We present the Potsdam photographic plate library at the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam. It includes plate archives, data from plate index catalogues and extracts from astronomical logbooks, as well as digitized plate images and interfaces for accessing all the available information. The plate index catalogues and the digitized images of the Potsdam astronomical photographic plates are prepared according to the standards of the Wide-Field Plate Database and German Astrophysical Virtual Observatory. The high-resolution digitization of the plates (in standardized FITS file format), the low-resolution plate previews (in TIFF and JPEG file format), as well as suitable digitization of the catalogues, logbooks, and relevant scientific research papers (in JPEG and TIFF) are made using commercial flatbed scanners. ACM Computing Classification System (1998): J.2.


Dictionary Learning (DL) has gained large popularity in solving different computer vision and medical image problems. However, to the best of our knowledge, it has not been used for cervical tumor staging. More importantly, there have been very limited works on how to aggregate different interactions across data views using DL. As a contribution, we propose a novel cross-view self-similarity low rank shared dictionary learning-based (CVSS-LRSDL) framework, which introduces three major contributions in medical image-based cervical cancer staging: (1) leveraging the complementary of axial and sagittal T2w-magnetic resonance (MR) views for cervical cancer diagnosis, (2) introducing self-similarity (SS) patches for DL training, which explore the unidirectional interaction from a source view to a target one, and (3) extracting features that are shared across tumor grades and grade-specific features using the CVSS-LRSDL learning approach. For the first and second contributions, given an input patch in the source view (axial T2w-MR images), we generate its SS patches within a fixed neighborhood in the target view (sagittal T2w-MR images). Specifically, we produce a unidirectional patch-wise SS from a source to a target view, based on mutual and additional information between both views. As for the third contribution, we represent each individual subject using the weighted distance matrix between views, which is used to train our DL-based classifier to output the label for a new testing subject. Overall, our framework outperformed several DL based multi-label classification methods trained using: (i) patch intensities, (ii) SS single-view patches, and (iii) weighted-SS single-view patches. We evaluated our CVSS-LRSDL framework using 15 T2w-MRI sequences with axial and sagittal views. Our CVSS-LRSDL significantly ( $\text{p}< 0.05$ ) outperformed several comparison methods and obtained an average accuracy of 81.73% for cervical cancer staging.


Recent evidence shows that tumor microenvironment containing heterogeneous cells may be involved in cancer initiation, growth and tumor cell response to anticancer therapy. Chemotherapy was designed to make toxic impact on malicious cells in organisms, however, the means to protect healthy cells against chemical toxicity are still unsuccessful. As known, the majority of tumor surrounding cells are cancer-associated adipocytes which influence cancer development, progression and treatment. Targeting the components of tumor microenvironment in combination with conventional cancer treatment may become an effective cancer therapy strategy. However, little is known about adipocyte death mechanisms during combined chemo- and targeted therapy. The importance of c-Jun-NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling in tumor development and treatment has been demonstrated using various in vitro and in vivo cancer models. The aim of this study was to ascertain adipocyte viability during simultaneous stress kinase JNK inhibition and exposure to one of the most commonly used anticancer drugs cis-diamminedichloroplatinum II (cisplatin). Our model involved adipocyte-like cells (ADC) which were obtained during in vitro differentiation of adult rabbit muscle-derived stem cells. Cisplatin induced apoptotic cell death. During 24-hr cisplatin treatment gradual, strong and prolonged increase of both JNK and its target protein c-Jun phosphorylation was found in ADC. Pre-treatment of cells with SP600125 decreased cisplatin-induced activation of c-Jun and promoted apoptosis. Upregulation of proapoptotic Bax and downregulation of antiapoptotic Bcl-2 proteins were found to be regulated in JNK-dependent manner. Thus, the results prove the antiapoptotic role of activated JNK in adipocyte-like cells treated with cisplatin.


This work includes the design and preparation of a(Low carbon steel / AL 2 O 3 ) stepwise functionally graded crown part of an internal combustion engine piston. Powder technology technique, has been studied to improve engine thermal efficiency by creating semi adiabatic combustion chambers, where ceramic phase facing the hot combustion gases, while metallic phase assembling with other parts of the piston. Finite element method ABAQUS program had been used to minimize nucleated residual stresses generated under fabrication process and service work conditions by designing the compositional graded of stepwise FGM within specific dimensions, in addition to temperature distribution across FGM thickness. Then the fabricated specimens had SEM imaging, physical and mechanical property inspection. The results also show that linear transition from metal to ceramic structure can provide minimum residual stresses under all conditions, using stepwise FGM can improve engine heat efficiency by doubling the crown surface temperature,(622) ºC, comparing with steel crown, (322) ºC, under the same applied heat flux. Physical inspections show limited relative density, (48.5) %, with high total porosity structure, (53.3) %, can be performed by this fabrication method. Mechanical tests results show that the layers" hardness increase with increasing ceramic content, and decrease with increasing pores percentage. Compression test shows the ability of suggested stepwise FGM to withstand service work stresses of combustion chamber without failure.


Geophysicists use electrical methods to investigate and characterise the earth's subsurface geology. This study aims to evaluate the performance of copper and conventional stainless-steel electrodes in subsurface tomographic investigations using electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and induced polarisation (IP) at two sites in Penang, Malaysia. Site 1 and Site 2 employed profile lengths of 200 m and 100 m, with electrodes spacing of 5.0 m and 2.5 m, respectively. In the results of the final data inversion, it was observed that the ERT and IP tomographic models of Site 1 have the best convergence limits with percentage relative differences (copper as reference model) ranging from –70% to 70%, while Site 2 recorded –8% to 8%. The electrodes performance evaluation showed that population root mean square (RMS) error and population mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of data points between copper and stainless-steel electrodes yielded large values for Site 1 with values above 28% and that of Site 2 was less than 4%. Hence, copper (good electrical conductivity and non-polarisable) electrodes have improved the quality and quantity of infield data which give low values of population RMS error and population MAPE compared to conventional stainless-steel electrodes, especially for large unit electrode spacing surveys. Most notably, this work has contributed to the understanding of the capability of copper electrodes in providing precise and reliable inversion models for subsurface tomographic investigations in pre- and post-land uses (engineering work), hydrogeology/groundwater, environmental studies, etc.


The study was conducted with the major objective of assessing the impact of IT on the performance of commercial banks in Ethiopia. In order to accomplish its general objective, the study attempted to evaluate the effects of IT on customer satisfaction, employee performance as well as bank revenue. The three dimensions were used as crucial indicators of the impact of IT on overall bank performance. Two cross-sectional surveys were conducted to gather the necessary data from the 372 customers and 24 employees of the Mizan-Aman branches of Dashen and United Banks in Southwestern Ethiopia. In addition, the annual performance  reports  of  both  banks,  particularly  the  ones  for  2015  and  2016  fiscal  years,  were reanalyzed as data sets for assessing the impact of IT on bank revenue. The findings of the study clearly indicated that IT indeed has an impact on the performance of commercial banks. It was found that the IT based services provided by the two bank branches were found to be convenient and user-friendly to customers. The study has also indicated that customers have found both banks to be efficient not only in terms of service delivery but also in terms of their ability to maintain their IT products. IT also positively affected the job performance of bank employees by reducing their workload and improving their accuracy. Meanwhile, broadband and electric power fluctuations were found to have a significant negative impact on both customer satisfaction and employee performance. Finally, an exploratory overview of the financial performance of the two banks has indicated that IT based services constituted a significant percent of the banks' gross profit for both 2015 and 2016 fiscal years.

 Key words: Customer satisfaction, commercial banking, Dashen Bank, employee performance, information technology, United Bank.


Cranial material of some gorgonopsids has been prepared by the acetic acid technique. A new species, Leontocephalus intactus , has been made for one of the skulls, and generic and specific diagnoses are presented. On the basis of composite information from all the skulls, some aspects of the functional morphology are discussed. From the form of the dentition and the pattern of tooth-wear, it is deduced that besides a direct closure of the jaws, the lower incisors must have been capable of interdigitating between the upper incisors to produce a shearing type of occlusion. This must necessarily have involved a propalinal shift of the lower jaw forwards, relative to the skull. However, there was no possibility of an anterior movement of the articular relative to the quadrate and the quadrate must therefore have been streptostylic. It is shown that the quadrate and squamosal together formed a basically ball-and-socket joint and that the quadrate rotated about a transverse axis, upon the epipterygoid. The epipterygoid itself was probably capable of a limited degree of movement relative to the pterygoid. A restoration of the jaw musculature is suggested, on the basis of new information about the lower jaw. A simple mathematical model is constructed to show the feasibility of the muscle restoration. The functional evolution of the gorgonopsid jaw mechanism and musculature is discussed. The organization of the nasal cavity is described and it is shown that the nasal capsule probably consisted of three parts—an anterior chamber restricted to the dorsal part of the skull, a large, purely olfactory posterior chamber, and a ventro-lateral diverticulum of the posterior chamber, the maxillary sinus. The probable presence of olfactory turbinal cartilages in the latter two parts is indicated. The respiratory air probably passed down a choanal tube, supported by extensive processes of the palatine. Evidence of the course of the naso-lachrymal duct is given. The position of Jacobson's organ, and a possible function for the septomaxillary foramen, are discussed. On both functional and anatomical grounds, it is argued that the gorgonopsids had no trace of a secondary palate. The origin of the organization of the gorgonopsid snout is discussed. New details of the structure of the braincase are described and the homology of the elements are considered. It is shown that the braincase can be compared to the neurocranium of the mammals in several, but not all respects. On the basis of the internal form of the braincase, a reconstruction of the brain is given, suggesting that the telencephalon was relatively well developed. The phylogenetic position of the gorgonopsids as a whole is considered. They are compared with the Therocephalia and it is concluded that their functional organization, as indicated by an extensive suite of characters, differs radically from that group. The cynodonts are shown to be based on the therocephaliantype of organization and therefore to be relatively unrelated to the gorgonopsids. It is apparent that a common ancestor of the gorgonopsids and the therocephalians could have been but barely advanced over the pelycosaurian-grade of structure. Primitive therapsids from the Russian Kazanian deposits are briefly discussed and it is shown that there is some slight evidence for a dichotomy between them into 'pregorgonopsid' and 'pretherocephalian' stocks. It is formally proposed that the carnivorous therapsids should be classified into two equal ranks, the Gorgonopsia and the Theriodonta and that they were probably derived separately from the sphenacodont pelycosaurs.


Objective This study aimed to report viral respiratory pathogens during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Materials and Methods Other viral pathogens were identified. COVID-19 immunoglobulin M and immunoglobulin G were detected. Results Of the 56 samples collected from women, 2 (3.5%) were positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), whereas 8 (10%) of the 80 samples from men were positive for SARS-CoV-2. The number of respiratory syncytial virus-A–positive cases was 6 (10.7%) in women and 14 (17.5%) in men. Two (3.5%) of the women were positive for parainfluenza-3, and 6 of the men were positive for influenza-B. The number of human metapneumovirus (HMPV)–positive women and men was 6 (10.7%) and 6 (7.5%), respectively. Rhinovirus caused 14.2% and 10% of the cases in men and women, respectively. With a ratio of 10.7% in women and 7.5% in men; SARS-CoV-2, with a ratio of 10% in men and 3.5% in women; influenza-B, with a ratio of 7.5% in men; and parainfluenza-3 and 4, with a ratio of 3.5% in women. SARS-CoV-2 had a mean incidence rate of 7% in men and women. The antibody screening results reveal that antibody formation did not occur in 3 women among the 10 patients who were diagnosed with COVID-19, and antibody formation occurred in 2 of 7 men. Antibody formation occurred in 5 women (16.6%) and 7 men (20.5%) among the 58 patients who were positive for other respiratory tract pathogens. However, 23 (29.5%) of the blood samples collected from 78 individuals who were negative for the COVID-19 agent and other respiratory tract viral pathogens were positive for the COVID-19 antibody. Conclusion Because the climate is colder than normal in areas settled at higher altitudes, more than one pathogens act together. In addition, respiratory infections are seen in all seasons. This causes the diseases to be fewer and milder than in other regions.


This article proposes to refine the concept civil society by discerning three distinct forms of civil society in the past. This refined conceptual framework counters the criticism that civil society suffers from its growing popularity and its broad definition. The usefulness of these three forms of civil society—which are based on the later work of Jürgen Habermas—are applied in this article on the seventeenth-century Low Countries. The central question is how these forms of civil society acted as schools of democracy in the seventeenth-century Spanish Netherlands and Dutch Republic. The three types of civil society are identified that developed through time and built a cumulative tradition of civil society. These are the medieval craft guilds (liberal civil society), the early modern civic militia (republican civil society), and the modern Enlightenment sociability (deliberative civil society). Data about the associational life in two cities in the Low Countries, Mechelen and Rotterdam, show that different forms of civil societies had different functions according to the societal context. Furthermore, the data show that societies with civil societies characterized by social inclusive boards and high mutation ratios had less political impact when they lacked links with existing political institutions. This implies that civil societies did not as a rule serve as schools of democracy.


Background Early detection of acute kidney injury (AKI) is important for safe clinical practice. NHS England is implementing a nationwide automated AKI detection system based on changes in blood creatinine. Little has been reported on the similarities and differences of AKI patients detected by this algorithm and other definitions of AKI in the literature. Methods We assessed the NHS England AKI algorithm and other definitions using routine biochemistry in our own health authority in Scotland in 2003 (adult population 438 332). Linked hospital episode codes (ICD-10) were used to identify patients where AKI was a major clinical diagnosis. We compared how well the algorithm detected this subset of AKI patients in comparison to other definitions of AKI. We also evaluated the potential 'alert burden' from using the NHS England algorithm in comparison to other AKI definitions. Results Of 127 851 patients with at least one blood test in 2003, the NHS England AKI algorithm identified 5565 patients. The combined NHS England algorithm criteria detected 91.2% (87.6–94.0) of patients who had an ICD-10 AKI code and this was better than any individual AKI definition. Some of those not captured could be identified by algorithm modifications to identify AKI in retrospect after recovery, but this would not be practical in real-time. Any modifications also increased the number of alerted patients (2-fold in the most sensitive model). Conclusions The NHS England AKI algorithm performs well as a diagnostic adjunct in clinical practice. In those without baseline data, AKI may only be seen in biochemistry in retrospect, therefore proactive clinical care remains essential. An alternative algorithm could increase the diagnostic sensitivity, but this would also produce a much greater burden of patient alerts.


Node.js is one of the most popular frameworks for building web applications. As software systems mature, the cost of running their entire regression test suite can become significant. Selective Regression Testing (SRT) is a technique that executes only a subset of tests the regression test suite can detect software failures more efficiently. Previous SRT studies mainly focused on standard desktop applications. Node.js applications are considered hard to perform test reduction because of Node's asynchronous, event-driven programming model and because JavaScript is a dynamic programming language. In this paper, we present NodeSRT, a Selective Regression Testing framework for Node.js applications. By performing static and dynamic analysis, NodeSRT identifies the relationship between changed methods and tests, then reduces the regression test suite to only tests that are affected by the change to improve the execution time of the regression test suite. To evaluate our selection technique, we applied NodeSRT to two open-source projects: Uppy and Simorgh, then compared our approach with the retest-all strategy and current industry-standard SRT technique: Jest OnlyChange. The results demonstrate that NodeSRT correctly selects affected tests based on changes and is 250% faster, 450% more precise than the Jest OnlyChange.


INTRODUCTION
Although microlaryngoscopy has been recognized to be effective in addressing lesions in vocal performers, no detailed information regarding return to performance (RTP) following surgery exists. We describe our experience and offer proposals to establish standardized criteria for RTP among vocal performers.

METHODS
Records for adult vocalists who underwent microlaryngoscopy for benign vocal fold (VF) lesions and had a clearly documented RTP date between 2006 and 2022 were reviewed. Patient demographics, diagnoses, interventions, and postsurgical care before and after RTP were described. The need for medical and procedural interventions and rate of reinjury were used to determine the success of RTP.

RESULTS
Sixty-nine vocal performers (average age: 32.8 years, 41 [59.4%] female, 61 [88.4%] musical theater) underwent surgery for 37 (53.6%) pseudocysts, 25 (36.2%) polyps, 5 (7.2%) cysts, 1 (1.4%) varix, and 1 (1.4%) mucosal bridge. Fifty-seven (82.6%) underwent voice therapy. The average time to RTP was 65.0 ± 29.8 days. Prior to RTP, six (8.7%) experienced VF edema requiring oral steroids and one (1.4%) underwent a VF steroid injection. Within 6 months following RTP, eight (11.6%) received oral steroids for edema and three underwent procedural interventions (two steroid injections for edema/stiffness, one injection augmentation for paresis). One patient experienced pseudocyst recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS
Return to vocal performance at an average of 2 months following microlaryngoscopy for benign lesions appears overwhelmingly successful, with low rates of need for additional intervention. There is a need for validated instruments to better measure performance fitness to refine and possibly accelerate RTP.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE
IV Laryngoscope, 2023.


The amount and location of oceanographic stations vary in different time and the observation information of the same station shows temporality. Hence, ocean observation information has strong spatiotemporal characteristics. This article firstly introduces storage strategy and representation method of spatiotemporal information on tidal level. Then the prototype system was built with the ability of storing, updating, analyzing, and early warning of tidal level in Shandong Peninsula of China. The system achieves the inquiry and visualization of realtime and historical information of oceanographic stations, which provides technical support for oceanographers and decisionmakers.


Symbiotic nitrogen fixation carried out in legume root nodules requires transition metals. These nutrients are delivered by the host plant to the endosymbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria living with the nodule cells, a process in which vascular transport is essential. As occurs in root-to-shoot transport, members of the Yellow Stripe-Like (YSL) family of metal transporters should also be required for root-to-nodule metal delivery. The genome of the model legume Medicago truncatula encodes for eight YSL proteins, four of them with a high degree of similarity to Arabidopsis thaliana YSLs involved in long-distance metal trafficking. Among them, MtYSL3 is a plasma membrane protein expressed by vascular cells in roots and nodules, and by cortical nodule cells. Reducing expression levels of this gene had no major effect on plant physiology when assimilable nitrogen was provided in the nutrient solution. However, nodule functioning was severely impaired, with a significant reduction of nitrogen fixation capabilities. Further, iron and zinc accumulation and distribution changed. Iron was retained in the apical region of the nodule, while zinc became strongly accumulated in the nodule veins in the ysl3 mutant. These data suggest a role of MtYSL3 in vascular delivery of iron and zinc to symbiotic nitrogen fixation. Highlight Medicago truncatula YSL3 transporter is required for optimal nitrogen fixation in root nodules, mediating iron and zinc distribution in these organs.


This paper studies the impact of Palestine-Israel conflict on child labour in Palestine. The conflict has resulted in massive job loss of Palestinian workers in Israel. We estimate the probability that a Palestinian child starts working when the household suffer economic shock due to the intensity of conflict. The paper uses longitudinal employment survey from the Palestinian Labour Force Survey (LFS) for the period 1999 to 2006 to analyse the impact of household economic shocks on the employment transition of children (10-16 years) in Palestine. The particular economic shock we consider in this paper is the job loss of Palestinian workers in Israel. Taking advantage of the rotating panel structure of the LFS, we compare households in which the head looses his job in Israel during 2 consecutive quarters with households in which the head is continuously employed in Israel. Probit regressions indicate that household head's job loss in Israel significantly increases the probability of child labour. The effect can be as large as 64% on the probability of working for 16 years old boys. In contrast, household head's job loss after a year does not have a significant effect, suggesting that the result is not due to unobservable characteristics of households that suffer the economic shock. The results suggest that economic shock for even relatively well-off households can have adverse consequence for children and highlight the importance of the Palestine-Israel conflict as an explanation of child labour dynamics in Palestine.


Objective: This research aims to analyse the factors that influence customer satisfaction of black market's Chinese smartphone. Research Design & Methods: The research uses quantitative approach to analyse the sample of 250 buyers of black market's Chinese smartphone across Solo Raya. The sampling technique is purposive sampling through questionnaires with a Likert scale. The analytical technique is multiple regression. Findings: The findings showed that 1) black market has a significant direct effect on customer satisfaction, 2) price has a significant direct effect on customer satisfaction, 3) product quality has a significant direct effect on customer satisfaction. Implications & Recommendations: This research has practical implications for the marketing policies implemented by Chinese smartphone companies to increase customer awareness and product distribution policies to support increased sales at official stores and fight illegal trade in Chinese smartphone products. The social impact of the research is to contribute to changes in people's behavior in buying Chinese smartphones where there needs to be aware that the black market is an illegal store to buy products if people want to buy Chinese smartphones, then the right thing is at official stores or outlets that are already working—same with the company. Contribution & Value Added: This research provides added value to evaluating distribution policies implemented by Chinese smartphone companies, which are considered less able to compete with the black market. So to increase market share at official stores, Chinese smartphone companies must be more severe in managing the distribution of product sales so that industrial competition can run properly.


ABSTRACT In a field-based trial among military trainees, personal hygiene measures, including chlorhexidine (CHG) body wash, did not prevent overall and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) skin and soft-tissue infections (SSTI). We conducted a secondary analysis of anterior nares cultures obtained during the trial to evaluate the impact of hygiene measures on Staphylococcus aureus colonization. A cluster-randomized trial for SSTI prevention was conducted among U.S. Army infantry trainees from May 2010 to January 2012. There were three study groups with incrementally increasing education- and hygiene-based components: standard (S), enhanced standard (ES), and CHG. Anterior nares cultures were obtained from participants to determine the prevalence of S. aureus colonization. A total of 1,706 participants (469 S, 597 ES, and 640 CHG) without SSTI were included in the colonization analysis. Of those randomized to the CHG group, 360 (56.3%) reported frequent use of body wash. Frequent use of body wash had no effect on overall S. aureus colonization (53.3% versus 56.8% among infrequent/nonusers; P = 0.25). MRSA colonization prevalence was marginally lower among frequent users (2.5% versus 4.7%; P = 0.07). In multivariable analysis, the odds of MRSA colonization were lower among frequent users (odds ratio [OR], 0.36; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.16 to 0.77). This CHG-associated reduction was not observed when comparing colonization with USA300 to that with non-USA300 types (OR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.06 to 5.76). Frequent use of CHG body wash was associated with a reduction in MRSA nasal colonization among high-risk military trainees. Topical chlorhexidine may contribute to MRSA SSTI prevention by reducing colonization. However, further studies evaluating the pathogenesis of SSTI are needed. (This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under registration no. NCT01105767).


Background: This study was aimed to compare viewpoint of Dentistry students in order to educational objectives achievements in oral pathology course using two methodologies; teacher-oriented instruction (TOI) & problem-based learning (PBL). Methods: The present study was carried out on 24 third-year students of general dentistry in Dental Faculty of Shahed University. The non-randomized interventional census sampling and Willcoxon statistical method were used. After the instruction, a questionnaire were designed for each method to measure the view point of Dentistry students to achievement of educational objectives. Results:The participants' average score obtained from the questionnaires were 48 ± 15.82 and 42.75 ± 12.23 For TOI and PBL methods, respectively. However, there was not a significant difference between these results. (P = 0.166) The questionnaires' analyses showed that the extent of fulfillment was mentioned as desirable by 6; acceptable by 16 and unacceptable by 2 participants in teacher-oriented group. Though, in PBL group, it was reported to be desirable by 6, acceptable by 14, and unacceptable by 4 informants. Conclusion: In the present study, there was not any significant difference between PBL method and TOI in students' viewpoint to achievements of educational objectives in two topics of oral pathology course.


Studies of the cognitive abilities of pigs are increasing in number, due to their relevance for the fields of animal welfare and biomedical research. While both female and male pigs have been used in cognitive tasks, possible sex differences in performance have not yet received extensive attention. This is of interest, as sexual dimorphism in cognitive abilities has been documented for a variety of species. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of sex on pigs' performance in two cognitive tasks. Spatial learning and memory of ten female and ten male pigs was compared in a spatial holeboard task. Working and reference memory, as well as measures of motivation and exploration were assessed. Both females and males acquired the task and no differences were found between sexes for any measures of spatial memory. However, female pigs performed more successfully during reversal trials (shorter latency to first reward, higher number of rewards found), indicating greater response flexibility. This difference between sexes was transient, with males eventually reaching the same level of performance as the females. Judgment bias, a cognitive measure of affective state, was subsequently assessed using an active choice judgment bias task. Pigs were trained to respond differently to a negative and a positive stimulus, signaling either a small or a large reward. During judgment bias testing, pigs were presented with ambiguous cues and their trained 'positive' and 'negative' responses were recorded as optimistic or pessimistic choices, respectively. Both females and males displayed a slightly optimistic judgment bias. Optimistic choosing decreased with repeated testing for both groups. It is likely the pigs learned about the unrewarded outcome of ambiguous cues, rendering them no longer ambiguous. Further improvement of the judgment bias task as a cognitive measure of affective state is deemed necessary. Overall, our results indicate that sex is not a confounding factor when measuring baseline performance of pigs in the spatial holeboard or judgment bias task. Sex effects were only found when subjecting the pigs to a reversal task, warranting further study of sex differences in response flexibility. Such a difference would have implications for pig welfare, as it suggests that males are slower to cope with changes in their environment.


The competitive strategies of 'gatekeeper' platforms are subject to enhanced scrutiny. For instance, Apple and Google are being accused of charging excessive access fees to app providers and privileging their own apps. Some have argued that such allegations make no economic sense when the platform's business model is to sell devices. In this paper, we build a model in which a gatekeeper device-seller facing potentially saturated demand for its device has the incentive and the ability to exclude from the market third-party suppliers of a service that consumers buy via its devices. Foreclosure is more likely if demand growth for the platform's devices is slow or negative, and can harm consumers if the device-seller's services are inferior to those offered by the third parties.


Anyons are exotic quasiparticles obeying fractional statistics, whose behavior can be emulated in artificially designed spin systems. Here we present an experimental emulation of creating anyonic excitations in a superconducting circuit that consists of four qubits, achieved by dynamically generating the ground and excited states of the toric code model, i.e., four-qubit Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger states. The anyonic braiding is implemented via single-qubit rotations: a phase shift of π related to braiding, the hallmark of Abelian 1/2 anyons, has been observed through a Ramsey-type interference measurement.


Digital open badges describe in detail the expertise and professional competencies achieved in digital environments. "Learning Online" is a Finnish national professional development programme (PDP) of digital pedagogical competencies for vocational teachers. This study aims to identify the students who are particularly motivated by digital open badge-driven learning. The research question asks what triggers learning in such a badge-driven process. The data were collected in 2017 from in-service trained professional teachers and pre-service students (n = 329) of vocational teacher education who have earned digital open badges in a Learning Online PDP. A questionnaire was used to collect data, and a constrained correspondence analysis was conducted to analyse the data. The theoretical approach focuses on the concepts of gamification, the triggers of online learning and the triggering effect of gamification in learning. The study is based on recognized variables affecting motivation in badge-driven learning: progressive challenges and the extent of required performance, enthusiasm for the badge-driven learning, study progress, inspiring gamification, option to study regardless of time and place and optional study paths. The results indicate differences and similarities in the experiences associated with achieved skillset levels. The findings also suggest applying gamification and digital badging for the professional development of both preand in-service teachers; gamification motivates students, especially in the beginning of their studies. Furthermore, the results propose considering flexible study options that include customising studies and learning new and upto-date competencies triggering digital open badge-driven learning.


Chondrites are the largest group of meteorites. They can provide unique insights into the origins and early evolution of our Solar System, and even into the relationships between our Solar System and other stars in the vicinity of our Sun. The largest structural components of most chondrites are the glass-bearing chondrules, and there are numerous theories for their origin. This clear and systematic text summarizes the ideas surrounding the origin and history of chondrules and chondrites, drawing on research from the various scientific disciplines involved. With citations to every known published paper on the topic, it forms a comprehensive bibliography of the latest research, and extensive illustrations provide a clear visual representation of the scientific theories. This text will be a valuable reference for graduate students and researchers in planetary science, geology, and astronomy.


Since the 1980s, congressional parties have traded increasingly narrow majorities, forgoing interparty compromise for unabashedly partisan lawmaking tactics. This includes "constitutional hardball," in which lawmakers entrench their party position on high stakes votes by bending normal lawmaking procedure. Nevertheless, literature on the topic is new and descriptive (Balkin 2017, Fishkin and Pozen 2018, Pozen 2018), suggesting that hardball occurs briefly, during rare transformative moments (Tushnet 2003, Ackerman 1993, 1998, 2014). I argue that constitutional hardball is a durable, regular feature of congressional struggles over judicial nominations and voting rights. Specifically, I argue that given Article V's high barriers to amendment, members of Congress unable to pass formal amendments have instead used hardball measures to achieve quasi-constitutional reform on judicial powers and voting rights. To test this claim, I offer case studies on the Enabling Act of 1889, House reapportionment after the 1920 Census, and contemporary Article V amendment proposals.


Image-to-image conversion tasks are more accurate and sophisticated than ever thanks to advances in deep learning. However, since typical deep learning models are trained to perform only one task, multiple trained models are required to perform each task even if they are related to each other. For example, the popular image-to-image convolutional neural network, U-Net, is normally trained for a single task. Based on U-Net, this study proposes a model that outputs variable results using only one trained model. The proposed method produces a continuously changing output by setting an external parameter. We confirm the robustness of our proposed model by evaluating it on binarization and background blurring. According to these evaluations, we confirmed that the proposed model can generate well-predicted outputs by using un-trained tuning parameters as well as the outputs by using trained tuning parameters. Furthermore, the proposed model can generate extrapolated outputs outside the learning range.


This paper develops a reduced form three-factor model which includes a liquidity proxy of market conditions which is then used to provide implicit prices. The model prices are then compared with observed market prices of credit default swaps to determine if swap rates adequately reflect market risks. The findings of the analysis illustrate the importance of liquidity in the valuation process. Moreover, market liquidity, a measure of investors' willingness to commit resources in the credit default swap (CDS) market, was also found to improve the valuation of investors' autonomous credit risk. Thus a failure to include a liquidity proxy could underestimate the implied autonomous credit risk. Autonomous credit risk is defined as the fractional credit risk which does not vary with changes in market risk and liquidity conditions.


An 11-week-old and a 6-month-old kitten with feline GM2 gangliosidosis and deficiency in both A and B isoenzymes of beta-D-N-acetyl hexosaminidase were studied by light transmission (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Neurons throughout the nervous system contained cytoplasmic, membrane-bound inclusions which were PAS-positive at the fine structure level these inclusions were composed of membranous arrays in whorls, vesicles, or multilaminated stacks. Fusion of the bounding membranes of adjacent inclusions resulted in large inclusion-containing vacuoles. Hepatocytes and Kupffer cells contained inclusions slightly different from those in the central nervous system. SEM of cryofractured liver demonstrated their coalescence to form larger composite vacuoles. Vacuoles with inclusions were also seen in pancreatic acinar cells, endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle, fibroblasts, myocardial cells, renal interstitial cells, corneal stromal cells, and R-E cells of bone marrow and spleen. The specific granules of eosinophils were swollen and took on bizarre forms. Pathologic manifestations of feline GM2 gangliosidosis differ from those seen in feline GM1 gangliosidosis but closely resemble those of Sandhoff disease in humans.


This report has been prepared by the Ageing Special Interest Research Group of the International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual Disabilities (IASSID) in collaboration with the Department of Mental Health and Substance Dependence and the Programme on Ageing and Health, World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva, Switzerland, and all rights are reserved by the above mentioned organization. The document may, however, be freely reviewed, abstracted, reproduced or translated in part, but not for sale or use in conjunction with commercial purposes. It may also be reproduced in full by non-commercial entities for information or for educational purposes with prior permission from WHO/IASSID. The document is likely to be available in other languages also. For more information on this document, please visit the following websites: and .


There has been in the medical literature during the last decade a series of publications about the actual role of the authors in the published articles. The number of honorary authors, giving their name to a publication without a significant contribution to the study, is not negligible, even in prestigious journals. Moreover, the use of ghosts, which are non mentioned authors involved in the analysis or in the manuscript writing, appears to be frequent, particularly in trials sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry.


As transportation corridors become an ever more important asset, existing rail freight corridors are under increasing pressure to be shared for transit purposes. In defining the expanded corridor use a comprehensive look at factors was undertaken on behalf of Transport Canada by AECOM. Understanding the issues is imperative in navigating this complex subject. In locations where the transit network and expected ridership-generation points are compatible with existing railway networks, the best use of a network of corridors for freight and transit should be one of the first steps in municipal and regional planning. Finding a best use of existing network typically does not happen for two reasons. First, the public entities typically do not observe the complete "freight network" and have a limited stake in its function and complexity. Unlike public roads or transit, public entities tend to look at single opportunities such as little used freight segments, or specific corridors that they can afford to pursue with a specific public purpose. As a result, freight railways often find themselves responding to a specific request for a segment in the context of their network and whether it serve a functional need. Second, the private freight railways similarly do not have opportunity or patience to investigate the public contribution to their networks. The point of view of what might be done if the potential transit services were understood and what it could mean to freight business with capital investment in an improved and/or rationalized freight delivery system may be hard to define, and the benefits may only occur in the distant future. They have a priority to pursue their immediate business model and therefore tend to wait until the public entity comes forward and asks about a specific corridor or opportunity. The issue of assets inventory, rationalization paired with transit planning, is the first step in evaluating efficient transportation systems through urban centres. Furthermore, the ability of some transit vehicles to be used on both on dedicated railway transit corridors, where it makes sense, as well as for street services, provide for greater flexibility in transit networks. What is missing is a review of freight networks from a regional perspective relative to all potential transit routes. The first question to be asked when looking at the freight network of an urban area is: where is it going, why is it going there, and could it be handled more effectively, and if so what are the overall benefits to all parties.Copyright © 2011 by ASME


In order to improve the accuracy of the satellite orbit prediction, a Doppler/Celestial integrated orbit prediction method based on two-stage filter is proposed. Celestial prediction is a mature and stable navigation for satellite. But the position determination performance is not satisfied due to the low accuracy of horizon sensor. The Doppler prediction utilizes the Doppler radial velocity relative to the Sun as measurement information. However, this method can not obtain all state estimations. For two methods are complementary to each other, the two-stage filter is used here for fusing the prediction data from the Doppler prediction and CNS. Compared to the traditional celestial prediction method, the integrated prediction method can provide better prediction performance. The simulation results demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of this integrated prediction.


AIM
To examine the relationship between adiponectin and metabolic variables in the offspring of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

METHODS
Fasting blood samples and anthropometric indices were taken from 34 subjects, offspring of patients with type 2 diabetes, and 24 healthy control subjects without any immediate family history of diabetes. Plasma glucose and serum adiponectin, insulin, triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL and LDL cholesterol levels were measured, and insulin resistance (IR) was calculated based on the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) method.

RESULTS
Offspring and control subjects were sex-matched, but the offspring were older and had higher body mass index and waist circumference than the control subjects (p < 0.05). The offspring had significantly higher mean fasting plasma glucose concentrations; however, their mean serum insulin, adiponectin, triglyceride, total cholesterol, HDL and LDL cholesterol and HOMA-derived IR levels did not significantly differ from those of the control subjects (p > 0.05). While the negative correlation between serum adiponectin and HDL cholesterol levels in the offspring remained statistically significant after adjusting for the effect of age, sex and BMI (r = -0.37, p < 0.05), the negative correlation between adiponectin and serum triglyceride, LDL cholesterol or IR levels became non-significant after controlling for the above variables (p > 0.05 in all cases).

CONCLUSION
The correlation between adiponectin and some known biochemical risk factors for developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease in the offspring of patients with diabetes warrants further study to evaluate its potential in assessing the risk of developing these disorders.


B.L. Hesterman comments on the paper by E.E. Mombello et al. (see ibid., vol.15, no.1, p.167-74, 2000). Although the new model is presented in the context of a utility grade transformer, the author has applied it to a two-winding high-frequency transformer with a gapped ferrite core. The results of this work in relation to the original work are outlined. The original authors reply to the comments.


If ASEAN played a key role in the creation of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), Japan's contribution was essential in the historic path leading to the birth of this organization. This paper takes as its starting point the sense of uncertainty pervading Japan during the first half of the 1990s, particularly related to the political instability of the area, in order to investigate the steps followed by the country in providing an effective response to the transformed international scenario. In this context, the ARF becomes a reality that the country supported to promote a multilateral security dialogue within Asia, challenging the traditional political architecture and regional hegemonic logic


A torus contains four families of circles: parallels, meridians and two sets of Yvon-Villarceau circles. Craftworks and artworks based on Yvon-Villarceau circles can be very attractive. Dupin cyclides are images of tori under sphere inversion, so they contain the images of the torus circles families. I applied operations that are known to create effective artworks on tori to Dupin cyclides, and proved them to be feasible. The regularity and the hidden complexity of the objects I obtained make them very attractive. Reviving the 19th century's tradition of mathematical models making, I printed several models, which can help in understanding their geometry. The tools I developed can be generalized to explore transformations of other mathematical objects under sphere inversion. This exploration is just at its beginning, but has already produced interesting new objects.


Background: The use of skin-lightening creams is common and widespread in African, Asian, and North American colored no brown to dark. Use of skin-bleaching agents has been reported in Saudi Arabia. The long-term use of these products for several months to years may cause cutaneous or systemic side effects. Purpose: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of self-use of skin-bleaching agents among Saudi women as well as the level of awareness, attitudes, and practice toward the use of these agents. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted by the selection of systematic random sampling of female attending the Family Medicine Clinic at Prince Mansour Military Hospital. The data collected by a structured questionnaire included information about background variables and attitudes, awareness, and practice regarding the use of skin-bleaching agents. The data were analyzed using statistical software to yield descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: A total of 358 women aged between 18 and 55 years were included in this study. Nearly 25% of the women were current users of skin-bleaching agents, while 39.6% were only previous users. About a third of women used bleaching creams in the treatment of hypo or hyperpigmented skin and 29.4% used them for cosmetic purposes. Regarding the source of these agents, 38% of women obtained them by medical prescription and 27.8% were from pharmacy without prescription. The reason for using skin-bleaching creams varied: 51.6% of females used creams to increase beauty, 51% for making a new look, 6% for increasing self-confidence, and 4.3% to increase the stability of marriage. Almost 56% of the women reported that cortisone is the most dangerous component in the skin-bleaching agents. Nearly 33% of the women reported being willing to use a quick whitening agent from an unknown source. Higher education and higher income were associated with greater use of skin-lightening creams. Conclusion: The lifetime use of skin-bleaching agents was relatively high, divided evenly on cosmetic and curative purposes. The level of awareness about these agents is low because a considerable proportion of respondents agreed to use agents from unknown sources, in addition to the high use of skin-bleaching agents obtained without medical or pharmacist consultation.


In this paper, we investigated the role of sorting nexin 12 (SNX12) in the endocytic pathway. SNX12 is a member of the PX domain-containing sorting nexin family and shares high homology with SNX3, which plays a central role in the formation of intralumenal vesicles within multivesicular endosomes. We found that SNX12 is expressed at very low levels compared to SNX3. SNX12 is primarily associated with early endosomes and this endosomal localization depends on the binding to 3-phosphoinositides. We find that overexpression of SNX12 prevents the detachment (or maturation) of multivesicular endosomes from early endosomes. This in turn inhibits the degradative pathway from early to late endosomes/lysosomes, much like SNX3 overexpression, without affecting endocytosis, recycling and retrograde transport. In addition, while previous studies showed that Hrs knockdown prevents EGF receptor sorting into multivesicular endosomes, we find that overexpression of SNX12 restores the sorting process in an Hrs knockdown background. Altogether, our data show that despite lower expression level, SNX12 shares redundant functions with SNX3 in the biogenesis of multivesicular endosomes.


Information retrieval from web documents becomes a challenge according to the exponential growth in the number of web pages on the Internet and rapid changes in these pages. So, it is necessary to classify web pages into classes to provide their results for the applied tools to be used which makes information retrieval easier and helps in facilitating applications use on the internet. Web pages classification may be applied for various types of data that are available on the Internet like texts, images, audios and videos. Each type has different algorithms to classify and process. Unfortunately, the classification of Arabic Web pages considering their structure is more difficult. In this paper, the results of the classification of Arabic web pages which is obtained using fuzzy algorithm will be discussed.


The research assessed the impact of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) in influencing the buying behaviour of non-consumer customers through the case study of Tanzania Cigarette Company. The main objective of this paper was to probe the impact of CRM on the buying behaviour of non-consumer customers. Background information including the research questions, the problem statement and the significance of the study has been provided. Through literature review various theories, empirical studies, conceptual frameworks, and theoretical framework were addressed. Data collection was done through both questionnaires and interviews whereby qualitative and quantitative data were collected. Data was analysed thematically through Fishbein's behavioural modal and graphs to come out with research outcomes. The findings confirm that CRM has significant impact on non-consumer customers buying behaviour. The researcher also provided recommendations for improvement of TCC's CRM system. These include extending CRM to retailers, investing in retailers' education, reducing the time taken to create a customer in SAP and maximize the use of CRM technology. Additionally, the direction for further researches has been recommended. For instance, further researches could probe why TCC's share of the market has been dropping in spite of TCC being the market leader in manufacturing and sale of cigarett


Recommender systems are being extensively used in the present generation. Today's consumer are facing with millions of goods and services when shopping online. Recommender systems help consumers by making product recommendations that are likely to be of interest to the user such as books, CDs, movies, restaurants, online news articles, and other services. Recommender systems are gradually increasingly harder to find the relevant contents of information in the vast abundant current age of information overload. Thus, recommender systems are needed to help individual users find the most relevant items or products or data sets from an abundant number of choices, collection. Through this gradually increase sales by exposing users to what they might like. E.g. In real time or real world applications consider a product say laptop, the laptop present in numerous patterns with different applications in number depending upon different user's requirements. Thus providing a user or the customer with relevant information about the product as per their requirements with the help of recommender systems would ease the work of an user. Hence we can conclude saying that the volume of information available in the current age is huge to individual users (for e.g., e-commerce sites applications such as Amazon, Netflix) and hence focusing in developing some recommendation techniques within both industry and academia. Most, research to date is focusing on improving the recommendation accuracy i.e. the accuracy with which the recommender system predicts users ratings for items that are yet to be rated. The diversity of recommendation also plays an important role to be considered, it is important to explore the relationship between the accuracy and diversity and also the recommendation quality. Empirical analysis consistently shows the diversity gains of different recommendation techniques which is being used in several real world rating applications or datasets and uses different rating prediction algorithms. Individual users and online content providers will also benefit from the proposed approaches, where in which each user can find more relevant and personalized items or products from accurate and diverse recommendations provided by these recommender systems. These approaches, ranking techniques and algorithms could potentially lead to increased loyalty and sales in e-commerce application sites, thus benefiting the providers as well. Thus, serving these needs can result in greater success regarding cross-selling of related products, up selling, product affinities, and one-to –one promotions, larger baskets and customer retention.


Problem-solving has an important place in middle-school mathematics. Mathematics teachers play a significant role in improving problem-solving skills of the students. The purpose of the study is to investigate the questioning skills of pre-service middleschool mathematics teachers in the problem-solving processes of sixth grade students. Fourteen volunteer pre-service middle-school mathematics teachers in the third year of the undergraduate program participated in the study. The participants conducted clinical interviews with one sixth grade student in the scope of provided mathematics problem. The results indicated that most of the participants could not use appropriate questioning considering the phases of problem-solving process. Moreover, these pre-service teachers focused on the solution of the problem and they ignored especially the phases of understanding the problem and developing a plan regarding the problem. Only four of the pre-service teachers were able to support mental process of students in problem-solving via their questioning. The results revealed that enabling students to construct quantitative relationships depends on pre-service teachers' appropriate questioning. Therefore, it is suggested that specific courses developing both the problem-solving and questioning skills of pre-service teachers should be integrated into the mathematics teacher education programs.


The Dual Post Correspondence Problem asks whether, for a given word α, there exists a pair of distinct morphisms σ,τ, one of which needs to be non-periodic, such that σ(α) = τ(α) is satisfied. This problem is important for the research on equality sets, which are a vital concept in the theory of computation, as it helps to identify words that are in trivial equality sets only. Little is known about the Dual PCP for words α over larger than binary alphabets, especially for so-called ratio-primitive examples. In the present paper, we address this question in a way that simplifies the usual method, which means that we can reduce the intricacy of the word equations involved in dealing with the Dual PCP. Our approach yields large sets of words for which there exists a solution to the Dual PCP as well as examples of words over arbitrary alphabets for which such a solution does not exist.


Nut consumption lowers blood cholesterol and is associated with reduced cardiovascular disease, but effects on blood pressure (BP) are inconsistent. We assessed the 2-year effects of a walnut diet versus a control diet on office BP and 24-hours ambulatory BP in free-living elders participating in the Walnuts and Healthy Aging study, a randomized trial testing the effects of walnuts at ≈15% energy on age-related disorders. In a prespecified analysis, we enrolled 305 participants, of whom 236 (75%) completed the study (65% women; age, 69 years; 60% with mild hypertension). Walnuts were well tolerated, and compliance was >98%. Mean baseline office BP was 128/79 mm Hg. Adjusted changes from baseline in mean office systolic BP were −4.61 mm Hg (95% CI, −7.43 to −1.79 mm Hg) in the walnut group and −0.59 mm Hg (−3.38 to 2.21 mm Hg) in controls (P=0.051). Respective changes in mean systolic 24-hour ambulatory BP were −3.86 mm Hg (CI, −5.45 to −2.26 mm Hg) and −2.00 mm Hg (CI, −3.58 to −0.42 mm Hg; P=0.111). No changes in diastolic BP were observed. In participants in the upper tertile of baseline 24-hour ambulatory systolic BP (>125 mm Hg), mean 2-year systolic 24-hour BP was −8.5 mm Hg (CI, −12 to −5.0 mm Hg) in the walnut group and −2.5 mm Hg (CI, −6.3 to 1.3 mm Hg) in controls (P=0.034). During the trial, participants in the walnut group required less uptitration of antihypertensive medication and had better overall BP regulation than controls. Walnut consumption reduces systolic BP in elderly subjects, particularly in those with mild hypertension. Clinical Trial Registration— URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01634841.


Proper budgeting and cost control are essential efforts for a successful project. The task has been conventionally supported by sophisticated project cost estimation from a production perspective. However, from a transaction cost perspective, the alliance risks with inter-organizational partners in joint venture (JV) projects should always be considered for budgeting. Aiming to assess the risks of a JV project, this paper proposes a transaction cost incorporated budgeting model with multi-criteria utility analysis. A case study is presented to demonstrate the applications of the proposed model which would help project managers to identify a proper risk contingency for practical project budgeting in construction JVs. The rationale of estimating the alliance risks with different partners is also enhanced by the proposed model.


This paper analyzes the ancient novels and their possible contacts with the New Testament and Christianity. Petronius, who wrote at the time of the fire in Rome and the related anti-Christian persecution arranged by Nero (A.D. 64), presents possible parodies of some Gospel scenes and of the tymborykhia of which the Christians were accused. This element is present also in Chariton, together with the topics of crucifixion and resurrection. While in the later novels the last two motifs - which appear simultaneously with the birth of Christianity - continue, that of tymborychia vanishes, just when the anti-Christian charge lost its strength. In some novels chastity, virginity and other moral values appreciated by the Christians are prominent; ancient novels and the early Christian narratives also have some motifs in common. I have a degree in Classics with specialization in Early Christianity, another degree in Philosophy with specialization in Ancient Philosophy (both at the Catholic University of Milan), and a Doctorate in Philology and Literature of the Classical World (at the State Univeristy of Milan). I taught at the University of Chieti as a 'Professore contrattista' and am now assistant at the Catholic University in Milan, Ancient Philosophy. My favourite field of research is the interrelation between classical culture and early Christianity. I am now studying the allegorical interpretation of sacred narratives (myths and Scripture) both in pagan (Stoics and Neoplatonists) and in Christian authors (mainly Origen and Gregory of Nyssa, of whose De anima et resurrectione I am preparing a new edition with essays and commentary, to be published in Milan: Bompiani 2006). I am also studying the theme of the virtues in the ancient novels and early Christianity.


The biological diversity of molluscs and their adaptation to highly diverse environments offer a unique opportunity for studying the evolution of the innate immune system in invertebrates. This review provides an updated account about the progresses made over the past few years in the study of the molecular players involved in the recognition of pathogen associated molecular patters (PAMPs), in the transduction of immune signaling and in the elimination of potentially pathogenic microbes in gastropod and bivalve molluscs. A major focus will be put on the differences and peculiarities of the molecular immune system of the two major molluscan classes, which have developed specific adaptations to cope with diverse living environments, pathogenic and non- pathogenic microbes over the course of several hundred million years of independent evolution. Intriguing but still poorly understood aspects, such as antiviral response and immune priming, will be also explored, highlighting the present challenges and opportunities connected to the application of modern genomics techniques to the study of the immune system in these fascinating metazoans.


Cyber-enabled systems are increasingly ubiquitous and interconnected, showing up in traditional enterprise settings as well as increasingly diverse contexts, including critical infrastructure, avionics, cars, smartphones, home automation, and medical devices. Meanwhile, the impact of cyber attacks against these systems on our missions, business objectives, and personal lives has never been greater. Despite these stakes, the analysis of cyber risk and mitigations to that risk tends to be a subjective, labor-intensive, and costly endeavor, with results that can be as suspect as they are perishable. We identified the following gaps in those risk results: concerns for (1) their repeatability/reproducibility, (2) the time required to obtain them, and (3) the completeness of the analysis per the degree of attack surface coverage. In this dissertation, we consider whether it is possible to make progress in addressing these gaps with the introduction of a new artifact called "BluGen." BluGen is an automated platform for cyber risk assessment that employs a set of new risk analytics together with a highly-structured underlying cyber knowledge management repository. To help evaluate the hypotheses tied to the gaps identified, we conducted a study comparing BluGen to a cyber risk assessment methodology called EVRA. EVRA is representative of current practice and has been applied extensively over the past eight years to both fielded systems and systems under design. We used Design Science principles in the construction and investigation of BluGen, during which we considered each of the three gaps. The results of our investigation found support for the hypotheses tied to the gaps that BluGen is designed to address. Specifically, BluGen helps address the first gap by virtue of its methods/analytics executing as deterministic, automated processes. In the same way, BluGen helps address the second gap by producing its results at machine speeds in no worse than quadratic time complexity, seconds in this case. This result compares to the 25 hours that the EVRA team required to perform the same analysis. BluGen helps to address the third gap via its use of an underlying knowledge repository of cyber-related threats, mappings of those threats to cyber assets, and mappings of mitigations to the threats. The results show that manual analysis using EVRA covered about 12% of the attack surface considered by BluGen.


Beta titanium alloys are capable of providing a lower modulus of elasticity, enhanced corrosion resistance, improved fabrication response, and acceptable biocompatibility when compared to established titanium alloys. Small diameter Ti-15Mo bar product was solution treated at 800/spl deg/C and rapidly quenched to produce a fine grained /spl beta/ microstructure at room temperature. Comparisons of microstructure, mechanical properties, corrosion, and biocompatibility were made to Ti Grade 4, Ti-6Al-7Nb, Ti-6Al-4V, and 316L stainless steel. ASTM grain size, inclusion content, and primary plus secondary phases were determined using optical microscopy. Smooth and notch tensile results were compiled and corrosion evaluation by anodic polarization was performed in nitrogen purged Ringer's solution at 37/spl deg/C. Biocompatibility testing included short term animal screening according to ASTM F 1408, cytotoxicity assays, and two year implantation in dogs. Molybdenum sensitization data were also documented. Overall results revealed a fine grain /spl beta/ microstructure, excellent corrosion resistance, tensile strength equivalent to Grade 4 Ti, lower tensile strength compared to the other alloys, but superior notch tensile properties of Ti-15Mo. Biocompatibility evaluations suggested a satisfactory level of localized biological response.


Moringa oleifera Lam. of the family Moringaceae, popularly called 'miracle tree' is a native of sub Himalayan tracts of Northern India and is widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions. Research on Moringa mainly pivoted around its leaves and seeds because of their immense nutraceutical potential but recently there is a greater interest in flowers too, mostly inspired by the positive outcomes of several pharmacognostical studies on flowers. Moringa flower is a rich reservoir of bioactive phytochemicals and crude flower extracts showed promising antibacterial, antifungal, anti larval, antioxidant, anti inflammatory and anticancer properties. This review concisely presents the various phytochemicals identified and isolated as well as the various bioassays employed to validate the therapeutic potential of flower. It is prepared after a detailed search on Google scholar. Reports on Moringa oleifera flower were sorted and tabulated based on the bioassays performed and solvents used for extraction. A grading pattern is adopted for comparing efficiency of different extracts in eliciting bioactivities. Many of these studies are at the preliminary stage but two of them present advanced mechanisms. First is the presence of a proteinaceous larvicidal compound 'MoFTI' in the flower capable of inhibiting larval trypsin of Aedes aegypti. The second describes flower extract's anti inflammatory mechanism effecting via NF-KB pathway and consequent suppression of inflammatory mediators' activation, but short of identifying lead compound/compounds behind this effect. Thus authors suggest further studies to elucidate the detailed mechanisms, identify and isolate the active compound or compounds of synergism behind the many therapeutic potential of the Moringa flower extracts.


The aim of this research is to study the current scenario of Rural Marketing in India, the rural market presents with its various opportunities and challenges, given how diversely populated the rural consumers in India are. The rural market consists of 83.3 crore people and this is what attracts marketers to enter in this market. To market in the territory of rural marketing corporations must understand the rural consumer. There is a shift incoming from urban to the rural marketing as the development and levels of literacy and awareness among the rural consumers is rising and these consumers want value for their money. Marketers when catering to rural consumers need to connect with them and also undertake demonstrations for the better understanding of the rural people. Many innovations in the strategy to market into the rural markets have been undertaken in the past years. This paper aims to understand these innovations and strategies and to understand the rural consumer of India. The future of rural marketing and the development in rural areas is promising in development of rural economies and for the people living in these rural areas a better life.


This article explores silence as a phenomenon and practice in the workplace through a Buddhist-enacted lens where silence is intentionally encouraged. It brings forward a reconsideration of the roles of silence in organizations by proposing emancipatory dimensions of silence—reflexivity, self-decentralization, and transformation. Based on 54 interviews with employees and managers in a Vietnamese telecommunications organization, we discuss the dynamic nature of silence, and the possible coexistence of the constructive and the oppressive aspects of silence in a workplace spirituality context. Instead of studying silence as one-dimensional, we call for an integrated view and argue that studying silence requires consideration of the multiplicity of its interconnected dimensions. By considering silence as a relational and emerging processes constructed around its vagueness and uncertainties, our study reveals the many possible ways silence is organized and organizes and sheds light on silence as a marker of the complexities and paradoxes of organizational life.


Chromium (Cr) is an essential mineral for ruminants. Its metabolism and interactions with other minerals has not been widely known. This experiment was designed to evaluate the utilization of minerals and growth of Garut ram fed ration supplemented with Cr and different Dietary Cation Anion Balance (DCAB) and Ca level. Dietary treatments, namely: R0 (Ration with DCAB+14); R1 (Ration with DCAB+14 + Cr 3ppm,); R2 (Ration with DCAB 0 + Ca); R3 (Ration with DCAB 0 + Cr 3 ppm + Ca), were allocated in twenty four of 1.5-2 years old Garut rams in a randomized block design. The results showed that Cr supplementation in rations containing different levels of Ca did not affect feed intake, body weight gain, and dry matter digestibility, but reduced the absorption of Cr and  Ca of the low Ca diet. Supplementation of Cr had no effect on Cr, Ca, Zn, and Mg status in blood and semen of the rams. Level of Cr intake had negative correlation with Ca absorption and positive correlation with blood Cr levels. There is a positive relationship between level of Ca intake with Ca and Mg absorption and blood Ca and Zn levels. Intake of Cr and Ca was not related to the semen Cr and Ca levels.


This article describes the development and implementation of an autonomous straddle carrier (AutoStrad) for the movement of shipping containers in a port environment. In this article, we describe the vehicle and the control, navigation, safety, and pilot functions, which enable autonomous operation. The description of the implementation of the complete system also addresses issues of operational safety, scheduling, and planning of operations, interfaces to quay-side cranes, and road-side hauler vehicles. The complete production system, consisting of 18 autonomous straddle carriers, has been in continuous operation for the past two years at the Port of Brisbane, Australia. This article concludes by distilling some of the key technical and commercial lessons learned in moving from a concept through prototype to fully operational system.


The use of multi drug regimens among the elderly population has increased tremendously over the last decade although the benefits of medications are always accompanied by potential harm, even when prescribed at recommended doses. The elderly populations are particularly at an increased risk of adverse drug reactions considering comorbidity, poly-therapy, physiological changes affecting the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of many drugs and, in some cases, poor compliance due to cognitive impairment and/or depression. In this setting, drug–drug interaction may represent a serious and even life-threatening clinical condition. Moreover, the inability to distinguish drug-induced symptoms from a definitive medical diagnosis often results in addition of yet another drug to treat the symptoms, which in turn increases drug–drug interactions. Cognitive enhancers, including acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and memantine, are the most widely prescribed agents for Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, including psychotic symptoms and behavioral disorders, represent noncognitive disturbances frequently observed in AD patients. Antipsychotic drugs are at high risk of adverse events, even at modest doses, and may interfere with the progression of cognitive impairment and interact with several drugs including anti-arrhythmics and acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. Other medications often used in AD patients are represented by anxiolytic, like benzodiazepine, or antidepressant agents. These agents also might interfere with other concomitant drugs through both pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic mechanisms. In this review we focus on the most frequent drug–drug interactions, potentially harmful, in AD patients with behavioral symptoms considering both physiological and pathological changes in AD patients, and potential pharmacodynamic/pharmacokinetic drug interaction mechanisms.


A comparative ratio analysis using nonparametric statistical methods provides no evidence to support the hypothesis that U.S. farmer cooperatives generally are financially weaker than other firms. Although some cooperative groups had lower current ratios than industry standards, most of these groups consisted of marketing associations for which differences may be explained largely by the unique business relationships between the associations and their patrons. Comparisons of debt/equity ratios indicate that, except for regional grain and farm supply associations, cooperatives generally are less leveraged than other firms. The overall financial strength of cooperatives appears better than during the early 1980s.


A Vehicular Ad-hoc Network (VANET) is a type of Mobile Ad-hoc Network (MANET) that is used to provide communications between nearby vehicles, and between vehicles and fixed infrastructure on the roadside. VANET is not only used for road safety and driving comfort but also for infotainment. Communication messages in VANET can be used to locate and track vehicles. Tracking can be beneficial for vehicle navigation using Location Based Services (LBS). However, it can lead to threats on location privacy of vehicle users; since it can profile them and track their physical location. Therefore, to successfully deploy LBS, user's privacy is one of major challenges that must be addressed. In this paper, we propose Privacy-Preserving Fully Homomorphic Encryption over Advanced Encryption Standard (P2FHE-AES) scheme for LBS query. This scheme is required for location privacy protection to encourage drivers to use this service without any risk of being pursued. It is implemented using Network Simulator (NS-2), Simulation of Urban Mobility (SUMO), and Cloud simulation (CloudSim). Analysis and evaluation results demonstrate that P2FHE-AES scheme can preserve the privacy of the drivers' future routes in an efficient and secure way. The results prove the feasibility and efficiency of P2FHE-AES scheme in terms of query's response time, query accuracy, throughput and query overhead.


The mixed inverse Gaussian given by Whitmore (1986) provides a conve-nient way for testing the goodness of fi t of a pure inverse Gaussian distribution. The test is a one-sided score test with the null hypothesis being the pure inverse Gaussian (i.e., the mixing parameter is zero) and the alternative a mixture. We devise a simple score test and study its fi nite sample properties. Monte Carlo results show that it compares favorably to the smooth test of Ducharme (2001). In practical applications, when the pure inverse Gaussian distribution is rejected, one is interested in making inference about the general values of the mixing parameter. However, as it is well known that the inverse Gaussian mixture is a defective distribution, hence the standard likelihood inference cannot be applied. We propose several alternatives and provide score tests for the mixing parameter. Finite sample properties of these tests are examined by Monte Carlo simulation.


We investigate the association of various firm-specific and market-wide factors with the riskneutral skewness (RNS) implied by the prices of individual stock options. Our analysis covers 149 U.S. firms over a four-year period. Our choice of firms is based on adequate liquidity and trading interest across different strike prices in the options market, ensuring economically meaningful RNS estimates. We also incorporate significant methodological enhancements. Consistent with earlier results, we find that the RNS of individual firms varies significantly and negatively with firm size, firm systematic risk, and market volatility; and significantly and positively with the RNS of the market index; and most of the variation in individual RNS is explained by firm-specific rather than market-wide factors. We also document several interesting new results that are clearly unambiguous and significantly stronger than in earlier work, or opposite to earlier evidence, or for variables that have been examined for the first time. First, we find that market sentiment has a negative and significant effect on RNS. Second, we find that higher a firm's own volatility, the more negative the RNS, a relationship that is in the same direction as for overall market volatility. Third, greater market liquidity is associated with more negative RNS, but the liquidity that is relevant for RNS is that of the options market, rather than that in the underlying stock. Surprisingly, volatility asymmetry is not relevant for RNS. Finally, the leverage ratio is not negatively but positively and strongly related with RNS. JEL classifications: C25; G10; G14


A collection of 100 wheat varieties representing more than 100 years of wheat-breeding history in Scandinavia was established in order to identify marker-trait associations for plant height (PH), grain yield (GY), and biomass potential for bioethanol production. The field-grown material showed variations in PH from 54 to 122 cm and in GY from 2 to 6.61 t ha-1. The release of monomeric sugars was determined by high-throughput enzymatic treatment of ligno-cellulosic material and varied between 0.169 and 0.312 g/g dm for glucose (GLU) and 0.146 and 0.283 g/g dm for xylose (XYL). As expected, PH and GY showed to be highly influenced by genetic factors with repeatability (R) equal to 0.75 and 0.53, respectively, while this was reduced for GLU and XYL (R = 0.09 for both). The study of trait correlations showed how old, low-yielding, tall varieties released higher amounts of monomeric sugars after straw enzymatic hydrolysis, showing reduced recalcitrance to bioconversion compared to modern varieties. Ninety-three lines from the collection were genotyped with the DArTseq® genotypic platform and 5525 markers were used for genome-wide association mapping. Six quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for GY, PH, and GLU released from straw were mapped. One QTL for PH was previously reported, while the remaining QTLs constituted new genomic regions linked to trait variation. This paper is one of the first studies in wheat to identify QTLs that are important for bioethanol production based on a genome-wide association approach.


NOTE: PLEASE INDICATE WHICH COURSE(S) HAD A SERVICE-LEARNING COMPONENT AND BRIEFLY EXPLAIN THE NATURE OF THIS COMPONENT. For examples of service-learning in courses, see: http://www.esf.edu/students/service/courses.htm. Service-learning is a form of structured experiential education in which students engage with the community to be active learners, to enrich their sense of civic responsibility, and to explore practical application for course content. Faculty oversight, reflective thinking, and reciprocity are key components of service-learning.


: In a retrospective study of 24 patients with biopsy-verified tonsillar malignancies, the tumoral staging by CT and by clinical examination were compared, applying the criteria of the 1983 edition of the International Union Against Cancer; the T classifications corresponded well. The N classifications, however, differed, as CT showed more advanced lymph node disease than indicated by clinical examination. Involvement of the jugulodigastric node was diagnosed equally well by CT and by palpation. Computed tomography revealed more suspect nodes than palpation in the rest of the anterior chain and in the posterior triangle.


The aim of this essay is to identify a legal basis for accountability obligations of international organizations (IOs) toward individuals affected by their policies. More specifically, I ask why should, for example, the European Union or the World Trade Organization be accountable to individuals who are not citizens of states parties to those organizations, but nevertheless may be affected by their policies. I explore three traditional foundations for accountability obligations under domestic law as potential grounds for such accountability obligation: the rule of law, human rights, and trusteeship. After rejecting the first two candidates, the essay offers the trusteeship concept as one that can and should serve as the normative bedrock for the emergence of administrative law at the global level. I also argue that this concept is already ingrained in the law that is incumbent upon IOs.


Students taking introductory physics are rarely exposed to computational modeling. In a onesemester large lecture introductory calculus-based mechanics course at Georgia Tech, students learned to solve physics problems using the VPython programming environment. During the term, 1357 students in this course solved a suite of fourteen computational modeling homework questions delivered using an online commercial course management system. Their proficiency with computational modeling was evaluated with a proctored assignment involving a novel central force problem. The majority of students (60.4%) successfully completed the evaluation. Analysis of erroneous student-submitted programs indicated that a small set of student errors explained why most programs failed. We discuss the design and implementation of the computational modeling homework and evaluation, the results from the evaluation, and the implications for computational instruction in introductory STEM courses.


This paper used finite element method to simulate the pressure response of wireline formation tester applied in fractured reservoir. At first, the interval pressure transient tests (IPTT) are used to test the pressure response for both crossing well bore and non-crossing fractures in low permeability formation. The simulation results indicate that the fractures crossing the well bore can have dramatic effect on pressure response depending on fractures conductivity, but non-crossing fractures in the vicinity of the well bore have negligible effect. Then the paper used numerical simulation to analyze the feasibility that evaluates the fractures non-crossed well bore with the method of harmonic pulse testing, the results indicate both harmonic amplitude and phase shift are sensitive to the conductivity of fractures in the vicinity of well bore and certify the method can be used to evaluate the fractures efficiently.


El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) remains the most important coupled ocean–atmosphere phenomenon to cause global climate variability on seasonal to interannual time scales. This paper addresses the need for a reliable ENSO index that allows for the historical definition of ENSO events in the instrumental record back to 1871. The Multivariate ENSO Index (MEI) was originally defined as the first seasonally varying principal component of six atmosphere–ocean (COADS) variable fields in the tropical Pacific basin. It provides for a more complete and flexible description of the ENSO phenomenon than single variable ENSO indices such as the SOI or Niño 3.4 SST. Here we describe our effort to boil the MEI concept down to its most essential components (based on SLP, SST) to enable historical analyses that more than double its period of record to 1871–2005. The new MEI.ext confirms that ENSO activity went through a lull in the early‐ to mid‐20th century, but was just about as prevalent one century ago as in recent decades. We diagnose strong relationships between peak amplitudes of ENSO events and their duration, as well as between their peak amplitudes and their spacing (periodicity). Our effort is designed to help with the assessment of ENSO conditions through as long a record as possible to be able to differentiate between 'natural' ENSO behaviour in all its rich facets, and the 'Brave New World' of this phenomenon under evolving GHG‐related climate conditions. So far, none of the behaviour of recent ENSO events appears unprecedented, including duration, onset timing, and spacing in the last few decades compared to a full century before then. Copyright © 2011 Royal Meteorological Society


1) Introduction: Joining Theories and Action Methodologies to Promote Change Chapter 1. Making History Together: Inclusive Participation in Global Change, Torry Dickinson Chapter 2. Deliberative Democracy: A Foundation for Sustainable Social Change. Donna Schenck-Hamlin, Tim Steffensmeier, and William Schenck-Hamlin Chapter 3. Participatory Action Research at the Western Institute for Social Research: Sound Research Goes Hand in Hand with Inclusiveness and Effective Community Action, John Bilorusky, PhD Terry Lunsford, PhD. Cynthia Lawrence, PhD. 2) Individual Engagement and Collective Change for New Cultures: Working within Global Institutions and Civil Society Chapter 4. Education for Nonviolent Change -For Life-: From Danish Folk Schools to Highlander and Beyond, Marilyn Jackson, PhD. Chapter 5. Becoming an Activist for Global Change, Christopher E. Renner Chapter 6. Small Farmers, Alienated Consumers, Social Movements, and the Corporatization of Fair Trade, Rink Dickinson Chapter 7. The Power of One: Democracy and the Fear of Freedom as Political Paradigm, Prabha Manuratne and Buddhika Bandara 3) Taking on Global Institutions: Gender/Sexuality, Racialized Ethnicity, Class, North-South Divides Firm and Market, State, and Household Chapter 8 Addressing the State and Racism. Abolishing the Death Penalty, Abolishing Prisons, Mechthild Nagel. Chapter 9. Addressing the Violence of Patriarchal State, Household, and Gender: Reframing the Debate-Nonviolence as a Language and a Strategy, Susan Allen Chapter 10. A Addressing the Global North's Firm, Market, and Imperial Advantages and the Global South's Disadvantages: "Comercio con Justicia" and a Guatemalan Women's Textile Coop-Theory in Action, Summer Lewis Addressing Global Institutional Inequalities in Production, Distribution, Exchange, and Consumption: Social Change through Global Fair Trade-Travel Letters from Fair Trade Advocates, Al Benford Chapter 11. Addressing War, the State, and the Reproduction of Gender and Racial Divides: Ending Violence Together-Women's Civil Societal Movements for Peace in Chechnya and Russia, Kate Romanova 4) Making New Social Relations by Changing Civil Society Chapter 12. Civil Societal Movements to Change Twentieth-Century Industrial Agriculture: Re-Embracing Sustainable Development, Dan Nagengast Chapter 13. Building New Food-Growing and Consuming Relations in Civil Society: An Act of Social Change-Creating Sustainable Agriculture and Sustainable Consumers, Rhonda Janke Chapter 14. Confronting Sexism, Racism, and Global Inequality in Civil Society. "Have I Got an Ethic for You!" Ecofeminism as the Heart of Progressive Environmental Action, Valerie Carroll Chapter 15. Reinventing People's Relationship to Water in Civil Society: We're All in This Together- Addressing Global Water Issues, Terrie A. Becerra Chapter 16. Change from Civil Society, the State, and Global NGOs: Feminists Make the Right Call-Redesigning Water Governance in Sub-Saharan Africa, Leticia Nkonya Chapter 17. Developing Women's Cooperatives in Civil Society: Women Take the Lead-Changing Global Economics through Grassroots Cooperatives, Joyce Rothschild Chapter 18. Initiating Cross-Border, Inclusive Networks in Civil Society: Thought and Action across Borders-The Small Farmers Movement of Cajibio, Colombia and the Central New York Sister-City Partnership, Colleen Kattau 5) Conclusion: Reinventing Democracy to Construct New Societies Chapter 19. A Review: Developing Theory by Participating in Democratic Social Change, Torry D. Dickinson and Terrie A. Becerra.


Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Healthcare Services refers to the work of health care professionals who act as a first point of consultation for all patients within the health care system. Cloud computing owns the pervasive and on-demand serviceoriented natures, which can fit the characteristics of health- care services. But in the case of general cloud, there arise few challenges which are providing persistent personalized service by keeping high concurrent online analysis to the public, and the abilities in dealing with multimodal, heterogeneous, and non-stationary physiological signals. In this paper, we proposed a private cloud platform architecture that consists of six layers according to the specific requirements with plug-in algorithm. This platform utilizes message queue as a cloud engine, and each layer thereby achieves relative independence by this loosely coupled means of communications with publish/subscribe mechanism. Also the massive semi-structure or unstructured medical data are accessed adaptively by this cloud architecture. This proposed cloud platform can be robust, stable, and satisfy the high concurrent requests from omnipresent healthcare services.


Nearly 40 years ago, in 1948, the writer presented a paper entitled "Some Problems of Arctic Geography in Canada" to the annual meeting of the Association of American Geographers. He noted that geographers were just then appearing in Canada and in so doing were encountering the challenge of describing the North. Evaluation and forecasting were difficult. Local geographers were expected to help politicians assess the value of the arctic region in the Canadian economy. Physical geographers had a good deal to do in describing the arctic environment, including the landforms of the mountainous islands and the central lowlands. In the summer of 1947 new information on sea ice from Canadian and American air and sea expeditions gave the first overall picture of sea-ice conditions in the Canadian Arctic. In 1948, economic geographers were to be concerned with the distribution and utilization of natural resources. Experts concerned with administration were to consider administrative division of the North into an Eastern and Western Arctic, along with a third region, the far northern Arctic Islands. Changes in the lives of Canadian Eskimo had already taken place as "civilization advanced into the Arctic." In the field of human geography, "a geographer had a natural laboratory in the Canadian Arctic" where "the environment offered little, the choices were few, the utilization was direct." Forty years later, the author still believes that the Arctic will play only a minor role in the future development of Canada. Key words: development, geography, Arctic, division, sea ice, civilization


Incorporation of Trp (tryptophan) analogues into a protein may facilitate its structural analysis by spectroscopic techniques. Development of a biological system for the biosynthetic incorpor-ation of such analogues into proteins is of considerable importance. The Gram-negative Escherichia coli is the only prokaryotic expression host regularly used for the incorporation of Trp analogues into recombinant proteins. Here, we present the use of the versatile Gram-positive expression host Lactococcus lactis for the incorporation of Trp analogues. The availability of a tightly regulated expression system for this organism, the potential to secrete modified proteins into the growth medium and the construction of the trp-synthetase deletion strain PA1002 of L. lactis rendered this organism potentially an efficient tool for the incorporation of Trp analogues into recombinant proteins. The Trp analogues 7-azatryptophan, 5-fluorotryptophan and 5-hydroxytryptophan were incorporated with efficiencies of >97, >97 and 89% respectively. Interestingly, 5-methylTrp (5-methyltryptophan) could be incorporated with 92% efficiency. Successful biosynthetical incorporation of 5-methylTrp into recombinant proteins has not been reported previously.


Sex abuse cases, especially by murdering or robbering from year to year have an increasingly tendency. A test which's absolutly donein some cases of sex abuse is the evidence of sperm. In some cases, cement liquids spotted were found in the condition which havebeen changed because of intentionaly washing by detergent to DNA of cement liquids spotted or even it's not like soaked by water. Itcomplicates the identifi cation process and untill now, the research about the infl uence of washing by detergent to DNA of cement liquidsspotted is not much known yet. The objective of this study was to analysis cement spot on the effect of time duration and washing bydetergent to FGA LOCUS as a forensic molecular identifi cation material. The individual identity can be commonly decided using DNAprofi ling which is common used to identifi cate is Short Tandem Repeat (STR) by using 13–20 locuses. The focus of this research is togasp the effect of the time duration (1, 7, 30, 60, and 90 days) and washing by detergent to FGA locus, D21S11, DYS19 as a forensicmolecular identifi cation material. The result of this DNA identifi cation showed that the infl uence of the time duration and washingby detergent to cement liquids spotted, longer time of action made the decreasing of DNA rate. It's showed from the result of KruskalWallis analysis with p = 0.000 (p < 0.05). Nevertheless, the decreasing of DNA rate in forensic sample will not much signifi cantlyinfl uent to the successful of DNA profi ling, commonly in Short Tandem Repeat (STR) test. It's happened because the DNA rate whichis needed in STR and PCR tests kindly just a little (1–25 ng/ul), so that the risk of failure in amplifi cation process is very small, withthe DNA's not totally degraded as an assential . The visualization results were analyzed descriptively, by seeing the presence of theribbons or bands based on the size of product (base pair) in each spotted of cement liquids. In this research found that even thoughthere's DNA rate of cements spotted reduction but the result of STR-PCR of FGA Locus, D21S11 and Y chromosom in DYS19 locusstill can be all positively detected.


The study of the effect of synthetic polyelectrolites of the cationic type on benzylpenicillin resistant staphylococci showed that the cation polyelectrolites induced changes in the cell membrane permeability and increased penicillin absorption by the cells thus increasing sensitivity of the penicillin-resistant staphylococci to the antibiotic. Low inhibitory effect of the polyelectrolites with respect to penicillinase and hyaluronidase was shown. Changes in the membrane apparatus of staphylococcus cells due to the effect of polyelectrolites were found.