Malaria is a tremendous global public health problem. While especially hitting the poorest
countries in the world, malaria elicits each year 300 million febrile illnesses and up to 1
million deaths. Widespread drug resistances, climatic changes, but also disintegrated health
services and armed conflicts have contributed to a global increase of malaria while a
vaccine will not be at hand for many more years to come.
Malaria is caused by the protozoan parasite Plasmodium and transmitted by the female
Anopheles mosquito. Of 4 Plasmodium species infecting humans, Plasmodium falciparum
is by far the most harmful parasite responsible for nearly all mortality. The increased
virulency of P. falciparum can be ascribed to special immune evasion strategies inherent of
this species. This mainly refers to a process called cytoadherence, the sequestration and
adhesion of infected erythrocytes (IE) to endothelial cells of the microcapillary system. To
evade spleen dependent killing, cytoadherence is a benefit for the parasite, but detrimental
to the host by leading to poorly diffused tissues and hypoxia in the upstream segments and
thus, contributing substantially to severe manifestations.
Related to sequestration is a process called rosetting, the binding of IE to uninfected
erythrocytes. This leads to erythrocyte clusters impeding local blood flow and accordingly,
rosette formation was also associated with severe disease.
On the surface of IE, the parasite derived protein family Plasmodium falciparum
erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) is thought to be the key mediator for
sequestration and rosetting.
However, by exposing a parasite derived antigen on the surface of IE, the parasite gets
vulnerable to immune attack. Therefore, P. falciparum evades the immune system by a
process called antigenic variation, the switching of the expression between different
members of PfEMP1.
PfEMP1 is encoded by approximately 60 var genes per haploid genome. The highly
diverse and large var genes are structured into several adhesive, semi-conserved domains.
Most var genes can be subgrouped into var group A, B and C according to their diverse,
but within one group highly conserved untranslated regions.
Despite of the substantial contribution of PfEMP1 to malaria pathogenesis and parasite
survival, few studies on var genes and PfEMP1 have been carried out in vivo. This is
mainly due to their immense diversity interfering with most study designs. We conducted 2 studies on var gene expression in naturally infected children from Papua
New Guinea.
In a longitudinal study over a 4-month period in older, semi-immune children, we studied
antigenic variation of var genes, namely the dynamics and distribution of var transcripts
over time. Diversity and patterns of full-length var transcripts were evaluated by magnetic
bead-anchored reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), cloning and
sequencing. We identified a highly dynamic picture of var expression with mostly new var
transcripts at a 2-weeks interval but with some var transcripts recurring for up to 10 weeks.
The number of detected var transcripts correlated with the number of infecting P.
falciparum strains. On average, 1.7 different var transcripts were detected per child and
infecting strain. The analysis of 286 different sequences of selected var gene domains
confirmed the recombinogenic nature of var genes.
In a malaria case-control study on children from Papua New Guinea, we quantitatively
compared the distribution of var transcripts among var groups A, B and C in children with
severe malaria, with mild malaria and in asymptomatic children. The sub-division of var
genes into these var groups raises questions about the biological or clinical significance of
these structural differences. Upon expression, different var groups might have different
pathological implications on the host leading to distinct virulences and different clinical
outcomes. By using real-time quantitative PCR, we found a major expression difference
between parasites causing clinical attack and parasites leading to asymptomatic infections.
A significant up-regulation of var group B transcripts was evident in children with clinical
malaria (mild and severe) while var group C genes were mainly switched on in
asymptomatic children. No change in the distribution of var transcripts was detected
between mild and severe disease. Finally, we found a significant up-regulation of var
group A genes in parasites conferring the formation of rosettes.
Together, these studies on var gene expression are the first of its kind, conducted in
naturally infected children in an endemic area. They are a step towards the comprehension
of the dynamics and impacts of var gene expression in vivo. Together with previous
studies, our data emphasize the substantial implications of PfEMP1 in malaria morbidity.


Comparison of the deduced amino acid sequences of DNA-[N(6)-adenine]-methyltransferases has revealed several conserved regions. All of these enzymes contain a DPPY-motif, or a variant of it. By site-directed mutagenesis of a cloned T4 dam gene, we have altered the first proline residue in this motif (located in conserved region IV of the T4 Dam-MTase) to alanine or threonine. The mutant enzymic forms, P172A and P172T, were overproduced and purified. Kinetic studies showed that compared to the wild-type (wt) the two mutant enzymic forms had: (i) an increased (6 and 23-fold, respectively) K(m) for substrate, S-adenosyl-methionine (AdoMet) and an increased (6 and 23-fold) K(i) for product, S-adenosyl-homocysteine (AdoHcy); (ii) a slightly reduced (1.5 and 3-fold lower) k(cat); (iii) a strongly reduced k(cat)/K(m) (AdoMet) (10 and 80-fold); and (iv) the same K(m) for substrate DNA. Equilibrium dialysis studies showed that the mutant enzymes had a reduced (3 and 7-fold lower) K(a) for AdoMet; all forms bound two molecules of AdoMet. Taken together these data indicate that the P172A and P172T alterations resulted primarily in a reduced affinity for AdoMet. This suggests that the DPPY-motif is important for AdoMet-binding, and that region IV contains an AdoMet-binding site.


"Contact Lens Complications has become established as the definitive guide to the ocular response to contact lens wear. In this highly anticipated third edition, award-winning contact lens author, clinician and researcher, Professor Nathan Efron, presents a thoroughly revised and expanded, clinician-friendly account of how to identify, understand and manage contact lens complications in modern-day practice. Professor Efron is renowned for his ability to distil often complex principles of ocular physiology and pathology into an easy-to-read, highly structured format. The subject matter is systematically laid out, with various complications arranged logically by tissue structure - which is the way practitioners naturally approach clinical problems. Beautifully presented and lavishly illustrated with full-colour schematic diagrams and clinical pictures, this book can serve as both a practical chair-side manual and authoritative reference."--publisher website


This paper analyzes the relationship between exports and real exchange rate (RER) of six Uruguayan export products: beef, leather, dairy, chemical, metallurgical and plastics, selected for their importance in total exports during 1993-2011. We considered the sectoral RER and used the Johansen cointegration methodology to adjust the models. No evidence was found of a long-term relationship between sectoral exports and its sectoral RER. However, we found a long-term relationship between beef exports and cattle slaughter, which shows the high supply dependence of these exports, with an elasticity of 2.7. We also found a long-term relationship between dairy exports and the international price of skim milk, with a price-elasticity close to one. For metallurgical industry exports, the results show a long-term relationship with Argentinean GDP - main destination of those sales - with an income-elasticity of 1.7. In the case of the chemical industry, we found and elasticity near to one in relation to chemical imports, due to the fact that Uruguay must import the raw material for this industry. Finally, for plastic exports we found a cointegration vector with plastic imports and the sectoral RER, showing the importance of relative prices between exports and imports, and not only for exports.


A data warehouse (DW) contains multiple views accussed by queries. One of the most important decisions in designing a DW is selecting views to materialize for the purpose of efficiently supporting decision making. The search space for possible materialalized views is exponentially large. Therefore heuristics have been used to search for a near optimal solution. In this paper, we explore the use of an evolutionary algorithm for materialized view selection based on multiple global processing plans for queries. We apply a hybrid evolutionary algorithm to solve three related problems. The first is to optimize queries. The second is to choose the best global processing plan from multiple global processing plans. The third is to select materialized views from a given global processing plan. Our experiment shows that the hybrid evolutionary algorithm de- livers better performance than either the evolutionary algorithm or heuristics used alone in terms of the minimal query and maintenance cost and the evaluation cost to obtain the minimal cost.


We develop a gyrokinetic treatment for ions in the magnetic presheath, close to the plasma-wall boundary. We focus on magnetic presheaths with a small magnetic field to wall angle, α ≪ 1 (in radians). Characteristic lengths perpendicular to the wall in such a magnetic presheath scale with the typical ion Larmor orbit size, ρ i . The smallest scale length associated with variations parallel to the wall is taken to be across the magnetic field, and ordered l = ρ i / δ , where δ ≪ 1 is assumed. The scale lengths along the magnetic field line are assumed so long that variations associated with this direction are neglected. These orderings are consistent with what we expect close to the divertor target of a tokamak. We allow for a strong component of the electric field E in the direction normal to the electron repelling wall, with strong variation in the same direction. The large change of the electric field over an ion Larmor radius distorts the orbit so that it is not circular. We solve for the lowest order orbits by identifying coordinates, which consist of constants of integration, an adiabatic invariant and a gyrophase, associated with periodic ion motion in the system with α = δ = 0 . By using these new coordinates as variables in the limit α ∼ δ ≪ 1 , we obtain a generalised ion gyrokinetic equation. We find another quantity that is conserved to first order and use this to simplify the gyrokinetic equation, solving it in the case of a collisionless magnetic presheath. Assuming a Boltzmann response for the electrons, a form of the quasineutrality equation that exploits the change of variables is derived. The gyrokinetic and quasineutrality equations give the ion distribution function and electrostatic potential in the magnetic presheath if the entrance boundary condition is specified.


ABSTRACT The management of venous thromboembolic disease (VTE) is rapidly evolving and staying updated on practice-changing evidence can be challenging. In an attempt to alleviate this daunting task, we sought to determine the most important practice-informing articles published in 2016 relevant to the non-specialist provider managing VTE. We performed a systematic search of the literature, limiting the search to a publication date of 2016 (see Supplementary Appendix). Two reviewers screened the 3819 resulting abstracts to identify high-quality, clinically relevant publications related to VTE management. Two hundred sixteen full-text articles were considered for inclusion. The five authors used a modified Delphi method to reach consensus on inclusion of 7 articles for in-depth appraisal, following predetermined criteria of clinical relevance to non-specialist providers, potential for practice change, and strength of the evidence.


There has been an established myth of stereotype traits which good political leaders must possess, but which unfortunately as interpreted by many, are generally lacking in a typical engineer, making him unfit for such positions. In this paper, reflections and justifications why engineers are fit for leadership positions were made. It discusses some of the engineering potentials like creativity, drive for implementation of concepts, the strength behind an introverted nature, and social responsibility and how it can be adapted for leadership position. It compares and contrasts engineers and scientists as far as leadership are concerned. The summary of the findings is that a good engineer can make a good political Leader. Keywords : Engineer, Professionalism, Political leader, Potential


The field is located in the southeastern part of the West Siberian basin in Novosibirsk oblast (Fig. 1). It was the first field in the basin where commercial oil was produced from the Paleozoic basement. The reservoir consists mostly of limestones and dolomites that are intensively fractured and contain numerous vugs in some zones. The reservoir properties of the matrix are generally negligible, and the production potential of wells is mostly associated with natural fractures and vugs. The presented study was our first project in Russia where a complete integrated approach was implemented to properly characterize a fractured reservoir. The approach included the following tasks: 1) Identification of fractured intervals in wells using a special technique of BKZ logs processing, 2) Spectral imaging and high-resolution inversion of the seismic data, 3) structural analysis of the field, 4) construction of the reservoir properties model, 5) construction of the fracture distribution model using the Continuous Fracture Modeling approach (CFM). A comprehensive description is available on a previous publication 1 . The final geologic model served as a basis to select the locations for the new wells. The new locations were proposed in the zones with the most intensive development of a network of natural fractures (according to the model). The drilling was associated with significant losses of drilling mud that was an indirect indication of presence of significantly fractured zones. The wellbore image FMS that was recorded in the well, showed a good level of correspondence between the model forecast and the actual result. The well contains interval of numerous fractures and large vugs. Eventually, the well showed a good production results and currently is one of the best producers in the field. As such, we recommend application of the described integrated approach for modeling complex fractured reservoirs in the other fields of Russian Federation.


Cell swelling caused by resistance training is proposed to provide an anabolic stimulus for muscle growth and it is believed that these effects are heightened with the use of low loads. The purpose of this study was to compare the acute effects of two volume-equated resistance training (RT) protocols, low-load (LL) versus high-load (HL), on elbow flexor muscles thickness, arm circumference, and blood lactate concentration in well-trained individuals. Eight resistance-trained males performed the following two RT protocols involving unilateral elbow flexion of the dominant arm: i) LL, four sets with 50% 1 repetition-maximum [1 RM] and ii) HL, ten sets with 85% 1 RM until failure, and equated volume. Pre- and post-session measurements included muscle thickness of the elbow flexors (biceps brachii and brachialis), upper arm circumference, and blood lactate concentration. Significant pre- to post-session increases were found in both protocols for muscle thickness (F (1, 28) = 11.74, p = 0.0019), and blood lactate (F (1, 28) = 35.55, p < 0.0001); no statistically significant differences were observed between conditions, however, the magnitude of increases favored LL. Significant between-condition differences favoring LL were observed for total repetitions (p = 0.007), time under tension (p = 0.007), and training density (p = 0.007). These results suggest that LL training promotes superior post-session increases in muscle thickness, indicating that RT protocols with longer times under tension and densities are beneficial when the goal is to promote acute cell swelling.


This paper is a continuation of Part I under the same title and is concerned with derivation of some special cases of the general theory of Part I applicable to elastic-plastic and elastic-viscoplastic single crystals. The main object here is to identify several existing macroscopic theories of inelastic material behaviour and to shed light on the range of their validity in relation to accepted notions of various physical scales associated with the motion of crystal lattice. Included among the results obtained a re : (i) the identification of the elastic part of the intrinsic lattice force with the so-called 'energy-momentum tensor' using Eshelby's terminology; (ii) the development of special elastic-viscoplastic and elastic-plastic theories of material behaviour in which the inertia effect associated with the rate of plastic deformation is neglected but other m icrostructural effects are retained; and (iii) the reduction, within the framework of the rate-independent theory, to Prandtl-Reuss type equations in which all microstructural effects are suppressed.


This article is devoted to developing a recognition method of race and ethnicity of individual based on portrait photographs. The reference image is formed based on selected geometric points of the face and a special algorithm for calculating the characteristic parameters of the images available in the database. Next, the original image is compared with the reference images of ethnic groups, and thus, the affiliation of the original image to a specific ethnic group is determined.


Objective: Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy commonly experience depression and anxiety, which, along with adverse effects of chemotherapy, inevitably compromise quality of life (QOL) of the patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a psycho-educational intervention on the quality of life (QOL) of patients with advanced lung cancer undergoing chemotherapy. Methods: Two hundred in-patients with unresectable advanced lung cancer undergoing chemotherapy in Shanxi Cancer Hospital from January to October 2013 were randomized into the intervention group (n = 100) and the control group (n = 100). Patients in the intervention group received a purposely designed and nurse-delivered psycho-educational intervention in addition to routine caring and chemotherapy, whereas those in the control group underwent chemotherapy and routine caring only. QOL of patients was assessed according to QOL instrument for lung cancer (QLICP-LU). The impact of the psycho-educational intervention on QOL was analyzed using independent-sample t test and χ2 test. Results: The psychological, physical, and social function, and the overall QOL scores were significantly improved in patients who received the psycho-educational intervention compared with those in the control group. Conclusions: A nurse-delivered psycho-educational intervention is a useful strategy to improve QOL of patients with advanced lung cancer undergoing chemotherapy.


The present work is intended to experimentally study the Taylor-Couette flow between coaxial cones. The inner cone is rotated and the outer cone is maintained fixed. Both cones have the same apex angle Φ =12°, giving a constant annular gap δ =0.12. The height of the fluid column is H=155 mm. The working fluid is assumed as Newtonian and has constant properties (as density and viscosity) within the range of the required experimental conditions. By means of visualization techniques, the critical thresholds related to the onset of various instabilities have been obtained and the corresponding flow modes have been identified. Using images processing, spatio-temporal diagrams have also been calculated, showing the characteristics (wavelength, drift velocity) of the downward helical motion. The results obtained for these transition regimes are compared to those of Wimmer et al. [1-3].


This paper investigates the influences of dosage of ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) (0%, 20%, 40%, 60% and 80%) to chloride diffusion coefficient. And the time dependency of apparent diffusion coefficient as the submerging time from 60 days to 360days has also been studied. The result shows that the addition of GGBS into concrete has great influence on the chloride diffusion. The diffusion coefficients of the mixes containing GGBS decrease rapidly with time than that of the mix PC Control. But there were little differences of the values of apparent diffusion coefficients among the mixes SL20, SL40 and SL60. The addition of GGBS in concrete has great influence on the time dependency of concrete. And the concrete which has 40%-60% replacement of GGBS has greater ability to resist the diffusion of chloride than other replacement.


People living in the informal settlement of Dandora in Nairobi often have to walk long distances from their homes to collect water, queue for lengthy periods and pay high prices to vendors. Under the SWIFT programme, Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor has been working in partnership with the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company to upgrade the water supply to Dandora and improve the access of low-income consumers. The community is now enjoying a reliable supply of safe drinking water at as little as a fifth of the cost they had previously been paying. Women have more time to spend with their families and on their livelihoods, and children have more time for their education and homework. Health in the community is reported to have improved, and new housing plots are being developed. To ensure the changes will be sustainable, WSUP and NCWSC have focused on being inclusive and encouraging a sense of community ownership. Information sharing is playing a key role, as is the project task team: 16 people who act as advocates for their community, including representatives of the elders, youth, women, religious leaders, people with disabilities and leaders from each 'village'.


The present thesis examines the representation of the impotent body and mind in a selection of Samuel Beckett's dramatic and prose works. Aiming to show that the body-mind relation is represented as one of co-implication and co-constitution, this thesis also takes the representation of memory in Beckett's work as a key site for examining this relation. The thesis seeks to address the centrality of the body and embodied subjectivity in the experience of memory and indeed in signification and experience more generally. In these terms, Chapter 1 analyzes the representation of the figure of the couple in Beckett's drama of the 1950s – as a metaphor of the body-mind relation – and, in light of Jacques Derrida's theory of the supplement and Bernard Stiegler's theory of technics, it discusses how the relationship between physical body and mind is defined by an essential supplementarity that is revealed even (or especially) in their apparent separation. Furthermore, the impotence that marks both elements in Beckett's writings, when it is seen to lay bare this intrication, can be viewed, in important respects, as enabling rather than merely privative. Chapter 2 discusses the somatic structure of memory as represented in four of Beckett's later dramatic works composed in the 1970s and 1980s. Similarly to Chapter 1, the second chapter focuses on the more "extreme" representation of bodily impotence in Beckett and demonstrates that rather than a merely "mental" recollection, memory in the work of Beckett is presented as necessarily experienced through, and shaped by, the body itself. In this light, then, it is shown that despite the impotence that marks the body in Beckett's work of the 1970s and 1980s, the body is a necessary site of memory and retains or discovers a kind of activity in this impotence. Finally, Chapter 3 shifts its attention to Beckett's prose works in order to explore how such works, reliant on language rather than the physical performance of actors onstage, sustain questions of embodied subjectivity at their heart. Specifically, the chapter argues that, on closer inspection, Beckett's "literature of the unword" is not an abstention from meaning and its materialization, but one that paradoxically foregrounds that "something" which remains an essential part of it, that is, an embodied subjectivity.


Implicit surface learning is one of the most widely used methods for 3D surface reconstruction from raw point cloud data. Current approaches employ deep neural networks or Gaussian process models with the trade-offs across computational performance, object fidelity, and generalization capabilities. We propose a novel method based on Gaussian process regression to build implicit surfaces for 3D surface reconstruction (GPIS), which leads to better accuracy in comparison to the standard GPIS formulation. Our approach encodes local and global shape information from the data to maintain the correct topology of the underlying shape. The proposed pipeline works on dense, sparse, and noisy raw point clouds and can be parallelized to improve computational efficiency. We evaluate our approach on synthetic and real point cloud datasets including data from robot visual and tactile sensors. Results show that our approach leads to high accuracy compared to baselines.


The garden is a place of experimentation, where gardeners try out plants and both see how they grow and explore how to use them to eff ect, but does that make the garden a 'laboratory'? Roberio Dias (2008) has described the Sitio Roberto Burle Marx (Roberto Burle Marx personal garden and nursery outside Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) as a 'landscape laboratory'. Using the Sitio as a case study and Dias's 2008 essay as a point of departure, this paper asks, if a laboratory is 'a room or building equipped for scientific experiments, research or teaching', does the phrase 'garden as laboratory' accurately describe how the garden operates as a creative space? If it does not, what would be a more appropriate description? Considering the garden as an artist's studio recognises that, even while science is involved in the process of growing plants, its aim is to cultivate plants for aesthetic purposes. If each plant is a test, and the tests interact ecologically, then the art produced in the garden as studio is of a radically diff erent type: a moving work of art. In reconceiving the garden as studio and its art as alive, I aim to help enrich theories of planting design to engage them with growth.


We have previously reported homozygosity for two MC3R SNPs (C17A+G241A) that partially inactive MC3R increases adiposity in humans and mouse models. However, the precise mechanisms by which hypoactive MC3R alters metabolic homeostasis remain unclear. Given the essential role of hepatic autophagy in cellular mechanisms of obesity, we hypothesized that diminished peripheral MC3R activity leads to hepatic lipid accumulation by interfering with autophagy, leading to steatosis. We used knock-in mouse models that carry either homozygous human "wild type" ( MC3R hWT/hWT ) or "double mutant" MC3R (C17A+G241A, MC3R hDM/hDM ). We studied hepatic autophagic pathways with biochemical/imaging analysis in wild type Mc3r (C57/BL6) and MC3R hWT/hWT as controls (WT mice), and in MC3R hDM/hDM , and mice lacking Mc3r ( Mc3r -/- ) which each have greater fat mass and hepatic triglycerides. We first demonstrated the MC3R specific agonist D-trp-γ-MSH induced LC3II (a marker of autophagosome formation) in hepatocytes from WT, but not Mc3r -/- or MC3R hDM/hDM mice. Interestingly D-trp-γ-MSH also induced TFEB (a master regulator of lysosomal biogenesis) translocation from cytosol to nucleus in TFEB-overexpressed NIH-3T3 cells, indicating MC3R may regulate autophagy by affecting TFEB signaling. Overnight fasting induced liver LC3II expression in WT mice, but not in MC3R hDM/hDM or Mc3r -/- ; rather, basal LC3II was upregulated even in the fed state for the latter two genotypes. Hepatocytes from MC3R hDM/hDM or Mc3r -/- failed to increase autophagic flux with starvation or with the presence of chloroquine, suggesting MC3R may play a role in the regulation of autolysosomal degradation under the control of TFEB. Electron microscopy analysis of liver sections further demonstrated MC3R hDM/hDM mice exhibited fewer lipid droplet-associated autophagosomes compared to MC3R hWT/hWT mice. These data suggest MC3R plays an important peripheral role for the regulation of hepatic autophagy that is targeted to lipids. Disclosure J. Jun: None. A.Y. Seo: None. T.P. Patel: None. A.J. Uhlman: None. N.J. Levi: None. R. Roberson: None. J.A. Yanovski: Research Support; Self; Rhythm Pharmaceuticals Inc., Zafgen.


Oil import and export developments pose a host of policy issues. Concerns about import dependence continue to generate interest in policy options to directly discourage imports or to reduce the need for imports by increasing domestic supply and decreasing demand. Rising exports at a time of rising prices has led to calls for policies to restrict such trade. The debate around the Keystone XL pipeline involves concerns about imports, exports, and the environment. The rising cost for fuels has led to calls for release of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, meant to provide a short term policy option in case of supply disruptions. Policy options may entail various economic, fiscal, and environmental trade-offs.


Introduction:
 We previously identified a mutation in the human transcriptional cofactor Eya4 (E193) as cause of familial dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and heart failure. Upon interaction with real transcription factors such as Six family members, Eya4 is recruited to and interacts with target genes. One of the few known Eya-Six targets expressed in the heart is the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27kip1, which has been shown to inhibit hypertrophic growth in adult cardiomyocytes, is. We therefore hypothesize that Eya4/Six1 regulates targets relevant in normal cardiac function.

 Methods and results:
 We examined p27 expression in response to Eya4 in permanent mammalian cell lines. Western blot analysis demonstrated that an overexpression of Eya4 led to a significant downregulation of p27, whereas the overexpression of E193 had no effect on p27 levels. Studies using a p27 promoter fragment including Six1 consensus sites cloned in front of a Luciferase reporter gene proved Eya4 acts as a suppressor of p27 already at the transcriptional level, whereas E193 could not sufficiently inhibit p27 expression. Further transfection and knockdown experiments revealed that under basal conditions an Eya4 overexpression decreased protein synthesis in primary cardiac myocytes. We constructed transgenic mouse models with a constitutive myocardial overexpression of E193 and Eya4 to study the precise role of Eya4 in the heart. First analysis of these animals using magnetic resonance imaging to visualize cardiac structures in detail show that an overexpression of E193 leads to an age related onset of DCM as seen in an increase in LVEDV, whereas Eya4 overexpressing mice show no signs of heart disease.

 Conclusion:
 In summary, we identified a mutation in Eya4 to cause DCM. We now provide evidence that the Eya4/Six1 signalling cascade is also relevant in more common forms of acquired heart disease. Eya4/Six1 seems to regulate the expression of p27kip1, an important inhibitor of the development of hypertrophy in postmitotic cardiomyocytes. Studies using E193 overexpressing mice support our hypothesis whereas tempering the Eya4/Six1 signalling cascade disturbs cardiac physiology.


released the Community Checkup, its first public report containing quality measures for physician clinics in the area.1 The report was the culmination of a process that began before the Alliance became an Aligning Forces for Quality (AF4Q) grantee and involved broad stakeholder representation. In this Issue Brief, we describe the key features of that process, including preparing the report, content, format, dissemination and key lessons learned by the Alliance. Building a Community Quality Report at the Physician Practice Level: The Experience of the Puget Sound Health Alliance


Background: Limited data are available on healthcare resource use and costs in patients with sarcoidosis; Objectives: The primary aim of this study was to describe cost-drivers of the top 1% and top ≥1-5% high-cost patients with sarcoidosis. The secondary aim was to compare costs of patients with and without fatigue complaints and to compare comorbidities. Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational cross-sectional study in 200 patients diagnosed with sarcoidosis. Hospital administrative databases were used to extract healthcare utilization on the individual patient level. Healthcare costs were categorized into nine groups. Results: Average total health care costs for the top 1% (n=22), top ≥1%–5% (n=88) and bottom 95% beneficiaries (n=90) were € 108.296, €53.237 and €4.817, respectively. Mean treatment time in days for the top 1%, top ≥1-5% and the random sample of the bottom 95% was 1688 days (±225), 1412 days (±367) and 775 days (±659), respectively. Mean annual costs for the top 1%, top ≥1-5% and the random sample of the bottom 95% are €51.082, €27.840 and €8.692, respectively. We identified three cost-drivers in the top 5% high-cost patients: 1) expensive medication, 2) intensive care and 3) costs made at the respiratory unit. Patients with and without fatigue showed to have comparable mean costs. High-cost patients were more likely to have multiple organs involved due to sarcoidosis. Conclusions: We identified expensive medication as the main cost-driver in the top 5% high-cost patients with sarcoidosis. The study findings can help to tailor interventions for improving the quality of care and reducing overall costs. (Sarcoidosis Vasc Diffuse Lung Dis 2020; 37 (3): e2020002)


We describe a methodology that enables the real-time diagnosis of performance problems in complex high-performance distributed systems. The methodology includes tools for generating precision event logs that can be used to provide detailed end-to-end application and system level monitoring; a Java agent-based system for managing the large amount of logging data; and tools for visualizing the log data and real-time state of the distributed system. We developed these tools for analyzing a high-performance distributed system centered around the transfer of large amounts of data at high speeds from a distributed storage server to a remote visualization client. However this methodology should be generally applicable to any distributed system. This methodology called NetLogger has proven invaluable for diagnosing problems in networks and in distributed systems code. This approach is novel in that it combines network, host, and application-level monitoring, providing a complete view of the entire system.


Spatial and temporal patterns in benthic diatom assemblage composition and chlorophyll-a production were investigated over a 25 month period within three headwater sub-catchments of the River Eden catchment, NW England. This was undertaken as structural and functional attributes of headwater stream have at large been neglected, despite the long-standing recognition of the importance of interconnectivity of upstream and downstream reaches. Results demonstrated that, catchment specific quasi-seasonal patterns in Shannon-Wiener diversity and in situ fluorometry chlorophyll-a in response to variable discharge-nutrient regimes demonstrating the ability of benthic diatom communities to recover from event-driven disturbances to their underlying equilibrium with water quality. This highlights the stability and resilience of benthic biofilms, in particular their ability to discriminate nutrient pressures between catchments, even in dynamic streams. Investigation of how diatom community attributes (diversity and chlorophyll-a) varied in relation to one another was explored through Shannon-Wiener diversity and in situ fluorometry (ISF) chlorophyll-a revealing a unimodal productivity-diversity relationship. Examination of the critical antecedent period of temporal dynamics in discharge and nutrient conditions (TP and NO3) demonstrated that at-a-point in time community composition is a product of factors, such as phosphorus availability, related to discharge over the preceding 15 - 21 days. Secondly, investigation of patterns in benthic communities at fine spatial scales defined by physical flow biotope units, demonstrated that riffles were more productive than pools but pools displayed greater diversity in benthic diatom composition. Finally, reach-scale temporal dynamics in stream hydraulics and nutrient concentrations and their relation to benthic composition and chlorophyll-a production in riffle biotope units was explored over a 28 day period. This demonstrated a threshold relationship between change in benthic diatom composition and chlorophyll-a with highest diversity and chlorophyll-a observed during sub-scouring rainfall-discharge events preceded by quasi-stable periods in discharge-nutrient condition. Therefore, these investigations of fine-spatial high-temporal patterns in benthic diatom biofilm community structure and ecological functional processes, such as chlorophyll-a production, revealed the time-scale of response and physicochemical sensitivities of benthic ecosystems in headwaters which are important considerations for environmental monitoring and policy decision making.


In order to investigate novel biomarkers for the detection of coronary artery disease for effective therapeutic targets, a comprehensive understanding of the protein networks and protein expression abundance in coronary artery samples is required. This was established by means of liquid chromatography (Lc)-mass spectrometry (MS)/MS analysis in the present study. A total of 20 human coronary artery specimens from 2 autopsied adults were employed in the present study. The natural history and histological classification of the atherosclerotic lesions of the coronary artery samples were analyzed by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, and the human coronary arterial proteome and proteomics features were characterized by MS analysis. The present study identified 2,135 proteins in the 20 coronary artery segments samples from the 2 cases. combined with the results of H&E staining of the coronary artery samples, a total of 174 proteins, including 4 upregulated proteins and 164 downregulated proteins (excluding 6 proteins with inconsistent expression tendencies), were shown to be associated with coronary artery disease. In addition, Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment of the differentially expressed proteins revealed that the mitochondrial energy metabolism may be responsible for the occurrence and development of coronary artery atherosclerosis. The human coronary arterial proteome can be considered as a complex network whose architectural characteristics vary considerably as a function of the presence or absence, and histological classification of coronary artery atherosclerosis. These data thus suggest that the prevention of mitochondrial dysfunction via the retrieval of the mitochondrial associated proteins expression may be a promising target in coronary artery disease.


Plant cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (CYP) constitute a large superfamily of heme-thiolate proteins, which are involved in a wide range of metabolic pathways. In this study, comparative genomic approaches were used to analyze tobacco CYP genes and their expression patterns. Based on analysis of the tobacco genomic DNA sequences that are currently available, 263 P450 genes that belong to 44 distinct clans were identified. EST evidence from 173 of the CYPs suggested that these genes are transcribed. Sequence features and secondary structures of the tobacco P450 genes were further analyzed through comparison with known P450 proteins. The expression profiles of 73 P450 genes were subsequently investigated by analyses of tobacco microarray data and RT-PCR. The results showed a variety of expression patterns of these genes in different tissues with a number of genes expressed in a tissue-specific manner. This study has set a foundation for further studies on functions of P450 genes in tobacco.


Depression has been identified as a significant global health problem. However, to date, there has been little research into the most appropriate strategies to use in the prevention of depression. There is even less research about the understanding that people of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds and Australian Indigenous communities have of the conditions encompassed by the term depression, (or more culturally and linguistically specific representations of unhappiness) and of the ways in which these conditions may be prevented.

The Listening to Diverse Voices: multicultural mental health promotion research project, a collaboration between Murdoch University and the East Metropolitan Population Health Unit, funded by Healthway, investigated these issues within a variety of minority communities and in consultation with service providers, in Perth, Western Australia, during the period 2001-2004. The objective of the research was to identify cultural differences in understandings and experiences of 'depression' and appropriate ways of dealing with such issues.

All interviews and focus groups were undertaken using a semi-structured, standardised schedule. Interview and focus group questions were designed to elicit participants' understandings of mental health, social and emotional well-being, depression, causes of depression and recommendations for appropriate treatments and/or interventions. Interviews and focus groups were taped and transcribed and the transcripts studied for common themes. These themes were then taken back to the communities for comment, and the summaries adapted according to this further feedback. While it is not claimed that the participants are 'representative' of the communities of which they are members, the research team feels confident that the issues identified are among the most common concerns of these communities. It is also important to note that there is a great deal of diversity within the Indigenous communities, and this project does not intend to imply internal homogeneity of individuals, experiences, perspectives or concerns.

Perhaps the most surprising finding is that issues seen by communities as likely to cause emotional (or mental) distress, are social issues, rather than being biomedical in nature. The result of this is that while some of the issues may be dealt with from within a 'population health' perspective and organisation, most are outside population health parameters. Therefore this information is being provided to a wider audience in the hope that other government departments, non-government organisations and individuals will also take action to address some of these issues.

Many people helped with the Indigenous component of this project. The team wishes to thank Trish Wall, Michael Wright, Dawn Gilchrist, Barry McGuire, Pat Dudgeon and Chlo Bullen. Also the mental health service providers interviewed - John Longhorne and Stuart Reid - and the many participants who gave their precious time and insights, including but not limited to; Charmaine Pell, Maureen Kelly, Corina Abraham, Alison Dimer, Marie Pryor, Diann Peate, Doreen Turvey, Jean Lewis and Dot Henry.

This summary sheet contains a brief summary of the various issues identified during the Indigenous section of the research, which included focus groups with Indigenous people and health workers, and with non- Indigenous mental health service providers who work with Indigenous people. Our commitment to hearing the voices of the Indigenous people who were involved in this research is reflected in our use of direct quotations taken from the interviews and focus groups. The opinions expressed are from research participants and do not necessarily represent the views of the authors.


Introduction: The impact of alcoholism on marital – family functioning and the influence of marital – family relationship on the development and the maintenance of the alcoholism are challenging problems to both the clinicians and researchers. The aim was to study the relationship between religious coping spiritual well being, and marital adjustment, among the wives of males with Alcohol Dependence Syndrome.
Material And Method: Wives of alcohol dependent male patients admitted in the Department of Psychiatry, Armed Police force Hospital were included in the study after informed consent. a) Semi-Structured Proforma b) The Spiritual Well-Being Scale, C) R- COPE Scale, (D) Dyadic Adjustment Scale. were used to collect the data.
Results: The results of the study show that majorities were from a rural background, low socio economic status, nuclear family and were homemakers. Spiritual well being and religious well being correlated positively with positive religious coping and inversely correlated with negative religious coping. The total score on religious coping correlated inversely with the dyadic adjustment showing that in times of stress and low marital adjustment the sample turned more to religion to help them cope. High negative correlation was seen between the dyadic adjustment of the wives and negative religious coping .The years of drinking inversely correlated with spiritual well being and the subscale of existential well being, indicating that the more number of years the patient consumed alcohol the wife had lower spiritual well being and in particular existential well being.
Conclusion: Spiritual well being enhances the positive religious coping strategies of the wives of men with alcoholism in this study. When the spiritual well being is low more negative methods of religious coping are used.


Given the impact caused by alcoholism to individual and collective health, the study aims to understand the interfaces between gender and mental health in the speech of alcoholics and reflect on the possibilities of nursing work in this context. Qualitative descriptive study conducted with 20 participants in an Alcoholics Anonymous group in Fortaleza. Information was collected through semi-structured interview in the period of May-June 2008 . In speeches, the social processes involved in the gender context of alcoholism may contribute to mental health, but also represent a triggering factor in the health-mental illness. The reality perceived brings benefits for the intervention of the nurse in a field still characterized by gaps, especially with regard to public policies and practices professional expertise, such as chemical dependency.


The National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI) convened a study panel in 2000 to consider the role of market-oriented reforms and private health plans in Medicare, as part of its broader project on the future of the Medicare program. The panel interpreted its charge broadly and set as its goal strengthening Medicare overall, including both the fee-for-service (FFS) system and private health plans. Members of the study panel were selected for their recognized expertise and knowledge of Medicare; they were also selected to represent different disciplines and diverse views on the role of private health plans in Medicare. The study panel met four times, convened several conference calls, and commissioned original research in pursuit of its mission. In its work, the panel strove to reach consensus on a wide range of challenging and complex issues. In most cases, the panel reached a common understanding and viewpoint, however, on some issues, there was a divergence of views among panel members, which is noted in the text.


The housing wealth-to-income ratio has been increasing in most developed economies since the 1950s. We provide a novel theory to explain this long-term pattern. We show analytically that house prices grow in the steady state if i) the housing sector is more land-intensive than the non-housing sector, or ii) technological progress in the construction sector is weaker than in the non-housing sector. Despite growing house prices and housing wealth, the housing wealth-to-income ratio is constant in steady state. We hence study the dynamics in the housing wealth-to-income ratio by computing transitions. The model is calibrated separately to the US, UK, France, and Germany. On average, we replicate 89 percent of the observed increase in the housing wealth-to-income ratio. The key for replicating the data is the differentiation between residential land as a non-reproducible factor and residential structure as a reproducible factor. The transition process from the calibrated model points to two driving forces of an increasing housing wealth-to-income ratio: i) A long-lasting construction boom that brought about a pronounced build-up in the stock of structures and ii) an increase in the demand for residential land that resulted in surging residential land prices.


In this article, we consider the proximal point method with Bregman distance applied to linear programming problems, and study the dual sequence obtained from the optimal multipliers of the linear constraints of each subproblem. We establish the convergence of this dual sequence, as well as convergence rate results for the primal sequence, for a suitable family of Bregman distances. These results are obtained by studying first the limiting behavior of a certain perturbed dual path and then the behavior of the dual and primal paths.


During the winter of 2009–2010, Defence R&D Canada – Ottawa collected time series data to characterize the Spotlight mode on RADARSAT-2 for change detection in urban vehicle compounds, specifically for small vehicles during wintertime conditions. Corresponding to each image acquisition, three trihedral corner reflectors and five full-sized pick-up trucks were deployed with known locations and orientations. This paper describes the collection, processing, and analysis of two time series of RADARSAT-2 Spotlight mode images acquired over the Shirleys Bay Campus (west Ottawa) between December 2009 and April 2010. The first time series consists of six Spotlight A (SLA) 19 mode ascending orbit images acquired on consecutive 24-day repeat cycle passes. The second time series consists of six SLA17 mode descending orbit images, also acquired on consecutive 24-day repeat cycle passes. The 24-day separation of the images ensured consistent geometry and allowed for precise (sub-pixel) co-registration of the individual images using interferometric processing. This paper describes the measurement of radiometric properties, including the radar cross section and the peak-to-clutter ratio, for the known targets and it describes the use of an automatic target detection algorithm and interactive target validation tools to assist with site monitoring. It was found that precise (sub-pixel) orthorectification and co-registration of the imagery is essential for use of a vector mask to constrain the automatic target detection analysis. A single set of detection parameters could be applied to all images (both ascending and descending); tuning of parameters for specific images was not required. Most target vehicles (pick-up trucks) were detected and there were few false alarms. For the 12 images and the selected detection parameters, the average probability of detection was greater than 98%, whereas the average False Alarm Rate was on the order of 10–4 per pixel (i.e., one false detection per 104 pixels). Identification of small vehicles was not possible via visual inspection; neither length nor orientation could be correctly estimated. However, the detection of targets with RADARSAT-2 Spotlight mode data can contribute to site monitoring.


The adsorption characteristic to the phosphorus in polluted water was discussed between two different calcium content fly ash biological filtering materials. The result showed that the under a certain temperature, the adsorption characteristic correspond with Langmuir equation. The maximum phosphorus adsorption capacity reach 93.7%and 63.5%; When the temperature was higher and contact time was longer, the adsorption capacity was more, but in 3 hours, the adsorption equilibrium was both got. The phosphorus adsorption capacity related with the calcium content and the surface adsorption power result by vast pore in material interior has strengthened the adsorption action. Level-one variable dynamics model could be used to describe the absorb process.


BACKGROUND
We investigated in vitro whether IL-1beta and TGF-beta1 affect pancreatic cancer cell growth, adhesion to the extracellular matrix and Matrigel invasion.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Adhesion to fibronectin, laminin and type I collagen, and Matrigel invasion after stimulation with saline, IL-1beta and TGF-beta1 were evaluated using three primary and three metastatic pancreatic cancer cell lines.

RESULTS
Extracellular matrix adhesion of control cells varied independently of the metastatic characteristics of the studied cell lines, whereas Matrigel invasion of control cells was partly correlated with the in vivo metastatic potential. IL-1beta did not influence extracellular matrix adhesion, whereas it significantly enhanced the invasiveness of three of the six cell lines. TGF-beta1 affected the adhesion of one cell line, and exerted contrasting effects on Matrigel invasion of different cell lines.

CONCLUSIONS
IL-1beta enhances the invasive capacity of pancreatic cancer cells, whereas TGF-beta1 has paradoxical effects on pancreatic cancer cells; this makes it difficult to interfere with TGF-beta1 signaling in pancreatic cancer treatment.


Accounting and auditing are often cited as key sites where business regulation has been privatized, globalized and neoliberalized. Yet, these sites have also undergone a legitimacy crisis in recent years, marked by a shift from self-regulation to increased public oversight. This paper investigates these developments by reference to the evolution of a public/private audit oversight regime (audit of the auditors) in Russia. We show how, in the early stages of post-Soviet reforms, old state-administered forms of financial oversight were replaced with market-oriented arrangements (peer reviews) offered by newly founded private professional accountancy associations as a service to their members. Fifteen years later, the process of regulatory privatization culminated in a reinvigoration of public authority. Our longitudinal analysis highlights the pivotal role of the state in the liberalization of governance by showing how audit oversight privatization was not only enabled by, but also provided a condition for, the strengthening of government actors. We introduce the term 'legislative layering' to denote the mechanism that enabled public actors to redeploy themselves in the face of the rising market logic to ensure continuity in their regulatory objectives.


The right to adequate housing is one of the key sustainable development goals of the
United Nations, and a fundamental human right. Community-based adaptation is also a
central theme in building resilience to flooding. The Niger Delta Region of Nigeria is the
9th largest wetland in the world, through which the River Niger discharges into the
Atlantic Ocean. As such, the geotechnical and hydrological characteristics of most parts
of the Niger Delta area dictate the necessity for effective practical measures to satisfy the
engineering demands of the highly compressible silty clay soils for housing construction
in coastal communities. Field work data gathered from local builders in Bonny Island
reveal the implied technicalities of managing and coping with terrain related factors,
which translate into additional cost for projects in riverine areas, and whose prohibitive
cost has been termed 'unfeasible'. Considering the numerous cases of building failure
and collapse in the Niger Delta region, it is thus worrisome that private speculative
developers may resort to taking shortcuts, which may undermine the safety of building
inhabitants. Due to the scarcity of suitable lands, the recognition that coastal
communities in the Niger Delta can only cope with issues of flooding by devoting funds to
adequate structural adaptation mechanisms in buildings has thus become pivotal. Against
the backdrop of the astronomical cost of housing in the Niger Delta, this study analyses
the geo-environmental factors contributing to the high cost of construction, as a basis of
creating heightened awareness of the need to institute relevant policy driven technical
checks and capital incentives to small scale developers, who provide the bulk of housing
in coastal communities.


We conduct three experiments that examine when and how advertisements affect investors' processing of financial information in an online environment. Our first experiment investigates the effects of peripheral advertisements with benign content. We do not observe differences in investment judgments when such ads are present, and a follow up eye tracking study confirms that investors generally avoid looking at these types of ads. Our second experiment investigates the effects of advertisements when they are more difficult to distinguish from relevant content. We find that investors' efforts to avoid advertisements result in lower recall of graphically presented financial information when advertisements that interrupt the relevant content are present. Our third experiment investigates peripheral advertisements with content that elicits a negative emotional response and finds that these ads affect investment judgments via their effects on investor mood and the perceived tone of nearby financial information. Overall, our findings suggest that investors successfully ignore benign peripheral advertisements, but other types of advertisements, such as intrusive or emotionally laden advertisements, affect investors' processing of nearby financial information.


Introduction: To ensure a minimal chance of injury, it is important for fitness facilities to provide users with a safe environment. The aim of this study was to pilot an observational audit tool (OAT) developed specifically for fitness facilities across Australia. Methods: An OAT was designed, trialled and amended to ensure objective components. Audits were conducted at11 regional and metropolitan fitness facilities across four Australian states. Face and content validity of the tool was assessed. Results: The OAT was found to have high face and content validity. The median recorded temperature in each activityarea was above the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommended level; however, the median illuminance of each area was below these levels. The median distance behind treadmills was found to be less than the minimum distance recommended by manufacturers. In the majority of facilities, walkways were clear of obstacles (eight facilities)and most floor surfaces were in good condition (ten facilities). Only five facilities were supervised at all times, and only six clearly displayed their rules and etiquette. Free weights equipment was observed laying on floors (not in dedicated storage areas) in seven facilities. Conclusions: Fitness facility operators are advised to conduct regular risk assessments to ensure that rules and behaviour policies are easily seen and followed. It is desirable to have a systematic risk management program that is standardised throughout Australia to ensure the risk of injuries associated with poor risk management, as well as the likelihood of consequent legal liability, are reduced. Practical applications: Observational safety audits that are regularly conducted in fitness facilities are an important toolthat can help to identify potential injury-causing hazards so that they may be controlled; ;


Recently, there has been growing interest from academia and industry on the application of immersive technologies across a range of domains. Once such technology, 360° video, can be captured using an omnidirectional multi-camera arrangement. These 360° videos can then be rendered via Virtual Reality (VR) Head Mounted Displays (HMD). Viewers then have the freedom to look around the scene in any direction they wish. Whereas a body of work exists that focused on modeling visual attention (VA) in VR, little research has considered the impact of the audio modality on VA in VR. It is well accepted that audio has an important role in VR experiences. High quality spatial audio offers listeners the opportunity to experience sound in all directions. One such technique, Ambisonics or 3D audio, offers a complete 360° soundscape. This paper reports the results of an empirical study that looked at understanding how (if at all) spatial audio influences visual attention in 360° videos. It also assessed the impact of spatial audio on the user's Quality of Experience (QoE) by capturing implicit, explicit, and objective metrics. The results suggest surprisingly similar explicit QoE ratings for both the spatial and non-spatial audio environments. The implicit metrics indicate that users integrated with the spatial environment more quickly than the non-spatial environment. Users who experienced the spatial audio environment had a higher maximum mean head pose pitch value and were found to be more focused towards the sound-emitting regions in the spatial audio environment experiences.


This study was aimed to determine the antibacterial activity of onion (Allium cepaL.) aqueous extract against S. aureus bacteria isolated from patients with otitis media. Twenty swabs samples were taken from patients with otitis infection; these samples were cultured on different agar media .Results revealed that half of these isolates were related to S. aureus and the five of these isolates were subject to sensitivity test against several antibiotic groups. Most of isolates 100% were resistance to amoxicillin, chloramphenicol, cefoxitin and pencillin, and 60 % of were showed resistance to cefotaxtime and tetracycline, where as 20 % were resistance to Ciprofloxacin. Depending on the results of antibiotic sensitivity, the two isolates(S2,S5) were chosen  for determining the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) test, S2 isolate showed high-level of resistance at (16 and 128 µg/ml) to chloraemphenicol, amoxicillin, ampicillin and Cefotaxime respectively, while S5 at concentration (32, 64 and 128 µg\ml) were resistance to amoxicillin, ampicillin, chloraemphenicol and cefotaxtime. The MIC of onion extract against S. aureus was determined at two incubation periods The results were indicated that after 24 hrs, MIC of extract at 64 µg/ml was affected in inhibit the growth of S2 isolate, While 32 µg/ml was inhibited the growth of S5 isolate.However, after 72 hrs, It was found that the MIC at 32, 64 and 128 µg/ml were more effective in inhibited the growth of S2 and S5 isolates.


The subjects of mathematics present many times an overload of theoretical knowledge and an unreasonable stiffness in operative processes. In this paper we propose promoting autonomous student learning in order to enhance other capabilities. Project Based Learning (PBL) is intended to make use of a number of skills that students own (autonomy, intuition, creativity, etc.) but are usually masked in the teaching and learning process. An example of this type of approach has been featured by architecture students at the University of the Basque Country in Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain. Their task was to develop a project in which their mathematical knowledge should be extended to other areas of their degree; specifically, the use of a Voronoi Diagram in the field of art and architecture.


The Arctic may be the last frontier of colonialism, where industrial societies are aggressively exploiting the resources and undermining the social cohesion of indigenous peoples. In fact, this colonization of the circumpolar north is only now reaching its full momentum. Among the new conquistadores are oil company geologists, loggers, even resource biologists, bringing not only industrial pollution but also cultural pollution in their wake. For centuries, the aboriginal Arctic population has efficiently used resources to meet modest human needs, developing a special relationship to the land, water, and wildlife. But at the intersection of national ambitions and arctic ecosystems, native communities are being relentlessly squeezed between the ravages of resource extraction and the often naive agendas of environmentalists in urban centers far away.This volume explores some of the major threats to the Arctic environment and indigenous peoples' responses to these threats. Case studies discuss the push for oil and gas development in Canada, Alaska, and Russia; the toxic legacy of the former Soviet Union; land tenure conflicts in Russia; and wildlife management in Canada and Scandinavia.


A new carbonized pomelo peel biosorbent (MCPP) modified with nanoscale zero-valent iron (NZVI) and cetyl-trimethyl ammonium bromide was prepared and employed for the adsorption of molybdate (Mo(VI)) from aqueous solution. We investigated the effects of various conditions on Mo(VI) adsorption and evaluated the results based on adsorption kinetics models and isotherm equations. The kinetic data fitted to the pseudo-second-order model. The Langmuir model best described the adsorption of Mo(VI) on MCPP. The values of changes in Gibbs free energy, standard enthalpy, and standard entropy revealed that the adsorption process was feasible, spontaneous and endothermal. X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements suggested that Mo(VI) adsorption occurred via both the reduction and surface adsorption. Thus, biochar, prepared from fruit residue, can be applied to remove Mo(VI) from aqueous solutions. More importantly, our results provide a sustainable approach for Mo(VI) removal from wastewater by means of functional modification.


Part 1 Child Welfare in the UK and USA 1.Effectiveness of Child Welfare Interventions - Issues and Challenges, Peter Pecora, University of Washington, WA, Colette McAuley, Queens University, Belfast, and Wendy Rose, The Open University, UK. 2. Child Welfare in the UK: Legislation, Policy and Practice, Wendy Rose, Jenny Gray, Department for Education and Skills, UK, and Colette McAuley. 3. Child Welfare in the USA: Legislation, Policy and Practice, Peter Pecora, James Whittaker, University of Washington, US, and Tony Maluccio, Boston College, MA. Part 2 Evidence on Interventions with Vulnerable Children, Young People and Families. 4. Early Interventions with Young Children and their Parents in the UK, Marjorie Smith, Institute of Education, University of London. 5. Early Interventions with Young Children and their Parents in the USA, K. Lori Hansen, The Children's Trust, US, Connie Morrow and Emmalee S. Bandstra, University of Miami, US. 6. Home Visiting for Parents of Pre-School Children in the UK, Jane Barlow, University of Oxford, UK. 7. Home Visiting for Parents of Pre-School Children in the USA, Maureen Marcenko and Edna Staerkel, University of Washington, WA. 8. Support for Young People and their Families in the Community in the UK, Nina Biehal, University of York. 9. Support for Young People and their Families in the Community in the USA, Scottye Cash and Dawn Anderson-Butcher, Ohio State University, OH. Part 3 Evidence on Therapeutic Interventions with Children who have Experienced Abuse/Neglect. 10. Therapeutic Interventions for Children who have Experienced Neglect and their families in the UK, Danielle Turney, The Open University, UK, Karen Tanner, Tavistock Clinic, London UK. 11. Interventions for Children and Families who have Experienced Neglect in the US, Diane De Panfilis, University of Maryland, US. 12. Therapeutic Interventions for Children who have Experienced Sexual and Physical Abuse, Arnon Bentovim, Tavistock Clinic, London. 13. Therapeutic Interventions with Children who have Experienced Emotional, Sexual and Physical Abuse in the USA, Jacqueline Corcoran, Virginia Commonwealth University, US. Part 4 Evidence on Foster Care, Adoption and Transitions for Children and Young People. 14. Foster Family Care in the UK, Kate Wilson, University of Nottingham, UK. 15. Foster Family Care in the USA, Anthony N. Maluccio, Boston College, US, and Peter Pecora. 16. Residential Care in the UK, Ian Sinclair, University of York, UK, 17. Residential Care in the USA, James K. Whittaker, University of Washington, US. 18. Support for Young People Leaving Care in the UK, Jim Wade, University of York, 19. Support for Young People Leaving Care in the USA, Kim Nollan, Research Consultant, Seattle, WA. 20. Adoption in the UK, David Quinton and Julie Selwyn, University of Bristol, UK, 21. Adoption in the USA, Ruth McRoy, University of Texas at Austin, TX. Part 5 Innovative Approaches in Schools and Community Programmes. 22. Interventions in Schools in the UK, Gillian Pugh, Coram Family, London, UK, and June Statham, Reader, Thomas Coram Unit, UK. 23. Interventions in Schools in the USA, Joy G. Dryfoos, National Consultant, MA, and Helen Nissani, Family Support America, US. 24. Community Programs in the UK, Gordon Jack, Exeter University, UK. 25. Community Programs in the USA, Jacquelyn McCroskey, University of Southern Carolina, US. Part 6 Summary and Conclusion. 26. Effective Child Welfare Interventions - Evidence for Practice, Colette McAuley, Peter J. Pecora and Wendy Rose. References. Index.


Physical and hydraulic soil properties are essential input parameters for models from different sciences (e.g. hydrology, agriculture, water management, nature preservation). Generally texture composition, porosity and other easily measurable physical properties of soils are known. However, saturated hydraulic conductivity and characteristic values of the water retention curve are usually missing information. Therefore, based on the physical similarity of soils (classes), they are substituted by data derived from soil databases. The aim of this study was to assess the currently unknown uncertainties of such classified databases. To do so, a large variety of tests were carried out: (i) static and dynamic, (ii) 1D and 3D (iii) hydraulic and hydrologic applied tests, (iv) real and synthetic soils, parameterized accordingly, and (v) HUNSODA and/or HYPRES databases. The results were sorted with respect to FAO and USDA classification systems. Soil class overlapping was evaluated through the statistics of basic hydraulic parameters (retention curve, hydraulic conductivity). Indicators related to hydrologic extremities (excess water and drought) were used to quantify the uncertainties of soil texture based on parameter substitution. It was concluded that the two evaluated soil classification systems did not sort soils reliably from the hydrologic and hydraulic viewpoint: the test results of classes showed major overlaps. Moreover, in most cases class synthetic parameter combinations poorly represented real soils. As a general consequence the results based on classified soil databases should be accepted only with reservation.


With increase in transistor packing density and use ofuni-directional metal routing, resources on local metal layers areincreasingly limited. A major contributor to routing congestion is theminimum metal area (minArea) design rule, which has been steadilyincreasing over the past few technology nodes. For a net which crossesmultiple metal layers (e.g., M2 to M4), polygons on intermediate layers(e.g., M3) i.e. via landing pads must satisfy the minArea rule; thiscreates unnecessary routing blockage, which can lead to area overhead.In this work, we investigated the benefits of introduction into theBEOL stack of a new "supervia" structure, namely, a double-height viaspanning two metal layers without a landing pad on an intermediatemetal layer. We study the benefit of supervia using (i) routing clip-basedevaluation using an optimal ILP-based router (OptRouterSV) and (ii)chip-level evaluation using a commercial routing tool in conjunctionwith MILP-based supervia aware legalization. With the latter, if thelegalization approach fails, the failures are localized to clips, whichare then routed optimally using OptRouterSV. Our results suggest thatwhen the P&R tool is allowed to generate via structures which optimizesfor minArea in stacked vias, using supervia can save∼2% of the chiparea whereas in absence of this option, supervia can save as much as20% of the chip area.


From a theoretical equation, modeling the dynamic of the time-dependent coefficients of the first and the second Karhunen-Loeve (KL) expansion of a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) signal, chaotic phase transition has been studied in the human brain. Through numerical investigations, the bifurcation diagram and the dynamic of Lyapunov exponent have been plotted. These diagrams reveal that throughout the variation of the control parameter here the frequency of the acoustic stimulus, the brain bifurcates from chaotic states to periodic or to quasiperiodic one. Also a chaotic phase portrait of the KL modes and its corresponding Poincaré section have been plotted. The origin of chaos in the human brain could be due to the self-organizing processes of nonequilibrium phase transition occurring in the electrochemical physiological phenomena of the complex nerve cells and neural assembly. Besides, the occurrence of chaos in the absence of stimuli has been remarked and thought to be due to the fact that an intrinsic brain could be chaotic. Moreover it has been found that the range of frequency for which the brain is forced to behave periodically could be harmful to the thinking process.


Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between African–American undergraduate students, racial microaggressions (RMAs) and college retention rates.

Design/methodology/approach
Data were obtained from a survey given out to African–American undergraduate students, recruited from a large, midwestern, predominantly white public university (n = 53).

Findings
The results indicate that students did experience a wide range of microaggressions. Furthermore, the data revealed a statistically significant relationship between the participants' perceptions that others viewed them as if they were foreigners and did not belong to the place and the participants' thoughts about dropping out during the ongoing semester [r(51) = 0.338, p = 0.05]. The results suggest that African–Americans frequently experience RMAs while on campus but these experiences are not significantly tied to their intentions to complete the ongoing semester or return for the subsequent semester.

Practical implications
This study shows that African–American students felt disconnected from the campus that they attend. This information may allow for faculty and staff members to assist in making students feel more welcomed and included in the classroom and on campus.

Originality/value
This is one of the few studies to provide evidence of the relationships between African–American undergraduate students, RMAs and college retention rates. In addition, most studies looking at the relationship between RMAs and retention are qualitative in nature. The use of a quantitative approach helps us eliminating possible observer bias and increasing sample size.


Aromatic amines and their derivatives are widely used in the production of dyes, cosmetics, medicines and polymers. However, they pose a threat to the environment due to their hazardous wastes as well as their carcinogenic properties. The objective of the study was to use an alternate strategy i.e. biofield energy treatment and analyse its impact on physicochemical properties of aromatic amine derivatives viz. p-phenylenediamine (PPD) and p-toluidine. For this study, both the samples were taken and divided into two parts. One part was considered as control and another part was subjected to Mr. Trivedi's biofield treatment. After treatment, both samples were analysed for their physical, thermal and spectral properties as compared to their respective control samples. The analysis was done by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), surface area analyser, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. The XRD studies and surface area analysis of PPD sample revealed that the crystallite size and surface area of the treated sample was increased by 11.12% and 8.49%, respectively as compared to the control sample. In case of p-toluidine, the crystallite size and surface area of treated sample were decreased by 4.8% and 8.43%, respectively as compared to control. The treated PPD sample also showed an alteration in thermal degradation properties as it exhibited two-steps thermal decomposition as compared to single step decomposition in the control sample. In case of p-toluidine, the treated sample showed decreased onset temperature of degradation (112°C→100°C) and Tmax (temperature at which maximum weight loss occur) (136°C→125°C) as compared to control sample. Moreover, the FT-IR analysis revealed that C-C aromatic stretching peak in treated PPD sample was shifted to the lower frequency (1456→1444 cm-1) as compared to the control sample. Besides, in p-toluidine, the treated sample showed the alteration in frequencies of C-N-H bending, C-H bending, C-H stretching, and C-C aromatic stretching and bending peaks as compared to the control sample. However, no alteration was found in UV-Vis spectroscopic analysis of treated PPD and p-toluidine samples as compared to their respective control samples. These findings suggest that the biofield treatment significantly altered the physical, thermal and IR spectroscopic properties of PPD and p-toluidine samples


The burden of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) to employers and workplaces is significant; and
the most important cost to employers and society is lost time from work.
'Case management' is a goal-oriented approach to keeping employees at work and facilitating an
early return to work. There is good scientific evidence that case management methods are costeffective
through reducing time off work and lost productivity, and reducing healthcare costs.
There is even stronger evidence that best-practice rehabilitation approaches have the very
important potential to significantly reduce the burden of long-term sickness absence due to
MSDs. The combination of case management with suitable rehabilitation principles is currently
being used effectively in multiple settings throughout the UK, and there is growth within the case
management sector. Current providers vary widely in quality and experience. There is limited
professional regulation, although localised standards of practice have recently become available.
Many of the factors influencing the adoption of cost-effective case management and rehabilitation
approaches rest with employers, and funders/commissioners of healthcare. It may be easier to
integrate these practices into large and medium-sized workplaces, but there is no reason why the
same principles cannot be applied to small businesses and the self-employed. It appears to be very
timely for the distribution of information to employers and other key players about how effective
case management and suitable rehabilitation approaches can be, and how applicable they are to
UK settings. To this end, an integrated model specific to the UK has been developed.
An evidence-based model for managing those with MSDs was developed that is widely
applicable to all types of industry and business in the UK. It describes the principles to apply in
order to integrate case management and rehabilitation with the workplace. It was derived from
high quality scientific studies, and research conducted into views on the applicability and
effectiveness within the UK.
It is recommended that HSE distribute guidance based on this model.


The focus of attention with regard to "child soldiers" has tended to be on abducted children or those forced or coerced into fighting. When asked, however, many children and young people themselves say that they volunteered. Moreover, when negotiating the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on involvement of children in armed conflict, some governments claimed the right to continue to recruit volunteers under the age of 18 and indeed still do so, although others have raised their minimum age for recruitment.


This working paper argues that disabled people are disproportionately amongst the poorest of the poor in all parts of the world, and that international development targets are unlikely to be met without including disabled people. Due to the severe exclusion of disabled people from all areas of society, there is a serious lack of comparable or reliable data on incidence, distribution and trends of disability, let alone the extent of disabled people's poverty; the paper begins with a review of what is known about disability in the developing world. Based on an investigation of the causes and consequences of impairment, disability and poverty, the author sketches out a 'vicious cycle of chronic poverty and disability'. The paper moves on to a review of the approaches undertaken by international organisations, governments, NGOs, donors, the private sector, and disabled people's organisations to mitigate or reduce chronic poverty among disabled people. Case studies of the Ugandan and Indian contexts are provided. It is suggested that while there has recently been a shift by some NGOs, donors and governments towards considering the issues of disability rights in their rhetoric, disabled people in many parts of the world have seen little change in terms of concrete action. A proposal for a research agenda on disability and chronic poverty issues concludes the paper, which also includes a glossary and explanation of terms.


Abstract The number of studies on children in war has steadily increased in the fields of international relations, international law and moral philosophy in recent years. Most of this research has evolved around the legal and moral status of children in war. The status of girl soldiers is particularly intriguing, as it conflates common assumptions about both women and children as innocent victims of war. In this paper we look at narratives of children's victimhood in the context of war by concentrating on girls who participated, in various forms, in the two Liberian civil wars from 1989 to 1997 and 2000 to 2003. Drawing on interviews conducted with women war veterans, we make the case that the study of child soldiers in general—and girl soldiers in particular—would benefit from a more contextually sensitive and empirically informed study of girls' experiences, specifically regarding the possibilities and limitations of their capacity to be agents of war. We demonstrate how the agential capacities of children are case sensitive and argue that scholarship must better take into account the complex contextuality of childhood and agency in the study of children in war.


Warm‐season (C4) grasses commonly dominate tallgrass prairie restorations, often at the expense of subordinate grasses and forbs that contribute most to diversity in this ecosystem. To assess whether the cover and abundance of dominant grass species constrain plant diversity, we removed 0, 50, or 100% of tillers of two dominant species (Andropogon gerardii or Panicum virgatum) in a 7‐year‐old prairie restoration. Removing 100% of the most abundant species, A. gerardii, significantly increased light availability, forb productivity, forb cover, species richness, species evenness, and species diversity. Removal of a less abundant but very common species, P. virgatum, did not significantly affect resource availability or the local plant community. We observed no effect of removal treatments on critical belowground resources, including inorganic soil N or soil moisture. Species richness was inversely correlated with total grass productivity and percent grass cover and positively correlated with light availability at the soil surface. These relationships suggest that differential species richness among removal treatments resulted from treatment induced differences in aboveground resources rather than the belowground resources. Selective removal of the dominant species A. gerardii provided an opportunity for seeded forb species to become established leading to an increase in species richness and diversity. Therefore, management practices that target reductions in cover or biomass of the dominant species may enhance diversity in established and grass‐dominated mesic grassland restorations.


Genetic interactions can strongly influence the fitness effects of individual mutations, yet the impact of these epistatic interactions on evolutionary dynamics remains poorly understood. Here we investigate the evolutionary role of epistasis over 50,000 generations in a well-studied laboratory evolution experiment in Escherichia coli. The extensive duration of this experiment provides a unique window into the effects of epistasis during long-term adaptation to a constant environment. Guided by analytical results in the weak-mutation limit, we develop a computational framework to assess the compatibility of a given epistatic model with the observed patterns of fitness gain and mutation accumulation through time. We find that a decelerating fitness trajectory alone provides little power to distinguish between competing models, including those that lack any direct epistatic interactions between mutations. However, when combined with the mutation trajectory, these observables place strong constraints on the set of possible models of epistasis, ruling out many existing explanations of the data. Instead, we find that the data are consistent with a "two-epoch" model of adaptation, in which an initial burst of diminishing-returns epistasis is followed by a steady accumulation of mutations under a constant distribution of fitness effects. Our results highlight the need for additional DNA sequencing of these populations, as well as for more sophisticated models of epistasis that are compatible with all of the experimental data.


In today's technological world, users of mobile wireless devices are predominantly on the move while still enjoying connectivity of the Internet. How people use their mobile devices differ in many ways, not only from a technological point of view e.g. browsing the web, sending emails, SMS, downloading music/apps, or keeping up with friends on facebook, etc. But also from a geographical point of view, the user's physical location, whether this is seated stationary in a park or shopping centre, where the user may only change location if the connection is poor, or actively mobile while interacting via the Internet, e.g. walking to work/college, while using VoIP/Skype or streaming media clips. Theoretically modelled nodes have an uninterrupted straight path to their next destination in simulations, whereas in the real world this is extremely unlikely to be true with the average human meandering down the street, while concentrating on their mobile device. It is important to determine through simulating the proposed QoS protocols with WiMAX connectivity, whether the perceived improvement will actually function under the planned usage, consequently it is therefore vital to replicate the reality of user behaviour. This work investigates a variety of mobility models including Transportation Theory, Random Walk, and Gauss Markov models, and how it affects connectivity within WiMAX. Each model has been simulated using NS3 and compared to ascertain the most effective method to replicate typical user movement to ensure that today's Mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANET) have been designed with the mobile user in mind.


A study to get better vehicle fuel economy is described based on an express bus. The approach is based on using a commercial software vehicle simulation to identify the relative efficiency of each of the vehicle systems, such as the engine hardware, engine software calibration, transmission, cooling system and ancillary drives. The simulation- based approach offers a detailed understanding of which vehicle systems are underperforming and by how much the vehicle fuel economy can be improved if those systems are brought up to best-in-class performance. In this way, the optimum vehicle fuel economy can be provided to the vehicle customer. A further benefit is that the simulation requires only a minimum of vehicle testing for initial validation, with all subsequent field test cycles performed in software, thereby reducing development time and cost for the manufacturer.


The N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) type of glutamate receptor has important functions in the processes of neuronal development, forms of neurodegeneration, epilepsy, pain and especially in synaptic plasticity and forms of learning and memory. An NMDA receptor dependent form of synaptic plasticity, long-term potentiation (LTP), has been proposed as a cellular correlate of memory. The cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie this form of synaptic plasticity are at the present time unclear. The NMDA receptor is part of a macromolecular complex that mediates both the localisation of the receptor and its interactions with signalling molecules that activate the intracellular pathways responsible for the long lasting changes in synaptic efficacy. This thesis details results of experiments investigating long and short-term plasticity in mice lacking signalling molecules associated with the NMDA receptor. The in vitro hippocampal slice preparation and extracellular and intracellular electrophysio logical recording techniques were used to investigate plasticity in mice lacking the non-receptor tyrosine kinase fyn, focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and the ras guanine nucleotide releasing factor (ras-GRF). Ras-GRF knockout mice displayed normal NMDA receptor dependent LTP in area CAI of the hippocampus and have been reported to show normal spatial learning in the Morris water maze (which is dependent on hippocampal function). Mice with disrupted FAK function also showed normal LTP in area CAI of the hippocampus. Fyn tyrosine kinase deficient animals have been reported to show several neurological phenotypes, including impaired LTP induction in area CAI of the hippocampus. This effect was found to be dependent upon the genetic background of the animal and independent of disruptions to hippocampal morphology. Short-term plasticity (paired pulse facilitation) was reduced in mice lacking fyn tyrosine kinase, an effect which was shown to be independent of age and genetic background. The mechanisms by which fyn mediates these changes were investigated through the use of experiments modulating the probability of neurotransmitter release.


Burning nettle is a noxious weed that commonly infests coastal California vegetable fields. Weed control programs for lettuce and fresh spinach grown in this area do not adequately control burning nettle, and escaped weeds that mature are highly problematic during hand weeding and harvesting. Information on the biology and ecology of burning nettle is limited, and work was conducted to develop information about this weed. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of temperature on burning nettle germination and to determine its base temperature value, to characterize the germination pattern of this weed and seedbanks under local California coastal conditions, and to estimate the optimal timing for burning nettle removal by herbicides and physical methods. The upper optimal temperature for burning nettle germination was 22.8 C, but there was no difference in the final germination percentage between 4 and 22.8 C. The base temperature was determined to be 3 ± 0.2 C, and this information allowed the development of temperature-based optimal control timing models. In the field, burning nettle emerged throughout the year without any seasonal pattern, and germinable seeds were also found in the seedbank throughout the year. Burning nettle was able to complete a growth cycle throughout the year in coastal California. Burning nettle has a short growth cycle that allows it to set viable seeds within 466 ± 13 growing degree days (GDD), and this timing is critical for burning nettle removal by herbicides, cultivation, or hand weeding. The optimal timing for phenmedipham application at 180 g ai ha−1 was estimated to be 205 GDD. The germination and seedbank field studies indicate why burning nettle is so well adapted to the mild climate of coastal California. However, results presented here suggest strategies to reduce the burning nettle seedbank, improve its control, and allow more efficient lettuce and fresh spinach production. Nomenclature: Phenmedipham; burning nettle, Urtica urens L., lettuce, Lactuca sativa L. var., spinach, Spinacia oleracea L. # SPQOL.


Real-time detection of sugar molecules is critical for preventing and monitoring diabetes and for food quality evaluation. In this article, a field effect transistor (FET) based on two-dimensional nitrogenated holey graphene (C2N) was designed, developed, and tested to identify the sugar molecules including xylose, fructose, and glucose. Both density functional theory and non-equilibrium Green's function (DFT + NEGF) were used to study the designed device. Several electronic characteristics were studied, including work function, density of states, electrical current, and transmission spectrum. The proposed sensor is made of a pair of gold electrodes joint through a channel of C2N and a gate was placed underneath the channel. The C2N monolayer distinctive characteristics are promising for glucose sensors to detect blood sugar and for sugar molecules sensors to evaluate food quality. The electronic transport characteristics of the sensor resulted in a unique signature for each of the sugar molecules. This proposed work suggests that the developed C2N transistor-based sensor could detect sugar molecules with high accuracy.


The cells of a mouse mammary cancer were obtained with enzymes in suspensions which could be filtered to exclude all which were not single and most which were already dead. Heavy suspensions of these individual cells were plated over the dorsal subcutaneous expanses of female weanling mice where they implanted and grew to form coalescent tumors covering the back more or less entirely. Sparser suspensions, similarly plated (a) gave rise to fewer tumors, and (b) gave rise to tumors reaching measurable size later. These two consequences of sparser plating left room for the testing of adjuvators to transplantation. Adjuvator effects were obtained by splitting the subcutaneous expanses beforehand and by injecting liver along with the plated cells. Through 28 plated generations over 4 yr the tumor maintained completely stable, morphological heterogeneity. These findings with a complex tumor indicate strongly that its heterogeneity comes not from repeated cellular mutation late in its development, but from diverse potentiality to give rise to cells of specific and differing character, inherent in its individual cells at the time of its multicellular origin.


Background: Cancer has a great impact on the well-being of affected persons and their caregivers long into survivorship. Objective: This article reviews the state of science on the survivorship experience of cancer survivors and caregivers, with a focus on symptom burden and quality of life (QOL) after treatment termination. Methods: The primary databases utilized included PubMed and CINAHL. Search results were limited to human participants, English language, and publications from 2008 to 2013. The articles retrieved included studies of prostate, breast, colorectal, and gynecologic cancers during adulthood. Results: As many as a third of cancer survivors experienced symptoms after treatment cessation equivalent to those experienced during treatment. Fatigue, depression or mood disturbance, sleep disruption, pain, and cognitive limitation were commonly reported by survivors across various malignancies; depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbance affected some caregivers. The studies indicated residual symptoms that extend into survivorship have a great impact on QOL and are associated with disability and healthcare utilization. Younger age, lower socioeconomic status, and increased comorbidities are associated with poorer QOL and higher symptom distress in cancer survivors. Younger age and lower income are associated with greater distress and poorer QOL in caregivers. Conclusions: Survivors and caregivers struggle with symptom burden and diminished QOL long into survivorship. Longitudinal studies are needed to investigate the persistence and severity of symptom burden over time as well as long-term and late effects of these symptoms. Implications for Practice: Interventions designed to help alleviate symptom burden in those most affected are needed.


In asynchronous insect flight muscles, stretch activation may arise from a matching of the helix periodicities of actin target sites to myosin heads and/or a special form of troponin subunit called troponin-H (Tn-H, relative molecular mass 80×103), which has so far only been found in the asynchronous flight muscles of Drosophila (Diptera) and Lethocerus (Hemiptera). The sequence of Tn-H in Drosophila shows it to be a fusion protein of tropomyosin and a hydrophobic proline-rich sequence. Tn-H in Lethocerus is immunologically similar. From immunoblots of synchronous (non-stretch-activated) and asynchronous flight muscles from a wide range of insects, using antibodies against tropomyosin and the hydrophobic sequence of Tn-H, raised against Lethocerus proteins, we found two forms of Tn-H. One, found in most flight muscles, only reacted with antibodies to the hydrophobic sequence. The other, found in asynchronous flight muscles from Diptera and Hemiptera, reacted with antibodies to both the hydrophobic sequence and to tropomyosin, although in the Hemiptera the reaction of Tn-H with anti-tropomyosin was weak. When we compared the mechanics of most of the asynchronous flight muscles used in this study, we found that in the Diptera Ca2+-activated tension was much lower at rest length and stretch-activated tension was more highly dependent on muscle length than in other orders of insects. This suggests that, when Tn-H is in the form found in Diptera, it may be able to modulate Ca2+-activated and stretch-activated tension. We conclude that Tn-H is not sufficient for stretch-activation, but it may enhance stretch-activation, particularly when it is in the form found in the Diptera.