), height, body weight, and bioelectric impedance before surgery and at 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months after surgery. Body composition was analyzed by bioelectric impedance analysis (BIA). We analyzed body fat (BF), body lean mass (BLM), body cell mass (BCM), total body water (TBW), intracellular water (ICW) and extracellular water (ECW). The serum GH concentration and IGF-I had decreased significantly 2 weeks after surgery. Body weight had decreased significantly 1 month after surgery and recovered 3 months after surgery. BIA showed that TBW and BCM had decreased significantly 2 weeks after surgery. BF gradually increased up to 1 month after surgery and was increased significantly at 3 months after surgery. The percent ratio of TBW/body weight decreased and the percent ratio of BF/body weight increased during the 6 months after surgery. The percent ratio of ECW/TBW did not change during the 6 months following surgery. In conclusion, the rapid body weight loss which occurred within 2 weeks after surgery was caused by decreases in TBW and BCM. The recovery of body weight, which was seen later than 1 month after surgery, was caused by an increase in BF. The postoperative change in body composition in acromegaly ceased 3 months after surgery.


The plasmidic stability of methyltrophic yeast Pichia pastoris expressing the recombinant protein E of dengue virus 4 was analyzed. To this end, the number of generations from the growth process in petri plaque to the propagation in zaranda was estimated, as well as the fermentation process. Besides, in the selected colonies the integration pattern was determined by Dot-Blot and neuclotide sequence of the gene E of dengue virus 4. This study allowed to prove the conservation and integrity of the aminoacid sequence of protein E, despite the genetic changes produced by molecular yeast mechanisms. On the other hand, it was also part of the control and checking of the primary bank of yeast cells that contains the gene of interest used at present in the process of expression of protein E of dengue virus 4.


Background: In the last few years, the most popular analysis techniques that have been used for both recognition and classifications of two dimensional (2D) fruits images are based upon color and shape or color and texture or color, size and shape analysis. However, classification of fruits is still a complicated task due to the various properties of numerous types of fruits. These analysis methods are still not robust and effective enough to identify and distinguish fruits images. Materials and Methods: Out of 185 fruit images of eight different fruits collected for the system, (70%) images are used for training and (30%) for testing the system. The system uses the k-Nearest Neighbor (KNN) algorithm as classifier. The proposed method combines four features i.e. color, shape, size and textures. The method classifies and recognizes varieties of fruit images using nearest neighbor's classification. Results: Accuracy of the proposed system is 97%. The proposed system has the flexibility for many fruits in various colors, shapes and sizes that are captured in different angles and positions. Conclusion: The proposed method is robust, accurate and flexible that can process, analyze, classify and identify the varieties of fruits using their features such as color, shape size and texture. The KNN algorithm is used for fruits recognition which accurately classifies fruit images.


Traditionally in Germany environmental engineering education took place within the context of a civil engineering programme. There were reasons for this: the beginning of much of what we understand today to be environmental works fell within the parameters of city engineering. There were and are advantages mostly in view of the necessary planning, construction and operation of environmental infrastructure. There are also disadvantages which become more and more pronounced as the field of environmental protection expands: the civil engineer frequently lacks basic training in disciplines such as biology and chemistry and carries a large and sometimes burdensome knowledge of other less relevant subjects. Thus, educators begin to look for alternatives.

This paper deals with an alternative that was developed some ten years ago and therefore has proven viable and successful: at the University of Karlsruhe students may choose to major in environmental engineering within the context or on the basis of an economics and business administration curriculum. The basic question here is as to what extent the student masters the field of environmental engineering if he or she has predominantly a solid background in social sciences and very little in natural sciences.

The paper will describe the curriculum in structure and intensity and evaluate the accumulated knowledge and suitability of these students in terms of actual environmental problems. This will be done in terms of examination performance parallel and/or relative to traditionally trained civil environmental engineers as well as in terms of topics successfully treated in Masters' theses. In conclusion, it is argued that such combination of curricula should not be confined to economic sciences and environmental engineering but also be planned for legal sciences and environmental engineering.


Hale crater formed in the Early to Middle Amazonian and is one of the best preserved large craters on Mars. We focus on the emplacement of previously mapped distal continuous ejecta and newly recognized discontinuous distal ejecta deposits reaching up to 450 km northeast of Hale. The distal continuous ejecta deposits are typically tens of meters thick, likely water‐rich, and subsequent dewatering of some resulted in flow along gradients of 10 m km‐1 for distances of tens of kilometers. The discontinuous distal ejecta are typically <10 m thick with volumes generally <0.5 km3 and embay Hale secondaries, which occur up to ~600 km from Hale. Both continuous and discontinuous distal ejecta deposits are typically smooth at scales of tens to hundreds of meters, relatively dark‐toned, devoid of eolian bedforms, inferred to be mostly fine‐grained, and were likely emplaced within hours to 1–2 days after impact. The occurrence of well‐preserved discontinuous distal ejecta at Hale is unusual compared to other large Martian craters and could be due to impact into an ice‐rich substrate that enabled their formation and (or) their survival after minimal postimpact degradation relative to older craters. The pristine nature of distal continuous and discontinuous distal deposits at Hale and the preservation of associated secondaries imply (1) low erosion rates after the Hale impact, comparable to those estimated elsewhere during the Amazonian; (2) the impact did not significantly influence long‐term global or regional scale geomorphic activity or climate; and (3) the Hale impact occurred after late alluvial fan activity in Margaritifer Terra.


MicroRNAs (miRNAs) can be defined as small, noncoding sets of 19 to 24 nucleotides that have been associated with messenger RNA expression. miRNAs are members of a class of small regulatory RNAs that includes small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). miRNAs regulate the expression of downstream gene targets, including transcription factors, oncogenes, and tumor suppressor genes. Transcriptional profiling using genomic microarrays and beads has enabled the discovery of numerous miRNAs that are differentially expressed in normal tissues vs tumors and associated with cancer development, diagnosis, and prognosis. miRNA signatures can be used to detect and classify cancer and predict the severity of disease, with certain profiles of miRNA expression linked to aggressive cancers with advanced disease present at diagnosis. miRNAs have also become targets of novel anticancer gene therapy with antisense molecules that can inhibit miRNA activity currently being tested for their efficacy in a strategy of reducing miRNA activity on reporter genes bearing miRNA-binding sites. In the future, sophisticated genomic and proteomic techniques combined with complex bioinformatics data analyses will be required to translate these recent basic science discoveries to clinically useful diagnostic tests.


: The dynamic of the phosphatidylinositol (PI), the phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PIP) and the phosphatidylinositol-4,5-diphosphate (PIP2) contents were studied in the correlation with the neuronal spike activity in cat brain cortex under acute oxygen deficiency caused by cessation of artificial ventilation for 1, 2.5 and 5 min. It was shown that the 1-min anoxia produced the depression of both PIP and PIP2 contents. The depression was followed by the development of the 'asphyxia neuronal activation'. During 2.5 and 5 min of anoxia the decrease of PIP2 content and increase of PIP one were detected against a background of neuronal bioelectrical activity depression. The PI content was constant during all the anoxic period.


In Seereer (Atlantic, Senegal), singular pronominal objects are obligatorily marked by an object suffix on the verb. This paper provides the first comprehensive description of this object suffixation pattern, a topic that has been only cursorily described in the extant literature on Seereer (cf. Renaudier 2012). In addition, I provide a preliminary theoretical account of the Seereer object suffix system. I argue that Seereer object suffixes are best analyzed as incorporated pronouns. Evidence for such an analysis comes from the following: (i) an object suffix may never occur with an in situ object DP; (ii) an object suffix may not double an extracted object in relative clauses, wh-questions, or focus constructions; (iii) there is only one object suffix allowed per clause; and (iv) an object suffix may reference either object in a double object construction. I argue that object suffixes raise to Spec- v P and are subsequently incorporated in the verb via m-merger (Matushansky 2006, Kramer 2014, Harizanov 2014). This analysis elegantly derives the behaviors listed above. Such an approach also allows us to integrate the Seereer object suffixation data into the broader understanding of cliticization patterns crosslinguistically, thereby enriching our understanding of object marking systems in verbs.


The human cytochrome P450 (CYP) superfamily consisting of 57 functional genes is the most important group of Phase I drug metabolizing enzymes that oxidize a large number of xenobiotics and endogenous compounds, including therapeutic drugs and environmental toxicants. The CYP superfamily has been shown to expand itself through gene duplication, and some of them become pseudogenes due to gene mutations. Orthologs and paralogs are homologous genes resulting from speciation or duplication, respectively. To explore the evolutionary and functional relationships of human CYPs, we conducted this bioinformatic study to identify their corresponding paralogs, homologs, and orthologs. The functional implications and implications in drug discovery and evolutionary biology were then discussed. GeneCards and Ensembl were used to identify the paralogs of human CYPs. We have used a panel of online databases to identify the orthologs of human CYP genes: NCBI, Ensembl Compara, GeneCards, OMA ("Orthologous MAtrix") Browser, PATHER, TreeFam, EggNOG, and Roundup. The results show that each human CYP has various numbers of paralogs and orthologs using GeneCards and Ensembl. For example, the paralogs of CYP2A6 include CYP2A7, 2A13, 2B6, 2C8, 2C9, 2C18, 2C19, 2D6, 2E1, 2F1, 2J2, 2R1, 2S1, 2U1, and 2W1; CYP11A1 has 6 paralogs including CYP11B1, 11B2, 24A1, 27A1, 27B1, and 27C1; CYP51A1 has only three paralogs: CYP26A1, 26B1, and 26C1; while CYP20A1 has no paralog. The majority of human CYPs are well conserved from plants, amphibians, fishes, or mammals to humans due to their important functions in physiology and xenobiotic disposition. The data from different approaches are also cross-validated and validated when experimental data are available. These findings facilitate our understanding of the evolutionary relationships and functional implications of the human CYP superfamily in drug discovery.


Potential evaporation is a measure of the energy available for evaporation, whereas the evaporation from the water, soil, and vegetation surfaces of a region is controlled by the availability of both energy and water. A recent analysis of the regional energy balance has suggested that the potential evaporation is a measure of the extent of regional evaporation that does not occur because of the control imposed on the availability of water by soil moisture and vegetation processes. The suggestion is incorporated into a method for computing regional evaporation from climatological observations. The method is tested by comparing computed potential evaporation—one of its principal components—with observed pan evaporation and by comparing computed regional evaporation—its end product—with river basin evaporation derived from rainfall and runoff records. It is concluded that changes in regional evaporation caused by changes in the availability of water are reflected in the potential evaporation and that the method formulated by the writer may be used as a working hypothesis for computing regional or river basin evaporation from climatological observations.


To solve the problem of slow searching and poor searching ability in tuning PID controller parameters and optimizing fuzzy controller parameters with basic frog leaping algorithm, this paper proposes an improved shuffled frog leaping algorithm based on PID fuzzy controller parameters optimization. First by adding the self-adaptive learning factor, this new algorithm accelerates the convergence speed, expands the search area of the individuals, and maintains the diversity of population, which extends the search ability to a certain extent. And then by introducing the constriction factor and acceleration factor in the particle swarm optimization algorithm, the updating strategy is improved to speed up the search speed of the algorithm, and at the same time to ensure the convergence of the algorithm. Simulation results show that, the improved shuffled frog leaping algorithm proposed by this paper has excellent performance, and is suitable to PID fuzzy controller parameters optimization.


Most ectotherms mature at a larger body size in colder conditions, a phenomenon known as the temperature-size rule. While a number of hypotheses have been proposed to explain this rule, little work has been done to understand it from a nutritional perspective. We have used the final-instar caterpillars of Spodoptera litura to investigate how dietary protein∶carbohydrate (P∶C) balance influences the relationship between temperature and body size. The strength and direction of the thermal reaction norm for body size were significantly altered by dietary P∶C balance. The slope of the reaction norm was nearly flat for caterpillars raised on a balanced food () but was significantly negative for those on nutritionally imbalanced foods (1∶5 or 5∶1), especially when carbohydrates were in considerable excess. These nutrient-dependent effects of temperature on body size were caused mainly by corresponding changes in body lipid storage. When allowed to choose between imbalanced diets, caterpillars increased their preference for carbohydrates to meet high energy demands at higher temperatures. The slope of the thermal reaction norm for body size was substantially reduced by such a temperature-driven shift in nutrient preference, indicating that the impact of high temperature on body size was buffered by altered food selection. This study highlights the importance of macronutrient balance as a key factor modulating the relationship between temperature and body size in ectotherms and provides a novel approach for understanding the temperature-size rule.


This paper presents how virtual containers enhance the implementation of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) subjects as Open Educational Resources (OER). The publication initially summarizes the limitations of delivering open rich learning contents and corresponding assignments to students in college level STEAM areas. The role that virtual containers can play in current distant education is then discussed, starting by reviewing related teaching efforts around the use of legacy virtual machines. We then focus on the superseding container technology and how it can bridge the gap between online students, humble computing resources, teachers and IT specificities. As a practical example, we present an experience carried out at the online School of Engineering & Technology at Universidad Internacional de La Rioja (UNIR). Within the context of a subject about Physics for Computing Engineers, we describe the satisfactory evolution from using conventional software distribution methods towards the transition to virtual containers. Thanks to this virtualization approach, the necessary student activities can be implemented, the required software tools can be easily distributed, and the accompanying documentation can be seamlessly presented. The results show how student engagement and satisfaction increased over time, partly because of the easiness introduced by the container technology. Our experience proves that combining containerized educational resources and free and open distribution channels can be one of the cornerstones of a new OER approach in STEAM subjects.


Vibration suppression control considering elastic part deformation is one of the indispensable issues in the precision engineering field and a high-density LSI circuit processing[1]. This study aims at suppressing the induced vibration at rapid positioning operation using the N4SID (Subspace State Space model Identification) Model Referenced predictive Anti-phase pitch Driving Active Damping (N4SID-MRAD) and improve the positioning performance limit generated by conventional PID feedback control with existing actuator, which has low dynamic characteristics with a time lag. This control method consists of reduced order model identification (model order reduction using N4SID concept: offline process) and predictive control using the counter pitch driving based on the model output (: on-line process). This method was applied to principal axis vibration suppression of three axes positioning machine driven by a ball screw feeding mechanism to control the probe tip end positioning in feeding rod axis. The result showed that amplitude of residual vibration at the probe tip end suppressed with conventional PI controlled and the 77% performance improvement under low stable conditions that Balanced Realization could not be applied.


We develop an approach to compute observables beyond the linear regime of dark matter perturbations for general dark energy and modified gravity models. We do so by combining the Effective Field Theory of Dark Energy and Effective Field Theory of Large-Scale Structure approaches. In particular, we parametrize the linear and nonlinear effects of dark energy on dark matter clustering in terms of the Lagrangian terms introduced in a companion paper [1], focusing on Horndeski theories and assuming the quasi-static approximation. The Euler equation for dark matter is sourced, via the Newtonian potential, by new nonlinear vertices due to modified gravity and, as in the pure dark matter case, by the effects of short-scale physics in the form of the divergence of an effective stress tensor. The effective fluid introduces a counterterm in the solution to the matter continuity and Euler equations, which allows a controlled expansion of clustering statistics on mildly nonlinear scales. We use this setup to compute the one-loop dark-matter power spectrum.


BEHAVIOUR ANALYSIS: CATALYST FOR PERSPECTIVE TRANSFORMATION AND PERCEPTIONS OF INTERPERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS Pamela Katherine Booth This qualitative case study sought to expand what is known about training methods that improve interpersonal communication skills for mid-level leaders in corporate settings. It looked at a training methodology, Behaviour Analysis (BA, Rackham & Morgan, 1977) conducted in the context of a year-long leadership development program in a biopharmaceutical company in the United States. Interviews with 16 program participants, and post-program survey data from 83 participants across 5 years, responded to three research questions: 1. How, and in what ways, did mid-level leaders perceive the interplay between thinking about how to communicate effectively and behaving in an interpersonally effective way? (perception) 2. How did mid-level leaders apply BA post-program? (application) 3. What were the reported perceptions of mid-level leaders about a relationship between BA and perspective transformation? (meaning) The researcher had unique access to and history with the client as a facilitator and member of the program design team. A qualitative case study approach was appropriate, given the consistent program content and profiles of participants year over year as well as the availability of additional program documents for analysis. Data insights were varied and clustered by cohort. Findings were interpreted using two theoretical frames: (a) Mezirow's (1978, 2003) work with perspective transformation, and (b) the study's conceptual framework, based on Argyris and Schön's (1974) seminal work on action science and single-/double-loop learning. Key findings included: (a) the element of time on learning to balance advocacy and inquiry; (b) BA acting as a disorienting dilemma and menu card for expanded communication strategies; and (c) the placement of the disorienting dilemma in the process of perspective transformation. Four conclusions were drawn: 1. Making a shift in communication skills to balance advocacy and inquiry is additive and transformative. 2. Group and/or peer learning is an important component for increasing selfawareness in corporate L&D programs. 3. Disorienting dilemmas can be engineered and are valuable for bringing unconscious behavior patterns to consciousness for skill-building in a training setting. 4. Time and reflection play critical roles in making conscious connections between espoused theories and theories-in-use to build communication skills.


Liquid biopsy of cancers using DNA methylation biomarkers has received significant interest, where the quantification of multiple biomarkers is generally needed for improving the sensitivity and specificity of cancer diagnosis. However, the inefficiency of the traditional quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)-based MethyLight assay for detecting the extremely low concentration of methylated DNA fragments in body fluids limits its clinical applications. Here, we developed an ultrasensitive microwell chip digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR)-based MethyLight assay. Using the synthesized samples, the developed MethyLight assay can achieve 103-104-fold lower limit of detection and 1-16-fold lower limit of quantification than the traditional MethyLight assay. Four hypermethylated alleles (RARβ2, BRCA1, GSTP1 and RASSF1A) related to breast cancer in twenty-three clinical samples were tested using the microwell chip dPCR-based MethyLight assay. The results showed that the dPCR assay achieves ∼2 times enhancement in the cancer detection rate over the traditional quantitative PCR. Furthermore, the dPCR can detect the healthy and benign samples, which are undetectable using the traditional MethyLight assay. In multiple gene analysis, we achieved the highest detection rate of 93.3% (in the "OR" format of RARβ2 and GSTP1). Lastly, the estimated cut-off values in the dPCR assay were: <1, ∼1 to 100 and >100 (copies per μL) referring to the healthy, benign and malignant breast cancers, respectively. Therefore, the developed microwell chip dPCR-based MethyLight assay could provide a powerful tool for cancer biopsy diagnosis and disease monitoring.


The segmentation of MR images is of great interests in automatic medical diagnosis. However, such images are corrupted by Rician noise and with fuzzy edges. The non-additive and intensity dependant features of Rician noise make image processistandardng very challenging. In this paper, a combination of techniques are carefully selected, tailored, and organized to improve the image quality for automatic segmentation of the articular cartilage from noisy MR images. A prototype software procedure is developed based on that. First, the Rician noise, known as the major factor contributing to corrupt the magnitude MR images, is investigated. A method based on the least squares approach is employed to estimate the noise standard deviation from the background mode of the image. Then, a total variation noise removal algorithm using iterative scheme is applied to remove the noise. After that, the vector field convolution active contour method is applied to the resultant image for cartilage segmentation. Two different approaches are proposed to define the initial contour to avoid local optimization traps. A test set MR images on 62 slices of human knee is used to illustrate the proposed system. Effectiveness of the proposed procedure is demonstrated using computational experiments in comparison to some existing methods.


Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) from the family of Malvaceae is normally referred to the calyces which have brilliant red color and unique flavor that makes it a valuable food product commonly used to make preserves, jams and beverages. This study was conducted to determine the physico-chemical characteristics and sensory acceptability of rosellejuices made from roselle calyces stored at different cold storage temperatures; 5±1°C, -19±1°C, -80±2°C for 7 days and fresh roselle was used as control. The physico-chemical characteristics studied were colour, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid and
anthocyanins contents. The sensory evaluation was also carried out which involved the acceptability test on the attributes of colour, aroma, taste (sweetness and sourness) and overall acceptability. Roselle juicesmade from frozen roselles (-19±1°C and -80±2°C) showed significantly higher L* values followed by roselles stored at 5±1°C and fresh roselles. In addition, juice made from fresh roselle had significantly the highest a*, b* values and anthocyanins content followed by roselle stored at 5±1°C and -80±2°C where juice made from roselle stored at -19±1°C showed the lowest values. However, for ascorbic acid content, fresh roselle also showed the highest value followed by roselle stored at -80±2°C, -19±1°C and the lowest was
roselle stored at 5±1°C. The sensory evaluation showed that, roselle juice made from fresh calyces was the most acceptable in almost all the attributes compared to chilled and frozen roselles. In conclusion, juice made from fresh roselle had almost all the preferred physico-chemical qualities and sensory acceptability as compared to the chilled and frozen roselles.


Cable modem systems are modems designed to operate over cable television (cable TV) lines. Accessing the Internet using a cable network (and a cable modem) is becoming increasingly popular due to the much greater speed than is available through telephone-modem access. A cable modem uses coaxial cable, which has the capability to provide greater bandwidth than regular telephone lines. This makes it possible for cable modem systems to achieve extremely fast access to the World Wide Web (WWW). The fact that millions of homes are already wired for cable TV has provided a tremendous boost to many homes to have access to Internet. However, there are a number of technical difficulties. The fact that the cable TV infrastructure is designed to broadcast TV signals in just one direction-from the cable TV company to people's homes - presents one problem. This is because the Internet is a two-way system where data also needs to flow from the client to the server. It is debatable as to whether the cable TV networks can handle the amount of traffic that could result if millions of users began using the cable modem system for Internet access. Cable modem system organizations have made significant progress in accommodating the two problems mentioned.


Research on coping with cancer treatment can benefit from the use of outcome measures (emotion and disruption of usual activities) derived from theories of coping. These outcomes were examined in a sample of women (N = 30) receiving external radiation treatment (RT) for gynecologic cancer. The subjects were interviewed during the first, third and last weeks of treatment and monthly for 3 months following the completion of treatment. Level of negative mood (Profile of Mood States) peaked during the last week of RT and decreased over the 3 months following treatment, with the overall level of negative mood being relatively low at all points of measurement. Disruption in usual function (Sickness Impact Profile) remained at about 10% during treatment and gradually decreased to 3% at 3 months after treatment. The number and severity of the side effects of radiation treatment increased from the beginning to the third week of treatment and gradually declined over the post-treatment measures. Severity of side eff...


Climate change is recognized as an urgent societal problem with widespread implications for both natural and human systems, and transforming society at the rate and scale that is mandated by the 2015 Paris Agreement remains a major challenge. Do we need to be open to new paradigms for social change? In this opinion piece, I draw attention to the emerging field of quantum social theory and consider its implications for climate change responses. Quantum social theory considers how concepts, methods and understandings from quantum physics relate to societal issues, and it provides a physically based, holistic perspective on conscious and intentional transformations to sustainability. It is distinct from other social theories in that it raises deep metaphysical and ontological questions about what is really real. I explore the methodological, metaphorical and meaningful significance of quantum social theory for understandings of social change. Quantum concepts such as entanglement, complementarity, uncertainty, and superposition provide a strong basis for recognizing and promoting people as the solution to climate change. WIREs Clim Change 2016, 7:618–626. doi: 10.1002/wcc.413


Background: One approach to discovering novel targets for heart failure (HF) therapy is to determine which genes are down-regulated in HF. We found previously that cardiac cell cycle-related kinase (cCCRK), a novel variant of CCRK in heart, is down-regulated by 50% in failed heart vs control, and over-expression of the cCCRK decreases the susceptibility of cardiac myocytes to pro-apoptotic agents, indicating that cCCRK might be a potential target of HF. We tested here our hypothesis that cCCRK provides cardiaoprotection upon stress of pressure overload.

Methods and Results: A transgenic (TG) mouse model with cardiac-specific over-expression of cCCRK was generated. Both wild type (WT) and TG mice were submitted to aortic banding for two weeks. In basal condition, no significant differences were found between TG and WT in left ventricular (LV) /body weight (3.5±0.3 in TG vs. 3.6±0.2 in WT) and contractility (LV ejection fraction (EF): 72.7±1 in TG vs 72.7±1 % in WT). After two weeks banding, EF was significantly impaired in the WT (62±2%, P<0.05 vs sham), but maintained in the TG (71.1±2 %, P<0.05 vs WT). Lung /tibial length ratio, an index of pulmonary congestion and heart failure was lower (p<0.05) in banded heart of TG (9.9±1) vs WT (13.1±1). A cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21, which is also an important regulator of autophagy, was significantly upregulated in TG by 5 folds vs WT (P<0.05). Overexpression of cCCRK in rat neonatal cardiomyocyte (RNC) stimulated autophagy in a dose-dependent manner representing by the enhanced LC3-II (autophagy marker) (P<0.05 vs β-gal). To test its effect in response to stress, glucose starvation was induced to in RNC. cCCRK induced an early response to cardiac stress via the activation of autophagy by increasing LC3-II at 0.5 hrs vs the control at 2 hrs after starvation.

Conclusions: over-expression of cCCRK in heart provides protection against pressure overload via activation of autophagy signaling pathways.


Abstract Variation in foraging behavior may indicate differences in food availability and allow assessment of restoration actions. Ants are prominent bioindicators used in assessing ecological responses to disturbance. However, behavioral data have been poorly incorporated as an index. The foraging performance of red harvester ants was quantified in order to evaluate the success of a restoration ecology experiment in the tropical dry forest of Sierra de Huautla, Morelos, in central Mexico. Foraging performance by granivorous, Pogonomyrmex barbatus, ants was diminished after 6 and 8 years of cattle grazing and wood harvest were excluded as part of a restoration experiment in a highly degraded biome. Despite investing more time in foraging, ant colonies in exclusion plots showed lower foraging success and acquired less seed biomass than colonies in control plots. In line with the predictions of optimal foraging theory, in restored plots where ant foraging performance was poor, ants harvested a higher diversity of seeds. Reduced foraging success and increased harvest of non-preferred foods in exclusion plots were likely due to the growth of herbaceous vegetation, which impedes travel by foragers. Moreover, by 8 years of exclusion, 37% of nests in exclusion plots had disappeared compared to 0% of nests in control plots. Ants' foraging success and behavior were sensitive to changes in habitat quality due to the plant successional process triggered by a restoration intervention. This study spotlights on the utility of animal foraging behavior in the evaluation of habitat restoration programs.


Objectives Stem cell therapy is a promising approach in the treatment of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) from bone marrow (BM-MSC) and adipose tissue (AT-MSC) are attractive and feasible for preclinical and clinical trials. In this study, we compared the therapeutic potential of BM-MSC and AT-MSC in repairing the hearts of rats with isoproterenol (ISO)-induced AMI. Methods Forty-two female rats were assigned into two groups; the optimization and the experimental group. The optimization groups were further subdivided into control group and the AMI induced group (using ISO). The experimental group was subdivided into AMI+cell-free media injected in the tail vein, AMI+BM-MSC, and AMI+AT-MSC groups treated with the intravenous injection of their respective cell types. Twenty-eight days after induction, electrocardiogram (ECG) was performed, and heart tissue samples were collected for histological assessment and cells tracing. Results MSC therapy repaired cardiac functions shown by the restoration of ST segment, QT and QRS intervals in the ECG when compared to the AMI group. Infarct area was significantly decreased, and cardiac tissue regeneration signs were shown on histopathological examination. Conclusions Both MSC sources proved to be equally efficient in the assessed parameters.


Abstract Over a fifty-year period, from 1944 to 1994, Thea Astley published a number of critical writings, including essays, newspaper articles and reviews, and short reflections and meditations on her craft. Despite a renewed interest in Astley's work, however, most critical interrogations of her oeuvre focus on her novels, and more recently her poetry. As a result, Astley's critical writing has not been afforded the same breadth and depth of investigation as her fiction. This lacuna is troubling, since Astley's critical works are important not only for their insight, but for what they reveal about Astley's self-representation, and in particular the dual identity that she embodied as both a teacher and a satirist. This article argues that these dual roles emerge clearly in Astley's essays and in fact are inextricable from many of her works. Further, the tensions between these two personae — Astley as teacher and Astley as satirist — reveal natural overlaps with her imaginative writing, and reflect her changing ideas about fiction writing, literature, and education.


Sediments of two small watercourses Leskava and Troubsky Brook in the Brno city suburban area were examined for their ecotoxicity. Using a standard procedure, extracts of the sediments were prepared for diagnostic tests. These extracts were tested for acute toxicity to fresh-water organisms. The ecotoxicological tests were performed on the fresh-water alga Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata, the vascular water plant Lemna minor, on a representative of invertebrates – the water flea Daphnia magna and on the Xenopus laevis frog embryo and luminiscent Vibrio fischeri bacteria. Possible toxic effects were evaluated using the test determining the inhibition of the growth of white mustard root Sinapis alba. Results of ecotoxicological assessment of sediment leachates showed that their quality varied significantly during the year. Differences were found between results of sediment evaluations from different collection profiles, which may indicate effects of point source pollution. Of the ecotoxicological tests used, the most sensitive organisms included the green algae Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata, bioluminiscent bacteria Vibrio fischeri and the African clawed frog Xenopus laevis. The highest concentrations of arsenic were found by chemical analysis in both spring and autumn sediment leachate samples collected at Site L1 (Leskava). The highest organic pollutant concentrations were found in autumn sediment leachate samples from Site L1. In total PAH sums, phenanthrene was the dominant pollutant at all the sites investigated. Ecotoxicity, Pseudokyrchneriella subcapitata, Daphnia magna, Lemna minor, Sinapis alba, Vibrio fischeri, Xenopus laevis


Ten patients with histoid lesions among the lepromatous leprosy cases, of both sexes in the age group of 35-65 years, were included in this study. Skin biopsy from the nodule with surrounding healthy skin of histoid lesion was taken. The biopsies were fixed in susa solution and processed for light microscopy. 5-7 mu thick sections were cut and stained with haematoxylin and eosin, Toludine blue and Fite faraco. Observations were made on the dermis to locate the mast cells and bacilli. Proliferation of mast cells and their degranulation was seen in the histoid nodule as compared to surrounding normal healthy skin where the cells were mainly intact. The study further investigates the role of mast cells in the histopathogenesis of the disease.


My project deals primarily with connections and conflicts between the three institutions that formed Mexico's model of national identity; these institutions are the State, the Church and literature. Since the processes of the conquest and colony almost cast away the pre-Columbian religious and cultural epistemological worldviews, we can say that the Mexican nation was actually established on an unprecedented foundation of Catholic faith, the Spanish language and imperial power. The later has been historically re-issued with every political regime that has governed Mexico, from the nineteenth century dictatorships to the long-lasting regime of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).The project begins analyzing literary texts from the first half of the twentieth century, in which writers' critique of the State and the Church aims to uncover the homogeneous identity model these institutions were trying to establish in Mexico. However, I argue that the literature of this period, even with its lucid historical review, was a cultural project in which the religious beliefs of the people were condemned to an ignominious place in regard to social and political life in Mexico. The extreme secularization implicit in their discourses made of religiosity a synonym for alienation, ignorance and superstition. In the last decades, popular religion along with reinforced pre-Hispanic rituals have shown how religion, in a wider sense, can be a way to repair the damaged identity of Mexican believers. The second part of the dissertations works with marginal literary representations —from Mayan writers to popular testimonies— where the faith and spiritual beliefs are part of a complex rearticulation of a moral agency formerly dismissed by the hegemonic cultural projects of the State and the Church. My analysis is focused in how these texts confront institutional discourses to create a space at the border of the national identity model, which still try to embrace a dogmatic Catholicism, on the one hand, and the anachronism of the Revolution period on the other.


A simple anthracene carboxyimide-based fluorescent probe has been readily developed for the detection of toxic formaldehyde (FA). The probe displays a remarkable fluorescence turn-on response towards FA based on the aldimine condensation reaction, which was confirmed by the HR-MS spectrum. The probe can quantitatively determine the level of FA with high selectivity and fast response (within 3 min). Furthermore, cell staining experiments indicate that the probe was cell membrane permeable and could be used for imaging FA in living cells with good performance. Therefore, this probe has promising applications for the detection of FA in living cells.


The paper provides an analysis of the foreign volunteers' intervention in France during the First World War. It discusses the activities of the US humanitarian relief, that from the Franco-Prussian War evolved into permanent structures such as the American Relief Clering House (ARCH) and the American Ambulance Field Service (AAFS) and also analyzes the phenomenon of American volunteers in the French army and in the organization of the Lafayette Escadrille. Particular note is given to the phenomenon of American ambulance volunteers in the Harjes Formation and Norton's Motor Ambulance Corps. It is also described the evolution of the humanitarian activities of the volunteers and the contribution of Anglo-American diplomats organization of relief efforts both in France and in Belgium. In particular, the paper describes the birth and development of the two major associations of US humanitarian relief, the American Field Service (AFS) in France and the Commission for Relief in Belgium (CRB) and the contribution to the latter organization by Herbert Hoover.


Since the discovery that amnesiacs retained certain forms of unconscious learning and memory, implicit memory research has grown immensely over the past several decades. This review discusses two of the most intriguing questions in implicit memory research: how we think it works and why it is important to human behaviour. Using priming as an example, this paper surveys how historic behavioural studies have revealed how implicit memory differs from explicit memory. More recent neuroimaging studies are also discussed. These studies explore the neural correlate of priming and have led to the formation of the sharpening, fatigue, and facilitation neural models of priming. The latter part of this review discusses why humans have evolved with highly flexible explicit memory systems while still retaining inflexible implicit memory systems. Traditionally, researchers have regarded the competitive interaction between implicit and explicit memory systems to be fundamental for essential behaviours like habit learning. However, recently documented collaborative interactions suggest that both implicit and explicit processes are potentially necessary for optimal memory and learning performance. The literature reviewed in this paper reveals how implicit memory research has and continues to challenge our understanding of learning, memory, and the brain systems that underlie them.


This paper aims to clarify the thermal and mechanical properties of zirconium dioxide-cerium(IV) oxide-yttrium oxide and zirconium dioxide-yttrium oxide plasma sprayed coatings. such as phase transformation, bond coat oxidation, and thermal expansion mismatch. Both coatings showed a 7 to 11% porosity fraction and typical lamellar structure, which formed due to continuous wetting by liquid droplets. It is observed that the zirconium dioxide-cerium(IV) oxide-yttrium oxide coating turned out to be better than the zirconium dioxide-yttrium oxide because there was no phase change from the tetragonal to the monoclinic phase (which leads to a spatial expansion), because there was a smaller thermal expansion offset and the effect of the oxide growth stress the better thermal insulation was relatively small. Paper includes a German-language abstract.


Age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy are among major causes of blindness worldwide. Laser photocoagulation of certain positions in the affected retina is used to stop the progress of such disorders and prevent blindness. Unfortunately, the treatment procedure is done manually over many treatment sessions with about 50% failure rate. It is believed that these diseases will be completely managed if the treatment is done in one treatment session. In this paper, we explore a new technique of retinal laser photocoagulation in one treatment session. The method is based on generating a binary pattern representing the positions to be photocoagulated. This pattern can be sent to a 2-D array of switches that will allow certain points of an expanded laser beam to pass and block the others. The passed rays will be flushed to the retina in one shot. The modeling and experimental work done indicated that the procedure is promising.