In bundled SPC water models, the relative motion of groups of four water molecules is restrained by distance-dependent potentials. Bundled SPC models have been used in hybrid all-atom/coarse-grained (AA/CG) multiscale simulations, since they enable to couple atomistic SPC water with supra-molecular CG water models that effectively represent more than a single water molecule. In the present work, we systematically validated and critically tested bundled SPC water models as solvent for biomolecular simulations. To that aim, we investigated both thermodynamic and structural properties of various biomolecular systems through molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Potentials of mean force of dimerization of pairs of amino acid side chains as well as hydration free energies of single side chains obtained with bundled SPC and standard (unrestrained) SPC water agree closely with each other and with experimental data. Decomposition of the hydration free energies into enthalpic and entropic contributions reveals that in bundled SPC, this favorable agreement of the free energies is due to a larger degree of error compensation between hydration enthalpy and entropy. The Ramachandran maps of Ala3, Ala5, and Ala7 peptides are similar in bundled and unrestrained SPC, whereas for the (GS)2 peptide, bundled water leads to a slight overpopulation of extended conformations. Analysis of the end-to-end distance autocorrelation times of the Ala5 and (GS)2 peptides shows that sampling in more viscous bundled SPC water is about two times slower. Pronounced differences between the water models were found for the structure of a coiled-coil dimer, which is instable in bundled SPC but not in standard SPC. In addition, the hydration of the active site of the serine protease α-chymotrypsin depends on the water model. Bundled SPC leads to an increased hydration of the active site region, more hydrogen bonds between water and catalytic triad residues, and a significantly slower exchange of water molecules between the active site and the bulk. Our results form a basis for assessing the accuracy that can be expected from bundled SPC water models. At the same time, this study also highlights the importance of evaluating beforehand the effects of water bundling on the biomolecular system of interest for a particular multiscale simulation application.


Abstract. Biomass burning is a major source of trace gases and aerosols that can ultimately impact health, air quality, and climate. Global and regional-scale three-dimensional Eulerian chemical transport models (CTMs) use estimates of the primary emissions from fires and can unphysically mix them across large-scale grid boxes, leading to incorrect estimates of the impact of biomass burning events. On the other hand, plume-scale process models allow for explicit simulation and examination of the chemical and physical transformations of trace gases and aerosols within biomass burning smoke plumes, and they may be used to develop parameterizations of this aging process for coarser grid-scale models. Here we describe the coupled SAM-ASP plume-scale process model, which consists of coupling the large-eddy simulation model, the System for Atmospheric Modelling (SAM) version 1.0, with the detailed gas and aerosol chemistry model, the Aerosol Simulation Program (ASP). We find that the SAM-ASP version 1.0 model is able to correctly simulate the dilution of CO in a California chaparral smoke plume, as well as the chemical loss of NOx, HONO, and NH3 within the plume, the formation of PAN and O3, the loss of OA, and the change in the size distribution of aerosols as compared to measurements and previous single-box model results. The newly coupled model is able to capture the cross-plume vertical and horizontal concentration gradients as the fire plume evolves downwind of the emission source. The integration and evaluation of SAM-ASP presented here will support the development of parameterizations of near-source biomass burning chemistry that can be used to more accurately simulate biomass burning chemical and physical transformations of trace gases and aerosols within coarser grid-scale CTMs.


Coworkers' health as an effect of the immediate manager's leadership profile was studied in a survey. Leadership profiles were formed by a cluster method, which produced seven different combinations of behavior. The clusters were named as follows: complete, transformative, entrepreneur, humanist, creative, bureaucrat, and laissez-faire leadership behavior. Mental health was defined as dissatisfaction with work, mental fatigue, and psychosomatic load. The questionnaire was distributed to 1,020 employees at two production plants in a Swedish forest company. 781 questionnaires were returned, a response rate of 77 percent. The creative leader profile was associated with coworkers' stress to a greater extent than the other profiles. However, the respondent's position of employment in the company moderates this effect. Commitment also moderates the effect of the change-oriented leadership defined in terms of the creative and entrepreneur profiles. These results have to be interpreted in the context of the downsizing and restructuring of organizations.


Infection of cells by foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) causes the rapid inhibition of cellular cap-dependent protein synthesis that results from cleavage of the translation initiation factor eIF4G, a component of the cap-binding complex eIF4F. Two FMDV proteins, the leader (L) and 3C proteases, have been shown individually to induce cleavage of eIF4GI at distinct sites within baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells. Here, sequential cleavage of eIF4GI by the L and 3C proteases was demonstrated in FMDV-infected BHK cells. The FMDV 3C cleavage site within hamster eIF4GI was localized to a small region (about 40 aa) of the protein, between the sites cleaved by the poliovirus 2A protease and the human immunodeficiency virus type 2 protease. Human eIF4GI was found to be resistant to the action of the FMDV 3C protease. On the basis of amino acid sequence alignments, it was predicted and then verified that substitution of a single amino acid residue within this region of human eIF4GI conferred sensitivity to cleavage by the FMDV 3C protease within cells. Full-length eIF4GI and both forms of the C-terminal cleavage product must be capable of supporting the activity of the FMDV internal ribosome entry site in directing translation initiation.


Prader-Willi syndrome is a complex genetic condition that affects many parts of the body. In infancy, this condition is characterized by weak muscle tone (hypotonia), feeding difficulties, poor growth, and delayed development. Beginning in childhood, affected individuals develop an insatiable appetite, which leads to chronic overeating (hyperphagia) and obesity. Some people with Prader-Willi syndrome, particularly those with obesity, also develop type 2 diabetes (the most common form of diabetes).


This study investigated the attitude of teachers towards teaching profession, the existence and causes of teachers' turnover and the impact of teachers' turnover on academic performance in government secondary schools in Tanzania particularly Mbozi District. Stratified and simple random sampling techniques were used. Stratified was used to select schools from rural and urban areas while simple random sampling was used to select 200 respondents. Data collection methods were; documentary search, questionnaires and interviews. Data analysis was based on quantitative and qualitative techniques. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences and Microsoft excel were used to arrive at percentages and frequencies, tables, charts and graphs as well as chi square test. The findings indicated that there were different reasons for becoming a teacher, perception of teaching profession, satisfaction and choice for further career. Teachers were interested in teaching profession at a larger proportion whereas few opted for teaching profession due to lack of other jobs and others became teachers just temporarily. Different perceptions were also observed; some teachers reported that their job meant a lot more than just money. Job satisfaction had increased because of flexibility and in case of further choice career, it was found that there was a likelihood of choosing the same career again. The study found the existence of teachers' turnover in the study area which was caused by socio-economic and political factors. Teachers' turnover was found to be one of the contributing factors for the decline of academic performance. The researcher recommends that, the government should provide decent accommodation and overtime payments for extra duties to teachers and also policies should be supportive.


OBJECTIVE To assess the association between high but nondiabetic blood glucose levels and the risk of death from all causes, coronary heart disease (CHD), cardiovascular disease, and neoplasms. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We studied the 20-year mortality of non-diabetic, working men, age 44–55 years, in three European cohorts known as the Whitehall Study (n = 10,025), the Paris Prospective Study (n = 6,629), and the Helsinki Policeman Study (n = 631). These men were identified by their 2-h glucose levels following an oral glucose tolerance test and by the absence of a prior diagnosis of diabetes. As the protocol for the oral glucose tolerance test and methods for measuring glucose differed between studies, mortality was analyzed according to the percentiles of the 2-h and fasting glucose distributions, using the Cox's proportional hazards model. RESULTS Men in the upper 20% of the 2-h glucose distributions and those in the upper 2.5% for fasting glucose had a significantly higher risk of all-cause mortality in comparison with men in the lower 80% of these distributions, with age-adjusted hazard ratios of 1.6 (95% CI 1.4–1.9) and 2.0 (1.6–2.6) for the upper 2.5%. For death from cardiovascular and CHD, men in the upper 2.5% of the 2-h and fasting glucose distributions were at higher risk, with age-adjusted hazard ratios for CHD of 1.8 (1.4–2.4) and 2.7 (1.7–4.4), respectively. CONCLUSIONS If early intervention aimed at lowering blood glucose concentrations can be shown to reduce mortality, it may be justified to lower the levels of both 2-h and fasting glucose, which define diabetes.


Background Overall survival (OS) of patients with hepatic metastases of uveal melanoma is strongly linked with hepatic tumor control. Due to the lack of an effective systemic chemotherapy, locoregional therapies like radioembolization should play an increasingly important role. Purpose To report complications and response rates of radioembolization as salvage therapy for hepatic uveal melanoma metastases. Material and Methods Between October 2006 and January 2014, eight patients (age, 59.1 ± 15.3 years; 5 men) with histologically proven uveal melanoma and hepatic metastases received radioembolization with glass microspheres at a single center. All patients had been heavily pretreated with multiple systemic/locoregional therapies resulting in a long median interval between diagnosis of hepatic metastases and radioembolization (17.1 months; range, 6.4–23.2 months). Follow-up consisted of clinical assessment, laboratory tests and tri-phasic computed tomography (CT) before and 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after radioembolization. Response to therapy was evaluated by CT using RECIST version 1.1 and by survival time. Safety (laboratory and clinical toxicity) was rated according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events 4.03. Using Kaplan-Meier analysis time to progression of hepatic metastases (hTTP) and OS were calculated. Results One month after radioembolization 50% of patients presented with stable and 50% with progressive disease. Median hTTP and OS after radioembolization were 4.3 weeks (range, 3.4–28.6 weeks) and 12.3 weeks (range, 3.7–62.6 weeks), respectively. Median OS after diagnosis of hepatic metastases was 19.9 months (range, 7.3–31.4 months). Radioembolization was tolerated well in all patients without toxicity higher than grade 2. Conclusion Radioembolization is a safe salvage therapy even in heavily pretreated hepatic metastases of uveal melanoma.


An instantaneous frequency analysis is a technique to examine a signature for the rotating machinery if the signal has several transitions within a cycle. This paper discusses the conditions of existing negative frequency components in the instantaneous frequency. By using a simple signal that consists of two frequency components, the instantaneous frequency analysis is conducted while the amplitude ratio between two frequency components has been changed. The calculation shows that, depending on the amplitude ratio, the instantaneous frequencies have averaged, zero‐valued, or negative components. It turns out that the negative‐valued instantaneous frequencies, which have been regarded as the noise effect, are the consequence of the calculation process for the multisignal components. The criteria to show the condition of the negative values in instantaneous frequencies is given in terms of the relative amplitude ratio and the frequency difference. In this paper, a vibration signal monitored from a rotating...


Advances in wireless communication and mobile computing extend collaboration scenarios. Mobile workers using computing devices are currently able to collaborate in order to carry out productive, educational or social activities. Typically, collaborative applications intended to support mobile workers involve some type of centralized data or services, because they are designed to work on infrastructure supported wireless networks. This centralization constrains the collaboration capabilities in ad-hoc communication cases. This paper introduces the concept of Service-Oriented Mobile Unit (SOMU) in order to reduce such limitation. SOMU is an autonomous software infrastructure running on a computing device; it is able to be integrated to ad-hoc networks and it can interoperate with other mobile units in ad-hoc collaboration scenarios. In addition, the paper presents the challenges faced when designing and implementing the SOMU platform. It also describes an application developed on SOMU.


Due to the reduction in costs and elimination of process steps, Industries manufacturing acrylic fibres prefer solution polymerization. In this technique, tile fibres are prepared in a form suitable for wet and dry spinning. The commonly used solvents include aqueous solution of thiocyanates of alkali metals at higher concentrations, It is reported that the structures and reactors in the manufacturing plant suffer from severe corrosion leading to huge tests for replacement of the same, To find the suitable coating material to protect the Structures in such atmosphere, four representative film forming polymers were chosen and the performance of their coatings was studied under different conditions of concentrations and temperatures, Four coatings based on polyacrylates, polyamide cured epoxy, polyurethane and chlorinated rubber were evaluated and among them the coating based on chlorinated rubber resin is found to give better protection in thiocyanates atmosphere


The 1963 March on Washington attracted an estimated 250,000 people for a peaceful demonstration to promote Civil Rights and economic equality for African Americans. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech highlighted the event.


Detection and quantification of analytes in clinical settings (e.g., routine blood testing), at home (e.g., glucose monitoring), in the field (e.g., environmental monitoring, war fighter protection, homeland security), and in the factory (e.g., worker health, beverage and food safety) is exceedingly challenging. Chemical sensors and biosensors have attracted considerable attention because of their perceived ability to meet these challenges. Chemical sensors exploit a recognition element in concert with a transduction strategy. When the recognition element is biological (e.g., antibody, aptamer, enzyme), the sensor is termed a biosensor. There is substantial literature on biosensing; however, there are compelling reasons for developing inexpensive, robust, and reusable alternatives for the expensive or unstable biorecognition elements. This Account summarizes recent research on designing and producing analyte-responsive materials based on molecularly imprinted xerogels.


Clinicians have long recognized that acute myocardial infarction (MI) can occur in the absence of atherothrombosis . The Universal Definition of MI Global Taskforce introduced a classification system in 2007 (and reaffirmed in 2012) that defined type 2 MI (following standard diagnostic criteria) as MI occurring due to an imbalance in myocardial oxygen supply and/or demand not caused by atherosclerotic plaque disruption. Nevertheless, ambiguity remains regarding how to diagnose type 2 MI and how to distinguish it from both type 1 MI and myocardial injury. Here we report a case of a 23 year old young woman attended to emergency department, with typical chest pain and shortness of breath for 6 hours, Diarrhoea for 2 days, and single time loss of consciousness for 5 minutes, 6 hours before attending to hospital. Cardiac enzymes were rising titres in subsequent samples, Serum Creatinine was also high. Echocardiography performed 36 hour later, showed no regional wall motion abnormality, coronary angiogram showed normal coronary arteries. So, a diagnosis of Myocardial Infarction (Type 2 MI) with Non Obstructive Coronary Artery (MINOCA) was made, and MINOCA was attributed to hypovolemic shock (resulting from Dirrrahoea), manifested as MI, Syncope and AKI.
University Heart Journal 2022; 18(2): 128-131


Background: Psychological stress and alcohol are both suggested as risk factors for stroke. Further, there appears to be a close relation between stress and alcohol consumption. Several experimental studies have found alcohol consumption to reduce the immediate effects of stress in a laboratory setting. We aimed to examine whether the association between alcohol and stroke depends on level of self-reported stress in a large prospective cohort. Methods: The 5,373 men and 6,723 women participating in the second examination of the Copenhagen City Heart Study in 1981–1983 were asked at baseline about their self-reported level of stress and their weekly alcohol consumption. The participants were followed-up until 31st of December 1997 during which 880 first ever stroke events occurred. Data were analysed by means of Cox regression modelling. Results: At a high stress level, weekly total consumption of 1–14 units of alcohol compared with no consumption seemed associated with a lower risk of stroke (adjusted RR: 0.57, 95% CI: 0.31–1.07). At lower stress levels, no clear associations were observed. Regarding subtypes, self-reported stress appeared only to modify the association between alcohol intake and ischaemic stroke events. Regarding specific types of alcoholic beverages, self-reported stress only modified the associations for intake of beer and wine. Conclusions: This study indicates that the apparent lower risk of stroke associated with moderate alcohol consumption is confined to a group of highly stressed persons. It is suggested that alcohol consumption may play a role in reducing the risk of stroke by modifying the physiological or psychological stress response.


Nanocrystalline CaTiO3 powders doped with Fe2O3 have been prepared using a soft chemical route. Precipitation of CaTiO3 nanocrystals has been studied by monitoring the exothermic peak in their DSC spectra. The crystal growth temperature of the samples depends on the concentration of iron. Surface morphology, crystal structure, optical and electrical properties of the nanostructures are investigated. X-ray diffraction study shows that the as-prepared powders are amorphous in nature and CaTiO3 phase formation starts at around 500 0C. Rietveld analysis revealed that the particle size of iron substituted CaTiO3 is in nanometer range. Optical bandgap of the nanostructures varies from 4.3 to 3.7 eV for the variation of iron concentration from 0.05 to 0.2 mole %.


When pulmonary hypertension occurs in the face of hypoxia there is remodelling of all 3 layers of the pulmonary vessels, but in particular, there is an increase in number of adventitial fibroblasts. Hypoxia causes vasoconstriction in the pulmonary circulation and vasodilation in the systemic. We hypothesised that the remodelling process might be circulation specific and that there are fundamental differences in oxygen sensing and cell signalling between systemic and pulmonary artery cells in response to hypoxia. Both the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAP kinase) and the stress-activated protein kinases (SAPK) have been shown to play an important role in cellular growth and proliferation in a number of cell systems. The aim of this present study was to examine the effects of acute and chronic hypoxia on proliferation and determine a role for MAP/SAP kinases in response to both G-protein linked receptor agonists and growth factors in fibroblasts from the pulmonary and systemic arteries of cows and rats. In bovine pulmonary artery fibroblast (BPAF) cells short-term exposure (24h) to 2% oxygen (hypoxia) increased proliferation. In the presence of certain agonists hypoxia augmented this proliferation. This enhanced proliferation was not seen in fibroblasts from the mesenteric artery (BMAF). Hypoxia also gave rise to increases in the second messenger, inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) mass in conjunction with the agonists responsible for increased proliferation in the BPAF cells. There was no increase in IP3 mass in the BMAF cells. The effect of acute hypoxia on activity of MAP kinase isoforms was also studied. Hypoxia was found to increase the SAP kinase isoforms, p38 MAP kinase and c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) without effecting MAP kinase in BPAF cells. In contrast, hypoxia had no effect on the MAP kinase family of enzymes in BMAF cells. Puhnonaiy artery fibroblasts from chronically hypoxic rats (HRPAF) displayed increased proliferation to serum and constitutive increases in p38 and MAP kinase, with no increase in JNK when compared to control cells even when maintained in normoxic conditions. This increase in proliferation was not observed in aortic fibroblasts from chronically hypoxic rats (HRAF). 5-HT, with the addition of low serum levels, increased proliferation in the rat cells and could further enhance the phosphorylation of p38 and MAP kinase in HRPAF cells. Specific 5-HT agonists and antagonists showed the 5-HT2A receptor to be the relevant receptor responsible for these observations. The results reported in this thesis show for the first time that hypoxia can increase fibroblast proliferation in cells from pulmonary arteries whilst having so such effect in those from the systemic arteries. In addition, specific signalling pathways have been highlighted which are activated in the pulmonary cells to hypoxia but not in those of the systemic arteries.


Abstract Aglaspidids represent an obscure group of lower Palaeozoic arthropods with a patchy biogeographic distribution. Before the recent description of a representative from Tasmania, these arthropods were exclusively known from Laurentia during the late Cambrian. Here we describe a new species, Aglaspella sanduensis sp. nov., from the Furongian of China, confirming that aglaspidids sensu stricto were already widely distributed worldwide by the late Cambrian; this demonstrates that some aglaspidids had great dispersal capabilities. A new diagnosis of the genus Aglaspella is proposed and the species formerly known as Aglaspella eatoni is assigned to a new taxon, Hesselbonia gen. nov.


This practice based MRes project examines the physiological terror-sublime
proposed by Edmund Burke's A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our
Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful. Using the Enquiry as a manual for artistic
production, and employing word charts to map the territory, this project looks
to embody ideas of the Burkean sublime in contemporary practice.
Simon Morley, in the introduction to The Sublime, broadly describes the
subject as
'…fundamentally transformative, about the relationship between
disorder and order, and the disruption of the stable coordinates of
time and space…in looking at the relevance of the concept to
contemporary art, we are also addressing an experience with
implications that go far beyond aesthetics… Awe and wonder can
quickly blur into terror, giving rise to a darker aspect of the sublime
experience, when the exhilarating feeling of delight metamorphoses
into a flirtation with dissolution and the 'daemonic''
(Morley, 2010:12)
This project uses Burke's Enquiry as the premise for the creation of gallerybased
film and installation, alongside a written comparative analysis of relevant literature and artworks, in order to identify a proposed nihilistic turn in the
Burkean terror sublime.
In the sublime experience, the reveal of an external annihilating power, a shift
in perception or a realisation of great depth or distance, leaves us newly aware
of our physical limits and the limits of our rational capacities. The possibility of
art to discuss an experience at the edge, where conventional language falters,
has resulted in a range of artwork, across mediums, which can be identified
with the sublime. Distinct from beauty and containing feelings of awe and
reverence, the rush of the sublime can be discerned in the installations of
Finnish duo IC-98, Anish Kapoor's deep, dark voids and Bruce Conner's
apocalyptic Crossroads (1976).
Through a process of making and reflection focusing on the dynamics of the
Burkean sublime, and with reference to contemporary writing on the subject in
both aesthetics and philosophy, this MRes asks - how is the sublime in Burke's
Enquiry distinct from the Kantian transcendent sublime, what is the
pleasurable terror at the heart of the Enquiry and, by addressing Burke's ideas
through the artistic process, can a pessimism at the heart of Burke's system be
traced?


Sovereign CDS spreads have become major variables focused on risks and expectations about the fiscal situation of different countries. In the paper we investigate, first, whether there is a link in the new member states between the expectations about the condition of their public finances and the dynamics of money markets, including integration of national money markets with the Euro area. Second, we look on the particularities of this relationship through the different phases of the crisis and across the different countries using different monetary regimes. This concerns mostly two opposite extreme monetary regimes, namely, currency boards (and quasi-fixed exchange rate) - Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, or inflation targeting - Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania. The results obtained form the high frequency panel data models support the theoretical hypotheses and policy intuition that exists strong relationship between the liquidity risk (measured by the short term money markets) and fiscal risk (measured by CDS) and that this link is extremely unstable and in some sense nonlinear during the financial crisis. Our study confirm that the strong link between monetary and public finance risk as apart of total systemic risk increase during the crisis especially for currency boards regimes, when the link becomes stronger and pronounced. For the inflation targeting countries the link became weaker and less pronounced.


Radio frequency identification (RFID) tags will likely replace barcodes in the future, and will provide additional security for items. Barcodes allow items to be tracked only at the sku level, while RFID tags allow tracking to the individual item level. This would allow manufacturers, distribution centers, and retailers much tighter control over inventory, and would also help prevent counterfeiting. While this is a positive advance in tracking technology, privacy concerns also abound. Customer concerns over invasion of privacy caused by the ability to track individual items is one problem with the expansion of this new technology. This paper describes the current technology and some current usage of this budding technology. It also explores issues related to privacy, along with both the positives and negatives in the adoption of this technology.


In this study, nitroscanate (Lopatol tablets, Novartis) was tested for its efficacy against Toxocara canis, Toxascaris leonina and Dipylidium caninum in naturally infected dogs. Dogs that had mixed infections of cestodes and nematodes were divided into two groups: the treatment group (10 dogs) and the control group (5 dogs). Dogs in the treatment group were treated orally with a single dose of 1 tablet/10 kg of nitroscanate (50 mg/kg). After the treatment, fecal samples were examined 5 times at intervals of 2 days and it was recorded that nitroscanate removed D. caninum (4 dogs) and T. leonina (7 dogs) in all of the infected dogs and in seven of the eight dogs infected with T. canis.


This study aims to investigate the determinants of public health expenditure in Malaysia. An Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) approach proposed by Pesaran & Shin (1999) and Pesaran et al. (2001) is applied to analyse annual time series data during the period from 1970 to 2017. The study focused on four explanatory variables, namely per capita gross domestic product (GDP), healthcare price index, population aged 65 years and above, as well as infant mortality rate. The bounds test results showed that the public health expenditure and its determinants are cointegrated. The empirical results revealed that the elasticity of government health expenditure with respect to national income is less than unity, indicating that public health expenditure in Malaysia is a necessity good and thus the Wagner's law does not exist to explain the relationship between public health expenditure and economic growth in Malaysia. In the long run, per capita GDP, healthcare price index, population aged more than 65 years, and infant mortality rate are the important variables in explaining the behaviour of public health expenditure in Malaysia. The empirical results also prove that infant mortality rate is significant in influencing public health spending in the short run. It is noted that macroeconomic and health status factors assume an important role in determining the public health expenditure in Malaysia and thus government policies and strategies should be made by taking into account of these aspects.


The global growth of consumption and disposal of information and communication technology (ICT) appears to be one of the main factors that fuels the increased level of ICT-waste. With ICT-waste causing environmental degradation, there is urgency in the public interest to achieve more sustainable development. This study develops a conceptual framework for reduce behavior at workplace premised on the classic theory of planned behavior (TPB). The theoretical contribution of this study is primarily upon expanding existing knowledge on factors influencing pro-environmental behaviors, by firstly conceptualizing reduce behavior and secondly emphasizing the mediating effect of corporate environmental responsibility (CER) on the relationships between attitude, subjective norms and perceived benefits, and reduce behavior. In short, a well-communicated environmental policy within organizations is urgently required, being a strong signal that encourages employees to engage in pro-environmental actions.


Programmed cell death (PCD), an active process that leads to cell suicide, is a critical mechanism in every organism. MazF, a bacterial ribonuclease protein, can trigger PCD in bacterial cells and also induce Bak-dependent apoptosis in mammalian cells. This bacterial ribonuclease cleaves mRNAs at ACA sequences leading to inhibition of protein synthesis in cells. Hence, we hypothesized that the overexpression of MazF proteins in cancer cells could result in the induction of apoptosis. In the present study, the ACA-less mazF gene was inserted downstream of the Internal Ribosome Entry Site (IRES) and under the control of T7 promoter. The plasmid was electroporated into Listeria monocytogenes harboring pCSA1 that encodes T7 RNA polymerase under the control of the listeria actA promoter. Subsequently, the bacteria were functionalized with Trastuzumab (Herceptin®) to deliver the mazF mRNA into HER2/neu breast cancer cells. The results showed that MazF protein has an ability to induce apoptosis in HER2/neu breast cancer cells. This finding is the first report of the application and delivery of MazF as an anti-cancer agent for the induction of apoptosis in HER2/neu breast cancer cell line. This research suggests cancer therapy that targets only cancer cells but not healthy cells and offers more advantages, e.g., inexpensiveness, target tissue specificity, easy and safe delivery, in comparison to other gene therapy vectors or direct protein administration. Citation Format: Maryam Saffarian, Jeremy Tzeng. Exclusive delivery of mazF in cancer cells by Listeria monocytogenes [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4314. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-4314


Endogenously incomplete models derive restrictions on asset trading from primitive constraints on the enforcement and monitoring technologies available to societies. They have been applied to a wide variety of macroeconomic problems. This essay reviews some of these applications and the models that underpin them.


The oculomotor system is one of the best studied motor systems. Afferents from a variety of premotor areas converge on the motoneurons in the three oculomotor nuclei to produce the different types of eye movements. All oculomotor motoneurons participate in all types of eye movements, and it was generally accepted, that these motoneurons form a relative homogenous group which provides the final common pathway for extraocular muscle (EOM)-motor innervation. The EOM in mammals, the effector organs of the oculomotor system, are fundamentally different from skeletal muscle. They have two functionally different layers, global and orbital layer, and are composed of two major muscle fibre classes, singly-innervated (SIF) and multiply innervated fibres (MIF). Previous studies in monkey revealed that SIF and MIF motoneurons are anatomically separated and have different premotor inputs, which support the idea of a dual motor innervation of EOM rather than a final common pathway from motoneuron to EOM. Up to date, neither motoneuron type has been further characterized nor has any study proven their presence in other species to support the hypothesis of the dual motor innervation as a common concept in mammals. The functional implication of this system remains speculative, though a role of MIFs together with their motoneurons in a sensory feedback system controlling the EOMs is quite possible and heavily debated. However, the lack of a common proprioceptor in eye muscles does not support this theory.
In monkeys SIF and MIF motoneurons of extraocular muscles were identified by tracer injections into the belly or the distal myotendinous junction of the medial or lateral rectus muscle and further characterized by combined tracer detection and immunohistochemical methods. The experiments revealed that the MIF motoneurons in the periphery of the motor nuclei lack non-phosphorylated neurofilaments, parvalbumin and perineuronal nets, whereas SIF motoneurons intensively express all three markers. In addition to the histochemical differences, the MIF motoneurons are on average significantly smaller in size than the SIF motoneurons.
Analogous to the study in monkey, the SIF and MIF motoneurons of the medial and lateral rectus muscle of rats were identified with tracer injections and further characterized by immunolabelling. For the first time it was shown that both motoneurons types are present in rat as well. The MIF motoneurons lie mainly separated from the SIF motoneurons, and are different in size and histochemical properties. As in monkey, the smaller MIF motoneurons lack non-phosphorylated neurofilaments and perineuronal nets, both of which are definite markers for the larger SIF motoneurons.
A possible proprioceptive control of eye movements requires the presence of proprioceptive structures. The palisade endings represent the best candidate for an EOM-proprioceptor. They were analysed using antibody stains against the synaptosomal associated protein of 25kDA, SNAP-25. With this robust method palisade ending-like structures were identified for the first time in the extraocular muscles of the rat. Furthermore the rat palisade endings show characteristics of sensory structures thereby supporting their role in proprioception.
In conclusion, the EOM of both monkey and rat are innervated by two sets of motoneurons which differ in localization, morphology and molecular components. These findings further support the presence of a dual motor control of EOM that may apply widely to mammals, since it was verified in monkey and rat. Palisade endings are a ubiquitous feature of mammal EOM and most likely provide sensory information used for the proprioceptive control of eye movements.


Paul Dukes writes: The publication of the Diary of Patrick Gordon has by now fully established itself as an invaluable source for Russian, British and European history in the second half of the seventeenth century. Volume V, thoroughly edited like its predecessors by Dmitry Fedosov, comprises a wide range of activities on land and sea from 1690 to 1695, many of them involving the young tsar Peter. Having helped the future Peter the Great to consolidate his hold on the throne, Gordon grew closer to him in 'large discourse', being 'entertained & detained all night', and so on. On the practice battlefield, the Scottish general played a leading part realistic enough for himself to be shot in the thigh and his son-in-law to be mortally wounded. As Fedosov says, Gordon along with the tsar proceeded from the pastimes of Mars to those of Neptune in naval exercises on the White Sea. Moving south to actual combat, the Russian forces re-engaged the Crimean Khanate and Ottoman Empire in further episodes in the long struggle for the fortress of Azov. Volume V, the longest of the six, contains many letters to and from Gordon and a wide range of his observations on political developments throughout Europe.


Vulnerability has no universal definition. Experts from various disciplines use the concept and define vulnerability, which leads diverse measuring methods to serve their own purpose and interests. Approaches to define vulnerability vary among the disciplines because of the various components of risk, household response and welfare outcomes. The objective of this paper is to present an overview based on available scientific literature from various disciplines to examine the origin, evolution and use of the vulnerability concept across different field of studies. Vulnerability is exclusively used in various disciplines such as geography, anthropology, economics, ecology, public health, poverty and development, sustainable livelihoods, famine and food security, sustainability science, land management, disaster management and climate change. Therefore, different disciplines have their own reasons for defining, measuring and developing conceptual models of vulnerability; hence there is no reason to presume that concepts, measures and methods will be universal across the disciplines. Lessons learned from one area may not be equally suitable for all. Hence, differences between various fields need to be bridged by a holistic approach and multidisciplinary research cooperation, and geography as a unique multidisciplinary field of study has the major disciplinary legitimacy to fill up the gaps and to create a common platform to work together in vulnerability research among the various research traditions. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jles.v8i0.20150 J. Life Earth Sci., Vol. 8: 63-81, 2013


A waterborne outbreak of leptospirosis occurred among US military personnel during September 1987, on the island of Okinawa, Japan. Micro-agglutination titres for leptospiral antigen of greater than or equal to 200 were detected in hospitalized adult males averaging 22.5 years of age with symptoms compatible with leptospirosis. Epidemiological findings revealed two case clusters distinguished by time and place of exposure. The overall attack rates among recreational swimmers and combat skills training participants were 467/1000 (7/15) and 183/1000 (15/82), respectively. Swallowing of water differentiated individuals with laboratory-confirmed infection from those with no infection, while water immersion alone did not appear to result in leptospiral infection. Additionally, subnormal rainfall may have contributed to the risk of exposure associated with this outbreak.


Working conditions in developing countries, such as those associated with the 2013 Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh, remain stubbornly low despite strict laws regulating hours, pay practices and occupational safety and health. Recent theoretic and empirical work suggests that norms and learning may play a significant role in determining conditions. We exploit the natural experiment of Cambodia's 15-year experience with the Better Factories Cambodia program to identify variation that reveals the relative contributions of laws, costs, norms, and learning in improving working conditions in Cambodia. The results suggest that policies that follow from the learning hypothesis may be the most effective at improving working conditions in the long run.


Neural networks have become increasingly popular for the task of language modeling. Whereas feedforward networks only exploit a fixed context length to predict the next word of a sequence, conceptually, standard recurrent neural networks can take into account all of the predecessor words. On the other hand, it is well known that recurrent networks are difficult to train and therefore are unlikely to show the full potential of recurrent models. These problems are addressed by the Long Short-Term Memory neural network architecture. In this work, we analyze this type of network on an English and a large French language modeling task. Experiments show improvements of about 8% relative in perplexity over standard recurrent neural network LMs. In addition, we gain considerable improvements in WER on top of a stateof-the-art speech recognition system.


A novel electrochemical glassy carbon electrode modified with a multi-walled carbon nanotube, cytochrome c (Cyt c) and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) was fabricated to increase the sensitivity of electrode for the detection of streptomycin (STN) in certain pharmaceutical samples. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry techniques were used for an electrochemical characterization of the electrode. Furthermore, the electrochemical biosensor construction phases were examined by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Under the optimal experimental conditions, the electrode offers a high selectivity and sensitivity signaling in the co-existence method of STN with the linear concentration ranging from 0.02 to 2.2 μM. The detection limits (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were found to be 0.0028 and 0.0562 μM, respectively. The fabricated sensing electrode has good stability, reproducibility and sensitivity towards STN in the pharmaceutical samples. Preliminary determinations of binding sites within the specified grid box size, which covers both Cyt c and STN, were done by molecular docking analysis. Moreover, density functional theory (DFT) computations were performed to provide insightful information into the optimized geometry of STN.


A kinetic model of the physicochemical processes occurring during the corrosion of steel covered by a thin water film exposed to a CO 2 atmosphere is proposed. This model explains theoretically the unusual physicochemical behaviors generally observed in such confined corrosive media: Fe(II) supersaturations, low corrosion rates, high pH values, and their respective dependence on the electrolyte film thickness. More quantitatively, the model predictions agree well with pH and corrosion rate measurements performed in environments similar to the annulus space of flexible pipelines.


We investigated the local magnetic properties of Mn-doped 6H-SiC using ab-initio calculations. The calculation addresses various configurations of Mn single impurity and Mn dimers at substitutional/interstitial sites with and without neighboring Si and C vacancies. The calculations showed that a substitutional Mn atom at either Si or C sites possesses a magnetic moment. The Mn atom at Si site possesses larger magnetic moment than Mn atom at C site. Our calculations show that antiferromagnetically coupled pair of Mn atoms at Si sites with neighboring C vacancy is magnetically more stable. The calculation also showed that the interstitial sites with C neighbors are more favorable than those with Si and the magnetic moment for Mn at interstitial sites is less compared to that at substitutional sites. The results are used to understand the experimental data obtained on Mn- 6H-SiC for various Mn concentrations.


The preceding paper proposed a general-purpose digital computer structure consisting of many small iteratively connected sequential machines. A set of machine instructions was presented and a programming example of synchronous machine operation was given. This paper examines some of the problems associated with asynchronous operation of this iteratively structured digital computer. A solution is presented enabling the many small sequential machines which constitute the large iterative computer to communicate asynchronously. The instruction set outlined in the previous paper is maintained and a pictorial example of asynchronous operation is presented.


OBJECTIVES
We sought to evaluate the impact of New York City's (NYC's) 2004 carbon monoxide (CO) alarm legislation on CO incident detection and poisoning rates.

METHODS
We compared CO poisoning deaths, hospitalizations, exposures reported to Poison Control, and fire department investigations, before and after the law for 2000 to 2010. Use of CO alarms was assessed in the 2009 NYC Community Health Survey.

RESULTS
Investigations that found indoor CO levels greater than 9 parts per million increased nearly 7-fold after the law (P < .001). There were nonsignificant decreases in unintentional, nonfire-related CO poisoning hospitalization rates (P = .114) and death rates (P = .216). After we controlled for ambient temperature, the law's effect on hospitalizations remained nonsignificantly protective (incidence rate ratio = 0.747; 95% confidence interval = 0.520, 1.074). By 2009, 83% of NYC residents reported having CO alarms; only 54% also recently tested or replaced their batteries.

CONCLUSIONS
Mandating CO alarms significantly increased the detection of potentially hazardous CO levels in NYC homes. Small numbers and detection bias might have limited the discovery of significant decreases in poisoning outcomes. Investigation of individual poisoning circumstances since the law might elucidate remaining gaps in awareness and proper use of CO alarms.


Palm kernel cake (PKC) is a useful source of protein and energy for livestock. Recently, it has been used as an ingredient in poultry feed. Mycotoxin contamination of PKC due to inappropriate handling during production and storage has increased public concern about economic losses and health risks for poultry and humans. This concern has accentuated the need for the evaluation of mycotoxins in PKC. Furthermore, a method for quantifying mycotoxins in PKC has so far not been established. The aims of this study were therefore (1) to develop a method for the simultaneous determination of mycotoxins in PKC and (2) to validate and verify the method. A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method using an electrospray ionisation interface (ESI) in both positive- and negative-ion modes was developed for the simultaneous determination of aflatoxins (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1 and AFG2), ochratoxin A (OTA), zearalenone (ZEA), deoxynivalenol (DON), fumonisins (FB1 and FB2), T-2 and HT-2 toxin in PKC. An optimum method using a 0.2 ml min–1 flow rate, 0.2% formic acid in aqueous phase, 10% organic phase at the beginning and 90% organic phase at the end of the gradient was achieved. The extraction of mycotoxins was performed using a solvent mixture of acetonitrile–water–formic acid (79:20:1, v/v) without further clean-up. The mean recoveries of mycotoxins in spiked PKC samples ranged from 81% to 112%. Limits of detection (LODs) and limits of quantification (LOQs) for mycotoxin standards and PKC samples ranged from 0.02 to 17.5 μg kg−1 and from 0.06 to 58.0 μg kg−1, respectively. Finally, the newly developed method was successfully applied to PKC samples. The results illustrated the fact that the method is efficient and accurate for the simultaneous multi-mycotoxin determination in PKC, which can be ideal for routine analysis.


The article argues that well-established principles of urban design are highly relevant for retail management and applicable in regards to a much needed customer-centric turn in space management within retailing management. In particular, supermarkets, hypermarkets and larger retail chains are governed by a space management tradition that heavily draws on principles of utilitarianism and instrumental rationality. Yet, any physical retail space accommodates a separate and distinctive, but not independent, social space which must equally be addressed if attractive retail spaces are to be grasped, created and maintained. In fact, the standardized and repetitive design of many larger retail environments such as supermarkets appears to build on uncontested traditions of space management and tenacious myths about consumer behaviour and preferences that are challenged as urban design studies are consulted. In reference to current urban design research, the article concludes by suggesting five propositions and measurements for the customer-centric quality of retail spaces that take as a starting point the appreciation of the social space that any retail space management presupposes.


We studied fixation of bromodeoxyuridine by immunohistochemistry in 17 patients with advanced gastric cancer. Macroscopically, they corresponded to Borman's types III (n = 10), IV (5) I (1) and unclassified (1). 11 patients had a diffuse lesion, 5 an intestinal type lesion and 1 an epidermoid carcinoma. Positive reactions were observed in 27.7% of cells (95% CL 10-48%). No difference was observed in positivity of superficial (29%) or deep areas of the tumor (27%). Greater fixation rates were observed in patients under 50 years, of age compared to older patients. The percentage of positive reactive cells was not related to macroscopic or histologic tumor type. Greater fixation rates were observed in this series compared to those previously reported, suggesting greater proliferation rates in these patients.


Objectives: given the increasing concern about the physical, psychological, and social welfare of patients surgically treated for rectal cancer, we designed a study of the factors influencing quality of life in these patients. Experimental design: we prospectively analyzed factors related to quality of life in a cohort of patients using the Nottingham Health Profile and the EORTC questionnaire (QLQ-CR 38). Patients: a total of 116 patients with locally advanced rectal cancer surgically treated in our hospital from 1994 to 1999. Results: quality of life scores for the various factors studied showed that quality of life was worse in women, in patients with tumors in the middle third of the rectum, and in patients undergoing low anterior resection. Conclusions: factors influencing quality of life in patients surgically treated for locally advanced rectal cancer included sex, tumor site, and surgical technique. Since only this latter factor is modifiable, we suggest that the surgical technique be individualized in persons with mid-lower and lower-third tumors of the rectum, bearing in mind that quality of life in amputated patients is, in many respects, better than that of patients with preserved sphincters.


Minimally invasive heat therapies are of continued clinical interest to alter the functional attributes of tissue in the treatment of a number of pathologies. The extent of heating and tissue alteration is governed by the physics of the mode of heating, the geometry of the heater, and the properties of the tissue. Analytical models are needed to optimize the design of protocols and predict clinical outcomes. Presented here are the results of a finite difference model of the heating and alteration of a hypothetical non-perfused artery adjacent to a joule-heated, catheter-mounted balloon as might be used to enhance coronary angioplasty. The calculations suggest that shorter heating times (∼20 s) at greater balloon lumen temperatures (95 °C) better localize heating-induced changes to tissue than longer heating at lower temperatures (470 s at 60 °C) for the same alteration of the target arterial tissue.


The projection areas of vitally stained motor end plates in normal and tenotomized fast and slow twitch muscles of the rabbit hind limb were measured. There was a significant reduction in the mean projection area of the motor end plates of the slow muscle after tenotomy. There was no significant change in the projection area of the FDL or gastrocnemius motor end plates after tenotomy. After tenotomy the deep (slow) component of the tibialis anterior showed an increase in the mean projection area of its end plates and so approached the faster superficial component in this respect. It appears therefore, that the altered pattern of activity of the slow motoneurons (which is known to occur after tenotomy) is associated with a change in the end plate size towards that normally found in muscles innervated by phasic motoneurons.


Spectrin is a major cytoskeletal component of the brain. At least 2 distinct spectrin subtypes are found in mammalian brain: brain spectrin(240/235) and brain spectrin(240/235E). In the present study spectrin subtypes were localized in the adult mouse brain by immunoelectron microscopy using antibodies that recognize each subtype. Brain spectrin(240/235E) was concentrated in neuronal cell bodies, dendrites, and postsynaptic terminals. It was also prominently associated with the plasma membrane, microtubules, filaments, mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, and nuclear envelope, and it appeared to interconnect structural elements within the cell. Brain spectrin(240/235E) also was localized to the plasma membrane, nuclear envelope, and cytoplasmic organelles of glial cell bodies. Brain spectrin(240/235) was detected in axons and presynaptic elements, where it was associated with the plasma membrane, microtubules, filaments, synaptic vesicles, and mitochondria. These results show that spectrin is distributed throughout the cytoplasm of neural cells, the location of spectrin is dependent on subtype, and the cytoplasmic surface of plasma membrane and organelles contains an extensive and intricate spectrin meshwork.


In spite of many advances in GUI workstations, the keyboard has remained limited to text entry and basic command invocation. In this work, we introduce the Touch-Display Keyboard (TDK), a novel keyboard that combines the physical-ergonomic qualities of the conventional keyboard with dynamic display and touch-sensing embedded in each key. The TDK effectively transforms the keyboard into an interactive surface that is seamlessly integrated with the interaction space of GUIs, extending graphical output, mouse interaction and three-state input to the keyboard. This gives rise to an entirely new design space of interaction across keyboard, mouse and screen, for which we provide a first systematic analysis in this paper. We illustrate the emerging design opportunities with a host of novel interaction concepts and techniques, and show how these contribute to expressiveness of GUIs, exploration and learning of keyboard interfaces, and interface customization across graphics display and physical keyboard.


Author(s): Cao, Weicai | Advisor(s): Ho, Wilson; Mecartney, Martha L | Abstract: Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) has become a powerful tool in nanoscience for imaging, manipulation and electronic spectroscopy. STM inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy (IETS) first achieved chemical identification of molecular species by characterizing vibrational energies. Recently, with the STM itProbe and H2 rotational spectromicroscopy, molecular structure and chemical bonds are observed with the STM. Despite these successes in spatial resolution, various efforts have been made to combine fs laser with STM to overcome the temporal resolution limitation of STM, there is so far no clear evidence of simultaneous fs and A resolution. Electronic properties of organic molecules are of central importance to applications such as molecular electronics, organic LEDs, and solar cells. Properties of these molecules can be probed by the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) at the single molecule level and with sub-A spatial resolution. The molecular orbital of 4, 7-Di ([2, 20-bithiophen]-5-yl) benzo[c] [1, 2, 5] thiadiazole (4T-BTD) with intramolecular donor-acceptor-donor sites is probed with the electronic state dI/dV imaging and H2 rotational and vibrational spectromicroscopy. 1, 4-Phenylene Diisocyanide (PDI) is probed by imaging with a CO-terminated tip and H2. PDI can self-assemble on noble metal surfaces to form nanostructures, which could have potential applications in molecular electronics and catalysis. Further combination of a RF-STM with a tunable femtosecond laser enables the investigation of light-molecule interactions. In this dissertation, efforts are spent to setup a new tunable fs laser (220 nm~1040 nm) to couple with the RF-STM. The effects of the femtosecond laser are followed by detecting photo induced electron emission and photochemistry. A new double lock-in technique is applied to detect the weak laser-induced signal in the tunneling regime. To sharpen the energy width and increase the lifetime of the excited states of molecules, thin aluminum oxide and copper oxide are grown on metal surfaces to provide electronic isolation of the metal substrate and adsorbed molecules. Metal nanoclusters are grown on metal and oxide to improve laser-induced signal through plasmonic enhancements.


Objectives The primary aim for this review is to determine the effectiveness of strategies to improve the implementation of policies, practices or programmes in sporting organisations. The secondary aims are to describe the cost or cost-effectiveness and adverse effects of such strategies and to examine the effects of those implementation strategies on individual's diet, physical activity, obesity, alcohol use or tobacco use. Methods We conducted searches of academic databases (eg, MEDLINE, EMBASE and CENTRAL), trial registers and hand searches of selected journals. Studies were included if they were conducted at a sporting venue; described a strategy to improve implementation of policies, practices or programmes focusing on one or more health risks (diet, physical inactivity, obesity, alcohol or tobacco use), and included a parallel control group. Two authors independently screened citations and extracted data. The results of included studies were synthesised narratively. Results Of the 5926 citations screened three studies met the inclusion criteria. Two studies were randomised controlled trials. Two studies sought to improve the implementation of nutrition-related policy and practices and one study sought to improve implementation of alcohol-related policy and practices. Each study reported improvement in at least one measure of policy or practice implementation. Two studies reported individual-level outcomes and found a reduction in excessive alcohol consumption and an increase in purchase of fruits and vegetables at the sports club ground. Two studies assessed club revenue as a potential adverse effect, neither reported significant between-group differences on these measures. Conclusion There is a sparse evidence base regarding the effectiveness of strategies to improve the implementation of policies, practices or programmes targeting chronic disease risk factors in sporting clubs. While all studies reported some improvements in implementation, for some multistrategic implementation strategies it is difficult to determine the extent to which such effects are generalisable. PROSPERO registration number CRD42016039490.


The mechanical behavior of cold rolled sheets is significantly related to residual stresses that arise from bending and unbending processes. Measurement of residual stresses is mostly limited to surface measurement techniques. Experimental determination of stress variation through thickness is difficult and time-consuming. This paper presents a closed form solution for residual stresses, in which the bending-unbending process is modeled as an elastic-plastic plane strain problem. An anisotropic material is assumed. To validate the analytical solution, finite element simulation is also demonstrated. This study is applicable to andlysis of coiling-uncoiling, leveling and straightening processes. * " ** 2 #345 " *** 6 2 " 3 7 2 8 "93) : 4 ";


Measuring ligand-protein interactions is critical for unveiling molecular-scale biological processes in living systems and for screening drugs. Various detection technologies have been developed, but quantifying the binding kinetics of small molecule to the proteins remains challenging because the sensitivities of the mainstream technologies decrease with the size of the ligand. Here we report a method to measure and quantify the binding kinetics of both large and small molecules with self-assembled nano-oscillators, each consisting of a nanoparticle tethered to a surface via long polymer molecules. By applying an oscillating electric field normal to the surface, the nanoparticle oscillates, and the oscillation amplitude is proportional to the amount of charges on the nano-oscillator. Upon the binding of ligands onto the nano-oscillator, the oscillation amplitude will change. Using a plasmonic imaging approach, the oscillation amplitude is measured with sub-nm precision, allowing us to accurately quantify the binding kinetics of ligands, including small molecules, to their protein receptors. This work demonstrates the capability of nano-oscillators as a new tool for measuring the binding kinetics of both large and small molecules.


Abstract: The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of virtual laboratory experiences in physics laboratory attitudes of students. It also aims to determine the views of students' on virtual laboratory. The study involved 42 students who was divided into two groups (21 experimental, 21 control). Students were randomly assigned to both groups. In the research, the pre-test and post-test control group design was used. The experimental group used the virtual laboratory. On the other hand the control group used physical laboratory. The research data were obtained via the "physics laboratory attitude scale" and semi-structured interviews. The result of this study carried out that virtual laboratory experiences made positive effects on students' attitudes. In addition, semi-structured interviews were found out that they had positive opinions regarding the virtual physics laboratory experiences.


This paper shows that while there seems to be more or less a general acceptance for plurality as a condition of world politics and at least a vague commitment to a pluralist ideal, the challenge remains to formulate a fruitful account of international pluralism. While dominating approaches to international theory present international pluralism as essentially a by-product and instrumental, this paper suggest an alternative way to conceive of international pluralism when defending the ancient concept variety as a better guide to approach both the understanding of plurality as the human condition and the notion of international pluralism. The paper concludes that it is preferable to accept a variety of pluralist conceptions rather than go on searching for a theoretical conception standing above the controversy; accepting pluralism in a sense involves rejecting just one version of pluralism.


Abstract: We examined the changes in the molecular species of brain ethanolamine glycerophospholipids of monkeys fed diets containing widely ranging amounts of n‐3 fatty acids. Two groups of rhesus monkeys were fed pre‐ and postnatally either a control diet (soy oil; containing 8% of fatty acids as 18:3n‐3) or a deficient diet (safflower oil; containing <0.3% 18:3n‐3). The brains of these animals were analyzed at 22 months of age. A third group of monkeys was fed the safflower oil diet to 22 months of age and then switched to a fish oil diet (28% long‐chain n‐3 fatty acids) for 1–2 years before autopsy. The molecular species of the diacyl, alkylacyl, and alkenylacyl ethanolamine glycerophospholipids from frontal cortex were separated by HPLC. A total of 24 molecular species were identified. Fatty acids in the sn‐2 position differed markedly among the diet groups, but the sn‐1 position always contained only 16:0, 18:0, or 18:1. In the diacyl subclass of the control brain, the n‐3 molecular species represented 41% of total and the n‐6 species 45%, whereas in the deficient brain the n‐3 molecular species decreased to 9% and n‐6 molecular species increased to 77%. The fatty acid 22:5n‐6 did not replace 22:6n‐3 in a symmetrical fashion in the molecular species of the deficient brain. In the brains of the fish oil‐fed monkeys, the n‐3 molecular species amounted to 61% and n‐6 molecular species were reduced to 25%. The species 18:1–22:6, 16:0–22:6, and 18:0–22:6 generally changed proportionally in response to diet. However, 18:1–20:4, 16:0–20: 4, and 18:0–20:4 responded differently. The fish oil diet led to an increase in the proportion of 18:1–20:4 in the alkenylacyl subclass, whereas 16:0–20:4 and 18:0–20:4 decreased. Thus, total species containing sn‐1 18:1 increased at the expense of sn‐1 16:0 in the fish oil animals. Regardless of diet, each subclass of ethanolamine glycerophospholipid showed a strikingly different ratio of sn‐1 16:0 to 18:0 to 18:1 for a given sn‐2 fatty acid. In conclusion, the different diets had profound qualitative and quantitative effects on the molecular species of brain phospholipids, and these changes have implications for possible functional changes.


Cytosine methylation is believed to play a pivotal role in eucaryotic cellular development as well as in viral latency. We have been investigating chemical mechanisms for the perturbation of methylation patterns, including the effects of ultraviolet radiation. We observed that, upon exposure to UV light, 5-methylcytosine (5mC) was converted to thymine, cytosine, and a series of 5-substituted cytosine derivatives as analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Deamination of 5mC to thymine proceeds via formation of the intermediate photohydrate. Formation of 5-substituted cytosine derivatives results from oxidation of the 5-methyl group with initial formation of 5-(hydroxymethyl)cytosine (hmC). Upon exposure to UV light, hmC is converted to cytosine. The conversion of hmC to cytosine likely results from photohydration and elimination of formaldehyde. It is proposed that endogenous oxidation and hydrolysis could result in demethylation of 5mC residues in DNA. Whereas hydrolytic deamination of 5mC to thymine has been widely discussed, demethylation of 5mC has not as yet been described.


Abstract Background Adherence to local standard guidelines is seen as a pragmatic way to measure and improve the quality of future prescribing in ambulatory care to reduce morbidity, mortality and healthcare costs. Objectives To evaluate adherence to the Ghana Standard Treatment Guidelines (STGs) for the empirical antibiotic treatment of ambulatory care patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in a region in Ghana and factors associated with it. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a checklist to collect data from the hospital electronic database, which included sociodemographic details, payment type and clinical information of all ambulatory patients attending Keta Municipal Hospital, diagnosed and managed for CAP from September 2018 to January 2019. Prescriptions were assessed for adherence to the Ghana STG based on choice of antibiotics. A χ2 test and multiple logistic regression were subsequently conducted. Results A total of 1929 patient records with diagnosis of CAP within the study period at the ambulatory clinic were identified. The overall rate of adherence to the Ghana STG was 32.50% (n = 627). From the patient records collected, 62.50% were female, 41.84% were children (0–12 years), and 97.15% had a valid national health insurance status. Adherence was associated with the duration of antibiotic prescribing, number of additional antibiotics prescribed and some patients' clinical characteristics. Conclusions The rate of adherence to Ghana STG among the study population was low. Efforts must be made to train and encourage prescribers to follow empirical guidelines to reduce inappropriate selection of antibiotics in the ambulatory care settings.


In this paper, we introduce a time-stampless adaptive nonuniform sampling (TANS) framework, in which time increments between samples are determined by a function of the m most recent increments and sample values. Since only past samples are used in computing time increments, it is not necessary to save sampling times (time stamps) for use in the reconstruction process. We focus on two TANS schemes for discrete-time stochastic signals: a greedy method, and a method based on dynamic programming. We analyze the performances of these schemes by computing (or bounding) their trade-offs between sampling rate and expected reconstruction distortion for Markovian signals. Simulation results support the analysis of the sampling schemes. We show that by opportunistically adapting to local signal characteristics TANS may lead to improved power efficiency in some applications.


This study aimed to examine the hidden structures and patterns of information flow in Chinese-language Library and Information Science (LIS) journals in Taiwan. Thirteen Chinese LIS journals and 2,914 articles published between 2001 and 2012 were selected as subject and an aggregated 13x13 matrix was generated to perform journal-to-journal citation analysis. The twelve-year period was further divided into three individual periods of four years each to conduct journal-to-journal citation analysis for evolutional comparison. Social network analysis was used to discover the implicit structures and patterns embedded in Chinese-language LIS journals in Taiwan in terms of network structure. The embedded structures and patterns in the Chinese-language LIS journal network were characterized by Bonich's Eigenvector degree centrality, Stephenson and Zelen's information centrality and Freeman's betweenness centrality. These were used to measure journal prominence and role, bottom-up clique to find core journals, and structural equivalence to show alternative publication outlets. The limitations of this study and future research directions are also discussed.


Objective Vascular remodeling is an adaptive response to variations in the hemodynamic environment acting on the arterial wall. Remodeling translates into changes of structure, geometry and mechanical properties of the artery. Our aim was to study the remodeling response of pig right common carotid arteries in vitro. Methods In vivo right carotid arteries are exposed to a non-uniform hemodynamic environment and exhibit a strong wall asymmetry in the circumferential direction that allows the study of two regions separately, as the artery remodels under in vitro perfusion. Porcine right common carotid arteries were cultured during 1 day (n = 6), 3 days (n = 6) or 8 days (n = 6) in an in vitro organ culture system, at a constant perfusion pressure of 100 mmHg. Geometrical, histological, biomechanical and biological analysis of the perfused segments was performed at the end of each study. Results Smooth muscle cell nuclei density and wall thickness remain constant along the culture periods. Elastin and collagen are significantly redistributed to equilibrate their relative content along the vessel circumference. The distensibility profile is significantly different at day 8. Matrix metalloproteinase-2 expression and activity increase significantly at days 3 and 8. Conclusion The non-axisymmetric arterial wall adapts to a uniform hemodynamic environment by redistributing the structural components of the extracellular matrix. The changes of collagen and elastin density may result from a vascular remodeling process involving matrix metalloproteinase-2 up-regulation and enzymatic activity. The remodeling response results in a new vascular wall configuration that is more distensible at physiological pressures (30–120 mmHg) and stiffer at higher pressures.


The tidal disruption of stars by supermassive black holes (SMBHs) can be used to probe the SMBH mass function, the properties of individual stars, and stellar dynamics in galactic nuclei. Upcoming missions will detect thousands of tidal disruption events (TDEs), and accurate theoretical modeling is required to interpret the data with precision. Here we analyze the influence of more realistic stellar structure on the outcome of TDEs; in particular, we compare the fallback rates—being the rate at which tidally disrupted debris returns to the black hole—from progenitors generated with the stellar evolution code mesa to and γ = 5/3 polytropes. We find that mesa-generated density profiles yield qualitatively different fallback rates as compared to polytropic approximations, and that only the fallback curves from low-mass (1 M⊙ or less), zero-age main-sequence stars are well fit by either a or 5/3 polytrope. Stellar age has a strong affect on the shape of the fallback curve, and can produce characteristic timescales (e.g., the time to the peak of the fallback rate) that greatly differ from the polytropic values. We use these differences to assess the degree to which the inferred black hole mass from the observed light curve can deviate from the true value, and find that the discrepancy can be at the order of magnitude level. Accurate stellar structure also leads to a substantial variation in the critical impact parameter at which the star is fully disrupted, and can increase the susceptibility of the debris stream to fragmentation under its own self-gravity. These results suggest that detailed modeling is required to accurately interpret observed light curves of TDEs.


Background and purpose: Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is characterized by clonal proliferation and accumulation of long-lived B lymphocytes within the peripheral blood, bone marrow, and secondary lymphoid organs. In this study, immunophenotypic characteristics of leukemic cells and their association with disease prognosis were investigated in CLL patients. Materials and methods: A case-control study was carried out in 25 CLL patients and 15 healthy individuals. Complete blood count was performed for all subjects. CLL patients were classified into different clinical stages based on the Rai staging system. For immunophenotypic characterization of leukemic cells, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from CLL patients and stained using specific monoclonal antibodies. They were then analyzed by flow cytometry. Results: The CD5, CD19, CD20, and CD23 were expressed significantly more in advanced clinical stages of CLL compared to those in primary stages (P= 0.03, 0.01, 0.02, and 0.02, respectively). The mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of CD38 in advanced progressive stages of CLL patients was higher than that of primary non-progressive stages (P=0.02). Conclusion: Our results indicated significant immunophenotypic profile and higher CD38 expression in CLL patients with advanced clinical stages. These immunophenotypic characteristics are useful biomarkers for the disease monitoring and therapy.


After removing annual variability, power spectral analyses of local atmospheric temperature from hundreds of stations and ice core records have been carried out from timescales of 1 day to 200 kyr. A clear sequence of power-law behaviors is found as follows: 1) from 40 kyr to 200 kyr a flat spectrum is observed, 2) from 2 kyr to 40 kyr the spectrum is proportional to f22 where f is the frequency, and 3) below timescales of 2 kyr the power spectrum is proportional to f21/2. At timescales of less than 1 month the authors observe that the power spectra of continental stations become propotional to f23/2 while maritime stations continue to have power spectra proportional to f21/2 down to timescales of 1 day. To explain these observations, the authors model the variations in the transport of heat in the turbulent atmosphere by including a noise in the heat flux of a flux-gradient parameterization of convective transport, leading to a stochastic diffusion equation for temperature fluctuations. A correlation analysis of temperature fluctuations vertically in the atmosphere from the TIROS operational vertical sounder is carried out to verify the diffusion model and to estimate the coefficient of vertical eddy diffusivity in the atmosphere. The power spectrum of temperature fluctuations at the earth's surface expected from this model in a two-layer geometry with thermal and eddy diffusion properties appropriate to the atmosphere and ocean and a radiation boundary condition at the top of the atmosphere exhibits the same spectral form as observed in the instrumental and ice core data.


Children's gardening programs have enjoyed increasing popularity in recent years. An Australian environmental education non-profit organization implemented a program, entitled Multicultural Schools Gardens, in disadvantaged (low-income) schools that used food gardening as a focus for implementing a culturally-focused environmental education program. While the program included the well documented educational, social, and health benefits of growing food, gardening and cooking were also utilized as leverage in learning about culture, language (English as a Second Language), and environment. Alongside the program's implementation, a combined methods research approach was applied to gauge children's learning experiences as program participants. Part of this process involved children researching their own practice, accompanied by researcher interviews and observations with students and teachers. This paper presents an inquiry into practice involving one site, revealing how a culturally diverse school with a high proportion of migrant and refugee families created an engaging garden space. This space led to a strong sense of belonging among students who were formerly dislodged from their birthplaces, together with providing opportunities for learning English language and forming connections to the local environment. The paper provides food for thought with respect to the potential for children's gardening to transcend language and cultural differences.


Measurements of oxidation rates, respiratory quotients (RQ), and release of 14CO2 from uniformly labeled substrates showed that glutamate, α-ketoglutarate, and synthetic and natural amino acid mixtures are oxidized by suspensions of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus strain 109J. The oxidation of these substrates largely suppress the endogenous respiration of the Bdellovibrio cells and may or may not cause a small increase, 20 to 50%, in their rate of oxygen consumption. The failure of respired substrates to increase markedly the respiration rate of the Bdellovibrio cells over the endogenous value is discussed. Carbon from these substrates is incorporated into the Bdellovibrio cells during oxidation. Acetate is also oxidized, but its oxidation inhibits endogenous respiration by only about 40% and no acetate is assimilated. The RQ of the Bdellovibrio cells changes from a value characteristic of endogenous respiration to that characteristic of the oxidation of glutamate or of a balanced amino mixture very shortly after the attack of the Bdellovibrio cells on their prey, and the latter RQ is maintained during intraperiplasmic growth. Glutamate, or a mixture of amino acids in the external environment, contributes to the carbon dioxide produced by the Bdellovibrio cells growing intraperiplasmically. It is concluded from these data that amino acids, derived from the breakdown of the protein of the prey, serve as a major energy source during intraperiplasmic growth of B. bacteriovorus 108J. Insofar as they were tested, B. bacteriovorus strains 109D and A. 3. 12 were similar in respiration to strain 109J.


Antibiotic resistance (AR) is a global phenomenon with severe epidemiological ramifications. Anthropogenically impacted natural aquatic and terrestrial environments can serve as reservoirs of antibiotic resistance genes (ARG), which can be horizontally transferred to human-associated bacteria through water and food webs, and thus contribute to AR proliferation. Treated-wastewater (TWW) irrigation is becoming increasingly prevalent in arid regions of the world, due to growing demand and decline in freshwater supplies. The release of residual antibiotic compounds, AR bacteria, and ARGs from wastewater effluent may result in proliferation of AR in irrigated soil microcosms. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of TWW-irrigation on soil AR bacterial and ARG reservoirs. Tetracycline, erythromycin, sulfonamide, and ciprofloxacin resistance in soil was assessed using standard culture-based isolation methods and culture-independent molecular analysis using quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). High levels of bacterial antibiotic resistance were detected in both freshwater- and TWW-irrigated soils. Nonetheless, in most of the soils analyzed, AR bacteria and ARG levels in TWW-irrigated soils were on the whole identical (or sometimes even lower) than in the freshwater-irrigated soils, indicating that the high number of resistant bacteria that enter the soils from the TWW are not able to compete or survive in the soil environment and that they do not significantly contribute ARG to soil bacteria. This strongly suggests that the impact of the TWW-associated bacteria on the soil microbiome is on the whole negligible, and that the high levels of AR bacteria and ARGs in both the freshwater- and the TWW-irrigated soils are indicative of native AR associated with the natural soil microbiome.


This PhD thesis contributes to understanding coastal marine governance in Fiji and Solomon Islands. It examines community-based marine resource management (CBMRM) approaches based on customary marine governance systems, while also considering interactions with the national governance frameworks for coastal fisheries in both countries. Based on qualitative research methods and analysis, this study uses a range of conceptual and analytical lenses. A social-ecological system (SES) perspective serves to identify key contextual factors and actors that influence the governance of coral-reef SESs. A gender lens is used to distill women's and men's differentiated roles and participation in marine resource use and governance. Furthermore, this study ascertains drivers of local (non-) compliance with and enforcement of CBMRM. Finally, a legal pluralism perspective is taken to scrutinize the interactions across the different governance systems in place, i.e., customary governance systems and the national governance systems for coastal fisheries. Overall, this thesis aims to address the challenge of how to sustainably use and manage marine (coral reef) resources in Fiji and Solomon Islands. It identifies points of leverage to improve coastal marine governance that are relevant both for policy and practice, and which may be useful for the local, national and subnational levels.


CD4+ cells comprise approximately 3% to 6% of murine bone marrow (BM) cells. The majority are CD4dull+, but there are two distinct sub populations: CD4 brightly positive Gr-1- cells (CD4hiGr-1-) and CD4+ Gr- 1+ cells (CD4loGr-1lo). CD4hiGr-1- cells are considered to be mature T cells by cell surface antigen expression and morphology. CD4loGr-1lo cells, which comprise approximately 0.6% of the BM cells, express small amount of B220 and Thy1 antigens. Interestingly, colony-forming units (CFU)-spleen and CFU-C are not enriched in this population. However, when injected into lethally irradiated mice, CD4loGr-1lo cells were shown to differentiate into T-cell, B-cell, and myelo-monocyte lineages when assayed 26 weeks after transplantation. Furthermore, donor-derived CD4loGr-1lo cells were present in the recipients' BM at least 16 weeks after transplantation. These observations suggest that murine CD4loGr- 1lo cells in BM have self-renewal capability and retain the ability to differentiate into at least three lineages in long-term hematopoiesis.


The paper aims to assess the impact of privatisation on employment and output in Pakistan. It uses edible oil and cement sectors as a case study in a pre- and post-privatisation comparative framework. Assessing the impact of privatisation in Pakistan is important at this juncture for two reasons. Firstly, the country is facing a severe economic crisis and privatisation forms an integral part of an array of reform measures recommended by multi-lateral donors as well as policy-makers within and without the country. Burki [(2000), p. 152] observes, "The economy and state of Pakistan are in crisis…. Pakistan has not faced a crisis of this magnitude in its entire 50-year history". He refers to the five different crises that have combined to create this situation. These are: the global financial crisis, Pakistan's short-term liquidity problem, economy's structural weaknesses, severe social backwardness, and, finally, the crisis of governance. Burki (2000) suggests several solutions to the problems, and privatisation is one of the ways to restructure the economy and improve the quality of governance.


This research is performed for dealing with some of the important working capital management policies and efficiency regarding to manufacturing sector of Pakistan. For this purpose data from 37 firms have been taken for the period 2009-2014. Data envelopment analysis (DEA) and Tobit regression analysis has been performed to achieve the objective of this study. DEA results indicate that only fifteen companies require increase in inputs to attain better output whereas six companies require decrease in the input. However sixteen companies have to consistent with their existing proportionate of inputs to sustain the output maximization. Tobit regression analysis concludes that average collection period has significant negative impact on efficiency and current ratio, gross working capital turnover ratio and financial leverage ratio have positive significant impact on efficiency.


Sustainability manufacturing is indispensable to change and adapt from existing processes which enrich huge expertise. However, it needs to have prior assessment. Thai SME bus building companies are mostly established for more than 30 years of experiences. However, they still lack of competitiveness. The manufacturing process is time consuming, high costs and used extra material. This paper proposes the sustainability manufacturing assessment according to the D4S method associated by PCA tool. Five major companies in Thailand are surveyed and mapped to diagnose for sustainability level.


In this paper, we study the optimization of network traffic by considering the effects of node buffer ability and capacity. Two node buffer settings are considered. The node capacity is considered to be proportional to its buffer ability. The node effects on network traffic systems are studied with the shortest path protocol and an extension of the optimal routing [Phys. Rev. E 74 046106 (2006)]. In the diagrams of flux—density relationships, it is shown that a nodes buffer ability and capacity have profound effects on the network traffic.


The efficient syntheses of various metallocenyl thioamides using a single-step three-component condensation reaction between the commercially available (dimethylaminomethyl)ferrocene or aminomethylferrocene and another organic amine in the presence of elemental sulfur are described. All new organometallic thioamide derivatives were unambiguously characterized by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Furthermore, the structures of five ferrocenyl thioamides determined by X-ray crystallography are presented.


The DNA content of bundle sheath cells and mesophyll protoplasts from the C(4) plant pearl millet (Pennisetum americanum, Tift 23DB) was determined by microspectrophotometry to be 1.8 to 2.3 and 3.2 to 4.0 picograms/nucleus, respectively. Measurement of RNA by ultraviolet spectroscopy indicated that bundle sheath cells contain twice as much RNA as mesophyll cells.


Background: Rapid recovery is very important in neurosurgical patients for early neurological assessment. The purpose of this study was to compare the maintenance and recovery characteristics of two most commonly used volatile anaesthetic agents, Isoflurane and Sevoflurane in neurosurgery patients. Subjects and Methods: A hospital based, prospective, randomized, comparative study was undertaken in tertiary care centre for a period of two years after institutional ethical committee approval. The study included 60 patients undergoing neurosurgical surgeries in general anaesthesia. After intravenous induction, maintenance was achieved by inhalational anaesthetic agent according to randomly allocated group. Haemodynamic parameters like heart rate, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure along with recovery time and complications were studied and p<0.05 was considered significant on statistical analysis. Results: The pulse rate was significantly less in sevoflurane group than isoflurane group from 20 min to 120 min (p<0.05). The mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure were comparable in both the groups except the systolic and diastolic blood pressure were lower in Sevoflurane group than Isoflurane group at 5 min(p<0.05). The mean emergence time and extubation time were significantly shorter in Sevoflurane group than Isoflurane group(p<0.001). Conclusion: Sevoflurane provides stable haemodynamics during maintenance of anaesthesia and allows rapid recovery for faster postoperative basic neurological assessment. characteristics of isoflurane and sevoflurane in neuroanaesthesia patients."


The Protein kinase C (PKC) family of Ca2+ and /or lipid-activated AGC kinases are important regulators of multiple cellular responses including cell growth and programmed cell death. Among these, PKCα is the predominant conventional PKC isoform in heart and has been implicated to have a major impact on cardiac function, hypertrophic response and heart failure. Earlier studies have revealed that the conserved AGC-C-terminal tail containing active site cleft is responsible for regulating AGC kinase activity. The phosphorylation events in AGC-C-terminal tail mediate the activity of kinase by regulating kinase maturation, translocation and substrate interaction. In a genome-wide RNA-Seq analysis in mouse heart, we have identified a novel isoform of PKCα-- due to the insertion of a novel exon in its C-terminal tail. This novel exon has a highly conserved sequence from mouse to human, suggesting a conserved role in PKCα regulation. Tissue analysis showed that this PKCα isoform with Novel Exon (PKCαNE) has enriched expression in heart and skeletal muscle, indicating the involvement of a muscle specific alternative splicing event. The insertion of this novel exon lies between the kinase C-Lobe Tether and Active Site Tether. Biochemistry study in cells showed that both PKCα and PKCαNE were activated and translocated from cytosol to membrane and nucleus in response to PMA. However, upon IGF-1 treatment, PKCαNE showed no activation and could not translocate to either membrane or nucleus in contrast to PKCα. To further explore the mechanism for PKCαNE activation, we have determined the phosphorylation events of this novel isoform. Interestingly, the PKCαNE showed a decreased phosphorylation level at the Turn Motif , which could directly impact its activation and maturation. In summary, we have identified a novel isoform of PKCα that is enriched in heart and skeletal muscle. The PKCαNE isoform has different activation profile and its biological significance in cell signaling in physiology and diseases remains to be further explored.


The efficacy of video recording in transmitting clinical knowledge and skills to medical students was tested by recording on videotape demonstrations of physical examinations given by five clinicians to a randomly selected group of 12 students (personal group) from the first clinical year and then showing these recordings, under identical conditions, to 13 students from the same year (video group). The efficacy of both the personal and video mediums in terms of whether content was retained was tested by a questionnaire completed by all students at the end of the sessions and by a structured clinical assessment in which students were asked to demonstrate some of the same clinical tasks three weeks after the demonstration. In answering the questionnaire the video group obtained a mean (SD) score of 20.8 (7.0) (maximum possible score 40), which was not significantly different from the score achieved by the personal group (17.4 (7.7)). The video group was able to reproduce 44 (10)% of the total clinical steps demonstrated and the personal group 45 (14)%. Videotaped demonstrations can be as effective as personal teaching of clinical methods, and video should be developed as a medium for first line clinical teaching.


Photoperiodic changes, if occurring before a commitment to flowering is established, can alter the morphological pattern of plant development. In this study, Glycine max (L.) Merrill cv. Ransom plants were initially grown under an inductive short-day (SD) photoperiod to promote flower evocation and then transferred to a long-day (LD) photoperiod to delay flower development by reestablishing vegetative growth (SD-LD plants). Some plants were transferred back to SD after 4-LD exposures to repromote flowering (SD-LD-SD plants). Alterations in organ initiation patterns, from floral to vegetative and back to floral, are characteristic of a reversion phenomenon. Morphological features that occurred at the shoot apical meristem in SD, LD, SD-LD, and SD-LD-SD plants were observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Reverted plants initiated floral bracts and resumed initiation of trifoliolate leaves in the two-fifths floral phyllotaxy prior to terminal inflorescence development. When these plants matured, leaf-bract intermediates were positioned on the main stem instead of trifoliolate leaves. Plants transferred back to a SD photoperiod flowered earlier than those left in LD conditions. Results indicated that in plants transferred between SDs and LDs, photoperiod can influence organ initiation in florally evoked, but not committed, G. max plants.


Even though more than two years have passed since the emergence of COVID-19, the research for novel or repositioned medicines from a natural source or chemically synthesized is still an unmet clinical need. In this review, the application of supercritical fluids to the development of novel or repurposed medicines for COVID-19 and their secondary bacterial complications will be discussed. We envision three main applications of the supercritical fluids in this field: (i) drug micronization, (ii) supercritical fluid extraction of bioactives and (iii) sterilization. The supercritical fluids micronization techniques can help to improve the aqueous solubility and oral bioavailability of drugs, and consequently, the need for lower doses to elicit the same pharmacological effects can result in the reduction in the dose administered and adverse effects. In addition, micronization between 1 and 5 µm can aid in the manufacturing of pulmonary formulations to target the drug directly to the lung. Supercritical fluids also have enormous potential in the extraction of natural bioactive compounds, which have shown remarkable efficacy against COVID-19. Finally, the successful application of supercritical fluids in the inactivation of viruses opens up an opportunity for their application in drug sterilization and in the healthcare field.


The three-dimensional structure of human chromosomes is tied to gene regulation and replication timing, but there is still a lack of consensus on the computational and biological definitions for chromosomal substructures such as topologically associating domains (TADs). TADs are described and identified by various computational properties leading to different TAD sets with varying compatibility with biological properties such as boundary occupancy of structural proteins. We unify many of these computational and biological targets into one algorithmic framework that jointly maximizes several computational TAD definitions and optimizes TAD selection for a quantifiable biological property. Using this framework, we explore the variability of TAD sets optimized for six different desirable properties of TAD sets: high occupancy of CTCF, RAD21, and H3K36me3 at boundaries, reproducibility between replicates, high intra- vs inter-TAD difference in contact frequencies, and many CTCF binding sites at boundaries. The compatibility of these biological targets varies by cell type, and our results suggest that these properties are better reflected as subpopulations or families of TADs rather than a singular TAD set fitting all TAD definitions and properties. We explore the properties that produce similar TAD sets (reproducibility and inter- vs intra-TAD difference, for example) and those that lead to very different TADs (such as CTCF binding sites and inter- vs intra-TAD contact frequency difference).