The case is presented of a 60 years old man who developed sudden right hemiplegia without other accompanying neurological signs and later a spastic hemiparesis. Neuropathological studies indicated an ischaemic lesion of the left medullary pyramid which was accompanied by hypertrophy of the left inferior olivary nucleus. An additional lesion, demyelination of the right gracile tract, is poorly explained. This case represents the second reported instance of pure motor hemiplegia due to a circumscribed lesion in the medullary pyramid and possibly an unique instance of olivary hypertrophy without obvious damage to the central tegmental tract, ipsilateral superior cerebellar peduncle, or contralateral dentate nucleus. The olivary hypertrophy is thought to have arisen from local damage to the termination of the central tegmental fibres at the left inferior olivary nucleus. The question of the development of spasticity in a pure pyramidal tract lesion is discussed.


Effects of silica on the vulcanization reaction by sulfur/N-cyclohexyl-2-benzothiazolylsulfenamide (CBS) in isoprene rubber were studied by FT-IR and ESR. It was found that the induction time of vulcanization reaction was shortened by the addition of silica. However, the efficiency of vulcanization at the final stage of reaction was lower for silica filled sample than for unfilled one. The structure of CBS in the vulcanization system was investigated by the FT-IR at a crosslinking temperature. It was found that by the addition of silica in the system new peaks appeared at 1541 and 1598cm-1,suggesting a decomposition of CBS by silica. Further, the concentration of sulfur radical during the vulcanization was decreased by the addition of silica. However, the decomposition was suppressed by the removal of water molecules absorbed directly on silica surface. These results indicated that at an initial stage of vulcanization, most of CBS was decomposed by silanol groups which were covered with the adsorbed water, leading to the fast vulcanization reaction by sulfur, however, the concentration of CBS dropped quickly at the initial stage of vulcanization, resulting in the low efficiency of vulcanization. These results were explained by the decomposition of CBS by acid catalyst ability of silanol groups.


In Tarai region of state of Uttaranchal, mainly contractual laborers are engaged for accomplishing rice transplanting, which is very tedious and labor intensive operation. Also they do not maintain required plant population resulting in poor yield. Shortage of agricultural laborers during the peak transplanting season is often faced by the farmers due to which timely transplanting is jeopardized again contributing to lower field. Direct seeding of dry or pre-germinated rice through suitable machineries could be a solution to this problem. This will not only reduce labor and production cost but also increases turn-a-round time for the subsequent crop. Considering the above facts, an experiment was laid down during 2001 and 2002 to evaluate the performance of Pantangar zero-till ferti-seed drill (T1) for establishment of rice and the result was compared with manually operated rice seeder (T2) and conventional method of transplanting (T3). The experimental results indicate higher plant population with no-till drill as compared to rice seeder and transplanting method. The grain yield was recorded maximum for T1 followed by T2 and T3. The economic analysis shows lower cost of production and higher benefit-cost ratio in order. Based on the result, no-till drilling and drum seeding could be recommended to the farmers in labor scarcity area for establishment of rice. WYDAJNOŚĆ SIEWU BEZPOŚREDNIEGO RYŻU W PORÓWNANIU Z SIEWEM METODĄ KONWENCJONALNĄ I SIEWNIKIEM BĘBNOWYM


System modeling and stability analysis is one of the most important issues of inverter-dominated microgrids. It is useful to determine the system stability and optimize the control parameters. The complete small signal models for the inverter-dominated microgrids have been developed, which are very accurate and could be found in literature. However, the modeling procedure will become very complex when the number of inverters in microgrid is large. One possible solution is to use the reduced-order small signal models for the inverter-dominated microgrids. Unfortunately, the reduced-order small signal models fail to predict the system instabilities. In order to solve the problem, a new modeling approach for inverter-dominated microgrids by using dynamic phasors is presented in this paper. Our findings indicate that the proposed dynamic phasor model is able to predict accurately the stability margins of the system, while the conventional reduced-order small signal model fails. In addition, the virtual ω-E frame power control method, which deals with the power coupling caused by the line impedance X/R characteristic, has also been chosen as an application example of the proposed modeling technique.


There is a wide range of alternative approaches to study erosion processes. In this paper, we describe the construction of a model based on the interaction of Geographical Information System (GIS) and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN). The neural model uses supervised competitive learning process. The whole process begins with the digitization of collected data and the definition of the input variables, such as slope form and gradient, susceptibility to erosion and protective cover. The input variables are transformed into the erosion risk output variable using the neural model. The last stage is the development of a map of erosion risk zones. As a case study the island of Corfu (Ionian Sea, Greece) was chosen, which consists of lithologies very vulnerable to erosion and receives considerable amounts of rainfall, especially in comparison to the rest of Greece. Finally, the whole model was validated and its proper function was confirmed by field data observations.


In the arguments about the judicial citation of foreign law, judges are arguing about values. But they often do not acknowledge the values that they are debating or give specific rationales for why they prefer one value over the other in their majority and dissenting opinions, preferring instead to adopt negative models of foreign law against which to make a general claim. One example of this phenomenon is the American judicial citation of "kadijustiz" — a term introduced by Max Weber and popularized by Justice Felix Frankfurter in a 1949 decision — to refer to arbitrariness. But this practice is wrong because for two reasons. First, it is inaccurate, as Islamic legal historians have long pointed out in detailing Islamic judicial procedure in Mamluk, Ottoman, and other courts from the medieval to early modern periods. Second, judicial citation of kadijustiz obscures the reasons for adopting certain values over others in contested judicial decision-making, thereby weakening invoking-judges' arguments overall.


Diabetes associated with pancreatic cancer is characterized by profound peripheral insulin resistance. The intracellular mechanism of insulin resistance was investigated in skeletal muscles from. N-nitrusobis(2-oxopropy1)(BOP)-treated hamsters. Effects of high-fat diet and exercise also were studied. BOP (20 mgkg body weight) was administrated weekly for 2 weeks. Hyperinsulinemia was found in BOP-treated hamsters at 20 weeks after BOP treatment, suggesting the peripheral insulin resistance is an early feature in pancreatic cancer. Hamsters were killed at 42 weeks, and soleus muscles were taken for the analysis. Skeletal muscle insulin-receptor binding and insulin receptor tyrosine kinase activities were similar between the control and BOP-treated hamsters. However, maximal muscle glycogen synthase activity was significantly reduced in BOP-treated hamsters compared with the control group. Muscle glycogen phosphorylase activity was increased in the BOP-treated group fed with high-fat diet as well as in BOP-treated groups with exercise. These findings indicate that insulin resistance in the hamster pancreatic cancer model is caused by a postreceptor defect, which led to significant decrease of muscle glycogen synthase activity. Whereas a high-fat diet causes more severe insulin resistance in BOPtreated hamsters, high-fat diet and exercising had no significant effects on skeletal muscle insulin-receptor function and glycogen synthase activity. Furthermore, both high-fat diet and exercise enhanced glycogen phosphorylase activity in BOPtreated hamsters.


The Humboldt Current System is the most productive upwelling system globally in terms of fish and sustains huge populations of guano-producing birds as well as the world's largest single-species fishery targeting the Peruvian anchovy Engraulis ringens. Peruvian boobies Sula variegata and Guanay cormorants Phalacrocorax bougainvillii are the most abundant seabird spe- cies in the system and feed mainly on anchovies. By using high precision GPS and timedepth recorders, we compared the horizontal and vertical movements of the 2 species to examine whether segregation occurs between their foraging areas and whether there is any evidence for prey depletion close to large colonies. A simultaneous acoustic cruise in the foraging area of the 2 bird species estimated the vertical and horizontal distributions of anchovy schools. During the study period in austral spring 2008, the 2 bird species foraged in the same area, at relatively short distance from the colony (average, 19 to 20 km). Both species foraged at similar times of the day, although Peruvian boobies tended to leave earlier in the morning and return later in the evening than did the cormorants. Foraging trips were similar in duration, distance covered and range. Peruvian anchovies were abundant and schools occurred at shallow depths (median, 7 m; range, 3 to 34 m), mainly to the north and west of the colony where foraging bouts of the 2 species over- lapped extensively. Cormorants are mainly pelagic surface divers, diving at shallow depths (median, 4 m) but reaching up to 32 m depth, and are thus able to track all the depths at which anchovies occurred during the study period. Peruvian boobies are plunge divers able to reach occasionally 10 m (median, 2 m), and are thus able to reach only shallow anchovy schools. No sex- specific differences in horizontal or vertical movements occurred between males and females in the 2 species. We suggest that the absence of significant differences between horizontal move- ments of boobies and cormorants, the relative short duration of their trips and the high number of chicks fledged were probably explained by the high abundance and accessibility of anchovies. Differences may be exacerbated during years of low anchovy abundance or accessibility, especially El Nino years.


In this paper we explore the incorporation of information and communication technologies into a Year 8 Science unit concerning Ecology. Our students explore concepts concerning the structure and function of ecosystems including abiotic and biotic characteristics and the interaction between these characteristics. In this unit the students have been required to use MS Excel, Inspiration and Micro Worlds to organise their data and represent the knowledge and understanding they have gained about these concepts. The unit description can be found at http://www.woodleigh.vic.edu.au//IDATER/MW/Ecology_Unit.pdf (the page references in the unit description refer to the students' text, Science Quest 2 {Lofts and Evergreen, 2000}).


Catalytic glycerol conversion by means of either photon or thermal energy is of great importance and can be realized by metal supported on TiO2 systems. Although various procedures have been employed to synthesize efficient metal/TiO2 catalysts, the promotional mechanisms for both reactions are still unclear due to the lack of well-defined systems. Here, we have deposited gold nanoparticles on a series of highly crystalline anatase TiO2 substrates with different crystallite sizes (7, 12, 16, 28 nm) by both direct precipitation and sol-immobilization methods to examine the effect of metal deposition methods and TiO2 sizes on both photo- and thermal catalytic glycerol reforming. For photocatalytic H2 evolution from glycerol, optimum performance was observed for the Au supported on 12 nm TiO2 for both deposition methods. For thermal catalytic glycerol oxidation, all catalysts show a similar selectivity to glycerate (>70%) regardless of the TiO2 size and metal deposition method; however, the metal deposition method significantly influences the catalytic activity. In situ UV–vis spectrometry reveals that the optimized photocatalytic performance originates from enhanced charge transfer kinetics and a more negative Fermi level for proton reduction, whereas electrochemical analysis reveals that the promoted glycerol oxidation is caused by the enhanced oxygen reduction half-reaction.


Freedom from pain has almost developed to be a fundamental human right. Providing pain relief via epidural catheters in thoracic and upper abdominal surgeries is widely accepted. Pain relief through this technique not only provides continuous analgesia but also reduces post-operative pulmonary complications and also hastens recovery. But being a blind procedure it is accompanied by certain complications. Hypotension, dura puncture, high epidural, total spinal, epidural haematoma, spinal cord injury and infection are some of the documented side effects of epidural block. There are case reports eliciting neurological complications, catheter site infections, paresthesias, radicular symptoms and worsening of previous neurological conditions. Few technical problems related to breakage of epidural catheter are also mentioned in the literature. The patient had no sequelae on long term follow up even when a portion of catheter was retained. We present a case report where epidural catheter punctured pleura in a patient undergoing thoracotomy for carcinoma oesophagus.


This essay argues for the importance of quantitative reasoning skills as part of a liberal education and describes the successful introduction of a mathematics-based quantitative skills course at a small Canadian university.


WFIRST is NASA's first flagship mission with pre-defined core science programs to study dark energy and perform a statistical census of wide orbit exoplanets with a gravitational microlensing survey. Together, these programs are expected to use more than half of the prime mission observing time. Previously, only smaller, PI-led missions have had core programs that used such a large fraction of the observing time, and in many cases, the data from these PI-led missions was reserved for the PI's science team for a proprietary period that allowed the PI's team to make most of the major discoveries from the data. Such a procedure is not appropriate for a flagship mission, which should provide science opportunities to the entire astronomy community. For this reason, there will be no proprietary period for WFIRST data, but we argue that a larger effort to make WFIRST science accessible to the astronomy community is needed. We propose a plan to enhance community involvement in the WFIRST exoplanet microlensing survey in two different ways. First, we propose a set of high level data products that will enable astronomers without detailed microlensing expertise access to the statistical implications of the WFIRST exoplanet microlensing survey data. And second, we propose the formation of a WFIRST Exoplanet Microlensing Community Science Team that will open up participation in the development of the WFIRST exoplanet microlensing survey to the general astronomy community in collaboration for the NASA selected science team, which will have the responsibility to provide most of the high level data products. This community science team will be open to volunteers, but members should also have the opportunity to apply for funding.


The paper analyzes the warez scene, an illegal underground subculture on the Internet, which specializes in removing copy protection from software and releasing the cracked software for free. Despite the lack of economic incentives and the absence of external laws regulating it, the warez scene has been able to self-govern and self-organize for more than three decades. Through a directed content analysis of the subculture's digital traces, the paper argues that the ludic competition within the warez scene is an institution of collective action, and can, therefore, be approached as a common-pool resource (CPR). Subsequently, the paper uses Ostrom's framework of long-enduring common-pool resource institutions to understand the warez scene's longevity and ability to govern itself. Theoretical and design implications of these findings are then discussed.


Abstract The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to multiple service delivery changes across acute care sectors in the UK. Due to increased responsibility for care of COVID-19 patients, medical trainees across all specialties might experience difficulty in achieving certain competencies for their training curriculum due to changes in learning opportunities. While there might be a tendency to perceive these changes negatively in terms of the impact on training, we think this unprecedented situation might present a unique learning opportunity. A group of geriatric medicine trainees and trainers devised an innovative, forward-thinking specific training plan based on existing Joint Royal Colleges of Physicians Training Board geriatric medicine curricula, encouraging development of a personal development plan (PDP) tailored to the pandemic. This model could be considered for all specialty training curricula, providing a proactive approach to optimising training during the pandemic. By formulating a 'pandemic PDP' early and considering methods to maximise learning, training needs can be met even in these extraordinary times.


Abstract Diagnosis of sudden cardiac death (SCD) is challenging for medical professionals. For this reason, to make diagnosis easier for forensic pathologists, there is a pressing need for the use of biomarkers. This article highlights biomarkers that can be used in the postmortem diagnosis of SCD. Cardiac troponins, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and creatine kinase-MB have proven to be very useful for this purpose. Lactate dehydrogenase, myoglobin and tumor necrosis factor α, although useful, are not efficient enough to be included in the list of biomarkers for the diagnosis of SCD. Previous studies have shown both positive and negative results for natriuretic peptides as a biomarker, and further studies are required to confirm its use as a biomarker for diagnosis of SCD in autopsy cases. In living subjects, a multi-marker strategy is useful in predicting risk of cardiovascular deaths. It is suggested that for the diagnosis of SCD, a multi-marker strategy may be more efficient. However, more studies are required to confirm this.


A new biaryl phosphine-containing platform can be constructed in only two steps. It complexes Pd(OAc)2 forming a precursor of a very active catalyst useful for Suzuki–Miyaura cross-couplings of functionalized substrates. By a combination of pre-activation, used together with the uncommon solvent EtOAc, the resulting catalyst system is effective at loadings in the ppm (0.1–0.5 mol%) range with highly functionalized reaction partners. Similar reactions run in water containing nanomicelles are as fast or faster. The derived Pd-complexed pre-catalyst possesses extended bench stability. The resulting technology represents an attractive green synthetic advance in highly valued Suzuki–Miyaura couplings.


Fruits and vegetables are a good source of potentially biologically active compounds. Their regular consumption in the human diet can help reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Plants produce additional chemical substances when subject to abiotic stress or infected by microorganisms. The phytochemical profile of spinach leaves (Spinacia oleracea L.), which is a vegetable with widely recognized health-promoting activity, has been affected by applying root hypoxic and re-oxygenation stress during plant growth. Leaf juice at different sampling times has been subject to liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MSn) analysis and tested on the human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line HT29 by using the Comet assay. The cells were previously treated with H2O2 to simulate the presence of an oxidative stress (as in colon cancer condition) and the leaf juice application resulted in a significant antioxidant and protective in vitro effect. The duration of the hypoxic/re-oxygenation stress imposed on the plant reflects the antioxidant leaf juice content. After hypoxic stress (24 h) and reoxygenation (2 h), we show a decrease (50%) of the relative abundance of the principal identified antioxidant molecules but a higher antioxidant activity of the spinach juice on HT29 cells (20%). Data shows a complex relation between plant growing conditions and the modulation of secondary metabolites content in leaf juice that results in different chemo-protective activities in colon cancer cells.


Continual learning aims to enable a single model to learn a sequence of tasks without catastrophic forgetting. Top-performing methods usually require a rehearsal buffer to store past pristine examples for experience replay, which, however, limits their practical value due to privacy and memory constraints. In this work, we present a simple yet effective framework, DualPrompt, which learns a tiny set of parameters, called prompts, to properly instruct a pre-trained model to learn tasks arriving sequentially without buffering past examples. DualPrompt presents a novel approach to attach complementary prompts to the pre-trained backbone, and then formulates the objective as learning task-invariant and task-specific"instructions". With extensive experimental validation, DualPrompt consistently sets state-of-the-art performance under the challenging class-incremental setting. In particular, DualPrompt outperforms recent advanced continual learning methods with relatively large buffer sizes. We also introduce a more challenging benchmark, Split ImageNet-R, to help generalize rehearsal-free continual learning research. Source code is available at https://github.com/google-research/l2p.


The long-retention of antibiotics in Calcium Phosphate Cement (CPC) may induce the development of drug resistance. Fast-releasing CPC containing antibiotics (FRCPC) was proposed as a solution to this problem and studied in this work. The FRCPC containing different proportions of soluble component were prepared and characterized. The setting time, compressive strength, degree of the conversion, in vitro antibiotic release and fracture surface morphology of FRCPC were studied. The results showed that the setting time increased, the compressive strength decreased, the in vitro antibiotic release accelerated with increasing fraction of soluble component in FRCPC. The setting time and compressive strength of FRCPC containing 20 wt% soluble components were close to the requirements of clinical applications, and the in vitro release was completed within 7 d. These results mentioned above showed that the FRCPC with suitable proportions of soluble components may prevent the development of drug resistance and may find applications in clinics.


An entire population of the copepod Acartia tonsa in the Patuxent River, Maryland, was infested with a stalked protozoan of the genus Zoothamnium. Each copepod had 25 to 200 ciliates attached around the appendages. The infestation occurred at the time when Acartia tonsa was being replaced as the dominant copepod by Acartia clausi.


Aims: Achilles tendon (AT) xanthomas are a specific physical finding of familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) and AT thickness has been used for its diagnosis and evaluation of its severity. Recently, we reported that the AT of FH patients was softer than that of non-FH patients and the combined use of a cut-off value for AT softness with that for AT thickness improved diagnostic accuracy. However, an association between AT softness and severity of atherosclerosis has not been reported. Accordingly, the present study aimed to investigate whether AT softness was associated with carotid atherosclerosis and presence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) in FH. Methods: The AT of 176 genetically diagnosed FH patients and 98 non-FH patients was examined to measure AT thickness and the elasticity index (EI) as an indicator for assessing AT softness using ultrasonography. Results: Increased age was associated with AT softness, and overweight was negatively related to AT softness. There were significant inverse correlations between EI and maximum and mean intima-media thickness (IMT) within the common carotid artery only among FH patients. In multiple linear regression analysis, although the relationship between EI and mean IMT was attenuated, the association between EI and maximum IMT remained robust. In logistic regression analysis adjusted for age, sex and traditional cardiovascular risk factors (smoking history, presence of hypertension, presence of diabetes mellitus, overweight, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, and Log triglycerides), EI was associated with presence of ASCVD (Odds ratio per 1-SD increase, 0.37; 95% CI, 0.15 – 0.86;P=0.0252). Conclusion: The degree of lipid deposition in the AT of FH patients could be assessed by its thickness as well as its softness. AT softness is not only useful in diagnosing FH but is also associated with the severity of carotid atherosclerosis and presence of ASCVD. In addition, these findings suggest that AT softness would be helpful in risk assessment for FH patients.


Rolling contact fatigue tests of JIS-SUJ2 steel were performed using plate specimens having a small drill hole with various diameters and depths. In all the tests, fatigue crack initiated at the edge near the bottom of the hole just after starting the fatigue test, and then propagated by shear mode. Even in the unbroken specimens tested up to N = 2×10 cycles, a short fatigue crack was found at the edge. Fatigue life, Nf, plotted against the maximum contact pressure, qmax, was greatly varied according to the diameter and depth of the hole. The effect of the depth at crack initiation on the fatigue life Nf was uniquely characterized by using the nominal shear stress amplitude, τa, instead of qmax. Further, based on the consideration of the rolling contact fatigue strength as a small shear-mode crack problem, the fatigue life data were plotted using the novel parameter, τ a/( area ), where the area is a projected area of the hole. Consequently, all the fatigue life data were successfully fitted on a unified line irrespective of the diameter and depth of the hole, i.e. a defect size dependence in the rolling contact fatigue strength was manifested in a small crack regime. Moreover, the fatigue life data for smooth specimens fractured from an internal non-metallic inclusion were also in accordance with the data for the drill holes in the plot of Nf versus τ a/( area ). The result infers that a lower limit of the rolling contact fatigue strength of bearings with various dimensions can be evaluated by means of the following two dominant parameters: (i) maximum inclusion size predicted by the statistics of extremes in a given control volume and (ii) the maximum value of nominal shear stress amplitude produced under the rolling contact.


Actual trends in software development are pushing the need to face a multiplicity of diverse activities and interaction styles characterizing complex and distributed application domains, in such a way that the resulting dynamics exhibits some grade of order, i.e. in terms of evolution of the system and desired equilibrium. Autonomous agents and Multiagent Systems are argued in literature as one of the most immediate approaches for describing such a kind of challenges. Actually, agent research seems to converge towards the definition of renewed abstraction tools aimed at better capturing the new demands of open systems. Besides agents, which are assumed as autonomous entities purposing a series of design objectives, Multiagent Systems account new notions as first-class entities, aimed, above all, at
modeling institutional/organizational entities, placed for normative regulation, interaction and teamwork management, as well as environmental entities, placed as resources to further support and regulate agent work.

The starting point of this thesis is recognizing that both organizations and environments can be rooted in a unifying perspective.
Whereas recent research in agent systems seems to account a set of diverse approaches to specifically face with at least one aspect within the above mentioned, this work aims at proposing a unifying approach where both agents and their organizations can be straightforwardly situated in properly designed working environments. In this line, this work pursues reconciliation of environments with sociality, social interaction with environment based interaction, environmental resources with organizational functionalities with the aim to smoothly integrate the various aspects of complex and situated organizations in a coherent programming approach. Rooted in Agents and Artifacts (A&A) meta-model, which has been recently introduced both in the context of agent oriented software engineering and programming, the thesis promotes the notion of Embodied Organizations, characterized by computational infrastructures attaining a seamless integration between agents, organizations and environmental entities.


This study examines the role of infrastructure on poverty reduction in Owan West Local Government Area of Edo State Nigeria. The objectives identified the types, distribution and impacts of these facilities on the lives of the people. Data used were obtained from the field through questionnaire, oral interview and personal observation and also from secondary sources including published and unpublished materials. The study identified that few infrastructural facilities were located in the study area, which were however not equitably distributed. Even at this, the study showed that these facilities had impacts on the lives of the people of the study area. Impacts relating to poverty alleviation as observed were in the areas of access to medical care, mortality rate, employment and literacy. These impacts notwithstanding, it was observed that facility provision was confronted with numerous problems in the study area. These include inaccessibility, inadequacy, lack of maintenance of existing infrastructure and the attitude of government to rural facilities location. Keywords: Infrastructure, Rural poverty, Nigeria


Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) power plant offer operators both environmental and economic benefits. The high efficiency achievable across a wide load range reduces both fuel costs and CO2 emissions to atmosphere. However, the scale of the power generation plays a major role in determining both cost and efficiency: a modern large centralized CCGT of 600MW output or more will have a full load efficiency in excess of 60% and a very competitive installed cost on a US$/kW basis. The smaller gas turbines required for distributed power applications are not optimized for combined cycle operation, with potential full load efficiencies of a combined cycle scheme ranging from a little over 40% to the high 50s depending on the power output of the gas turbine, the exhaust gas conditions and the plant configuration, while the installed cost is around twice that of a large centralized CCGT on a US$/kW basis.
 The drawback of a conventional combined cycle plant design is the need for water, which is a scarce commodity in some regions. Air cooling of the CCGT plant can be used to reduce water consumption, but make-up water will still be required for the steam system to compensate for steam losses, blowdown etc.
 While the lower exhaust gas temperatures of the smaller gas turbines impact the combined cycle efficiencies achievable, they do allow Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) technology to be considered for an alternative combined cycle configuration. This paper compares both the capital and operating costs and performance of combined cycle power plants for distributed power applications in the 30MW to 250MW power range based on conventional steam and various different ORC configurations.


This paper studies the estimation of dynamic discrete games of incomplete information. Two main econometric issues appear in the estimation of these models: the indeterminacy problem associated with the existence of multiple equilibria, and the computational burden in the solution of the game. We propose a class of pseudo maximum likelihood (PML) estimators that deals with these problems and we study the asymptotic and finite sample properties of several estimators in this class. We first focus on two-step PML estimators which, though attractive for their computational simplicity, have some important limitations: they are seriously biased in small samples; they require consistent nonparametric estimators of players' choice probabilities in the first step, which are not always feasible for some models and data; and they are asymptotically inefficient. Second, we show that a recursive extension of the two-step PML, which we call nested pseudo likelihood (NPL), addresses those drawbacks at a relatively small additional computational cost. The NPL estimator is particularly useful in applications where consistent nonparametric estimates of choice probabilities are either not available or very imprecise, e.g., models with permanent unobserved heterogeneity. Finally, we illustrate these methods in Montecarlo experiments and in an empirical application to a model of firm entry and exit in oligopoly markets using Chilean data from several retail industries.


In this work, bottom-gate top-contact thin film transistors with double-stacked amorphous IWO/IWO:N channel layer were fabricated. Herein, amorphous IWO and N-doped IWO were deposited as front and back channel layers, respectively, by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering. The electrical characteristics of the bi-layer-channel thin film transistors (TFTs) were examined and compared with those of single-layer-channel (i.e., amorphous IWO or IWO:N) TFTs. It was demonstrated to exhibit a high mobility of 27.2 cm2 V−1 s−1 and an on/off current ratio of 107. Compared to the single peers, bi-layer a-IWO/IWO:N TFTs showed smaller hysteresis and higher stability under negative bias stress and negative bias temperature stress. The enhanced performance could be attributed to its unique double-stacked channel configuration, which successfully combined the merits of the TFTs with IWO and IWO:N channels. The underlying IWO thin film provided percolation paths for electron transport, meanwhile, the top IWO:N layer reduced the bulk trap densities. In addition, the IWO channel/gate insulator interface had reduced defects, and IWO:N back channel surface was insensitive to the ambient atmosphere. Overall, the proposed bi-layer a-IWO/IWO:N TFTs show potential for practical applications due to its possibly long-term serviceability.


In the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century a large and complex English literature on the Ottoman Turks developed, characterised by its diversity in form, content, opinion and context. This was a literature in the sense of a large body of texts sharing a topic, written in a similar time and place and in similar context, but also in the sense of a discourse, sharing literary conventions, citing similar sources, recycling information, accepted 'facts', anecdotes and images and drawing upon the same authorities.

I examine this literature from its sixteenth-century roots, tracing its growth at the turn of the seventeenth century and its development into a complex literature, influenced by English religious and political contexts as well as growing Anglo-Ottoman trade and diplomacy, until the dramatic changes brought by diminishing Ottoman power in Europe at the close of that century. I draw these sources together as a 'literature', by examining trends, chronological developments and connections between them, while on the other hand I focus upon the contexts of individual works and a nuanced reading of their representations of the Ottomans. Through this I seek to bring a broader and more balanced perspective on both English literature on the Ottomans as a whole and the diversity and complexity of the works of which it was comprised.


Turbulence is a ubiquitous phenomenon of highly complex flow. With increasing computer capacity and steadily improving numerical methods Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is becoming a beneficial tool in the study of turbulence. In this work the performance of a Large Eddy Simulation (LES) of turbulent flow is evaluated by comparing simulated data to experimental values. The turbulent incompressible wake flow of the Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) work of Feng was simulated using LES. A digital filter method was employed for the inlet condition. In a series of presimulations the effects of several central parameters were tested by varying one parameter at a time. With support in the presimulations the final simulation setup was determined. The final simulation was run for a simulation time of 80 seconds collecting 10000 instantaneous velocity fields. The PIV data gave two dimensional velocity fields that were used to evaluate the LES. The evaluation was carried out in traditional ways comparing one-point statistics. In addition, the nature of the PIV data gave the opportunity to compare spatial values such as two-point correlations and vortex statistics. The spatial information was used to study the coherent structures of the flow and to evaluate to what extend LES was able to capture them. The simulations showed in general good congruence with the experimental data and the chosen inlet method proved to be successful. It was found that an inlet transition region forming in the simulations caused some deviation of the simulation data from the experiment data especially regarding turbulence intensities and diffusion. The presimulations testing inlet condition, timestep, grid resolution and subgrid models showed that the mean velocity values were not sensitive to the different parameters in the range tried. From the tested parameters, the inlet condition proved to be the most influential on the fluctuating components of velocity. Changing the other parameters led to only minimal changes in the results. Furthermore, the study of coherent structures showed that the main coherent motion was swirling motion induced by shear in the wake and wall regions. Two-point spatial correlations indicated good consonance between the simulation and the experiment. However, experimental results were over all slightly noisier. Conformity was also found between vortex statistics from the PIV data and from the simulation data when the different grid resolutions were accounted for. This work showed that two dimensional PIV data provides a mean for thorough evaluation of LES especially with regards to turbulent coherent structures. Findings indicate that LES can be successfully employed for prediction of turbulence even in more complex flows such as the one used in this study.


There is a growing interest to investigate the feasibility of using voice user interfaces as a platform for digital therapeutics in chronic disease management. While mostly deployed as 30 smartphone applications, some demographics struggle when using touch screens and often 31 cannot complete tasks independently. This research aimed to evaluate how heart failure patients 32 interacted with a voice app version of an already existing digital therapeutic, Medly, using a 33 mixed-methods concurrent triangulation approach. The objective was to determine the 34 acceptability and feasibility of the voice app by better understanding who this platform is be best 35 suited for. Quantitative data included engagement levels and accuracy rates. Participants (n=20) 36 used the voice app over a four week period and completed questionnaires and semi-structured 37 interviews relating to acceptability, ease of use, and workload. The average engagement level 38 was 73%, with a 14% decline between week one and four. The difference in engagement levels 39 between the oldest and youngest demographic was the most significant, 84% and 43% 40 respectively. The Medly voice app had an overall accuracy rate of 97.8% and was successful in 41 sending data to the clinic. Users were accepting of the technology (ranking it in the 80 th 42 percentile) and felt it did not require a lot of work (2.1 on a 7-point Likert scale). However, 13% 43 of users were less inclined to use the voice app at the end of the study. The following themes and subthemes emerged: conversational integration within household, users blamed themselves for voice app problems, missing desirable user features. The voice app proved to be most beneficial to those who: are


• Different opinions have developed on the use of endotracheal intubation in newborns and neonates for airway distress syndrome. The ensuing complications of the prolonged use of these airway tubes are drawing increased interest. This article reviews the case reports of 88 patients who received endotracheal intubation for airway problems and evaluates the complication rate as it correlates to the various contributing factors of duration of intubation, size of endotracheal tube, frequency of intubation, concomitant infections, and age of patient, which all lead to the complication rate. ( Arch Otolaryngol 103:329-335, 1977)


In this exposition of the equality and inequality of Minkowski for multiplicity of ideals, we provide simple algebraic and geometric proofs. Connections with mixed multiplicities of ideals are explained.


This paper presents a new approach for assessing the reliability of nanometer-scale devices prior to fabrication and a practical reliability architecture realization. A four-layer architecture exhibiting a large immunity to permanent as well as random failures is used. Characteristics of the averaging/thresholding layer are emphasized. A complete tool based on Monte Carlo simulation for a-priori functional fault tolerance analysis was used for analysis of distinctive cases and topologies. A full chip CMOS integrated design of the 128-bit AES cryptography algorithm with multiple cores that incorporate reliability architectures is shown.


Melt fragmentation, quenching and long term coolability in a deep pool of water under reactor vessel is employed as a severe accident mitigation strategy in several designs of light water reactors. Geometrical configuration of the debris bed is one of the factors which define if the decay heat can be removed from the debris bed by natural circulation. A bed can be coolable if spread uniformly, while the same debris forming a tall mound-shape debris bed can be non-coolable. Two-phase flow inside the bed serves as a source of mechanical energy which can move debris, thus flatten and gradually reduce the height of the debris bed. There is a competition between the time scales for (i) reaching a coolable configuration of the bed by such "self-leveling" phenomenon, and (ii) onset of dryout and re-melting of the debris. In the previous work we have demonstrated that the rate of particulate debris spreading is determined by local (i) gas velocity, and (ii) slope angle of the bed. The goal of this work is to obtain a dependency of particle motion rate on local slope angle and gas velocity expressed in non-dimensional variables, universal for particles of different shapes, sizes and materials. Such scaling approach is proposed in this work and validated against experimental data.


We obtain exact solutions for the Schrodinger-Pauli matrix equation for a neutral particle of spin 1/2 in a magnetic eld with a field gradient. The analytical wavefunctions are written on the symmetry plane Y = 0, which contains the incident and splitted beams, in terms of the Airy functions. The time-evolution of the probability densities, |Y+|2 and |Y-|2 , and the eigenenergies are calculated. These include a small contribution from the field gradient, a, proportional to (a)2/3, which amounts to equal energy displacements on both magnetic levels. The results are generalized for spin S = 3/2, and in this case we found that the m = ±1/2 and m = ±3/2 magnetic sublevels are unequaly splitted by the field gradient, being the difference in energy of the order 0.4 MHz. Replacing real experimental parameters we obtained a spatial splitting of the spin up and spin down states of the order Dz » 4 mm, in accordance to a real Stern-Gerlach experiment.


OBJECTIVE
Induction of arthritis with autoantibodies against glucose-6-phosphate isomerase (GPI) is entirely independent of T cells and B cells but is strictly dependent on the presence of mast cells. Here, we used this disease model to analyze whether exclusive intraarticular mast cell reconstitution is sufficient for disease induction and whether targeted mast cell silencing can prevent neoangiogenesis and joint destruction, 2 hallmarks of rheumatoid arthritis.

METHODS
Ankle swelling and clinical index scores were determined after injection of either K/BxN mouse-derived serum or control serum in wild-type Kit(+)/Kit(+) mice, congenic mast cell-deficient Kit(W)/Kit(W-v) mice, or mast cell-deficient Kit(W)/Kit(W-v) mice reconstituted with mast cells, either by intraperitoneal or selective intraarticular injection. Angiogenesis was quantified in vivo by measuring activated alphavbeta3 integrin using (18)F-galacto-RGD and positron emission tomography. In addition, staining of joint tissue with hematoxylin and eosin, Giemsa, beta3, and alpha-actin was performed. The effect of mast cell stabilization by treatment with cromolyn or salbutamol was investigated in C57BL/6 or BALB/c mice.

RESULTS
Comparing wild-type mice, mast cell-deficient Kit(W)/Kit(W-v) mice, and mast cell-reconstituted Kit(W)/Kit(W-v) mice, we first showed that intraarticular and intraperitoneal mast cell engraftment fully restores susceptibility to antibody-induced arthritis, angiogenesis, and alphavbeta3 integrin activation. Importantly, selective mast cell silencing with either salbutamol or cromolyn prevented alphavbeta3 integrin activation, angiogenesis, and joint destruction.

CONCLUSION
Mast cell engraftment fully restores susceptibility to alphavbeta3 integrin activation, angiogenesis, and joint destruction in GPI antibody-induced arthritis. Importantly, selective mast cell stabilization prevents alphavbeta3 integrin activation, angiogenesis, and joint destruction.


Background Maternal depression and anxiety are common in the early years following childbirth and are associated with children's health outcomes. The impact of maternal depression on childhood injuries is underexplored, with existing studies relying on maternal reporting of injury occurrences. Using linked population healthcare databases from England, we assessed the association between episodes of maternal depression and/or anxiety and the incidence of three common childhood injuries. Methods We conducted a prospective cohort study of 209,418 mother-child pairs who had linked primary care and hospitalisation data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink and Hospital Episode Statistics from 1997–2014. Episodes of maternal depression and/or anxiety were identified using diagnostic codes, prescriptions and hospitalisation records. Adjusted incidence rate ratios (aIRR) for the risk of child poisonings, fractures and burns during episodes of maternal mental health episodes were estimated using Poisson regression. Results 55,431 children (26.5%) were exposed to one or more episodes of maternal depression and/or anxiety between birth and their fifth birthday. During follow-up 2,772 poisoning, 6,252 fracture and 4,316 burn events occurred. Child poisoning risk increased during episodes of maternal depression (aIRR 1.61, 95% confidence interval 1.39–1.87), depression with anxiety (2.10, 1.74–2.53) and anxiety alone (1.61, 1.07–2.42). A similar pattern was seen for burns, with the greatest risk during episodes of depression with anxiety (1.53, 1.28–1.82). Fracture risk only increased during episodes of depression alone (1.16, 1.04–1.30). Conclusions Episodes of maternal depression and/or anxiety were associated with increased risks of child poisonings and burns. Prompt identification and treatment of maternal depression and/or anxiety and provision of safety advice (e.g. safe medication storage) to mothers with depression and/or anxiety may reduce child injury risk.


The appropriate numerical modelling of a Wave Energy Converter behaviour is crucial for both the initial design phase (loadings estimations) and the productivity assessment of the real device, working in a certain installation site. The most difficult aspect to be modelled are the floater motions at resonance conditions, where motions amplitude are emphasised. Several techniques can be used, ranging from the linear Cummins' equation to fully viscous CFD simulations. This paper deals with the implementation of the 3 DOFs linear hydrodynamic model developed for the time-domain simulation of ISWEC (Inertial Sea Wave Energy Converter) device. The main advantage of the model here presented is its low computational cost. A first benchmarking between the numerical model and a series of tank testing experiments, carried out on a scaled ISWEC floater prototype, is described. Experimental results are used for the identification of the non-linearity due to the viscous effects. The novelty of the identification approach is the estimation of the non-linearity contribution along each DOF taken into account. A second comparison is done against the open source code WEC-Sim that allows the calculation of the floater instantaneous wetted surface, with the aim of obtaining a cost-benefit evaluation of the different modelling techniques.


Changes in blood chemistry, especially blood glucose, were studied in rabbits developing tetanus after injection of tetanus toxin. Blood glucose levels increased significantly above control values after the animals developed tetanus. The increase in glucose level paralleled the depletion of liver glycogen, detected by means of PAS staining. The observed changes were not affected by adrenergic receptor block or catecholamine depletion by reserpine, suggesting non-mediation of the sympathetic nervous system in the response. A direct action of the toxin on the liver, initiating glycogen depletion, is being postulated.


Durum wheat is susceptible to terminal drought which can greatly decrease grain yield. Breeding to improve crop yield is hampered by inadequate knowledge of how the physiological and metabolic changes caused by drought are related to gene expression. To gain better insight into mechanisms defining resistance to water stress we studied the physiological and transcriptome responses of three durum breeding lines varying for yield stability under drought. Parents of a mapping population (Lahn x Cham1) and a recombinant inbred line (RIL2219) showed lowered flag leaf relative water content, water potential and photosynthesis when subjected to controlled water stress time transient experiments over a six-day period. RIL2219 lost less water and showed constitutively higher stomatal conductance, photosynthesis, transpiration, abscisic acid content and enhanced osmotic adjustment at equivalent leaf water compared to parents, thus defining a physiological strategy for high yield stability under water stress. Parallel analysis of the flag leaf transcriptome under stress uncovered global trends of early changes in regulatory pathways, reconfiguration of primary and secondary metabolism and lowered expression of transcripts in photosynthesis in all three lines. Differences in the number of genes, magnitude and profile of their expression response were also established amongst the lines with a high number belonging to regulatory pathways. In addition, we documented a large number of genes showing constitutive differences in leaf transcript expression between the genotypes at control non-stress conditions. Principal Coordinates Analysis uncovered a high level of structure in the transcriptome response to water stress in each wheat line suggesting genome-wide co-ordination of transcription. Utilising a systems-based approach of analysing the integrated wheat's response to water stress, in terms of biological robustness theory, the findings suggest that each durum line transcriptome responded to water stress in a genome-specific manner which contributes to an overall different strategy of resistance to water stress.


Injuries and diseases of large joints occupy a leading place in the list of urgent problems of orthopedics. Various methods of treatment of this pathology are regularly offered in the literature, but most of them do not allow restoring a full-fledged hyaline cartilage. Background. To improve the results of organ-preserving treatment of patients with osteo-chondral defects of large joints. Methods. A prospective study was conducted on 30 large animals (60 knee joints) aged 1.5 to 3 years. We divided the animals into 3 groups of 10 individuals (20 joints) in each, based on the method of replacement of the osteo-chondral defect. In all cases, a full-layer defect formed from the hyaline cartilage by a mill with a diameter of 4.5 mm, depth of 7 mm with the capture of the subchondral bone in the medial condyle of the right thigh. Artificial defects restored by one of the following methods. The left joint considered a control joint and the defect formed by the same technique was not filled. Results. The result was evaluated in 1 month, 3 months and 6 months viewing the nature and degree of defect fill. Specific volumes of such tissues as chondrocytes, cartilage matrix and the average depth of the defect from the thickness of the native cartilage are better in group 3, and connective tissue is less in group 3. Conclusion. In the group without defect replacement, the obtained data are comparable with the studies of other authors, according to which bone and cartilaginous defects practically do not regenerate on their own. Our proposed method with the use of extracellular collagen matrix, autocartilage and plate rich plasma is less aggressive in comparison with autochondroplasty and the result can be more stable compared to microfracturing or tunnelization.


Sintering is a thermally activated solid diffusion process. Study of the heat transfer process is one of the key elements for the improvement of sintering technology. Within sphere packings, the three-dimensional interconnected network of spheres and the interconnected pore structures are very complex. In order to bypass this complexity, typically, the porous medium approach has been used for applications allow relative coarse resolution. However, for sintering studies, the traditional effective conductivity determination may not be directly applicable. Firstly, the porosity variation may be very rigorous due to the non-uniform densification process with a stiff temperature gradient. Furthermore, a fine control volume is required for the fine temperature resolution for studying the effect on unbalance densification rate within packings. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the dependence of the effective conductivity of the small packing on the detailed packing parameters, such as coordination number and the contact radius ratio. Indeed, this study was one of the first attempts to investigate such effect. A numerical study was performed. The results showed that porosity is indeed not the unique parameter for describing the packing structure while the mean coordination number and the mean contact radius ratio are more appropriate for small population size of spheres. With the developed correlation, the effective conductivity can be directly determined for any packing with the known mean coordination number and the known contact radius ratio without requiring any empirical determination.


Some central issues from the literature on the psychophysiological effects of carbohydrate (with protein and fat as comparators) on humans are reviewed and various methodological issues are discussed. From the review chapters the main questions that emerged were: 1. Does carbohydrate, in the form of sucrose alter mood state in humans? 2. Does sucrose increase or delay hunger and subsequent food intake? 3. Does carbohydrate intake in the form of sucrose induce carbohydrate-specific hunger or carbohydrate craving? 4. Can the obese and non-obese regulate nutrient intake physiologically when cognitive cues are held constant? 5. Can humans compensate in the short-term after a sucrose preload? From these central issues a series of experiments was conducted on obese and non- obese adults where it was found that: 1. When administered blind the ingestion of sucrose did not have any significant influence on mood state in either obese or non-obese subjects. This lack of effect suggests a weak relationship between carbohydrate intake and mood, at least when moderate size preloads are given to obese and normal individuals. 2. When cognitive factors are held constant in the laboratory and preloads are administered blind, sucrose can delay hunger and subsequent food intake in both obese and normal-weight subjects in a natural environment. This is taken to be due to physiological regulation in both obese and non-obese individuals. 3. Although the delay in eating suggests some form of physiological regulation, there was no evidence of change in size of the subsequent meal. 4. There was no evidence that carbohydrate in the form of sucrose led to carbohydrate craving or increased hunger for carbohydrate-rich foods in any way. This applies to both obese and non-obese subjects. It is concluded that physiological mechanisms operate effectively in humans when psychological factors are controlled. Compensatory processes, however, do not seem to operate as effectively in the short-term. From these findings it may be argued that the obese are no more or no less responsive to internal signals than normal. It may also be argued that if sugar intake has adverse effects on hunger (i.e. carbohydrate- craving, increased hunger) then such effects are more likely to be caused by psychological factors, rather than to any physiological effects. Although there remains little doubt that nutrients do influence mood and behaviour, improvement in methodology and more elaborate methods of measuring changes in behaviour are required.


We have examined the ability of various antiestrogens (AE's) to compete with 3H-spiroperidol for binding to membrane preparations from striatal tissue and anterior pituitary glands of immature female rats in order to determine the affinity of binding of AE's to D-2 dopamine receptors. Scatchard analyses revealed the presence of a single class of high affinity receptor sites in both the striatum and pituitary with a dissociation constant (Kd) of 0.33 nM and 0.40 nM, respectively, for the dopamine antagonist spiroperidol. The AE's tamoxifen, 4-hydroxy-tamoxifen (TAM-OH), CI-628, LY 117018, and a structurally related compound t-butyl-phenoxyethyl diethylamine (BPEA) were all able to compete with spiroperidol for binding to D-2 receptors and demonstrated relative binding affinities of 0.4-0.06%, with spiroperidol set at 100%. Dopamine displayed a lower affinity, 0.01%. Estradiol failed to compete with spiroperidol for D-2 receptor binding while the non-steroidal estrogen diethylstilbestrol (DES) showed very weak competition. For the lipophilic AE's, alteration of the level of their non-specific binding greatly affected their relative affinities in these competitive binding assays. The amine side chain on an aromatic ring appears to be a critical structural requirement in allowing the AE's to bind to the dopamine receptor. The relatively low affinity of AE's for the dopamine receptor and the high degree of interaction of AE's with other proteins suggest that only limited occupancy of D-2 receptors by AE's is likely in vivo.


The barrow in Kąty Wrocławskie was discovered near the city of Wrocław, SW Poland, in 1998. This paper presents the results collated from excavations, isotopic analyses (13C/15N), radiocarbon dating and lipid analyses of organic residues, found in this tomb. Social ranking/hierarchy shaped the lifestyle and identities, be they either individual or collective, upon which ultimately rigid or more flexible forms of stratification were built. However, archaeological debate regarding social inequality and leadership in the Unetice Culture is frequently reduced to bronze halberds, gold and the Leubingen barrow. We seek to determine the scale of social diversity among members of Early Bronze Age society. In this paper we present the biological profiles of the first group of Uneticean aristocracy buried in princely graves.


Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) is a newly defined, rare, but clinically distinct syndrome of acute flaccid paralysis with spinal motor neuron involvement of unknown etiology. Clusters of AFM coincided with a nationwide outbreak of enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) in the United States during autumn to winter of 2014 and in Japan during the autumn of 2015. Although EV-D68 was detected in only 20% of the AFM patients, mainly from respiratory specimens without apparent viral detection from blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples, strong temporal associations were noted. Core symptoms of AFM are focal limb weakness and cranial nerve dysfunction with acute onset, although limb paralysis varied in type and severity. Most patients showed extensive longitudinal spinal involvement on magnetic resonance imaging, pleocytosis in CSF, and abnormal motor conduction and/or F-waves in neurophysiological investigations in the acute phase which was within two weeks after onset. Immunomodulation therapy consisting of high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin or pulse methylprednisolone did not improve prognosis. Only about 10% of the patients showed complete recovery of limb weakness, but others had variable residual weakness at follow-up. With no effective treatment identified in the acute stage, studies are required to elucidate the pathophysiology and pathomechanisms of AFM and to develop both preventive measures and novel therapeutic interventions.


Background: The glycemic potential and energy density (ED) of diet may influence endometrial cancer risk. Although glycemic load (GL) is considered a probable risk factor for endometrial cancer, no studies have evaluated the association of total dietary ED with risk. Methods: We evaluated associations of ED, GL, and glycemic index (GI) with postmenopausal endometrial cancer incidence. Analyses included 30,997 postmenopausal women from the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort with no previous history of cancer or diabetes, who provided information on diet, lifestyle, and medical history in 1999 and were followed for cancer incidence through June 2013. Multivariable-adjusted HRs and 95% confidence intervals were estimated for quartiles (Q) of total dietary ED, GL, and GI in relation to endometrial cancer incidence using Cox proportional hazards regression models. Results: During a median follow-up time of 13.6 years, 425 endometrial cancer cases were identified. Median dietary ED was 1.5 kcal/g [interquartile range (IQR) = 1.3–1.7 kcal/g]. Median (IQR) GL and GI were 113.7 (100.5–126.8) and 52.5 (50.4–54.5), respectively. After adjustment for age, use of hormone replacement therapy, physical activity, and body mass index (kg/m2), neither ED, GL, nor GI were associated with endometrial cancer risk. Conclusions: We found no associations of ED, GL, or GI with endometrial cancer risk. Impact: These results do not support an association between total dietary ED, GL, or GI and risk of postmenopausal endometrial cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 27(1); 113–5. ©2017 AACR.


This paper deals with the problem of purposefully failing or yielding an object by a robotic gripper. We propose a grasp quality measure fabricated for robotic harvesting in which picking a crop from its stem is desired. The proposed metric characterizes a suitable grasp configuration for systematically controlling the failure behavior of an object to break it at the desired location while avoiding damage on other areas. Our approach is based on failure task information and gripper wrench insertion capability. Failure task definition is accomplished using failure theories. Gripper wrench insertion capability is formulated by modeling the friction between the object and gripper. A new method inspired by human pre-manipulation process is introduced to utilize gripper itself as a friction measurement device. The provided friction model is capable of handling the anisotropic behavior of materials which is the case for fruits and vegetables. The evaluation method is formulated as a quasistatic grasp problem. Additionally, the general case of both fully-actuated and under-actuated grippers are considered. As a validation of the proposed evaluation method, experimental results for failing parts using Kuka Light-Weight Robot IV robot are presented.


Abstract This article examines Brazilian artist Rosângela Rennó's books 2005–510117385–5 and A01 [COD.18.104.22.168] – A27 [S | COD.23], which engage with photographs stolen from public collections in Rio de Janeiro. Both books triggered a conversation about institutional precarity and its effects on national memory and cultural heritage—one that took place a few years before the 2018 fire at Rio de Janeiro's Museu Nacional, which destroyed much of its invaluable archive of twenty million items and was understood as a national tragedy. It discusses Rennó's books in light of 1960s and 1970s Latin American Conceptualisms, arguing that they propose new ways of understanding the secret files of the 1964–85 dictatorship—a still unresolved issue in Brazil. Tackling the dynamics of public museums, private collections, and incentive laws and activating the generative potential of circulation, Rennó's work provides both a commentary on the role of institutions and national memory and at the same time a warning against the unregulated circulation of the neoliberal market. Ultimately, it offers a critique of the archive's potential to be coopted to authoritarian ends and a model for a public, circulating counter-archive of collective memories.


Internet voting systems have gained popularity and have been used for government elections and referendums in the United Kingdom, Estonia and Switzerland as well as municipal elections in Canada and party primary elections in the United States. Voting system can involve transmission of ballots and votes via private computer networks or the Internet. Electronic voting technology can speed the counting of ballots and can provide improved accessibility for disabled voters. The aim of this paper is to people who have citizenship of India and whose age is above 18 years and of any sex can give their vote through online without going to any physical polling station. Election Commission Officer (Election Commission Officer who will verify whether registered user and candidates are authentic or not) to participate in online voting. This online voting system is highly secured, and its design is very simple, ease of use and also reliable. The proposed software is developed and tested to work on Ethernet and allows online voting. It also creates and manages voting and an election detail as all the users must login by user name and password and click on his favorable candidates to register vote. This will increase the voting percentage in India. By applying high security it will reduce false votes.


Purpose: The purpose of this article is to discuss the variance in requirements for personal protective equipment (PPE) used among healthcare workers to treat patients actively infected with the Ebola virus in West Africa. Background: The Ebola virus is a highly contagious disease, which has killed 11020 people within the past year. In order to combat the disease and treat those with active infections, healthcare workers are required to use PPE. The guidelines for the PPE, in addition to the requirements of what should be worn, are varied between the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Description: A military unit was composed of sister services (Army, Navy, and Air Force) deployed to Monrovia, Liberia, to assist in mitigating the devastating effects of the Ebola virus. Each service member was taught PPE standards according to the WHO and were assigned to teach healthcare workers from around the world on how to manage the care of patients infected with the Ebola virus, while simultaneously taking diligent precautions to protect themselves against the deadly disease. Outcome: More than 1500 healthcare workers were instructed on the latest PPE standards before they entered into the Ebola treatment units (ETUs) that were being constructed in Liberia. Cumulative death rates from the Ebola virus in Liberia increased from 2413 in October 2014 to 3686 by January 2015. Conclusion/Implications for Practice: The rapid decline in Ebola mortality is multifactorial. The efforts of US military medical personnel likely were a contributing factor in this rapid decline as those international health workers were afforded the latest in PPE training with strict attention to detail. US military medical personnel, in concert with other governmental agencies, created a potent force multiplier in the efforts to curb this deadly infection. The educational initiative was essential to the slowdown in the spread of the Ebola virus in Liberia. Recommendations for a detailed review of the PPE standards and variances in practice from both WHO and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are necessary to standardize processes across international healthcare workers to expedite the care for future infectious disease outbreaks. A possible solution is to modify the PPE process to standardize with the WHO guidelines. Key stakeholders from all levels (staff nurse, clinical nurse specialist, nurse managers, infectious disease experts, etc) need to be heavily involved in this process.


PCR and in situ hybridization analysis were used for detection of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) in an infected, cultured shrimp population over a long period in the absence of disease outbreaks. The shrimp were derived from a single WSSV-carrier brooder and cultured first in a tank and then in outdoor ponds. Prior to harvest at 13 mo, no l-step PCR-positive specimens were found, even though most tested specimens were found to be 2-step PCR-positive. At 7 mo, 2-step PCR-positive tissues were found in 5 sampled shrimp. Heart, gill, integument, muscle and stomach tissues best supported viral replication At 13 mo several shrimp died, and l-step PCR-positive individuals were found for the first time Although superficially healthy, 10% of the surviving adults had tiny white spots on their carapace, and In sjtu hybridization analysis revealed WSSV-positive cells in 40% of the specimens examined. As before, most were found in the stomach, integument and gills, and only very few in the lymphoid organ and other organs. These observations contrasted to those for experimentally infected shrimp with gross signs of terminal WSSV infection, where strong positive signals were also observed in the lymphoid organ and in other organs of ectodermal or mesodermal origin. Our results showed clearly that whatever the source, WSSV was carried in the shrimp population at a low intensity (i.e. nested PCR was required for detection) for a very long time in the absence of massive mortality. We hypothesize that disease outbreaks do not occur if shrimp defense mechanisms manage to contain lowintensity viral infections under low-stress culture conditions. Conversely, outbreaks may occur under stressful conditions.


NUMEROUS studies of grafts in the venous system performed in this1,2and other laboratories over the past six years have resulted in generally unsatisfactory results with prostheses and venous homografts. Autografts have given better results. The graft failure has usually resulted from early intraluminal thrombosis or from late stenosis at the suture line. Since 1960, Moore and associates3and others4-6have reported fairly successful superior vena cava grafting using Teflon prostheses which they have considered to be the most reliable prostheses for this purpose. In one of the more extensive studies, Wada and Ogasawara7demonstrated the limitations of the various prostheses. In this laboratory the results with Teflon have not been sufficiently reliable to permit clinical evaluation. Pilot studies by Bryant et al8in 1958 suggested that an arteriovenous fistula tended to permit venous grafts to remain patent. Recently, using the temporary arteriovenous shunt


PURPOSE
Prostate cancer represents the most common cancer diagnosis in Black men and is the second leading cause of cancer death in this population. Multilevel disparities have been well-documented in Black men with prostate cancer and play a role in poorer survival outcomes when compared with White men with prostate cancer. In this review, we highlight the changing trend in disparities for systemic therapy outcomes in Black men diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer.

METHODS
We reviewed data from real-world registries and prospective clinical trials with a particular focus on equal access settings to compare outcomes to systemic therapies between Black and White men with metastatic prostate cancer.

RESULTS
In metastatic prostate cancer, there is growing evidence to suggest that Black men may have similar, if not better, outcomes to systemic therapies than White men with advanced disease, as corroborated by prospective studies and clinical trials where health care delivery and follow-up are more likely to be standardized.

CONCLUSION
This review illustrates the importance of nonbiological drivers of racial disparities in Black men with advanced prostate cancer. Mitigating barriers to health care access and delivery as well as including participation in clinical trials will be pivotal to ongoing efforts to address disparities in systemic therapy outcomes for Black men with metastatic prostate cancer.


Flow cytometry estimates of genome sizes among species of Drosophila show a 3-fold variation, ranging from ∼127 Mb in Drosophila mercatorum to ∼400 Mb in Drosophila cyrtoloma. However, the assembled portion of the Muller F Element (orthologous to the fourth chromosome in Drosophila melanogaster) shows a nearly 14-fold variation in size, ranging from ∼1.3 Mb to > 18 Mb. Here, we present chromosome-level long read genome assemblies for four Drosophila species with expanded F Elements ranging in size from 2.3 Mb to 20.5 Mb. Each Muller Element is present as a single scaffold in each assembly. These assemblies will enable new insights into the evolutionary causes and consequences of chromosome size expansion.


Abstract Alterations in sensory processing have been demonstrated in chronic low back and neck pain. However, it has not been yet systematically summarized how early these changes occur in spinal pain. This systematic review examines the available literature measuring somatosensory function in acute (<6 weeks) and subacute (6-12 weeks) spinal pain. The protocol for this review has been registered on the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO). An electronic search of 4 databases was conducted to retrieve studies assessing somatosensory function by quantitative sensory testing in adults with spinal pain of up to 12 weeks duration. Two reviewers independently screened the studies and assessed the risk of bias. Studies were grouped according to spinal pain condition (whiplash injury, idiopathic neck pain, and nonspecific low back pain), and, where possible, meta-analyses were performed for comparable results. Fifteen studies were included. Sources of bias included lack of assessor blinding, unclear sampling methods, and lack of control for confounders. We found that: (1) there is consistent evidence for thermal and widespread mechanical pain hypersensitivity in the acute stage of whiplash, (2) there is no evidence for pain hypersensitivity in the acute and subacute stage of idiopathic neck pain, although the body of evidence is small, and (3) hyperalgesia and spinal cord hyperexcitability have been detected in early stages of nonspecific low back pain, although evidence about widespread effects are conflicting. Future longitudinal research using multiple sensory modalities and standardized testing may reveal the involvement of somatosensory changes in the development and maintenance of chronic pain.


Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension is one of the most common forms of pulmonary hypertension (PHT), but frequently remains undiagnosed and untreated. Pulmonary thrombendarterectomy is the treatment of choice, but only about 50 % of such patients are operable. About 15 % of patients are not improved by surgery, usually because of residual PHT with advanced vascular changes. Drug treatment has favorable effects in inoperable forms and in postoperative recurrence of PHT.


The fissuring of business structures fundamentally changes the nature of employment and work in industries and the economy as a whole. This article describes the core elements comprising fissuring, distinguishes them from the narrower concepts of contingent work and alternative work arrangements, and provides an estimate of its size. Work restructuring arising from fissuring alters wage determination inside and outside firms affected by it and provides an alternative explanation for a growing empirical literature on earnings inequality. The fissured workplace perspective requires different policies for the workplace and labor market than traditional approaches including those regarding worker rights and protections, employment responses to the business cycle, workforce education and training, and job and career mobility.


Hashing based Approximate Nearest Neighbor (ANN) search has attracted much attention due to its fast query time and drastically reduced storage. However, most of the hashing methods either use random projections or extract principal directions from the data to derive hash functions. The resulting embedding suffers from poor discrimination when compact codes are used. In this paper, we propose a novel data-dependent projection learning method such that each hash function is designed to correct the errors made by the previous one sequentially. The proposed method easily adapts to both unsupervised and semi-supervised scenarios and shows significant performance gains over the state-of-the-art methods on two large datasets containing up to 1 million points.


SARS-CoV-2 is an mRNA virus that has plunged the whole world into serious trouble for the last two years. Due to continuous transmission, the virus mutates rapidly and new strains emerged which made vaccines less effective. The study aims to describe the impact of major vaccines on different variants of COVID-19. The successful launch of the COVID-19 vaccine raised hope for the extinction of pandemics and return to pre-quarantine life around the globe. Clinical trials revealed all major vaccines provide a short-term satisfactory level of protection against the disease but none of the vaccines is ensuring 100% safety against all variants. Efficacy drop of several vaccines has also been observed against the B.1.1.7, B.1.617, B.1.351 P.1 variants of concern. Phase 3 and phase 4 clinical trials need to be conducted on major vaccines. Chinese vaccines are expected to be most effective against the delta strain yet having no satisfactory results against SOIY.V2, B.1.1.7, and P.1 Arch Clin Biomed Res 2022; 6 (1): 209-216 DOI: 10.26502/acbr.50170236 Archives of Clinical and Biomedical Research Vol. 6 No. 1 – February 2022. [ISSN 2572-9292]. 210 strains. While the western world has a hawk-eye on mRNA vaccines (BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273) having the highest efficacy rate (around 90-95%). Sputnik V vaccine is recently approved for use in more than 66 countries but its effectiveness against all variants of concern (VOC) is not guaranteed. The analysis revealed that overall vaccination is capable to provide 72% efficacy in terms of protection against deaths. None of the vaccines proved to be 100 % effective against all strains of COVID-19 but developed antibodies to fight better and increased chances of survival.


Following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon accident of a massive blow-out in the Gulf of Mexico, scientists from government, industry, and academia collaborated to advance oil spill modeling and share best practices in model algorithms, parameterizations, and application protocols. This synergy was greatly enhanced by research funded under the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI), a 10-year enterprise that allowed unprecedented collection of observations and data products, novel experiments, and international collaborations that focused on the Gulf of Mexico, but resulted in the generation of scientific findings and tools of broader value. Operational oil spill modeling greatly benefited from research during the GoMRI decade. This paper provides a comprehensive synthesis of the related scientific advances, remaining challenges, and future outlook. Two main modeling components are discussed: Ocean circulation and oil spill models, to provide details on all attributes that contribute to the success and limitations of the integrated oil spill forecasts. These forecasts are discussed in tandem with uncertainty factors and methods to mitigate them. The paper focuses on operational aspects of oil spill modeling and forecasting, including examples of international operational center practices, observational needs, communication protocols, and promising new methodologies.


More than a thousand fixed oil and gas offshore structures were installed in the Southeast Asia region. Indonesia currently has more than 600 offshore oil and gas platforms, nearly half of which need to be decommissioned within the next few years. While the regulators and operators are developing procedures and regulations for the decommissioning process of the offshore platforms, there is also a need to ensure that onshore facilities are available to receive the decommissioned structures and equipment and subsequently process them safely. At the moment, there is no yard in Indonesia that is well-placed to undertake onshore decommissioning activities. The aim of this study is to develop recommendations for yard owners to assure their yards are ready for the upcoming decommissioning projects. Research data was collected directly from field survey in an offshore fabrication yard, owned by PT. Meitech Eka Bintan, Indonesia. In the current study, research data was analyzed by comparing with decommissioning yard facilities in ABLE Seaton Port, United Kingdom which was used as offshore structure decommissioning yard since 1985. Recommendations include the work required to assure the yard comply with respective guidelines and industry best practices. The research begun with identifying the yard's potential to receive onshore decommissioning work based on current primary facilities which are quay and fabrication area properties. After that, a yard modernization assessment was carried out as to identify the best location for the upgrade on the missing required facilities. The results indicate that the primary facilities of the yard are comparable to ABLE Seaton Port with both having similar depth at quayside, capable of mooring barges and Heavy Lift Vessel (HLV), both having liquid containment system at the fabrication area and the large fabrication area at PT. Meitech Eka Bintan yard is sufficient similar to the area utilized by ABLE Seaton Port for Brent Delta topside decommissioning works. However, since the yard's main business is currently on offshore structure fabrication, hence there is a lack of waste handling facilities such as waste handling workshop and covered waste storage area to fulfill the respective guidelines and regulations. A case study was carried out to identify the onshore decommissioning working area and the location of the waste handling facilities on the yard. This study is expected to assist towards improving the readiness of yards to carry out onshore decommissioning not only in Indonesia but also in Southeast Asia region.


The increasing complexity of radar systems and associated signal processing involves a significant increase of the computational workload. The challenge for ground-based radars is to reduce the cost of computing infrastructure whereas for airborne radars, the challenge is to implement intensive signal processing, such as STAP and SAR processing, while reducing hardware size and electrical consumption. In a concrete example of a space surveillance radar, we analyze all the signal processing modules running on CPU and on GPU, then we compare to the current computing system. For embedded applications, we present the advantages of a STAP algorithm running on GPU compared to a traditional general-purpose processor. We also show that using an original ARM processor-GPU configuration leads to an even higher efficiency than the classical x86-GPU architecture.


Near surface quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE) from weather radar measurements is an important task for feeding hydrological models, limiting the impact of severe rain events at the ground as well as aiding validation studies of satellite-based rain products. To date, several works have analyzed the performance of various QPE algorithms using actual and synthetic experiments, possibly trained by measurement of particle size distributions and electromagnetic models. Most of these studies support the use of dual polarization radar variables not only to ensure a good level of data quality but also as a direct input to rain estimation equations. One of the most important limiting factors in radar QPE accuracy is the vertical variability of particle size distribution, which affects all the acquired radar variables as well as estimated rain rates at different levels. This is particularly impactful in mountainous areas, where the sampled altitudes are likely several hundred meters above the surface. In this work, we analyze the impact of the vertical profile variations of rain precipitation on several dual polarization radar QPE algorithms when they are tested in a complex orography scenario. So far, in weather radar studies, more emphasis has been given to the extrapolation strategies that use the signature of the vertical profiles in terms of radar co-polar reflectivity. This may limit the use of the radar vertical profiles when dual polarization QPE algorithms are considered. In that case, all the radar variables used in the rain estimation process should be consistently extrapolated at the surface to try and maintain the correlations among them. To avoid facing such a complexity, especially with a view to operational implementation, we propose looking at the features of the vertical profile of rain (VPR), i.e., after performing the rain estimation. This procedure allows characterization of a single variable (i.e., rain) when dealing with vertical extrapolations. In this work, a definition of complex orography is also given, introducing a radar orography index to objectively quantify the degree of terrain complexity when dealing with radar QPE in heterogeneous environmental scenarios. Three case studies observed by the research C-band polarization agility Doppler radar named Polar 55C, managed by the Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC) at the National Research Council of Italy (CNR), were used to prove the concept of VPR. Our results indicate that the combined algorithm, which merges together differential phase shift (Kdp), single polarization reflectivity factor (Zhh), and differential reflectivity (Zdr), once accurately processed, in most cases performs better among those tested and those that make use of Zhh alone, Kdp alone, and Zhh, and Zdr. Improvements greater than 25% are found for the total rain accumulations in terms of normalized bias when the VPR extrapolation is applied.


In the period domoninated by the triumphs of scientific rationalism, how do we account for the extraordinary success of such occult movements as astrology or the revival of witchcraft? From his perspective as a historian of religions, the eminent scholar Mircea Eliade shows that such popular trends develop from archaic roots and periodically resurface in certain myths, symbols, and rituals. In six lucid essays collected for this volume, Eliade reveals the profound religious significance that lies at the heart of many contemporary cultural vogues. Since all of the essays except the last were originally delivered as lectures, their introductory character and lively oral style make them particularly accessible to the intelligent nonspecialist. Rather than a popularization, " Occultism, Witchcraft, and Cultural Fashions" is the fulfillment of Eliade's conviction that the history of religions should be read by the widest possible audience.


This work aims to generalize demographic parity to continuous sensitive attributes while preserving tractable computation. Current fairness metrics for continuous sensitive attributes largely rely on intractable statistical independence between variables, such as Hirschfeld-Gebelein-Renyi (HGR) and mutual information. Statistical fairness metrics estimation relying on either tractable bounds or neural network approximation, however, are not sufficiently trustful to rank algorithms prediction bias due to lack of estimation accuracy guarantee. To make fairness metrics trustable, we propose Generalized Demographic Parity (GDP), a group fairness metric for continuous and discrete attributes. We show the understanding of GDP from the probability perspective and theoretically reveal the connection between GDP regularizer and adversarial debiasing. To estimate GDP, we adopt hard and soft group strategies via the one-hot or the soft group indicator, represent-ing the membership of each sample in different groups of the sensitive attribute. We provably and numerically show that the soft group strategy achieves a faster estimation error convergence rate. Experiments show the better bias mitigation performance of GDP regularizer, compared with adversarial debiasing, for regression and classification tasks in tabular and graph benchmarks 1 .


This paper proposes a method to simulate the system architecture of IEEE 802.11n MAC. Transaction level modeling(TLM) of bus based SoC platform is used as design approach. Various architectural options such as processor and bus clock speeds, memory response time, and memory size are evaluated with application specific performance metrics. The architecture is verified using the real-time constraints of IEEE 802.11n. In addition, further architecture analysis is performed to evaluate performance metrics in terms of the average and instantaneous throughput.


AIM
To assess the similarities in intracellular pharmacokinetics (PK) of methotrexate (MTX) in red blood cells (RBCs) and other cell lines.

METHODS
Three previously published PK models for intracellular MTX and MTX polyglutamate (MTXGlu2-5 ) concentrations were used: (i) a model for the kinetics in RBCs, (ii) a model for the kinetics in human breast cancer cells (HBCCs) and (iii) a model for the kinetics in various white blood cell (WBC) lines. All three models were used to simulate the response in a typical individual receiving 10 mg oral MTX once weekly and the predicted steady-state concentrations (Css ) and time to Css (tss ) were compared.

RESULTS
The HBCC model showed a lower Css for MTXGlu2 and 3 and higher Css for MTXGlu4 and 5 compared with the RBC PK model, while tss and overall intracellular MTX exposure appeared similar. The WBC PK model showed much lower Css for the parent MTXGlu1 and of tss for all MTXGlun , as well as a much lower cumulative Css for MTXGlu2-7 for the majority of the WBC cell lines.

CONCLUSION
RBC kinetics of MTX differ from the kinetics in other cell types such as WBCs and HBCCs to a variable degree. It is possible that similarly diverse profiles may exist across other cell lines, including those on the causal path in rheumatoid arthritis. Hence, there may not necessarily be a clear link between RBC MTX concentrations and disease control in rheumatoid arthritis.


Delineating and classifying individual trees in remote sensing data is challenging. Many tree crown delineation methods have difficulty in closed-canopy forests and do not leverage multiple datasets. Methods to classify individual species are often accurate for common species, but perform poorly for less common species and when applied to new sites. We ran a data science competition to help identify effective methods for delineation of individual crowns and classification to determine species identity. This competition included data from multiple sites to assess the methods' ability to generalize learning across multiple sites simultaneously, and transfer learning to novel sites where the methods were not trained. Six teams, representing 4 countries and 9 individual participants, submitted predictions. Methods from a previous competition were also applied and used as the baseline to understand whether the methods are changing and improving over time. The best delineation method was based on an instance segmentation pipeline, closely followed by a Faster R-CNN pipeline, both of which outperformed the baseline method. However, the baseline (based on a growing region algorithm) still performed well as did the Faster R-CNN. All delineation methods generalized well and transferred to novel forests effectively. The best species classification method was based on a two-stage fully connected neural network, which significantly outperformed the baseline (a random forest and Gradient boosting ensemble). The classification methods generalized well, with all teams training their models using multiple sites simultaneously, but the predictions from these trained models generally failed to transfer effectively to a novel site. Classification performance was strongly influenced by the number of field-based species IDs available for training the models, with most methods predicting common species well at the training sites. Classification errors (i.e., species misidentification) were most common between similar species in the same genus and different species that occur in the same habitat. The best methods handled class imbalance well and learned unique spectral features even with limited data. Most methods performed better than baseline in detecting new (untrained) species, especially in the site with no training data. Our experience further shows that data science competitions are useful for comparing different methods through the use of a standardized dataset and set of evaluation criteria, which highlights promising approaches and common challenges, and therefore advances the ecological and remote sensing field as a whole.


oss of gastric acid secretion is pathologically known as achlorhydria. Acid-secreting parietal cells are characterized by abundant expression of ezrin ( Vil2 ), one of ezrin/radixin/moesin proteins, which generally cross-link actin filaments with plasma membrane proteins. Here, we show the direct in vivo involvement of ezrin in gastric acid secretion. Ezrin knockout ( Vil2 (cid:1) / (cid:1) ) mice did not survive (cid:2) 1.5 wk after birth, making difficult to examine gastric acid secretion. We then generated ezrin knockdown ( Vil2 kd/kd ) mice by introducing a neomycin resistance cassette between exons 2 and 3. Vil2 kd/kd mice born at the expected Mendelian ratio exhibited growth retardation and a high mortality. Approximately 7% of Vil2 kd/kd mice survived to adulthood. Ezrin protein levels in Vil2 kd/kd stomachs decreased to (cid:3) 5% of the wild-type levels without compensatory up-regulation of radixin or moesin. Adult Vil2 kd/kd mice suffered from severe achlorhydria. Immunofluores-cence and electron microscopy revealed that this achlorhydria was caused by defects in the formation/expansion of canalicular apical membranes in gastric parietal cells.


Apoptosis is an important physiological process crucially involved in development and homeostasis of multicellular organisms. Although the major signaling pathways have been unraveled, a detailed mechanistic understanding of the complex underlying network remains elusive. We have translated here the current knowledge of the molecular mechanisms of the death-receptor-activated caspase cascade into a mathematical model. A reduction down to the apoptotic core machinery enables the application of analytical mathematical methods to evaluate the system behavior within a wide range of parameters. Using parameter values from the literature, the model reveals an unstable status of survival indicating the need for further control. Based on recent publications we tested one additional regulatory mechanism at the level of initiator caspase activation and demonstrated that the resulting system displays desired characteristics such as bistability. In addition, the results from our model studies allowed us to reconcile the fast kinetics of caspase 3 activation observed at the single cell level with the much slower kinetics found at the level of a cell population.