The purpose of this prospective study was the assessment of the chronic unstable ankle joint. With regard to cartilage and ligament lesions this was done arthroscopically. 99 consecutive arthroscopies were performed in patients with symptomatic chronic ankle instability. There were 67 complete ruptures of the anterior talofibular ligament and 45 complete ruptures of the calcaneofibular ligament. A complete rupture of the deltoid ligament was found in 6 cases, always combined with lesions of the lateral ligaments. Cartilage damage of the talus was noted in 51 cases and of the tibial pilon in 12 cases. While all complete lesions of the deltoid ligament were associated with talar cartilage damage, this was different for lateral ligament lesions. 11/22 ruptures of the talofibular ligament were associated with cartilage damage of the talus and 11/22 ruptures presented with an intact talar cartilage. Combined ruptures of the talofibular and the calcaneofibular ligament were associated with talar cartilage damage in 21 cases and presented with intact cartilage in 24 cases. This study demonstrated a near equal distribution of intact and damaged articular cartilage in the presence of lateral ligament lesions indicating that the status of the ligaments allows no conclusion with regard to the cartilage. Arthroscopy therefore can give essential information about the status of the unstable ankle joint concerning operative or conservative treatment.


Temp. stable crystalline salts of alpha-(2-aminothiazol-4- yl) alpha-(Z)-methoxyiminoacetamido) -3 -(1-methyl-1-pyrrolidinio) methyl)-3-cephem-4-carboxylate (I) are claimed, selected from sulphuric, di-nitric, monohydrochloric and di-hydrochloric acid addn. salts and orthophosphoric acid addn. salts contg. 1.5-2 molar equivalents of H3PO4, or solvates of tehse. The salt may be mixed with a base e.g. L(+) lysine or L(+) arginine.


Aims. In this work we derive clues to the formation scenario and ionisation source of the lenticular galaxy NGC 3607 by means of metallicity gradients, stellar population, and emission lines properties. Methods. We work with long-slit spectroscopy from which we (i) study the radial distribution of the equivalent widths of conspicuous metallic absorption features; (ii) make inferences about the star formation history (with a stellar population synthesis algorithm); and (iii) investigate the ionisation source responsible for a few strong emission lines. Results. Negative radial gradients are observed for most of the absorption features of NGC 3607. Compared to the external parts, the central region has a deficiency of alpha elements and higher metallicity, which implies different star formation histories in both regions. At least three star formation episodes are detected, with ages within 1–13 Gyr. The dynamical mass and the Mg2 gradient slope are consistent with mergers being important contributors to the formation mechanism of NGC 3607, a scenario consistent with the star formation episodes.. Emission-line ratios indicate a LINER at the centre of NGC 3607. Contribution of hot, old stars to the gas ionisation outside the central region is detected.


This paper presents a novel parallel preconditioned iterative solver for VLSI power grid simulation. Although preconditioned iterative methods for power grid simulation have been proposed during the past years, parallelization of such methods is not well explored. Our algorithm divides the power grid into several disjoint partitions and computes an estimate of the global solution from solutions obtained on each partition. A key idea is to enlarge each partition by carefully selecting nodes and edges outside the partition such that the accuracy of the partition solution is increased significantly without much change in the computational cost. The global solution obtained by solving enlarged partition problems concurrently acts as a highly effective parallel preconditioner due to the spatial locality of power grids. A combination of effective preconditioning and efficient parallelization results in significant performance improvement [13.91X-34.35X] over a state-of-the-art direct solver on IBM power grid benchmarks.


Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a syndrome of dyspnea, fatigue, chest pain and syncope defined by an increase in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) of unknown cause. The pathobiology of PAH remains incompletely understood. The gene of the idiopathic form of PAH (IPAH) has been located on chromosome 2, and shown to present mutations of a sequence that encodes for a transforming growth factor receptor, bone morphogenenetic protein receptor 2 (BMPR2). Severe pulmonary hypertension is associated with an increased expression of the angiogenic factor, angiopoietin-1, which shuts off the expression of BMPR1A, a transmembrane protein necessary for BMPR2 signalling, and thereby causes pulmonary artery smooth muscle cell proliferation. Additional biological abnormalities have been identified at all pulmonary arterial wall compartments of PAH patients. The endothelium produces an excess of endo-thelin, a potent vasoconstrictor and mitogenic mediator, while synthesis and release of antagonistic prostacyclin and nitric oxide is decreased. Pulmonary vascular smooth muscle cells present with an increased expression of a serotonin transporter, allowing for vasoconstrictive and mitogenic effects of increased circulating serotonin, and also show an increased expression of voltage-dependent potassium channels, which also promotes vasoreactivity and proliferation. The adventitial matrix bound metalloprotases appear to be activated in relation to increased serine elastase, leading to increased production of tenascin, a potent mitogen. While none of these abnormalities isolately explains PAH, their identification has already led to efficient therapeutic interventions, including the administration of prostacyclin derivatives and anti-endothelin compounds.


A fundamental challenge in processing the massive quantities of information generated by modern applications is in extracting suitable representations of the data that can be stored, manipulated and interrogated on a single machine. A promising approach is in the design and analysis of compact summaries: data structures which capture key features of the data, and which can be created effectively over distributed data sets. Popular summary structures include the count distinct algorithms, which compactly approximate item set cardinalities, and sketches which allow vector norms and products to be estimated. These are very attractive, since they can be computed in parallel and combined to yield a single, compact summary of the data. This tutorial introduces the concepts and examples of compact summaries.


The report of the Baruch Committee on Medicine, April, 1944, has stated the problem as follows: "There is a gap between the customary endpoint of medical attention and the real necessities of many patients. In general, physicians have filled this gap in a lackadaisical and spotty manner. Rehabilitation fills this gap and provides maximal improvement for the patient."
 The early attention to total appraisal, attempted prognostication, intelligent therapeutic emphasis, and the development of desirable traits for eventual vocational placement, are of major importance. A continuing interest in these same objectives in a given patient, must be maintained.
 It is apparent that the pediatrician must assume a more important role in rehabilitation in view of his early contact with most of these children, if the most effective rehabilitation program is to be instituted appropriately for attainment of the best possible results in later life.


This stunning book offers an important mid-career retrospective of the work of American artist Richard Hawkins (born 1961), whose paintings, collages, and mixed-media pieces are making a crucial contribution to the contemporary art scene. Color plates present approximately 80 of Hawkins's works, representing each stage of his career and including pieces never before published. Based in Los Angeles, Hawkins addresses numerous contemporary issues in his art, especially those related to gender and identity and their connections to classical antiquity. The authors of the catalogue provide informative essays on aspects of Hawkins's work, the development of his vision, and his unique place in the contemporary art world.


Geological carbon storage is an effective method capable of reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions at significant scales. Subsurface reservoirs with sealing caprocks can provide long-term containment for the injected fluid. Nevertheless, CO2 leakage is a major concern. The presence of abandoned wells penetrating the reservoir caprock may cause leakage flow-paths for CO2 to the overburden. Assessment of time-varying leaky wells is a need. In this paper, we propose a new semi-analytical approach based on pressure-transient analysis to model the behavior of CO2 leakage and corresponding pressure distribution within the storage site and the overburden. Current methods assume instantaneous leakage of CO2 occurring with injection, which is not realistic. In this work, we employ the superposition in time and space to solve the diffusivity equation in 2D radial flow to approximate the transient pressure in the reservoirs. Fluid and rock compressibilities are taken into consideration, which allow calculating the breakthrough time and the leakage rate of CO2 to the overburden accurately. We use numerical simulations to verify the proposed time-dependent semi-analytical solution. The results show good agreement in both pressure and leakage rates. Sensitivity analysis is then conducted to assess different CO2 leakage scenarios to the overburden. The developed semi-analytical solution provides a new simple and practical approach to assess the potential of CO2 leakage outside the storage site. This approach is an alternative to numerical methods when detailed simulations are not feasible. Furthermore, the proposed solution can also be used to verify numerical codes, which often exhibit numerical artifacts.


Abstract Advances in information technology bring changes to the nature of work by facilitating companies to go beyond the wisdom of their workforce and tap into the "wisdom of the crowd" via online crowdsourcing contests. In these contests, active and motivated individuals collaborate in the form of self-organized teams that compete for rewards. Using a rich data set of 732 teams in 52 contests collected from the crowdsourcing platform, Kaggle.com, from its launch in April 2010 to July 2012, we studied how the allocation of members' social and intellectual capital within a virtual team affects team performance in online crowdsourcing contests. Our econometric analysis uses a rank-ordered logistic regression model, and suggests that the effect of a member's social and intellectual capital on team performance varies depending on his or her roles. Though a team leader's social capital and a team expert's intellectual capital significantly influence team performance, a team leader's intellectual capital and a team expert's social capital do not. Further, we found that the alignment of a member's social and intellectual capital within a team has a significant influence on team performance. Moreover, the intensity of the competition moderates the impact. When a contest is highly competitive, the social and intellectual capital alignment negatively affects team performance, and when the competitive intensity is low, this alignment positively affects team performance. Our findings provide insights into improving performance in team-based competitions in crowdsourcing communities.


Objectives: This is a survey on employee engagement level in hospitals of a rural district of India to find out the influencing factors and propose a strategic model. Methods/Analysis: Among the 11 public and 80 private hospitals, stratified random and disproportionate convenience sampling techniques were used to select the 35 hospitals and the 506 respondents. All levels of employees were included unlike the earlier researches conducted. An existing standard Employee Engagement questionnaire combined with a customer perception questionnaire was administered. In analysis, Descriptive and Multiple Regression were used. Findings: The present levels of engagement are 82.51% and customers are the most influencing factor for engagement. From the available research reports it is found in India the fully engaged employees are in the region of 9 to 17 % and the level of engagement is just above 70 %. The high level of engagement is different from various reports. The study has provided insights and information about employee engagement in hospitals so that the administrators can develop and implement strategies to improve the same thereby increasing employee commitment, service quality and customer satisfaction. Novelty/Improvement: A strategic model to improve the engagement level is proposed and thus the ultimate social contribution to provide better healthcare service to the people will be achieved.


The Reliability analysis of information and automation systems has to cope with complex system structures and a large number of different components. Adapted to these re- quirements, the Markovian minimal cut approach has been developed. The Markovian minimal cut approach combines the advantages of two well-known approaches, the minimal cut and the Markovian path approach. The minimal cut approach allows the efficient evaluation of large scale systems. The Markovian path approach is able to model and evaluate real operation and outage behavior under realistic conditions. It includes outage and disconnection partitions, maintenance strategies (inspection, maintenance, repair), and operation and control strategies, which may lead to complicated stochastic dependencies. The Markovian minimal cut approach reduces the modelling and evaluation effort of real systems significantly because only a small number of Markovian states have to be modelled. In some applications the use of this approach first makes it possible to model and calculate the reliability of the system. The error of the ap- proximations, induced by the Markovian path models have been proven to be less than 0.1% in practical systems. The approximations give the advantage of a result in an analytical context vs. pure computer-based numerical- or simulation-methods.


Copyright subsists in creative works that are "fixed in any tangible medium of expression,�? usually understood as making fixation a prerequisite for protection. However, some argue that denying copyright to unfixed works unfairly denies protection to certain classes of artists or works, and that fairness, or concern for those classes of artists or genres, requires that they receive the benefit of copyright ownership for those unfixed works. These arguments generally assume the benefits of copyright protection to the artist, and often by unexamined extension to society. However, copyright ownership has social costs as well as social benefits. This paper examines the possible costs of applying copyright protection to unfixed works, in the context of the specific artists, traditions, genres, and practices that rely mainly on unfixed works. It argues for a deeper, more empirically grounded understanding of the creative process and a broader definition of values that arise from culture-making, and thus a broader understand of the public policy implications in copyright law.


Aim: The objective of this study was to develop a novel self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (SNEDDS) which produced very small and uniform emulsion droplets, resulting in enhanced solubility, dissolution, and oral bioavailability of poorly water-soluble rosuvastatin (RST) calcium. Materials and Methods: The effects of oil, surfactant, and cosurfactant on the drug solubility were assessed, and pseudoternary phase diagrams were plotted. Among the liquid SNEDDS formulations tested, the liquid SNEDDS composed of cinnamon oil (oil), Cremophor EL (surfactant), and transcutol P (cosurfactant) at a ratio of 2:1 (Smix) and 1:5 (oil:Smix) ratio, produced the smallest emulsion droplet size. The RST-loaded liquid SNEDDS formulation was assessed for the emulsion droplet size, solubility, and dissolution of the emulsified SNEDDS and compared to the pure drug. Different SNEDDS formulations of RST calcium were prepared by aqueous phase titration method. Selected formulations were characterized in terms of self-emulsification time, cloud point temperature, drug content, and particle size. Finally, selected SNEDDS (F1–F8) was subjected to in vitro dissolution/drug release studies. Results and Discussion: Droplet size of formulation F5 was found to be lowest as compared to other formulations. In vitro drug release studies showed 98.3% release of drug from optimized formulation, which was found to be much faster than marketed RST calcium. Conclusion: Thus, this novel SNEDDS developed represents a potentially powerful oral delivery system for RST calcium to enhance solubility and thereby bioavailability.


As police departments in the United States strive to improve their capacity to effectively engage individuals with mental illness (IMI), Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training has become increasingly common. Limited empirical work has studied the effectiveness of CIT, and available studies demonstrate split evidence on the effectiveness of the approach. Variation in previous findings may indicate that CIT inadequately addresses key factors that create challenges for officers when engaging IMI, such as mental illness stigma. Survey data collected from 185 officers were analyzed to assess whether mental illness stigma affects officers' perceptions of preparedness for engaging IMI beyond CIT training itself. Findings suggest that although there are few differences in perceptions of preparedness between officers who have completed CIT training and those who have not completed CIT training, variation in levels of mental illness stigma explain differences in officers' perceptions of preparedness to engage IMI. Policy recommendations are discussed.


This article assesses whether economic injustices that took place in the past still have significant implications for the material welfare of people many years later. That issue is central to the question of how fair is the distribution of wealth and income today. It is also relevant to issues of reparations for past wrongs. I find that in standard neoclassical models of economic growth the lingering effects of injustice from more than 70 years ago are generally small. But effects can last much longer once we allow for impacts of past injustices to be transmitted through human capital accumulation as well as physical capital.


Set on a hillside near Cluny, in a region associated with religious institutions and sacred architecture (including Le Corbusier's La Tourette), Le Carmel de la Paix, designed by Jose Luis Sert, remains tranquilly unvisited and quietly erased from architectural history. Why? This unusual convent falls outside the standard categories of Sert's architecture and has been overlooked in most publications about his work. As J.K. Birksted explains, the design and construction process for this building proved nightmarish, resulting in a building which, at first sight, appears to be 'ineloquent'. This first detailed examination of this building shows how the convent and the story of its creation offer valuable and important new insights into Sert, his architecture and his life. However, the study also opens up discussions on wider subjects such as the relationships between modernist architecture and ecclesiastical architecture. The design and construction of the Carmel de la Paix (1968-1972) followed the Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican (1962-65), which introduced fundamental changes and proposals for renewing the relationship between the Church and the changing modern world and the convent provides an interesting illustration of this period. In addition, it offers insights into the fascinating world of the Carmelite order and its specific liturgical requirements, and, reflecting on the nuns' active involvement in the design and construction process, it also explores wider issues of women in architecture.


: The purpose of this study was the evaluation of clinical heroin symptoms and buprenorphine drug addiction in the withdrawal period with the purpose of their comparison, study of parameters of bone metabolism in the both groups. In the study group were included 40 patients with heroin and 27 with buprenorphine addiction in the period of abstinence. Our investigations have shown, that in the both groups, among clinical symptoms ossalgias, arthralgias and mialgias attributes to the expressed dysfunction of vegetative system, were most prominent. Decrease of sexual functions was found in half of inspected patients. Biochemical investigations have shown intensive clearance of calcium with the urine that indicates intensifying resorbtion processes in the bone tissue. Symptoms of hypogonadism were accompanied by the decrease of the level of testosterone in the blood. Parameters of mineral consistency of the bone tissue was decreased both in patients with heroin and buprenorphine addiction.


Load balancing is an important technique for improving distributed system performance by considering the group of hosts in the system to share their workloads. It results in a better utilization of host resources, a high system throughput and quick response time of user requests. In distributed database, it is important to take data locality into account, since they have big impact on the communication requirements. Several techniques are proposed for balancing the load in homogeneous applications but still some improvement in terms of efficiency is required. In this paper, we present a load balancing architecture that can deal with homogeneous applications in distributed database more efficiently. In our proposed architecture, CPU utilization based priority method is used and data locality is also taken into consideration along with process waiting time and data transmission time. We have developed a load balancing algorithm which balances the load on different nodes working in homogeneous environment in a fragmented distributed database.


Penfield's description of the "homunculus", a "grotesque creature" with large lips and hands and small trunk and legs depicting the representation of body-parts within the primary somatosensory cortex (S1), is one of the most prominent contributions to the neurosciences. Since then, numerous studies have identified additional body-parts representations outside of S1. Nevertheless, it has been implicitly assumed that S1's homunculus is representative of the entire somatosensory cortex. Therefore, the distribution of body-parts representations in other brain regions, the property that gave Penfield's homunculus its famous "grotesque" appearance, has been overlooked. We used whole-body somatosensory stimulation, functional MRI and a new cortical parcellation to quantify the organization of the cortical somatosensory representation. Our analysis showed first, an extensive somatosensory response over the cortex; and second, that the proportional representation of body-parts differs substantially between major neuroanatomical regions and from S1, with, for instance, much larger trunk representation at higher brain regions, potentially in relation to the regions' functional specialization. These results extend Penfield's initial findings to the higher level of somatosensory processing and suggest a major role for somatosensation in human cognition.


Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing with index modulation (OFDM-IM) has recently attracted many researchers' attention due to its superior spectrum efficiency and reliability compared to the traditional OFDM. Cooperative decode-and-forward relaying has been incorporated with OFDM-IM, which provides a higher energy efficiency and better network coverage. However, it might not be feasible in realistic applications, owing to the high system complexity and transmission delay rendered by complex decoding and channel estimation procedures. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a fixed-gain (FG) amplify-and-forward (AF) relay-assisted OFDM-IM system, which does not need to perform complex decoding and channel estimation at the relay, but only requires a pre-processing capability at the relay, e.g., cyclic prefix removal and re-insertion. Therefore, the system complexity can be reduced and the forwarding delay as well as power consumption caused by processing at the relay also decline. We analyze the average outage probability, block error rate, and achievable rate of the proposed system and verify all analysis by numerical results. The proposed FG AF relay-assisted OFDM-IM provides a simple solution to the implementation of OFDM-IM in new network paradigms, where nodes are simple, power limited, and/or complexity limited.


Land degradation can be described as reduction in the present and prospective land quality and production, due to natural or anthropogenic dynamics. This phenomenon is one of the most important problems facing farmers and decision makers in several countries. This study aims to use GIS spatial modeling to quantify land (physically and chemically) degradation in the study area based on remotely sensed and field survey's data. A GIS spatial model has been developed based on the LADAFAO methodology to apply a land degradation assessment in the study area. Final land degradation map has been produced by combining the outputs of different types of land degradation. The results show that the majority of the study area fall under the very low and low land degradation classes. High land degradation class has been found in areas affected by high soil loss, because of erosion and high or moderate deficiency of nutrients in the soil. Moderate land degradation class can be found in areas where soil physical degradation high is, while nutrients deficiency is moderate. Results also show that approximately quarter of the study area needs attention and degradation recovery plans to prevent losing these lands, so more work needs to be done to specify the main controlling agents of degradation to be recovered. GIS spatial modeling tools manifested great efficiency in land degradation assessment process, whose results hopefully may help decision makers to take the necessary actions to protect the most degraded spots.


Knowledge management (KM) is the name given to the set of organized and disciplined actions that an organization can take to obtain the furthermost value from the knowledge available to it. Knowledge management has received growing attention from 1990. For a few years, it was the next big thing after business process reengineering and Total Quality Management (TQM). This paper describes and compares concepts of KM and TQM. At the end, it concludes that KM and TQM are harmonizing and to be successful, it is necessary to take an integrated approach to management.


We previously showed that preincubation of a 10,000 g supernatant (S(10)) from rat liver for 20 min at 37 degrees C dramatically increased the subsequent incorporation of [(14)C]acetate into sterols. No activation was seen with [(14)C]mevalonate as substrate. In the present studies we have examined the effect of preincubation on HMG CoA reductase. When microsomes were isolated from S(10) by calcium precipitation, preincubation of S(10) increased the specific activity of HMG CoA reductase threefold. No activation of HMG CoA reductase was observed in microsomes isolated by ultracentrifugation. Activation was cyclic AMP-sensitive. When cyclic AMP (0.001-1.0 mM) and MgATP (1 mM) were present during the preincubation period, there was little or no activation of HMG CoA reductase activity or of sterol synthesis from acetate. MgATP alone did not prevent activation. Neither cyclic AMP nor MgATP was inhibitory when present only during the assay of sterol synthesis. We propose that the in vitro activation represents the reversal of a physiologic cyclic AMP-mediated mechanism for the control of hepatic HMG CoA reductase. That a phosphoprotein phosphatase may catalyze the activation was supported by the observation that sodium fluoride, an inhibitor of phosphoprotein phosphatases, inhibited the activation. These results suggest that hormone-induced changes in the cellular level of cyclic AMP may regulate the activity of HMG CoA reductase and the rate of hepatic cholesterol synthesis.


Plastic fiber-based optical links have been proposed for a wide variety of high-speed short reach applications. Graded-index (GI) multimode plastic optical fiber (POF) that supports 10 Gb/s over 50 m is commercially available and 40 Gb/s over 100 m has been demonstrated. However, unlike single-mode fiber and like silica multimode fiber (MMF), GI POF exhibits a range of performance that depends on launch condition and the accuracy of the index profile. Here, we report on the first statistical study of a large set of GI POF. We examine >; 40 samples of 62.5 μm core POF with four different cabling types that represent current-generation commercially available POF. We assess performance in terms of the 10 GbE requirements and quantify loss, chromatic dispersion, differential modal delay, effective modal bandwidth (EMB), and eye closure penalty. We find that nearly all of the measured 100 m fibers support the strict 10 GbE vertical-cavity surface emitting laser source EMB requirement, and that many fibers can support >; 40 Gb/s over 100 m. We thus demonstrate that GI POF can reliably support 10 Gb/s and larger bit rates to distances of 100 m.


Amidoxime-based polymer adsorbents in the form of functionalized fibers were prepared at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and screened in laboratory experiments, in terms of uranium uptake capacity, using spiked uranium solution and seawater samples. Batch laboratory experiments conducted with 5-gallon seawater tanks provided equilibrium information. Based on results from 5-gallon experiments, the best adsorbent was selected for field-testing of uranium adsorption from seawater. Flow-through column tests have been performed at different marine sites to investigate the uranium uptake rate and equilibrium capacity under diverse biogeochemistry. The maximum amount of uranium uptake from seawater tests at Sequim, WA, was 3.3 mg U/g adsorbent after eight weeks of contact of the adsorbent with seawater. This amount was three times higher than the maximum adsorption capacity achieved in this study by a leading adsorbent developed by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), which was 1.1 mg U/g adsorbent at equilibrium. The initial uranium uptake rate of the ORNL adsorbent was 2.6 times higher than that of the JAEA adsorbent under similar conditions. A mathematical model derived from the mass balance of uranium was employed to describe the data. (authors)


Skeletal myosin S1 consists of two functional segments, a catalytic-domain and a lever-arm. Since the crystal structure of ADP/Vi-bound S1 exhibits a strong intramolecular flexure between two segments, inter-conversion between bent and extended forms; i.e. "tilting of the lever-arm" has been accepted as the established molecular mechanism of skeletal muscle contraction. We utilized quick-freeze deep-etch replica electron microscopy to directly visualize the structure of in vitro actin-sliding myosin, and found the existence of a novel oppositely-bent configuration, instead of the expected ADP/Vi-bound form. We also noticed that SH1–SH2 cross-linked myosin gives an aberrant appearance similar to the above structure. Since SH1–SH2-cross-linked myosin is a well-studied analogue of the transient intermediate of the actomyosin cross-bridge cycle, we devised a new image-processing procedure to define the relative view-angles between the catalytic-domain and the lever-arm from those averaged images, and built a 3-D model of the new conformer. The lever-arm in that model was bent oppositely to the ADP/Vi-bound form, in accordance with observed actin-sliding cross-bridge structure. Introducing this conformer as the crucial intermediate that transiently appears during sliding, we propose a revised scheme of the cross-bridge cycle. In the scenario, the novel conformer keeps actin-binding in two different modes until it forms a primed configuration. The final extension of the lever-arm back to the original rigor-state constitutes the "power-stroke". Various images observed during sliding could be easily interpreted by the new conformer. Even the enigmatic behavior of the cross-bridges reported as "loose chemo-mechanical coupling" might be adequately explained under some assumptions.


This thesis presents an end-to-end system architecture for online services to provide it's users with a rprivacy guaranteer. The privacy guarantee as described in this thesis relates to the technological enforcement of the user's privacy policies by these online applications that are otherwise untrusted by the user.Applications on the Internet are complex in that they integrate different types of functionalities into a consistent interface for the user. This thesis categorizes these functionalities into three generic components n a learning module that operates on the data from multiple users to gather higher level trends and aggregates, a data storage and transformation module that provides the core functionality of data presentation and finally a client-side component that interacts with the cloud-side functionalities and is responsible for sourcing input from the user and presenting them on the user's device in a secure fashion.This thesis looks at the privacy risks introduced by each of these components and describes a rtrusted systemr that can be used by these online services to prove that the user specified privacy policies are enforced. The system consists of multiple independently developed solutions n Gupt, Rubicon, Bubbles and MobAds. These solutions work at tandem with each other to provide an end-to-end privacy perspective.While privacy policies and EULAs have largely been enforced in the realm of legal proceedings, this prototype implementation of an end-to-end privacy enforcement architecture demonstrates that it is both feasible and practical to enforce user privacy policies within the system.


Abstract In this paper, it is demonstrated that partnership arrangements between farmers might be a way to secure the economic viability of their farms as well as to increase profitability. The article discusses empirical analyses of three different forms of collaboration, with an emphasis on the environmental improvements associated with collaboration. Collaboration between a dairy farm and a crop farm is analyzed in the first case. The results show that potential gains from improved diversification and crop rotation are substantial, and even larger when the collaboration also involves machinery. The second analysis considers external integration between farrowing and finishing-pig operations. Gains from collaboration originate from biological and technical factors, such as improved growth rate of the pigs and better utilization of buildings. Finally, an evaluation of a group of collaborating crop farmers is performed. In this case, the benefits that arise are mainly due to reduced machinery costs and/or gains due to other factors, such as improved crop rotation and managerial/marketing strategies.


The Antiretroviral Pregnancy Registry (APR) is an ongoing international prospective exposure‐registration cohort study that monitors outcomes of pregnancies exposed to marketed antiretroviral medications. The population of women exposed to antiretrovirals remains relatively small, which limits the power of the registry. In order to maximize identification of a teratogenic signal, a special birth defect classification system was devised. Birth defects were organized based upon organ system and embryology, using the Metropolitan Atlanta Congenital Defects Program as a model. Grouping defects that share embryology and pathogenesis increases the likelihood that a teratogenic effect will be apparent. The result is a three‐tiered system: organ system, preferred defect term, and reported defect term. This system is text based, which eliminates the need to memorize codes and allows use by anyone familiar with medical terminology. Once established, the new APR Organ System Classification retains enough flexibility that categories may be collapsed or expanded as experience grows. Standardized nomenclature also minimizes variation introduced by collecting defect reports from many different sources. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The increasing proportion of the landscape used by humans has led, and is still leading, to the conversion of the original habitat into numerous small patches, often separated by a matrix of inhospitable land-uses. This habitat fragmentation is a major threat to biological diversity and is considered to be the primary cause of the present species extinction crisis (Aurambout et al. 2005). Survival in fragments is related to both intrinsic factors, such as abundance and sex ratio, and extrinsic factors related to patch quality (Ramanamanjato & Ganzhorn 2001, Rovero & Struhsaker 2007). At first, the fragmentation process can randomly distribute animals among forest patches and across fragmented habitat and surrounding matrix (Marsh 2003, Tischendorf et al. 2005). Local populations can survive only if the colonized forest remnants are adequate and/or dispersal is possible (Marsh 2003). Subsequently, a non-random distribution can result from local populations either remaining connected but distinct (metapopulation) or merging into a single large but patchy population (Harrison & Taylor 1997). Such distribution can be dictated by different aspects of fragment quality, including size and vegetation variables (e.g. tree species diversity, large-tree abundance and food plant availability) (Ramanamanjato & Ganzhorn 2001, Rovero & Struhsaker 2007). The mutual relationship among variables and their linkage to animal abundance have proven difficult to disentangle and mammals largely diverge in their response to different fragment quality aspects (Irwin 2008, Ramanamanjato & Ganzhorn 2001, Rovero & Struhsaker 2007).


We have been witnessing a continuous growth of both heterogeneous computational platforms (e.g., Cell blades, or the joint use of traditional CPUs and GPUs) and multi- core processor architecture; and it is still an open question how applications can fully exploit such computational potential efficiently. In this paper we introduce a run-time environment and programming framework which supports the implementation of scalable and efficient parallel applications in such heterogeneous, distributed environments. We assess these issues through well-known kernels and actual applications that behave regularly and irregularly, which are not only relevant but also demanding in terms of computation and I/O. Moreover, the irregularity of these, as well as many other applications poses a challenge to the design and implementation of efficient parallel algorithms. Our experimental environment includes dual and octa-core machines augmented with GPUs and we evaluate our framework performance for standalone and distributed executions. The evaluation on a distributed environment has shown near to linear scale-ups for two data mining applications, while the applications performance, when using CPU and GPU, has been improved into around 25%, compared to the GPU-only versions.


Distributed generation (DG) connected to distribution networks affects the currents or power flows in the networks; thus, node voltages that are strongly related to power flows also are changed. As the voltage must be within permitted limits to comply with utility and customer requirements, this effect should be assessed prior to DG connection. At the distribution level there are a number of attributes that can influence the voltage profiles; therefore, this assessment requires detailed distribution operation models. To provide reliable voltage evaluation results, a new probabilistic methodology is proposed in this paper. The distribution system operation uncertainties including daily time varying load, stochastic DG power production, network configuration, and voltage control devices operation are all taken into account. A probabilistic load flow method based on an efficient algorithm is used to handle uncertainties in loads and DG output power and voltage control devices operation. Accordingly, a probabilistic network reconfiguration model is employed to take stochastic network configurations for service restoration or load balancing into consideration. The proposed probabilistic method provides a better knowledge of the voltage effects and can be used for evaluating the level of DG that might be accepted on a distribution network. The models developed can also be used for assessing impact of voltage mitigation equipment on distribution operating performance. Test results of a modified IEEE feeder test system demonstrate the performance of the proposed method.


Abstract Credit unions currently serve over 110 million members in the United States. This is surprising, given the challenges associated with forming cooperatives. This paper explains how grants were used to overcome these challenges and create the modern credit union sector. Edward Filene, a wealthy 20th-century department store owner, provided philanthropic funding and technical expertise to early credit unions, resulting directly in the creation of 26,000 American credit unions over a 45-year period. Filene's leadership helped overcome the various social dilemmas associated with creating cooperatives, reforming institutions, and establishing an institutional framework that enables and supports cooperatives.


Slow sand filters (SSF) have been used to treat surface water to drinking water standards for over a century. Today many cities, including London still treat surface waters to drinking water standards, however because there are viruses that are not efficiently removed by a slow sand filter and are not killed by chlorine, communities have turned to the use of micro filtration and/or reverse osmosis to provide safe drinking water. These technologies are much more efficient if organics are removed and turbidity reduced to less than 1 Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU). The greenhouse industry is another potential user of slow sand filters. They are not able to recycle irrigation drainage water without it being treated to reduce bacteria, virus, and fungi. The objective of this research was to develop management strategies for SSF that specifically meet the needs of entities using SSF for pretreatment of potable water or use in a greenhouse. This data was used to test a scour system that resulted in scouring 80 percent of the organic layer in the filter and suspending the solids for 40 minutes. A conceptual design was done for a full scale SSF that took advantage of the scour and suspension data to clean the SSF at the end of a run cycle. SSF were able to consistently produce water with a turbidity less than 1 (NTU) and with the infiltration capacity of 0.27 m³m⁻². For greenhouse effluent a 1,000 square meter greenhouse that is discharging 3,600 L d⁻¹ of drainage water would require a 12.6 m² SSF, and the SSF for the community requiring treatment of 4.7 million liters per day of raw water was 730 m². The innovative cleaning system based on an air/water jet was developed to clean the SSF. Experiments were run to determine the amount of time that the solids were suspended and a scour system developed to exceed these times. The entire time for cleaning and recovery of the SSF was an average of 118 minutes for the greenhouse system and 170 minutes for the SSF serving a small community.


Zearalenone (ZEN) contamination from Fusarium graminearum colonization is particularly important in food and feed wheat, especially during post-harvest storage with legislative limits for both food and feed grain. Indicators of the relative risk from exceeding these limits would be useful. We examined the effect of different water activities (aw; 0.95–0.90) and temperature (10–25 °C) in naturally contaminated and irradiated wheat grain, both inoculated with F. graminearum and stored for 15 days on (a) respiration rate; (b) dry matter losses (DML); (c) ZEN production and (d) relationship between DML and ZEN contamination relative to the EU legislative limits. Gas Chromatography was used to measure the temporal respiration rates and the total accumulated CO2 production. There was an increase in temporal CO2 production rates in wetter and warmer conditions in all treatments, with the highest respiration in the 25 °C × 0.95 aw treatments + F. graminearum inoculation. This was reflected in the total accumulated CO2 in the treatments. The maximum DMLs were in the 0.95 aw/20–25 °C treatments and at 10 °C/0.95 aw. The DMLs were modelled to produce contour maps of the environmental conditions resulting in maximum/minimum losses. Contamination with ZEN/ZEN-related compounds were quantified. Maximum production was at 25 °C/0.95–0.93 aw and 20 °C/0.95 aw. ZEN contamination levels plotted against DMLs for all the treatments showed that at ca. <1.0% DML, there was a low risk of ZEN contamination exceeding EU legislative limits, while at >1.0% DML, the risk was high. This type of data is important in building a database for the development of a post-harvest decision support system for relative risks of different mycotoxins.


Previously, we observed that injection of an adenoviral (Ad) vector expressing glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) into the striatum, but not the substantia nigra (SN), prior to a partial 6-OHDA lesion protects dopaminergic (DA) neuronal function and prevents the development of behavioral impairment in the aged rat. This suggests that striatal injection of AdGDNF maintains nigrostriatal function either by protecting DA terminals or by stimulating axonal sprouting to the denervated striatum. To distinguish between these possible mechanisms, the present study examines the effect of GDNF gene delivery on molecular markers of DA terminals and neuronal sprouting in the aged (20 month) rat brain. AdGDNF or a control vector coding for beta-galactosidase (AdLacZ) was injected unilaterally into either the striatum or the SN. One week later, rats received a unilateral intrastriatal injection of 6-OHDA on the side of vector injection. Two weeks postlesion, rats injected with AdGDNF into either the striatum or the SN exhibited a reduction in the area of striatal denervation and increased binding of the DA transporter ligand [(125)I]IPCIT in the lesioned striatum compared to control animals. Furthermore, injections of AdGDNF into the striatum, but not the SN, increased levels of tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA in lesioned DA neurons in the SN and prevented the development of amphetamine-induced rotational asymmetry. In contrast, the level of T1 alpha-tubulin mRNA, a marker of neuronal sprouting, was not increased in lesioned DA neurons in the SN following injection of AdGDNF either into the striatum or into the SN. These results suggest that GDNF gene delivery prior to a partial lesion ameliorates damage caused by 6-OHDA in aged rats by inhibiting the degeneration of DA terminals rather than by inducing sprouting of nigrostriatal axons.


Continually rising energy prices have inspired increased interest in weight reduction in the automotive and aerospace industries, opening the door for the widespread use and development of lightweight structural materials. Chief among these materials are cast Al-Si and magnesium-based alloys. Utilization of Al-Si alloys depends on obtaining a modified fibrous microstructure in lieu of the intrinsic flake structure, a process which is incompletely understood. The local solidification conditions, mechanisms, and tensile properties associated with the flake to fiber growth mode transition in Al-Si eutectic alloys are investigated here using bridgman type gradient-zone directional solidification. Resulting microstructures are examined through quantitative image analysis of two-dimensional sections and observation of deep-etched sections showing three-dimensional microstructural features. The transition was found to occur in two stages: an initial stage dominated by in-plane plate breakup and rod formation within the plane of the plate, and a second stage where the onset of out-of-plane silicon rod growth leads to the formation of an irregular fibrous structure. Several microstructural parameters were investigated in an attempt to quantify this transition, and it was found that the particle aspect ratio is effective in objectively identifying the onset and completion velocity of the flake to fiber transition. The appearance of intricate out-of-plane silicon instability formations was investigated by adapting a perturbed-interface stability analysis to the Al-Si system. Measurements of silicon equilibrium shape particles provided an estimate of the anisotropy of the solid Si/liquid Al-Si system and incorporation of this silicon anisotropy into the model was found to improve prediction of the instability length scale. Magnesium alloys share many of the benefits of Al-Si alloys, with the added benefit of a 1/3 lower density and increased machinability. Magnesium castings often contain additions of heavier elements, such as zinc, zirconium, and rare earth elements, which significantly improve high temperature performance. However, additions of these elements can lead to macrosegregational effects in castings, which are detectable by radiographic scans. The effect of these flow-line indications on alloy mechanical properties is not well quantified. An examination of these flow-line indications and their effects on mechanical properties in three magnesium-based casting alloys was performed here in order to determine the best practice for dealing with affected castings. Preliminary results suggest the flow-lines do not measurably impact bulk material properties. Three additional methods of characterizing three-dimensional material structures are also presented: a minimum spanning tree analysis is utilized to quantify local structure in Cu-Zr liquid phase simulations obtained from molecular dynamics; the radial distribution function is applied to directionally solidified Al-Si structures in an attempt to extract local spacing data; and the critical diameter measurement is also defined and applied to irregular eutectic Al-Si structures.


We present the implementation of an automated system based on the hot-wire technique for measurement of the thermal conductivity of liquids using high precision equipment (current source and voltage meter) that allow to work without an array of resistances known as a Wheatstone bridge, commonly used in such equipments. We also use a criterion to verify that we are working on the correct linear region of the curve ΔT versus ln(t), which is used for experimental data processing. Finally we validate the functionality of the hot-wire experimental array by measuring the thermal conductivity in samples of liquids with well-known thermal properties.


Respect fullness for every person's right to life and human dignity can be found in most of the great religions and ideologies throughout the world. The right to life is a fundamental human right, for it is a divine gift, which, by its importance, surpasses the sphere of personal interest, making it relevant for the whole society. Euthanasia or the recognition of the right to death is considered a very delicate subject, with many pros and cons opinions and which requires an approach on multiple directions: religious, medical, social and judicial. Therefore, in this article I will try to show that life is of utmost importance to humans and also why christianism saw death as a normality, like a part of life, that death represents a moment and not a final stage. Moreover, we will assess the position of a European legislator regarding the right to die, knowing that the Romanian legislator is in the position of absolute rejection towards euthanasia practices, and the new Penal Code – Law nr. 287/2009 stipulates the act of murder upon the victim's request as a lesser form of murder, so resubmitting the tradition existing in our national law, this conduct being criminalized by prior art. nr. 468 of the 1936 Penal Code.


The authors examined 176 patients with schizophrenia running an unfavourable course, treated with neuroleptics for a long time; 20 oligophrenics on prolonged neuroleptic therapy and 47 healthy subjects. The immunological status of the patients was characterized by high neutrophil damage in the presence of a complex of brain antigens, in particular those of the subcortical area (trunk and optic tuber), marked formation of hemolytic plaques, inhibition of spontaneous rosette-formation, low antithymic activity of the serum, and by a slightly elevated level of blood histamine. Administration of chlorpromazine in different concentrations led to a stimulation of plaque formation and inhibition of rosette-formation. The groups of patients with high and low responsiveness were distinguished.


We study a classical many-particle system with an external control represented by a timedependent extensive parameter in a Lagrangian. We show that thermodynamic entropy of the system is uniquely characterized as the Noether invariant associated with a symmetry for an infinitesimal non-uniform time translation t→ t+ η~β, where η is a small parameter, ~ is the Planck constant, β is the inverse temperature that depends on the energy and control parameter, and trajectories in the phase space are restricted to those consistent with quasi-static processes in thermodynamics.


Abstract This qualitative descriptive study explored the value of games as pedagogical tools to teach team working and foster collaborative learning in a higher education classroom. Groups of three or four students (n = 181) were asked to participate in a simple low-tech serious game which required them to solve a puzzle. The puzzle simulated 'good' teamwork practices. Subsequently, participants were asked to complete an open-ended qualitative questionnaire about their experiences. The game was found to enhance learners' understanding of the attributes of effective team working. It was concluded that team-based collaborative games have value in experientially 'teaching' team working skills. Moreover, simple low-tech games were found to have good capacity for generating high-quality collaborative learning experiences. In this context it is argued that simple low-tech games should not be forgotten in the rush to develop computer-supported collaborative learning environments. Not least because they generate opportunities for face-to-face interaction.


The Gram-negative bacterium Sideroxydans lithotrophicus ES-1 (ES-1) grows on FeCO3 or FeS at oxic–anoxic interfaces at circumneutral pH, and the ES-1-mediated Fe(II) oxidation occurs extracellularly. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying ES-1's ability to oxidize Fe(II) remain unknown. Survey of the ES-1 genome for candidate genes for microbial extracellular Fe(II) oxidation revealed that it contained a three-gene cluster encoding homologs of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 (MR-1) MtrA, MtrB, and CymA that are involved in extracellular Fe(III) reduction. Homologs of MtrA and MtrB were also previously shown to be involved in extracellular Fe(II) oxidation by Rhodopseudomonas palustris TIE-1. To distinguish them from those found in MR-1, the identified homologs were named MtoAB and CymAES-1. Cloned mtoA partially complemented an MR-1 mutant without MtrA with regards to ferrihydrite reduction. Characterization of purified MtoA showed that it was a decaheme c-type cytochrome and oxidized soluble Fe(II). Oxidation of Fe(II) by MtoA was pH- and Fe(II)-complexing ligand-dependent. Under conditions tested, MtoA oxidized Fe(II) from pH 7 to pH 9 with the optimal rate at pH 9. MtoA oxidized Fe(II) complexed with different ligands at different rates. The reaction rates followed the order Fe(II)Cl2 >  Fe(II)–citrate > Fe(II)–NTA > Fe(II)–EDTA with the second-order rate constants ranging from 6.3 × 10−3 μM−1 s−1 for oxidation of Fe(II)Cl2 to 1.0 × 10−3 μM−1 s−1 for oxidation of Fe(II)–EDTA. Thermodynamic modeling showed that redox reaction rates for the different Fe(II)-complexes correlated with their respective estimated reaction-free energies. Collectively, these results demonstrate that MtoA is a functional Fe(II)-oxidizing protein that, by working in concert with MtoB and CymAES-1, may oxidize Fe(II) at the bacterial surface and transfer released electrons across the bacterial cell envelope to the quinone pool in the inner membrane during extracellular Fe(II) oxidation by ES-1.


Although war is a central setting in which men are judged by their success in meeting gendered societal expectations, literature regarding the effects of (a) exposure to a combat event and (b) combat-related posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) on a men's sense of masculinity is limited. The aim of the current study was to examine how Israeli veterans with PTSS perceived their masculinity as a result of the traumatic combat event. We also wished to better understand how they achieve their sense of manhood, while coping with PTSS, and the contributions of war and its aftermath to gender role stress in the Israeli context. A qualitative phenomenological study was conducted. Fourteen Israeli former combat soldiers with PTSS participated in comprehensive interviews in which common themes were identified via content analysis. The findings revealed two main changes in the veteran's sense of masculinity: (a) a crisis in achieving a sense of masculinity due to the traumatic event, and the veteran's self-perception as having failed to fulfill "manly" expectations, and (b) extremism in traditional masculine behaviors as compensation for that crisis. These findings point to how the PTSS-afflicted veteran's sense of manhood is affected by his perceptions of the ideal Israeli warrior, and how these perceptions contribute to a unique form of gender role stress: a narcissistic masculine wound, which may lead men to use violence and hypersexuality in an attempt to reclaim their masculinity. The role of attitudes toward traditional masculine norms in the process of treatment, change, and recovery is discussed.


Accurate measurements of voltage, current and power under nonsinusoidal conditions are essential for determining the efficiency of a motor drive system and performing separation of losses between an adjustable speed drive (ASD) and an electric motor. That information is invaluable for equipment designers, manufacturers and users. Three modern power meters and analyzers were tested to determine their accuracy with various nonsinusoidal waveforms applied. The meters were subjected to waveforms that are characteristic to the three most common fractional and integral horsepower ASD technologies, namely, PWM induction, brushless DC and switched-reluctance drives. The tests were performed under field conditions and in a computer-controlled laboratory environment. The obtained results show that some meters are able to measure accurately electric power at the input to ASD's. However, the output power of ASD's for brushless DC and switched-reluctance technology was not measured with acceptable accuracy by any of the tested meters. Possible reasons of meters inaccuracies and suggestions for performance improvement are presented. Conclusions on the present state of ASD electric power measurements and recommendations for further research are given.


Plant Science![Figure][1]

Salt accumulating trichomes in ice plants are metabolically flexible.

PHOTO: STEPHANIE STARR/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

The ice plant thrives in salty ocean-side mist. Barkla et al. used proteomics to identify proteins in these halophytes that are critical to the defense against too much salt. Specialized trichomes, known as epidermal bladder cells (EBCs), found on the surface of the ice plant can accumulate a concentration of over 1 M Na+. Several dozen proteins, including some involved in Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM), as well as several transporters in the EBCs are responsive to salty conditions. Ionomics showed the accumulation of Mn, V, and Zn as well as NaCl. Thus, more than a storage tank for salty water, the EBC is metabolically nimble, shifting physiological and developmental systems in response to environmental conditions.

BMC Plant Biol. 10.1186/s12870-016-0797-1 (2016).

 [1]: pending:yes


Introduction: Progesterone (P4) and progesterone receptors (PR) play elusive roles in breast cancer. Synthetic progestins in hormone replacement therapy increase breast tumorigenesis, yet these same progestins at high doses can be an effective therapy for some advanced breast tumors. The literature supports that progestins can either stimulate or inhibit breast cancer cell growth, and an increasing body of evidence supports P4 promotes expansion of breast cancer stem cells. Interplay between PR and estrogen receptors (ER) is emerging as important in dictating growth and response to treatment. There is historical precedence for PR interference of ER dependent gene transcription; recent reports identify that PR modulate ER DNA binding events. Given the importance of PR as a biomarker and potential therapeutic target, and the uncertainty surrounding its context-dependent actions, we aimed resolve this using breast cancer PDX models. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of natural and synthetic progestins on growth and estrogen-dependent gene expression in luminal breast tumors, and to define contexts that dictate their divergent effects. Experimental procedures: Six luminal breast cancer PDX developed at UCD-AMC were used for these studies. Most profiled as Luminal B subtype. Tumors generally fell into two types: a pure luminal phenotype and a mixed luminal/basal phenotype based on cytokeratin expression. Tumors varied in expression of ER, PR, and androgen receptors (AR) from low ( 90%). Tumors were grown in vivo under conditions of continuous placebo, 17β-estradiol (estrogen), estrogen plus progesterone (P4), or estrogen plus the synthetic progestin medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) for several months and growth parameters monitored. Receptor content was measure by immunohistochemistry and western blots. Gene expression profiles of select tumors were determined using Affymetrix® GeneChip human gene microarrays and/or RNAseq and results analyzed using Partek Genomics Suite™ software, and Metacore™ pathway analysis. Summary: In two pure luminal PDX with high receptor levels (ER, PR, AR) both P4 and MPA significantly inhibited estrogen-dependent growth (growth-inhibited, GI). Two PDX (one pure luminal, one mixed) with moderate ER and low PR and AR showed no significant effect of P4 or MPA on estrogen-dependent growth (growth neutral, GN). One mixed luminal/basal PDX with low ER and PR and moderate AR showed no effect with P4, whereas MPA simulated tumor growth above that with estrogen alone (growth stimulated, GS). Study of one PDX is ongoing. In the GI tumors both P4 and MPA reversed expression of ~30% of estrogen regulated genes. In particular these tumors had high estrogen-dependent expression of the Notch pathway, which was blocked by both P4 and MPA. Progestins did not alter estrogen-dependent genes in the GN or GS tumors, which did not include the Notch pathway. MPA stimulated a unique set of genes in the GS tumor, and was able to mobilize AR to the nucleus whereas P4 did not. Conclusion: Progestins have mixed effects on breast cancer PDX tumor growth. Tumors that have high ER and PR and are highly estrogen-dependent are more likely to exhibit strong growth inhibition by progestins (both P4 and MPA). Tumors with mixed luminal/basal phenotype that have less ER and PR and are moderately estrogen-dependent are less likely to be progestin-inhibited. In tumors with low ER and PR but high AR content MPA can act as an AR agonist to stimulate growth. Tumor-specific downstream estrogen-dependent pathways such as Notch may indicate whether progestins are therapeutic. Additional tumors are needed to confirm these results with the long term goal of developing a molecular assay to define those tumors that may benefit from progestin treatment. Citation Format: Jessica Finlay-Schultz, Heather M. Brechbuhl, Rachel B. Rosen, Austin E. Gillen, Britta M. Jacobsen, Peter Kabos, Carol A. Sartorius. Context-dependent growth effects of progestins in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer patient-derived xenografts (PDX). [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Breast Cancer Research; Oct 17-20, 2015; Bellevue, WA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Res 2016;14(2_Suppl):Abstract nr A43.


Deoxynivalenol (DON) is one of the most prevalent toxins in Fusarium -infected wheat samples. Accurate forecasting systems that predict the presence of DON are useful to underpin decision making on the application of fungicides, to identify fields under risk, and to help minimize the risk of food and feed contamination with DON. To this end, exist-ing forecasting systems often adopt statistical regression models, in which attempts are made to predict DON values as a continuous variable. In contrast, this paper advocates the use of ordinal regression models for the prediction of DON values, by defining thresholds for converting continuous DON values into a fixed number of well-chosen risk classes. Objective criteria for selecting these thresholds in a meaningful way are proposed. The resulting approach was evaluated on a sizeable field experiment in Belgium, for which measurements of DON values and various types of predictor variables were collected at 18 locations during 2002 – 2011. The results demonstrate that modelling and evaluating DON values on an ordinal scale leads to a more accurate and more easily interpreted predictive performance. Compared to traditional regression models, an improvement could be observed for support vector ordinal regression models and proportional odds models.


A random-walk simulation program was developed to study the effect of dephasing spins in a uniform magnetic-field gradient in a porous material. It is shown that this simulation program correctly reproduces basic nuclear magnetic resonance behavior, such as the formation of a spin echo. The spin-echo decay due to dephasing in a nonrestricted medium gives the well-known exponential relation containing the cube of time, whereas the spin-echo decay due to dephasing in a porous material gives a monoexponential decay. By varying the pore size and magnetic-field gradient, the motional averaging regime and the localization regime can be simulated. Moreover, the unknown intermediate regime is investigated. By choosing the right scaling parameters, the spin-echo decay due to dephasing in a pore can be described by one master curve for all pore sizes and gradient strengths. This master curve reveals a small intermediate regime, perfectly symmetrical around the gradient for which the dephasing length is exactly equal to the structural length of the pore.


The experimental results presented, concerning indirectly defined parameters in the title process, are the development of the former studies of directly defined parameters. The work was realized with the use of original test stand equipped with a prototype laboratory extruder with a rotating sleeve of the barrel (Fig. 1). It allowed defining the dependence of average values of indirectly defined parameters, characterizing the extrusion process discussed, on rotational speeds of the screw and rotating sleeve of the barrel (Fig. 2-8). These indirectly defined parameters were: the polymer (PE-LD) mass flow rate and extrusion velocity, extruder power input, thermal power conveyed by the polymer and extruder energy efficiency. The effects of constructional modifications of plasticating system as well as of extrusion conditions on functional properties of the extrudates obtained were evaluated (Fig. 9).


We have addressed two issues concerning the relative stabilities of various orienta- tions of interstitial clusters in iron by making a comprehensive comparison between four recent empirical potentials. First, we have investigated the effect of finite temperature on the com- petition between clusters made of a few dumbbells oriented along h111i or h110i. We show by quasi-harmonic calculations that h111i clusters have much larger vibrational formation en- tropies and that they are therefore stabilized with respect to h110i clusters at high temperature. Second, we have compared the formation energies of loops with several hundred atoms with Burgers vector 1 2 h111i or h100i. The 1 2 h111i loops are found to be always more stable, but the energy differences with h100i loops depend strongly on the potential.


The variation in the Physico Chemical properties of Beta Asarone when the temperature is raised is studied here. The Solvent effect has also been calculated with 2 solvents-water and ethanol by (Polarizable continuum Model (PCM) method where a solute cavity is created by a set of over lapping spheres and computes the energy in solution. The electrostatic interactions of molecules are studied using their Mulliken charge distribution. SCF Energy, Molecular electrostatic Potential mapping, Dipole moment, Ionization Potential and Thermal properties are also studied. Beta Asarone which is the reported toxic constituent of Acorus calamus might undergo variations with higher temperature and also when it is in solution. The study of variations in solution is challenging and here the quantum mechanical calculations are performed in two different solutions to test for any variations of Beta Asarone in solution.


In the last years, the energy production share of power electronics-based generators has kept increasing with respect to the synchronous generation. These power electronics-resources do not offer rotational inertia, resulting in a decrease of the total system inertia and thus in larger frequency deviations during disturbances. Among several corrective solutions studied in the literature, controlling the load consumption is a promising one. Fast in power response and widely distributed in the grid, load control is able to work as power reserve (both upward and downward) during frequency variations. In this regard, a smart transformer (ST)-based solution is proposed. The ST is able to shape load consumption accurately by means of an online load sensitivity identification-based control, and can support the primary frequency regulation in the power system. This paper presents an ST-based real time frequency regulation (RTFR) controller that varies load consumption by means of a voltage-based load control, in response to the frequency deviation in the power grid. The proposed method is described analytically and tested by means of power-hardware-in-loop experiments in order to show the effectiveness of the RTFR controller in real-time conditions and applications.


Self-emulsifying drug delivery systems (SEDDS) have been mainly investigated to enhance the oral bioavailability of drugs belonging to class II of the Biopharmaceutics Classification System. However, in the past few years, they have shown promising outcomes in the oral delivery of various types of therapeutic agents. In this chapter, we discuss the recent progress in the application of SEDDS for oral delivery of protein therapeutics and genetic materials. The role of SEDDS in enhancing the oral bioavailability of P-glycoprotein and cytochrome P450 3A4 substrate drugs is also highlighted. Also, we discuss the most critical evaluation criteria of SEDDS. Additionally, we summarize various solidification techniques employed to transform liquid SEDDS to the more stable solid self-emulsifying drug delivery systems (s-SEDDS) that are associated with high patient compliance. This chapter provides a comprehensive approach to develop high utility SEDDS and their further transformation into s-SEDDS.


The present study aimed to evaluate the ethanolic extract of Filago desertorum for its probable antioxidant, antimicrobial, cytotoxicity potential and to assess its elemental analysis. The ethanolic extract showed maximum 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (68.48 %), 2,2'-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (71.32 %) and hydrogen peroxide (69.44 %) scavenging activity as compared to ascorbic acid (reference) at the concentration of 250 μg/ml. The maximum total antioxidant activity (71.53 %) and reducing power (0.197) were observed at a concentration of 250 μg/ml. The extract showed maximum percent inhibition against fungal strain Aspergillus fumigates (90 %) and bacterial strain Staphylococcus aureus (10 mm). The maximum percent mortality (70 %) was determined at 250 μg/ml concentration with half maximal inhibitory concentration of 127.00 μg/ml. Elemental analysis showed that the sodium (92.936 mg/ml) was found to be present in large amount while zinc (0.060 mg/g) was found present in low concentration but cobalt was not detected. Based on the current results, it can be concluded that Filago desertorum has maximum inhibitory, antimicrobial, cytotoxic potential and therefore can lead to antioxidant, anticancer and antibiotics agents.


Background: After allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT), patients often report functional impairments like reduced gait speed and muscle weakness. These impairments can increase the risk of adverse health events similar to elderly populations. However, they have not been quantified in patients after alloHCT (PATs). Methods: We compared fear of falling (Falls Efficacy Scale–International) and temporal gait parameters recorded on a 10-m walkway at preferred and maximum gait speed and under dual-task walking of 16 PATs (aged 31-73 years) with 15 age-matched control participants (CONs) and 17 seniors (SENs, aged >73 years). Results: Groups' gait parameters especially differed during the maximum speed condition: PATs walked slower and required more steps/10 m than CONs. PATs exhibited greater stride, stance, and swing times than CONs. PATs' swing time was even longer than SENs'. The PATs' ability to accelerate their gait speed from preferred to fast was smaller compared with CONs'. PATs reported a greater fear of falling than CONs and SENs. Conclusion: Gait analysis of alloHCT patients has revealed impairments of functional performance. Patients presented a diminished ability to accelerate gait and extending steps possibly related to a notable strength deficit that impairs power-generation abilities from lower extremities. Furthermore, patients reported a greater fear of falling than control participants and even seniors. Slowing locomotion could be a risk-preventive safety strategy. Since functional disadvantages may put alloHCT patients at a higher risk of frailty, reinforcing appropriate physical exercises already during and after alloHCT could prevent adverse health events and reduce the risk of premature functional aging.


Summary Franciszek Bossowski (1879–1940) was a professor of Roman law. He worked at Stefan Batory University in Vilnius from 1920 to 1939. In this period he was a Dean of Faculty of Law in academic years 1927/1928 and 1928/1929. Bossowski is an author of many valuable papers concerning history and institutions of Roman law, among other things: Znalezienie skarbu wedle prawa rzymskiego (Finding of treasure according to the Roman law); Ze studiow nad pierwotnym testamentem rzymskim (Studies on a primitive Roman testament), Actio ad exhibendum w prawie klasycznem i justynianskiem (Actio ad exhibendum in classical and in Justinian's law), Cura prodigi et luxuriosi and Ze studiow nad rei omanistsn. Problem legitymacji biernej (Studies on rei vindicatio. The problem of passive capacity to be a party in a lawsuit). He kept scientific contacts with famous Italian romanists – Salvatore Riccobono and Pietro Bonfante, who both have received doctorates honoris causa of the Vilnius University in 1929. Professor Bossowski was also interested in civil law and comparative law. He was a member of many international and domestic scientific societes. After the outbreak of World War II he was arrested by the Nazis and imprisoned in Sachsenhausen concentration camp. He died in Cracow in 1940, after returning from lager in mortal state.


Biphenyl is used as an intermediate for synthesis of various pharmaceutical compounds. The objective of present research was to investigate the influence of biofield treatment on physical, spectroscopic and thermal properties of biphenyl. The study was performed in two groups (control and treated). The control group remained as untreated, and biofield treatment was given to treated group. The control and treated biphenyl were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, Ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy and surface area analysis. The treated biphenyl showed decrease in intensity of XRD peaks as compared to control. Additionally, crystallite size was decreased in treated biphenyl by 16.82% with respect to control. The treated biphenyl (72.66oC) showed increase in melting temperature as compared to control biphenyl (70.52oC). However, the latent heat of fusion (∆H) of treated biphenyl was substantially changed by 18.75% as compared to control. Additionally, the treated biphenyl (155.14oC) showed alteration in maximum thermal decomposition temperature (Tmax) as compared to control sample (160.97oC). This showed the alteration in thermal stability of treated biphenyl as compared to control. Spectroscopic analysis (FT-IR and UV-visible) showed no alteration in chemical nature of treated biphenyl with respect to control. Surface area analysis through Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis (BET) analyzer showed significant alteration in surface area as compared to control. Overall, the result demonstrated that biofield has substantially affected the physical and thermal nature of biphenyl.


This paper gives an overview of foreign direct investment (FDI) in South Africa from 1980 to 2017. It highlights trends in FDI inflows, reforms that have been implemented to date, and challenges that need to be addressed in order to increase the FDI inflows into the country. Government reforms on FDI have been two pronged. Firstly, there are policies that are aimed at creating a strong competitive industry and a strong industrial base for investment. Among such policies are trade liberalisation policies, multilateral and regional integration policies, supportive industrial policies, and bilateral trade agreements. Secondly, there are policies that directly target the FDI investment. These policies include, amongst others, investment incentives, regulatory reforms, exchange control relaxation, and Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) reforms. The findings from this study show that FDI inflows have increased significantly from 1990 although they still remain depressed.


The recent years have brought a significant body of research on wireless Two-Way Relaying (TWR), where the use of network coding brings an evident advantage in terms of data rates. Yet, TWR scenarios represent only a special case and it is of interest to devise similar techniques in more general multi-flow scenarios. Such techniques can leverage on the two principles used in Wireless Network Coding to design throughput-efficient schemes: (1) aggregation of communication flows and (2) embracing and subsequently cancel/mitigate the interference. Using these principles, we investigate Coordinated Direct/Relay (CDR) schemes, which involve two flows, of a direct and a relayed user. In this paper we characterize a CDR scheme by deriving/bounding the Diversity-Multiplexing Trade-off (DMT) function. Two cases are considered. In the first case a transmitter knows the Channel State Information (CSI) of all the links in the network, while in the second case each node knows only CSI of the links towards its neighbors. The results show that the new CDR scheme outperforms the reference scheme in terms of DMT characterization. Several interesting features are identified with respect to the impact of the CSI knowledge to the improvement in diversity or multiplexing brought by the CDR scheme.


The separation of gallium from iron by solvent extraction from chloride media is challenging because the anionic chloridometalates, FeCl4− and GaCl4−, display similar chemical properties. However, we report here that the selective separation of gallium from iron in HCl solution can be achieved using the dual-purpose ionic liquid methyltrioctylammonium iodide in a solvent extraction process. In this case, the reduction of Fe3+ to Fe2+ by the iodide counterion was found to inhibit Fe transport, facilitating quantitative Ga extraction by the ionic liquid with minimal Fe extraction from 2 M HCl.


Abstract Analysis of electric and geologic logs of 517 shallow wells (91 m, 300 ft deep) in southeastern Missouri has revealed a subsurface structural high (herein called the Charleston Uplift) trending N46°E from near New Madrid, Missouri, to Cairo, Illinois, that juxtaposes Paleocene Flour Island Formation against Eocene Claiborne Group. The Charleston Uplift is 30 km (19 miles) long, 7.2 km (4.5 miles) wide, and has a relief of 36 m (120 ft) at the unconformity surface between the Paleogene and Quaternary sections. Two seismic‐reflection soundings, one conducted north of the uplift, and the second conducted within the uplift indicate 60 m (198 ft) of apparent structural relief on the underlying top of the Paleozoic, 47 m (155 ft) on the top of the Late Cretaceous, and 19 m (63 ft) on a Tertiary reflector. The Charleston Uplift is interpreted to be the northeastern extension of the New Madrid North fault of the New Madrid seismic zone and locally the western margin fault zone of the Reelfoot rift. Although no surface faulting has been mapped along the Charleston Uplift, the uplift appears to have influenced the Holocene course of the Mississippi River and displaced the Paleocene/Quaternary unconformity, thus indicating Quaternary displacement of the Charleston Uplift across southeastern Missouri, which may continue beneath the Ohio River valley into adjacent Illinois and Kentucky. Thus, the Charleston Uplift strongly suggests Quaternary structural continuity between the Reelfoot rift and Rough Creek graben of Kentucky. Although currently seismically quiet, the 12 February 2012 M  3.9 earthquake and probably the 31 October 1895 ∼ M  6.6 Charleston earthquake occurred on this structure, thereby illustrating the seismic potential of this structure and extending the New Madrid North fault system at least 30 km (19 miles).


Radiation-induced intestinal injury (RIII) restricts the therapeutic efficacy of radiotherapy in abdominal or pelvic malignancies. Also, intestinal injury is a major cause of death following exposure to high doses of radiation in nuclear accidents. No safe and effective prophylactics or therapeutics for RIII are currently available. Here, we reported that the apigenin, a natural dietary flavone, prolonged the survival in c57 mice after lethal irradiation. Apigenin pretreatment brought about accelerated restoration of crypt-villus structure, including enhanced regenerated crypts, more differentiated epithelium cells, and increased villus length. In addition, intestinal crypt cells in the apigenin-treated group exhibited more proliferation and less apoptosis. Furthermore, apigenin increased the expression of Nrf2 and its downstream target gene HO-1, and decreased oxidative stress after irradiation. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate the radioprotective efficacy of apigenin. Apigenin has the potential to be used as a radioprotectant in cancer therapy and nuclear accidents.


We developed a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)–based technique for measuring the volume of the hippocampal formation. In this study, the relationship between volumes of the hippocampal formation and outcome (i.e., postoperative seizure control) after anterior temporal lobectomy for intractable epilepsy was analyzed in 50 consecutive patients in whom the surgical specimen did not contain an epileptogenic mass lesion. Outcome was classified as either satisfactory or unsatisfactory. A significant relationship was found between outcome and volume of the operated of hippocampal formation (p = 0.012), as well as a derived volumetric measure (nonoperated minus operated volume of the hippocampal formation) (p = 0.004). The association between outcome and nonoperated volume was borderline (p = 0.057). Thirty‐four (97%) of 35 patients in whom the volumetric study and electroencephalography (EEG) concordantly lateralized the seizure disorder had satisfactory postoperative seizure control. Conversely, only 7 (42%) of 12 patients in whom the volume study was nonlateralizing and 1 (33%) of 3 in whom the EEG and volume study were discordant had a satisfactory outcome. We regard our MRI‐based study of hippocampal formation volume as a noninvasive surrogate for the identification of moderate or severe mesial temporal sclerosis. The technique is a useful adjunct in a multidisciplinary, preoperative epilepsy evaluation when T2‐weighted MRIs do not reveal an epileptogenic mass lesion. The reasons for the usefulness of this imaging technique are: (1) It is an independent source of information on seizure lateralization, (2) it will provide information as to expected postoperative outcome, and (3) it may aid in appropriately selecting patients for invasive preoperative monitoring studies.


Primary thyroid lymphoma is uncommon and usually of non-Hodgkin type. We report four female patients with thyroid lymphoma. An 81 year-old patient that was operated and received three cycles of chemotherapy and was lost from follow up. A 16 year-old patient that is operated and received full chemotherapy and was discharged free of disease. A 80 year-old patient that was operated and died due to a multiple organ failure, 50 days after hospital admission and a 54 year-old female that was operated but rejected chemotherapy and was lost from follow up.


The toxicity of ionizing radiation (IR) is associated with the development of acute radiation syndrome primarily involving damage to the highly radiosensitive gastrointestinal (GI) tract and the hematopoietic (HP) system (1). Development of radioprotectants has been historically focused on agents that either reduce the degree of a direct damage (e.g., anti-oxidants) or stimulate tissue recovery and regeneration (e.g., cytokines) (2). These efforts have not produced a useful radiation countermeasure approved with an acceptable safety profile that would be effective against both major components of acute radiation syndrome leaving radioprotection an unmet medical need. We have recently introduced a new type of radioprotectants with a distinctly different mechanism of action which does satisfy the necessary requirements and can be considered for biodefense and medical application. Our strategy for radioprotection is based on the observation that massive cell loss occurring in radiosensitive tissues exposed to IR occurs predominantly through apoptosis, which is almost universally suppressed in tumors. Among the variety of mechanisms acquired by tumors to avoid apoptosis, there are two most universal ones - suppression of pro-apoptotic p53 pathway and constitutive activation of pro-survival NF-kB pathway. Our approach to selective radioprotection involves the development of pharmacological agents able to activate those mechanisms of apoptosis suppression that are utilized by tumor cells in normal cells. First, we started with the development of p53 inhibitors which offered effective protection to the HP system known to suffer cell loss predominantly through the induction of p53-dependent apoptosis (3, 4). However, the pro-survival role of p53 found in GI tract (5) prevented us from using p53 inhibitors for protection from this component of acute radiation syndrome. To protect the GI tract from acute radiation syndrome, we used agents known to activate NF-kB, the pathway that is constitutively active in the majority of tumors. Specifically, we focused on NF-kB-activating factors of human intestinal microflora known to be involved in supporting viability of intestinal tissue (6). The radioprtotectant we recently described, CBLB502, was derived from bacterial (Salmonella) flagellin, the only known ligand of Toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5) which is expressed in the epithelial and endothelial cells of the intestine and presumably plays a role in the protection of the GI tract from parasitic infections. Studies with flagellin and its' less immunogenic, non-toxic derivative, CBLB502, have shown each able to provide significant radioprotection and mitigation of radiation injury to both the HP and GI systems and improve survival of mice and rhesus macaques after exposure to lethal IR (7). Importantly, CBLB502 was found effective in protecting mice from IR applied locally (head and neck), the regimen better imitating the use of radiation in oncology clinic. Treatment with CBLB502 significantly enhanced expression of a number of cellular defense factors encoded by NF-κB-responsive genes such as superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2), a well-known scavenger of reactive oxygen species, that is induced in the lamina propria of irradiated mice and primates. Furthermore, CBLB502 injection led to the induction of high levels of G-CSF and other radioprotective cytokines with only minor increase in pro-inflammatory factors, such as TNFα or IL1. Thus, the mechanism by which CBLB502 prevents radiation toxicity is multi-fold and involves mobilization of endogenous defense mechanisms, combining "traditional" radioprotective approaches (induction of antioxidants and regeneration-supporting cytokines) with suppression of apoptosis in radiosensitive cells. CBLB502-mediated radioprotection was found to be highly selective for normal cells and did not change tumor cell sensitivity to IR regardless of whether they express functional TLR5 or not. This selectivity is presumably explained by constitutive activation of NF-kB observed in the majority of tumors (8), rendering this mechanism unsuitable for targeting by radioprotectans. The selectivity of CBLB502-mediated radioprotection for normal cells was tested in vitro by colony formation assays. Characterization of a large panel of tumor-derived and normal human and mouse cell variants grown in culture indicated that only normal cells are susceptible for radioprotection activity of CBLB502. The normal tissue selectivity of CBLB502-mediated radioprotection was further confirmed in vivo in several mouse tumor models of experimental radiotherapy, including syngenic (C57BL6 mice bearing B16 melanomas) and xenogenic tumors (athymic nude mice bearing human HCT116 colon tumors). The tumor-bearing mice were subjected to fractioned radiation treatment (3 or 4 Gy for three consecutive days, 100% lethal cumulative dose) with and without CBLB502 treatment. In all of the models tested, the antitumor effect of irradiation was accompanied by the death of all irradiated mice of the control group within 2-3 weeks after IR while treatment with CBLB502 prevented radiation-induced mortality or prolonged survival providing no protection to the tumors (Figure). These results support the development of CBLB502 as a drug able to prevent adverse effects of radiotherapy through its ability to protect both the GI tract and the HP system. The high selectivity of CBLB502 for protection of normal cells makes it uniquely qualified for radioprotection (prophylaxis) and radiomitigation regimens during cancer therapy. Figure. (see PDF file) Athymic female mice were inoculated with human colorectal cancer cells HCT116. When tumors reached approximately 5 mm in diameter, mice received CBLB502 injections followed by 3.3 Gy of total body irradiation 30 min later. This treatment was repeated 3 times daily. Two other groups of mice were treated with CBLB502 alone or irradiated. Control mice received PBS injections as a vehicle control. V=π/6 x length x width x width. References 1. J. F. Weiss, M. R. Landauer, Toxicology 189, 1 (Jul 15, 2003). 2. S. J. Hosseinimehr, Drug Discov Today 12, 794 (Oct, 2007). 3. P. G. Komarov et al., Science 285, 1733 (Sep 10, 1999). 4. E. Strom et al., Nat Chem Biol 2, 474 (Sep, 2006). 5. E. A. Komarova et al., Oncogene 23, 3265 (Apr 22, 2004). 6. S. Rakoff-Nahoum, J. Paglino, F. Eslami-Varzaneh, S. Edberg, R. Medzhitov, Cell 118, 229 (Jul 23, 2004). 7. L. G. Burdelya et al., Science 320, 226 (Apr 11, 2008). 8. M. Karin, Nature 441, 431 (May 25, 2006).


In an environment of a quick unfolding crisis with high uncertainty, the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority issued on 2nd April 2020 a statement requesting (re)insurers to suspend all discretionary dividend distributions and share buy backs aimed at remunerating shareholders. Although, this should have a positive impact on the overall financial stability of the sector, it could have a negative impact on insurers' equity prices as a response to the published statement. Hence, this article empirically investigates this potential effect using an event study methodology. Although, negative drops were observed in some cases, the obtained empirical results suggest that they were not statistically significant for the overall European insurers' equity market when considering the event windows covering a few days after the publication.