Background: Immunotherapy has been used to treat many cancers for years. It has been combined with other treatments such as chemotherapy and stem cell transplant. The purpose of the current study is to assess the impact of immunotherapy and payer status on Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) patient survival. Patients and Methods: Patients in the National Cancer Data Base who were registered between 2004 and 2012 and followed up to the end of 2013 were used in this research. We evaluated a cohort of 50272 AML patients between the ages of 18 to 65 years old who did not undergo radiation or hormonal therapy. The effect of treatments (immunotherapy, stem cell transplant, and adjuvant chemotherapy) on the survival of AML was investigated. Additional variables adjusted included sex, age, race, Charlson Comorbidity Index, education, income, payer status, distance traveled, facility type, diagnosing/treating facility, and treatment delay. Multivariate Cox regression was used to investigate the effect of immunotherapy on the survival of AML patients while adjusting for other factors. Results: The mean age of the patients was 49 years (SD = 12) old. The proportion of patients that received treatments were immunotherapy (1.47%), stem cell transplant (6.11%), and chemotherapy (74.43%). The median overall survival for all patients was 8.76 years. While using multivariate analysis to adjust for other factors, effects of treatment on survival were significant for chemotherapy (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.7, 95% CI: 1.49-2.0), immunotherapy (HR = 0.87, 95% CI: 0.76-0.99), and stem cell transplant (HR = 0.946, 95% CI: 0.88-1.01). While adjusting for other factors, patients who received immunotherapy had a reduced risk of death by 13% compared to patients without immunotherapy whereas patients who received chemotherapy had an increased risk of death by 70% compared to patients without chemotherapy. In addition, compared to patients with private insurance, the HR were 1.38, 1.43, and 1.2 for Medicaid, Medicare and uninsured patients, respectively and were all statistically significant. Compared to patients with a Comorbidity Index score of 0, the HR were 1.35 and 1.71 for Comorbidity Index score of 1 and 2+, respectively. Conclusion: Immunotherapy was found to be a significant benefactor in the survival of AML patients. In addition, payer status and Comorbidity index score were also significant predictors for the survival of AML patients. Citation Format: Runhua Shi, Teena Li, Lawrence Shi, Glenn Mills. Immunotherapy effect on survival of acute myeloid leukemia patients [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Second CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference: Translating Science into Survival; 2016 Sept 25-28; New York, NY. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2016;4(11 Suppl):Abstract nr B138.


This paper presents an architecture for restorable call allocation and fast virtual path (VP) restoration in mesh ATM networks. In this architecture, virtual working and spare capacities needed for call allocation and restoration are reserved and released dynamically on a call-by-call basis at the time of call admission and termination. The architecture does not require advance assignment of spare and working capacities. To shorten the call processing delay, this is done in a parallel-distributed fashion. To provide restorable call allocation, parallel-distributed call processing algorithms of the sender-chooser type are suggested. The algorithms integrate on the call level virtual bandwidth allocation, virtual spare capacity assignment with fixed, alternate, or state-dependent routing. Each routing scheme leads to a particular tradeoff between call processing complexity, call setup delay, and bandwidth efficiency. For each pair of nodes, two sets of VPs are provisioned. The first is a working VP (WVP) set, to be used for call allocation during the normal operation. The second is a spare VP (SVP) set, to be used for VP restoration in the event of failure of network elements (NE). Each SVP protects a preassigned subset of the node pair WVPs. Each SVP is selected to be link/node disjoint from the WVPs that it is assigned to protect. This assures protection of the WVP set by a small number of SVPs. Since SVPs are preset and appropriate virtual spare capacities are reserved in advance, the architecture guarantees full restorability and provides very fast restoration. The restoration is done on the VP level in a self-healing manner. The suggested architecture requires only local information to be maintained at each node.


ABSTRACT The most widely utilized process of produced water treatment is considered to be use of coalescing or corrugated plate systems in the oil industry because these systems have promising results in the acceleration of the separation process. Even use of corrugated plate systems seem to be effective in separation processes, the geometrical parameters of the plate system could greatly influence the performance of separation process. In this study, a two-dimensional computational fluid dynamics model for coalescing plates was developed to investigate Reynolds number and plate hole shape on separation efficiency. Spacing between plates was set to 12 mm while fluid mixture's Reynolds number varied between 5 and 45 for the computational model. Hole profile and dimensions were determined to be cylindrical, rectangular and ellipse shapes as 10, 15 and 20 mm based on hydraulic diameter definition, respectively. Furthermore, when hole profiles of coalescing plates were chosen to be ellipse and rectangular shapes, separation efficiency nearly stayed constant regardless of hole dimension. The study also reported that change of oil fraction from 5% to 15% caused approximately 30% increase in the separation efficiency. The investigation also revealed Reynolds number of the mixture was inversely proportional to the separation efficiency. It was also found that the highest separation efficiency was obtained for a cylindrical shape with a hole diameter of 15 mm when distance between plates was 12 mm and Reynolds number was 18.


Introduction Previous work has examined the relationship between plaque virtual-histology intravascular ultrasound (VH-IVUS) appearances (local coronary factors) and patient presentation. However, little is known about the relationship between patient presentation and VH-IVUS appearances of the whole coronary vascular tree (global coronary factors), which may be a better 'barometer' of patients' cardiovascular risk. This study aims to determine which VH-IVUS coronary factors, local or global, discriminate better between stable angina and troponin-positive acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Methods This 200 patient cross-sectional study examined the VH-IVUS appearances of the whole coronary vascular tree (full 3-vessel VH-IVUS) in patients referred for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with either stable angina or ACS. VH-IVUS imaging preceded PCI. Results are presented as mean±SD unless stated. Results There were no differences in baseline demographics between stable angina and ACS groups including age, sex, blood pressure, previous MI, diabetes, serum cholesterol/HDL ratio and smoking. On full 3-vessel VH-IVUS, diabetic patients had a greater necrotic core volume (238±168 mm3 vs 120±77 mm3, p=0.022) and plaque burden (1673±645 mm3 vs 1102±445 mm3, p=0.006) than non-diabetics. After adjusting for total plaque volume, diabetics still had more necrotic core volume than non-diabetics: 12.9±5.0% vs 10.3±4.1%, p=0.045. Full 3-vessel VH-IVUS necrotic core volume did not differ between stable angina and ACS groups, even after adjusting for total plaque volume: 10.1±4.0% vs 11.6±4.6%, p=0.10, indicating that plaque composition throughout the whole arterial tree could not predict presentation. However, ACS patients were more likely to have at least one VH-IVUS derived thin-capped fibroatheroma (ID-TCFA) in the target vessel than stable angina patients: OR 2.2 (95% CI 0.9 to 5.4), p=0.048. Abstract 106 Figure 1 shows ID-TCFA (FI=fibrous tissue, FF=fibrofatty tissue, NC=necrotic core, DC=dense calcium). Conclusion Although global coronary factors (whole coronary artery plaque burden and necrotic core volume) may define high-risk patient populations such as diabetics, local plaque structure such as presence of ID-TCFAs in the target vessel may be more important in governing mode of patient presentation. Abstract 106 Figure 1


Several fundamental benefits justify why biomedical engineering and medicine should form a more convergent alliance, especially for the training of tomorrow's physicians and biomedical engineers. Herein, we review the rationale underlying the benefits. Biological discovery has advanced beyond the era of molecular biology well into today's era of molecular systems biology, which focuses on understanding the rules that govern the behavior of complex living systems. This has important medical implications. To realize cost-effective personalized medicine, it is necessary to translate the advances in molecular systems biology to higher levels of biological organization (organ, system, and organismal levels) and then to develop new medical therapeutics based on simulation and medical informatics analysis. Higher education in biological and medical sciences must adapt to a new set of training objectives. This will involve a shifting away from reductionist problem solving toward more integrative, continuum, and predictive modeling approaches which traditionally have been more associated with engineering science. Future biomedical engineers and MDs must be able to predict clinical response to therapeutic intervention. Medical education will involve engineering pedagogies, wherein basic governing rules of complex system behavior and skill sets in manipulating these systems to achieve a practical desired outcome are taught. Similarly, graduate biomedical engineering programs will include more practical exposure to clinical problem solving.


UMTS access networks can provide a wide range of bearer services with different levels of quality of service suitable for multimedia applications with bit rates of up to 2 Mbit/s. These multiple services are managed by use of composite transport channels, each having static and semi-static transport channel parameters such as transport block size, CRC code length, channel coding schemes, RLC mode, MAC type, transport time interval, rate matching and spreading factor. The perceived quality of the application seen by the end user is greatly affected by the settings of these radio access parameters. The paper examines the effects of these network parameter settings on the performance of real-time video communications by simulating MPEG-4 coded video transmission over a UMTS multimedia evaluation test bed. It investigates the optimal radio bearer design for real-time video transmission over UTRAN (UMTS terrestrial radio access network).


Through the analysis of many creep rate-time or creep rate-strain curves of -single phase Ni-20mass% Cr alloy single crystals with various stress axes, it was clarified that the creep deformation manners at lower stresses are drastically different to those at higher stresses. These creep features at lower stresses are summarized into three ones as follows. (i) The fully extended transient stage occupies the considerable ratio of rupture life. (ii) The steady state stage disappears, because the transient stage directly connected with the accelerating stage. (iii) The origin of the onset of accelerating stage is regarded as the formation of the dynamic recrystallized grain. These difference in creep deformation manner were caused by the predominant operation of the primary slip system and then the homogeneous evolution of dislocation substructures.


Characterising land cover and detecting land-cover changes using spatial methods is an area of research that has been attracting increasing attention recently. We compare performances of selected pattern recognition methods for characterising different land covers using unclassified Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data for a lowland site in north-eastern Costa Rica. Two spatial statistics (fractal dimension, using the isarithm and triangular prism surface area (TPSA) methods, and Moran's I index of spatial autocorrelation) and selected landscape indices (Shannon's diversity index, contagion, and fractal dimension from perimeter/area) were investigated. Mean values of each metric for each cover type were calculated for subset areas representing forest, agriculture, pasture, and scrub, for all seven Landsat-TM bands and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Fractal dimension ( D TPSA ) and Moran's I were found to be useful for characterising spatial complexity of Landsat-TM data, whereas the standard landscape indices were not. Values of D TPSA decreased along a gradient of increasing human disturbance: old-growth forest-scrub-pasture-agriculture. These results can be further applied locally using moving windows for change detection in global environmental change studies. Moreover, in this information era characterized by increasingly abundant imagery, these spatial statistics could serve as metadata for content-based data mining of imagery.


In this paper, we analyse long-term changes in the regional distribution and migration flows of university graduates in Finland and Sweden. This study is based on detailed longitudinal population register data, including information on high school grades and parental background. We find a distinct pattern of skill divergence across regions in both countries over the last 3 decades. The uneven distribution of human capital has been reinforced by the mobility patterns of university graduates, for whom regional sorting by high school grades and parental background is evident. Our findings indicate that traditional measures of human capital concentration most likely underscore actual regional differences in productive skills.


The disinfection of the wastewater effluents is important to reduce the pathogenic microorganism impact in the environment. UV radiation is one of the technologies used for this purposed. The wastewater characteristics, such as dissolved organic compounds or the presence of suspended solids can affect the efficiency of the faecal coliform bacteria removal in the disinfection process by ultraviolet (UV) radiation technology. This study addresses to see the effect of the effluent wastewater matrix in the disinfection by the use of low pressure (LP/UV) and media pressure (MP/UV) lamps. Samples collected in different wastewater treatment plants show different transmittance emission profiles due mostly to the presence of the mixture of dissolved organic compounds with some effect on the faecal coliform bacteria removal.


In Malaysia, all madrasa-leavers seemed not to get the same opportunity like any other students to pursue their study to a higher level after completing their memorization of Al-Qur'an. Only a small number of them will continue in the religious study in madrasa while others will start working without any academic qualification. As a result, the society will be deprived from getting any benefit from them. In order to provide the solution for this situation, a fast-track program for Malaysia Certificate of Education(MCE) examination is being held by Selangor Islamic Development Foundation (YAPIS) in collaboration with Universiti Selangor (UNISEL). This program which run into its forth year in 2015 had successfully proved that these group of students are capable to achieve excellent result in SPM on par with other students from conventional education system even though they were just being trained for barely ten months. This can be considered as outstanding achievement since most of them were exposed up to primary education only before they entered into this program. The SPM results which were announced in 2013 and 2014 had shown that they  achieved the same result as compared to those students in secondary education mainstream. Some even scored with flying colors. Their ability to absorbed the subjects being taught in MCE level in a short period of time might have linked to their ability to memorize the whole Al-Qur'an before joining this program. If such achievement can be maintained and improved year after year, it might seem to be a good alternative for parents to send their children to learn Al-Qur'an first before pursuing any opportunity to study in a higher level later.


While most technology adoption models have focused on beneficial technologies, Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) is a potentially valuable model for predicting adoption of protective technologies, which help users avoid harm from a growing number of negative technologies, such as malware. We present a PMT-based model of users' intentions to adopt anti-spyware software and test the model on undergraduate student computer users. Results show that perceived vulnerability, perceived severity, response efficacy, and response cost influence behavioral intention to use anti-spyware software as a protective technology. Maladaptive coping was affected to a much lesser degree by these variables, although it did have its own significant effect on behavioral intention. Results are compared to the small but growing number of promising PMT-based research models investigating technology adoption.


In this paper, we propose a novel detection criterion for weak -ary signal detection. In the sense of minimizing the error probability, the proposed novel detection criterion is optimum when the signal strength approaches zero. Based on the proposed novel detection criterion, a new detector for ultra wideband multiple access systems is proposed in the presence of impulsive interference modeled with the bivariate isotropic symmetric -stable distribution. Numerical results show that the proposed detector possesses less complexity than and about the same performance as the detector optimized for the Cauchy distribution. In impulsive interference, the proposed detector also offers substantial performance improvement over the detector optimized for the Gaussian distribution.


A total of 1,400 weanling pigs (initially 13.6 lb) was used in a 9 d growth assay (d 4 to 13 postweaning) to determine the effects of increasing lysine in the transition diet on nursery pig growth performance. All pigs were fed a common SEW diet until d 4 after weaning. Pigs were then switched to experimental diets with total dietary lysine levels of 1.40, 1.50, 1.60, 1.70 or 1.80%. All diets were formulated to contain 20% soybean meal, with increasing amounts of synthetic amino acids to achieve desired amino acid concentrations in the diets. From d 4 to 9 postweaning, increasing lysine increased ADG (linear, P<0.03) and improved feed efficiency (linear, P<0.001), but ADFI was not affected. Overall (d 4 to 13 postweaning), pigs fed diets containing increasing dietary lysine had improved ADG (linear, P<0.03) and feed efficiency (linear, P<0.001), with no differences in ADFI. Although responses to increasing dietary lysine were linear, there was little improvement either ADG or F/G above 1.7% lysine. There was no difference in average pig weight at the end of the trial, probably because of the short duration of the study. In conclusion, increasing dietary lysine up to 1.7% in transition diets (13 to 19 lb) for nursery pigs maximized growth performance. (


Agriculture is the largest single source of global anthropogenic methane (CH4) emissions, with ruminants the dominant contributor. Livestock CH4 emissions are projected to grow another 30% by 2050 under current policies, yet few countries have set targets or are implementing policies to reduce emissions in absolute terms. The reason for this limited ambition may be linked not only to the underpinning role of livestock for nutrition and livelihoods in many countries but also diverging perspectives on the importance of mitigating these emissions, given the short atmospheric lifetime of CH4. Here, we show that in mitigation pathways that limit warming to 1.5°C, which include cost-effective reductions from all emission sources, the contribution of future livestock CH4 emissions to global warming in 2050 is about one-third of that from future net carbon dioxide emissions. Future livestock CH4 emissions, therefore, significantly constrain the remaining carbon budget and the ability to meet stringent temperature limits. We review options to address livestock CH4 emissions through more efficient production, technological advances and demand-side changes, and their interactions with land-based carbon sequestration. We conclude that bringing livestock into mainstream mitigation policies, while recognizing their unique social, cultural and economic roles, would make an important contribution towards reaching the temperature goal of the Paris Agreement and is vital for a limit of 1.5°C. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Rising methane: is warming feeding warming? (part 1)'.


A biologist who marveled at insects and their arsenal of compounds sparked the field of chemical ecology. With the passing of Thomas Eisner on 25 March 2011, at the age of 81, the world has lost one of its most original and influential scientists. We owe the development of the contemporary discipline of chemical ecology largely to him. Eisner was fascinated by insects throughout his childhood. Wherever he found himself, he would observe in meticulous detail the behaviors of his favorite "bugs," carefully noticing how these marvelously diverse creatures managed their interactions with one another and with their environment. He maintained a lifelong curiosity and regard for insects and their chemical treasures.


A transmitter and receiver need to be designed to guarantee reliable communication on any channel belonging to a given family of finite-state channels defined over common finite input, output, and state alphabets. Both the transmitter and receiver are assumed to be ignorant of the channel over which transmission is carried out and also ignorant of its initial state. For this scenario we derive an expression for the highest achievable rate. As a special case we derive the compound channel capacity of a class of Gilbert-Elliott channels.


Charm and beauty quarks are expected to form on a shorter time scale with respect to the strongly
interacting medium, Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP), produced in high-energy heavy-ion collisions.
Therefore, expecting the full evolution of the collision, they are effective probes to study the
mechanisms of parton energy loss and hadronisation in the hot and dense medium, giving insight on
the QGP evolution and its transport coefficients.
The heavy-flavour nuclear modification factor
($R_{\rm AA}$) is one of the key observables which
allows investigate the interaction strength of heavy
quarks with the medium constituents.

We report on the latest measurements of the $R_{\rm AA}$ of open heavy-flavour hadrons via semi-leptonic
decays to electrons at mid-rapidity and muons at forward rapidity in Pb-Pb collisions and Xe-Xe collisions with ALICE at LHC.
Comparisons with model calculations
including the interaction of heavy quarks with the hot, dense, and deconfined medium will be also
shown.


Background. Susceptibility to smoking, defined as a lack of a firm commitment not to smoke, is therefore useful in estimating which young people can become smokers and under whose influence the status of susceptibility can change. Aims. This study aims to assess the association between the susceptibility of tobacco use among non-smoking students and psychosocial and sociodemographic factors. Methods. The current study is a repeated cross-sectional secondary analysis of data collected using a questionnaire administered in 2015 and 2018 among ninth-grade students in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova. Out of 368 students in 2015 and 819 students in 2018 included in the study as eligible students, 329 students (89.4%) in 2015 and 698 students (85.2%) in 2018 declared themselves as non-smokers. Results. The prevalence of susceptibility to cigarette smoking among the study participants was 38.6% in 2015 and 50.2% in 2018 (p<0,001). Our result indicates that smoking friends represent a strong predictor of high smoking susceptibility among those who have never smoked. In 2015 the share of susceptible students who had smoking friends was 23.4%, and in 2018 the share reached 31.5% (p = 0.007). Parents' smoking or non-smoking status was also an important predictor of smoking susceptibility. Thus, we found that students with non-smoking mothers are less susceptible (2015 - 59.9%; 2018 -47.1%, p = 0.025). The temptation to smoke increased significantly during the period covered by the study from 1.32 (0.67) to 1.48 (0.66) (p < 0.001). Conclusions. The connection between socio-demographic factors (smoking parents or friends) and psycho-emotional factors (the temptation to smoke) will increase the likelihood of smoking among adolescents.


Abstract This paper constitutes a review of the last (Otiran) glaciation in New Zealand, spanning marine isotope stages (MIS) 4-2. We highlight the nature of glaciation, which is characterised by exceptional sedimentation, relatively mild maritime climatic conditions and the widespread presence of water associated with proglacial settings. These conditions produce glacial systems characterised by extensive outwash fans and relatively small terminal moraines. Extensive recent geochronological work allows us to recognise at least eight glacial advances during the Otiran. These occurred at 65 ± 3.25ka, 47.5 ± 3 ka, 38.5 ± 2 ka, 31.5 ± 3 ka, 26.5 ± 2 ka, 20.5 ± 2 ka, 17 ± 2 ka and 13 ± 1 ka, which we term the Otira 1 to 8 advances, respectively. Though the analytical uncertainty ranges for some of these advances overlap, all are independently distinguished through moraine morphologic relationships and/or stratigraphic relationships in outcrop. Major advances appear to be associated with climate influences such as periods of Southern Hemisphere insolation minima (65ka, and 31.5 ka advances), the last glacial maximum cooling (LGM) (20.5 ka) and periods of Antarctic cooling (13ka). The timing of greatest glacial extent in the last glacial cycle is not simultaneous across New Zealand. The MIS 4 advance was the greatest in the southern South Island, while the MIS 3/2 advances (26.5 ka) were greatest in the central South Island. In the northern South Island and the North Island, MIS 4, MIS 3/2, and the last glacial maximum appear to be equivalent in extent. We attribute these spatio-temporal variations in the timing of maximum glaciation to precipitation changes related to a northward shift in the track of the westerlies.


A man in his 30s with no significant medical history presented with a subtle soft swelling of his right submandibular region for the past 8 months. In the previous 24 hours it had rapidly expanded with painful neck swelling, dysphagia, andmild shortness of breath with supine and intermittent fever. Physical examination revealed a soft and easily compressible neck mass with overlying skin erythemawith no obvious involvement of the floor of themouth. Flexible fiberoptic laryngoscopy revealed no suspicious lesions and symmetric vocal cord movement. Contrast-enhanced computed tomographic (CT) imaging of the neck revealed a 6-cm wellcircumscribed mass with septations within the right sublingual space herniating through the mylohyoid muscle into the right submandibular space as shown in the Figure (A and B, axial; C, sagittal reformatted; and D, coronal reformatted). The patient was taken to the operating room for transcervical excision of the lesion. What is your diagnosis? A B


Lesions involving the intra-hepatic biliary ducts in schistosomiasis have been reported in the literature, both in mice and man, but there are no data concerning their quantitative, evolutionary or post curative chemotherapeutic aspects on record. In order to obtain such data an investigation on this subject was attempted. Mice infected with 50 Schistosoma mansoni cercariae were submitted to a liver biopsy at the 9 week post-infection, and treated with 400mg/bw praziquantel immediately afterwards. Infected and non-infected controls were submitted to the same procedures. By 19 weeks from cercarial exposure all surviving animals were sacrificed. The biliary ducts were counted on histological sections and the results were expressed as biliary ducts/portal spaces. This quantitative evaluation was compared with that from normal controls and revealed hyperplasia as the main biliary duct change (p<0.007) in schistosomiasis. Hyperplastic changes underwent only mild partial and not statistically significant regression after specific chemotherapy (p>0.05). Infected and untreated animals presented ductal changes that did not differ from those of the treated group. Measurements of serum bilirrubin (total and direct), and gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (γ-GT) did not reveal significant differences when animals from the several groups were compared. Thus, bile ducts exhibit a proliferative response in relation to neighboring S. mansoni injury to portal areas, but although these lesions are histopathologically impressive, they lack a functional or prognostic significance. Key-words: Schistosoma mansoni. Hepatic schistosomiasis. Bile ducts.


OBJECTIVES
No curative injectable therapy exists for unilateral vocal fold paralysis. Herein, we explore the early implications of muscle-derived motor-endplate expressing cells (MEEs) for injectable vocal fold medialization after recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injury.

METHODS
Yucatan minipigs underwent right RLN transection (without repair) and muscle biopsies. Autologous muscle progenitor cells were isolated, cultured, differentiated, and induced to form MEEs. Three weeks after the injury, MEEs or saline were injected into the paralyzed right vocal fold. Outcomes including evoked laryngeal electromyography (LEMG), laryngeal adductor pressure, and acoustic vocalization data were analyzed up to 7 weeks post-injury. Harvested porcine larynges were examined for volume, gene expression, and histology.

RESULTS
MEE injections were tolerated well, with all pigs demonstrating continued weight gain. Blinded analysis of videolaryngoscopy post-injection revealed infraglottic fullness, and no inflammatory changes. Four weeks after injection, LEMG revealed on average higher right distal RLN activity retention in MEE pigs. MEE-injected pigs on average had vocalization durations, frequencies, and intensities higher than saline pigs. Post-mortem, the MEE-injected larynges revealed statistically greater volume on quantitative 3D ultrasound, and statistically increased expression of neurotrophic factors (BDNF, NGF, NTF3, NTF4, NTN1) on quantitative PCR.

CONCLUSIONS
Minimally invasive MEE injection appears to establish an early molecular and microenvironmental framework to encourage innate RLN regeneration. Longer follow-up is needed to determine if early findings will translate into functional contraction.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE
NA Laryngoscope, 2023.


Tobacco is an economically important crop in Macedonia. To improve tobacco production is necessary good agricultural practice, which also involves the implementation of new technologies for production of tobacco seedlings. The Floating Trays System (FTS) is an advanced plant growing technology, which is particularly important when it comes to the resistance of tobacco plants and adaptation to a new environment (unavoidable physiological stress after transplantation). It represents an environmentally acceptable technology that allows respectively management chemicals and decreasing the risks of pollution on the humans and environmental management, as well as the establishment of sustainable development at the global level. FTS also provides a high yield and high quality of tobacco. Allows maximum use of dissolved nutrients, so plants form a strong root system and have a rapid development after transplantation. Further development of strong stems enables the formation of an adequate number of leaves even in unfavorable climatic conditions for tobacco, and synthesizes and accumulates more dry mass per plant. The experiment was set in a randomized block system in four repetitions on two oriental tobacco cultivars (prilep NS 72 and yaka YV 125/3), each in three variants: variant 1-control (conventional system of production); variant 2-N and variant 3-P (the soilless system using Floating Trays). Among the systems evaluated, the soilless system is technically the most successful and innovative which represents a technological progress for producing uniform seedlings for their quick formation in the field and to establish more homogeneous plantations. The results obtained in this trial showed significant differences among the tested variants.


Budi Sukarno, 2009, 05260123, Muhammadiyah University of Malang, Faculty of social and politic, International Relationship, Australian's Policy in expel Travel Warning to Indonesia after explosion Bali Bomb I 2002 (2002-2008), Supervisor I: Yusli Effendi, S.IP.,MA, Supervisor II: Yana Syafriana Hijrie, S.IP Travel Warning is admonition or prohibition travel from one country to another country in consideration that the country is reputed as unsafe and dangerous for citizen who will visit. As do by Australia Government that put into effect Travel Warning after Bali Bomb explode I, II, bomb explosion in front of Australia
Embassy, bomb explosion in JW Marriot hotel in Kuningan Jakarta and execution on three persons who punish to be dead, Amrozi, Imam Samudra, dan Ali Gufron.
In the Bali Bomb I explosion incident require many victims, most of them are Australian. After the incident, Australian Government that put into effect Travel Warning for their citizen to be careful, if they wish to go to Indonesia. However, regulation of Travel Warning by Australian Government is full of compulsion. In spite of Indonesia stated as a secure country after explosion of Bali Bomb II, Australia Government still have a notion that Indonesia is a dangerous country. Its make Australian Government to do Travel Warning constantly. Actually, it has under cover destination to make Indonesia Government to submit and follow the higher authority of Australian Government. The way that used by Australian Government named coercive diplomacy.
Research method that used by researcher in this paper is descriptive. The researcher use coercive diplomacy concept. Whereas, the result of this research is Travel Warning that produce by Australia to Indonesian Government used to keep
their citizen safely. On the other hand, this Travel Warning is function as asset of Australian coercive diplomacy to influences and submits Indonesian Government
to a higher authority, Australia. Australian stated that Indonesia is a kind of threat and Indonesia demanded to finish the terrorism case as soon as possible.


The PhD in creative writing comprises a critical and a creative component. This thesis explores how poets utilise verse form in order to support and/or undermine narrativity in long poems or poem sequences, and asks the question: what possibilities are offered by verse form that distinguish poetry from other literary narrative genres? Using Rachel Blau DuPlessis's concept of segmentivity, I consider how segmentation at various formal levels, including sections within a book, poems within a sequence, stanzas, line-breaks, and metre, can affect the narrativity of a text. I also consider segmentivity in relation to the ways in which a text may be narrativized, and to the interactions between narrative and other text types such as lyric and argument.  The theoretical framework for the critical component involves a synthesis of approaches from within the fields of narrative theory and literary criticism. The methodology used is a close reading and analysis of case study texts by six New Zealand and Australian poets, written in the period 1990-2010: Dorothy Porter's The Monkey's Mask (1994) and What a Piece of Work (1999); Alan Wearne's The Lovemakers (2008); Tusiata Avia's Bloodclot (2009); Bill Sewell's Erebus: A Poem (1999) and The Ballad of Fifty-One (2003); Anna Jackson's The Gas Leak (2006) and John Kinsella's Divine Comedy: Journeys Through a Regional Geography (2008). These texts range in their degree of narrativity from verse novels through narrative sequences to lyric sequences. The local and contemporary context has been chosen for several reasons, including the strong history of narrative poetry in both countries, recent trends towards long narrative poems and poem sequences, a relative lack of scholarship on the poetry of this region and time period, and because of the relevance to my own creative work.  This thesis argues that segmentivity can be used with or against narrativity in a long poem or poem sequence, with a range of possible results: from strongly narrative texts such as verse novels through to antinarrative texts and lyric sequences. Different levels of segmentation have different effects on narrativity, the division of a text into individual poems being the most important in the texts under consideration here. It is demonstrated that narrative as a text type can exist alongside other text types, and that segmentivity is important to this interaction, with a bearing on the overall narrativity of a text.  The creative component tests and extends the findings of the critical component. It consists of a poem sequence in three parts entitled Flow, on the subject of the Whanganui river. The sequence takes a discontinuous approach to narrative, varies in its approach to temporality, features interplay between narrative and lyric modes, and incorporates underlying arguments on environmental and social themes.


In this study a stochastic field model for the still water loading is formulated where the statistics (mean value, standard deviation, and correlation) of the sectional forces are obtained by integration of the load field over the relevant part of the ship structure. The objective of the model is to establish the stochastic load field conditional on a given draft and trim of the vessel. Emphasis is given to container vessels. The formulation of the model for obtaining the stochastic cargo container load field is based on a queuing and loading policy that assumes containers are handled by a first-come-first-serve policy. The load field is assumed to be Gaussian. The ballast system is imposed to counteract the angle of heel and to regulate both the draft and the trim caused by the possible uneven distribution of the cargo load and the bunker load over the system. Finally the calculated second moment statistics of the sectional forces in a container vessel in a full load condition are reported. The obtained statistics for the maximum still water bending moment is compared to statistics from available regression formulas. It is found that the suggested model predicts a coefficient of variation of the maximum still water bending moment that is a factor of three to six times lower than that obtained by use of the regression formula. It turns out that an important parameter of the stochastic cargo field model is the mean number of containers delivered by each customer.


In 1923 McClure and Aldrich1reported that when 0.2 c.c. of an 0.8 per cent, aqueous solution of sodium chlorid was injected intradermally in children, the resulting elevation disappeared or became impalpable much sooner in edematous patients than in certain control patients without edema. Shortening of the disappearance time in edematous patients, while most marked in regions of palpable edema, was also found, to a less degree, in areas in which pitting could not be demonstrated. This report included three cases of children with cardiac disease, in each of which the disappearance time was shorter in the leg than in the arm. In a subsequent paper the same authors2reported the results of the application of the test in sixteen children having nephritis, with generalized edema. They pointed out that the decreased disappearance time found in remotely separated regions of the body in the same subject could be explained on


The main aim of the paper is to evaluate the rates of return to investments in education at individual and society level as well. The task of the paper is to provide detailed analysis and estimation of the variables which impact the private and social rates of return. It is based on Professor Angel de la Fuente methodology complemented by Mincer earnings function and non-parametric DEA (Data Envelopment Analysis) method to estimate world technological frontier and the technological gap. For this purpose the authors build the matrix with respective years of schooling depending from level of schooling and birth of year taking into account the differences in schooling system since 1940ties. The authors have used the data of Labour Force Survey of Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia data 2010 for Mincer rate of return selecting the figures corresponding to the criteria of 6148 records, to estimate other variables the authors used mainly Eurostat data base and AMECO data base to obtain net capital stock to GDP at constant market prices. The methodology involves the estimation of several variables – net replacement ratio of unemployment benefits, employment levels of employees with secondary and tertiary education and increase of employment level from one additional year of schooling, average years of schooling based on R. Barro and J.W. Lee's methodology, average retirement age based on D.Latulippe's methodology, productivity growth from one additional year of schooling, taxes and unemployment level of youth. The private rate of return in 2006 was equal to 16.76%, in 2008 it was 12.82% and in 2010 it was 13.91% which shows the benefits of tertiary education as higher income and employment probability after financial investments in education. The results show that private rate of return to tertiary education has decreased before crisis. It can be explained by inadequate high wage levels of the individuals with lower education. The rate of return is twice higher as rate of return from investments in education in secondary education. The results of the survey confirm the positive impact of education at individual and societal level even during the crisis and that approves thesis that education has important role in achieving better and faster European integration. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.eis.0.7.5088


What impact has financial globalization had on risk sharing? In theory, financial globalization should improve international consumption risk sharing. While the answer to this question is of utmost policymaking concern, results in the empirical literature are inconclusive. The paper surveys the extant literature and tries to identify which factors influence the answer: i) consumption risk sharing seems to have increased among industrialized countries but much less in the emerging world. ii) The increase in risk sharing is generally found to be stronger in studies that focus on the trends rather than purely cyclical variation in the data. iii) globalization has not only affected consumption responses to output shocks but also the structure of these shocks themselves. This, in turn, has affected the measurement of risk sharing. The paper examines the relevance of these points on a sample of East Asian Economies. My results indicate that risk sharing in East Asia has started to increase once the region had recovered from the Asian crisis.


The basis for a new generation of innovative wood products has been developed in the InnoFireWood project. The main characteristics of such products are substantial improvements in fire performance with maintained eco-efficiency, durability, and other properties of the original wood product. Industrial relevance, sustainable production, and end-use applications were in main focus. This type of products will increase the competitiveness of wood products in relation to other building products. A new Nordic system with classes for the Durability of the Reaction to Fire performance (DRF classes) at interior and exterior building applications has been implemented in order to assess the overall sustainable performance of the new products. The project was conducted in close co-operation between Sweden and Finland. In addition to research institutes, industry was represented by several companies producing wood products or fire retardants.


Author(s): Rigor, Paul | Advisor(s): Baldi, Pierre F | Abstract: High-throughput sequencing (HTS) technologies play important roles in the life sciences by allowing the rapid parallel sequencing of very large numbers of relatively short nucleotide sequences, in applications ranging from genome sequencing and resequencing to digital microarrays and ChIP-Seq experiments. As experiments scale up, HTS technologies create new bioinformatics challenges for the storage, distribution, and downstream analyses of HTS data. In this thesis, we address the challenges and opportunities in the storage and downstream analyses of data derived from HTS technologies.To address the growing amount of HTS data, we develop data structures and compression algorithms for HTS data storage. A processing stage maps short sequences to a reference genome or a large table of sequences. Then the integers representing the short sequence absolute or relative addresses, their length, and the substitutions they may contain are compressed and stored using various entropy coding algorithms, including both old and new fixed codes (e.g Golomb, Elias Gamma, MOV) and variable codes (e.g. Huffman). The general methodology is illustrated and applied to several HTS data sets. Results show that the information contained in HTS files can be compressed by a factor of 10 or more, depending on the statistical properties of the data sets and various other choices and constraints. Our algorithms fair well against general purpose compression programs such as gzip, bzip2 and 7zip; timing results show that our algorithms are consistently faster than the best general purpose compression programs.Achieving a comprehensive map of all the regulatory elements encoded in the human genome is a fundamental challenge of biomedical research. So far, only a small fraction of the regulatory elements have been characterized, and there is great interest in applying computational techniques to systematically discover these elements. Such efforts, however, have been significantly hindered by the overwhelming size of non-coding DNA regions and the statistical variability and complex spatial organizations of mammalian regulatory elements. The MotifMap system uses databases of transcription factor binding motifs, refined genome alignments, and a comparative genomic statistical approach to provide comprehensive maps of candidate regulatory elements encoded in the genomes of model species.MotifMap and its integration with other data provide a foundation for analyzing gene reg- ulation on a genome-wide scale, and for automatically generating regulatory pathways and hypotheses. The power of this approach is demonstrated and discussed using the P53 apop- totic pathway and the Gli hedgehog pathways as examples.Further application of MotifMap is underlined by its integration into CircadiOmics (de- veloped in the Baldi lab), which aims to decode transcriptional machinery that are under circadian control. Here we utilize MotifMap in understanding and delineating the roles of a subset of the sirtuin family of deacetylases in regulating circadian rhythms. Circadian rhythms are intimately linked to cellular metabolism. Specifically, the NAD+-dependent deacetylase SIRT1, the founding member of the sirtuin family, contributes to clock func- tion. Whereas SIRT1 exhibits diversity in deacetylation targets and subcellular localization, SIRT6 is the only constitutively chromatin-associated sirtuin and is prominently present at transcriptionally active genomic loci. Comparison of the hepatic circadian transcriptomes reveals that SIRT6 and SIRT1 separately control transcriptional specificity and therefore define distinctly partitioned classes of circadian genes. SIRT6 interacts with CLOCK:BMAL1 and, differently from SIRT1, governs their chromatin recruitment to circadian gene promot- ers. Moreover, SIRT6 controls circadian chromatin recruitment of SREBP-1, resulting in the cyclic regulation of genes implicated in fatty acid and cholesterol metabolism. This mechanism parallels a phenotypic disruption in fatty acid metabolism in SIRT6 null mice as revealed by circadian metabolome analyses. Thus, genomic partitioning by two independent sirtuins contributes to differential control of circadian metabolism.


The detection of bacteria in the water is a slow process that requires the use of expensive equipment and qualied personnel. However, real time fast detection is essential in water distribution networks. In this thesis we study the deployment of a wireless network of biosensors in a water distribution system, in order to detect contamination of a particular kind of harmful bacteria, the E.coli. This network will e-ciently utilize the interconnected biosensors and achieve real time and in-eld detection of the bacteria. Because of the non existence of biosensors hardware equipped with radio receivers and transmitters, we study theoretically the modeling of such a system and its potential application in real water distribution networks. The main goal of our study is to nd an optimal sensor placement strategy to maximize the probability of detection, having a xed number of sensors that must be placed in a connected topology. We propose a simple algorithm that solves the optimal sensor placement problem. The performance of the proposed approach have been evaluated by considering three dierent topologies simulated by the system simulator EPANET. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm provides the higher detection probability in the network compared to other solutions, such as random sensor placement.


We find new and compelling evidence for the metastability of supersymmetry-breaking states in holographic backgrounds whose consistency has been the source of ongoing disagreements in the literature. As a concrete example, we analyze anti- D 3 branes at the tip of the Klebanov-Strassler throat. Using the blackfold formalism we examine how temperature affects the conjectured metastable state and determine whether and how the existing extremal results generalize when going beyond extremality. In the extremal limit we exactly recover the results of Kachru, Pearson, and Verlinde, in a regime of parameter space that was previously inaccessible. Away from extremality we uncover a metastable black Neveu-Schwarz five-brane (NS5) state that disappears near a geometric transition where black anti- D 3 branes and black NS5 branes become indistinguishable. This is remarkably consistent with complementary earlier results based on the analysis of regularity conditions of backreacted solutions. We therefore provide highly nontrivial evidence for the metastability of antibranes in noncompact throat geometries since we find a consistent picture over different regimes in parameter space.


It is widely accepted that people migrate to seek better living opportunities, and migration experiences affect life conditions considerably upon return. Research focused on gendered perspectives has illustrated that men and women experience migration differently and that this difference clearly affects their living conditions upon return. However, few studies have sought to further examine the factors that determine the differences in men and women's perceptions upon return. This paper investigates the case of Ethiopian returnees by exploring three sets of independent variables: (1) the migration experience, (2) the return experience, and (3) the post-return conditions in Ethiopia. For this analysis, we utilize a subsample of returnees based on a household survey conducted among 1,284 households in five regions of Ethiopia in 2011. The subsample consists of 146 returnees and provides valuable information on the diverse experiences of returnees. Both the descriptive and logistic regression analyses demonstrate that: first, women have significantly worse perceptions of their living conditions upon return to Ethiopia than men do; second, migration experiences are the most significant variables that influence perceptions of living conditions upon return. Considering this latter result, we conclude by highlighting the importance of situating return experiences within the wider context of the entire migration cycle and recognizing the long-term effects of migration experiences that persist after return.


This in-vitro study investigated the effect of 0.2% Chitosan associated with different final irrigant protocols on the bond strength of fiber posts (FP) to root canal dentin.

 Fifty bovine incisors roots were prepared using the ProTaper Universal system, irrigated with 2.5% sodium hypochlorite, and divided into one control group (n=10) with no final irrigant protocol and four experimental groups (n=10), which were defined according to the combination of chelating solution (17% EDTA and 0.2% Chitosan) and irrigant activation/delivery method [conventional irrigation (CI), and passive ultrasonic irrigation (PUI)]. Post spaces were prepared to a depth of 12 mm using #1-5 Largo drills, and the FP were cemented using self-adhesive resin cement. Two slices of 2 mm in thickness from each third were obtained and submitted to the micropush-out test. After testing the push-out strength, the slices were analyzed under a stereomicroscope at 40× magnification for bond failure patterns determination. Statistical analysis was performed using three-way ANOVA followed by Tukey's test (α = 0.05).

 The control and 17% EDTA + CI groups exhibited significantly lower bond strength than 0.2% Chitosan + CI, 17% EDTA + PUI, and 0.2% Chitosan + PUI groups in the cervical third (P = 0.00). The cervical third had higher values than the middle and apical thirds in control (P = 0.00), 17% EDTA + PUI (P = 0.00), and 0.2% Chitosan + PUI groups (P = 0.00). Adhesive cement-dentin failure type was predominant in all groups.

 The use of 0.2% chitosan did not affect the bond strength of FP to root dentin. Passive ultrasonic activation of chelating solutions resulted in an improvement in bonding strength.


"Young England: Part One" pursues central questions for juvenilia studies: how did the turn-of-the-century juvenile tradition influence succeeding generations of Victorian writers, and what new questions does scholarly understanding of juvenile writing in Britain allow literary critics to ask now? The Romantic-era juvenile tradition gets reconstituted through its influence on the 1840s Tory splinter movement, Young England. I argue that this contradictory, conservative group of titled young writers paradoxically reveals how the marginalized juvenile tradition calls its writers into being—and asks us to revise our ideas of literary traditions and of history in general. The young Romantics Byron and Shelley symbolized youthful writing to Young Englanders, but so did another lesser-known juvenile writer, Percy Smythe, Sixth Lord Strangford. That Strangford was father to a prominent Young Englander: George Smythe, later Seventh Lord Strangford. In recovering both Strangfords' literary juvenilia, Part One considers the rethinking of genealogy and succession within writing by young authors—arguing it underlies Young England as youth movement, especially its sense of history as ultimately inaccessible but vital nonetheless in its construction. Part Two (JJS 3.2, June 2020) will look more closely at how Young England's shaping fantasy of history depends on youth. It focuses on the self-fashioning within its contradictions of one-time juvenile writer and Young England's mentor, Benjamin Disraeli (later Prime Minister and Earl of Beaconsfield)—contradictions employing signifiers of youth that were generative of his virtuoso performance as writer, celebrity, and statesman.


In general, this study was aimed to reveal the extent of government contributions in encouraging increased productivity of seed breeders in Southeast Sulawesi Indonesia. This study was conducted in Southeast Sulawesi using cross-sectional data from 81 respondents obtained by census. The results of the research data were analyzed descriptively and used the stochastic frontier analysis. The results of the analysis showed that the increase in soybean seed production was significantly affected by the area of land, SP36 / NPK Fertilizer, Increased labor for threshing, and labor for drying. Overall, soybean breeder farmers had not achieved maximum productivity because still had productivity gap of 15 percent. The role of the government that significantly increases production and productivity could be done through fertilizer input subsidy program, increase in land area, and increase the intensity of BPSB counseling / supervision in each planting season. For this reason, the government needs to ensure access, availability and price of fertilizer during the soybean growing season. In addition, the government can intensify assistance and supervision of farmers while increasing the adoption of agricultural mechanization technology in the process of threshing and drying of seeds.


Abstract. The North Atlantic is the most intense region of ocean CO2 uptake in term of units per area. Here, we investigate multidecadal timescale variability of the partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) that is due to the natural carbon cycle, using a regional model forced with realistic climate and preindustrial atmospheric pCO2 for 1948–2009. Large-scale patterns of natural pCO2 variability are primarily associated with basin-averaged sea surface temperature (SST) that, in turn, is composed of two parts: the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) and a long-term positive SST trend. The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) drives a secondary mode of variability. For the primary mode, positive AMO and the SST trend modify pCO2 with different mechanisms and spatial patterns. Positive AMO is also associated with a significant reduction in dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in the subpolar gyre, due primarily to reduced vertical mixing; the net impact of positive AMO is to reduce pCO2 in the subpolar gyre. Through direct impacts on SST, the net effect of positive AMO is to increase pCO2 in the subtropical gyre. From 1980 to present, long-term SST warming has amplified AMO impacts on pCO2.


How does the way in which a group organizes change the lethality of the group's attacks? In this article, we argue that groups organized vertically as hierarchies are likely to conduct more lethal attacks. We build our argument around three advantages inherent to centralized structures: functional differentiation, clear command and control structures, and accountability. We argue that each of these characteristics positively impacts an organization's ability to deliver an effective lethal blow. To test our argument, we use a mixed method approach, drawing on empirical evidence and support from a time-series case study. Our large-N analysis examines the trends in more than 19,000 attacks. In this test we develop a novel proxy measure for hierarchy based on a group's bases of operation and non-violent activities. To complement the empirical work, we examine the history of Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA), the Basque separatist group. Over several decades of violent operations, this group's structure has changed dramatically. We analyze how these shifts impacted ETA's ability to maximize the effectiveness and damage of their attacks. In both the case study and large-N analysis, the more hierarchically organized the group, the more easily the group can orchestrate lethal attacks.


The global spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 with more than a million cases and more than 50.000 deaths as of 4th April 2020 remains a source of concern to humans. The initial impression that children have been less susceptible to the virus when compared with adults has changed recently, with an increasing number of paediatric data becoming more available. The paediatric data have shown a very low mortality rate among the children. The studies in children from China showed the predominance of respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms;however, few studies outside china reported the absence of gastrointestinal symptoms. Also, the guidelines on the use of specific antiviral and other therapeutic agents in children are limited to few drugs with the use of some of them on compassionate ground. Thus, we have summarized the various clinical manifestations and treatment options of the Covid-19 in childhood since the current outbreak started. This may be of benefits to clinicians and policymakers. Finally, we have also reviewed the various studies on COVID-19 concerning their strength and weakness.


Neural language models (LMs) are typically trained using only lexical features, such as surface forms of words. In this paper, we argue this deprives the LM of crucial syntactic signals that can be detected at high confidence using existing parsers. We present a simple but highly effective approach for training neural LMs using both lexical and syntactic information, and a novel approach for applying such LMs to unparsed text using sequential Monte Carlo sampling. In experiments on a range of corpora and corpus sizes, we show our approach consistently outperforms standard lexical LMs in character-level language modeling; on the other hand, for word-level models the models are on a par with standard language models. These results indicate potential for expanding LMs beyond lexical surface features to higher-level NLP features for character-level models.


Formation of single crystal arrays of polylactides (PLA) was found on a flat surface immobilized with poly(d-lactide) (PDLA) having different chain lengths. Monoalkoxydimethylsilyl-terminated PDLAs were synthesized by hydrosilylation of (allyloxy)ethyl-terminated PDLAs and covalently immobilized onto silicon surfaces by a silicone coupling reaction in which the immobilization took place homogeneously through a single Si–O–Si bond. Atomic force microscopy (AMF) of the immobilized surfaces revealed that PDLA chains having Mn = 2400–7000 formed many projections (dots) on the surface of the polymer layers, each having a diameter of 30 nm and a height less than 1.0 nm with a narrow size distribution. When these surfaces were treated with free PDLAs and enantiomeric poly(l-lactide)s (PLLA) having similar chain lengths, nano-ordered arrangement of single crystallites arrays of homochiral (hc) and stereocomplexed (sc) PLAs were formed with ordering by the deposition of PDLA and PLLA chains on the surface-immobili...


Current high-resolution push-broom hyperspectral cameras introduce keystone errors to the captured data. Efforts to correct these errors in hardware severely limit the optical design, in particular with respect to light throughput and spatial resolution, while at the same time the residual keystone often remains large. The mixel camera solves this problem by combining a hardware component--an array of light mixing chambers--with a mathematical method that restores the hyperspectral data to its keystone-free form, based on the data that was recorded onto the sensor with large keystone. A Virtual Camera software, that was developed specifically for this purpose, was used to compare the performance of the mixel camera to traditional cameras that correct keystone in hardware. The mixel camera can collect at least four times more light than most current high-resolution hyperspectral cameras, and simulations have shown that the mixel camera will be photon-noise limited--even in bright light--with a significantly improved signal-to-noise ratio compared to traditional cameras. A prototype has been built and is being tested.


Abstract. Human actions and climate change have drastically altered
river flows across the world, resulting in adverse effects on riverine
ecosystems. Environmental flows (EFs) have emerged as a prominent tool for
safeguarding the riverine ecosystems, but at the global scale, the
assessment of EFs is associated with high uncertainty related to the
hydrological data and EF methods employed. Here, we present a novel,
in-depth global EF assessment using environmental flow envelopes (EFEs).
Sub-basin-specific EFEs are determined for approximately 4400 sub-basins at
a monthly time resolution, and their derivation considers the methodological
uncertainties related to global-scale EF studies. In addition to a lower
bound of discharge based on existing EF methods, we introduce an upper bound
of discharge in the EFE. This upper bound enables areas to be identified where
streamflow has substantially increased above natural levels. Further,
instead of only showing whether EFs are violated over a time period, we
quantify, for the first time, the frequency, severity, and trends of EFE
violations during the recent historical period. Discharge was derived from global hydrological model outputs from the ISIMIP
2b ensemble. We use pre-industrial (1801–1860) quasi-natural discharge
together with a suite of hydrological EF methods to estimate the EFEs. We
then compare the EFEs with recent historical (1976–2005) discharge to assess
the violations of the EFE. These violations most commonly manifest
as insufficient streamflow during the low-flow season, with fewer
violations during the intermediate-flow season, and only a few violations
during the high-flow season. The EFE violations are widespread and occur
in half of the sub-basins of the world during more than 5 % of the months
between 1976 and 2005, which is double compared with the pre-industrial
period. The trends in EFE violations have mainly been increasing, which will
likely continue in the future with the projected hydroclimatic changes and
increases in anthropogenic water use. Indications of increased upper extreme
streamflow through EFE upper bound violations are relatively scarce and
dispersed. Although local fine-tuning is necessary for practical
applications, and further research on the coupling between quantitative
discharge and riverine ecosystem responses at the global scale is required,
the EFEs provide a quick and globally robust way of determining
environmental flow allocations at the sub-basin scale to inform global
research and policies on water resources management.


Responding to Thrupp's (2003, p. 169) call for writers on school leadership to offer 'analyses which provide more critical messages about social inequality and neo-liberal and managerialist policies' we use Foucault's (2000) theory of power to ask what lessons we might learn from the literature on school leadership for equity. We begin by offering a definition of neoliberalism; new managerialism; leadership and equity, with the aim of revealing the relationship between the macropolitical discourse of neoliberalism and the actions of school leaders in the micropolitical arena of schools. In so doing we examine some of the literature on school leadership for equity that post-dates Thrupp's (2003) analysis, seeking evidence of critical engagement with/resistance to neoliberal policy. We identify three approaches to leadership for equity that have been used to enhance equity in schools internationally: (i) critical reflection; (ii) the cultivation of a 'common vision' of equity; (iii) 'transforming dialogue'. We consider if such initiatives avoid the hegemonic trap of neoliberalism, which captures and disarms would-be opponents of new managerial policy. We conclude by arguing that, in spite of the dominance of neoliberalism, head teachers have the power to speak up, and speak out, against social injustice.


In this study, we propose a model that achieves both accurate modeling and sustainable model stability for corporate bankruptcy prediction. This model is to model the given samples accurately as well as to respond adequately to the unknown inputs by employing semiparametric approach where parametric model and nonparametric neural networks (NNs) are combined. By exploring the structural relationships within the available sample data, the proposed model is assumed to retain the advantages of both parametric and nonparametric models. The proposed model is compared to pure parametric models such as multivariate discriminant analysis (MDA) and logistic regression (LR), and pure nonparametric model such as NNs. Each model predicts the default probability of a company and classifies the company into an appropriate group as either bankrupt or healthy. Experimental results demonstrated that the proposed semiparametric model showed superior performance in terms of model stability and prediction accuracy in bankruptcy prediction


Dynamic programming, branch-and-bound, and constraint programming are the standard solution principles for finding optimal solutions to machine scheduling problems. We propose a new hybrid optimization framework that integrates all three methodologies. The hybrid framework leads to powerful solution procedures. We demonstrate our approach through the optimal solution of the single-machine total weighted completion time scheduling problem subject to release dates, which is known to be strongly NP-hard. Extensive computational experiments indicate that new hybrid algorithms use orders of magnitude less storage than dynamic programming, and yet can still reap the full benefit of the dynamic programming property inherent to the problem. We are able to solve to optimality all 1900 instances with up to 200 jobs. This more than doubles the size of problems that can be solved optimally by the previous best algorithm running on the latest computing hardware.


Objective The aim of the study was to assess the value and potential pitfalls of 68Ga-DOTANOC positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in patients with suspected pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (pNEN). Methods Consecutive patients referred for 68Ga-DOTANOC PET/CT for suspected pNEN between May 1, 2011, and October 31, 2014, were retrospectively assessed. Scan data were compared with cytological/histological final diagnosis. Pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasm detection rate was determined on per-patient and per-lesion basis. Maximum standardized uptake values of lesions were determined. Results Fifty-eight patients with 65 lesions were enrolled. Twelve patients had nonconfirmed diagnosis; of these, 7 were positive and 5 negative at PET/CT. Of 46 patients with confirmed diagnosis, 36 had pNEN; of these, 33 were positive, 1 negative, and 2 nonevaluable at PET/CT. Ten patients had non-NE lesions, of which 8 were positive, 1 negative, and 1 nonevaluable at PET/CT. Of 48 patients with positive PET/CT, 8 proved to have non-NE lesions, of which 6 were intrapancreatic accessory spleen. No significant maximum standardized uptake values difference was found between pNEN and non-NE lesions. Conclusions Intrapancreatic accessory spleen is an important pitfall in 68Ga-DOTANOC PET/CT for suspected pNEN. Cytological/histological confirmation is mandatory before any surgical procedure is undertaken.


A wire-saw cut KDP crystal geometrical model was founded and a mathematical model was established to calculate the grit average cut depth, based on indentation fracture mechanics theory(IFMT). The relationship between the grit cut depth and wire saw process parameter was analyzed theoretically. The research results indicate that there exists an approximate monotone increasing non-linear correlation between grit average cut depth and the ratio i value of crystal feed speed and wire speed. By increasing the wire speed and crystal feed speed accordantly, the value of i can be maintained invariable, however, this way can simultaneously bring higher machined surface quality and machining efficiency.


High assurance systems have been defined as systems "you would bet your life on." This article discusses the application of a form of functional programming— what we call "monadic programming"—to the generation of high assurance and secure systems. Monadic programming languages leverage algebraic structures from denotational semantics and functional programming—monads—as a flexible, modular organizing principle for secure system design and implementation. Monadic programming languages are domain-specific functional languages that are both sufficiently expressive to express essential system behaviors and semantically straightforward to support formal verification.


In Ethiopia, community forest management (CFM) programme is adopted and implemented through participation of households in and around the forest for decades. The objective of this study was to assess the determinant factors of household participation level in community forest management. More specifically, it aimed to identify the effects of demographic, bio-physical and economic factors on households' level of participation. To achieve the objectives of the study, data were collected from 157 household respondents from different sampling units. A logistic regression model was employed to determine the relative importance of variables. From the demographic factors, age, gender, level of education and family size were found to have a significant effect on the level of participation. From the biophysical factors distance from forest and location, a place where the respondents locate is found to have a strong power to explain household's level of participation in community forest management (CFM). The economic variable which is measured in terms of household's economic benefit from forest has also a significant effect. The findings have implications on identifying and formulating effective strategies for improving the participation level of households in forest management there by lessening the main causes of forest depletion.


The University of Dar es Salaam's (UDSM's) corporate strategic plan sets the long-term plan and concepts that guide the transformation processes at the University. In this paper, we discuss a support environment UDSM can apply to facilitate the execution of the UDSM-2000 Transformation Program. This environment consists of a particular type of Information Technology that support electronic meetings, namely Group Support Systems (GSS). We will illustrate that the application of this technology and research not only supports the reshaping of the University's administrative processes and structures, but will also offer an excellent opportunity to improve the educational and professional services that it offers. It will help UDSM to build a reputation as a center of excellence in the region. African Journal of Finance and Management Vol.8(1) 1999: 65-74


The study assessed the awareness and use of e-resources among public extension personnel in the area. Stratified sampling technique was used in selecting respondents from each cadre of the Anambra State Agricultural Development Programme (ASADEP). A total of sixty-nine (69) agricultural extension staff was used for the study. Findings show the major e-resource tool that was available to the majority (94.2%) of extension staff in the area was mobile phone, while 62.3% indicated that computer was available to them. The majority (69.6%) of the respondents were each aware of Facebook, and email, while 56.5% were aware of twitter. Among those who were aware of email, the majority (59.4%) indicated they used it while 43.5% of those that were aware of Facebook indicated they used it. Results show that 15.9% of the respondents indicated they used e-journal in exchanging information on pests and diseases, 10.1% exchanged weather and climate information on e-mail, while 11.6% each indicated they used email to exchange information on farm inputs and market prices. On the other hand, 10.1% each used e-journal and e-mail to exchange information on processing methods. The study concluded by drawing attention to the very low adoption of e-resources in extension service delivery in the area. Efforts should be made by both federal and state governments to provide enabling technological environment and training opportunities for extension personnel in order to improve e-extension which is a veritable alternative towards solving the issues of dearth in extension staff that has been a persistent problem plaguing extension service in the country. Keywords : Agricultural extension, e-resources utilisation, Information and Communication Technology, Anambra State


ABSTRACT This paper studies the relationships between competitive strategies, innovation, and firm performance within the context of Turkish manufacturing companies. The data were collected from top management of the firms via Computer Assistant Telephone Interviewing method. One hundred and forty manufacturing firms operating in various sectors including textile, automotive supply, computer and electronics provide the basis for this empirical research. In order to test our model, we employ structural equation modelling using partial least squares. The results show that competitive strategies such as cost-leadership and differentiation can lead to innovation, which, in turn, increase firm performance. Managers implement cost-leadership and differentiation strategies to take part in competitive market conditions; however, they should put additional importance on innovation that plays a significant role as a bridge between competitive strategies and firm performance.


Mice, guinea pigs, and duck embryo cell cultures were inoculated with known subtypes of Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis (VEE) virus and the attenuated (TC-83) strain of VEE. With the exception of TC-83, all strains were highly pathogenic for suckling mice by either intracranial or intraperitoneal routes of inoculation used. Virulence for older mice and guinea pigs provided a means to distinguish strains. In addition, virulence or lack of virulence for adult mice or guinea pigs provides a rapid method for separating epizootic subtype IB from TC-83 VEE virus isolates.


The kinetic of oxidation of Pentaerythritol by Diperodatocuprate(III)(DPC) in alkaline medium had been studied spectrophtometrically in the different of temperatures range of 20i'°C-40i'°C. The reaction of Pentaerythritol is the first order in each [DPC] by experiment determination. The rate constant kobs increasedwith increase in [OH-] and [pentaerythritol] with increasing of the temperature. However, the kobs decreased with increase in [IO4 -]. In addition, therewas a nega-tive salt effect. The reaction constants which involved in the different steps of the mechanisms are calculated.Activation parameters which controlled by slow step of the mechanism are discussed and thermodynamic quantities are determined. Therefore, the activation parameters at 298.2Kwere calculated.


How can a robot navigate successfully in a rich and diverse environment, indoors or outdoors, along an office corridor or a trail in the park, on the flat ground, the staircase, or the elevator, etc.? To this end, this work aims at three challenges: (i) complex visual observations, (ii) partial observability of local sensing, and (iii) multimodal navigation behaviors that depend on both the local environment and the high-level goal. We propose a novel neural network (NN) architecture to represent a local controller and leverage the flexibility of the end-to-end approach to learn a powerful policy. To tackle complex visual observations, we extract multiscale spatial information through convolution layers. To deal with partial observability, we encode rich history information in LSTM-like modules. Importantly, we integrate the two into a single unified architecture that exploits convolutional memory cells to track the observation history at multiple spatial scales, which can capture the complex spatiotemporal dependencies between observations and controls. We additionally condition the network on the high-level goal in order to generate different navigation behavior modes. Specifically, we propose to use independent memory cells for different modes to prevent mode collapse in the learned policy. We implemented the NN controller on the SPOT robot and evaluate it on three challenging tasks with partial observations: adversarial pedestrian avoidance, blind-spot obstacle avoidance, and elevator riding. Our model significantly outperforms CNNs, conventional LSTMs, or the ablated versions of our model. A demo video will be publicly available, showing our SPOT robot traversing many different locations on our university campus. The authors are with the School of Computing, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117417, Singapore.


As heavy industry develops, large amounts of tilting-pad journal bearings are widely used in advanced technology and key equipment. So, it has become a hot research direction to ensure the stable operation of tilting-pad journal bearings by using multiphase lubricating oil. The aim of the present research was to clarify whether using the multiphase lubricating oil has a positive effect on the performance of the bearings. The approach is based on computational multiphase fluid dynamics and finite-element method. Reynolds averaged equations of multi-phase flow was applied to computation for improving the accuracy. The change of loading capacity of oil film was studied with CFD simulation under particles added to the lubricating oil. The results indicate that the bearing capacity of bearing increases when the particle content, diameter, and density increase. The performance of bearing becomes better when the multiphase lubricating oil is applied in the oil film of bearing. The implications of these results are that the development of multiphase lubricating oil has important practical significances.


Introduction: In the United States, Latinos have poorer access to and utilization of health care than non-Latino whites. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) may reduce these disparities. The ACA's impact among Latino subgroups is unknown. Methods: Using the 2011 to 2015 National Health Interview Survey, we examined access to and utilization of health care by Latino subgroups (18–64 years old). Subgroups were defined by Latino heritage group, citizenship status, and language use. Measures of access and utilization included insurance status, delaying medical care, forgoing medical care, visiting the emergency department, and visiting a physician. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds of the outcomes. Time period and subgroup interaction terms were used to test the effects of the ACA. Results: Mexicans and Central Americans had lower odds of being insured than did non-Latino whites. After ACA implementation, most reductions in disparities occurred between Puerto Ricans and non-Latino whites. Limited impact of the ACA was observed by language and citizenship status. Conclusions: The ACA has reduced gaps in access to and utilization of health care for some Latino population subgroups. Remaining disparities necessitate policy solutions that move beyond the ACA, particularly for groups excluded from coverage options, such as noncitizens.


The kinetics of global use-dependent conduction slowing produced by sodium channel blockers in the human heart, estimated as a change in the QRS width, are known to be similar to those of use-dependent block of the maximum rate of depolarization in in vitro studies. However, the kinetics of the regional use-dependent decrease in conductivity have not been investigated. We examined whether the rise time of the monophasic action potential would be clinically useful as a marker of the local use-dependent decrease in conductivity by sodium channel blockers. In 12 patients without organic heart disease, monophasic action potentials (MAPs) were recorded at the right ventricular endocardium using a contact electrode before and after the administration of disopyramide (n = 6, 2 mg/kg, i.v.) or pilsicainide (class Ic agents, n = 4, 1 mg/kg, i.v., and n = 2, 150 mg, po) while the stimulus frequency was abruptly increased from 100/min to 150/min. The rise time, defined as the interval from the pacing pulse to the first peak deflection of the monophasic action potential, and the ORS width were measured simultaneously. In the absence of the sodium channel blockers, the abrupt increase in heart rate did not alter the QRS width or the rise time. In the presence of the agents, both variables were lengthened exponentially. The rate constants of onset changes in the QRS width and the rise time were 2.1 +/- 0.5 beats and 2.1 +/- 0.4 beats after the administration of disopyramide, and 7.5 +/- 3.0 beats and 8.2 +/- 4.0 beats after pilsicainide, respectively. The rate constant of the rise time was closely correlated with that of the QRS width. The present results are very closely comparable with the onset rate constants of use-dependent block of the maximum rate of depolarization in in vitro studies. These results suggest that (1) the rise time is a good indicator of local use-dependent decrease in conductivity by sodium channel blockers in human hearts and (2) the local use-dependent decrease in conductivity has kinetics similar to those of use-dependent sodium channel blocks.


Smooth nonparametric kernel density and regression estimators are studied when the data is strongly dependent. In particular, we derive Central (and Noncentral) Limit Theorems for the kernel density estimator of a multivariate Gaussian process and infinite-order moving average of an independent identically distributed process, as well as its consistency for other types of data, such as nonlinear functions of a Gaussian process. Also, Central (and Noncentral) Limit Theorems of the nonparametric kernel regression estimators are studied. One important and surprising characteristic found is that its asymptotic variance does not depend on the point at which the regression function is estimated and also it is found that their asymptotic properties are the same whether or not the regressors are strongly dependent. A Monte Carlo experiment is reported to assess the behaviour of the estimators in finite samples.


The therapeutic evolution of two women, one with anorexia nervosa (AN) the other with bulimia nervosa (BN), which took place for three and two years respectively in a heterogeneous once-a-week slow-open analytic group, was analysed. The group was conducted following modified group therapy by integrating cognitive-behavioural, psychoanalytic and object relations perspectives. Results indicated the elimination of two patients' anorexic and bulimic episodes and a better integration of their bodily image and self due to the introjection of the group conceived as a good enough mother or selfobject mainly on its archaic and projective stages on pre-Oedipal level. However, both patients had difficulties with the group's mature reality stage and the phase of termination on Oedipal level, linked with separation-individuation processes and mourning, and terminated early by preparing a brief farewell (BN) or by interrupting (AN). The implications for further investigation of the group therapy of eating disorders were discussed.


The success of human-robot interaction is strongly affected by the people's ability to infer others' intentions and behaviours, and the level of people's trust that others will abide by their same principles and social conventions to achieve a common goal. The ability of understanding and reasoning about other agents' mental states is known as Theory of Mind (ToM). ToM and trust, therefore, are key factors in the positive outcome of human-robot interaction. We believe that a robot endowed with a ToM is able to gain people's trust, even when this may occasionally make errors.In this work, we present a user study in the field in which participants (N=123) interacted with a robot that may or may not have a ToM, and may or may not exhibit erroneous behaviour. Our findings indicate that a robot with ToM is perceived as more reliable, and they trusted it more than a robot without a ToM even when the robot made errors. Finally, ToM results to be a key driver for tuning people's trust in the robot even when the initial condition of the interaction changed (i.e., loss and regain of trust in a longer relationship).


Major improvements in perinatal care have led to increased survival after premature birth and have allowed the survival of very young and immature newborns. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia is a serious complication of prematurity and has become a developmental lung disorder, hardly preventable due to its multiple causes. The treatment serves to maintain a normal growth, reduce the respiratory workload, and prevent further complications, by trying not to interfer with postnatal lung development. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia may be associated with bronchial hyperreactivity and an obstructive bronchial pattern that may lead to frequent hospital admissions for reactive airway disease in the small child, and contribute to the persistence of chronic lung disease mainly as a new chronic obstructive pulmonary disease phenotype in adulthood.


Recent work by Kentaro Ohkuni and colleagues exemplifies how a series of molecular mechanisms contribute to a cellular outcome-equal distribution of chromosomes. Failure to maintain structural and numerical integrity of chromosomes is one contributing factor in genetic diseases such as cancer. Specifically, the authors investigated molecular events surrounding centromeric histone H3 variant Cse4 deposition-a process important for chromosome segregation, using Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model organism. This study illustrates an example of a post-translational modification-sumoylation-regulating a cellular process and the concept of genetic interactions (e.g., synthetic dosage lethality). Furthermore, the study highlights the importance of using diverse experimental approaches in answering a few key research questions. The authors used molecular biology techniques (e.g., qPCR), biochemical experiments (e.g., Ni-NTA/8His protein purification), as well as genetic approaches to understand the regulation of Cse4. At a big-picture level, the study reveals how genetic changes can lead to subsequent molecular and cellular changes.


Reports from the Select Committee on South Australia : together with the minutes of evidence, appendix, and index. - Arrowsmith's Australian Maps - Arrowsmith's Australian Maps is a biographical, bibliographical and archival database of SUBJECT with links to related articles and images. ADD MORE DESCRIPTION AS REQUIRED


The G20 summit system has successfully controlled financial crises, restoring global financial stability after the shock from the US in 2008 and preventing the third shock from Europe in 2010 from resulting in a global contagion. After the G20 finance ministers effectively responded to the Asian-turned-global financial crisis in 1999, they failed to prevent the greater American-turned-global financial crisis in 2008, yet their leaders together responded effectively to it, then prevented the escalating euro crisis from going global, and finally reduced the likelihood of another global financial crisis emanating from a systemically significant country. Since 2013, the G20 has also enhanced economic equality between rich and poor countries, but has not fully made up for the loss in economic growth experienced in 2008 to 2013 or eliminated the socioeconomic scarring created during that period.This increasing success was driven by the changing conditions of the forces identified in the systemic hub model of G20 governance. The first was steadily escalating shocks in finance and economics, and related fields, from 1997 to 2012. The sources of these shifted from emerging Asia to a newly-vulnerable United States, Europe and then China in a much reduced form. With such shocks exposing and equalizing the vulnerability of the major powers, the formal multilateral organizations created by the United States and its Atlantic allies in the 1940s and their subsequent informal supplements such as the G7 could not cope. Among its many international institutional competitors, the G20 alone contained, as full, equal members, the countries that increasingly possessed the collectively predominant and internally equalizing capabilities required to respond effectively. They increasingly, if unevenly, became more internationally and domestically open and interconnected financial systems, economies and societies, albeit with some setbacks after 2013. The often high domestic political cohesion of members further helped the G20 become a group its participants valued as an institution, operating at the hub of an expanding network of global summit governance for a now-globalized world.


Research into ultrasonic NDE techniques for the inspection of multilayered structures relies strongly on the use of modeling tools which calculate dispersion curves and reflection and transmission spectra. These predictions are essential to enable the best inspection strategies to be identified and their sensitivities to be evaluated. General purpose multilayer modeling tools may be developed from a number of matrix formulations which have evolved in the latter half of this century and there is now a formidable number of publications on the subject. This paper presents a review of the main developments of the matrix techniques, and their use in response and modal models, with emphasis on ultrasonics applications.<<ETX>>


Writers know only too well how long it can take--and how awkward it can be--to describe spatial relationships with words alone. And while a map might not always be worth a thousand words, a good one can help writers communicate an argument or explanation clearly, succinctly, and effectively. In his acclaimed "How to Lie with Maps, " Mark Monmonier showed how maps can distort facts. In "Mapping it Out: Expository Cartography for the Humanities and Social Sciences, " he shows authors and scholars how they can use expository cartography--the visual, two-dimensional organization of information--to heighten the impact of their books and articles. This concise, practical book is an introduction to the fundamental principles of graphic logic and design, from the basics of scale to the complex mapping of movement or change. Monmonier helps writers and researchers decide when maps are most useful and what formats work best in a wide range of subject areas, from literary criticism to sociology. He demonstrates, for example, various techniques for representing changes and patterns; different typefaces and how they can either clarify or confuse information; and the effectiveness of less traditional map forms, such as visibility base maps, frame-rectangle symbols, and complementary scatterplot designs for conveying complex spatial relationships. There is also a wealth of practical information on map compilation, cartobibliographies, copyright and permissions, facsimile reproduction, and the evaluation of source materials. Appendixes discuss the benefits and limitations of electronic graphics and pen-and-ink drafting, and how to work with a cartographic illustrator. Clearly written, andfilled with real-world examples, "Mapping it Out" demystifies mapmaking for anyone writing in the humanities and social sciences. "A useful guide to a subject most people probably take too much for granted. It shows how map makers translate abstract data into eye-catching cartograms, as they are called. It combats cartographic illiteracy. It fights cartophobia. It may even teach you to find your way."--Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, "The New York Times"


Hydrogen gas is thought to be the ideal fuel for a world in which air pollution has been alleviated, global warming has been arrested, and the environment has been protected in an economically sustainable manner. Hydrogen and electricity could team to provide attractive options in transportation and power generation. Interconversion between these two forms of energy suggests on-site utilization of hydrogen to generate electricity, with the electrical power grid serving in energy transportation, distribution utilization, and hydrogen regeneration as needed. A challenging problem in establishing H(2) as a source of energy for the future is the renewable and environmentally friendly generation of large quantities of H(2) gas. Thus, processes that are presently conceptual in nature, or at a developmental stage in the laboratory, need to be encouraged, tested for feasibility, and otherwise applied toward commercialization.


A hybrid toxin composed of ricin A chain and a monoclonal antibody directed against the rat nerve growth factor (NGF) receptor (192-IgG) was prepared using the heterobifunctional cross-linking agent N- succinimidyl-3-(2-pyridyldithio)-propionate and purified by affinity chromatography. Characterization studies showed that the hybrid, 192-s- s-A, displaced bound 125I-labeled 192-IgG from rat superior cervical ganglion (SCG) membranes with an IC50 3-5 times lower than that of unconjugated 192-IgG. When incubated with cultured rat SCG neurons, 192- s-s-A inhibited protein synthesis in a concentration-dependent fashion. The effect of 192-s-s-A on these neurons was reversed by coincubation with an excess of 192-IgG. The IC50 of 192-s-s-A on protein synthesis in rat SCG neurons was 4 nM. Intact ricin and ricin A chain inhibited protein synthesis in these neurons with IC50 values of 5 pM and 500 nM, respectively. The 192-s-s-A hybrid had no effect on mouse SCG neurons or a human melanoma cell line known to have NGF receptors. This is consistent with the finding that 192-IgG recognizes only the rat NGF receptor. Also, 192-s-s-A did not inhibit protein synthesis in primary cultures of rat skeletal muscle or Vero cells, which do not have cell surface receptors for NGF. 192-s-s-A was able to inhibit protein synthesis in PC12 cells but the potency was 10-100 times less in these cells compared to rat SCG neurons. Ricin and A chain were also 10-100 times less potent in PC12 cells than neurons. Rat SCG neurons exposed to 192-s-s-A lost their refractile appearance under phase-contrast optics, showed granular degeneration of neurites, and died. Thus the decreased protein synthesis caused by the hybrid toxin correlated with the morphological destruction of the neurons. 192-s-s-A represents a potentially powerful tool by which to selectively destroy NGF receptor- bearing cells in vitro. The hybrid toxin may prove useful as an in vivo toxin.