Introduction:The elective way for the diagnosis of HIV-1-infection in the window period and in children under the age of 16-18 months is to search virus integrated in leukocytes. Aim of the study was to assess the sensitivity and specificity of extraction from Buffy-Dried Coat Spot (DBCS) in leukocyte to detect c-DNA with nested-PCR in HIV-1-infected individuals compared to Dried Blood Spot (DBS) both extracted by automated instrument EZ1 (QIAGEN, Hilden, Germany). Both DBCS and both DBS were compared with those tests from whole blood by conventional DNA-extraction Methods: Five ml of whole blood from 50 HIV-infected individuals were collected. 40 μl of each sample were spotted on "FTA ELUTE Micro Card" (Whatman, Inc., Clifton, NJ), 200 μl were extracted according to the manual procedure (QIAGEN "QIAamp DNA minikit) and the remaining sample was incubated at 37 °C for 120 minutes. Plasma was centrifuged at 1000 rcf/1g for 10 minutes at room temperature. Forty μl of the obtained buffy-coat was spotted. Both DBCS and both DBS were dried at room temperature for 24 hours.Two of 5 punch from each spot were extracted with TISSUE DNA kit (Biorobot EZ1 DSP "Qiagen") and eluted in 50 μl of buffer.The recovery of genomic DNA was measured amplifying the s-globin gene by Real-Time "SybrGreen I".The DNA was amplified for the "pol" gene of HIV-1 by nested PCR and revealed in "SYBR-green I". Eight HIV-antibody-negative samples were used as internal control. Results:The experimental protocol adopted for the DBCS showed high sensitivity and specificity.The extracted DNA from DBS and DBCS was characterized by excellent quality and without any inhibitory agents. The amount of proviral DNA extracted from DBCS is similar to that obtained by conventional extraction, while the DBS test was significantly less sensitive. Conclusion:These preliminary data suggest that the amount of c-DNA obtained with DBS technique is often not enough for the diagnosis of HIV-1. Recovery of HIV-1 proviral c-DNA obtained by DBCS assay seems to provide higher sensitivity compared to the DBS-based extraction procedure.Furthermore seems to be equivalent to the whole blood manual extraction yield.Additionally, the SybrGreen I detection system shows a similar sensitivity and specificity compared to the traditional agarose gel detection and appears to be less expensive.


At present, green energy saving idea, aimed at protecting environment and saving energy, now has become the guiding philosophy of modern architecture. Based on this, recycled carpet waste fibers for textile mechanical properties of concrete were discussed in this paper. The application of polypropylene fiber concrete abroad has been widely used, which is becoming more and more popularly in China recent years. Meanwhile, research on the application of recycled polypropylene fiber concrete is still scarce. The experiment of this paper adopt waste polypropylene fibers as reinforcing fiber, and we make the standard specimen which size is . We use the specimen to do the research of mechanical properties of compressive strength and observing the variation of compressive strength of concrete specimen in different fiber volume. We discovered that when we add volume of 0.12% recycled polypropylene fiber and the length is 19mm, the compressive strength of concrete increases greatly. We draw the conclusion that the compressive strength of recycled fiber concrete is better than ordinary one from the experiment. In addition, if such concrete was used widely, we may reach the goals of conserving resources and protecting the environment.


In this paper we explore how the 'employable' student and 'ideal' future creative worker is prefigured, constructed and experienced through higher education work placements in the creative sector, based on a recent small-scale qualitative study. Drawing on interview data with students, staff and employers, we identify the discourses and practices through which students are produced and produce themselves as neoliberal subjects. We are particularly concerned with which students are excluded in this process. We show how normative evaluations of what makes a 'successful' and 'employable' student and 'ideal' creative worker are implicitly classed, raced and gendered. We argue that work placements operate as a key domain in which inequalities within both higher education and the graduate labour market are (re)produced and sustained. The paper offers some thoughts about how these inequalities might be addressed.


TThe objective of the present article is to discuss and explore relevant indicators for assessing the possibilities for the realisation of the concept of "smart cities". Therefore, as a characteristic of primary importance regarding the potential and the expected benefits from the realisation of the "smart cities" concept, we have highlighted the level of urbanization. Supplied and analysed is data about the urban population within the European Union, by country, as well as data about the regions around Bulgaria.As a second most significant indicator is singled out the access to financial resources, which are measured by GDP per capita of the population, as well as employment rates. Thirdly we have singled out a group of indicators which assess the level of technological advancement of a population.


Objective: One suspected source of negative outcomes associated with ADHD has been deficits in executive functions. Although both psychometrically defined and self-reported executive function deficits (EFDs) have been shown to be associated with poor academic and occupational outcomes, whether these two approaches define the same individuals remains unknown. Method: Participants were 194 adults with ADHD from a case-control study of ADHD. Empirically based cutoffs were ascertained for an EFD diagnosis on both psychometric tests and scores on the Current Behavior Scale. Results: Results showed a modest overlap between the psychometric and self-reported definitions of EFDs. Whereas neuropsychological testing largely identified individuals with lower IQ and achievement testing, the behavioral questionnaire largely identified individuals with higher levels of ADHD symptoms, psychiatric comorbidity, and interpersonal deficits. Conclusion: Results indicate that behavioral questionnaires cannot be used interchangeably with neuropsychological testing for the assessment of EFDs in adults with ADHD. (J. of Att. Dis. 2008; 12(1) 92-102)


This paper intends to examine the political rationality of neoliberalism through the Depression Era film Cinderella Man (Ron Howard, 2005). While neoliberalism has been widely mapped out, critiqued, and debated in a host of academic disciplines, the myriad forms American film has articulated, represented, and integrated neoliberal narratives remains a largely understudied issue within the field of cultural studies. The present contribution addresses, through a close filmic analysis, the set of discursive strategies by which neoliberalism reenacts and renarrativizes previous ideological, political, and cultural heritages. I argue that Cinderella Man 'neoliberalizes' the Great Depression, highlighting individualism and resilience while totemic questions such as class identity, the legitimacy of deregulated capitalism, and the specific causes and origins of the Depression are rendered either invisible or peripheral. Taking the notion of Gramscian hegemony as the overarching theoretical principle, I draw on a variety of theorists that have inquired into the underpinnings and logics of neoliberal thinking —namely Wendy Brown (2016), Pierre Dardot and Christian Laval (2014), and David Harvey (1990). Thus, the aim of this article is to analyze Cinderella Man as a neoliberal filmic text which significantly departs from the normative ideological, political, and cultural imaginaries historically associated with the Great Depression.


Single‐frequency acoustical estimates of zooplankton biomass are notoriously inaccurate, varying 10–30 dB with variations in sizes of the scatterers. Multifrequency acoustical estimates are much more accurate but require substantial data processing. A compromise system, utilizing wideband acoustical signals (2.5–3.5 MHz) and broadband processing to reduce the sensitivity to scatterer size variations, has been developed. This system offers the advantages of rapid single‐channel data rates and high spatial resolution while providing satisfactory accuracy in biomass estimation. System design required development of several novel subsystems: a broadband transducer with an acrylic lens for obtaining reasonable acoustic sample volumes from physically practical elements; a programmable broadband signal generator; and a wideband square‐law receiver/detector. [Work supported by ONR Oceanic Biology and NSF Biological Oceanography.]


Implants based on silicone elastomers, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), have been widely used for breast augmentation and reconstruction, but excessive foreign body reactions around implants often cause serious side effects such as capsular contracture. In our previous study, we covalently grafted 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC)-based polymers on the surface of PDMS blocks by UV-induced polymerization and showed effective reduction of capsular formation around the MPC-grafted PDMS in rats. In the present study, we examined the efficacy of heat-induced polymerization of MPC grafting on silicone breast implants intended for humans, and analyzed the in vivo inhibitory effect against capsular formation and inflammation in pigs, which are closely related to humans in terms of epidermal structures and fibrotic processes. The heat-induced polymerization provided a thicker MPC-grafted surface and was more effective than UV-induced polymerization for the grafting of complex shaped non-transparent implants. After 24-week implantation in the submuscular pockets of Yorkshire pigs, the heat-induced MPC-grafted breast implants showed 45% smaller capsular thickness and 20-30% lower levels of inflammatory markers such as myeloperoxidase (MPO), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) in surrounding tissues compared to non-grafted implants. This study provides important information for future clinical trials of MPC-grafted silicone implants.


To support the human factors engineer in designing a good decision support system, a tool kit has been developed to analyze the empirical data of the interactive decision behaviour described in a finite discrete state space (e.g., human-computer interaction). The observable sequences of decisions and actions produced by users contain much information about (1) the mental model of this user, (2) the individual problem solution strategies for a given task and (3) the underlying decision structure. The presented analysing tool kit AMME can handle the recorded decision and action sequences and comes up automatically (1) with an extracted net description of the task dependent decision model, (2) with a complete state transition matrix, and (3) with different quantitative measures of the decision behaviour.


The automotive industry is being forced towards greater efficiency, increased engine power from smaller engines and lower environmental impact by both governmental legislation and public opinion. Oil drain intervals are increasing whilst emissions legislation limit the use of current wear protection and antioxidant additives containing elements such as phosphorus and sulphur. To address these demands and challenges an increased understanding of the link between lubricant degradation, its transport and residence time, and the effect on piston assembly tribology is required. The aim of the work reported in this paper was to further develop the understanding of the effect degraded lubricants have on piston assembly tribology. The small oil volumes and environmental conditions in the piston assembly make the affective lubrication and protection of components in this region one of the most challenging areas of tribology. This was carried out through an extensive experimental programme using a research engine, tribometer testing and chemical and rheological analysis of lubricant samples.


Full duplex wireless has drawn significant interest in the recent past due to the potential for doubling network capacity in the physical layer and offering numerous other benefits at higher layers. However, the implementation of integrated full duplex radios is fraught with several fundamental challenges. Achieving the levels of self-interference cancellation required over the wide bandwidths mandated by emerging wireless standards is challenging in an integrated circuit implementation. The dynamic range limitations of integrated electronics restrict the transmitter power levels and receiver noise floor levels that can be supported in integrated full duplex radios. Advances in compact antenna interfaces for full duplex are also required. Finally, networks employing full duplex nodes will require a complete rethinking of the medium access control layer as well as cross-layer interaction and co-design. This article describes recent research results that address these challenges. Several generations of full duplex transceiver ICs are described that feature novel RF self-interference cancellation circuits, antenna cancellation techniques, and a non-magnetic CMOS circulator. Resource allocation algorithms and rate gain/improvement characterizations are also discussed for full duplex configurations involving IC-based nodes.


The paper studies and designs an genetic algorithm (GA) of the bilevel linear programming problem (BLPP) by constructing the fitness function of the upper-level programming problem based on the definition of the feasible degree. This GA avoids the use of penalty function to deal with the constraints, by changing the randomly generated initial population into an initial population satisfying the constraints in order to improve the ability of the GA to deal with the constraints. Finally, the numerical results of some examples indicate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method.


Background/aim To determine the seroprevalence and evaluate clinical findings and laboratory results of patients prediagnosed with Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) in Gümüşhane. Materials and methods Included in the cross-sectional study were 362 patients (162 female, 200 male) between 0 and 94 years of age, who were followed up after receiving a preliminary diagnosis of CCHF between January 2011 and December 2019. Anamnesis, age, sex, clinical findings, laboratory results, epidemiological and clinical evaluations, severity criteria, risk factor reviews, and a comparison of the suspected negative cases with positive cases were analyzed retrospectively. Patients included in the study were evaluated as RNA-positive by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or IgM-positive by ELISA. Results Of the 362 patients admitted to health institutions with a preliminary diagnosis of CCHF, 242 were diagnosed as CCHF-positive (66.9%). Moreover, 196 of those CCHF-positive patients (81%) were admitted to health institutions during the summer months. Statistical analyses revealed a significant relationship between the incidence of CCHF and patients who had been in contact with animals, lived in rural areas, and had engaged in farming and animal husbandry. In addition, fever, headache, diffuse bodily pain, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, fever of 38 °C or higher, tachycardia, elevated ALT/AST, creatine kinase (CK), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels, leukopenia, and thrombocytopenia were detected in the CCHF-positive patients. Significant relations were found between this disease and these symptoms. However, there was no significant relationship between the statistical evaluation of the disease and bloody diarrhea, bodily bruises, rash, unconsciousness, gingival bleeding, hypotension, epistaxis, petechiae, splenomegaly, ecchymosis, hematuria, maculopapular rash, gastrointestinal system complaints, anemia, or elevation of the international normalized ratio and activated partial thromboplastin time duration, separately. Conclusion Of the 362 patients, 66.9% (242) of those who received a preliminary diagnosis of CCHF were indeed CCHF-positive in Gümüşhane. It was concluded that CCHF remains an important endemic disease in Gümüşhane. In addition, elevated ALT/AST, CK, and LDH levels, leukopenia, and thrombocytopenia in patients presenting with headache, fever, fever of 38 °C or higher, generalized body pain, nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, and tachycardia will play a pivotal role in the preliminary diagnosis of CCHF.


According to Blumer 1 there are two types of erythema multiforme in adults which are of special interest to the internist. The first type, described by Osler 2 in a number of papers, is characterized "by the frequency of recurrences, the association with acute abdominal pain due to exudative processes in the gastro-intestinal tract, frequent inflammatory complications, particularly in the kidney, and the relative high mortality. Occasionally fever may be a prominent feature." The second type, which Blumer particularly emphasized, is characterized by high and long-continued fever and articular pains. The prognosis is usually favorable. Blumer observed 5 adult patients having erythema multiforme of the second type and presenting symptoms of high fever and slight articular pains. He called the condition "the febrile type of erythema multiforme." The occurrence in children of erythema multiforme of the type described by Blumer has apparently escaped clinical attention, because references to its incidence


Objectives: Patients with ulcerative colitis are at risk for colorectal cancer (CRC). Although prior studies have shown a link between HLA genotypes and ulcerative colitis (UC) susceptibility, none have investigated HLA genotypes and UC-CRC. We therefore investigated HLA-DR/DQ alleles in UC-CRC cases and UC-controls. Furthermore, since methylation of the Class II transactivator (CIITA) gene may silence HLA expression in tumours, we correlated HLA allele frequencies with CIITA gene methylation and HLA-DR expression. Methods: Cases and controls were matched for duration/extent of ulcerative colitis, age, ethnicity and gender, but not for primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). DNA was extracted from archived tissue blocks from 114 UC-CRC cases and 114 UC-controls. HLA-DR/DQ genotyping was performed using sequence-specific-oligonucleotide polymerase chain reaction (SSO-PCR). CIITA methylation was determined using methylation-specific PCR. HLA-DR immunohistochemistry was done following standard protocols. Results: UC-CRC cases were more likely than UC-controls to carry the DR17 or DR13 alleles (p<0.0001 or p = 0.02, respectively). Although CIITA methylation did not vary significantly between cases and controls, DR17 and DQ2 were associated with CIITA methylation (p = 0.04 and 0.02, respectively). UC-controls more frequently carried the DR7, DR1 or DQ5 alleles (p = 0.002, 0.05 or 0.01, respectively). After adjusting for PSC, DR17 remained significantly associated with an increased risk for UC-CRC while DR7 and DQ5 remained protective. Conclusions: We report a significant association between specific HLA alleles and either the risk for (DR17) or protection from (DR7, DQ5) UC-CRC. This suggests a possible genetic predisposition for increased UC-CRC risk. In addition, DQ2 and DR17 were associated with CIITA methylation.


The patient was a previously well male infant who presented with a short (50 minute) history of intractable crying and screaming. He had been found near furniture containing spider webs and eggs in the livingroom of his parents' well maintained high-set home. Examination revealed a distressed infant who had developed erythema and swelling of his right middle finger with some extension of the inflammatory response proximally up the arm. There was no vomiting or sweating. Temperature was normal and there were no other abnormal findings. The presumptive diagnosis of red back spider envenomation was confirmed by the discovery of a crushed red back spider in the room. Following telephonic advice from the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories, Melbourne, one ampoule (500 units) of red back spider antivenom was administered by the intramuscular route after premedication with promethazine 10 mg given intramuscularly. The patient'S response was dramatic: within 55 minutes all signs of inflammation had resolved and he was sleeping peacefully. The infant remained well after a period of observation and was discharged into the care of his parents. Follow-up revealed no problems. Latrodectism is a relatively common problem for which a safe and effective antivenom is available. In many households across the country red back spiders are encountered on a daily basis, particularly in summer. There are at least 300 cases in Australia each year which warrant the use of the specific antivenom. ' Perhaps over 2000 people are bitten each year.' The diagnosis is usually obvious but may be more difficult in younger age groups where no history is forthcoming. As with other types of envenomation, paediatric patients frequently require doses of antivenom equal to or higher than those used in adults, as their smaller body mass means the venom is likely to achieve higher tissue concentrations. Tarun Sen Gupta, MB BS, FRACGP Medical Supenntendent Richmond Hospital 58 Crawford Street. Richmond, OLD 4822


Manual failure diagnosis in large-scale software systems is time-consuming and error-prone. Automatic failure diagnosis support mechanisms can potentially narrow down, or even localize faults within a very short time which both helps to preserve system availability. A large class of automatic failure diagnosis approaches consists of two steps: 1) computation of component anomaly scores; 2) global correlation of the anomaly scores for fault localization. In this paper, we present an architecture-centric approach for the second step. In our approach, component anomaly scores are correlated based on architectural dependency graphs of the software system and a rule set to address error propagation. Moreover, the results are graphically visualized in order to support fault localization and to enhance maintainability. The visualization combines architectural diagrams automatically derived from monitoring data with failure diagnosis results. In a case study, the approach is applied to a distributed sample Web application which is subject to fault injection.


A 49-year-old man was evaluated for left jaw pain and swelling. He had a left neck mass that he noticed a week prior to presentation, which had rapidly enlarged and become painful. The patient also had a 2-month history of an enlarging left lower eyelid mass (figure 1). The patient denied fevers, chills or weight loss, but admitted to having night sweats. He had no recent history of oral abscesses or dental procedures and denied having any ocular pain, dysphagia, dypsnea or difficulty breathing. He denied having a history of HIV.

Figure 1
The rapidly enlarging mass of the left lower eyelid had a smooth surface and was moderately tender to palpation.

CT of the head and neck revealed a large soft tissue mass in the left lower eyelid, measuring 5×4 cm. The mass extended into the superomedial orbit, compressing and displacing the globe laterally. Additionally, the CT revealed a 5×5-cm neck mass with central necrosis, as well as enlarged submental and bilateral jugular lymph nodes. The findings were suspicious for an abscess, and the patient underwent biopsy with incision and drainage of the neck mass and biopsy of the left lower eyelid mass. Cultures from the neck mass were negative. The patient gave permission for a laboratory testing for HIV, and it showed that he was positive with a CD4 count of 187/mm3 and a viral load of 131 000 copies/ml.

Microscopic examination of the eyelid specimen was performed (figure 2A, B). Special stains for fungi and bacteria including acid-fast bacilli were negative. Immunohistochemical stains were positive for CD45, CD68 and Ki-67 in many cells with Ki-67 cell fraction of 50% (figure 2D), CD20 in …


In order for artificial agents to successfully perform tasks in changing environments, they must be able to both detect and adapt to novelty. However, visual novelty detection research often only evaluates on repurposed datasets such as CIFAR-10 originally intended for object classification, where images focus on one distinct, well-centered object. New benchmarks are needed to represent the challenges of navigating the complex scenes of an open world. Our new NovelCraft dataset contains multimodal episodic data of the images and symbolic world-states seen by an agent completing a pogo stick assembly task within a modified Minecraft environment. In some episodes, we insert novel objects of varying size within the complex 3D scene that may impact gameplay. Our visual novelty detection benchmark finds that methods that rank best on popular area-under-the-curve metrics may be outperformed by simpler alternatives when controlling false positives matters most. Further multimodal novelty detection experiments suggest that methods that fuse both visual and symbolic information can improve time until detection as well as overall discrimination. Finally, our evaluation of recent generalized category discovery methods suggests that adapting to new imbalanced categories in complex scenes remains an exciting open problem.


For the Latin American Left the road to ruin, or at least setback, was broadly similar across the region and not all that different from the path to success a decade earlier. The commodity boom delivered, but so too did the bust. Left governments came to power in the late 1990s and 2000s through popular insurgencies of varying intensity and composition. Once in office, they focused on consolidating political power both via legalistic measures, most notably through the creation of progressive constitutions, and by continuing to build and mobilize the diverse constituencies that brought them to power in the first place. This process alone was significant. It mobilized people, invested larger numbers in the political process, and in some cases produced important advances for indigenous and Afro-descendant populations. This political process did not, however, necessarily create the basis for radically restructuring the political economy or pose a significant threat to property relations. The governments of Venezuela, Bolivia, and (to a much lesser extent) Ecuador, however, all took steps to deepen the process of change. Flush with oil money, Venezuela went the furthest. But as commodity prices plunged, economies contracted, and inequality once again increased, people protested against attacks on the social-public goods they had won over the past two decades. Popular frustration was now directed at left governments that had come to power on an anti-neoliberal wave, promising to rule on behalf of the nation. Such setbacks are, however, to be expected in deeply contested class struggles for systemic change within bourgeois democracy. Although the specifics differ, the contentious and polarizing nature of these struggles, the loss of middle-class support, and the difficulty of advancing and sustaining left projects in such circumstances is clearly part of the explanation as to why the left has experienced setbacks in not only Venezuela, but Argentina, Brazil, Nicaragua, and Bolivia. How the Latin American left responds remains to be seen, but the simple fact is that it has become an important force on the political landscape.


Power reliability and restoration are considered significantly challenging issues in the development of future smart grids. Different characteristics can impact the reliability and restoration process of the future power distribution system. Two of the main characteristics of future smart grids are the integration of hybrid renewable resources and the implementation of load-side management (LM) programs. In this paper, the impact of integrating wind and solar energies and also the application of LM programs on the reliability and restoration process is examined. Two LM programs are considered, load shifting and peak clipping. The system under study is part of the RBTS Bus 2, and SAIDI, SAIFI, and ENS system reliability indices are computed.


1. The atolls and islands comprising Chagos are a biodiversity hotspot of global conservation significance in it remote part of the central Indian Ocean.

2. This study examines the condition of the archipelago's coastal ecosystems by rapid environmental assessment at 21 sites/islands, which were also investigated a decade earlier using the same methodology. Major changes in ecosystem structure and environmental disturbance were determined.

3. Coral fish abundance was significantly lower in 2006 than 1996. Decrease in the physical Structural complexity of the reefs, as a result Of Coral bleaching and mortality induced by the 1998 warming event, may have been a contributing factor.

4. Evidence of collecting/fishing was significantly greater in 2006 than 1996. This is attributed mainly to an illegal fishery for holothurians (sea cucumbers), which has expanded over recent years and now exerts substantial Pressure Oil the resource. The significant decline observed in beach wood, a readily accessible fuel for fishing camps, is consistent with this.

5. Solid waste on islands was high (median 2 to 20 items m(-1) beach) in both 1996 and 2006. Potentially harmful biological impacts, determined from other studies, include entanglement, toxic effects and provision of transport for invasives or other 'hitchhiker' species.

6. Significantly higher bird abundances were recorded in protected areas than 'unprotected' areas, attributed mainly to absence of predation by rats.

7. Rapid assessment augments more comprehensive ecosystem investigations. It provides a valuable snapshot of environmental conditions based upon a broad Suite of features (ecosystems and disturbances) determined, concurrently, within the same site inspection quadrats and using the same scale of assessment. Copyright (C) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


24 Hypoxic conditions in various cancers are believed to relate with their malignancy, and hypoxia inducible 25 factor-1α (HIF-1α) has been shown to be a major regulator of the response to low oxygen. In this study, we examined 26 HIF-1α expression in canine lymphoma using cell lines and clinical samples and found that these cells expressed HIF27 1α. Moreover, the HIF-1α inhibitors, echinomycin, YC-1 and 2-methoxyestradiol, suppressed the proliferation of canine 28 lymphoma cell lines. In a xenograft model using NOD/scid mice, echinomycin treatment resulted in a dose-dependent 29 regression of the tumor. Our results suggest that HIF-1α contributes to the proliferation and/or survival of canine 30 lymphoma cells. Therefore, HIF-1α inhibitors may be potential agents to treat canine lymphoma. 31 32


China is in the midst of the fastest and largest process of urbanisation in history. Alongside the dynamism of the region's hyperdense cities, however, are alarming levels of air pollution, recurrent stories of toxic food, contaminated waterways and intensifying popular protests concerning polluting factories and plants. Issues surrounding a sustainable urban ecology have thus become paramount in the construction of Asia's metropolitan future. This paper, which focuses particularly on the Shanghai region, suggests that the ideas and practices of "cultivation" might be of value in the creation and imagination of a future ecological metropolis. We examine self-cultivation concretely, as a set of situated embodied practices in specific places and specific historical conditions. We also explore the abstract conceptual idea, by looking at how the modern philosopher Mou Zongsan articulated the idea of "cultivation" as a guide for life. Ultimately, we are interested in how the embodied cultural practices of cultivation can be harnessed as a strategy of re-enchantment, with the power to reconfigure urban nature in the Chinese megacity of the 21st century.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE
Weight loss and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) are common in Parkinson's disease (PD). We aimed to study the relationship between weight loss and SIBO in PD.

METHODS
This was a cross-sectional study with a prospective, interventional component. Consecutive patients seen in the PD clinic who agreed to participate underwent extensive history, movement exam, SIBO breath testing and answered questionnaires. A subset of those in the weight loss group were treated with rifaximin for 14 days and returned 3 months later for an assessment of their weight, GI symptoms, quality of life and SIBO status. All analyses were adjusted for age and disease duration.

RESULTS
Fifty-one patients participated in the study; 37 without weight loss and 14 with weight loss. Total energy intake including the distribution of macronutrient intake was similar between groups while physical activity was less in those with weight loss. PD severity scores did not differ between groups; however, PD-specific quality of life scores were significantly worse for the summary index and the subscales of emotional well-being, social support and communication. The prevalence of constipation, dyspepsia and abdominal pain/discomfort was higher in those with weight loss. The prevalence of SIBO was 14% in the weight loss group and was not different between groups. Eight PD patients with weight loss were treated with rifaximin; no significant change in GI symptoms, quality of life or weight was seen 3 months later.

CONCLUSION
Although a number of differences were identified in quality of life and gastrointestinal symptoms between groups with and without weight loss, SIBO was not associated with weight loss in patients with PD. Given the exploratory nature and small number of patients with weight loss, however, further study is suggested.


The role of livestock grazing and big-game browsing in the decline of aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) in the Intermountain West has long been questioned. All known aspen exclosures (n=8) on the Dixie and Fishlake National Forests in south-central Utah were measured during late summer of 1995 and 1996 to determine aspen stem dynamics, successional status, and understory species composition. Five of the exclosures were of a 3-part design with a total-exclusion portion, a livestock-exclusion portion, and a combined-use portion which permitted the effects of deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and elk (Cervus elaphus) herbivory to be measured separately from those of livestock. Aspen within all total-exclusion plots successfully regenerated and developed multi-aged stems without the influence of fire or other disturbance. Aspen subjected to browsing by wildlife, primarily mule deer, either failed to regenerate successfully or regenerated at stem densities significantly lower (2,498 stems ha(-1)) than that on total-exclusion plots (4,474 stems ha(-1)). On combined wildlife-livestock-use plots, most aspen failed to regenerate successfully, or did so at low stem densities (1,012 stems/ha(-1)). Aspen successfully regenerated on ungulate-use plots only when deer numbers were low. Similarly, ungulate herbivory had significant effects on understory species composition. In general, utilization by deer tended to reduce shrubs and tall palatable forbs while favoring the growth of native grasses. The addition of livestock grazing, however, tended to reduce native grasses while promoting introduced species and bare soil. Thus, communities dominated by old-age or single-age trees appear to be a product of ungulate browsing, not a biological attribute of aspen as has been commonly assumed. There was no evidence that climatic variation affected aspen regeneration. Observed differences are attributed to varied histories of ungulate herbivory. DOI:10.2458/azu_jrm_v53i2_kay


Abstract Scaphoideus titanus is the invasive vector of the phytoplasma causing the Flavescence dorée in European vineyards. This epidemic is a serious threat to viticulture that has been increasing for more than 60 years in Europe. We studied the effect of synchrony with the plant phenology and the effect of plant-sap quality on the individual fitness. Thus, we conducted laboratory experiments to determine if insect hatchings were synchronized with grapevine bud break. We used two natural populations: one from a cold winter vineyard and one from a mild winter vineyard. In both cases, egg hatching was synchronized with bud break and leaf appearance. The phloem quality of the young and old leaves as a food source was analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography, and the effects on S. titanus growth were evaluated. Phloem composition varied with the grapevine cutting's age but also varied between leaves of different ages from the same plant. The older leaves were less nutritious because they had the highest carbon-to-nitrogen ratio and the lowest content of essential amino acids. Despite diverse phloem qualities, no fitness difference was observed. We found that the synchronization of egg hatchings with bud break is well regulated. However, the nymphs are not affected by the phloem-sap quality, suggesting that S. titanus may accept different food qualities and that egg hatching synchrony could contribute to population expansion in vineyards.


The TCL-1 gene maps at chromosome 14q32.1 and is activated in T cell leukemias and lymphomas by either chromosome translocations or inversions that juxtapose the TCL-1 gene to the alpha/delta or the beta locus of the T cell receptor. The open reading frame of the TCL-1 gene, coding for a protein of 114 amino acids, was expressed in bacteria and antisera were raised against it. The antibodies recognized the predicted TCL-1 M(r) 14,000 protein product in cells expressing TCL-1 mRNA. Cell fractionation experiments indicated that the TCL-1 protein is present in the microsomal fraction. These results were confirmed by confocal microscopy. The TCL-1 protein has considerable sequence similarities to the product of the MTCP-1 gene on chromosome Xq28, which is involved in T cell lympho-proliferative diseases. Thus, TCL-1 may represent a member of a novel family of genes involved in lymphoid proliferation and/or survival and in T cell malignancies.


Reinforced concrete corrosion can be monitored by the acoustic emissions produced by transient mechanical waves of corrosion and damage events. This study aims to use 3D-printed one-way valves to relieve the corrosion-induced internal pressure on concrete structures. This valve is designed in such a way that it can be simply installed to existing structures to increase corrosion resistance in the concrete structure and extend the service life. The impressed current technique is a common technique used to rapidly corrode reinforced concrete samples. To corrode the concrete samples, current was passed through the internal steel strand and copper mesh. This study also investigated the use of an Internet-of-Things device to continuously monitor corrosion in steel-reinforced concrete samples in order to determine the effectiveness of the designed valves. Pressure testing revealed that the designed valves were against backflow and cracked at very low pressure. It was ideal that the valves cracked at a lower pressure so as to release pressure constantly while preventing further corrosion in backflow. This type of valve will prevent reinforced concrete surface cracking and extend the service life of concrete structures by releasing internal pressure build-up without allowing foreign materials to further corrode the steel reinforcement.


This paper examines the extent to which empirical estimates of inbreeding depression and inter-population heterosis in subdivided populations, as well as the effects of local population size on mean fitness, can be explained in terms of estimates of mutation rates, and the distribution of selection coefficients against deleterious mutations provided by population genomics data. Using results from population genetics models, numerical predictions of the genetic load, inbreeding depression and heterosis were obtained for a broad range of selection coefficients and mutation rates. The models allowed for the possibility of very high mutation rates per nucleotide site, as is sometimes observed for epiallelic mutations. There was fairly good quantitative agreement between the theoretical predictions and empirical estimates of heterosis and the effects of population size on genetic load, on the assumption that the deleterious mutation rate per individual per generation is approximately one, but there was less good agreement for inbreeding depression. Weak selection, of the order of magnitude suggested by population genomic analyses, is required to explain the observed patterns. Possible caveats concerning the applicability of the models are discussed.


Two extremely wet winters in 2015/16 and 2018/19 over Southeast China are compared in this study. South-to-north discrepancies appear in the spatial distribution of precipitation, with anomalous precipitation centered over the southeast coast in 2015/16 and the lower reaches of Yangtze River valley in 2018/19, respectively. Both instances of enhanced precipitation are ascribed mainly to warm and moist advection from the south, with transport in 2015/16 partly by a deepened India–Burma trough to the west, whereas with transport in 2018/19 mainly by a subtropical western North Pacific anticyclone (WNPAC). Both the India–Burma trough and WNPAC are maintained by the wave trains propagating along the South Asian jet, which are zonally offset by a quarter-wavelength. Further study of the wave train sources in 2015/16 and 2018/19 shows that they both tend to originate from extremely strong storm-track activity over the North Atlantic but have different displacement. The former is located more northeastward than the mean storm track and is modulated by a strong positive NAO, whereas the latter lies over the midlatitude central North Atlantic along with a circumglobal teleconnection. These differences further result in a quarter-wavelength offset in the Rossby wave source near the entrance of the South Asian jet by the convergence of upper-level divergent wind.


In this paper, we question the accuracies and validity ranges of conventional geometry-based one-ring models (GBORMs) and their variants whose correlation functions (CFs) are based on approximate total propagation distances (TPDs) under a small beamwidth (or small angular spread) assumption. To answer this, we use a reference GBORM for space-time-frequency (STF) correlated channels and analyze the accuracies and validity ranges of the conventional models. Our analysis shows that the conventional models become inaccurate for urban pico/micro/macrocells, vehicular-to-vehicular, and wideband channels, where large beamwidths and relative propagation delays are typical. In order to remedy these issues, we propose new TPDs and closed-form STF-CF using novel approximation methods with Jacobi-Anger expansion and show their superior accuracies and validity range. The new closed-form STF-CF represents or includes conventional closed-form CFs as special cases for small beamwidth. Also, it has favorable properties facilitating its use in a wide range of propagation channels. The applicability of the new solutions to conventional wideband models are tested and verified based on measured data.


In the context of cosmological perturbation theory, we derive the second-order Boltzmann equation describing the evolution of the distribution function of radiation without a specific gauge choice. The essential steps in deriving the Boltzmann equation are revisited and extended given this more general framework: (i) the polarization of light is incorporated in this formalism by using a tensor-valued distribution function; (ii) the importance of a choice of the tetrad field to define the local inertial frame in the description of the distribution function is emphasized; (iii) we perform a separation between temperature and spectral distortion, both for the intensity and polarization for the first time; (iv) the gauge dependence of all perturbed quantities that enter the Boltzmann equation is derived, and this enables us to check the correctness of the perturbed Boltzmann equation by explicitly showing its gauge-invariance for both intensity and polarization. We finally discuss several implications of the gauge dependence for the observed temperature.


Either calorie restriction [CR; consuming 60-65% of ad libitum (AL) intake] or acute exercise can independently improve insulin sensitivity in old age, but their combined effects on muscle insulin signaling and glucose uptake have previously been unknown. Accordingly, we assessed the independent and combined effects of CR (beginning at 14 wk old) and acute exercise (3-4 h postexercise) on insulin signaling and glucose uptake in insulin-stimulated epitrochlearis muscles from 30-mo-old rats. Either CR alone or exercise alone vs. AL sedentary controls induced greater insulin-stimulated glucose uptake. Combined CR and exercise vs. either treatment alone caused an additional increase in insulin-stimulated glucose uptake. Either CR or exercise alone vs. AL sedentary controls increased Akt Ser(473) and Akt Thr(308) phosphorylation. Combined CR and exercise further elevated Akt phosphorylation on both sites. CR alone, but not exercise alone, vs. AL sedentary controls significantly increased Akt substrate of 160 kDa (AS160) Ser(588) and Thr(642) phosphorylation. Combined CR and exercise did not further enhance AS160 phosphorylation. Exercise alone, but not CR alone, modestly increased GLUT4 abundance. Combined CR and exercise did not further elevate GLUT4 content. These results suggest that CR or acute exercise independently increases insulin-stimulated glucose uptake via overlapping (greater Akt phosphorylation) and distinct (greater AS160 phosphorylation for CR, greater GLUT4 for exercise) mechanisms. Our working hypothesis is that greater insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in the combined CR and exercise group vs. CR or exercise alone relies on greater Akt activation, leading to greater phosphorylation of one or more Akt substrates other than AS160.


Archaeologists are widely regarded as searching in our present reality for traces of the past. However, in this text the author argues that archaeologists searching for the past will instead find their present. In reviewing the relations between archaeology, heritage and contemporary society, he argues that the remains of the past which archaeology studies are much more than a record of past human realities. Instead, he proposes that archaeological objects and practices can be conceived of as media of social practice. They assist us in negotiating our very own social realities and our understanding of what it means to be human. It is this quality that archaeology and heritage should mainly be concerned about in contemporary society. This perspective can considerably increase the value and significance of the discipline and practice of archaeology in present-day society.


Microblogging services such as Twitter are important, up-to-date, and live sources of information on a multitude of topics and events. An increasing number of systems use such services to detect and analyze events in real-time as they unfold. In this context, we recently proposed ArmaTweet—a system developed in collaboration among armasuisse and the Universities of Oxford and Fribourg to support semantic event detection on Twitter streams. Our experiments have shown that ArmaTweet is successful at detecting many complex events that cannot be detected by simple keyword-based search methods alone. Building up on this work, we explore in this paper several approaches for event detection on microposts. In particular, we describe and compare four different approaches based on keyword search (Plain-Seed-Query), information retrieval (Temporal Query Expansion), Word2Vec word embeddings (Embedding), and semantic retrieval (ArmaTweet). We provide an extensive empirical evaluation of these techniques using a benchmark dataset of about 200 million tweets on six event categories that we collected. While the performance of individual systems varies depending on the event category, our results show that ArmaTweet outperforms the other approaches on five out of six categories, and that a combined approach offers highest recall without adversely affecting precision of event detection.


Dental based human identification is commonly used in forensic. In a case of large scale investigation, manual identification needs a large amount of time. In this paper, we developed an automated human identification system based on dental radiographs. The system developed has two main stages. The first stage is to arrange a database consisting of labeled dental radiographs. The second stage is the searching process in the database in order to retrieve the identification result. Both sta ges use a number of image processing techniques, classification methods, and a numbering system in order to generate dental radiograph's features and patterns. The first technique is preprocessing which includes image enhancement and binarization, single tooth extraction, and feature extraction. Next, we performed dental classification process which aims to classify the extracted tooth into molar or premolar using the binary support vector machine method. After that, a numbering process is executed in accordance with molar and premolar pattern obtained in the previous process. Our experiments using 16 dental radiographs that consist of 6 bitewing radiographs and 10 panoramic radiographs, 119 teeth objects in total, has shown good performance of classification. The accuracy value of dental pattern classification and dental numbering system are 91.6 % and 81.5% respectively.


Objectives This study aimed to determine the rates of psychological symptoms among those with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and with non-TBI at 3 months and 12 months after occupational injury and to examine the change in psychological status over time. Method Our study candidates were injured workers in Taiwan who were hospitalised for 3 days or longer and received hospitalisation benefits from the Labour Insurance. A self-reported questionnaire including Brief Symptom Rating Scale (BSRS-50) and Post-traumatic Symptom Checklist (PTSC) was sent to workers at 3 months and 12 months. Results Among 853 injured workers who completed the questionnaire at 3 and 12 months, regarding to the severity of BSRS score, 7.8% of those with TBI had recovered at 12 months, comparing with 8.1% in those with non-TBI. On the other hand, approximately11.6% of those with TBI had recovered from post-traumatic stress symptoms at 12 months, comparing with 9.7% among those with non-TBI. Injured workers with TBI had lower rate of recovery from psychological symptoms, comparing with non-TBI. Conclusions A significant proportion of victims with TBI and non-TBI suffered psychological symptoms after injury. The identification and treatment of psychological symptoms are important for optimal adaptation after traumatic injury.


Like most power converter topologies, multilevel inverters are controlled with modulation techniques that are conceptually based on nonlinear waveform synthesis assuming constant dc-link voltages. However, real applications have load and supply dependent dc-links that usually present important low frequency ripple, which is also modulated and transmitted to the load, generating undesirable low frequency voltage and current distortion. This paper introduces a simple but effective dc-link ripple feedforward strategy into traditional carrier-based modulation techniques. The dc-link ripples are measured and used to modify the carriers or the reference directly in the modulation stage. Simulation and experimental results show the accuracy of the proposed method, eliminating low order harmonics in the load current.


The researchers have been focusing on embedding security from the early phases of software development lifecycle. They have researched and innovated a field of Security Engineering where security concerns are embedded during requirement, design, and testing phases of software development. Efforts were made in developing methods, methodologies, and tools to handle security issues. Various methods are present in the literature for eliciting, analyzing and prioritizing the security requirements. During the design phase based on prioritized requirements, environment parameters and attribute a suitable security algorithm mainly cryptography algorithms are identified. Then a question arises how to test the effectiveness of chosen algorithm? Therefore, as an answer to the issue in this paper, a process for Security Testing is presented that evaluates the selected security algorithms. Evaluation is done by generating the test scenarios for functionalities using sequence diagram representing the threats at vulnerable points. Then, checking the mitigation of potential threats at identified vulnerable points. A security index is generated which shows the effectiveness of deployed/ chosen security algorithm. The process ends with the generation of a test report depicting the testing summary. For a clear understanding of the process, the proposal is illustrated with a case study of the cloud storage as a service model.


On the basis of a detailed analysis of the archaeological evidence and of the written documentation, this book examines the origins and the development of the fortification of Shayzar, especially between the 10th and the 13th centuries.


The West Gore Sb-Au deposit is anomalous in the Megurea terrane of Nova Scotia because of its enrichment in Sb, a metal that is essentially absent from other Megurea gold deposits. The deposit is hosted by graphitic and sulfide-bearing slates of the lower Paleozoic Halifax Formation that were deformed into a northeast-trending, upright, closed syncline and metamorphosed to the greenschist facies during the regional Acadian orogeny (ca. 400 Ma). Mineralized veins at the deposit define a single structure trending 110 degrees that probably formed the dextral component of a conjugate shear system as part of regional, northwest-directed compression. The veins crosscut a penetrative regional schistosity (S 1 ) in the host slates and vein formation is constrained by (1) the presence of cleaved wall-rock slates in the veins, (2) vein-related sulfides overgrowing the S 1 fabric in wall-rock fragments, and (3) a 370 Ma 40 Ar/ 39 Ar plateau age for hydrothermal muscovite. Mineralization occurs as stibnite, native antimony, aurostibnite, Au-Sb alloys, and Au-Sb-O phases in vein quartz with associated Fe, As, Pb, Zn, Cu sulfides and chlorite-carbonate gangue; wall-rock alteration is variably developed as narrmv zones peripheral to veins enriched in sericite, calcite, sulfides, tourmaline, and chlorite. Early stages of mineralization are constrained to maximum temperatures of 495 degrees C from arsenopyrite geothermometry, but lower temperatures are recorded by chlorite geothermometry (350 degrees -390 degrees C). Textures of vein quartz include comb and plumose varieties with a bimodal grain size and also a coarser, anhedral quartz. Fluid inclusion studies indicate that the fluid was a mixed H 2 O-NaCl-CaCl 2 -CO 2 -CH 4 type and that fluid unmixing occurred, albeit in minor amounts. Thermometric measurements reveal maximum T h of 375 degrees C and a range of salinities (0.4-28.1 wt % NaCl equiv). The volumetric properties of fluid inclusions reflect cycling of fluid pressures with supralithostatic pressures (to 4-5 kbars P fluid ) recorded by the presence of H 2 O-CO 2 inclusions (to 20 mole % CO 2 ) which are interpreted to have resulted from fluid-rock interaction. Subsequent reduction in fluid pressures (to ca. 2 kbars) resulted in decreasing amounts of CO 2 (<1-2 mole %) and fluid unmixing that generated higher and lower salinity trends observed in T h -salinity plots.Vein-forming fluids are characterized by delta 13 C (sub Sigma C) = -19.5 to -22.6 per mil, delta 18 O (sub H 2 O) = 9 to 15 per mil, delta D = -42 to -64 per mil, and delta 34 S (sub H 2 S) = 9.7 to 10.3 per mil based on analysis of calcite, quartz fluid inclusion extracts in quartz and stibnite. Vein tourmaline associated with stibnite has 87 Sr/ 86 Sr measured of 0.71707 to 0.72284. These data are consistent with a metamorphic origin for the fluid with local inheritance of C and S isotope signatures from interaction of the ore fluid with graphite and sulfide wall-rock slates of the Halifax Formation.The West Gore deposit originated from infiltration of metamorphic-derived fluids generated during the waning stages of the Acadian orogeny contemporaneous with generation and emplacement of felsic and mafic magmas. The mineralizing fluids were focused to higher crustal levels (P fluid = ca. 2 kbars) where brittle-ductile conditions prevailed and veins were localized to the dextral component of a conjugate shear system related to movement along a major dextral strike-slip fault or shear zone (Cobequid-Chedabucto fault system). Deposition of vein constituents resulted from a decrease in temperature and changes in fluid chemistry (decrease in f (sub S 2 ) and f (sub O 2 ) ) induced by fluid unmixing and interaction with the wall rock. Lithogeochemistry of the local stratigraphy does not indicate any regional enrichment in Sb, Au, or other metals. The occurrence of the stibnite may, therefore, reflect either telescoping of metals in a Au-W-Sb province or enrichment of Sb in the source area or fluid conduit relative to other Meguma gold deposits.


NOTICE. TuIE ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS TO THE BRITISH MEDICAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE YEAR i870 ARE NOW DUE: and it is a matter of great convenience to the Association, and conduces to the efficiency of its working, that they should be paid proniptly.-Members of Branches, and all others wlho usually receive circulars at the beginning of the year from the local Secretaries, will greatly oblige, and will prevent trouble, by PAYING ThIEIR SUBSCRIPTIONS TO THIE LOCAL SECRETARIES, AND NOT TO TIlE GENERAL SECRETARY.-All other members should pay their Subscriptions without delay to the General Secretary, T. WATRINWILLIAMS, Esq., I3, Newhall Street, Birmingham. Members of the Association residing in the counties of Middlesex, Essex, and Hertfordlshire (except those belonging to country Branches), should pay their Subscriptions to Dr. A. P. STEWART, 7-5, Grosvenor Street, W.; or Dr. ALEXANDER HENRY, I6, Great Comm Street, W.C.


A sample survey of consumer preferences was conducted in order to determine what characteristics should be given highest priority in a pumpkin ( Cucurbita moschata ) breeding program for Puerto Rico. A total of 527 people from all regions of the island participated in the survey. Very few preference differences were found due to regions, age groups, sex, or frequency of consumption. Pulp color was the most important characteristic considered when purchasing pumpkin. Most participants preferred an orange-yellow internal color. Skin color was also an important consideration. Respondents strongly preferred a 'pinta' or piebald pumpkin skin. Fruit size was important to many surveyed: most preferred a medium size fruit. Most respondents said they bought pieces rather than whole fruit. Skin type and fruit shape were not important considerations for most respondents. In addition to selection for increased yield, a pumpkin breeding program for Puerto Rico should emphasize selection of genotypes with deep orange-yellow pulp, a 'pinta' skin color and medium-sized fruits.


This paper deals with the problem of automatic theme identification of noisy Arabic texts. Actually, there exist several works in this field based on statistical and machine learning approaches for different text categories. Unfortunately, most of the proposed approaches are suitable in clean and long texts. In this investigation, we carried out a comparative study between two different statistical approaches based on tf-idf. Hence, different configurations were used in both approaches to provide a large comparison. Furthermore, an in-house corpus called ANTSIX was created to evaluate the proposed approaches, which contains discussion forum texts related to 6 different topics. Experimental results show that the two statistical approaches are suitable for topic identification of noisy Arabic texts, but each technique has advantages and drawbacks. Keywords—Natural Language Processing; Text categorization; Automatic Topic Identification; Nearest Prototype; High Frequency.


Mouse embryo Mus musculus castaneous epithelial cells, transformed with Moloney murine sarcoma virus (MSV) or with ecotropic murine leukemia virus (MuLV), were analyzed for production of pericellular matrix glycoproteins. The nontransformed, MSV-transformed, and MuLV-transformed cells produced fibronectin, laminin, type I collagen, and small amounts of type III collagen when studied by immunofluorescence using specific antibodies. The virus-transformed epithelial cells produced enhanced amounts of fibronectin into their growth media. Nontransformed M. musculus castaneous epithelial cells mainly produced type I collagen, as shown by metabolic labeling and polypeptide analysis. A significant increase in the glycoprotein production was seen by the MuLV-transformed cells, whereas small changes in the collagen production were apparent after MSV transformation. MuLV-transformed cells produced increased amounts of type I collagen and also some collagenous polypeptides that comigrated with procollagen type IV chains. The ratio of the procollagen type I chains deposited in the matrix was altered in transformed cells. Radioactive surface labeling of the cells revealed changes of the high-molecular-weight glycoproteins in both the MSV- and the MuLV-transformed cells. Unlike virus-transformed fibroblastic cells, these transformed epithelial cells deposited and retained connective tissue glycoproteins in their pericellular matrices. The results indicate that viral transformation modulates the pericellular matrix and surface glycoproteins of cultured mouse epithelial cels. The ability of virus-transformed epithelial cells to deposit pericellular matrices is a major difference between them and virus-transformed fibroblastic cells.


The degradation rates of phospholipids in soybean (Glycine max L. Merrill) suspension cultures were studied by pulse-chase experiments. The only chloroform-soluble product of incorporation of radioactive choline was phosphatidylcholine, the bulk of which had a half-life of 36 bour. Ethanolamine was incorporated primarily into pbosphatidyletha-nolamine, phosphatidylcholine at an intermediate level, and phosphati- dylmonomethylethanolamine to a small extent. The phosphatidylethanolamine decayed in a triphasic fashion with half-lives of 12, 34, and 136 hour. Phosphatidylcholine in this case increased in radioactivity up to day 4 and thereafter declined with a 92-hour half-Wfe. The radioactivity rose sUghtly to day 4 in phosphatidylmonomethyletha- nolamine after an initial rapid decline. When serine was used as a substnte, half-lves simbar to those obtained with ethanolamine were obtained. Phosphatidyklcoline contained the greatest amount of label, however, with phosphatidylethanolamine containing sightly less, and pbospbatidylserine contained the least. Data also are presented for glycerol and acetate phospholipid product degradation.


: Purpose: The main objective is an attempt to present the decision motives and situation of economic migrants during COVID-19 pandemic. The research hypothesis adopted is "The push, pull and indirect obstacles created in the first year of the pandemic, had an impact on European labour migrants only in the short term." Design/Methodology/Approach: The basis were economic migrants from the Ukraine, Poland and Germany. The literature analysis, desk research and descriptive statistics method as well as selected statistical analysis indicators were applied. The conducted analyses feature references to reports and data bases collected from Eurostat and bureaus of statistics of individual countries. Findings: The impact of the COVID-19 on emigration depends on the nature of the migration factor dominating among emigrants. In the case of migrants from Ukraine or Poland (mainly labour nature of migration), the impact of the COVID-19 was short-term. Despite the restrictions, differences in the labour markets of the sending and receiving countries continued to be a strong motivation. The uncertainty for migrants in terms of legislation was also short-term. In the case of emigrants from Germany, in which emigration is dominated by more effective allocation of human capital, the pandemic slowed down the scale of emigration. Practical Implications: The results of the research will be useful not only for migrants, but also for governments. It can also constitute a starting point for in-depth considerations on pandemic impact on international migration and labour markets. Due to the different nature of European countries, economic migration will help government bodies to adopt effective migration policy by developing more effective methods to support the migrant employment. Originality/Value: It is a unique comparison of economic motives for foreign emigration taking into account the impact of the elements of the push-pull theory, both within the EU migration to/from the EU from/to third countries, in the first year of the pandemic.


Introduction: "Jati Belanda"(Guazumaulmifolia Lamk) is a common tropical plant that its leaves extract has long been used traditionaly to treat some tropical diseases and also to reduce body weight as slimming herbs in some of tropical countries. However, the side effect of the administration of"Jati Belanda"leaves extract on themost sensitive excretory organ, the kidney is still notwell documented. Objectives: To study the effect of the oral administration of "Jati Belanda" (Guazuma ulmifolia Lamk.) leaves extract on the histopathology of the kidney. Methods: The study was a pretest and posttest experimental design using four groups of three rat. The study was a pretest and posttest experimental design using four groups of three rat. The exctract of "Jati Belanda" leaves was prepared by boilling of a certain weight of dried "Jati Belanda" leaves in 200 ml of destilated water until the volume of the water became 100 ml. Rat in group I was a control group which were given destilated water, group II were given 0,53 g/100 ml extract, group III were given 1,06 g/100 ml extract and group IV were given 2,12 g/100 ml extract, and the histopathological changes of the rat kidney before, 1 day and 7 days after administration of the extract were compared. Results: Histopathological changes were found in rat kidney following single dose treatment while the control group was not. At one day after administration, mesangial cells proliferation was found in 33,3% of rat in group II and 33,3% of rat in group III, while congestion of blood vessels was found in 66,6% of rat in group III and all rats at the highest dose, group IV. Meanwhile, after 7 days, congestion of micro-vessels was found in all rats of group II, III and IV. Moreover, necrosis of cells was found in 33,3% of rat in group III and infiltration of inflammation cell was found in 66,6% of rat in group IV. Conclusion: A single dose treatment of "Jati Belanda" leaves extract caused histopathological changes on rat kidney. The changes include increased in mesangial cell proliferation, congestion of renal blood vessels in the glomerulus or tubulus, inflamatory cell infiltration and tissue necrosis. Keywords: herbal medicine, "Jati Belanda" Guazuma ulmifolia Lamk. Histopathology, kidney.


Radiation efficiency of antennas is shown to be measurable by a modified radiometric technique where the antenna's physical temperature is varied, rather than the noise temperature of its surroundings. The method is accurate, flexible and much more convenient for routine use. A means of avoiding errors caused by temperature-dependent antenna impedance is described. The accuracy of the method is verified by measuring the radiation efficiency of a horn antenna with a 3 dB attenuator to simulate a 50% efficient antenna, and by using microstrip patch antennas, whose measured efficiencies compared well with values computed from a transmission-line model.


We present a relativistic symmetry analysis of the allowed pairing states in the noncentroymmetric superconductor ${\text{LaNiC}}_{2}$. The case of zero spin-orbit coupling (SOC) is discussed first and then the evolution of the symmetry-allowed superconducting instabilities as SOC is adiabatically turned on is described. In addition to mixing singlet with triplet pairing, SOC splits some triplet pairing states with degenerate order-parameter spaces into nondegenerate pairing states with different critical temperatures. We address the breaking of time-reversal symmetry detected in recent muon spin-relaxation experiments and show that it is only compatible with such nonunitary triplet pairing states. In particular, an alternative scenario featuring conventional singlet pairing with a small admixture of triplet pairing is shown to be incompatible with the experimental data.


This paper develops a theoretical framework for understanding how and what sports photographs mean. In particular, it identifies two categories of photographic features as conveyors of meanings. The first category is the content or discourse within the photograph, which includes physical appearances, poses and body positions, facial expressions, emotional displays, and camera angles. The second category is the context, which contributes to the discursive text of the photograph. The context includes the visual space in which the photograph appears, its caption, the surrounding written text, and the title and the substantive nature of the article in which the photograph appears. Using 1984 and 1988 Olympic Games photographs appearing in popular North American magazines, I show how these various features of photographs may enable patriarchal readings that emphasize sexual difference.


This paper examines the partial adjustment factors of FTSE 100 stock index and stock index futures. Using high frequency data since January 15, 1997 until March 17, 2000, it aims to assess the informational impact of the new electronic trading systems recently implemented at London Stock Exchange and LIFFE. The results suggest that information runs mainly from the futures market to the spot market. We find that the introduction of SETS, in October 1997, has increased the FTSE 100 index absolute efficiency; however it reduced the informational feedback to the futures market. The implementation of LIFFE CONNECT at LIFFE, in May 1999, has reduced the absolute and relative efficiency of FTSE 100 futures. These findings seem to imply that during the period under scrutiny electronic trading has increased the level of microstructural noise, probably due to the bid-ask bounce and order flow imbalances.


A new approach to comer detection is described which is based on the generalised Hough transform. The approach has the advantage that it can be used when objects have curved sides or blunt corners, as frequently happens with food products; in addition, it can be tuned for varying degrees of corner bluntness. The method is inherently sensitive: we have shown how it may be optimised for accuracy in the measurement of object dimensions and orientation.


The aim of this study is to investigate the pre and post privatization financial, social and operational performance of forty two Portuguese companies in most of sectors of economic activity that experience full or partial privatization through public share offering, direct sale or public contest, for the period from 1989 to 2009. That is, this work investigates, whether or not, the privatization of sate-owned enterprises (SOE's) had caused improvements on the economic and financial health of those privatized companies, as it is suggested by the literature of property rights, public choice and agency theory. First, we document significant improvements on profitability, operating efficiency, capital investment, real output, dividend payout, treasury applications, activity levels and capital structure. Secondly, we experience significant decreases in employment after privatization. Third, we observe that, following privatization, the financial equilibrium (short and long) of firms was negatively affected. Lastly, our results are generally robust surviving the partition of the dataset into various sub-samples. JEL classification: G3; G32, L33


17 MAY 1923 * 10 MAY 2008John Paul Wild was born in Sheffield, England, the son of a cutlery manufacturer who lost everything in the Great Depression. Paul's father went to the U.S. when Paul was three months old and, although he was able to provide support after selling some patents, Paul did not see him for the next thirty-three years. Paul had an early love of mathematics that he attributed to the enthusiasm and encouragement of his school mathematics teachers. He went to Cambridge University in 1942 and studied mathematics and physics before joining the navy in July 1943. This two years was to be his only period of university study.Paul served as a radar officer on the flagship HMS King George V in the British Pacific Fleet for two and a half years. On one of the many visits the fleet made to Sydney, Australia, Paul met Elaine Hull, and their friendship grew with subsequent visits. Paul returned to England after the war and taught radar to naval officers, corresponding frequently with Elaine. In 1947, he obtained a job at the Radiophysics Laboratory of Australia's Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and moved to Sydney, his proposal of marriage by mail having already been accepted. Paul's first role was the relatively mundane maintenance and development of test equipment, but after a year he was able to join Joe Pawsey's radioastronomy group. Paul was a great admirer of Pawsey, who provided "an ideal environment to allow everyone to use their own initiative." CSIR became the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in 1949.Paul worked with Lindsay McCready to build, at Pawsey's suggestion, the first spectrograph to study the frequency dependence of solar bursts. This instrument provided a display of frequency versus time covering a swept frequency range from 40 to 70 MHz. Paul travelled to Penrith, 50 km west of Sydney, by train each day with a technician and a hand-cranked movie camera to record the cathode ray screen showing the variation of intensity with frequency of the solar radio emission. Paul recalled, "Every now and then a great burst would come from the sun and we were very excited and we photographed everything that went on. . . . After four months we got so much data that we just closed everything down and came back and I analysed the data at very great length; the results were spectacular."Three types of bursts were identified - which they named Types I, II, and III - distinguished by the way the frequency changed with time. In a series of papers published in 1950, they presented their data and the conclusion that Type II bursts were associated with shock waves coming out through the solar atmosphere at 1,000 km/sec that were associated, about a day later, with aurorae visible near the earth's poles. The more frequent Type III bursts were associated with streams of electrons being ejected one hundred times faster - at a third the speed of light - and taking only an hour to reach the earth. This was one of the first realisations that astrophysical phenomena could result in the production of particles travelling at relati vistic speeds. The interpretations proved to be correct, and their naming of the burst types became the standard.The success of these observations led to the construction of three rhombic spectrograph antennas at Dapto, 100 km south of Sydney, to conduct further studies of the sun at frequencies between 40 and 240 MHz, which confirmed and extended the Penrith work. Paul likened this research to the study of taxonomy that preceded Darwin's Origin of Species. His analysis of the anatomy of the solar flares and his development of the physical interpretation culminated in a unified model that integrated the apparently complex radio flare phenomena in the solar chromosphere, in the solar corona, and in the interplanetary space.In the course of this solar work, Paul became interested in the radio spectrum of hydrogen and wrote up an internal report related to the potential for spectral lines in the solar bursts. …


: Fluoride therapy continues to be the best defense in the battle against dental caries. The decision to utilize topical fluorides is no longer age dependent. Changing disease patterns require dentists to critically evaluate the caries risk of each patient and develop a fluoride treatment plan based upon the needs of the individual patient. A variety of professional and self-applied fluoride products are available and new fluoride delivery systems have recently entered the market. A critical review of literature, combined with an understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of each topical fluoride system will assist the dentist in selecting the product best suited for each patient.


Inhalation of Beryllium (Be) dust, or its vapors or compounds, or subcutaneous implantation of Beryllium can lead to either acute or chronic beryllium disease, also known as berylliosis. It can affect genetically susceptible individuals or workers exposed to the fumes or vapors of the metal. It was first described by Hardy and Tabershaw in 1946. Beryllium can cause either an immediate acute form of illness or insidious chronic berylliosis.


In 1991 Roland De Witte carried out an experiment in Brussels in which variations in the one-way speed of RF waves through a coaxial cable were recorded over 178 days. The data from this experiment shows that De Witte had detected absolute motion of the earth through space, as had six earlier experiments, beginning with the Michelson-Morley experiment of 1887. His results are in excellent agreement with the extensive data from the Miller 1925/26 detection of absolute motion using a gas-mode Michelson interferometer atop Mt.Wilson, California. The De Witte data reveals turbulence in the flow which amounted to the detection of gravitational waves. Similar effects were also seen by Miller, and by Torr and Kolen in their coaxial cable experiment. Here we bring together what is known about the De Witte experiment.


This paper deals with a new mobile micro-robot using centrifugal force. Many mobile micro-robots using PZT elements have been developed, though their PZT elements generally require some high voltage amplifiers with electric cable lines. Therefore, it is a little difficult for the mobile micro-robot to move about in long and thin pipes. My proposed micro-robot consists of many brush fibers, two coreless motors and a button electric cell. These coreless motors with eccentric weights generate centrifugal forces which transmit to the brush fibers with elastictity, and consequently occur driving forces of the micro-robot. First, I derive a basic mathematical model of the mobile micro-robot using centrifugal forces. Next, some simple prototypes of this robot are developed, and the characteristics of high velocity is examined by experiment. Finally, I verify the validity of the proposed mathematical model by comparing simulation results with experimental results .


The publication, dedicated to the 30th anniversary of our state's independence, summarizes the main research results and describes the achievements of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. The main focus is on the developments of recent years. The outstanding contribution of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine as the main scientific institution of the state in the development of the economy and the development of the socio-humanitarian sphere is outlined. The book is intended for a wide range of scientists, educators and cultural workers, all who are interested in the development of science in Ukraine.


Poultry manure (22,5 %crude protein on dry basis) obtained from a battery operation was included in rations consisting of lucerne hay, maize meal and molasses. The control ration contained no manure. In three experimental rations, poultry manure replaced the nitrogen equivalent of lucerne hay in the control ration to an extent of 33,0, 66,0 and 100% resulting in rations containing 14,0, 29,0 and 47,0% poultry manure respectively. From metabolism studies conducted on 28 Merino wethers it was found that: (a) The voluntary intake of dry matter and organic matter, with the exception of the 100% replacement of the nitrogen equivalent of the lucerne hay in the control ration by poultry manure showed no statistical significant differences between the remaining rations. (b) The daily intake of gross energy decreased significantly ( p < 0.01) as the percentage of manure in the ration increased from 14 to 47% No significant differences in energy intake occurred betwoen the control ration and the ration which contained 14%manure. (c) No significant differences occurred among the various treatments for the dry matter digestibility of the rations, although the digestibility of the organic matter, crude-protein, ether extract, nitrogen-free extract, fibre as well as gross energy increased with increasing levels of poultry manure. (d) With increasing levels of poultry manure; the digestible fibre content tended to decrease and together with the higher ash content of the poultry manure rations explained most of the observed decrease in total digestible nutrient and digestible energy values of rations with an increased level of poultry manure. (e) No significant differences occurred in the nitrogen balance of wethers on any of the treatments. (f) The results indicate that the most effective levels of poultry manure included in ration for purposes of production may lie between 14 and 29%.


In this study, a discrete-time backstepping control is proposed for n-dof nonlinear mechanical systems via discrete-time partial feedback linearization and a novel discrete-time coordinate transformation. Firstly, the discrete-time model of the considered class of system is obtained using Forward Euler approximation. Then, a partial feedback controller is established in the discrete-time setting. Afterwards, a novel coordinate transformation that enables the discrete-time backstepping controller construction is proposed for the considered partially linearized systems. After applying the coordinate transformation, the discrete-time backstepping controller design is performed. The Lyapunov stability of the closed-loop system is shown. The proposed method is tested on the cart-pendulum system by simulations.


Premarketing approval by the federal government should ensure not only safety, but efficacy as well. A recent decision by a U.S. District Court judge could have profound implications for the increasing number of U.S. clinics that advertise putative "stem cell treatments" for a wide range of clinical, rejuvenation, and aesthetic applications. In United States v. Regenerative Sciences LLC et al., the court upheld the authority of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to require the premarketing approval of human stem cell–derived products that meet any of several broad criteria (1). The court concluded that the cultured autologous mesenchymal stem cell–based product at issue in the case is subject to FDA regulatory oversight, as it meets criteria for classification as a biological drug, and its manufacture, distribution, and sale constitute interstate commerce. Although the court described the decision, which has been appealed, as "a close question," this new ruling reaffirming FDA authority has prompted heightened interest in the regulation of stem cells as medical products.


Probiotic (Lactobacillus acidophilus) has been known as an effective antibacterial activity, however storage,
high oxygen levels, and gastric acid condition was generally decrease the probiotic viability. To maintain the
probiotics' viability, extrusion technique was selected to produce microparticles. This technique used sodium
alginate polymer and calcium chloride cross linking solution. This research investigated effect of sodium
alginate concentration on the physical characteristics, viability and antibacterial activity. Results showed that
increasing alginate concentration from 2.5% to 3.5% increased microparticle size (from 15.40µm to 37.53µm).
Viability of Lactobacillus acidophillus of all formulas were above 94%, however an increased of alginate
concentration did not significantly affect antibacterial activity. The extrusion method demonstrated its potential
in encapsulation of Lactobacillus acidophillus for probiotics delivery.


The Quarter Port Submodule (QPS) was proposed as a Solid Breeder (SB) Test Blanket Module under the US program of the SB blankets. The QPS features layer configuration, in its left half, where the SB pebble beds are parallel to the first wall and edge-on configuration, in its right half, where the SB pebble beds are perpendicular to the first wall. The objective of this study is to investigate: (i) the QPS thermal profile under steady state conditions and ITER transient loads, and (ii) the impact of the interface conductance h on the QPS thermal profile. In addition the effect of lack of contact, at the SB pebbles/structure interface, on the QPS thermal profile is presented. The results of the steady state cases showed that h has a significant impact on the QPS thermal profile. The QPS transient analysis provided results on: (i) QPS thermal profile under a pulse length of 400s, (ii) burning time required for reaching the equilibrium temperatures, and (iii) time needed to cool the QPS. In the cases of lack of contact, the maximum temperature of the SB pebble beds exceeded the SB temperature limit, which may cause sintering of the pebbles and consequently inhibit the tritium release.


A map showing the prevalence and geographical distribution of the wet carcass syndrome in sheep is presented. Although isolated cases of this syndrome are sporadically reported throughout all the sheep-producing areas of the country, the incidence of this phenomenon is epidemic in the districts of Gordonia, Kuruman, Postmasburg, Hay and Prieska. Some areas within a certain district tend to have a higher prevalence of wet carcasses especially those round the Orange, Kuruman and Molopo rivers. Vegetation type may be involved in the development of this condition in the live animal and should be investigated.


This note originates from the results of the Strategic Project of the National Research Council of Italy (CNR) on "Unemployment". Three polar self sustaining processes have been suggested as relevant: standardisation and variety; global and local context; codified and tacit knowledge. Three are also the main interpretations of unemployment. Two of them agree that economic growth is an essential condition for reducing unemployment and exclusion. However, in the first one "passive" (short term) flexibility is considered as a necessary and sufficient condition for virtuous growth. In the second interpretation "innovative" (long term flexibility) is to be implemented through the action of networks and associations and the coordination mechanism is lead by cooperation. The third interpretation tends to consider economic growth irrelevant (or impracticable) with respect to employment and this is why the appropriate remedies are discovered in a radical reform of the social architecture. On the whole, a partial equilibrium approach is not deemed sufficient and it is proposed the use a whole array of policy options differentiated with respect to the national and local setting and to the influence on the growth potential or the capability to exploit this potential.


We consider an integrated pricing and routing problem on a network. The problem is motivated by applications in freight transportation such as package delivery and less-than-truckload shipping services. The decision maker sets a price for each origin-destination pair of the network, which determines the demand flow that needs to be served. The flows are then routed through the network given fixed arc capacities and costs. Demand for the same origin-destination pair can be routed along multiple paths in the network if desirable. The objective is to maximize the revenues from serving demand minus the transportation costs incurred given the capacity constraints. We propose two algorithms for the solution of this problem: (1) a Frank-Wolfe type algorithm, which requires the objective function to be smooth, and (2) a primal-dual algorithm using an online learning technique, which allows non-smooth objective functions. We prove that the first algorithm has a convergence rate of O(1/T ) and the second algorithm has a convergence rate of O(logT/T ), where T is the number of iterations. Numerical experiments on randomly generated instances show that coordinating pricing and routing decisions can improve profits significantly compared to independent pricing or routing strategies.


Nuclear factor κB (NFκB) is a dynamically modulated transcription factor with an extensive literature pertaining to widespread actions across species, cell types and developmental stages. Analysis of NFκB in a complex environment such as neural tissue suffers from a difficulty in simultaneously establishing both activity and location. Much of the available data indicate a profound recalcitrance of NFκB activation in neurons, as compared with most other cell types. Few studies to date have sought to distinguish between the various combinatorial dimers of NFκB family members. Recent research has illuminated the importance of these problems, as well as opportunities to move past them to the nuances manifest through variable activation pathways, subunit complexity and target sequence preferences.


This paper describes a new technique that can be used in financial mathematics for a wide range of situations where the calculation of complicated integrals is required. The numerical schemes proposed here are deterministic in nature but their proof relies on known results from probability theory regarding the weak convergence of probability measures. We adapt those results to unbounded payoffs under certain mild assumptions that are satisfied in finance. Because our approximation schemes avoid repeated simulations and provide computational savings, they can potentially be used when calculating simultaneously the price of several derivatives contingent on the same underlying. We show how to apply the new methods to calculate the price of spread options and American call options on a stock paying a known dividend. The method proves useful for calculations related to the log-Weibull model proposed recently for empirical asset pricing.


Exudation of organic acids by roots has been implicated in uptake of minerals from soil. Three cultivars within each of two subspecies of summer squash (Cucurbita pepo ssp. ovifera D. S. Decker var. ovifera and C. pepo ssp. pepo var. pepo) were grown in the fi eld. Plants of ssp. pepo had higher concentrations of K, P, and Zn than those of ssp. ovifera. These same cultivars were grown under P suffi cient and depleted conditions in hydroponics, to measure exudation of organic acids from roots. When grown in hydroponics, tissues of ssp. ovifera had similar or higher con- centrations of nutrients than ssp. pepo. Therefore, differences in tissue composition of fi eld-grown plants are likely due to differences in nutrient uptake ability, not inherent differences in tissue composition between subspecies. Phosphorus nutrition played a signifi cant role in exudation of organic acids into the hydroponics solution. For both subspecies, P depletion resulted in exudation of more citric and succinic acid, and less oxalic and tartaric acid. Under P depletion, ssp. pepo exuded more citric acid than ssp. ovifera. When soil was eluted with solution containing root exudates, the exudates from ssp. pepo eluted more K, Mg, Fe, and Zn than did those from ssp. ovifera. Among subspecies of C. pepo, exudation of organic acids, particularly exudation of citric acid in response to P depletion, is associated with the plant's ability to accumulate more inorganic nutrients when grown in the fi eld.


We provide evidence of stock market performance prior to announcements of the assuance or retirement of securities which is consistent with Myers and Majluf [1984] and Miller and Rock [1985]. Stocks of firms issuing seasoned common equity are significantly over‐valued in the market prior to the issue, but in the year following, decline to their original level. Stocks of firms issuing convertible debt also are over‐valued, but to a lesser degree than that of firms issuing seasoned equity. Stock of firms issuing straight debt appears to be neither over‐valued nor undervalued. The after‐market firm performance, measured by earnings, cash flows or dividends, is consistent with Miller and Rock. We document a decline in after‐market performance for firms issuing convertible or straight debt and an improvement for those repurchasng shares. However, contrary to predictions, we find that firms issuing seasoned equity do not have lower earnings or cash flows in the following year, and increase their rate of dividend payment as well. We document evidence indicating that firms issue equity to maintain or increase dividends. The market anticipates the dividend increase and shows no response to announcements of dividend changes following an equity issue. However, we are unable to explain why the market reacts in such a negative manner to equity issues, when the after‐market performance of the firm is as expected.


Modeling the distribution patterns of species is a generally efficient tool for understanding their ecological characteristics. In this study, we used the ensemble predictions of the best performing models in order to project the probability of the Mesopotamian spiny-tailed lizard's presence in southwestern Iran. The models used in our study showed that two of the variables had the highest importance in describing the distribution of this species. These two were the annual mean temperature and the maximum temperature in the warmest month of the year. All of the models used in this study reached AUC values of above 0.9 (RF (AUC = 1), GBM (AUC = 0.99), MARS (AUC = 0.98), GLM (AUC = 0.97), and Maxent (AUC = 0.95)), indicating good overall prediction accuracy. The accuracy of random forest (RF) was the highest. The most suitable areas for the presence of this species in Iran were located in Bushehr, Khuzestan, southern Ilam, and western Kermanshah provinces. Furthermore, we modeled the extent of the suitable areas under a climate change scenario, where the results showed a potential increase in the area of suitable habitats for the species in the future. An overlay of the Iranian Conservation Network with the habitat suitability map showed poor representation (13% overlap) of the species in the network of nationally protected areas.


The high rate of co-occurring mental health and substance abuse problems among antisocial and delinquent youth is a widely recognized problem in the juvenile justice system. Yet few studies have delineated meaningful clinical distinctions in the characteristics of offenders with co-occurring problems. Latent profile analysis was used to identify subgroups of juvenile offenders based on clinically relevant measures of psychiatric symptoms (including past traumatic experiences), lifetime substance use, and drug- and alcohol-related problems stemming from the use of psychoactive substances in a statewide population (n = 723). Findings revealed that a four-class solution fit the data optimally. The four classes identified represented a severity-based gradient of symptom and substance use endorsement ranging from a mild subgroup (n = 195; 27.0%), to moderately low ( n = 250; 34.6%) and high (n = 197; 27.2%) subgroups, and finally, a severely distressed subgroup (n = 81; 11.2%). Implications for identifying and treating young offenders with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse problems are noted.


Most existing methods in vision language pre-training rely on object-centric features extracted through object detection and make fine-grained alignments between the extracted features and texts. It is challenging for these methods to learn relations among multiple objects. To this end, we propose a new method called X-VLM to perform `multi-grained vision language pre-training.' The key to learning multi-grained alignments is to locate visual concepts in the image given the associated texts, and in the meantime align the texts with the visual concepts, where the alignments are in multi-granularity. Experimental results show that X-VLM effectively leverages the learned multi-grained alignments to many downstream vision language tasks and consistently outperforms state-of-the-art methods.


Fifty benign epithelial lesions and squamous cell carcinomas of the penis were studied for specific red cell adherence (SRCA), to identify any difference in the cell surface antigens of these tumours that may explain their biologic behaviour. It was observed that 87% of benign lesions as well as 54% of squamous cell carcinomas of the penis were SRCA-positive suggesting that the SRCA test was not of sufficient specificity for differentiating benign and malignant tumours. A striking observation was that 91% of squamous cell carcinomas which had metastasized to the inguinal nodes were SRCA-negative in the primary tumour as well as the metastatic focus in the lymph nodes suggesting that the loss of cell surface antigen is associated with an aggressive potential and a tendency for invasion and spread. To our knowledge this is the first study of cell surface blood group antigens in tumours of the penis.