In a Chinese eutrophic shallow lake, the spatial, temporal and vertical distributions of meiofauna in different lake zones along a eutrophic gradient were analyzed. The spatial distribution of meiofauna among sampling stations changed with nutrient levels. Nematoda were most abundant at the majority of sampling stations comprising 70.6 - 93.2 % meiofaunal abundance except for a hypereutrophic station. The seasonal patterns in abundance of nematodes, oligochaetes, rotifers, chironomids and different nematode feeding groups differed among stations, which revealed that the temporal variations of these meiofaunal groups and the nematode feeding groups may vary with different nutrient loadings. The vertical distributions of meiofaunal groups, nematode species, and nematode trophic groups in the upper and lower sediment layers were similar, suggesting a consistent vertical distribution pattern across different trophic conditions. Nematode species richness, Shannon-Wiener species diversity index, trophic diversity and Maturity Index were significantly correlated with nutrient levels (total phosphorus and nitrogen in lake water and total phosphorus in sediment). Our results suggest the importance of nematode community analyses in the assessment of freshwater eutrophication.


Background: Myrmecodia pendans (M. pendans), or Sarang Semut, is an epiphyte with anticancer potential. It was
recently reported that it induces apoptotic activity in the human oral squamous carcinoma (HSC-3) cell line. This study
aimed to investigate the effect of M. pendans treated samples on the expression of apoptotic markers, Bax and Bcl-2.
Methods: M. pendans was purchased from West Papua, Indonesia. The hypocotyl was dried thoroughly and then
extracted aqueously. The apoptotic activity was detected via flow cytometry. Bax and Bcl-2 expression was analyzed by
quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: Results of our cell cycle analysis reveal that aqueous extract
of M. pendans induced apoptosis in 2.5 and 5 mg/mL but no change between these two concentrations. Apoptosis was
observed at 24 h but not at 48 h. Bax and Bcl-2 expression in HSC-3 cells was affected by M. pendans. At 24 h,
upregulation of Bax was observed at 2.5 mg/mL. However, after 48 h, Bax expression showed no changes at any
concentration. Bcl-2 was significantly downregulated after 48 h of treatment. Conclusions: M. pendans extract induced
apoptosis in HSC-3 cells, which might occur via the proapoptotic (Bax) and antiapoptotic (Bcl-2) pathways.


Schwann cells (SCs) are
PNS glia with numerous neuron-supporting functions, including myelination of
axons. Although lesser discussed, SCs also fulfill many important roles after
peripheral nerve injury (PNI) contributing significantly to the PNS regeneration
process. Clusters of congregated SCs (Bands of Bungner) precede axon
regeneration and facilitate the growth of extending axons to their distal
targets which is particularly important in the lesion area of severed nerves.
While this phenomenon occurs naturally, recovery from PNI can still be
inadequate, especially in nerve transection or large gap injuries. Current
treatments for nerve transection injuries are limited to coaptation of the
nerve via sutures or nerve grafts. However, poor functional outcomes or donor
site morbidity remain unaddressed problems. At the cellular level, axon
pathfinding and extension relies heavily on the interaction between SCs and
axonal growth cones. Depletion or removal of SCs at the lesion has been
implicated to poor functional outcomes. With their pivotal role throughout nerve
regeneration, we theorize axon regeneration can be improved by augmenting the
SC population at the site of injury by encouraging migration to the lesion and
via expression of morphological phenotypes that imitate the Bands of Bungner.

DC electric fields (EFs)
have been well studied in the past as a method to modulate cell orientation and
migration and within the context of the nervous system, have been used to
promote regeneration in lesioned spinal cords. However, very little work has
investigated the effects of electrical stimulation on glia, such as SCs. Existing
literature is lacking with regards to various aspects of SC responses, including
direction of alignment. We hypothesize electrical stimulation can modulate SC behavior
to reinforce/replicate behaviors observed within Bands of Bungner, which may be
developed into a treatment for victims suffering peripheral nerve injury.

We begin the current
study with a thorough investigation into electric field modulated SC behavior.
Using conventional 2D cell culture we demonstrate SC sensitivity to EFs by
analyzing alignment, morphology and migration data. We employed EFs within the
physiologic range. Waveforms used were constant DC as well as a 50% duty cycle
DC and an oscillating DC. The latter two may prove more appropriate in vivo
due to reduced accumulation of cytotoxic byproducts generated at the electrode
interfaces.

Our results highlight the
sensitivity of SCs to DC electric fields of varying waveforms. SCs showed a
strong propensity to align perpendicular to the field and display some cathodal
migration in 2D cultures. Additional studies with variable cell density
revealed cell-cell interaction further enhanced the alignment response. To more
closely replicate the nerve microenvironment, a 3D cell culture model of PNI
was created. Embedded in matrices, we found SCs displayed weaker migratory and
alignment responses compared to 2D results. The direction of galvanotaxis was
reversed, with SCs migrating toward the anode. Both alignment and migratory
responses have potential applications for PNI. The galvanotactic behavior of
SCs could be used to boost the SC population, increasing the number of Bands of
Bungner. Cell alignment would be particularly advantageous at the lesion where
axon regeneration is most difficult without the physical guidance of
endoneurial tubes.

This study characterizes
SC behavior in applied EFs using conventional 2D and 3D cell culture
techniques. We found SCs are sensitive to electric stimulation, supporting the
idea that applied EFs could be used to indirectly promote regeneration in
damaged peripheral nerve by modulating SC response after injury. Potential applications
include generating an EF across damaged nerves to align SCs, especially in the
lesioned area, using EFs to induce SC migration to the lesion to increase the
number of cells guiding severed axons, and pre-aligning SCs in synthetic nerve
grafts.


Inevitably, the adoption of any new technology brings about change, but e-business is significantly different in that it completely shifts global business into a fast-paced electronic environment. The old notions of management are totally ineffective and a new style,focused on 'leadership', is required-but what style of leadership? To determine the most appropriate leadership style, senior managers from the top 250 e-commerce companies in Australia were selected and surveyed. Using a change management matrix, each manager was positioned within this framework. This model consists of a four-by-four matrix encompassing the scales of change and the styles of change management. The model covers the broad spectrum of levels of change that an organisation can go through. The authors found that within the most successful organisations, leaders had a distinctive style that facilitated. The appropriate change and established a conducive e-business environment. The data highlights those qualities such as visionary, consultative, ability to listen to others opinions, inclusive, risk taking, approachable, forward thinking, open to change, committed, determined, and the ability to communicate are required in leaders to lead an e-business transition.


To define potential alcohol binding sites in the neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) we used cysteine mutagenesis and sulfhydryl-specific labeling. The basis of this strategy is that covalent addition of an alkylthiol group to a cysteine in an alcohol binding site will mimic the action of an irreversibly bound alcohol. Each amino acid in the extracellular region of the second transmembrane segment of the nAChR subunit α2 was mutated to cysteine. The resulting α2 subunits were coexpressed with wild-type β4in Xenopus laevis oocytes, and the responses were studied using two-electrode voltage clamp. Of the 11 mutants tested, 2 fulfilled criteria for participation in an alcohol binding site: α2(L262C)β4 and α2(L263C)β4. Covalent binding of propanethiol to these cysteines did not change acetylcholine (ACh) affinity, but modified ACh maximal response in both cases: it increased for α2(L263C)β4 and decreased for α2(L262C)β4. The same modifications on ACh responses were obtained with ethanol on α2(L263C)β4 and octanol on α2(L262C)β4. This suggested that alcohol binding at L263 enhances receptor function, whereas binding at L262 inhibits function. We studied different n-alcohols (ethanol, butanol, pentanol, and octanol), as well as isoflurane and urethane, on these two mutants. Covalent binding of propanethiol to the cysteines revealed changes in the alcohol modulation consistent with an excitatory site (L263) or an inhibitory site (L262) being no longer accessible to alcohol. Thus, n-alcohols appear to act on both sites and their ability to enhance (short-chain), inhibit (long-chain), or produce no effect (intermediate-chain) depends upon their relative action at these two sites.


Objectives: We investigated adolescents' understandings of national group membership in multicultural Mauritius. We hypothesized that tolerance toward different cultures would be an important criterion for being Mauritian. In addition, national identity was expected to be defined in terms of "being," "feeling," and "doing." The type of definition, and whether stopping being Mauritian is perceived as possible, was expected to depend on age and national identification. Possible differences by cultural group membership were explored. Method: The sample consisted of 2,190 adolescents of predominantly the three main cultural groups in Mauritius (Hindus, Muslims, and Creoles; Mage = 14.8 years, SDage = 1.7; 53% girls, 47% boys). Multiple correspondence and regression analyses were used to test the hypotheses. Results: The most important criterion mentioned for being Mauritian was respecting cultural diversity. Further, the criteria for national belonging could be clustered into being, feeling, and doing Mauritian. Older adolescents and higher national identifiers defined national belonging more in terms of feeling and less in terms of being than younger adolescents and lower national identifiers. In addition, they considered national identity to be less changeable. There were no clear differences between the three cultural groups. Conclusions: This study reveals the central importance of mutual respect and tolerance as the defining criterion for being Mauritian. Moreover, the feeling, being, and doing clusters of criteria provide a theoretically interesting distinction for understanding national belonging. It is recommended to test their possible correlates further and to use adult samples as well.


We study some parameter networks of ion source adjustment experiments and find quasi-scale-free characters.Their nodes are parameter settings of every discharge and connected by each of adjacent discharge. Their cumulative degree distributions obey the expression of stretched exponential distribution's rank-ordering form,and their degree distributions exhibit product-form by two functions, one is similar to an exponential form, and the other is close to a power law. An index is presented to measure how this distribution is close to the power law and how this distribution is used in the analysis of these parameter networks. The mode of parameter adjustment decides that the quasi-scale-free networks are formed naturally.


Circuit design techniques for realizing wideband, low-noise, matched-impedance amplifiers in submicrometer MOS technology are discussed. A circuit configuration with two feedback loops has been fabricated in an experimental 1-/spl mu/m NMOS technology. The fabricated amplifier has an insertion gain of 16.35 dB, a -3-dB bandwidth of 758 MHz, a maximum input voltage standing-wave ratio (VSWR) of 2.45, a maximum output VSWR of 1.60, and an average noise figure of 6.7 dB (with reference to a 50-/spl mu/m source resistance) from 10 to 758 MHz.


Abstract Monitoring the local mass balance of Arctic sea ice provides opportunities to attribute the observed changes in a particular floe's mass balance to specific forcing phenomena. A shift from multi-year to seasonal ice in large portions of the Arctic presents a challenge for the existing Lagrangian array of autonomous ice mass-balance buoys, which were designed with a perennial ice cover in mind. This work identifies the anticipated challenges of operation in seasonal ice and presents a new autonomous buoy designed to monitor ice mass balance in the seasonal ice zone. the new design presented incorporates features which allow the buoy to operate in thin ice and open water, and reduce its vulnerability to ice dynamics and wildlife damage, while enhancing ease of deployment. A test deployment undertaken from April to June 2009 is discussed and results are presented with analysis to illustrate both the features and limitations of the buoy's abilities.


Localized cell death and activation of phenylpropanoid metabolism in suspension-cultured rice cells are induced by factors secreted by blast fungus. Microscopic observation revealed that the death of cells at the periphery of calli appeared within 1h after addition of a TCA-precipitable fraction (TCAp) of the fungus culture filtrate. The number of dead cells continued to increase for up to 24h, followed by general browning of the calli after about 48h. However, the culture still contained uninjured cells within the callus clumps, and there was no significant difference in culture viability from non-treated callus. Phenylalanine ammonialyase (PAL) and peroxidase (POX) activities were induced by TCAp and reached a maximum at 6h and 1-2 days after treatment, respectively. No cultivar-race specificity was found in PAL activity of cultured cells induced by TCAp. Phenolic compounds were found in callus tissue treated with TCAp. Among these phenolic compounds, accumulation of p-coumaric acid was remarkable. Fractions of fungal culture filtrate obtained by C18 reverse-phase chromatography were assayed for the ability to induce cell browning, PAL activity in cultured cells. Among the individual fractions, that which had the most potent activity to induce browning stimulated PAL activity.


We describe the molecular characterization of the Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1) gene of Cordyceps militaris, which is one of the entomopathogenic fungi called a vegetable wasp and plant worm. The SOD1 gene of C. militaris spans 922 bp and consisted of three introns and four exons coding for 154 amino acid residues. The deduced amino acid sequence of the C. militaris SOD1 cDNA showed 88% identity to Claviceps purpurea SOD1, 82% to Neurospora crassa SOD1, and 75-64% to SOD1 sequences from other fungi. The C. militaris SOD1 possesses the typical metal binding ligands of six histidines and one aspartic acid common to fungal SOD1s. The cDNA encoding C. militaris SOD1 was expressed as a 17-kDa polypeptide in the baculovirus-infected insect Sf9 cells. The enzyme activity of the purified recombinant C. militaris SOD1 was approximately 568 U per mg(-1) . Southern blot analysis of the genomic DNA suggested the C. militaris SOD1 was a single gene. Northern and Western blot analysis and enzyme activity assays indicated SOD1 was expressed constitutively. This is the first report of an SOD1 gene from any entomopathogenic fungus.


Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that causes intellectual disability, as well as the leading monogenic cause of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), in which neurons show aberrant dendritic spine structure. The reduction/absence of the functional FMRP protein, coded by the X-linked Fmr1 gene in humans, is responsible for the syndrome. Targets of FMRP, CLSTN1, and ICAM5, play critical roles in the maturation of dendritic spines, synapse formation and synaptic plasticity. However, the implication of CLSTN1 and ICAM5 in dendritic spine abnormalities and the underlying neuropathologic processes in FXS remain uninvestigated. In this study, we demonstrated that CLSTN1 co-localizes and co-transports with ICAM5 in cultured cortical neurons. Also we showed that shRNA-mediated downregulation of CLSTN1 in cultured WT neurons increases ICAM5 on the surface of synaptic membrane, subsequently affecting the maturation of dendritic spines. Whereas, normalization of CLSTN1 level in Fmr1 KO neurons reduces ICAM5 abundance and rescues impaired dendritic spine phenotypes. Most importantly, CLSTN1 protein is reduced in the postnatal medial prefrontal cortex of Fmr1 KO mice, which is correlated with increased ICAM5 levels on the surface of synapses and excessive filopodia-like spines. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that CLSTN1 plays a critical role in dendritic spine formation and maturation in FXS by regulating ICAM5 redistribution.


The various phenolic compounds in conjunction with Cu(II) or Cu(I)-N,N,N′,N″,N″-pentamethyl diethylenetriamine (PMDETA) complexes are used to initiate atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of methyl methacrylate, styrene, and methyl acrylate in the presence of a limited amount of air at temperatures in the range of 80–110 °C. Meanwhile, an effort is directed toward the elucidation of the role of phenol and derivatives in ATRP catalyzed by Cu(II)/PMDETA. The catalytic sequence involves the formation of Cu(I) by electron transfer from phenol to Cu(II); Cu(I) so formed can then react in two distinctly different ways: with organic halide to form a propagating radical or with oxygen to form copper salt in its higher oxidation state; and regeneration of Cu(I) by excess phenol. Such regeneration of Cu(I) would be expected to lead to polymerization as a result of the consumption of oxygen and phenol as well. The phenols with electron releasing groups tended to increase the conversion of the polymerization. In this respect, sodium phenoxide, a more effective additive was found, whereas p-nitro phenol was the least effective. The obtained polymers displayed the common features of a controlled polymerization such as molecular weight control and low polydispersity index value (Mw/Mn < 1.5). © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 351–359, 2004


My PhD project aims to develop novel chitosan derivatives (with superior mucoadhesiveness) for transmucosal application. The intravesical route was chosen as the exemplar transmucosal mode of drug delivery due to the limited therapeutic efficiency of conventional bladder cancer formulations. Drug carriers with improved mucoadhesive properties may prolong drug residence in the bladder. First, three chitosan grades were used to prepare chitosan/β-glycerophosphate in situ gelling mixtures and from these grades, the high molecular weight graded chitosan (HCHI) was chosen for chemical derivatisation based on its superior gelation, mucoadhesive and drug release potential. HCHI was conjugated with varying amounts of methacrylate or phenylboronate groups in order to evaluate the influence of the type and amount of conjugated hydrophobic pendant group on their physicochemical and mucoadhesive properties. The boronated and methacrylated chitosans were characterised using 1H NMR and FT- IR. There was good correlation in the extent of hydrophobic modification for methacrylated and boronated chitosans using 1H NMR and ninhydrin test. Methacrylated and boronated chitosan exhibited comparable resistance to pH influence on their solubility. The degree of methacrylate or boronate conjugation had a significant influence on the mucoadhesiveness of the drug carriers studied using a urine flow-through technique/fluorescent microscopy as well as a texture analyser, on porcine bladder in vitro. Boronate groups conferred superior mucoadhesive behaviour on chitosan relative to methacrylate groups. Methacrylated chitosan displayed a similar safety profile to the parent chitosan based on MTT assay on UMUC3 bladder cancer cells. The biocompatibility studies of boronated chitosan will be carried out in future studies using bladder cell lines despite the fact that several in vitro and in vivo studies have established the safety of phenylboronic molecules. Methacrylation and boronation of chitosan has been identified as efficient strategies to generate more mucoadhesive drug carriers which could prolong drug residence time in the bladder thereby improving therapeutic outcomes of bladder cancer patients. These novel polymers were easily synthesised requiring minimal equipment suitable for industrial scale-up. These excipients could be used to formulate affordable transmucosal dosage forms with superior mucoadhesiveness for a variety of biomedical applications.


The electronic states and optical transition properties of three semiconductor nanocrystallites, Si, GaAs, and ZnSe, are studied using the empirical pseudopotential homojunction model. The energy levels, wave functions, optical transition matrix elements, and lifetimes are obtained for quadratic prisms with widths from 11 to 27 Å. It is found that the three kinds of prism have different quantum confinement properties. For Si prisms, the energy gaps vary with the equivalent diameter d as , in agreement with previous theoretical calculations. For the same d the energy gaps are slightly different for different shapes: large for the prism with large aspect ratio; small for the prism with small aspect ratio. The exponent of d depends on the boundary barrier height, i.e. the extent of penetration of the wave function into the vacuum. The wave function of the LUMO states consists mainly of bulk X states. The optical transition matrix elements are much smaller than those of direct transition, and increase with decreasing width. The corresponding lifetimes decrease from the millisecond range to the microsecond range, and the change is abrupt depending on the symmetry and composition of the wave function of the LUMO and HOMO states. For GaAs prisms, the energy gap is also pseudo-direct, but the optical transition matrix elements are larger than those of Si prisms by two orders of magnitude for the same width. For ZnSe prisms, the energy gap is always direct, and the optical transition matrix elements are comparable with those of direct energy gap bulk semiconductors. In some cases the symmetry of the HOMO state changes, resulting in an abrupt decrease of the transition matrix element. The calculated lifetimes of the Si prism and the positions of PL peaks are in agreement with experimental results for porous Si.


To compare the glycemic and metabolic responses to simulated intermittent games activity and continuous running exercise in type 1 diabetes. Nine patients (seven male, two female; 35 ± 4 years; HbA1c 8.1 ± 0.2%/65 ± 2 mmol/mol) treated on a basal‐bolus regimen completed two main trials, a continuous treadmill run (CON) or an intermittent running protocol (INT). Patients arrived to the laboratory fasted at ∼ 08:00 h, replicating their usual pre‐exercise meal and administering a 50% reduced dose of rapid‐acting insulin before exercising. Blood glucose (BG), K+, Na++, pH, triglycerides, serum cortisol and NEFA were measured at baseline and for 60 min post‐exercise. Interstitial glucose was measured for a further 23 h under free‐living conditions. Following exercise, BG declined under both conditions but was less under INT (INT −1.1 ± 1.4 vs CON −5.3 ± 0.4 mmol/L, P = 0.037), meaning more patients experienced hypoglycemia (BG ≤ 3.5 mmol/L; CON n = 3 vs INT n = 2) but less hyperglycemia (BG ≥ 10.9 mmol/L; CON n = 0 vs INT n = 6) under CON. Blood lactate was significantly greater, and pH lower, with a temporal delay in K+ under INT (P < 0.05). No conditional differences were observed in other measures during this time, or in interstitial glucose concentrations during the remaining 23 h after exercise. Simulated games activity carries a lower risk of early, but not late‐onset hypoglycemia than continuous running exercise in type 1 diabetes.


BACKGROUND
The barrier properties of the gastrointestinal mucosa may be studied by measuring its permeability to different-sized marker molecules. Owing to difficulties in obtaining human tissue it is, however, often necessary to extrapolate findings from experimental animals to man. The aim of the present study was to compare regional intestinal mucosal permeability in man, the rat, and the pig, using the same marker molecules and in vitro technique.

METHODS
Segments from jejunum, ileum, colon, and rectum were mounted in Ussing diffusion chambers, and the mucosa-to-serosa passage of 14C-mannitol, fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-dextran 4,400, alpha-lactalbumin, ovalbumin, and FITC-dextran 70,000 was studied.

RESULTS
Irrespective of species or intestinal region an inverse relationship between the molecular weight of the markers and the permeability was seen. The mannitol permeability was higher in the small intestine than in the colon in man, whereas the rat showed a higher permeability in the ileum than in the jejunum and colon. The FITC-dextran 4,400 permeability was higher in all intestinal regions in the rat than in man and the pig. The macromolecules showed low permeability with no regional differences.

CONCLUSIONS
The results showed differences between intestinal regions and between species. Permeability data from the pig correlated fairly well with those of man, whereas the rat differed, making it difficult to extrapolate from the rat to man.


[1] Longitudinal structure of the equatorial ionosphere during the 24 h local time period is observed by the FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC (F3/C) satellite constellation. By binning the F3/C radio occultation observations during September and October 2006, global ionospheric total electron content (TEC) maps at a constant local time map (local time TEC map, referred as LT map) can be obtained to monitor the development and subsidence of the four-peaked longitudinal structure of the equatorial ionosphere. From LT maps, the four-peaked structure starts to develop at 0800–1000 LT and becomes most prominent at 1200–1600 LT. The longitudinal structure starts to subside after 2200–2400 LT and becomes indiscernible after 0400–0600 LT. In addition to TEC, ionospheric peak altitude also shows a four-peaked longitudinal structure with variation very similar to TEC during daytime. The four-peaked structure of the ionospheric peak altitude is indiscernible at night. With global local time maps of ionospheric TEC and peak altitude, we compare temporal variations of the longitudinal structure with variations of E × B drift from the empirical model. Our results indicate that the observations are consistent with the hypothesis that the four-peaked longitudinal structure is caused by the equatorial plasma fountain modulated by the E3 nonmigrating tide. Additionally, the four maximum regions show a tendency of moving eastward with propagation velocity of several 10 s m/s.


On 8 April 1867 the Native American tribes of the Cherokees and Delawares, under United States supervision, signed an agreement facilitating the removal of the Delawares to the Cherokee lands in Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma). 1 The terms of this agreement came to be responsible for several legal disagreements between the two nations in the nineteenth century, as well as a drawn-out legal fight in the twentieth century in which the Delawares lost and then regained their federal recognition. 2 The treaty's long-lasting effects in this respect are not the sole reason the nature of the agreement merits our attention. Even in 1867 it was unusual because it departed from the more common way of arranging for the removal of American Indian tribes, which usually consisted solely of a treaty between the United States government and the Indian nation in question.


Objectives Persistent infection with specific genotypes of human papillomaviruses (HPVs) is the main cause of invasive cervical cancer (ICC). Only a few of the various HPV types account for most of the cases worldwide, and geographical differences in their distribution are evident. Data from locally prevalent genotypes are essential in view of introduction of HPV type-specific prophylactic vaccines. Methods In this work, we have investigated HPV type distribution in samples of ICC cases that occurred in Uruguayan women. DNA extracted from ICC treated in Centro Hospitalario Pereira Rossell of Montevideo between 1999 and 2007 were analyzed. Search and typing were performed by polymerase chain reaction using generic GP5+/GP6+ primers and specific primers for HPV types 16, 18, 33, and 45. Positive GP5+/GP6+ samples, which were negative for all 4 high-risk HPV-specific types screened were further analyzed by sequencing. Results Human papillomavirus DNA sequences were found in 163 (92.6%) of 176 cases. The most prevalent genotypes were HPV16 (67.6%) and HPV18 (8.5%) followed by HPV45 (6.8%) and HPV33 (3.4%), as single or mixed infection. Other less frequent genotypes were HPV31, HPV35, HPV39, HPV51, HPV52, HPV58, HPV66, and HPV73. The viral type could not be determined (HPV X) in 1 case (0.6%) of the HPV DNA–positive cervical cancers and double infections were found in 1.7% of the cases. The higher percentage of most aggressive HPV (16/18/45) genotypes was detected in cases diagnosed at younger than 60 years old, whereas these genotypes were less frequent in older patients. Conclusion We conclude that HPV types 16, 18, and 45 have a very high prevalence in ICC of Uruguayan women. Results provide evidence that 16 of 18 infections are more aggressive, but most cancers could be vaccine preventable.


The complexity seen in biological and soft systems often precludes a first principles approach. In order to gain a good understanding of such complex systems, simplification is needed. As systems become larger, the interplay between the underlying mechanisms and details leads to complex system-wide behaviour. Very often this behaviour will be common to a large group of otherwise unrelated systems. Simple model systems can represent a wide variety of such systems, even though the underlying chemistry is different. Such toy models are immensely instructive in the understanding of more complex systems. In this thesis we describe and analyse toy models for two different soft and living systems. In the first part we consider an experimental model system that is representative of a broad class of materials consisting of ordered membranes. We study the self-assembly of a mixture of SDS and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) into concentric hollow microtubes using small-angle x-ray scattering. After a concentration dependent waiting time we observe the appearance of hollow cylinders that grow inward. The distribution of waiting times follows the non-linear scaling with SDS/ β-CD concentration that is predicted by classical nucleation theory for a two-dimensional critical nucleus. Moreover, when the experimental time is rescaled according to classical nucleation theory, the entire trajectory of inward growth collapses onto a single curve, indicating that a nucleation process determines the entire kinetics of inward growth. The mechanism of inward growth can therefore be explained by the successive nucleation of new, discrete cylinders inside previous existing ones, constricted in their size by the size of the original tube. In the second part we build upon a toy model based on equilibrium binding of ligands to a template, as a model for transcription regulation. Transcription initiation is a complex process involving multiple steps, which, in its most simplified form, can be described in three steps: (1) binding of RNAP to the promoter, (2) (irreversible) isomerization to an open complex, followed by (3) escape of the open complex to form an RNAP complex active in transcription. When the rearrangement of RNAP and transcription factors is fast compared to the formation of an open complex, we can assume that the rate at which the open complex is formed – the first kinetically significant step in the transcription process – is proportional to the occupation probability of the promoter by RNAP. Thermodynamic theory, based on the toy model of ligand adsorption to a template, has been developed to calculate this probability. Such thermodynamic models are traditionally derived in the limit of genes in isolation, within a canonical ensemble. However, individual regulatory proteins are typically charged with the simultaneous regulation of a battery of different genes. As a result, when one of these proteins is limiting, competitive effects have a significant impact on the transcriptional response of the regulated genes. We present a general framework for the analysis of any generic regulatory architecture that accounts for the competitive effects of the regulatory environment by isolating these effects into an effective concentration parameter.


The lymphatics of the ovaries of pregnant and non-pregnant ewes were outlined either by direct or retrograde injection of indian ink or Berlin blue and the distribution of these vessels within the ovary was determined. In active ovaries the mature follicles and corpora lutea contained a profuse network of lymphatics. In inactive ovaries the lymphatics were very small and poorly developed. Lymph was collected from the ovaries of conscious ewes for periods of several days. The flow of lymph from ovaries with corpora lutea averaged 4.15 ml./h; a maximum rate of flow of 14.9 ml./h was recorded in one ewe. The protein concentration of ovarian lymph was 73 % of the plasma concentration. When 131I labelled albumin was injected intravenously into ewes it entered the ovarian lymph very rapidly and the specific activities of albumin in the plasma and lymph equilibrated within 10 to 20 min of injection. The structure of the ovarian blood capillaries provided an explanation for the very high rate of lymph flow and protein leakage in the ovary. The endothelium of the blood capillaries was discontinuous with gaps up to 1 to 2 μm in diameter through which red cells, indian ink particles and ferritin passed into the interstitial spaces. Where the basement membrane of the capillaries was deficient over gaps the surfaces of the luteal cells came into direct contact with the circulating plasma, and occasionally cytoplasmic extensions from the luteal cells projected into the lumen of the blood capillaries. The lymphatics which were associated with many of the blood capillaries had open intercellular junctions and material could enter these vessels readily from the interstitial spaces. The blood capillaries in the ovarian stroma and those around immature follicles appeared less permeable than the capillaries of the corpus luteum. The association between the development of the corpus and an increase in lymph production in the ovary suggests the possibility that the changes in capillary permeability may be related to the synthesis and secretion of steroid hormones.


Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is defined as left ventricular hypertrophy in the absence of abnormal loading conditions. In 50–60% of adolescents and adults with HCM, the disease is inherited as an autosomal dominant trait caused by mutations in cardiac sarcomere protein genes. The most cases are due to mutations in genes which deter mine the synthesis of myosin-binding protein C (MYBPC3) and beta-myosin heavy chain (MYH7). More rarely involved genes are those encoding myosin light chain 3 (MYL3), tropomyosin alpha-1 chain (TPM1), and cardiac troponins I and T (TNNI3, TNNT2). Mutations in genes encoding Z-disc or calcium-handling proteins account for less than 1% of cases. Multiple sarcomeric protein mutations are present in up to 5% of individu - als. A further of 5% of patients have inherited metabolic or neuromuscular diseases, chromosome abnormalities, and genetic syndromes. HCM is characterized by a highly heterogeneous phenotype, highly variable intra- and interfamily expressivity and incom plete penetrance, therefore by a genotype-phenotype plasticity. thiol-sensitive This report showed that reducing oxidative stress in a rabbit model of HCM decreased hypertrophy and fibrosis. If confirmed in human patients, this would provide new treat ment strategies in HCM


SUMMARY The metabolism and clinical potential for dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) modifications using oil supplements containing n-3 and n-6 fatty acids are reviewed. Their use in such disorders as renal disease, inflammatory and immune-related disorders, and dermatological conditions in dogs and cats is discussed. The influence of n-3 fatty acid-rich rations on the endotoxin response in horses is described. Progress has been made toward understanding the clinical potential for PUFAs in these species. However, they have not yet been shown to be efficacious in any of the conditions investigated.


In this paper is presented an architecture for a flexible mini robot for a multiagent robotic system. In a multiagent system the value of an individual agent is negligible since the goal of the system is essential. Thus, the agents (robots) need to be small, low cost and cooperative. RoboSmith are designed based on these conditions. The proposed architecture divide a robot into functional modules such as locomotion, control, sensors, communication, and actuation. Any mobile robot can be constructed by combining these functional modules for a specific application. An embedded software with dynamic task uploading and multi-tasking abilities is developed in order to create better interface between robots and the command center and among the robots. The dynamic task uploading allows the robots change their behaviors in runtime. The flexibility of the robots is given by facts that the robots can work in multiagent system, as master-slave, or hybrid mode, can be equipped with different modules and possibly be used in other applications such as mobile sensor networks remote sensing, and plant monitoring.


Abstract. The focus is the experimental assessment of in-situ flow vectors in a hillslope soil. We selected a 100 m2 trenched hillslope study site. During prescribed sprinkling an obliquely installed TDR wave-guide provides for the velocity of the wetting front in its direction. A triplet of wave-guides mounted along the sides of an hypothetical tetrahedron, with its peak pointing down, produces a three-dimensional vector of the wetting front. The method is based on the passing of wetting fronts. We analysed 34 vectors along the hillslope at distributed locations and at soil depths from 11 cm (representing top soil) to 40 cm (close to bedrock interface). The mean values resulted as follows vx=16.1 mm min-1, vy=-0.2 mm min-1, and vz=11.9 mm min-1. The velocity vectors of the wetting fronts were generally gravity dominated and downslope orientated. Downslope direction (x-axis) dominated close to bedrock, whereas no preference between vertical and downslope direction was found in vectors close to the surface. The velocities along the contours (y-axis) varied widely. The Kruskal-Wallis tests indicated that the different upslope sprinkling areas had no influence on the orientation of the vectors. Vectors of volume flux density were also calculated for each triplet. The lateral velocities of the vector approach are compared with subsurface stromflow collected at the downhill end of the slope. Velocities were 25-140 times slower than lateral saturated tracer movements on top of the bedrock. Beside other points, we conclude that this method is restricted to non-complex substrate (skeleton or portion of big stones).


GENOME SEQUENCINGAny hope of getting publicly and privately funded scientists to work together on the human genome dissolved this week in a bitter dispute over who would control the raw data. The dispute went public on 5 March, when the Wellcome Trust, a British charity that funds genome research, released a letter spelling out the details of a controversy that has been simmering for months. As word spread that the trust had released the letter, tempers flared, triggering a flurry of finger-pointing as each side accused the other of sabotaging a potential collaboration.


Alternative construction methods and a simple method for identifying pole's subsurface end condition using elastic wave propagation test were proposed. After twelve prototypes of poles having different subsurface end conditions were constructed, horizontal loading tests and elastic wave propagation tests were performed. It was found that there was a close correlation between the 1st resonant frequency and maximum pulling force. The results of this study will provide a key to identify the telecommunication pole's foundation.


This paper explores the visual construction and representation of female sex offenders. It utilises the case study of Vanessa George, a nursery worker who was involved in the exchange of indecent imagery of children via an online paedophile ring. The first part of the paper considers the emergence of the sub-discipline, visual criminology and examines what is known about the visual representation of female offenders. The second part presents the findings of an empirical investigation, which involved engaging in a critical, reflexive visual analysis of a selection photographs and the police mugshot of Vanessa George. The paper considers the ways in which George"s physical appearance and her suggested ability to deceive were used to visually represent her as "other", thus reinforcing the existing simplistic motifs of female sex offending.


Geotechnical performances of soil superstructure systems are strongly dependent on the properties of the soil, and prediction of the performance of these systems in real conditions requires accurate modelling of soil parameters, furthermore earthquake excitations advent increase the uncertainty in soil parameters. It is vital to determine the risk of damage to structures, due to soil displacement by differing some of the soil parameters and fixed earthquake excitations. The core objective of this project is to study the response of a soil-structure subjected to uniform loading. From this the soil-structure stiffness can be easily obtained. For the basis for the analysis, the soil has been assumed first elastic with individual random variables such as Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio simultaneously. After the elastic displacement known the plastic analysis conducted. For the analysis of this project, finite element models are developed in ABAQUS to simulate vertical uniform load of 3 kilo-Pascal (kPa) for elastic and 100 kPa for plastic deformation. Results from the analysis discussed and comparison between the experimental values and theoretical values examined. The difference between elastic and plastic analysis checked against the displacement. The parametric study has indicated that the E-modulus of the soil and structure load have larger impact on the soil-structure response. Due to various variables of certain soil parameters, the selection of specific soil with few important variables were the center of this study, to achieve more realistic results.


The two bar billets with different height-diameter ratio in enterprise were studied on the process of gear blank thermal forming. The rigid-viscoplastic finite element simulations in multifactor coupling condition of stress ,heat and wear were established. The metal flow in the process was simulated. The temperature distribution and varying of the mold and blank was forecast. The single-step wear depth and distribution of the die in forging was analysed based on Archard ,which provided sufficient data to evaluate life of the die. The reasonable aspect ratio for blank can be obtained upon the results, which will offer basis to the product.


Efforts to understand the nature of protein antigenicity have taken two major approaches: clarification of the precise amino acids responsible for a natural immune response against a protein, or attempts to induce antibodies using chemically synthesized peptide fragments. A considerable body of experimental results are now available on both approaches, allowing some conclusions to be made. In general, the conventional view that major antigenic sites contain concentrations of charged and polar residues is upheld. Furthermore the results show a striking agreement with the method for predicting antigenic determinants developed several years ago (HOPP and WOODS, 1981). Many groups have successfully used the prediction method either as a guide for testing the location of antigenic sites in whole proteins or in order to choose sequences suitable for the production of chemically synthesized peptide immunogens. Even when experimenters did not rely upon predictions, their results often identified antigenic sites that would have been predictable by the method. In fact, most of the findings for all well characterized major disease organisms could have been predicted by this procedure. These results, many of them obtained without reference to the method, serve as a strong indicator in favor of use of the method in future investigations, of antigenic determinants of proteins. Our most recent experiments have demonstrated that a distinction can be drawn between the amino acids most important for antigenic determinant predictions (Asp, Glu, Lys and Arg) and those most likely to occur in highly exposed portions of a peptide chain (Gly, Pro, Asn and Ser). We are currently using a newly developed hydrophilicity scale (acrophilicity) for predicting surface portions of proteins, with better success than any other available procedure (see e.g. Fig. 1). The new method is also superior for locating signal and transmembrane hydrophobic segments. We also use the older antigenic determinant prediction method to identify the subset of surface sites that are likely to be most antigenic. The sites predicted to be antigenic are also the most likely sites for other types of protein interactions. Examples identified so far include sites of proteolytic processing of precursor forms of proteins and hormones, sites of phosphorylation and glycosylation, as well as other sites such as nucleic acid interaction sites, a nuclear transport site, complement binding sites and cell binding sites. PROTEIN ANTIGEN CONFORMATION THOMAS P. HOPP 2 Figure 1 Topological analysis of the T cell receptor A chain (TCRA). The solid line profile represents acrophilicity averages and the dotted profile represents hydrophilicity averages. The tick marks on the two lines below the plot indicate the following residues: (+) Arg, Lys, (–) Asp, Glu, (P) Pro, (C) Cys. The space below these lines (cho) is used to indicate Asn-X-Ser/Thr glycosylation sites, none of which occur in this molecule. The lowest acrophilicity values occur at the N terminus, and near the C terminus, and indicate the presence of a signal peptide and a transmembrane segment, respectively. We are now using both methods simultaneously in order to identify the probable structural features of a protein and to locate the most likely functional regions as well.


While the neurobiology of anorexia nervosa becomes clearer, specific treatment has not been established yet. A lot was expected from atypical antipsychotics, especially olanzapine among them. Although the neurobiology of the disease and the mechanism of these drugs suite each other, the clear benefit has not been determined. It seems that body mass index and the cognition of the disease are not significantly affected, although depression might be improved. The presentation delivered during the 8th international conference of forensic psychiatry "Reflection of reality – norm and pathology" was aimed to review the literature about the basis and efficacy of atypical antipsychotics in the treatment of anorexia nervosa.


Accumulating evidence support a role for hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the pathogenesis of human lymphoproliferative disorders. Clonal expansions of B lymphocytes have been prevalently detected in the bone marrow, in the liver and in the peripheral blood of HCV-infected patients. Epidemiologic studies have associated HCV infection with an increased risk of B-cell lymphoma development, particularly of those with primary localization to organs target of HCV infection. The analysis of the B-cell receptor variable region sequences in sequential phases of HCV-associated lymphomas provided evidence of an ongoing somatic mutation process still present in the neoplastic cells. A restricted repertoire of V, D, J genes was used to assemble the B-cell receptor, and a frequent occurrence of certain gene combinations (V1-69/D3-22/J4 heavy chain with a V3-20 encoded light chain; V3-7/D3/J3 heavy chain with V3-15/J1 light chain; V3-23/D3-22/J4 or V4-59/D2-15/J2 with a V3-20 light chain) was observed, thus suggesting a common antigen-binding specificity for these B-cell clones. The high similarity to antibodies with rheumatoid factor (RF) activity as well as to anti-HCV E2 antibodies suggested that HCV, alone or in complex with IgG, could play a pathogenetic role as an exogenous trigger in certain stages of B-cell lymphoproliferation and in certain subsets of B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHLs). The restricted gene repertoire used to assemble the B-cell receptor observed in HCV-associated B-cell NHLs could have important implications as an antigenic target in anti-tumor immunologic therapies.


Abstract In order to explain why civil war erupted in Tajikistan but not in Uzbekistan this article assesses a range of theories that have sought to explain the occurrence of civil wars. After assessing the strengths and weaknesses of a number of these different existing approaches in the comparative literature, it argues that the eruption of civil war in Tajikistan and its absence in Uzbekistan can be explained by adapting ideas from bargaining theories of war that have been developed in the literature on international relations. It argues that it is important to study the adversaries' perceptions of power in relation to the actions that led to the civil war and how the perceptions of the distribution of power are influenced by structural, process and network-related variables. Consistent with bargaining theories of war, a disparity between the distribution of power and distribution of benefits seems an important factor in the eruption of civil war in Tajikistan.


Background. Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and NF-κB play important roles in the inflammatory response after hemorrhagic shock and resuscitation (H/R). Here, the role of myeloid HIF-1α in liver hypoxia, injury, and inflammation after H/R with special regard to NF-κB activation was studied. Methods. Mice with a conditional HIF-1α knockout (KO) in myeloid cell-line and wild-type (WT) controls were hemorrhaged for 90 min (30 ± 2 mm Hg) and resuscitated. Controls underwent only surgical procedures. Results. After six hours, H/R enhanced the expression of HIF-1α-induced genes vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and adrenomedullin (ADM). In KO mice, this was not observed. H/R-induced liver injury in HIF-1α KO was comparable to WT. Elevated plasma interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels after H/R were not reduced by HIF-1α KO. Local hepatic hypoxia was not significantly reduced in HIF-1α KO compared to controls after H/R. H/R-induced NF-κB phosphorylation in liver did not significantly differ between WT and KO. Conclusions. Here, deleting HIF-1α in myeloid cells and thereby in Kupffer cells was not protective after H/R. This data indicates that other factors, such as NF-κB, due to its upregulated phosphorylation in WT and KO mice, contrary to HIF-1α, are rather key modulators of inflammation after H/R in our model.


Gastruloids are aggregates of mouse embryonic stem cells that can be used to study key aspects of mammalian post-implantation development in vitro1–4. Gastruloids generated with previously published protocols do not generate somite-like structures4–6. Here, we describe a modified version of the gastruloids culture protocol5,6 that results in gastruloids that do generate somite-like structures in vitro (van den Brink et al., Nature, 2020)7. Under these conditions, about 50% of the gastruloids generated form structures with features that are characteristic of somites7.This protocol takes 6 days, with relatively little hands-on time. The protocol starts with the aggregation of the cultured cells. Then, the Wnt-agonist Chiron is added 2 days (48h) later. The medium of the aggregates is replaced 3 days (72h) after aggregation. To induce somite-formation, gastruloids are embedded in Matrigel 4 days (96h) after aggregation. After 5 days (120h) of culture, gastruloids resemble E8.5 mouse embryos. At this timepoint they can be fixed (fixative is added on day 5 and washed away on day 6 after overnight incubation in PFA) to prepare them for staining or microscopy experiments.


Adoption of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in the global construction industry is fast growing. This paper expounds the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) for BIM implementation and explore their ranking and underlying relationships. A total of 28 CSFs was identified from the review of previous studies on success factors. Survey questionnaire containing these 28 factors was used to collect data from industry practitioners in Nigeria. Benchmark metrics was developed to rank the success factors. The topmost five success factors for BIM implementation in order of importance are: standard platforms for integration and communication; cost of development; education and training; standardization (product and process); and clear definition and understanding of users' requirement. Analysis of variance shows that significant differences exist in the pattern of rating for the topmost CSFs based on turnover. Factor analysis was further adopted to group the 28 CSFs into five components, using rotated component matrix method. The five components extracted are: (i) industry stakeholders' commitment and knowledge of BIM, (ii) capacity building for technology adoption, (iii) organisational support, (iv) collaborative synergy among industry professional and (v) cultural orientation. The rankings of the CSFs provide basis for prioritising the most significant factors that industry stakeholders should focus attention for successful implementation of BIM. In addition, the underlying relationships among the success factors identified in this study, will assist industry stakeholders to determine best strategy to adopt in implementing BIM at industry level.


This paper examines the process of preparing and coordinating a group of graduate students to work with faculty in the development of online hybrid courses for the Post-Baccalaureate Certification in Secondary Education and the Master's in Special Education programs at the College of Education, University of Hawaii at Manoa. The analysis revealed several themes about the online course development project which have implications for future initiatives. Additionally, data collected from graduate students' time logs determined the breakdown of time spent in the various aspects of online course development. Analysis of the time log data identified planning/strategizing, WebCT course site design, other content development and preparing course materials as the key aspects of online course development.


An appropriate architecture (i.e., framework) is the base of each successful heterogeneous software project. It enables a group of developers to work at the same project and to organize their solutions. From this point of view, the artificial intelligence and/or robotics related research projects are usually more complicated, since the actual result of the project is often not clear. In particular, a strong organization of the software is necessary if the project is involved in education. Obviously, there is no perfect framework which could satisfy all the needs of the developers. In this paper we present a modular software architecture designed to implement an autonomous agent. In particular, it is used to develop software which is used simultaneously at several platforms (e.g., humanoid robot, simulated agent). One of the main aspects considered in our design is a strong code modularization which allows for re-usability, transparency and easily testing. Other important aspects are real-time applicability and simple usage. This paper presents the main concepts and the particular implementation of the important parts. We also provide a qualitative comparison with other existing robotics frameworks.


Complexation of free and N-acetylated alpha-amino acid anions (Gly, Ala, Phe) and some structurally related guests by a dicationic cyclophane-type N,N'-dibenzylated chiral derivative of a bisisoquinoline macrocyclic alkaloid S,S-(+)-tetrandrine (DBT) has been studied by (1)H-NMR titrations in D(2)O. In contrast to other macrocyclic hosts like cyclodextrins and calixarenes, DBT shows highest affinity and large enantioselectivity (K(S)/K(R) >/=10) toward smaller N-acetylalanine and binds larger phenylalanine derivatives more weakly and non-selectively. With 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-3-carboxylate, a rigid analog of phenylalanine, binding again becomes enantioselective with K(S)/K(R)= 3.8. The binding specificity of DBT is rationalized on the basis of molecular mechanics calculations.


The ZrW2O8 family of materials has been shown to display the unusual property of an isotropic bulk contraction in volume with the rising of temperature. They have a number of potential applications, for example, they would be widely used in composite material and solid electrolyte based on its characteristic of negative thermal expansion and ionic conductive property. In this paper, an Al3+,V5+ double substitute negative thermal expansion (NTE) solid solution Zr1-xAlxMoW1-yVyO8 was synthesized by co-precipitation method. The phase composition, the micromorphology and the thermal expansion coefficient were obtained by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electronic microscope (SEM) and thermal mechanical analyzer (TMA), respectively. The results show that the sample's density rises with the increasing of the content of V5+, while, its porosity declines. The thermal expansion coefficients of the samples are between -3.0~4.0×10-6 K-1, it indicates that their negative thermal expansion behavior is a little lower than that of ZrMoWO8. And the experiment also shows that these samples have displayed a fine behavior of heat shock resistance.


The determination of the sedimentation rates of carbonate-free, virtually organic-free marine sediments is notoriously difficult. Such sediments cover more than 30% of the surface of the Earth. Consequently, fluxes into these sediments may amount to significant proportions in global budgets, even if annual deposition seems very small, with sedimentation rates often on the order of micrometers per year.
The dating potential of the naturally occurring radioisotopes 230Th and 231Pa, which are produced in sea water in a well known ratio, has been recognized early. However, measurements revealed that the ratio found at the sediment surface usually deviates from the expected production ratio. Various effects have been found to affect the initial 231Pa/230Th ratio in marine sediments, in particular the effect of boundary scavenging, changes in ocean ventilation, and particle composition (231Pa being preferentially adsorbed onto biogenic opal). Consequently, the application of excess 231Pa/230Th ratios for dating marine bulk sediments has been virtually discontinued, and the ratio of the isotopes is instead widely used to study past ocean circulation and particle fluxes in areas where independent age information is available, e.g. from carbonates.
Here, we re-evaluate the use of 231Pa/230Th ratios for the determination of sedimentation rates in pelagic sediments without independent age information, taking all known effects overprinting the production ratio into account. We conclude that 231Pa/230Th ratios can be an excellent tool to estimate sedimentation rates, even in the absence of any independent dating tool, and to determine bioturbation depths. We also re-assess the effect of regional variations in sedimentation rates on Pacific surface sediment 231Pa/230Th ratios.


Dysfunctional families are families that fail to fulfill the protective and educational function of their children. They are conflicted, affected by addictions, unadapted to life, inefficient in education. The situation of these families is a challenge for the Polish social assistance system. As part of social work with these families, a number of different methods are used, among others empowerment, interdisciplinary work model, work with family assistants, psychological therapies, school for parents, Family Group Conference and day support facilities. The work methods used involve family members based on their resources and aim to ensure that families use their strengths and acquire appropriate care and upbringing skills, achieve balance and gain greater independence in functioning, and regain control over their own lives.
Сhanges that take place in social life cause weakening of social ties and the role of the family as a basic environment of human upbringing. Many Polish families are unable to perform the protective, educational, economic, preventative functions of their members, including children. Particularly disadvantaged families - affected by addictions, illnesses, disorders, unadapted to life and ineffective in education - pose a serious threat to the development of children, but also a great challenge for the social assistance system. For many years, social assistance institutions have usually been a source of financial resources to support these families. The current development of the family support system tends to develop effective methods of working with families, these pedagogical tools can be used by social workers and family assistants. Their essence is to influence the restoration of relationships between family members, the improvement of relations and communication, the desire for family reintegration. To this end, actions are taken based on the developed procedures based on the resources inherent in the family to make changes in the functioning of the family system through the forces of its members. The effectiveness of social work with disadvantaged families is enhanced by interdisciplinary activities that involve the use of the knowledge, experience and professional skills of various institutions and non-governmental organizations. Nowadays, the best way to work with such a family is to involve the so-called human factor, which embodies the professionalism and effectiveness of the assistance provided. A crisis family is increasingly perceived as an entity responsible for their own destiny. Working with the family using the above mentioned methods takes into account not only the deficiency of its functioning, but above all its strengths and potentials, which allows it to gradually regain balance, stability and take control of their life.


Background: Pancreatic cancer has been recognized as one of the most serious malignant tumors in the world, and its molecular mechanism is still not fully understood. Cyclin I-like (CCNI2) is a homolog of Cyclin I (CCNI), and at present its function is largely unknown. Methods: In this study, we aimed to explore the role of CCNI2 in the development of pancreatic cancer. The expression levels of CCNI2 in pancreatic cancer tissues and cells were detected by immunohistochemical analysis and qPCR, respectively. Lentivirus was used to deliver shRNA to pancreatic cancer cells to construct CCNI2 knockdown cell models. MTT and colony formation assays were used to assess cell proliferation capacity, flow cytometry was used to detect apoptosis, wound-healing and Transwell assays were used to determine cell migration. Results: Our results revealed that CCNI2 is not only highly expressed in pancreatic cancer, but also significantly correlated with pathological grade, pathological stage, and survival rate. It was confirmed that knockdown of CCNI2 inhibited the proliferation and cell migration of pancreatic cancer cells while promoting apoptosis. Furthermore, human apoptotic antibody arrays showed that CCNI2 is involved in apoptosis process by up-regulating the pro-apoptotic proteins. Conclusions: In conclusion, CCNI2 may be a prognostic marker for pancreatic cancer and is associated with its development. Thus, CCNI2 possesses potential to act as a therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer treatment.


A simple model of the average swath of tropical storm and hurricane-force winds to the right and left of storm centers is developed and utilized to evaluate the geographical and temporal distribution of storm strikes at "point locations" along the subtropical coast of the United States. The specific area of study is from South Padre Island, Texas, to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The time of record is 100 years from 1901 through 2000. The analysis illustrates the great geographical variability with high frequencies of tropical storm and hurricane strikes in southeastern Louisiana, southern Florida, and eastern North Carolina. Coastlines with lower frequency strikes are located along the western coastline of the Gulf of Mexico in southern Texas, the northeastern coastline of the Gulf in Florida from near Apalachicola southward to St. Petersburg, and especially along the South Atlantic coast from Daytona Beach, Florida, northward to the vicinity of Charleston, South Carolina. Temporal variability is great and significant, however, and with the exception of the northern Gulf Coast, most coastal sites have experienced pronounced clusters of strikes separated by tens of years with very few strikes. The occurrences of tropical storm and hurricane events over the Gulf of Mexico are related to La Nina, neutral, and EI Nino seasons, but the clusters of strike events and longer runs of seasons with minimal activity cannot be explained on the basis of ENSO indices alone. Our findings have important implications for storm clusters and vulnerability prediction along coasts.


Background: Healthcare providers have been at the Front line the response to the COVID-19 disease. Many of them have contracted the disease, and some of them already dead. This study assessed the knowledge, compliance with preventive measures and determined the relationship between knowledge and practice of preventive strategies to COVID-19 among nurses working in a selected hospital in South-South Nigeria. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional descriptive design guided the study. Census method guided the recruitment of all the 378 nurses in the hospital who met the study's inclusion criteria. Results: Majority (360 [95.2%]) of the nurses had good knowledge of the preventive measures to COVID-19 and 311 (82.4%) of the nurses adhere strictly to practice of the preventive strategies to COVID-19. Educational level and years of experience are determinants of knowledge about preventive measures to COVID-19 (p<0.05 respectively) while knowledge, sex, level of education, years of experience, and unit of practice are determinants of compliance to preventive measures to COVID-19 among the nurses (p<0.001). Female nurses (p=0.012), RN/RM qualified nurses (p=0.037), nurses with more than five years of experience, and those in children ward (p=0.020) and maternity complex (p=0.003) significantly comply more to the preventive measures for COVID-19 as shown by their adjusted odds ratios. Conclusion: As knowledge of COVID-19 preventive strategies continues to increase among health workers, there is a need to translate this knowledge into adequate practice in order to minimise the hazardous effect of the pandemic on the health workers especially nurses.


Polystyrene (PS) is widely used in packaging, building and construction, and injection molding application due the advantages of being clear, hard, easily processed and low cost. However PS lack in toughness and chemical resistance towards certain chemical such as ketones. Blends of PS with Polypropylene (PP) are developed with the objective to enhance the impact and chemical resistance of PS. However, the blends of PS and PP are known to be immiscible and incompatible. Previous studies have concluded that the block copolymer such as styrene-b-(ethylene-co-butylenes)-b-styrene (SEBS) is good compatibilizer for this PS/PP blends. The present study investigates the effect of SEBS on the chemical resistance on the PS/PP blends. Using a Brabender PL2000 twin-screw extruder, blends of PS/PP in various composition ranging of 90-60 wt % PS containing different amount of SEBS in the composition range of 5-25 phr were prepared and injection molded to evaluated for chemical resistance. The chemical resistance testing was carried out according to ASTM D543-87. The specimens were placed in appropriate containers for the reagents being used, and allow the specimens to be totally immersed in fresh reagent for 7 days in the Standard Laboratory Atmosphere. The results show the chemical resistance of PS to acetone (ketone) increases with increasing PP content. On the other hand, the chemical resistance of PS/PP blends increases with increasing SEBS content at lower PP content. However, at higher PP content, the chemical resistance decreases with increasing SEBS content.


McCabe S1*, Lim M2, Maddineni S1 and Rozenblit G1 1Department of Radiology, Westchester Medical Center/New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USA 2Division of Interventional Radiology, Westchester Medical Center/New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USA *Corresponding author: McCabe S, Department of Radiology, Westchester Medical Center/New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USA, Tel: (914) 493-7560; E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


Effectively migrating sequential applications to take advantage of parallelism available on multicore platforms is a well-recognized challenge. This paper addresses important aspects of this issue by proposing a novel profiling technique to automatically detect available concurrency in C programs. The profiler, called Alchemist, operates completely transparently to applications, and identifies constructs at various levels of granularity (e.g., loops, procedures, and conditional statements) as candidates for asynchronous execution. Various dependences including read-after-write (RAW), write-after-read (WAR), and write-after-write (WAW), are detected between a construct and its continuation, the execution following the completion of the construct.  The time-ordered {\em distance} between program points forming a dependence gives a measure of the effectiveness of parallelizing that construct, as well as identifying the transformations necessary to facilitate such parallelization. Using the notion of post-dominance, our profiling algorithm builds an execution index tree at run-time. This tree is used to differentiate among multiple instances of the same static construct, and leads to improved accuracy in the computed profile, useful to better identify constructs that are amenable to parallelization. Performance results indicate that the profiles generated by Alchemist pinpoint strong candidates for parallelization, and can help significantly ease the burden of application migration to multicore environments.


ABSTRACT This paper develops the asymptotic theory for the estimation of smooth semiparametric generalized estimating equations models with weakly dependent data. The paper proposes new estimation methods based on smoothed two-step versions of the generalised method of moments and generalised empirical likelihood methods. An important aspect of the paper is that it allows the first-step estimation to have an effect on the asymptotic variances of the second-step estimators and explicitly characterises this effect for the empirically relevant case of the so-called generated regressors. The results of the paper are illustrated with a partially linear model that has not been previously considered in the literature. The proofs of the results utilise a new uniform strong law of large numbers and a new central limit theorem for U-statistics with varying kernels that are of independent interest.


Background: The development of gluten-free products is a great challenge for manufactures aiming to make baked products have a similar composition to their gluten-containing counterparts. They routinely use commercial and vegetable additives (rice flour and cassava starch), which are gluten free. Due to the fact that most of these products in Venezuela are imported and thus expensive, the prominence of celiac disease increases by 4% every year. This work aimed to develop a filled cupcake formulation with the use of natural and synthetic gluten-free hydrocolloids for those with celiac disease.Methods: Two mixture designs, one with rice flour and one with cassava flour, were examined to identify which flour would give the cupcake the best consistency. The flours were mixed with  hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) and vegetable fat (emulsifier) to see which proportion of ingredients was best-suited for the final product. The response variables of adhesiveness, cohesiveness, hardness, and gumminess were used to develop a texture profile. Two formulations were then obtained based on desirability ratings, and then evaluated based on the acceptability of 50 celiac patients.  The physical, chemical and microbiological characterization, along with the storage stability of the selected formulation, was evaluated. The shelf life of the cupcake was determined by evaluating the texture profile, acceptability and microbiological parameters during 21 days at three temperatures (25 °C, 35 °C and 45 °C).Results: The formulation with the greatest desirability in our population had the lowest gliadin content (0.231ppm), the lowest production cost, and showed a decrease in acceptability as time and temperature increased. The shelf life of the cupcakes was estimated to be 14 days when stored at at an average temperature of 28 °C.Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that it possible to produce a low-cost, high-calorie filled cupcake for people with celiac disease to consume.  Keywords: Hydrocolloids, gluten-free filled cup cake, gluten, compound flours, celiac disease


Palmitic acid is the most abundant (approx. 11% of total fatty acids) saturated fatty acid in conventional soybean seed oil. Increasing the saturated acid content of soybean oil improves its oxidative stability and plasticity. We have developed three soybean mutants with high palmitic acid content by X-ray irradiation. In this study, we successfully identified the mutated sites of two of these high-palmitic-acid mutants, J10 and M22. PCR-based mutant analysis revealed that J10 has a 206,203-bp-long deletion that includes the GmKASIIA gene and 16 other predicted genes, and M22 has a 26-bp-long deletion in the sixth intron of GmKASIIB. The small deletion in M22 causes mis-splicing of GmKASIIB transcripts, which should result in nonfunctional products. In addition, we designed co-dominant marker sets for these mutant alleles and confirmed the association of genotypes and palmitic acid contents in F2 seeds of J10 X M22. This information will be useful in breeding programs to develop novel soybean cultivars with improved palmitic acid content. However, in the third mutant, KK7, we found no polymorphism in either GmKASIIA or GmKASIIB, which suggests that several unknown genes in addition to GmKASIIA and GmKASIIB may be involved in elevating the palmitic acid content of soybean seed oil.


BACKGROUND
Renal biopsies are uncommonly performed in horses and little is known about their diagnostic utility and associated complication rate.

OBJECTIVE
To describe the techniques, the complication rate, risk factors, and histopathology results; as well as evaluate the safety and diagnostic utility of renal biopsy in the horse.

ANIMALS
One hundred and forty-six horses from which 151 renal biopsies were obtained. Animals ranged in age from 48 hours to 30 years.

METHODS
Multicenter retrospective study, with participation of 14 institutions (1983-2009).

RESULTS
Renal biopsy in horses was associated with a similar rate of complications (11.3%) to that occurring in humans and companion animals. Complications were generally associated with hemorrhage or signs of colic, and required treatment in 3% of cases. Fatality rate was low (1/151; 0.7%). Biopsy specimens yielded sufficient tissue for a histopathologic diagnosis in most cases (94%) but diagnoses had only fair (72%) agreement with postmortem findings. Risk factors for complications included biopsy specimens of the left kidney (P = .030), a diagnosis of neoplasia (P = .004), and low urine specific gravity (P = .030). No association with complications was found for age, sex, breed, institution, presenting complaint, other initial clinicopathologic data, biopsy instrument, needle size, or use of ultrasonographic guidance.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE
Renal biopsy in horses has low morbidity and results in a morphological histopathologic diagnosis in 94% of cases. However, this procedure might result in serious complications and should only be used when information obtained would be likely to impact decisions regarding patient management and prognosis.


Standard automatic metrics, e.g. BLEU, are not reliable for document-level MT evaluation. They can neither distinguish document-level improvements in translation quality from sentence-level ones, nor identify the discourse phenomena that cause context-agnostic translations. This paper introduces a novel automatic metric BlonDe to widen the scope of automatic MT evaluation from sentence to document level. BlonDe takes discourse coherence into consideration by categorizing discourse-related spans and calculating the similarity-based F1 measure of categorized spans. We conduct extensive comparisons on a newly constructed dataset BWB. The experimental results show that BlonDe possesses better selectivity and interpretability at the document-level, and is more sensitive to document-level nuances. In a large-scale human study, BlonDe also achieves significantly higher Pearson's r correlation with human judgments compared to previous metrics.


This paper studies growth and inequality in China and India – two economies that account for a third of the world's population. By modelling growth and inequality as components in a joint stochastic process, the paper calibrates the impact each has on different welfare indicators and on the personal income distribution across the joint population of the two countries. For personal income inequalities in a China-India universe, the forces assuming first-order importance are macroeconomic: growing average incomes dominate all else. The relation between aggregate economic growth and within-country inequality is insignificant for inequality dynamics.


The difficulties in communicating climate change science to the general public are often highlighted as one of the hurdles for support of enhanced climate action. The advances of interactive visualization using information and communication technology (ICT) are claimed to be a game-changer in our ability to communicate complex issues. However, new analytical frameworks are warranted to analyse the role of such technologies. This paper develops a novel framework for analyzing the content, form, context and relevance of ICT-based visualization of climate change, based on insights from literature on climate change communication. Thereafter, we exemplify the analytical framework by applying it to a pilot case of ICT-based climate visualization in a GeoDome. Possibilities to use affordable advanced ICT-based visualization devices in science and policy communication are rapidly expanding. We thus see wider implications and applications of the analytical framework not only for other ICT environments but also other issue areas in sustainability communication.


To examine trends in the incidence and epidemiology of cryptococcosis, active, population-based surveillance was conducted during 1992-2000 in 2 areas of the United States (the Atlanta, Georgia, and Houston, Texas, metropolitan areas; combined population, 7.4 million). A total of 1491 incident cases were detected, of which 1322 (89%) occurred in HIV-infected persons. The annual incidence of cryptococcosis per 1000 persons with AIDS decreased significantly during the study period, from 66 in 1992 to 7 in 2000 in the Atlanta area, and from 24 in 1993 to 2 in 1994 in the Houston area. Poisson regression analysis revealed that African American persons with AIDS were more likely than white persons with AIDS to develop disease. Less than one-third of all HIV-infected persons with cryptococcosis were receiving antiretroviral therapy before diagnosis. Our findings suggest that HIV-infected persons who continue to develop cryptococcosis in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in the United States are those with limited access to health care. More efforts are needed to expand the availability of HAART and routine HIV care services to these persons.


Prior studies of testing graph properties presume that the tester can obtain uniformly distributed vertices in the tested graph (in addition to obtaining answers to the some type of graph-queries). Here we envision settings in which it is only feasible to obtain random vertices drawn according to an arbitrary distribution (and, in addition, obtain answers to the usual graph-queries). We initiate a study of testing graph properties in such settings, while adapting the definition of distance between graphs so that it reflects the different probability weight of different vertices. Hence, the distance to the property represents the relative importance of the "part of the graph" that violates the property. We consider such "vertex-distribution free" (VDF) versions of the two most-studied models of testing graph properties (i.e., the dense graph model and the bounded-degree model). In both cases, we show that VDF testing within complexity that is independent of the distribution on the vertex-set (of the tested graph) is possible only if the same property can be tested in the standard model with one-sided error and size-independent complexity. We also show that this necessary condition is not sufficient; yet, we present size-independent VDF testers for many of the natural properties that satisfy the necessary condition.


Encapsulating metal‐based catalysts inside carbon sheaths is a frequently‐adopted strategy to enhance their durability under various harsh situations and improve their catalytic activity simultaneously. Such carbon encapsulation, however, imposes significant complications for directly modifying materials' surface atomic/electronic configurations, fundamentally impeding the accurate tuning of their catalytic capabilities. Herein, a universal single‐atom alloy (SAA) strategy is reported to indirectly yet precisely manipulate the surface electronic structure of carbon‐encapsulated electrocatalysts. By versatilely constructing a SAA core inside an N‐doped carbon sheath, material's electrocatalytic capability can be flexibly tuned. The one with Ru‐SAA cores serves as an excellent bifunctional electrocatalyst for oxygen/hydrogen evolution, exhibiting minimal cell voltage of 1.55 V (10 mA cm−2) and outstanding mass activity of 1251 mA m gRu−1${\rm{g}}_{{\rm{Ru}}}^{ - 1}$ for overall water splitting, while the one with Ir‐SAA cores possesses superior oxygen reduction activity with a half‐wave potential of 919 mV. Density functional theory calculations reveal that the doped atoms can simultaneously optimize the adsorption of protons (H*) and oxygenated intermediates (OH*, O*, and OOH*) to achieve the remarkable thermoneutral hydrogen evolution and enhanced oxygen evolution. This work thus demonstrates a versatile strategy to precisely modify the surface electronic properties of carbon‐shielded materials for optimized performances.


In the present investigation, the effect of arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) fungal root colonization on nutrient uptake, growth and soil water depletion of cowpea plants exposed to a drought stress period was studied in a greenhouse experiment. Arbuscular mycorrhizal and nonAM plants of an old, local variety from Brazil 'Carioca', and of the breeding improved cultivar 'Epace-10' were exposed to 24 days of drought, with or without a subsequent period of water resupply. Control plants remained well watered throughout the growth period. The AM symbiosis greatly enhanced nutrient uptake of drought stressed plants. However, water uptake, growth and net photosynthesis were unaffected by AM root colonization during drought stress. Recovery after water resupply was much faster when plants were inoculated with AM, probably due to an improved plant nutritional status. The cultivar Epace-10 was much more dependent on the AM symbiosis for growth and nutrient uptake compared with Carioca in all irrigation treatments. Only when roots were AM colonized, Epace-10 plants were able to recover from drought stress after water resupply. Our study suggests that the AM symbiosis constitutes an important strategy by which leguminous plants overcome periods of drought. Under conditions of low soil water and P availability, the presence of AM fungal propagules in the field soil appears to be a prerequisite for successful cultivation of cowpea, particularly with respect to the breeding improved cultivar Epace-10.


Although the integration of PV systems in the building envelope (BIPV) is an important factor for the acceptability of such installations, current urban-scale solar potential metrics only partially consider this aspect. As part of the definition of BIPV-suitable surfaces, we argue that a geometric-regularity criterion can help predict the possible disposition of solar panels already in the early assessment of BIPV potential in urban contexts. To address this need, we developed an algorithm for the geometric sampling of the parts of the building envelope achieving a minimum irradiation threshold, with the aim of defining uniformly-covered active solar surfaces. The proposed methodology is implemented in a flexible parametric design platform and tested in a case study in Neuchâtel (Switzerland). We show that integrating geometric regularity in the assessment of BIPV potential can have a significant influence in the calculation of the solar energy production and discuss the value of such information in urban planning practices.


Background. The increase in aggressive behaviour towards crews and the potential danger they may be in is seen as a significant current problem in the Emergency Medical Service (EMS). Aim. This study relates to an analysis and evaluation of the self-defence needs of EMS medical staff. Methods. The design of the research is descriptive, qualitative and quantitative. The research sample was deliberately chosen. Direct and indirect observation over a period of five months was applied to the data collection methods. In addition, questionnaires were used to investigate the attitude of the profession to self-defence, and unstructured interviews were conducted. Results. The theoretical results reflect the creation of an actual plan for EMS training, an interest in education and in self-defence training. The practical results include specific findings and recommendations for practice learning EMS management for the learning process can increase the efficiency of self-defence training for EMS staff. Conclusion. The most important thing is to include self-defence training in the current educational profile of the EMS. © Idōkan Poland Association "IDO MOVEMENT FOR CULTURE. Journal of Martial Arts Anthropology", Vol. 16, no. 1 (2016), pp. 49–54 DOI: 10.14589/ido.16.1.6


Light and water re key elements and indicators are in human life. Water as a lifeblood is important in views, philosophies and cultures in the world and its role is considered beyond its functional role as a symbol of purity, birth and beauty. In ancient Persia, water was a sign of lighting and purity and was so valuable. Architects have always tried to make the best possible use of the environmental resources and water that was an important element to use all the beauty and perfection of water, so water becomes a factor in order to calmness, cleansing and peace. Light reflects the effects and nature of God whose presence is manifested in architecture. Light has always been a symbol of meaning and the world kingdom. Hence, light, occupies a central place in religious architecture. Light and water were placed in contemporary architecture and philosophy and in terms of beauty, have offered outstanding works in philosophy and architecture. So in this study, we have tried to pay to the importance and application of light and water in architecture and the arts and philosophy.


While there is a growing interest in the role of market information processing activities (i.e., the acquisition, dissemination, and use of market information) in new product development (NPD), a number of gaps remain in our knowledge on this topic. When investigating the performance impact of market information processing, most studies have treated the three activities as independent. Our research adds to the extant knowledge by exploring not only both direct relationships between each of the market information processing activities and new product performance, but also interaction effects. We, thus, ask the question of whether there may be synergies in obtaining performance increases by jointly improving two processing activities, rather than just considering each activity independently. In addition, we investigate these effects for different levels of information quality; a topic largely neglected in the market information processing literature. Our analysis is based on empirical data from 152 Dutch NPD projects. The results indicate that market information acquisition and use are both directly associated with increased performance. We also find significant interaction effects for information acquisition and dissemination, and for information dissemination and use. Finally, the importance of information quality is emphasized, with lower quality information producing lower performance and wiping out the effects between various aspects of market information processing and new product performance. We provide several implications of our findings for managers and academics.


One of the main safety concerns in MR is heating of the subject due to radiofrequency (RF) exposure. Recently was shown that local peak temperatures can reach dangerous values and the most prominent parameter for accurate temperature estimations is thermoregulation. Therefore, the goal of this research is testing the feasibility of measuring thermoregulation in vivo using MR methods.


Depolymerization and de-N-acetylation of chitin by chitinases and deacetylases generates a series of derivatives including chitosans and chitooligosaccharides (COS), which are involved in molecular recognition events such as modulation of cell signaling and morphogenesis, immune responses, and host-pathogen interactions. Chitosans and COS are also attractive scaffolds for the development of bionanomaterials for drug/gene delivery and tissue engineering applications. Most of the biological activities associated with COS seem to be largely dependent not only on the degree of polymerization but also on the acetylation pattern, which defines the charge density and distribution of GlcNAc and GlcNH2 moieties in chitosans and COS. Chitin de-N-acetylases (CDAs) catalyze the hydrolysis of the acetamido group in GlcNAc residues of chitin, chitosan, and COS. The deacetylation patterns are diverse, some CDAs being specific for single positions, others showing multiple attack, processivity or random actions. This review summarizes the current knowledge on substrate specificity of bacterial and fungal CDAs, focusing on the structural and molecular aspects of their modes of action. Understanding the structural determinants of specificity will not only contribute to unravelling structure-function relationships, but also to use and engineer CDAs as biocatalysts for the production of tailor-made chitosans and COS for a growing number of applications.


Objective Reported malignant progression rates for low-grade dysplasia (LGD) in Barrett's oesophagus (BO) vary widely. Expert histological review of LGD is advised, but limited data are available on its clinical value. This retrospective cohort study aimed to determine the value of an expert pathology panel organised in the Dutch Barrett's Advisory Committee (BAC) by investigating the incidence rates of high-grade dysplasia (HGD) and oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC) after expert histological review of LGD. Design We included all BO cases referred to the BAC for histological review of LGD diagnosed between 2000 and 2011. The diagnosis of the expert panel was related to the histological outcome during endoscopic follow-up. Primary endpoint was development of HGD or OAC. Results 293 LGD patients (76% men; mean 63 years±11.9) were included. Following histological review, 73% was downstaged to non-dysplastic BO (NDBO) or indefinite for dysplasia (IND). In 27% the initial LGD diagnosis was confirmed. Endoscopic follow-up was performed in 264 patients (90%) with a median follow-up of 39 months (IQR 16–72). For confirmed LGD, the risk of HGD/OAC was 9.1% per patient-year. Patients downstaged to NDBO or IND had a malignant progression risk of 0.6% and 0.9% per patient-year, respectively. Conclusions Confirmed LGD in BO has a markedly increased risk of malignant progression. However, the vast majority of patients with community LGD will be downstaged after expert review and have a low progression risk. Therefore, all BO patients with LGD should undergo expert histological review of the diagnosis for adequate risk stratification.


This paper proposed a voltage dip analyzing method for multiple faults condition in complex power network. This method regarded the fault points as virtual buses and introduced multiple fault position parameters into voltage dip analysis. It expanded the node impedance matrix by calculating the self-impedance of the virtual bus, the mutual impedance between virtual bus and non-fault bus, one virtual bus and another. According to the faults boundary conditions, each fault current phasor was calculated. The fault voltage function of any bus related with the multiple fault position parameters in the power network was derived. The voltage dip analysis result was obtained associated with the voltage dip threshold. The proposed method was validated in the standard IEEE-30 bus system.


Over the past few years, the technical evolution of ultrasound equipment, the use of oral and intravenous contrast agents, and an increase in the expertise of sonographers has enhanced the role ultrasonography plays in the assessment of the gastrointestinal tract. In chronic inflammatory conditions, primarily CD, this technology can be used not only for diagnostic purposes, but it has also been suggested that it could play a role in the management of the disease.


Bob Lucas is widely regarded as the most influential economist of the past 25–30 years, at least among those working in macro and monetary economics. His work provided the primary stimulus for a drastic overhaul and revitalization of that broad area, an overhaul that featured the ascendance of rational expectations, the emergence of a coherent equilibrium theory of cyclical fluctuations, and specification of the analytical ingredients necessary for the use of econometric models in policy design. These are the accomplishments for which he was awarded the 1995 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences. In addition, he has made outstanding contributions on other topics—enough, arguably, for another prize. Among these are seminal writings on asset pricing, economic growth and development, exchange-rate determination, optimal fiscal and inflation policy, and tools for the analysis of dynamic recursive models. Clearly, Bob Lucas is very much a University of Chicago product; he studied there both as an undergraduate and as a Ph.D. student and has been on the faculty since 1975. Also, he has served as chairman of the Chicago Department of Economics and two terms as an editor of the Journal of Political Economy. Nevertheless, I and several colleagues at Carnegie Mellon like to point out that Bob was a professor here in the Graduate School of Industrial Administration from 1963 until 1974, during which time he conducted and published the central portions of the work for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize. Consequently, I could not resist asking Bob a few questions about his GSIA years in the interview. Many researchers in the economics profession have been impressed and inspired by Lucas's technical skills, but the clarity and elegance of his writing style also deserve mention, plus his choice of research topics. The latter is reflective of Bob's utter seriousness of purpose. Each of his projects attacks a problem that is simultaneously of genuine theoretical interest and also of considerable importance from the perspective of economic policy. There is nothing frivolous about Lucas's research, as he had occasion to remind me during our interview. As is well known to those who have been around him, Bob Lucas is a person who never uses three words when one will suffice—but that one will usually be carefully chosen. This characteristic shows up in the interview below. As a departure from standard MD Interview practice, and with the Editor's permission, this interview was conducted at a distance—i.e., via mail and e-mail. It yielded a smaller number of pages than have previous interviews, but I think that readers will find them stimulating. The process of obtaining them was somewhat challenging but highly informative and thoroughly enjoyable for me.