Background: The aim of this study was to explore the characteristics of breast cancer mortality in Inner Mongolia, and to provide evidence for the prevention of female breast cancer. Methods: Using data from the Death Registry System from 2008 to 2010. We classified female cancer deaths according to the International Classification of Disease-10th Revision. The mortality of different age groups and the potential years of life lost were calculated for female breast cancer in Inner Mongolia. Results: Breast cancer mortality for Inner Mongolian women was higher in older age groups. The potential years of life lost were also much higher in younger groups than in older groups. Marital status, education level and occupation may contribute to this increase in breast cancer mortality in younger groups. Conclusion: Preventive policies should be implemented to de- velop strategies aimed at reducing the breast cancer mortality, especially with regard to younger age groups in Inner Mongolia.


The effect of Cassava replacing maize in the diet of grower pigs was investigated. A total of thirty six 5 week old male weaner large white \landrace cross pigs were used for thestudy. These were divided into four groups A – D "S (n = 9)"" followng two weeks of acclimatization. The basic ingredients in their diets were soybean meal (SBM) palm kennel cake (PKC), maize, cassava flour, vitamin premix and sodium chloride. Four dietsA – D were formulated using these ingredients. Diet A had maize only as the source of energy whie diets B, C and D had maize replaced with 50, 75 and 100% cassava respectively. Groups a, B C and D were maintained on diets A, B, C and D respectively from week 7 of age until they attained 5 months of age. Observations for clinical conditions like anorexia, diarrhea, fever and signs of hydrocyanic acid intoxications and sexual behavioral patterns related to puberty were made throughout the course of study. Moreover, weekly determination of live weights and testicular growth were also carriedout. There was no overt manifestation of any abnormality by the members of the maize replaced cassava diet. At 15th weeks of age, members o group B and C were showing signs of sexual maturity followed a week later by those of group A and at 19h week by all the groups. Performance of groups C and D members were generally inferior to those of groups A and B. (P < 0.05). However, all the groups had comparable testicular diameter. It was concluded that inclusion o cassava meal in the diet of grower pigs promotes growth and early maturity. To avoid cyanide poisoning the cassava processing should be done properly while protein source should be such as to prevent precipitating its deficiency due to the low protein value of cassava root meal.


Addition of high concentrations (100ng/ml) of epidermal growth factor (EGF) to cultures of the epidermoid-carcinoma cell-line A431, which expresses high levels of the EGF receptor, resulted in 50 percent reduction in growth rate. At a lower level (10 ng/ml) of EGF no such inhibitory effect was observed. Addition of gamma-interferon at a concentration of 100 u/ml, but not alpha-interferon at the same concentration. inhibited the growth rate of A431 cells by 50 percent. Incubation of the cells in medium containing both 10 ng/ml of EGF and 1000 u/ml of gamma-interferon led to a complete growth arrest. After 48 hours this inhibition was not reversible and resulted in excessive cell-death after approximately seven days. The human lung cancer cell-line U-1752, which expresses low levels of the EGF receptor, was not inhibited by EGF even at high concentrations. Gamma-interferon did not increase the sensitivity of these cells to EGF. The results show that the modulating effect of gamma-interferon on EGF activity is variable and probably depends on cell line, receptor concentration as well as the primary effect of EGF on different cells.


Detecting depression based on non-verbal behaviors has received great attention. However, most prior work on detecting depression mainly focused on detecting depressed individuals in laboratory settings, which are difficult to be generalized in practice. In addition, little attention has been paid to analyzing the non-verbal behaviors of depressed individuals in the wild. Therefore, in this paper, we present a multimodal depression dataset, D-Vlog, which consists of 961 vlogs (i.e., around 160 hours) collected from YouTube, which can be utilized in developing depression detection models based on the non-verbal behavior of individuals in real-world scenario. We develop a multimodal deep learning model that uses acoustic and visual features extracted from collected data to detect depression. Our proposed model employs the cross-attention mechanism to effectively capture the relationship across acoustic and visual features, and generates useful multimodal representations for depression detection. The extensive experimental results demonstrate that the proposed model significantly outperforms other baseline models. We believe our dataset and the proposed model are useful for analyzing and detecting depressed individuals based on non-verbal behavior.


Background: Forearm fractures are common childhood injuries. Controversy remains on the optimal treatment for certain fractures. The goal of this study was to determine variation in the treatment of pediatric forearm fractures based on fracture patterns, patient demographics, and surgeon characteristics. Methods: A survey was distributed to orthopedic surgeons consisting of 48 different cases of pediatric forearm fractures with possible treatment options. Each case included patient age and radiographs at three different time intervals: initial injury, post reduction, and first office follow-up. Respondents were asked if they would recommend non-surgical management, surgery with intramedullary nailing, or surgery with plate/screw fixation. Surgeon demographic data was also collected. The primary model investigated the effect of the attributes on the surgeon's decision to operate. Results: 48 of 55 surgeons responded. Surgery was chosen as preferred treatment in 43% of the presented scenarios. Coronal plane angulation at first follow-up was associated with the greatest increase in marginal probability of operative treatment. For each degree increase in angulation, respondents were 5.2% more likely to operate on a patient. For each additional year of patient age, operative treatment probability increased by 3.9%. Surgeons' sex, age, years in practice, and fellowship type were not associated with variations in treatment preferences. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates significant variability in treatment recommendations amongst orthopedic surgeons with regard to pediatric forearm fractures. Patient age and coronal plane angulation at first follow-up increased the probability of choosing operative treatment among respondents. Surgeon characteristics did not predict treatment recommendations.


Dedication Acknowledgments 1. Introduction: Critical Theory and the Critique of Political Economy Section I: On the Critique of Political Economy as a Critical Social Theory 2. Political Economy and Social Constitution: On the Meaning of Critique 3. Society as Subject and Society as Object: On Social Praxis Section II: Value: On Social Wealth and Class 4. Capital and Labour: Primitive Accumulation and the Force of Value 5. Class and Struggle: On the false Society 6. Time is Money: On Abstract Labour Section III: Capital, World Market and State 7. State, World Market and Society 8. On the State of Political Economy: Political Form and the Force of Law Section IV Anti-Capitalism: Theology and Negative Practice 9. Anti-Capitalism and the Elements of Antisemitism: On Theology and Real Abstractions 10. Conclusion: On the Elements of Subversion and Negative Reason Selected Bibliography Index


The study was set up to determine the relationship between the human sperm acrosome reaction and fertilization in couples undergoing routine in-vitro fertilization (TVF) treatment Prospective data analysis was carried out on all IVF patients during a 6 month period. Exceptions were those patients having insufficient sperm concentration to allow both acrosome reaction determination and insemination. The main outcome measures were the prediction of fertilization in IVF patients using flow cytometric analysis of the spontaneous and ionophore-induced acrosome reaction [giving the acrosomal response to ionophore challenge (ARIC) score] in the male partner's spermatozoa versus standard analytical methods of sperm motion parameters and morphology. Stepwise logistic regression indicated only two independent factors predictive of fertilization : ARIC score (x2 = 109.6, P 10, 92% had >30% of oocytes fertilized; 100% of patients with an ARIC score of <10 had <30% fertilization of oocytes. The sensitivity and specificity of the assay system were 1.00 and 0.82 respectively. The results would indicate that the ARIC test as measured by flow cytometric analysis of CD46 binding is a sensitive and specific assay for use in the prediction of fertilization in IVF patients, thus enabling direct channelling of those patients with ARIC scores of <10 into the more invasive micro-assisted fertilization schemes.


BACKGROUND
Little is known about the incidence of inadequate treatment of severe Staphylococcus aureus infection in Europe. We aimed to evaluate the adequacy of antibiotic therapy for S. aureus bacteremia (SAB), to identify determinants of inadequate treatment, and to determine the effect of inadequate treatment on patient outcome in a representative selection of hospitals in 9 Western European countries.

METHODS
In this retrospective cohort study, all adult patients with SAB (due to methicillin-susceptible S. aureus [MSSA] or methicillin-resistant S. aureus [MRSA]) who were admitted to 60 randomly selected hospitals from 1 November 2007 through 31 December 2007 were included. Adequate antimicrobial therapy was defined as intravenous administration of at least 1 antibiotic to which the isolate showed in vitro susceptibility that was initiated within 2 days after onset of SAB.

RESULTS
A total of 334 SAB episodes (257 due to MSSA and 77 due to MRSA) were included. Ninety-four patients (28%) received inadequate empirical therapy (21% in the MSSA group and 52% in the MRSA group). Both length of stay before SAB onset and methicillin-resistant infection were associated with inadequate therapy, with adjusted odds ratios (ORs) of 1.01 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.00-1.03) and 3.7 (95% CI, 2.2-6.4), respectively. Age (OR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.03-1.10), Charlson comorbidity score (OR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.2-3.6), severe sepsis or septic shock (OR, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.5-4.8), and intensive care unit stay at onset of SAB (OR, 2.9; 95% CI, 1.5-5.6) but not inadequate treatment (OR, 0.7; 95% CI, 0.4-1.3) were associated with increased 30-day mortality.

CONCLUSION
Inadequate empirical antimicrobial therapy for SAB is common in Western Europe and is strongly associated with infection caused by MRSA. In this study, inadequate treatment was not associated with increased 30-day mortality rates.


Objectives Evidence-based medicine (EBM) skills are important to daily practice, but residents generally feel unskilled incorporating EBM into practice. The Kolb experiential learning theory, as applied to curricular planning, offers a unique methodology to help learners build an EBM skill set based on clinical experiences. We sought to blend the learner-centered, case-based merits of the morning report with an experientially based EBM curriculum. We describe and evaluate a patient-centered ambulatory morning report combining the User's Guides to the Medical Literature approach to EBM and experiential learning theory in the internal medicine department at Baystate Medical Center. Methods The Kolb experiential learning theory postulates that experience transforms knowledge; within that premise we designed a curriculum to build EBM skills incorporating residents' patient encounters. By developing structured clinical questions based on recent clinical problems, residents activate prior knowledge. Residents acquire new knowledge through selection and evaluation of an article that addresses the structured clinical questions. Residents then apply and use new knowledge in future patient encounters. Results To assess the curriculum, we designed an 18-question EBM test, which addressed applied knowledge and EBM skills based on the User's Guides approach. Of the 66 residents who could participate in the curriculum, 61 (92%) completed the test. There was a modest improvement in EBM knowledge, primarily during the first year of training. Conclusions Our experiential curriculum teaches EBM skills essential to clinical practice. The curriculum differs from traditional EBM curricula in that ours blends experiential learning with an EBM skill set; learners use new knowledge in real time.


and complex problems by applying varied SE knowledge skills along with problem solving, critical thinking, use of tools, communication skills etc. Thus they have multiple, complex and some higher order cognitive learning goals. Traditional assessment tools like multiple choice questions, subjective questions, etc., may not always be an optimal choice for such a SE course and may not satisfy learning sciences principle and guidelines of assessment design. Case studies in SE have been used since long for research and investigation, recently in teaching, but not as assessment tools. In this paper, we propose and examine the use of SE case studies as assessment tools. We also describe an approach for objective and easy evaluation of solutions. This work reasons that carefully designed case studies can be effective as well as efficient assessment tools for SE education such that they are not only closely aligned with learning goals, but are also in accordance with learning sciences.


Cyberbullying is an international issue for schools, young people and their families. Whilst many research domains have explored this phenomenon, and bullying more generally, the majority of reported studies appear in the psychological and educational literatures, where bullying, and more recently, cyberbullying has been examined primarily at the individual level: amongst adolescents and young people, with a focus on the definition, its prevalence, behaviours, and impact. There also is growing evidence that younger children are increasingly accessing technology and engaging with social media, yet there is limited research dedicated to this younger age group. The purpose of this paper is to report on a systematic literature review from the psychological and educational research domains related to this younger age group, to inform future research across the disciplines. Younger children require different methods of engagement. This review highlights the methodological challenges associated with this age group present in the psychological literature, and argues for a greater use of sociological, child-centred approaches to data collection. This review examined studies published in English, between 2009 and 2014, and conducted with children aged 5–12 years, about their experiences with cyberbullying. Searches were conducted on seven key databases using keywords associated with cyberbullying and age of children. A Google Scholar search also examined published and unpublished reports. A total of 966 articles and reports were retrieved. A random peer review process was employed to establish inter-rater reliability and veracity of the review. Findings revealed 38 studies reported specifically on children aged 5–12 years. The dominant focus of these articles was on prevalence of cyberbullying, established through survey methodology. Few studies noted impacts, understanding and behaviours or engaged children's independent voice. This review highlights current gaps in our knowledge about younger children's experiences with this form of bullying, and the importance of employing cross-disciplinary and developmentally appropriate methodologies to inform future research.


: This paper presents the analysis of 193 surgical cases of multifocal cancer of the colon. The choice of the radical surgery in synchronous tumors depended on the involved portions of the colon, distance between the lesions, cancer dissemination and general condition of the patient. Out of radical interventions, extensive colon resections (atypical and subtotal) made up 18% only (16 of 89 patients). In metachronous cancer, colon resection (n-67) was performed with due consideration of the second tumor site and lymph outflow from the affected zone (39 typical radical operations and 28 resections with removal of interintestinal anastomosis). Postoperative lethality in synchronous cancer reached 11.2%, in metachronous 10.4%, 5-year survival was 59.3% and 57.7%, respectively. The latter figures appeared only a little lower that in solitary colon cancer (63%).


There is a need to develop new modeling techniques that assess ground water vulnerability with less expensive data and robust when data are uncertain and incomplete. The specific objectives of this research were to (i) loosely couple Neuro-fuzzy techniques and GIS to predict ground water vulnerability in a relatively large watershed, (ii) examine the sensitivity of the Neuro-fuzzy models by changing training parameters, and (3) determine the effects of the size of the training data sets on model predictions, The Neuro-firzzy models were developed in a JAVA platform using four plausible parameters that are critical in transporting contaminants in and through the soil profile. The models were validated using nitrate-N contamination data. Neuro-fkzy approaches were sensitive to training parameters and scale/size of the training data set. The proposed methodology has potential in facilitating ground water vulnerability modeling at a regional scale, but would require incorporation of appropriate input parameters suitable for the region,


The traditional theory of many-electron atoms and ions is based on the coefficients of fractional parentage and matrix elements of tensorial operators, composed of unit tensors. The calculation of spin-angular coefficients of radial integrals appearing in the expressions of matrix elements of arbitrary physical operators of atomic quantities has two main disadvantages: (i) the numerical codes for the calculation of spin-angular coefficients are usually very time consuming; (ii) f-shells are often omitted from programs for matrix element calculations since the tables for their coefficients of fractional parentage are very extensive. The authors assume that a series of difficulties persisting in the traditional approach to the calculation of spin-angular parts of matrix elements can be avoided by using this secondly quantized methodology, based on angular momentum theory, on the concept of the irreducible tensorial sets, on a generalized graphical method, on quasispin and on the reduced coefficients of fractional parentage.


Heat shock proteins are a group of proteins that play key roles in thermoregulation, cell cycle control, development and transcriptional regulation through their diverse functions in protein folding/refolding, protein translocation/shuttling, protein activity via stabilization and/or maturation to functionally-competent conformation and protein turnover. In this study, the role of heat shock proteins in tumor necrosis factor-induced nuclear factor-kappaB signaling pathway was investigated. Endogenous heat shock protein 90 levels were found to increase significantly in a time-dependent manner starting from 15 minutes of tumor necrosis factor treatment in HeLa cell line, as shown by immunoblotting. Endogenous heat shock protein 70 levels were found to be unaffected by tumor necrosis factor in these cells. Accordingly, electrophoretic mobility shift assay results showed significantly impaired nuclear factor-kappaB activation in presence of the specific heat shock protein 90 plays an important role in this signaling pathway. To further search for any possible protein-protein inteactions between components of this pathway and heat shock protein 90, transfection of HeLa cells was optimized with green fluorescent protein with 95% efficiency. Immunoprecipitation of endegenous heat shock protein 90 and transfected inhibitor-kappaB kinase alpha were also optimized with high efficiency as a prerequisite to co-immunoprecipitation assay. Work is in process to show the interaction between these proteins by co-immunoprecipitation and to make use of this assay to searh for any possible croos-talk between divirgent downstream pathways of tumor necrosis factor signaling that might occur via heat shock protein 90.


Accountable care organizations (ACOs) have diverse contracting arrangements and have displayed wide variation in their performance. Using data from national surveys of 399 ACOs, we examined differences between the 228 commercial ACOs (those with commercial payer contracts) and the 171 noncommercial ACOs (those with only public contracts, such as with Medicare or Medicaid). Commercial ACOs were significantly larger and more integrated with hospitals, and had lower benchmark expenditures and higher quality scores, compared to noncommercial ACOs. Among all of the ACOs, there was low uptake of quality and efficiency activities. However, commercial ACOs reported more use of disease monitoring tools, patient satisfaction data, and quality improvement methods than did noncommercial ACOs. Few ACOs reported having high-level performance monitoring capabilities. About two-thirds of the ACOs had established processes for distributing any savings accrued, and these ACOs allocated approximately the same amount of savings to the ACOs themselves, participating member organizations, and physicians. Our findings demonstrate that ACO delivery systems remain at a nascent stage. Structural differences between commercial and noncommercial ACOs are important factors to consider as public policy efforts continue to evolve.


What can stories of magical engraved rings or prophetic inscriptions on walls tell us about how writing was perceived before print transformed the world? Writing beyond Pen and Parchment introduces readers to a Middle Ages where writing is not confined to manuscripts but is inscribed in the broader material world, in textiles and tombs, on weapons or human skin. Drawing on the work done at the Collaborative Research Centre "Material Text Cultures," (SFB 933) this volume presents a comparative overview of how and where text-bearing artefacts appear in medieval German, Old Norse, British, French, Italian and Iberian literary traditions, and also traces the paths inscribed objects chart across multiple linguistic and cultural traditions. The volume's focus on the raw materials and practices that shaped artefacts both mundane or fantastical in medieval narratives offers a fresh perspective on the medieval world that takes seriously the vibrancy of matter as a vital aspect of textual culture often overlooked.


Abstract The rare recovery of hafting technology from archaeological deposits around the world prevents a clear picture of Palaeolithic hafting arrangements. Without the recovery of hafted stone tools, our understanding of this technology is limited to extrapolation from artefact morphology and ethnographic analogy, and such is the case in Australia. Here we present a direct date of 3160–2954 cal. BP, obtained from resin on a stone point recovered from Carpenters Gap 1 rockshelter in northern Western Australia. This artefact fits the description of point technology in Australia, being a retouched flake with converging margins, and provides the first direct date of hafting resin in situ on a stone tool from the Australian continent. The hafting arrangement of a stone point during the mid- to late Holocene is archaeologically visible for the first time in Australia. This point was hafted using resin adhesive as well as wound binding material. This rare artefact is used to discuss the current interpretations of technological change in the Holocene record of Australia and the direct dating process.


Moral conflicts, whether over abortion, the death penalty, or the 'right' approach to addressing terrorism, pose serious challenges to societies worldwide. They can quickly escalate and polarize communities, and then trap people in destructive spirals of negativity, intergroup contempt and even violence. But moral conflicts need not spiral out of control, and can be managed constructively. This article sheds light on why and how. One laboratory study investigating the underlying temporal dynamics of moral conflict is presented, based on the following idea: the basic dynamics of protracted, destructive conflicts are those which have lost the complexity and balance inherent to more constructive social relations, and have collapsed into overly-simplified, coherent, self-organizing patterns which become resistant to change. The study, an experiment which induced high and low levels of integrative complexity, found relations between higher levels of emotional, cognitive and behavioral complexity and openness and more constructive moral conflict dynamics, and lower-levels of these parameters with more destructive dynamics. Results provide strong support for the main hypotheses. Implications and next steps for this research are discussed.


: Information now available on method of delivery from birth certificates confirms past findings on the groups at highest risk of cesarean delivery and greatly expands our knowledge of the demographic and health characteristics associated with cesarean delivery. Mothers who live in the South, who are in the oldest years of childbearing, having their first birth, married, or who have high educational attainment are all at increased risk of a cesarean delivery. Very short gestations, low or high birthweights, multiple delivery, the presence of certain complications of pregnancy, labor and/or delivery, abnormal conditions of the newborn, and the use of some obstetric procedures are also associated with elevated cesarean rates. Several recent studies (28,29) have concluded that advanced maternal age in and of itself may be an independent risk factor for cesarean delivery, due to physician and patient concern over pregnancy outcome for older women. Many of the characteristics examined in this study are highly related to maternal age (for example, marital status and educational attainment). Therefore, for these variables, mother's age is also taken into account to determine if age itself is the underlying reason for differences in rates of cesarean delivery. The importance of the role of maternal age in the risk of cesarean delivery is clearly demonstrated throughout this report: Older mothers are more likely to deliver by cesarean regardless of race, Hispanic origin, parity, marital status, or educational attainment. The overall rate of cesarean delivery is only slightly lower for black than for white mothers (22.1 percent compared with 23.0 percent), despite the generally lower educational attainment of black mothers and the higher percentage who are unmarried or in their teen years, all factors that tend to substantially lower the risk of cesarean delivery. However, there are many offsetting factors that tend to raise the cesarean rate for black mothers. A relatively high proportion of black births occur in the South, which has the highest cesarean rate of all regions; the incidence of low and very low birthweight is far higher for black births; and premature delivery is twice as frequent for black babies. Also, although rates of cesarean delivery for most medical risk factors, complications of labor and or delivery, and abnormal conditions of the infant are about the same for both races, the incidence of a number of these conditions is substantially higher for black mothers and babies, and that has the effect of increasing the overall cesarean rate for black mothers.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


The atmospheric dispersion of pollutants characterizes the evolution in time and space of an ensemble of particles (aerosols, gases, dust) emitted into the atmosphere. This report explores the impact of cow farm on the atmosphere and aims to provide practical suggestions which could be easily monitored on how to reduce or eliminate any identified negative environmental effects. The study attempts to assess the emissions of pollutants (CH4 and NH3) in the atmosphere at cow farm, located in the village Garbova, the Alba county, and their atmospheric dispersion modeling using AERMOD program, developed by the American Meteorological Society in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency the United States. The study has shown that the volume of gases emitted have no significant impact on nearby communities . The results, measured in terms of average concentration of the pollutants at ground level show that such concentrations are below the limits established by current Romanian legislation. It can be concluded that AERMOD program can provide useful information to identify high pollution impact areas. Therefore, air dispersion model is an easy way used for simulation and assessment of directions and concentrations of air pollutants exposure to the environment.


Customer needs for emotional satisfaction are increasingly being considered by product and service designers. While several existing methods such as conjoint analysis (CA), Kano model and quality function deployment support the translation of customer requirements into technical specifications, researchers are now working to develop methods aimed at integrating affective aspects into product design. Kansei engineering (KE) is a design philosophy that considers customer perceptions and emotions by adopting a multi‐disciplinary approach. CA is a useful tool within a KE project. This article presents a methodology for conducting a KE project in early development phases. This methodology is based on two new procedures. The first one is aimed at calculating attribute importance weights by using respondent choice time in controlled interviews. The second procedure allows the exploitation of such weights in an ordinal logistic regression model for analysing the results of CA experiments. By using the proposed methodology, it is possible to identify product/service attributes able to induce specific emotions and feelings in customers and consequently choose the right development strategy. An application of the method for the design of mobile phones is presented. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Background: Menopausal health has not been given any consideration till the recent years in developing countries. With the improving status of women in the society, more and more women are seeking help for their menopausal problems.Objectives: The study aimed to find out the prevalence of menopausal symptoms and its impact on life of perimenopausal and postmenopausal women attending gynecology outpatient department at Kathmandu Medical College Teaching Hospital.Methods: A hospital based cross sectional study was done at Kathmandu medical college teaching hospital among 100 perimenopausal and postmenopausal women attending gynecology outpatient department in the month of August 2016. A pretested questionnaire was administered to the women selected by convenience sampling. Data was analyzed by SPSS version 20 and presented in percentage and frequency table.Results: The mean age of the women in the study population was 49.98 years(SD±6.18) and mean age at menopause was48.02 years (SD± 2.12). Ninety four percent of the women had one or more of the menopausal symptoms. The commonest menopausal symptom was mood swings and irritability (80% and 68% respectively) followed by vasomotor symptoms like hot flashes in 42% and night sweats in 24% of the women. These symptoms interfered with the women's daily work performances in 46% of the cases, affected family life in 28% and affected social life in 32% of the cases.Conclusion: Majority of the women have menopausal symptoms during perimenopause and postmenopausal period. These symptoms have major impact on women's personal, social, and family lives. Journal of Kathmandu Medical CollegeVol. 6, No. 1, 2017, page: 4-8


The distribution of differential time delays Δt between images produced by strong gravitational lensing contains information on the mass distributions in the lensing objects as well as on cosmological parameters such as H0. We derive an explicit expression for the conditional probability distribution function of time delays P(Δt | θ), given an image separation between multiple images θ and related statistics. We consider lensing halos described by the singular isothermal sphere (SIS) approximation and by its generalization as proposed by Navarro, Frenk, & White (NFW), which has a density profile ρ ∝ r-α in the innermost region. The time delay distribution is very sensitive to these profiles; steeper inner slopes tend to produce larger time delays. For example, if H0 = 70 km s-1 Mpc-1, a Λ-dominated cosmology and a source redshift zS = 1.27 are assumed, lenses with θ = 5′′ produce a time delay of Δt = 1.5, 0.39, 0.15, and 0.071 yr (50% confidence interval) for SIS, generalized NFW with α = 1.5, α = 1.0, and α = 0.5, respectively. At a fixed image separation, the time delay is determined by the difference in the lensing potential between the position of the two images, which typically occur at different impact parameters. Although the values of Δt are proportional to the inverse of H0, P(Δt | θ) is rather insensitive to all other cosmological model parameters, source redshifts, magnification biases, and so on. A knowledge of P(Δt | θ) will also be useful in designing the observing program of future large-scale synoptic variability surveys and for evaluating possible selection biases operating against large splitting lens systems.


Since a few decades, apiculture is facing important economic losses worldwide with general major consequences in many areas of agriculture. A strong attention has been paid towards the phenomenon named Colony Collapse Disorder in which colonies suddenly disappear with no clear explanations. Honeybee colonies can be affected by abiotic factors, such as environmental pollution or insecticide applications for agricultural purposes. Also biotic stresses cause colony losses, including bacterial (e.g. Paenibacillus larvae) and fungal (e.g. Ascosphaera apis) pathogens, microsporidia (e.g. Nosema apis), parasites (i.e. Varroa destructor) and several viruses. In the light of recent research, intestinal dysbiosis, considered as the relative disproportion of the species within the native microbiota, has shown to affect human and animal health. In arthropods, alteration of the gut microbial climax community has been shown to be linked to health and fitness disequilibrium, like in the medfly Ceratitis capitata for which low mate competitiveness is determined by a gut microbial community imbalance. According to these observations, it is possible to hypothesize that dysbiosis may have a role in disease occurrence also in honeybees. Here we aim to discuss the current knowledge on dysbiosis in the honeybee and its relation with honeybee health by reviewing the investigations of the microbial diversity associated to honeybees and the recent experiments performed to control bee diseases by microbial symbionts. We conclude that, despite the importance of a good functionality of the associated microbiota in preserving insect health has been proved, the mechanisms involved in honeybee gut dysbiosis are still unknown. Accurate in vitro, in vivo and in field investigations are required under healthy, diseased and stressed conditions for the host.


A number of DOE sites are contaminated with dense non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs) such as carbon tetrachloride and trichloroethylene. At many of these sites, microbial bioremediation is an attractive strategy for cleanup, since it has the potential to degrade DNAPLs in situ. A rapid screening method to determine the broad range potential of a site's microbial population for contaminant degradation would greatly facilitate assessment for in situ bioremediation, as well as for monitoring ongoing bioremediation treatment. Current laboratory based treatability methods are cumbersome and expensive. In this project, we are developing methods based on matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) for rapid and accurate detection of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products from microbial genes involved in biodegradation of pollutants. PCR primers are being developed to amplify DNA sequences that are amenable to MALDI-MS detection. This work will lay the foundation for development of a field-portable MS-based technique for rapid on site assessment and monitoring of bioremediation processes.


Fieldwork has long been identified as providing students undertaking professional studies with a means of implementing theory into a real world context. In recent years some educators, particularly in the health sciences, have introduced mobile devices to support students' fieldwork learning. In many ways there is a natural link between fieldwork and mobile technology. In this paper we report on a trial to introduce mobile support into the study of information systems in the field. The experience showed that mobile devices can assist students collect data in richer, multimedia formats and make subsequent classroom presentations of their field study much more interesting. However, it also revealed certain usage and deployment issues with the mobile devices themselves which have implications for device selection and educational design.


ABSTRACT Hepatitis C virus (HCV) continues to represent one of the most significant threats to human health. In recent years, HCV-related sequences have been found in bats, rodents, horses, and dogs, indicating a widespread distribution of hepaciviruses among animals. By applying unbiased high-throughput sequencing, a novel virus of the genus Hepacivirus was discovered in a bovine serum sample. De novo assembly yielded a nearly full-length genome coding for a polyprotein of 2,779 amino acids. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed that the virus represents a novel species within the genus Hepacivirus. Viral RNA screening determined that 1.6% (n = 5) of 320 individual animals and 3.2% (n = 5) of 158 investigated cattle herds in Germany were positive for bovine hepacivirus. Repeated reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) analyses of animals from one dairy herd proved that a substantial percentage of cows were infected, with some of them being viremic for over 6 months. Clinical and postmortem examination revealed no signs of disease, including liver damage. Interestingly, quantitative RT-PCR from different organs and tissues, together with the presence of an miR-122 binding site in the viral genome, strongly suggests a liver tropism for bovine hepacivirus, making this novel virus a promising animal model for HCV infections in humans. IMPORTANCE Livestock animals act as important sources for emerging pathogens. In particular, their large herd size and the existence of multiple ways of direct and food-borne infection routes emphasize their role as virus reservoirs. Apart from the search for novel viruses, detailed characterization of these pathogens is indispensable in the context of risk analysis. Here, we describe the identification of a novel HCV-like virus in cattle. In addition, determination of the prevalence and of the course of infection in cattle herds provides valuable insights into the biology of this novel virus. The results presented here form a basis for future studies targeting viral pathogenesis of bovine hepaciviruses and their potential to establish zoonotic infections.


How do academic social scientists and survey professionals use social measurement techniques? How are these techniques applied to specific concepts in empirical research? This book is an important resource for students, academic and professional researchers, offering an overview of both new and practiced methods of social measurement for quantitative survey research. It will provide readers looking to investigate 'hot' social science topics with a way of learning how key measurement techniques can be utilised in that topic in a practical way. Emerging from the editors' widely used work on an online social survey resource offering information on key social surveys and their questionnaires entitled 'Question Bank', this book aims to take this material further. It elaborates on the problems involved with this resource type, providing a comprehensive and unique volume that will enable the reader to have the confidence to use this technique in their own research.


The hypothalamic disorders of obesity include hyperphagia, a low central orthosympathetic tone (with reduced thermogenesis), vagal hyperinsulinism, low serotonin efficacy, a hyperactive hypothalamo-hypophyseal-adrenal axis, a hypoactive GHRH-GH-IGF axis and hypogonadism of central origin. Hyperlipogenesis, glucose intolerance and excessive gluconeogenesis are secondary features. Most frequently the hypothalamic ARC reacts poorly to the leptin hypersecreted by adipose tissue, so that the local synthesis of NPY is unchecked. Fortunately, two prostaglandins derived from dietary arachidonic acid bind fat cell PPAR gamma and hepatic PPAR alpha. Both nuclear proteins are phosphorylated through an insulin pathway, thereby inhibiting the expression of genes favoring obesity and stimulating that of genes accelerating fatty acid oxidation. The array of dietetic and pharmacologic tools considered today is analyzed.


Abstract: The United States has been faced with changing economic conditions over the past several years. There is mixed evidence on the impact of these swings on the health of the adult population, and few have looked at the impact on children's health. This study examines the relationship between economic indicators and child health outcomes including prevalence of overweight, obese, BMI percentiles, occurrence of illnesses and frequency of illnesses. It uses the child-merged files from the 1979 cohort of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY79) data bi-annually from 1986 to 2010 combined with state level unemployment rates obtained from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and state level GDP growth rates from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Analysis on the adult sample replicates the results from existing literature, while an application of a fixed-effect model suggests individual level changes in health outcomes measured with longitudinal panel data may help address
some of the issues with the mixed results. This analysis is applied to the children of the NLSY in the form of linear models, longitudinal fixed effects models, and an instrumental variables model to identify the causal mechanisms in health outcomes. Overall, although no strong relationship is established between economic conditions and child health outcomes, this is the first study that attempts to decipher this relationship. It has also contributed to the implementation of longitudinal methodology in this area of research to better measure the cause and effect relationship between the economy and health outcomes, and also established causal mechanisms in the form of an identification strategy to determine how parental investments influence child health. These results of this dissertation have paved the way for further research by establishing a methodological framework to study macroeconomic fluctuation's impact on the status of children's health.


Nasal crusting, rhinitis, and sinusitis are presentations of common conditions; however, these can also be the presenting symptoms of an underlying systemic disorder such as an infection, malignancy, or granulomatous disease. Granulomatous diseases with head and neck manifestations include Wegener's granulomatosis, Churg-Strauss syndrome, and sarcoidosis. These diseases are managed through a multidisciplinary approach that often includes otolaryngologists. This article presents a brief review of granulomatous diseases and their rhinologic manifestations and includes relevant diagnostic tests and systemic and local treatment options.


The innate immune response to Listeria monocytogenes depends on phagosomal bacterial degradation by macrophages. Here, we describe the role of LIMP-2, a lysosomal type III transmembrane glycoprotein and scavenger-like protein, in Listeria phagocytosis. LIMP-2-deficient mice display a macrophage-related defect in Listeria innate immunity. They produce less acute phase pro-inflammatory cytokines/chemokines, MCP-1, TNF-α, and IL-6 but normal levels of IL-12, IL-10, and IFN-γ and a 25-fold increase in susceptibility to Listeria infection. This macrophage defect results in a low listericidal potential, poor response to TNF-α activation signals, impaired phago-lysosome transformation into antigen-processing compartments, and uncontrolled LM cytosolic growth that fails to induce normal levels of acute phase pro-inflammatory cytokines. LIMP-2 transfection of CHO cells confirmed that LIMP-2 participates in the degradation of Listeria within phagosomes, controls the late endosomal/lysosomal fusion machinery, and is linked to the activation of Rab5a. Therefore, the role of LIMP-2 appears to be connected to the TNF-α-dependent and early activation of Listeria macrophages through internal signals linking the regulation of late trafficking events with the onset of the innate Listeria immune response.


Governments making childhood vaccination more mandatory is controversial, and can be met with pushback from the public. Hence such policies may be accompanied by some form of communication to manufacture consent for either vaccination, mandatory vaccination policies, or both. This paper engages in case studies of two countries which recently made vaccination more mandatory and accompanied this policy change with concerted communication campaigns. It examines the French and Australian governments' new mandatory vaccination regimes, the communication strategies undertaken to manufacture consent for them, and the complex ways these policies interact. The analytical focus is the content of the websites at the center of the communications campaigns, "Vaccination-Info-Service" and "Get the Facts," as well as relevant academic articles, government press releases, documents and reports, and key informant interviews conducted in both countries. We report three key findings. First, we demonstrate how both countries' governance strategies intertwine persuasion with coercion in complex ways. Second, we examine how each country's website reflects local constructions of under-vaccination, especially regarding social groups and motivations. Third, we consider their vastly different communication styles and how these reflect alternative ways of constructing the public as well as differences in the use of communication expertise in the websites' production. These factors produce different tactics regarding manufacturing consent for vaccination and for vaccine mandates. We conclude that manufacturing consent for vaccination is a laudable exercise, but find that the involvement of numerous actors and institutions results in various interests, objectives, and conceptions of what drives audience reception, resulting in divergent strategies. This is particularly the case when it comes to manufacturing consent for vaccine mandates themselves; a more complex task that relies on strong understandings of community, knowledge, and effective channels of state power.


We describe a new, noise-adaptive, quasi-linear image reconstruction algorithm for positron emission tomography that seeks to equalize the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) across an image by applying spatially varying smoothing. It is based on the fact that for linear reconstruction algorithms such as filtered back-projection (FBP), operating on uncorrelated Poisson distributed data, it is possible to directly compute the corresponding noise variance image, and thus the SNR, at all points, for any smoothing kernel (or filter function). Increased smoothing generally results in higher SNR. Therefore, by varying the amount of smoothing locally, one can tune the image to achieve a target SNR at most points. The resulting image appears to share some of the advantages of maximum likelihood reconstruction (e.g., improved hot spot contrast versus noise trade-off) while retaining the quantitative advantages of FBP (biased only by the known smoothing kernel). Examples for clinical time-of-flight (TOF) and non-TOF reconstructions are shown.


In the near future, cities will have to supply innovative and high value-added mobility services, that shall be sustainable in terms of environmental impact, traffic management and energy efficiency. This represents a great challenge: transportation accounts for 20% of the global energy consumption, with a large share in urban areas (around 40% of total transport consumption). One of the most promising solutions to reduce congestion, energy consumption and air pollutants in highly-populated areas is Ride Sharing. Ride Sharing systems aim to bring together travellers with similar itineraries and time schedules, thus providing significant societal and environmental benefits, such as reducing the number of cars used for personal travel and improving the utilization of available seat capacity (also defined "occupancy rate"). This paper examines the impact of Ride Sharing by developing an enhanced transport model in Visum, which takes into account the shareability of passengers mobility patterns. The model is applied to the Milan Metropolitan Area, which represents an interesting test case for two main reasons: first, its high population density and strong transport offer and second, the large amount of information and data available on passengers mobility. The paper assumes an optimal 20% participation rate to Ride Sharing and estimates its benefits in terms of congestion reduction, energy efficiency and environmental impact. The COPERT software is used to estimate Carbon Dioxide emissions and fuel consumption savings. The simulation results show that Ride Sharing brings a sort of rebound effect, since there is an increase in passengers traveling by car. However, the overall effect is a reduction in the number of vehicles used, with consequent reductions in vehicle kilometers travelled (-3.8%). This translates into 6% energy savings and 6% Carbon Dioxide emissions reduction. Some policy recommendations are provided to develop Ride Sharing in order to increase the effectiveness of this system while restraining side effects.


Background: Previous studies suggested that alterations in serum cortisol levels may play a role
in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Imbalance in serum cortisol levels may be related to
responsivity to antipsychotic treatment.
Aim: To compare serum cortisol levels between patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls
and to evaluate hormone association with psychopathology and response to antipsychotics in
patients with schizophrenia.
Material and Methods: This clinical prospective study included 60 patients with schizophrenia
and 40 healthy age and sex matched controls. All patients experienced an acute exacerbation of
the illness (PANSS: P1 and P3 ≥ 4). Clinical evaluation of patients was performed using the
Positive and Negative Symptom Scale. A questionnaire for socio-demographic and clinical data
collection was used. For the purposes of the study, the examined group was divided in two
subgroups: responders and nonresponders. Serum cortisol and DHEA-S levels were measured at
baseline in all participants and after 3 and 6 weeks of the antipsychotic treatment in patients with
schizophrenia.
Results: Patients with schizophrenia had significantly higher serum cortisol levels compared
with control group. Responders had significantly higher serum cortisol levels compared with
nonresponders. From the three analyzed factors (serum cortisol, DHEA-S and cortisol/DHEA-S
ratio), only serum cortisol was significant factor for antipsychotic treatment response.
Responders group had significant correlation between serum cortisol and PANSS positive scale
score.
Conclusion: Elevated serum cortisol levels may be considered as a biomarker for the diagnosis
of schizophrenia and may be used as a significant predictor for positive response to antipsychotic
treatment in schizophrenia patients with acute exacerbation. Serum cortisol levels are associated
with severity of specific symptoms in patients with schizophrenia according to their responsivity
to antipsychotic treatment.


This research is concerned with the pragmatic performance characteristics of competing information technologies (ITs) and services in the university research center, as measured by user demand and choice. Technologies and services studied include: (1) mediated search service operating at cost recovery, open to all; (2) end-user service collecting token charges; and (3) CD-ROM based research work stations freely available. Recorded data from the administrative information system was gathered over 15 years in an "ex post facto" analysis of the levels and patterns of use of the three competing information services. This data was supplemented by surveys of 186 graduate students concerning the values assigned to activities, perceived problems, and reported failures and successes. It was discovered that monetary cost, convenience of access, and time spent are the central factors which determine student selection and use of ITs. Users are willing to subordinate certainty of success, precision, recall, authority and currency for services which are convenient and largely free of cost. This study proved that information content is of minor importance when compared to other features such as cost and convenience when selecting an IT or service. Data is presented in three tables. (Contains 27 references.) (MAS) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ***********************************************************************


We evaluate price subsidies and tax credits for child care. We focus on partnered women's labor supply, household income and welfare, demand for formal and informal child care and government expenditure. Using Australian data, we estimate a joint, discrete structural model of labor supply and child care demand. We introduce two methodological innovations: a quantity constraint that total formal and informal child care hours is at least as large as the mother's labor supply and child care explicitly included in the utility function as a proxy for child development. We find that tax credits are better than subsidies in terms of increasing average hours worked and household income. However, tax credits disproportionately benefit wealthier and more educated women. Price subsidies, while less efficient, have positive re-distributional effects.


The Norwegian authorities responsible for product safety have started a revision of the present regulations to fire behaviour of mattresses and upholstered furniture. This paper presents results from a project aimed at collecting and analysing international and national knowledge and experience on this subject to create a decision basis for the Norwegian authorities. Statistics from fires in prisons and psychiatric institutions have been studied, and the evaluation shows that incendiary fires in these institutions often start in furniture. Data from domestic fatal fires show that fires starting in furniture represent a high fatality risk. These results are supported by findings from an extensive literature study, and leads to the conclusion that fire safe furniture is a highly effective fire countermeasure, both in selected public areas and in private homes.


The Gap between Theory and Practice

Many transport economists agree on the need for 'efficient pricing' in transport, as this would improve allocative efficiency and raise social welfare. Although the principle of efficient pricing is gaining ground in many countries, up to now it has been applied only rarely because of strong social resistance. But how can so many people be opposed to a principle which aims to increase social welfare? In this paper, I explore the major reasons underlying this paradox and examine the validity of arguments for and against efficient pricing. It appears that most arguments against efficient pricing can be refuted easily. However, everything stands or falls on the basic assumption that efficient pricing will increase social welfare, the validity of which appears to be practically impossible to prove. The main cause of this difficulty is the lack of complete information on the welfare effects of efficient pricing.


The polytropic process is used to signify the effect of "energy degradation" associated with the equipment losses, which is as an inherent irreversibility in a compression process. The polytropic process is path dependent, which entails the irreversibility associated with the system. The change of gas composition and operating conditions affect the energy degradation. In this paper the polytropic process of real gas is explained and thermodynamics and mathematical model used in Taher-Evans Cubic Polynomial Method [1], [2] is presented. The elegance of Taher-Evans Cubic Polynomial Method is its rapid solution technique and high precision for calculating polytropic efficiency as required for compressor performance testing by the ASME PTC-10 [3].


Albania depicted as the most mysterious, isolated, forgotten Balkan country on the part of the international news media, is by no means an exception. It is common today as it was almost 100 years ago for western media outlets to find not so flattering exceptionalities in the Albanian land, in its politics and its people. When it comes to this "tiny, little country", journalistic codes of American and British media give a rather coherent subject in international terms, despite their respective editorial lines. The Economist and Time magazines are compared and contrasted here in accordance with the media functional equivalence approach, despite their different political or editorial alignments, in order to understand their coverage of a rather distant international subject such as that of Albania in the context of the Balkans. The empirically measured media content on the subject of Albania is dispersed and sporadic through years, events and focus. However, the inconsistent coverage and stance given to the subject does translate into a rather constant view or representation through time. The research shows that this is almost a script 100 years old with few nuances, perpetuating therefore an abnormal image and reputation of Albania and the Balkans overall in international terms. The comparative media content analysis of Time magazine and The Economist show how the western media construction of the country as an "abnormal other" still prevails, despite an evolving historical context for Albania as well as other Balkan countries who are also reported in the same vein over time. To look at this more closely, the search and findings are first organized separately in terms of quantitative and qualitative data and then are compared and contrasted in terms of the extent, nature and frames of their coverage.


A recombinant Bacillus subtilis strain containing a plasmid encoding a luxAB fusion, which gave bioluminescence upon addition of an exogenous long-chain aldehyde as substrate for the endogenous luciferase enzyme, was used as test organism. Its populations were treated with 300 MPa for 20 min, or 600 MPa for 20 min at around room temperature, and this treatment is foreseen as a quality-friendly, non-thermal pasteurisation of foods. Besides the estimation of viable cell counts, the extent of pressure-induced germination and post-process development were investigated by phase-contrast microscopy, turbidimetry and luminometry. Increased heat sensitivity of pressurized spore populations was observed both by viable cell counting during a linearly programmed elevation of temperature and a simultaneous differential scanning calorimetry. This was related to pressure-induced germination of spores, although a small fraction remained ungerminated. The luciferase pool built into the spores during their formation seemed to have withstood pressurization. Spore germination was accompanied by the emergence of bioluminescence which also indicated sensitively the characteristic changes of metabolic activity running parallel with the development of untreated cell populations and that of the survivors of the hydrostatic pressure treatments when the cells were incubated in a nutrient broth.


gastrointestinal transit times and renal function, and the results cannot be explained by changes in the patients' medication. The fact that three patients with chronic schizophrenia developed abnormal intestinal permeability over time argues powerfully against the latter's role as an aetiological factor. The questions remain as to what the mechanism of abnormal intesti nal permeability is, and what influence it has on both the disease process and the efficacy of medication. A. M. DEARDEN J. S. TOMLINSON R. H. S. MINDHAM Department of Psychiatry 15 Hyde Terrace Leeds LS2 9LT


This thesis presents the development and evaluation of a new approach (SoundTrAD) to designing auditory interfaces. The proposed approach combines practices and concepts from film soundtrack composition with established approaches to general user interface design. The synthesis of the two design approaches from different areas of design into a novel approach may be viewed as an example of conceptual integration, (also known as conceptual blending). The process of developing and evaluating SoundTrAD broadly follows a methodology of Research through Design. The thesis presents four user studies as part of an iterative design and evaluation process. Each study involves a mixture of expert and novice end-users which provides new information and identifies new questions and design issues for the subsequent studies. The first study explores how an idea from film composition (the cue sheet) can be used in auditory interface design to help designers place and organise sound elements, and to better understand auditory design spaces. In order to make this concept work in the new context, it is combined with the scenario concept from general interaction design to provide designers with reference linear sequences of events and actions. The second study used thematic analysis to investigate how information to be sonifed can be characterised and analysed for features that can be mapped in to sound. The study also explores the development of a timeline on which the sound design ideas from soundtrack composition for individual events, can be placed and in principle moved in order to cater for multiple use-case scenarios. The third study presents an iteration of this, including further development of both the task analysis and mapping technique. The study also explores the idea in principle of an interactive timeline that can be manipulated by the designer in order to re-arrange and audition sound events. The final study brings the studies together by obtaining feedback on the success of a final version of SoundTrAD.


Since the energy density of lithium-ion batteries is reaching its ceiling so that improvements are just of
minor nature, researchers have moved their focus to systems beyond lithium-ion. One of the most
promising candidates besides the lithium-air technology for future energy storage both for automotive and
stationary applications are lithium-sulfur batteries. The use of sulfur as an active material offers many
benefits compared to lithium-ion systems. First of all sulfur is expected to deliver a specific capacity as
high as 1675 Ah kg-1 for a complete electrochemical conversion reaction with lithium. The rather low
operation potential of such a cell is more than offset by such high specific capacity, which leads to a
theoretical energy density of around 2600 Wh kg-1, a value approximately 4-5 folds higher than for
current lithium-ion cells [1]. Further sulfur is naturally abundant, low in price, non toxic and owns an
intrinsic overload protection [2].
Despite all advantages of lithium-sulfur batteries and ongoing research over many decades a
commercialization has not succeeded. Occurring problems are a high selfdischarge-rate, low charging
efficiency and a short cycle life. All challenges in operating lithium-sulfur cells are correlated with
lithium polysulfides, which are intermediate reduction products when lithium reacts with sulfur [3]. These
lithium polysulfides, particularly those with longer chain length, are soluble in common liquid
electrolytes. So after being formed at the cathode and the dissolution process, polysulfides are moving
through the electrolyte to the anode, where they are further reduced, then moving back to the cathode
generating a redox shuttle. Insoluble Li2S and Li2S2 precipitate on the anode. This reduces the available
active sulfur and results in corrosion and polarization of the anode. Recent approaches to overcome these
issues are for one protecting the anode from reacting with lithium polysulfides or for another hindering
the movement of lithium polysulfides with MPLs or a structuring of the cathode [4].
To adress the latter, we present a thermodynamically consistent continuum model for nanostructured
sulfur carbon composite cathodes. The ideal case is investigated, where all lithium polysulfides are
confined within carbon particles. Particular emphasis is put to the adsorption of Li ions on the carbon
particle surface and the preceding removal of the solvation shell. We use a consistent mathematical
description of charge accumulation at the interface to cover the influence of the electrochemical doublelayer.
This double-layer model is derived from fundamental thermodynamic and electrostatic laws. No
structural properties of the double-layer are presumed. Therefore, the double-layer model gives insight
into the underlying mechanisms at the electrode-electrolyte interface. This model is applied to our
previous work [5], where an unexpected transport of lithium ions against a concentration gradient into the
particles was observed. We investigate the interaction between the osmotic pressure inside the particles
due to the transport of lithium ions and surface processes like adsorption and desolvation. This allows to
connect surface effects with the overall performance of lithium-sulfur cells.
References:
[1] S.S. Zhang, J. Power Sources 231, 153-162, (2013).
[2] L.F. Nazar et al., J. Mater. Chem., 20, 9821-9826, (2010).
[3] D. Bresser et al., Chem. Commun., 49, 10545-10562, (2013).
[4] G. Zheng, Nano Lett. 11, 4462-4467, (2011).
[5] T. Danner et al., Electrochimica Acta, 184, 124–133, (2015).


In this paper, we present visualization and layout algorithms that can enhance informal storytelling using personal digital data such as photos in a face-to-face social setting. In order to build a more intuitive browser for retrieval, navigation and story-telling, we introduce a novel optimized layout technique for large image sets which respects (contextsensitive) mutual similarities as visualized on a shared 2-D display (a table-top). The experimental results show a more perceptually intuitive and informative visualization of traditional CBIR-based retrievals, providing not only a better understanding of the query context but also aiding the user in forming new queries. A framework for user-modeling is also introduced and tested. This allows the system to adapt to the user's preferences and relevance feedback.


With increasing traffic volumes, existing highways are often widened to increase their capacity. Bridges along these highways are typically widened by constructing a new segment of bridge deck and then connecting this to the existing bridge through a stitch pour. In the period immediately after concrete placement the stitch pour is exposed to traffic-induced vibrations and deflections which may be detrimental to the quality of the connection. Traffic restrictions are commonly provided to minimise these vibrations and deflections, but traffic restrictions cause further congestion and the traffic management costs are often very high. The contractor may also be subject to penalties due to a loss of toll revenue. The M2 Upgrade is the widening of the M2 motorway in Sydney. Throughout the construction phase of the M2 Upgrade Project, it was found the traffic restrictions for the concrete stitch pours were very disruptive to the motorway user and the contractor. This paper begins by outlining the issues with constructing stitch pours under live traffic by providing a summary of the past research done on widening bridge decks. Then, with the aim of alleviating the traffic restrictions, without jeopardising the quality of the concrete stitch, it describes the work done by AECOM, Leighton Contractors and Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) to define a procedure to analyse, monitor and construct the stitch pours with reduced traffic restrictions.


Medical image resolution has been a serious limitation in plaque progression research. A modeling approach combining intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) was introduced and patient follow-up IVUS and OCT data were acquired to construct three-dimensional (3D) coronary models for plaque progression investigations. Baseline and follow-up in vivo IVUS and OCT coronary plaque data were acquired from one patient with 105 matched slices selected for model construction. 3D fluid–structure interaction (FSI) models based on IVUS and OCT data (denoted as IVUS þ OCT model) were constructed to obtain stress/strain and wall shear stress (WSS) for plaque progression prediction. IVUS-based IVUS50 and IVUS200 models were constructed for comparison with cap thickness set as 50 and 200 l m, respectively. Lumen area increase (LAI), plaque area increase (PAI), and plaque burden increase (PBI) were chosen to measure plaque progression. The least squares support vector machine (LS-SVM) method was employed for plaque progression prediction using 19 risk factors. For IVUS þ OCT model with LAI, PAI, and PBI, the best single predictor was plaque strain, local plaque stress, and minimal cap thickness, with prediction accuracy as 0.766, 0.838, and 0.890, respectively; the prediction accuracy using best combinations of 19 factors was 0.911, 0.881, and 0.905, respectively. Compared to IVUS þ OCT model, IVUS50, and IVUS200 models had errors ranging from 1 % to 66.5 % in quantifying cap thickness, stress, strain and prediction accuracies. WSS showed relatively lower prediction accuracy compared to other predictors in all nine prediction studies. [DOI: 10.1115/1.4043866]


Due to their performances, deep neural networks have emerged as a major method in nearly all modern audio processing applications. Deep neural networks can be used to estimate some parameters or hyperparameters of a model, or in some cases the entire model in an end-to-end fashion. Although deep learning can lead to state of the art performances, they also suffer from inherent weaknesses as they usually remain complex and non interpretable to a large extent. For instance, the internal filters used in each layers are chosen in an adhoc manner with only a loose relation with the nature of the processed signal. We propose in this paper an approach to learn interpretable filters within a specific neural architecture which allow to better understand the behaviour of the neural network and to reduce its complexity. We validate the approach on a task of speech enhancement and show that the gain in interpretability does not degrade the performance of the model.


Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are widely used in various real life applications where the sensor nodes are randomly deployed in hostile, human inaccessible and adversarial environments. One major research focus in wireless sensor networks in the past decades has been to diagnose the sensor nodes to identify their fault status. This helps to provide continuous service of the network despite the occurrence of failure due to environmental conditions. Some of the burning issues related to fault diagnosis in wireless sensor networks have been addressed in this thesis mainly focusing on improvement of diagnostic accuracy, reduction of communication overhead and latency, and robustness to erroneous data by using statistical methods. All the proposed algorithms are evaluated analytically and implemented in standard network simulator NS3 (version 3.19).

A distributed self fault diagnosis algorithm using neighbor coordination (DSFDNC) is proposed to identify both hard and soft faulty sensor nodes in wireless sensor networks. The algorithm is distributed (runs in each sensor node), self diagnosable (each node identifies its fault status) and can diagnose the most common faults like stuck at zero, stuck at one, random data and hard faults. In this algorithm, each sensor node gathered the observed data from the neighbors and computes the mean to check the presence of faulty sensor node. If a node diagnoses a faulty sensor node in the neighbors, then it compares observed data with the data of the neighbors and predicts its probable fault status. The final fault status is determined by diffusing the fault information obtained from the neighbors. The accuracy and completeness of the algorithm are verified based on the statistical analysis over sensors data. The performance parameters such as diagnosis accuracy, false alarm rate, false positive rate, total number of message exchanges, energy consumption, network life time, and diagnosis latency of the DSFDNC algorithm are determined for different fault probabilities and average degrees and compared with existing distributed fault diagnosis algorithms.

To enhance the diagnosis accuracy, another self fault diagnosis algorithm is proposed based on hypothesis testing (DSFDHT) using the neighbor coordination approach. The Newman-Pearson hypothesis test is used to diagnose the soft fault status of each sensor node along with the neighbors. The algorithm can diagnose the faulty sensor node when the average degree of the network is less. The diagnosis accuracy, false alarm rate and false positive rate performance of the DSFDHT algorithm are improved over DSFDNC for sparse wireless sensor networks by keeping other performance parameters nearly same. The classical methods for fault finding using mean, median, majority voting and hypothesis testing are not suitable for large scale wireless sensor networks due to large devi- ation in transmitted data by faulty sensor nodes. Therefore, a modified three sigma edit test based self fault diagnosis algorithm (DSFD3SET) is proposed which diagnoses in an efficient manner over a large scale wireless sensor networks. The diagnosis accuracy, false alarm rate, and false positive rate of the proposed algorithm improve as compared to that of the DSFDNC and DSFDHT algorithms. The algorithm enhances the total number of message exchanges, energy consumption, network life time, and diagnosis latency, because the proposed algorithm needs less number of message exchanges over the algorithms such as DSFDNC and DSFDHT.
In the DSFDNC, DSFDHT and DSFD3SET algorithms, the faulty sensor nodes are considered as soft faulty nodes which behave permanently. However in wireless sensor networks, the sensor nodes behave either fault free or faulty during different periods of time and are considered as intermittent faulty sensor nodes. Diagnosing intermittent faulty sensor nodes in wireless sensor networks is a challenging problem, because of inconsistent result patterns generated by the sensor nodes. The traditional distributed fault diagnosis (DIFD) algorithms consume more message exchanges to obtain the global fault status of the network. To optimize the number of message exchanges over the network, a self fault diagnosis algorithm is proposed here, which repeatedly conducts the self fault diagnosis procedure based on the modified three sigma edit test over a duration to identify the intermittent faulty sensor nodes. The algorithm needs less number of iterations to identify the intermittent faulty sensor nodes. The simulation results show that, the performance of the HISFD3SET algorithm improves in diagnosis accuracy, false alarm rate and false positive rate over the DIFD algorithm


This article reproduces a document from the Instituto de Medicina del Trabajo [Institute of Occupational Medicine], created on July 16, 1973 in the Faculty of Medicine of the Universidad de Buenos Aires. The document is a transcription of the interventions of Mario Testa, Alberto Ozores Soler and Ricardo Saiegh in the roundtable discussion "Health in factories" carried out on August 1 of the same year. The preceding lines, written by Mario Testa, puts into context that particular historical moment and the significance of the project, which sought to reconsider the relationship between the universities and research, between the teaching of medicine and the role of physicians in society, issues still relevant today. This document was recovered from the Mario Testa fund, in the Center for Documentation and Research Pensar en Salud (CEDOPS) of the Institute of Collective Health in the Universidad Nacional de Lanus.


Most human tumors display inactivation of the p53 and the p16(INK4)/pRb pathway. The Ink4a/alternative reading frame (ARF) locus encodes the p16(INK4a) and p14(ARF) (murine p19(ARF)) proteins. p16(INK4a) is deleted in 40-60% of breast cancer cell lines, and p16(INK4a) inactivation by DNA methylation occurs in < or =30% of human breast cancers. In mice genetically heterozygous for p16(INK4a) or Ink4a/Arf, predisposition to specific tumor types is enhanced. Ink4a/Arf(+/-) mice have increased E micro -Myc-induced lymphomagenesis and epidermal growth factor receptor-induced gliomagenesis. ErbB2 (epidermal growth factor receptor-related protein B2) is frequently overexpressed in human breast cancer and is sufficient for mammary tumorigenesis in vivo. We determined the role of heterozygosity at the Ink4a/Arf locus in ErbB2-induced mammary tumorigenesis. Compared with mouse mammary tumor virus-ErbB2 Ink4a/Arf(+/-) mice, mouse mammary tumor virus-ErbB2 Ink4a/Arf(wt) mammary tumors showed increased p16(INK4a), reduced Ki-67 expression, and reduced cyclin D1 protein but increased mammary tumor apoptosis with no significant change in the risk of developing mammary tumors. These studies demonstrate the contribution of Ink4a/Arf heterozygosity to tumor progression is tissue specific in vivo. In view of the important role of Ink4a/Arf in response to chemotherapy, these transgenic mice may provide a useful model for testing breast tumor therapies.


Project management techniques are common within a number of construction related industries, however, higher education is not a field to which the practices of project management are routinely applied. Although multiple factors could lead to the lack of project management application in higher education, this study focused on faculty/staff self-efficacy and project work experience. The purpose was to determine if self-efficacy and project work experience contribute to the lack of project management techniques applied in higher education. The study was based upon Bandura's theory of self-efficacy and how project work experience may affect faculty/staff venturing into applying project management techniques. The significance of the study will contribute to addressing the gaps in the literature pertaining to why project work in higher education is viewed differently than other industries experiencing similar issues. The study shows the implications of self-efficacy and project work experience along with how organizational change factors in the application of project management techniques. The results of the study provided a positive change in the organizational climate of higher education by demonstrating the value of project management in addressing a variety of processes within a higher education setting. Finally, the biblical application of the research correlated with the evidence of project management techniques utilized in the Old Testament accounts of Nehemiah and the reconstruction of the walls of Jerusalem.


This article synthesizes insights from the University of Missouri Center for the Study of Dispute Resolution symposium, "Moving Negotiation Theory from the Tower of Babel Toward a World of Mutual Understanding." There is a wide range of concepts, issues, perspectives, theories, and applications from different disciplines with little consensus in the negotiation field. This symposium was conducted to help clarify negotiation theory and make it more useful for scholars, faculty, students, and practitioners as well as people in their everyday negotiations. It illustrates Tower of Babel-like confusion, starting with challenges in defining negotiation and the widely (mis)used concepts of integrative and distributive negotiation. To help develop better theory, it describes potential sources of data and ideas that might contribute to negotiation theory, including empirical research on actual negotiations, fiction, and culture. It identifies some fundamental challenges in developing and improving negotiation theory, including scholars' status quo and confirmation biases as well as the failure to incorporate insights about fundamental changes in people and our interactions. It suggests frameworks that might advance negotiation theory and contemplates the possibility of developing a grand unified theory of negotiation, while recognizing difficulties in doing so. Our critiques and ideas for integrating knowledge about negotiation can lay the groundwork for developing more useful negotiation theory.


The main purpose of business process diagrams is to facilitate the communication between the process-related stakeholders, which directly affects the decision-making. For this reason, they must be easy to understand. However, this is often challenging to achieve, since business process diagrams can become large and complex. This, in turn, can negatively affect their correctness and understandability. The goal of this doctoral thesis was to propose and investigate an approach that makes business process diagrams appear less complex, without changing the corresponding diagrammatic notation or the business process diagrams themselves. This was done by manipulating the opacity of graphical elements in order to emphasize the important parts of a business process diagram by lowlighting the irrelevant ones. The proposed solution, named Emphasis, implemented with opacity-based Graphical Highlight pattern, abbreviated as simply Graphical highlights, was subsequently applied to sample business process diagram, modeled in Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN). The analysis demonstrated that the structural complexity of the business process diagrams decreased when the proposed solution was applied. Afterwards, a Web application prototype was implemented, which supports the proposed set of Graphical highlights.
Furthermore, we empirically validated whether Graphical highlights positively impact cognitive effectiveness of business process diagrams, and if the users will find the prototype implementation useful. To this end, an experimental research, which included 85 participants, was conducted. The participants were randomly assigned in either the treatment group (Graphical highlights diagram representation approach), or the control group (conventional diagram representation approach). In accordance with the definition of cognitive effectiveness, speed, ease, and accuracy of answering 26 comprehension questions were observed, along with the perceived usefulness of the prototype. The results of the analysis demonstrated that participants who used Graphical highlights significantly outperformed those that used the conventional approach in all experiment's observations.
We can conclude that using Graphical highlights increases the cognitive effectiveness of business process diagrams, while the corresponding prototype implementation is perceived as being useful.


OBJECTIVE
Recent reports have suggested that long non-coding RNA LBX2 antisense RNA 1 (LBX2-AS1) acts as an important regulator in cancer progression. This study aimed to investigate the clinical significance of LBX2-AS1 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and its biological functions.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
The expressions of LBX2-AS1 were examined in 165 paired NSCLC tissues and adjacent normal tissues from NSCLC patients by qRT-PCR. The clinical significance of LBX2-AS1 was determined using a series of statistical methods. The effects of LBX2-AS1 knockdown on NSCLC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion were investigated by CCK-8 assays, colony formation assays, EdU proliferation assays, Wound healing assays, and transwell assays. The promotive roles of LBX2-AS1 on Notch1 signal were determined using RT-PCR and Western blot.

RESULTS
We found that LBX2-AS1 was highly expressed in NSCLC tissues and cell lines. The increased levels of LBX2-AS1 were observed to be positively correlated with TNM stage, histological grade, and lymph node metastasis. Furthermore, the Kaplan-Meier survival curves indicated that patients with higher expressions of LBX2-AS1 had unfavorable overall survival. Lost-of-functions assays revealed that the knockdown of LBX2-AS1 in H1299 and A549 cells inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Mechanistic studies revealed that the suppression of LBX2-AS1 resulted in the reduced expressions of Notch1, p21, and Hes1, suggesting that LBX2-AS1 might promote the activation of the Notch pathway.

CONCLUSIONS
Our study identified a novel NSCLC-related lncRNA LBX2-AS1, which may represent a novel prognostic biomarker and a potential therapeutic target for NSCLC.


The Southern Ocean (SO) is an important CO2 reservoir, some of which enters via the production, sinking, and remineralization of organic matter. Recent work suggests that the fraction of production that sinks is inversely related to production in the SO, a suggestion that we confirm from 20 stations in the Scotia Sea. The efficiency with which exported material is transferred to depth (transfer efficiency) is believed to be low in high‐latitude systems. However, our estimates of transfer efficiency are bimodal, with stations in the seasonal ice zone showing intense losses and others displaying increases in flux with depth. Zooplankton fecal pellets dominated the organic carbon flux and at stations with transfer efficiency >100% fecal pellets were brown, indicative of fresh phytodetritus. We suggest that active flux mediated by zooplankton vertical migration and the presence of sea ice regulates the transfer of organic carbon into the oceans interior in the Southern Ocean.


Frameworks help people organize integrated models of their enterprises. This organization helps ensure interoperability of systems and helps control the cost of developing systems. The Zachman framework for enterprise architecture is a six by six classification schema, where the six rows represent different perspectives of the enterprise and the six columns illustrate different aspects. To ensure a complete and holistic understanding of the enterprise architecture, it is necessary to develop models that address the perspectives and aspects that constitute the rows and columns, respectively, of the framework. In this paper, a Zachman framework is populated with models for Baseball. These models should be easy to understand without a steep learning curve. Most of the cells in this example are filled with quantitative simulatable models that have been published in peer-reviewed journal papers. The other cells are filled with simple thought models. Jacques Barzun (1954) wrote, "Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball, the rules and realities of the game." From the perspective of the Zachman framework, the way to learn Baseball is to define the models within the framework, as presented in this paper.


A one-step high-yield synthesis of well-developed hollow carbon spheres was achieved by an electrolytic conversion of CO2 in a CaCO3-containing LiCl–KCl melt at 450 °C. Manipulating the electrode potential induced the occurrence of a microbubble effect associated with the as-formed CO (intermediates of CO32− reduction) in ultrathin carbon sheets, thereby triggering the growth of hollow structures. The SEM results reveal good plasticity of the carbon sheets at elevated temperatures. The micron-sized hollow carbon spheres showed favorable capacitive properties, and can be used as catalyst supports as well.


Receiving the children of Syrian refugees as they begin to arrive in the UK is a realistic possibility for many schools. It is likely that these children will face many challenges as they integrate. Educational psychologist Dr Joanna Mitchell offers a checklist for successful inclusion


A holographic data storage system (HDSS) is very important field in the storage system device. Many researchers study the HDSS about image processing algorithm for reduction of image noise. In this work, we proposed an intelligence virtual mask, parameter values of virtual image mask generated using DNA coding method, it is available to decrease the IPI noise in HDSS. In this paper, an intensity distribution of laser beam in our HDSS is controlled by the virtual mask with an intelligence algorithm. The virtual mask value is changed arbitrarily in real-time with suggested DNA coding method in the HDSS.Copyright © 2016 by ASME


Lead-halide perovskites offer excellent properties for lighting and display applications. Nanopatterning perovskite films could enable perovskite-based devices with designer properties, increasing their performance and adding novel functionalities. We demonstrate the potential of nanopatterning for achieving light emission of a perovskite film into a specific angular range by introducing periodic sol–gel structures between the injection and emissive layer by using substrate conformal imprint lithography (SCIL). Structural and optical characterization reveals that the emission is funnelled into a well-defined angular range by optical resonances, while the emission wavelength and the structural properties of the perovskite film are preserved. The results demonstrate a flexible and scalable approach to the patterning of perovskite layers, paving the way toward perovskite LEDs with designer angular emission patterns.


4H-SiC epitaxial layers on Carbon-face (C-face) substrates were grown by a low-pressure hot-wall type chemical vapor deposition system. The C-face substrates were prepared by fine mechanical polishing using diamond abrasives with the grit size of 0.25 %m and in-situ HCl etching at 1400°C, which produced surface roughness of 0.27 nm. The use of the smooth substrates made it possible to decrease the substrate temperature and specular surface morphologies were realized at C/Si ratios of 1.5 or less both for a substrate temperature of 1550°C and for that of 1500°C. Surface roughness of 0.26 nm and the residual donor concentration of 6.7×1014 cm-3 were obtained for a C-face epitaxial layer grown at a C/Si ratio of 1.5 and at a substrate temperature of 1550°C. Schottky barrier diodes were fabricated on a non-doped C-face epitaxial layer grown at 1500°C and it was verified that a high quality metal-semiconductor interface was formed on the epitaxial layer.


Since the Renaissance, what has been considered the "best" style of writing has always been connected with the dominant cultural agenda of the time. In "The Emperor's New Clothes", Kathryn Flannery offers a demystifying perspective on theorists who have argued for an essential distinction between "content" and "style", and focuses on the importance of understanding written prose style as a cultural asset. Flannery makes a strong case for the social significance of content and style and their relevance to a culture's practice of literacy. She tackles assumptions about authorship, the dangers of using gender as a category of analysis, and especially about the delicate relationship between university students and the institutions that keep them "in line" by monitoring their writing. An original contribution to the critical understanding of prose style, "The Emperor's New Clothes" is an informed argument in modern US debates about literacy in general and the teaching of composition in particular. Chapters specifically address the development of prose criticism, the evolution of English teaching, the history of Francis Bacon and Richard Hooker's writing, and a modern discourse on stylistics. The book should appeal to three different audiences - teachers of composition, of Renaissance literature, and of cultural studies - as well as generally educated readers concerned with broad questions about the history of education and its contemporary practices.


"Business" has two meanings. A "business" is an entity that offers a good or service for sale, typically with the goal of making a profit. Wal-Mart and Toyota are businesses. "Business" can also mean the activity of exchange. An individual does business with Toyota when she exchanges some of her money for one of its cars. So "business ethics" includes the study of the ethics of the entities that offer (and often produce) goods and services for sale, as well as the ethics of exchange and activities connected with exchange (e.g., advertising). Philosophers have long been interested in these subjects. Aristotle worried about the effects of commerce on character, while Aquinas wrote on profit and prices. Smith and Marx thought deeply about the organization of the process of production. Business ethics in its current incarnation traces its roots to the 1970s and 1980s, when a group of moral philosophers applied ethical theories to business activity. A number of business ethics journals were created around this time, and business ethics became a familiar course in philosophy departments. Common topics of inquiry were and continue to be the purpose of the firm, corporate governance, corporate moral agency, rights and duties at work, fairness in pay and pricing, the limits of markets, marketing ethics, supply chain ethics, and corporate political activity. Not long after philosophers reinvigorated the field, social scientists entered it (and in fact had been working on related issues the whole time). They have increasingly pulled the field, and its academic courses, into business schools. This article concentrates on the philosophical or normative side of business ethics, but it also says something about the descriptive or social scientific side when they overlap.


The effect of number of nozzle vanes in the turbine stage of a turbocharger is studied using computational fluid dynamics. The nozzle vane unit having 8, 9 and 10 numbers of nozzle vanes configuration is proposed for the radial flow turbine with 30 mm wheel tip diameter. At maximum opening position of the nozzle vanes and for the typical turbine expansion ratio of 2.5, the reduction in mass flow parameter with 10 numbers of nozzle vanes is about 1% lower compared to the 8 numbers of nozzle vanes. The maximum turbine flow range is not affected with higher number of nozzle vanes. The improvement in flow guidance is observed in nozzle vane unit having 10 numbers of nozzle vanes. The improvement in pressure distribution is observed in both the nozzle vane and turbine wheel with increase in number of nozzle vanes. The entropy generation in a turbine stage is found to decrease with increase in the number of nozzle vanes.


What is a sports agent and what does a sports agent do? This is described in the thesis, through an explanation of the different functions and characteristics. It is also discussed how to use these functions and characteristics in the best way so that the sports agent can reach success. The complex concept "success" is also discussed so that it is adapted to this thesis and the profession of sports agents. Furthermore, the thesis contains recommendations of how to be successful in the sports agent business.


Defects of the translation apparatus in human mitochondria are known to cause disease, yet details of how protein synthesis is regulated in this organelle remain to be unveiled. Here, we characterize a novel human protein, C7orf30 that contributes critically to mitochondrial translation and specifically associates with the large subunit of the mitochondrial ribosome (mt-LSU). Inactivation of C7orf30 in human cells by RNA interference results in respiratory incompetence owing to reduced mitochondrial translation rates without any appreciable effects on the steady-state levels of mitochondrial mRNAs and rRNAs. Ineffective translation in C7orf30-depleted cells or cells overexpressing a dominant-negative mutant of the protein results from aberrant assembly of mt-LSU and consequently reduced formation of the monosome. These findings lead us to propose that C7orf30 is a human assembly and/or stability factor involved in the biogenesis of the large subunit of the mitochondrial ribosome.


ABSTRACT The Song Ma zone in Northwestern Vietnam is considered as a suture of the South China and Indochina blocks, and plays an important role in understanding the tectonic evolution in Southeast Asia and surrounding areas. Granitic rocks of the Muong Lat complex are distributed in the Song Ma suture, consisting mainly of monzogranite and granodiorite. The rocks are sub-alkaline in affinity with high K contents and characteristics of S-type granite. They have high SiO2, total Na2O + K2O, and Zr contents and high aluminium saturation index values (0.97 to 1.29 with an average of 1.14). All these geochemical signatures, together with high (87Sr/86Sr)i ratios (0.71391 to 0.74568), and low whole rock εNd(t) and zircon εHf(t) values (−13.1 to −9.4) suggested an origin from partial melting of crustal source rocks. Primitive mantle normalized trace element contents exhibit positive anomalies of Rb, Th, U and Pb, but negative anomalies of Nb, Ta, and Ti, indicating a collision-related environment. The depleted Nd and Hf zircon model ages from investigated samples, in combination with inherited zircon ages, suggest the existence of Precambrian basement in the study region. S-type granites of the late Permian-early Triassic (the Muong Lat, Phia Bioc and Hai Van complexes) in Vietnam were formed by the subduction-collision of the South China and Indochina blocks. Graphical Abstract