As machine learning has become increasingly applied to medical imaging data, noise in training labels has emerged as an important challenge. Variability in diagnosis of medical images is well established; in addition, variability in training and attention to task among medical labelers may exacerbate this issue. Methods for identifying and mitigating the impact of low quality labels have been studied, but are not well characterized in medical imaging tasks. For instance, Noisy Cross-Validation splits the training data into halves, and has been shown to identify low-quality labels in computer vision tasks; but it has not been applied to medical imaging tasks specifically. In this work we introduce Stratified Noisy Cross-Validation (SNCV), an extension of noisy cross validation. SNCV can provide estimates of confidence in model predictions by assigning a quality score to each example; stratify labels to handle class imbalance; and identify likely low-quality labels to analyze the causes. We assess performance of SNCV on diagnosis of glaucoma suspect risk from retinal fundus photographs, a clinically important yet nuanced labeling task. Using training data from a previously-published deep learning model, we compute a continuous quality score (QS) for each training example. We relabel 1,277 low-QS examples using a trained glaucoma specialist; the new labels agree with the SNCV prediction over the initial label >85% of the time, indicating that low-QS examples mostly reflect labeler errors. We then quantify the impact of training with only high-QS labels, showing that strong model performance may be obtained with many fewer examples. By applying the method to randomly sub-sampled training dataset, we show that our method can reduce labelling burden by approximately 50% while achieving model performance non-inferior to using the full dataset on multiple held-out test sets.


In this paper, a general analysis method for ring resonators is proposed. The method utilizes a characteristic matrix to express the recursive relationship between transfer functions of adjacent-order optical paths, and consequently, the total transfer function. The method provides a new way to express Mason's rule in general. At the same time, it greatly simplifies the expression in the ring-resonator case. The method can be used to synthesize any ring-resonator devices. In addition, as individual optical paths' transfer functions are derived in this process, the formulas can be applied to incoherent interferometric measurements and can characterize the device parameters of fabricated complex ring-resonator circuits.


Inference of transcriptional regulation, which includes discovering binding sites of a transcription factor (TF), identifying its direct target genes and detecting its dynamical activity, is an important step towards reconstructing transcription network. In this dissertation, I have developed three novel computational methods to tackle this task by integrating large-scale genomic data. All three methods train a probabilistic model using sequence motif, gene expression, TF binding and conservation data. This probabilistic model provides an elegant way to reduce noise in individual data by integrating multiple sources of data. Mathematically, they maximize the joint likelihood of the observable data using expectation-maximization method. The hidden variables in the models represent the identity of a gene (target or not in TRANSMODIS and CompMODEM) and the activity of a TF (in ActivMiner). The EM algorithm iteratively determines these hidden variables and the parameters in the models. The three methods have different purposes. The first two methods called TRANSMODIS and CompMODEM aim to identify binding sites and direct target genes of TFs. TRANMODIS takes into account that target genes of a TF normally share similar sequence motifs in the TF binding regions and gene expression patterns under different conditions. If only a single gene expression or TF binding experiment is available, in addition to the sequence and expression information, CompMODEM considers conservation of TF binding sites in the model because functional regulatory sites tend to be evolutionarily constrained. Both TRANSMODIS and CompMODEM assume the TF of interest is active. When such information is not available, ActivMiner aims to simultaneously infer the dynamic activity of TFs and their regulatory targets. These methods have been successfully applied to multiple species including human, worm and yeast. The studies presented in this dissertation lay the foundation of inferring gene regulatory network, which is a great challenge in the post-genome era. With the fast accumulation of genomic data, these methods will provide a set of useful tools to understand transcriptional mechanisms


The concept of boundary is essential to investigations of knowledge organization and information sharing in the virtual world. With information and communication technologies playing an increasingly significant role in today's networked society, the idea of a boundary can no longer be tied to notions of geographical locale or intellectual domain. After reviewing traditional approaches to space and place, two concepts closely related to boundaries, we propose that it is the notion of place that both generates boundaries and provides for recognition of and distinctions between knowledge domains. In the online world, however, traditional concepts of space and place, and thus traditional understandings of boundary, are inadequate for explaining virtual boundaries because of the lack of physical embodiment in the digital environment. Rather, it is the individual's personal sense of belonging that creates an awareness of domains and facilitates the sharing of knowledge. The lack of embodiment in cyberspace shifts responsibility for the creation and recognition of boundaries to the individual, indicating that the idea of place in cyberspace -- "cyberplace" -- would best be characterized by a sense of "place-like" that is at once stable yet fluid, consistent yet dynamic.


IntroductionData Linkage of hashed datasets is much more difficult than linking in-the-clear data. Hashing prevents the use of matching tools that overcome messy data such as 'contained-within' functions and edit distance metrics. Hashing sensitive data received from third parties is becoming more common due to increased Data Security concerns. Institutions need to be ready to link hashed data with high accuracy, otherwise the quality of outputs from these linked datasets will suffer.
Objectives and ApproachWe designed an innovative matching method, Derive and Conquer (D&C). We derived variables containing substrings or patterns of the full variable (e.g. Soundex or first 4 characters of a string) to match on instead. However, using lots of combinations of these derived variables would require thousands of traditional match keys to be programmed, run, and reviewed. Instead, D&C runs matchkeys on a derived agreement variable which amalgamates information stored in multiple derived variables into one value, reducing the number of matchkeys to a manageable amount. D&C runs on distributing computing systems using PySpark to link datasets containing millions of records in a timely manner.
ResultsD&C was developed using in-the-clear UK Census and health records with results comparable to the in-the-clear gold standard. It is currently being tested on hashed data to link UK tax and benefits data to UK health records. 66.4 million records were declared matched - a realistic match rate for the UK population. Research into the linkage quality is ongoing to produce estimates on the amount of bias in the linkage and the precision and recall. We will be excited to present these results at the Conference in October. These results will be used to improve D&C.
Conclusion / ImplicationsUsing these derived variables, we have been able to overcome the challenge of matching massive hashed datasets with a realistic match rate and in a realistic time frame.


The emergence of Mobile Communication Technologies (MCT) has enabled the government to transform from Electronic Government (e-government) to Mobile Government (m-government). This paper proposed a framework based on the theory of Task-Technology Fit (TTF) to understand MCT and their implications for m-government applications. Following the framework, we reviewed current MC technologies, categorized e-government tasks and reviewed and summarized existing m-government applications. To measure the degree of fit between MCTs and government tasks performed through them and its importance in the successful m-government implementation, we then discussed the benefits and challenges of m-government.


We consider and formulate a class of distributed multi-depot routing problems, where servers are to visit a set of requests, with the aim of minimizing the total distance travelled by all servers. These problems fall into two categories: distributed offline routing problems where all the requests that need to be visited are known from the start; distributed online routing problems where the requests come to be known incrementally. A critical and novel feature of our formulations is that communications are not allowed among the servers, hence posing an interesting and challenging question: what performance can be achieved in comparison to the best possible solution obtained from an omniscience planner with perfect communication capabilities? The worst-case (over all possible request-set instances) performance metrics are given by the approximation ratio (offline case) and the competitive ratio (online case). Our first result indicates that the online and offline problems are effectively equivalent: for the same request-set instance, the approximation ratio and the competitive ratio differ by at most an additive factor of 2, irrespective of the release dates in the online case. Therefore, we can restrict our attention to the offline problem. For the offline pr oblem, we show that the approximation ratio given by the Voronoi partition is m (the number of servers). For two classes of depot configurations, when the depots form a line and when the ratios between the distances of pairs of depots are upper bounded by a sublinear function f(m) (i.e., f(m) = o(m)), we give partition schemes with sublinear approximation ratios O(logm) and �(f(m)) respectively. We also discuss several interesting open problems in our formulations: in particular, how our initial results (on the two deliberately chosen classes of depots) shape our conjecture on the open problems.


SUMMARY: The endogenous respiration of vegetative amoebae, harvested during active growth, was similar in both the culture medium and in the high salt medium used to induce the encystation of starved amoebae. The respiration of starved amoebae and early stages of encystation was suppressed in high salt medium and stimulated when returned to the culture medium. A transient increase in respiration was observed early in encystation, while the respiration of later encystation stages decreased to the low level observed in mature cysts.
The respiratory metabolism of mitochondria isolated from encysting amoebae was similar to that of mitochondria from vegetative amoebae while cyst mitochondria exhibited little respiration. The catalase and acid phosphatase activities of amoebae increased during starvation and encystation.


Texts written by some white Zimbabweans in the post-2000 dispensation are largely shaped by their authors' endeavor to contest the loss of lands they held prior to the onset of the Fast Track Land Reform Program (FTLRP). Written as memoirs, these texts are bound by the tendency to fall back on colonial settler values, Rhodesian identities, and Hegelian supremacist ideas in their narration of aspects of a conflict in which tropes such as truth, justice, patriotism, and belonging were not only evoked but also reframed. This article explores manifestations of this tendency in Eric Harrison's Jambanja (2006) and Jim Barker's Paradise Plundered: The Story of a Zimbabwean Farm (2007). The discussion unfolds against the backdrop of the realization that much of the literary-critical scholarship on land reform in post-2000 Zimbabwe focuses on texts written by black Zimbabweans and does not attend to the panoply of ways in which some white-authored texts yearn for colonial structures of power and privilege. This article evinces that the reincarnation of colonial settler values, Rhodesian identities, and Hegelian supremacist ideas undermines the discourse of white entitlement more than it promotes it. Values and identities of the colonial yesteryear on which this discourse is premised are not only anachronistic in the 21st century; they also obey the self-other binary at the heart of the patriotic history pedestal that was instrumental in the Zimbabwean regime's post-2000 populist deployment of the land grievance to reconstruct itself as the only and indispensable champion of African interests in Zimbabwe.


Clearing for agriculture has left a mosaic of remnants of native vegetation in a matrix of agricultural land. Protection of these remnants is an important issue in minimising the effects of land degradation and for nature conservation in agricultural areas of Western Australia The first approach to restoration is to remove the disturbing element, and in the case of livestock grazing this requires fencing to exclude stock and allow natural regeneration of the remaining vegetation. The description of this natural regeneration process is an essential first step in developing restoration techniques and management strategies for areas of degraded native vegetation. This article describes the changes in the vegetation for three different vegetation types in degraded woodland remnants in south-west Western Australia after livestock grazing has been excluded for seven years. These include vegetation types characterised by the overstorey species including jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) marri (Corymbia calophylla), wandoo (Eucalyptus wandoo) and sheoak (Allocasuarina fraseriana). Species of the families Poaceae and Asteraceae were dominant in the understorey in grazed remnants for all vegetation types, with the majority of these species being exotics. After seven years, floristic similarity between fenced and grazed plots had decreased while similarity between fenced and ungrazed had increased, in all vegetation types. Native vegetation in jarrah sites have shown the greatest response to cessation of livestock grazing with an increase in species richness and diversity while wandoo and sheoak plots have showed little change. In terms of plant life forms, there was a significant increase in number and cover of native perennial grasses, perennial herbs and shrubs in the fenced jarrah plots. Response of annual species have tended to fluctuate with annual fluctuations in rainfall. There was variation in response to livestock grazing of different vegetation types within these woodland remnants. At a relatively early stage of decline in a remnant, the structure and composition of the native community can be reestablished by excluding stock. However, under severe and prolonged grazing, regeneration will be more difficult. These results indicate that the degree of difficulty of restoration will vary for different community types even within the broad category of jarrah and wandoo woodlands. Therefore, when managing for the restoration of remnants of native vegetation, consideration of vegetation type is an important factor.


Bundling of broadband access with other services has been a defining characteristic of internet access markets for as long as broadband technologies have been available. Initially, cable television competitors entered telecommunications markets by bundling first voice telephony, and subsequently (broadband) internet access with their television products. Telecommunications firms rapidly followed suit by reselling access to pay television (either via third-party infrastructures or their own), leading to the ubiquitous 'triple play' offering coming to dominate residential market purchase. Initially, such bundling likely led to higher levels of broadband uptake than would have occurred under mandatory unbundling, as those with low willingness-to-pay for broadband but higher willingness-to-pay for the other products (i.e. negative correlation) might buy broadband in a bundle, but not at stand-alone prices (Heatley & Howell, 2010).
From the outset, concerns have been voiced that bundling access to content (television) and infrastructure (broadband) by a telecommunications provider with market power could result in foreclosure of competition in content (television) markets (e.g. Papandrea, Stoeckl & Daly, 2003; Kramer, 2009; Maruyama & Minamikawa, 2008). Such fears led to mandatory separation of cable television and telecommunications providers in Australia, and some other OECD countries (OECD, 2000) and is a recurring theme of political discussion around the topic.
Theoretical models, however, suggest that even though such foreclosure may occur under some circumstances, under others bundling may yield both higher profits and higher total surplus than mandatory unbundling (a la carte sales). These include products with very low marginal costs (Bakos & Brynjolfsson, 1999) and that are nonrivalrous in consumption (Liebowitz & Margolis, 2008), certain relative demand elasticities for the products in the bundle (Papandrea, Stoeckl & Daly, 2003) and where economies of scope increase consumer surplus (Arlandis, 2008). Indeed, regulations to cap market share or impose a la carte on cable operators may reduce total surplus, and absent offsetting increases in consumer welfare, such policy measures may reduce total welfare (Adilov, Alexander & Cunningham, 2012).
Despite highly-nuanced circumstances influencing the welfare effects of bundling internet content with internet access, the potential to reduce competition by offering premium content with broadband access poses questions about the potential substantial lessening of competition in mergers such as that proposed between AT&T and Time-Warner. The bundling of broadband and premium content in particular may increase the risk of foreclosure, but focusing unduly on the supply-side arguably risks giving too little weight to the interplay between consumer-specific factors on the demand side (Howell & Potgieter, 2016). This risk is exacerbated by the paucity of empirical evidence to inform decision-making. Theoretical models provide some insights, but are limited by their stylized assumptions, which do not necessarily map neatly to the actual decisions made by participants in the relevant exchanges. Simulation analysis, however, offers insights to inform such complex merger decisions, as the scenarios examined can take account of the multiple nuances in both observed and hypothesized demand-side interactions.
To this end, we apply simulation analyses to investigate the situation where a basic content package, a premium content package and broadband are offered by a firm and analyze the firm's price-setting behavior when customers react to a given set of prices by maximizing their individual consumer surplus.
The model:
The model assumes that there are consumers, each with a known a priori willingness-to-pay (WTP) for a basic content package, a premium content package and unbundled broadband respectively. Each customer then has an imputed willingness to pay for the four bundles under consideration: basic plus premium content (index 2), basic content plus broadband (index 4), premium content plus broadband (index 5) and basic as well as premium content plus broadband (index 6).
Given a tuple of prices chosen by the monopoly provider of the services, each customer selects which (if any) of the products or product bundles to purchase to maximize its consumer surplus well as possible restrictions imposed by a regulator. The producer chooses prices so as to maximize its revenue. For information goods this can be treated as identical to the profit of the producer.
We randomly assigned for each consumer. WTP values and prices are assumed to be integers and prices set by the producer. This calculation requires a very large number of iterations and considerable computing resources.
The analysis and implications:
We analyze a large number of instances of the problem, subject to assumptions about the WTP distributions that, in our view, are realistic in order to characterize the market outcomes and to indicate where and how often regulatory intervention will positively affect total (respectively, consumer) welfare. Early indications are that welfare is often maximized when a triple play bundle can be offered. Furthermore determining where social welfare is maximal depends in a complex way on the underlying willingness to pay of heterogeneous groups of customers. The implications for merger investigations are discussed.
References
Adilov, N., Alexander, P., & Cunningham, B. (2012). Smaller pie, larger slice: how bargaining power affects the decision to bundle. The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis and Policy 12(1), Article 12.
Arlandis, A. (2008). Bundling and economies of scope. Communications and Strategies Special Issue, November 2008, 117-129.
Bakos, Y., & Brynjolfsson, E. (1999). Bundling information goods. Management Science 45(12), 1613-1630.
Heatley, D., & Howell, B. (2009). The brand is the bundle: strategies for the mobile ecosystem. Communications and Strategies 75, 79-100.
Howell, B., & Potgieter, P. (2016). Submission on Letter of Unresolved Issues. http://www.comcom.govt.nz/dmsdocument/14963
Kramer, J. (2009). Bundling vertically differentiated communications services to leverage market power. Info 11(3), 64 – 74.
Leibowitz, S., & Margolis, S. (2008). Bundles of joy: the ubiquity and efficiency of bundles in new technology markets. Journal of Competition Law & Economics 5(1), 1–47.
Maruyama, M., & Minamikawa, K. (2009). Vertical integration, bundling and discounts. Information Economics and Policy 21 62–71.
Papandrea, F., Stoeckl, N. & Daly, A. (2003). Bundling in the Australian telecommunications industry. The Australian Economic Review 36(1), 41-54.


CONTEXT
Near-infrared (NIR) light therapy is purported to act as an ergogenic aid by enhancing the contractile function of skeletal muscle. Improving muscle function is a new avenue for research in the area of laser therapy; however, very few researchers have examined the ergogenic effects of NIR light therapy and the influence it may have on the recovery process during rehabilitation.

OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the ergogenic effect of NIR light therapy on skeletal muscle function.

DESIGN
Crossover study.

SETTING
Controlled laboratory.

PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS
Thirty-nine healthy men (n = 21) and women (n = 18; age = 20.0 ± 0.2 years, height = 169 ± 2 cm, mass = 68.4 ± 1.8 kg, body mass index = 23.8 ± 0.4 kg/m(2)).

INTERVENTION(S)
Each participant received active and sham treatments on the biceps brachii muscle on 2 separate days. The order of treatment was randomized. A class 4 laser with a cumulative dose of 360 J was used for the active treatment. After receiving the treatment on each day, participants completed an elbow-flexion resistance-exercise protocol.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S)
The dependent variables were elbow range of motion, muscle point tenderness, and strength (peak torque). Analysis of variance with repeated measures was used to assess changes in these measures between treatments at baseline and at follow-up, 48 hours postexercise. Additionally, immediate strength loss postexercise was compared between treatments using a paired t test.

RESULTS
Preexercise to postexercise strength loss for the active laser treatment, although small, was less than with the sham treatment (P = .05).

CONCLUSIONS
Applied to skeletal muscle before resistance exercise, NIR light therapy effectively attenuated strength loss. Therefore, NIR light therapy may be a beneficial, noninvasive modality for improving muscle function during rehabilitation after musculoskeletal injury. However, future studies using higher treatment doses are warranted.


AIM
To study a clinical effect of fenspirid and its impact on external respiration function in patients with chronic obstructive bronchitis (COB) in the exacerbation phase.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
30 COB patients participated in the trial (20 males, 10 females, age 39-80 years). The severity of clinical symptoms (cough, sputum, dyspnea) was studied using special scales. External respiration function was examined by a spirometric system "Tamrac system spiro sense Y2 14". Fenspirid treatment was conducted in a dose 80 mg twice a day for 3 months. Control examinations were made 2 weeks, 1 and 3 months after the treatment start.

RESULTS
A 3-month treatment with fenspirid resulted in regression of COB symptoms: cough and sputum ceased, dyspnea decreased. This led to improvement in external respiration function, especially in patients with mixed ventilatory disorders with prevailing restriction.

CONCLUSION
Fenspirid is an effective and well tolerated treatment of chronic obstructive bronchitis.


Multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) has emerged as an important global public health threat. The Kenya tuberculosis program has continued to report MDR-TB cases since the year 2005 to date from patents failing first line tuberculosis (TB) treatment. The current MDR-TB diagnostic methods for drug susceptibility testing (DST) are lengthy, take 3 months and are only available in research and reference laboratories in Kenya. This laboratory diagnostic delay has been observed to contribute to spread, increased morbidity and mortality due to MDR-TB. A rapid molecular test such as GenoType®MTBDRplus that would detect the MDR-TB early and in county laboratories needed to be validated in Kenya. This study describes a cross-sectional study that was conducted in Nairobi county from September 2009 to September 2010 where the specimens from TB patients with a history of treatment failure were collected, packed safely and sent for laboratory analysis at Central Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory (CTRL). GenoType®MTBDRplus assay was evaluated against Mycobacteria Growth Indicator Tube (MGIT) DST as the gold standard. Data on patient's demographics, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HI V) status and laboratory tests were obtained from the laboratory request forms and worksheets. The data was cleaned and analyzed using Statistical Analysis System (SAS) version 9.1. Chi-square statistic was used to establish association between variables and test study hypothesis. Accuracy of GenoType®MTBDRplus was determined by Kappa statistic, sensitivity, specificity and predictive values. A total of 457 specimens were collected from Kenyatta National Hospital (32), Blue House (21), Eastern Deanery AIDS Relief Program (89), Rhodes chest clinic (57), Kibera South (28) and Kangemi Health Center (10). The rest of the specimens were received from other sites during the study period. Of the 455 specimens with age and gender records, 303 (66.6%) were males and 152 (33.4%) were females. The median age was 32 years, the youngest and the oldest being males of 3 and 67 years respectively. Of the 457 specimens with sputum smear results, 274 (60.0%) were smear positive while the remaining 183 (40.0%) were smear negative. The age group of patients was shown to influence the occurrence of smear positive (P=O.OOII). Patients with HIV positive status were 0.27 times likely to be smear positive compared to those with HIV negative status with a 95% confidence interval of 0.14 to 0.50 and a p-value of 0.0001. Of the 451 specimens with TB culture results, 61 % had culture confirmed tuberculosis, out of which 22.4% were MDRTB. Being smear positive was not associated with MDR-TB (P=0.3031). TB and HIV coinfection among the culture confirmed tuberculosis patients was 42% (P<O.OOOI). There was excellent agreement between MGIT DST and GenoType®MTBDRplus with a kappa statistic of 0.8902 and a confidence interval of 0.7684 to 1.0000 for sputum specimens. A kappa statistic of 0.9312 with confidence interval of 0.8647 to 0.9977 was obtained for the isolates from Lowenstein media. Nairobi county has high rates of MDR-TB among patients with a history of first line anti-TB treatment failure. GenoType®MTBDRplus assay has been validated as a rapid and reliable method for surveillance ofMDR:TB in Nairobi, Kenya. The Kenya TB program should consider use of GenoType®MTBDRplus as a rapid test for diagnosing and surveIllance of MDR-TB in Nairobi county; accelerate MDR-TB case finding, care and treatment of identified cases. Further research may be needed to explore the cost associated with scaling up this new test to other counties in Kenya.


Aleksandr Etkind's review of Marina Mogilner's book raises a broader issue about how histories of ideas and particularly histories of scientific and scholarly theories are and should be written. Etkind depicts what he believes is the dominant and the only productive approach to writing a history of scholarly thought. He then critically assesses Mogilner's work against his own construct.  In my comments I will first question Etkind's perception of the current state of the historiography of scientific thought and then will try to show how it leads to a misrepresentation of what Mogilner has tried to do.


Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L., Italica Group) has been recognized as a source of glucosinolates and their isothiocyanate metabolites that may be chemoprotective against human cancer. A predominant glucosinolate of broccoli is glucoraphanin and its cognate isothiocyanate is sulforaphane. Sulforaphane has been shown to be a potent inducer of mammalian detoxication (Phase 2) enzyme activity and to inhibit chemical-induced tumorigenesis in animal models. Little is known about phenotypic variation in broccoli germplasm for Phase 2 enzyme (e.g., quinone reductase) induction potential. Thus, this study was undertaken to evaluate: 1) quinone reductase induction potential (QRIP) diversity among a population of broccoli inbreds; 2) QRIP levels in selected lines; 3) correlation of QRIP with other horticultural characteristics; and 4) QRIP expression in a sample of synthesized hybrids. In 1996, 71 inbreds and five hybrid checks (all field-grown), ranged from a QRIP of nearly zero to 150,000 units/g fresh weight (FW) (mean of 34,020 units/g FW). These values were highly correlated with methylsulphinylalkyl glucosinolate (MSAG; primarily glucoraphanin) concentrations that ranged from 0.04 to 2.94 μmol . g -1 FW. A select subset of lines evaluated in 1996 were reevaluated in 1997. QRIP and MSAG values in this second year were similar to and correlated with those observed in 1996 ( r = 0.73, P < 0.0001 and r = 0.79, P < 0.0001, respectively). In addition, both QRIP and MSAG concentration were highly correlated with days from transplant to harvest. Average F 1 hybrid values for QRIP and MSAG in 1997 fell typically between their parental means, but were often closer to the mean of the low parent. Results of this study indicate that divergent QRIP expression can effectively be used to select enhanced inbred lines to use in development of value-added hybrids. Evidence is also provided that there is a significant genetic component to both QRIP and MSAG concentration, and that selection for either one may provide an effective means for developing broccoli hybrids with enhanced chemoprotective attributes. Chemical names used: 4-methylsulphinylbutyl glucosinolate (glucoraphanin) and 4-methylsulphinylbutyl isothiocyanate (sulforaphane).


A salinity and dehydration stress-responsive calcium-dependent protein kinase (CDPK) was isolated from the common ice plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum; McCPK1). McCPK1 undergoes myristoylation, but not palmitoylation in vitro. Removal of the N-terminal myristate acceptor site partially reduced McCPK1 plasma membrane (PM) localization as determined by transient expression of green fluorescent protein fusions in microprojectile-bombarded cells. Removal of the N-terminal domain (amino acids 1–70) completely abolished PM localization, suggesting that myristoylation and possibly the N-terminal domain contribute to membrane association of the kinase. The recombinant, Escherichia coli-expressed, full-length McCPK1 protein was catalytically active in a calcium-dependent manner (K0.5 = 0.15 μm). Autophosphorylation of recombinant McCPK1 was observed in vitro on at least two different Ser residues, with the location of two sites being mapped to Ser-62 and Ser-420. An Ala substitution at the Ser-62 or Ser-420 autophosphorylation site resulted in a slight increase in kinase activity relative to wild-type McCPK1 against a histone H1 substrate. In contrast, Ala substitutions at both sites resulted in a dramatic decrease in kinase activity relative to wild-type McCPK1 using histone H1 as substrate. McCPK1 undergoes a reversible change in subcellular localization from the PM to the nucleus, endoplasmic reticulum, and actin microfilaments of the cytoskeleton in response to reductions in humidity, as determined by transient expression of McCPK1-green fluorescent protein fusions in microprojectile-bombarded cells and confirmed by subcellular fractionation and western-blot analysis of 6× His-tagged McCPK1.


Background and purpose Previous studies have identified many risk factors related to the recurrence of chronic subdural hematomas (CSDHs). Among these factors, there may be deviations in measuring the midline shift, preoperative hematoma volume (PreHV), postoperative hematoma residual volume, and postoperative pneumocephalus in bilateral CSDHs. The aims of this study were to eliminate the impact of complicated situations on parameter measurement and to identify actual predictors for CSDH recurrence, and finally, to develop a grading system to predict unilateral CSDH (uCSDH) recurrence. Patients and methods A total of 342 patients with uCSDH were identified. Predictors of uCSDH recurrence were obtained from univariable and multivariable logistic regression models. A prognostic grading system was developed based on the results of multivariable logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses. All patients were scored according to the grading system, and differences in the recurrence rate were reanalyzed according to the scores. Results Age, antiplatelet or anticoagulant use, midline shift, severe brain atrophy, drainage volume, and the ratio of the postoperative pneumocephalus volume (PostPV) to the postoperative hematoma cavity volume (PostHCV) were identified as independent risk factors for predicting the recurrence of uCSDH. The cut-off values of age, drainage volume, midline shift, and the ratio of the PostPV to the PostHCV were 67 years, 101 mL, 11.2 mm, and 31.61%, respectively. The recurrence rates were 1.7%, 12.4%, 19.4%, 53.3%, and 58.3% for scores of 0–1, 2, 3, 4, and 5–6, respectively, which significantly increased as the score increased (P<0. 001). Conclusion The prognostic grading system for uCSDH on the basis of multivariable logistic regression and ROC analyses is applicable and reliable.


This research report which looks into several key factors which affect the financial performance with reference to profitability of Indian banking sector considering econometric approach using regression model to identify which of the financial indicators will have implications and which do not have implications on the financial performance of bank, more specifically related to profitability. To identify the expected results from the actual results we have used econometric approach or model using internal financial values such as Return on Assets, Return on Capital, Income Growth Rate and Profit per Employee and also used external factors such as GDP growth rate of 83 Scheduled Commercial Banks in three different sectors that is public sector, private sector and foreign banks operating in India. Along with that we have also used the financial values and ratios obtained by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and in analysis and interpretation of data those components are comprehensively explained and highlighted through graphs and table. The research report consists of relevant exhibits and or graphs from the industry experts and organizations, which are well known specialist in the domain of banking their views, opinions, surveys are used where ever relevant to a certain extent and highlighted. Even this report consists of academic and organizational literature for critical analysis of certain other factors such as Regulations, Corporate Governance, CAMELS ratings, CALCS ratings, Risk Assessment etc. Even similar previous studies are identified and highlighted regarding Market share, Mergers & acquisitions, profitability of banks in other countries and their implications on the performance of each sector related banks. Finally we will highlight the Income growth rate (Total Income) will be affected by the market share, Investment to deposit ratios of foreign banks are efficient compared to public sector banks and private sector banks. Thus, foreign banks have impact in the Indian banking sector with more profits per employee, business per employee, Capital adequacy, low NPA levels, Asset Quality, Liquidity etc.


Lectins have potential for application in many fields because of their ability to selectively bind glycoconjugates. Jackfruit seeds are a source of various lectins, with several isoforms and isoelectric points. Therefore, ion exchange can be a viable alternative for lectin separation. In this work we developed a single-step purification protocol for lectins from jackfruit seed extract in ion exchange cryogels. Supermacroporous cryogels were functionalized with cationic and anionic exchangers. The matrices produced showed high swelling capacity (12.4 and 14.7 kg kg-1), expansion degree (12.70 to 18.0 L kg-1), and total porosity around 90%. The performance of the ion exchanger cryogels in lectin purification were evaluated. A single elution peak was obtained in all assays. The purification factor (PF) was determined based on the agglutination of human blood ABO types, with a PF of 3.57 in the best condition, using the cryogel functionalized with 2-(Dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) and blood type B agglutination, suggesting the jacalin purification. SDS-PAGE electrophoresis confirmed that the eluted samples showed two strong bands around 13.5 kDa and 16 kDa. The results demonstrate that ion-exchange monolithic cryogels showed potential use for the purification of lectins from jackfruit seeds in a rapid and single-step protocol.


Fighting globalized crime is dependent on cooperation between law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies among nations. Over the course of several decades, states have entered into reciprocal arrangements to improve the manner in which nations can reach across international frontiers to apprehend criminals and bring them to justice. As the leading drug trafficking source in the western hemisphere, Colombia has been the target of intense efforts by the United States to bring Colombian drug lords and their foot soldiers to trial in the United States where just is swift and lengthy prison sentences result. While the United States has expended billions of dollars in establishing mutual assistance arrangements, in practice, the results have been less than desirable as corruption and disorganized bureaucracies in Colombia impede effective cooperation. Some methods have been controversial as well and have raised sharp criticism from both sides. This article examines the mutual assistance arrangements between Colombia and the United States and provides a highly critical analysis of what works, what doesn't work, and what can be done to fix the problems encountered in bringing transborder criminals to justice.


The present work describes the synthesis and spectral properties of some platinum metals chlorides coordination compounds of 4[N-(-(furan-2'-carboxalidene)amino]antipyrine thiosemicarbazone (FFAAPTS) and 4[N-(3',4',5'-trimethoxybenzalidene)amino]antipyrine thiosemicarbazone (TMBAAPTS). All the compounds have the general composition MCl2(L) (M = Pd2+ or Pt2+ ; L = FFAAPTS or TMBAAPTS) or MCl3(L) (M = Ru3+ , Rh3+ or Ir3+ ; L = FFAAPTS or TMBAAPTS). All the complexes were characterized by elemental analyses, molar conductance, molecular weight, magnetic measurements, and infrared and electronic spectra. The infrared spectra suggest that both the thiosemicarbazones behave as neutral tridentate (N,N,S) ligands. The magnetic and electronic spectra suggest that Pd2+ and Pt2+ complexes are square planar, while Ru3+ , Rh3+ and Ir3+ complexes have octahedral geometry.


A steam-condensate line (type 316 stainless steel tubing) began leaking after five to six years in service. The line carried steam condensate at 120 deg C (250 deg F) with a two hour heat-up/cool-down cycle. No chemical treatment had been given to either the condensate or the boiler water. To check for chlorides, the inside of the tubing was rinsed with distilled water, and the rinse water was collected in a clean beaker. A few drops of silver nitrate solution were added to the rinse water, which clouded slightly because of the formation of insoluble silver chloride. This and additional investigation (visual inspection, and 250x micrograph etched with aqua regia) supported the conclusion that the tubing failed by chloride SCC. Chlorides in the steam condensate also caused corrosion of the inner surface of the tubing. Stress was produced when the tubing was bent during installation. Recommendations included providing water treatment to remove chlorides from the system. Continuous flow should be maintained throughout the entire tubing system to prevent concentration of chlorides. No chloride-containing water should be permitted to remain in the system during shutdown periods, and bending of tubing during installation should be avoided to reduce residual stress.


One of the standard ways of proving the consistency of additional hypotheses with the basic axioms of an axiom system is by the construction of what may be described as 'inner models.' By starting with a domain of individuals assumed to satisfy the basic axioms an inner model is constructed whose domain of individuals is a certain subset of the original individual domain. If such an inner model can be constructed which satisfies not only the basic axioms but also the particular additional hypothesis under consideration, then this affords a proof that if the basic axiom system is consistent then so is the system obtained by adding to this system the new hypothesis. This method has been applied to axiom systems for set theory by many authors, including v. Neumann (4), Mostowski (5), and more recently Gödel (1), who has shown by this method that if the basic axioms of a certain axiomatic system of set theory are consistent then so is the system obtained by adding to these axioms a strong form of the axiom of choice and the generalised continuum hypothesis. Having been shown in this striking way the power of this method it is natural to inquire whether it has any limitations or whether by the construction of a sufficiently ingenious inner model one might hope to decide other outstanding consistency questions, such as the consistency of the negations of the axiom of choice and continuum hypothesis. In this and two following papers we prove some general theorems concerning inner models for a certain axiomatic system of set theory which lead to the result that as far as a fairly large family of inner models are concerned this method of proving consistency has been exhausted, that no essentially new consistency results can be obtained by the use of this kind of model.


Genome duplication was long been reported by our laboratory in Brazilian anurans belonging to the Leptodactylidae and Hylidae families. Thanks to other investigators, several polyploid species with related diploid forms were also found in diverse regions of South America, Africa and Australia. Our cytogenetic, enzymatic and molecular experiments performed in the Brazilian polyploids showed a higher level of variability resulting from tetrasomic gene expression according to the binomial equation (p + q) 4 . These results were supported by the classical Ohno's theory of vertebrate evolution via genome duplication. Later, we suggested that the epigenetic mutations could have a role in the expansion of the tetraploid animals exploring different regions. Here, we provide an overview of the data on polyploid anurans in light of the speciation process. Some biogeographic events of Mesozoic and Cenozoic Eras probably related to anurans evolu- tion were also focused.


The effect of micro-beam plasma arc (MPA) surface remelting Ti alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) sheets was investigated. The results show that more satisfactory hardened layer could be acquired after MPA scanning process on TC4 titanium alloy. The composition, crystalline structure and micro-hardness in the remelted layer of TC4 were examined by OM, SEM, XRD and Vickers' micro-hardness tests, respectively. There were no micro-cracks or impurity in the treated sample after scanning by MPA. The micro-hardness of the treated samples was significantly improved as compared with the untreated substrates. X-ray diffraction results indicated that the surface remelting layer composed of phases, which was similar to the substrate. The micro-hardness of the surface was improved to 420 HV0.3 as compared to 190 HV0.3 of substrate. The increased hardness was obtained due to the micro-structural changes caused by rapid solidification owing to the self-quenching effect of the substrate after MPA remelting.


Climate change, particularly sea-level rise, threatens many coastal systems around the world. Coastal managers and decision-makers require information that enables them to assess the vulnerability of the coastlines to the range of impacts and to develop cheap, simple, generic tools, prompting the need to develop tools that can be used to study the impacts of climate change and sea-level rise on the coastal zones. This thesis examines tools that are available to assist in determining sensitivity of the coast, and then describes strengths and weaknesses of three different coastal assessment tools that adopt a GIS (Geographical Information System) approach to assess sensitivity of the shoreline, segmenting it on the basis of different variables. Each tool is applied to one case study section of the coast, the Illawarra region in southern New South Wales, Southeast Australia. The three tools are Dynamic Interactive Vulnerability Assessment (DIVA) tool, Geomorphic Stability Mapping (GSM) approach and the Coastal Sensitivity Index (CSI). The DIVA tool uses a global shoreline database (DINAS-Coast) and can be run using sea- level rise and the socio-economic scenarios in timesteps to the year 2100. The DIVA tool incorporates, socio-economic variables, and provides a vulnerability assessment. The Illawarra coast is represented by a single segment (segment 11105), and the tool is not designed for use at such a fine segment scale. The GSM approach, based on vulnerability mapping of the Tasmanian coast, segments the coast on the basis of form and fabric. It involves a user-defined set of segments that are divided where any of the variables change alongshore. In applying GSM approach to the Illawarra coast, several fields have been redefined and new classes of shoreline landforms identified, of which open ocean sandy shores backed by plains and dunes were scored with the highest sensitivity. After mapping the relative sensitivity of the Illawarra coast on the basis of the GSM approach, a time- series of aerial photographs was used to assess the pattern of historical shoreline change. The Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) tool was employed to describe rates of shoreline change of the high water line (HWL) and the vegetation line indicators for 11 beaches, and MIKE Marine DHI was used to calculate the subaerial beach and dune sediment volumes from 1938 to 2001 for 3 beaches, in order to determine to what extent modelled sensitivity corresponded with observed patterns of change. Abuodha, P. A. O., 2009 xv Application and Evaluation of Shoreline Segmentation Mapping Approaches in SE Australia This historical reconstruction provided further data from which to derive the CSI, modifying the CVI method that has been used in many developed countries. Where previous assessments have used six or seven variables, this analysis of the Illawarra coast used nine variables, of which six were structural variables (rock type, geomorphology, barrier type, shoreline change, segment exposure, coastal slope), and three were process variables (relative sea-level rise, mean wave height and tidal range). The patterns of change on the Illawarra coast are highly variable, many beaches were found to have accreted when the vegetation line was mapped over time, but different trends and different rates are observed from one beach to another and in some cases within the same beach. Each of the tools involves a level of generalisation, and their application is intended only as a first stage in assessment of shoreline vulnerability. Applying the three tools to the one case study enabled an evaluation of their relative strengths and weaknesses on the basis of several different criteria. The results from this study are useful to decision-makers and local councils in undertaking a more detailed, site-specific assessment for the Illawarra coast in the near future. Abuodha, P. A. O., 2009 xvi Application and Evaluation of Shoreline Segmentation Mapping Approaches in SE Australia


A Comprehensive Guide to All Aspects of Fixed Income Securities Fixed Income Securities, Second Edition sets the standard for a concise, complete explanation of the dynamics and opportunities inherent in today's fixed income marketplace. Frank Fabozzi combines all the various aspects of the fixed income market, including valuation, the interest rates of risk measurement, portfolio factors, and qualities of individual sectors, into an all-inclusive text with one cohesive voice. This comprehensive guide provides complete coverage of the wide range of fixed income securities, including: U.S. Treasury securities Agencies Municipal securities Asset-backed securities Corporate and international bonds Mortgage-backed securities, including CMOs Collateralized debt obligations (CDOs) For the financial professional who needs to understand the fundamental and unique characteristics of fixed income securities, Fixed Income Securities, Second Edition offers the most up-to-date facts and formulas needed to navigate today's fast-changing financial markets. Increase your knowledge of this market and enhance your financial performance over the long-term with Fixed Income Securities, Second Edition. www wileyfinance. com


Objective:Withdrawal or withholding of life-sustaining therapies precedes most deaths in the modern ICU. As goals of care for critically ill patients change from curative to palliative, this transition often occurs abruptly, but a slower more staggered approach may also be used. One such approach is "no escalation of care", often the first step in this transition at the end-of-life. We aimed to determine the prevalence of no escalation of care designation for ICU decedents and identify which interventions are involved. Design:We performed a retrospective medical record review of all patients who died over a two year period. Records with documentation of no escalation of care in physician orders or progress notes, or other instructions suggesting sequential or selective limitation of interventions were included. Setting:Sixteen bed medical ICU at a single large academic hospital. Interventions:None. Measurements and Main Results:Of a total of 310 ICU decedents, 95 (30%) had a no escalation of care designation before death. Hemodialysis, vasopressors, and blood transfusions were the interventions more likely to be withheld. For ongoing therapies, hemodialysis, blood transfusions, and antibiotics were more likely to be withdrawn. Mechanical ventilation, hydration, and nutrition were less likely to be withheld or withdrawn. A minority had a palliative care consult (15%) or ethics consult (4%) while in the ICU. Time from no escalation of care designation to death averaged 0.8 days (range, 0–5 d). Conclusion:No escalation of care designation occurs in a significant proportion of ICU decedents shortly before death. Some interventions are more likely to be limited than others using a no escalation of care approach.


Monfragüe National Park (Cáceres, Extremadura, Spain) is a protected area in central-western Iberia,including some of the best preserved primary Mediterranean vegetation. Legal protection dates back to 1979 (first as a Natural Park and then as a National Park), but knowledge about its reptile communities is so far limited to sparse records. In this paper we present an updated species list based on 521 records covering 163 1x1 km UTM grids in the study area, compiled in the period 2000-2019. We detected 20 native species, representing 71.4% of the reptile fauna in Extremadura and 35% of the ibero-balearic reptile fauna. Additionally, based on molecular analyses populations of the amphisbaenid genus Blanus in the study area are assigned to the oriental Iberian taxon, B. cinereus. The new records extend the known distribution of the different reptile species in the study area in 56 10x10 km UTM grids. Species presenting more restricted distributions in Monfragüe are Lacerta schreiberi (one 1x1 grid), Emys orbicularis, and Acanthodactylus erythrurus (four 10x10 grids each).


Uniaxial compression deformation is conducted on solid solution Al-3mass%Mg and Al-3mass%Mg-0.2mass%Sc with Al3Sc precipitates in the strain rates ranging from 1.0×10-4s-1 to 5.0×10-3s-1 at 723K. High temperature yielding is observed. Fiber texture is constructed in all the deformation conditions. While the main component of the fiber texture changes from {011} to {001} in Al-3mass%Mg alloy with an increase in strain rate, no big change in texture main component is seen for Al-3mass%Mg-0.2mass%Sc alloy with Al3Sc precipitates. It is experimentally shown that the development of {001} fiber texture can be attributed to the grain boundary migration.


Three Standardbred horses were given 0.2 mg (1 mCi) of (75)selenomethionine intravenously and a second group of three were given 10 mCi of tritiated diisopropylfluorophosphate (0.5 mg) intravenously. Observations on labeled cells were continued for 250 days after radioselenium injection and 160 days after tritium injection. The lifespan of erythrocytes using (75)selenmethionine was 155 +/- 10 days and 148 +/- 7.8 days using tritiated diisopropylfluorophosphate. There was no significant difference at the 10% level between the lifespans, using these labels. The uptake of radioselenium into erythrocytes reached a mean maximum of 11.5% at 82 +/- 18.9 days after injection of the label. There was an elution of from 17.6% of the injected dose of tritium label down to 7.5% eight days after injection of this isotope. From this study both of these labels appear to be satisfactory for determining the erythrocyte lifespan of the horse. The mean time of the curve of mean radioselenium activity of peripheral blood leukocytes for the three horses was 5.54 days and the lifespan of these cells was seven days. The mean lifespan of peripheral blood leukocytes of the three horses after in vivo labelling with tritiated diisopropylfluorophosphate was 17.3 hours. No specific labelling was found in bone marrow or peripheral blood cells at this level of tritium labelling by dipping emulsion autoradiography. The mean lifespan of equine platelets for three horses using radioselenomethionine was 9.2 days and the mean lifespan of equine platelets using tritiated diisopropylfluorophosphate was 6.6 days in a group of three horses.


Depressive disorders are commonly found among selected groups of patients with epilepsy, but hypomania is seldom seen. Three cases of hypomania seen at a unit specialising in epilepsy are presented. The cases are of interest because of their association with recent seizures, and location in the non-dominant temporal lobe.


Rubber rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa (Pall. ex Pursh) G.L. Nesom & Baird) [Asteraceae]) has potential for use as an effective element of water-conserving landscapes. To enhance availability of this species, it is important to optimize nursery seedling production. Our objectives were to determine the influence of 1) stratification (cold-moist); 2) light exposure; and 3) planting depth on germination and emergence of seeds collected from diverse populations of rubber rabbitbrush. Seeds representing a range of environments were collected from Idaho and Utah and were cleaned, sorted, and exposed to germination-enhancing treatments. Following stratification, seeds of 3 of 4 rabbitbrush populations responded with a statistically significant increase in germination percentage. More significant, stratification increased the germination rate, reducing time to culmination from 4 or more wk to 1 wk or less. Compared with seeds germinated in the dark, exposure to sunlight increased germination percentage 1.5- to 3-fold, depending on population. Any amount of seed burial markedly decreased seedling emergence for all 4 populations. Six wk after planting, removal of all but a few mm of soilless substrate resulted in emergence of a portion of the buried seeds, indicating induction and release of conditional dormancy (possibly quiescence) due to a lack of light or other factors. Responses to stratification, light, and seed burial varied by population, thus confirming previously described variability that exists among rubber rabbitbrush populations. Results of this study will help nursery growers provide optimal conditions for producing nursery stock of rubber rabbitbrush.


In two of five infants with neonatal lupus erythematosus the signs of the disease did not appear until the children had been exposed to direct sunlight. This suggests that an environmental factor may be required for the development of the disease in some patients. Three of the five patients, together with their mothers, had the HLA (histocompatibility) antigens Al and B8, which supports the concept that individuals may be genetically susceptible to lupus erythematosus.


TiO2 film was deposited on glass substrate by a sol-gel process using PEG1000 as a template to prepare porous film. The influences of HCl and water amount, layers of the film, and the amount of PEG100 were investigated. The increase of HCl can slightly promote the photocatalytic activity of the film. When n(HCl):n(TEOT) is 0.2:1, the degradation rate is in its maximal value. The optimal water value can be obtained at n(H2O):n(TEOT)=3:1. The photocatalytic activity increases with increasing layer numbers. The five layers film has the highest photocatalytic activity, while the activity declines after further increase of film layers. The photocatalytic activity of theTiO2 film is enhanced with the addition of PEG1000 at first, and then excessive addition of the template leads to activity dropping.


Paleomagnetic methods have isolated two ancient magnetizations in and around the Paleozoic shale-hosted Red Dog ore deposit in northern Alaska. A high-latitude, westerly magnetization carried by magnetite, termed characteristic remanent magnetization A, was found in rocks that have barite and/or substantial quartz replacement of barite. An intermediate- to low-latitude, southerly magnetization (characteristic remanent magnetization B) is carried by pyrrhotite and was found in rocks dominated by galena and sphalerite. The ages the two components are constrained by their relationship with geochemistry, radiometric age dating, and hypotheses for the Mesozoic tectonic history of the Brooks Range. Characteristic remanent magnetization A fails the fold test so it must postdate the end of Brookian orogenesis (~150 Ma). It is always found with replacement quartz that has a radiometric date (white mica from a vug, 39Ar/40Ar) of 126 Ma. The paleolatitude for characteristic remanent magnetization B is too shallow to be Mesozoic or younger, regardless of the model for the tectonic origin of northern Alaska, and must predate Brookian orogenesis. Geologic mapping suggests that most of the ore is syngenetic, formed at 330 to 340 Ma, and a radiometric date (Re-Os on pyrite) yields an age of 338 Ma. Since characteristic remanent magnetization B predates deformation, is found in mineralized rocks and is carried by pyrrhotite, it was probably acquired during the mineralizing process as well. The combined radiometric ages and paleomagnetic data sets can be best interpreted by assuming that northern Alaska was part of an accreted terrane that was translated northward by about 30° into its current location relative to the rest of North America and then rotated counterclockwise by 50° to 70°. This tectonic interpretation yields plausible magnetization ages for both characteristic remanent magnetization A and B. Geologic evidence, isotopic ages, and paleomagnetic data indicate formation of the deposit at a paleolatitude that is much lower than today.


Yield loss in soyabean due to leaf feeding beetle, Monolepta signata 01. was studied at Khumaltar during 1985 and 1986 wet-seasons. Field experiments were conducted during vegetative as well as reproductive stages of soyabean. Adult beetles were introduced in nylon cages measuring 32 cm in diameter and I m high installed at the central rows of each plot just after germination. Beetles were kept at population density of 25, 50 and 100 / m*. At maximum population density, the potential grain yield losses on cultivar Ransom in vegetative and reproductive stages were 61.3 and 37.8 mg per day from each adult of M. signata. Percentages of yield losses were 12. I, 24.9 and 58.5 in vegetative and 19.5, 34.7 and 55.5 in reproductive stages from the population of 25, 50 and 100, respectively. The yield loss was not in accordance with the level of increased population density. 2 Yield reduction was greater at 53.1 mg / m per day from each adult of M. signata in the lower 25-population density in the reproductive stage whereas in the vegetative stage, yield loss was not different at the 25 and 50 population densities.


Photovoltaic arrays (PVAs) need an intermediate maximum power point tracker as their v-i characteristics are nonlinear. Application of switch-mode dc-dc converters are popular in this area and the buck topology is widely used in these power tracking applications. However, the buck converter with an input L-C filter, with insufficient damping, will exhibit unwanted oscillations, or it may operate at suboptimal power points for certain solar insolations. Suitable damping must be designed otherwise the maximum power point (MPP) becomes unstable. Because of the variable impedance characteristic of PVA the design of optimal damping, suitable for all solar insolations, is a complex task. In order to eliminate these problems a fourth-order buck converter, which will track maximum power (MP) at all solar insolations, is proposed for the photovoltaic (PV) power tracking applications. Mathematical models of the proposed converter are formulated and then boundary conditions, under which the converter capable of tracking MP, are obtained. The combined PV power tracking scheme is simulated in PSIM and then power tracking performance characteristics are generated. Performance of the proposed topology is compared with the buck converter with input filter. The proposed converter effectiveness, in power tracking applications, is verified through experimental studies. Micro-controller, dsPIC30F6010, is employed in the real-time implementation of the perturb and observe (P & O) tracking algorithm.


The finite element model is built by ANSYS, and the distribution of stress is studied. The stress intensity of each layer is computed by Tsai-Wu stress intensity standard. The value computed by Tsai-Wu stress intensity standard under given loads are smaller than 1, and the GFRP bridge deck is in a safe state. The first ply failure is also studied, and the result shows that the first ply failure value is determined by the webs when the webs are very thin. Other circumstances the value is determined by the size of the top and bottom plate. The material utilization is the highest when the thickness of the bottom is equal to the whole webs and a little thinner than the top plate.


ABSTRACT Participants attempted to solve a modified version of Wason's (1966) selection task. Variables were: (1) sizes of the sets referenced by a specified assertion, (2) form of the assertion (conditional or categorical), (3) thematic content of the assertion (letters and numbers or makes and owners of taxicabs), and (4) the need for sampling or not. In Experiment 1, participants were given enough information to determine the truth or falsity of the specified assertion with certainty; in Experiment 2, they had to rely on sampling and could not determine the assertion's truth or falsity with certainty. Performance was better in Experiment 1 than in Experiment 2, but in both cases much better than what is typically obtained with the conventional selection task. The results support the hypothesis that performance of the selection task is sensitive to the sizes of the sets involved, add credence to the conclusion that framing the task in a thematically meaningful way can facilitate performance, and demonstrate that facilitation does not require deontic reasoning or a well-known convention being involved. The relationship between expressed confidence and level of performance is consistent with other studies showing the former to be a good predictor of the latter.


Individual time budgets under natural conditions and under increased population density conditions were studied in a population of Podarcis hispanica in Western Spain. We examined the effects of sex, time of day, and density on daily time budgets. Artificially increasing density indicated that demographic changes do affect time budgets, and that the animals initially respond with short-term compensatory behavior. We found that: (1) basking was the predominant behavior in time budgets of all lizards; (2) thermoregulatory patterns are affected by high population density; (3) our results confirm the hypothesis that density of population, and not sex, is a primary factor affecting basking behavior, i.e., high population density leads to increased basking; (4) social interaction frequency increased and percentage of time resting decreased at high population density.


The distribution of segregations, which is introduced in the continuous casting process and modified during succeeding manufacturing steps, is considered as an important "distortion potential carrier" for chemically banded steels. This article presents a recently developed mathematical model for integration of the effect of prior forming and cutting operations into heat-treatment simulations by considering "anisotropic transformation strain (ATS)." The model was justified experimentally by simulating the heating and austenitization of dilatometer specimens machined from the forged discs with distinct orientations with respect to the banded microstructure. After the verification, it is used in conjunction with former experimental work to demonstrate that the distribution of fiber flow is one of the important reasons of the dishing of carburized discs. The model provides promising results for process chain simulation to predict the heat-treatment distortion that cannot be predicted with currently available models.


In 2013, approximately 9.4% of the American population over the age of 12 reported illicit use of a substance in the past month (National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), 2014), with rates of substance abuse the highest among individuals transitioning from adolescence to young adulthood, or transition-aged youth (TAY; Pottick, Warner, Vander Stoep, & Knight, 2014). Many TAY are no longer residing with their family of origin, and are working to gain independence in meeting the demands of adulthood (Wilens & Rosenbaum; 2013); however, parents continue to act as a resource for TAY to varying degrees (Davis, 2003). The continued connection with parents in this population suggests that parenting behaviors may continue to influence TAY. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between perceptions of parental pampering, parental psychological control, inferiority feelings, and substance abuse in TAY using an Adlerian framework. In theory, substance abuse is a manifestation of the pampered lifestyle and inferiority feelings (Adler, 2005; Dreikurs, 1990); however, empirically validated definitions for each of these constructs is lacking in current research. Thus, a secondary aim of the study was to identify appropriate definitions for the latent constructs of pampering and inferiority feelings. Participants in the study consisted of 210 undergraduate students between the ages of 18 and 25, who were asked to complete a series of instruments measuring perceptions of parental pampering (measured as enabling, autonomy granting, parental care, and parental behavioral control), parental psychological control, feelings of inferiority (measured as self-esteem, general self-efficacy (GSE), abstinence self-efficacy (ASE), and shame), and use of alcohol and drugs. Structural equation modeling was used to examine how well the observed constructs define the latent constructs of pampering and inferiority feelings and to test an overall hypothesized model of the relationships amongst each of the variables. It was posited that pampering would be positively related to inferiority feelings, alcohol use, and drug use, and that inferiority feelings would partially mediate the relationship between pampering and substance abuse. In addition, parental psychological control was expected to positively relate to inferiority feelings. Results of the study indicated that the observed variables enabling, autonomy granting, parental care, and parental behavioral control adequately define the latent construct of pampering, with autonomy granting and parental behavioral control loading more strongly on the latent construct. Similarly, self-esteem, GSE, ASE, and shame were found to define inferiority feelings, with self-esteem and shame loading more strongly than GSE and ASE. These findings provide potential empirical definitions of the theoretical constructs. Findings from the structural regression analysis indicated the model was not a good fit for the data. When examined separately, pampering was negatively related to both types of substance abuse, suggesting that in a college population, perceptions of pampering behaviors may be related to less substance abuse. Conversely, inferiority feelings were not related to either substance abuse in the sample. Average scores for the self-esteem, GSE, and ASE scales were high and average shame scores were low, indicating low feelings of inferiority in the sample. These findings provide an argument for further analysis of the relationship between inferiority feelings and substance abuse in a more clinical sample. Findings garnered from the study provide implications for future research, counseling practice, and counselor training, including highlighting the importance of integrating family factors into prevention and treatment efforts in substance abuse counseling and into the training of substance abuse counselors.


The opportunity to take part in the local County Court hearings of repossession cases arose around 3 years ago, the same time as I joined the University of Northumbria as a solicitor/ tutor working in the Student Law Office. I wanted to keep up my own hands-on skills as a solicitor, and so grasped this opportunity with enthusiasm. It has been an invaluable teaching tool as part of student's experiences within the student law office, but only recently have I stopped to take stock of the nature and value of this experience, and to consider more carefully the aims and objectives, from the Student Law Office point of view, in taking part in this. This paper looks at experiences with students at court repossession days, and the messages we are giving students when we expose them to this type of work – are we moving closer towards clinical legal education with a social justice agenda? And what do we get out of these court days as a student learning experience.


Despite recent advances in techniques of in situ tumour ablation, surgical therapy remains at present the mainstay treatment for primary hepatic malignancies. After an initial endeavour in the establishment of liver transplantation as a treatment option, in particular for unresectable liver tumours, only a few indications, for example early hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhosis, are currently agreed upon. Other indications, such as peripheral cholangiocarcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma in noncirrhotics have largely been abandoned or are still under debate, as is the case with fibrolamellar carcinoma. The selection of patients suffering from hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhosis for liver transplantation is still based on tumour size and node number, because the current state of diagnostic imaging fails to reliably predict the most important prognostic parameter: vascular infiltration. Other selection criteria are under investigation. Studies on multimodal therapy are also underway but have not yet demonstrated a clear benefit.


ABSTRACT A new method for estimating low flows in ungauged rivers from minimum discharge of perennial springs is proposed. This spring-based approach (SBA) is tested in 21 catchments from the northern Apennines, Italy. First, the hydrogeological behaviour of each geological formation and superficial deposit is related to the spatial distribution and discharge of perennial springs in a test area using a Bayesian approach, weight of evidence (WoE). Second, the observed river flow exceeded for 95% of the observation period is related to the type of geological formations outcropping within the catchment. Finally, the q95 low flows are estimated from the WoE weights. The SBA performance is assessed by leave-one-out cross-validation and compared with the results of a multiple regression (MR) model that accounts for selected catchment characteristics, but no springs. The results show that the SBA outperforms MR. The better performance of the SBA may be related to its ability to capture bedrock characteristics, which are the main controls of low flows in the study area.


Much research has been dedicated to understanding the molecular basis of UV damage to biomolecules, yet many questions remain regarding the specific pathways involved. Here we describe a genome‐mediated mechanism that causes site‐specific virus protein cleavage upon UV irradiation. Bacteriophage MS2 was disinfected with 254 nm UV, and protein damage was characterized with ESI‐ and MALDI‐based FT‐ICR, Orbitrap, and TOF mass spectroscopy. Top‐down mass spectrometry of the products identified the backbone cleavage site as Cys46–Ser47 in the virus capsid protein, a location of viral genome–protein interaction. The presence of viral RNA was essential to inducing backbone cleavage. The similar bacteriophage GA did not exhibit site‐specific protein cleavage. Based on the major protein fragments identified by accurate mass analysis, a cleavage mechanism is proposed by radical formation. The mechanism involves initial oxidation of the Cys46 side chain followed by hydrogen atom abstraction from Ser47 Cα. Computational protein QM/MM studies confirmed the initial steps of the radical mechanism. Collectively, this study describes a rare incidence of genome‐induced protein cleavage without the addition of sensitizers.


Little is known about the effects of virus- and host-related factors on hepatocarcinogenesis in patients who show viral clearance after HCV RNA eradication by direct-acting antivirals (DAAs). The subjects of this retrospective study were 1,922 patients with HCV genotype 1 (HCV-1)- or HCV-2-related chronic liver disease who showed a sustained virological response (SVR; defined as negative results for HCV RNA at 12 weeks after the cessation of all-oral DAAs). ABSTRACT Little is known about the effects of virus- and host-related factors on hepatocarcinogenesis in patients who show viral clearance after HCV RNA eradication by direct-acting antivirals (DAAs). The subjects of this retrospective study were 1,922 patients with HCV genotype 1 (HCV-1)- or HCV-2-related chronic liver disease who showed a sustained virological response (SVR; defined as negative results for HCV RNA at 12 weeks after the cessation of all-oral DAAs). All patients were confirmed to be hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) free before and during DAAs. HCC was diagnosed in 43 patients during the follow-up, with an incidence rate per 1,000 person years of 9.44. The cumulative HCC rates were 1.2, 2.0, and 3.1% at the end of 1, 2, and 3 years, respectively. The annual rate of HCC during the first 3 years was 1.0%. The incidence rate was significantly higher in patients infected with the HCV-1b core amino acid (aa) 70 mutant than in those infected with HCV-2a/2b, and the rate in patients infected with the HCV-1b core aa 70 wild type tended to be higher than that in patients infected with HCV-2a/2b. The rate in patients infected with the HCV-1b NS5A aa 93 mutant was significantly higher than that in patients infected with HCV-2a/2b. However, the rate was not different between patients infected with the IL28B rs8099917 TT genotype and patients infected with the non-TT genotype. Multivariate analysis identified a Wisteria floribunda agglutinin-positive Mac-2 binding protein (WFA+M2BP) cutoff index (COI) of ≥2.5 and infection with the HCV-1b core aa 70 mutant subgroup to be pretreatment predictors of posttreatment HCC. The same analysis identified an alpha-fetoprotein concentration of ≥5 μg/liter and an WFA+M2BP COI of ≥1.0 to be predictors of HCC at 24 weeks after the end of antiviral therapy. We conclude that both virus- and host-related factors seem to influence the development of HCC after HCV RNA eradication.


Using scanning electron microscope, the microscopic pictures of the surface on sediment have been obtained from the sub-micron titanium dioxide suspensions without dispersant or adding different types of dispersants. Deposits of titanium dioxide suspension have been observed and the mechanism of the dispersant has been analyzed. Meanwhile, deposits of titanium dioxide gray distribution figure have been gained by self-compiled Matlab program, which proved that the surface sediments is fractal, and the fractal dimension has been calculated under different conditions. The rules between suspension stability and fractal dimension have been achieved.


The risk of falls in older adults restrict their social life and independent living. The assisted living devices help older adults to live independently in their home, giving a psychological boost, and releasing the burden on the caregiver and the healthcare providers. A robust and accurate fall detection system is essential to provide immediate help and to reduce the severe post-fall consequences, and the associated medical care cost significantly. This review aims to provide a comprehensive technical insight into the existing fall detection system, to classify various approaches and the challenges encountered during implementation. The fall detectors are broadly classified into three categories, namely wearable, ambiance-based, and hybrid sensing detectors, which are further explored by the sensor technology. This review provides a comprehensive overview of each competing sensor technology ranging from an accelerometer, pressure sensor, and radar to camera-based and their infusion into a complete fall detection system. It outlines the strength and limitations of different sensor fall detection systems in terms of feature extraction, classification, performance, and experimental dataset. The user adaptability, installation complexity, and power requirement of the systems are the main areas, which are not addressed adequately in the literature. In the end, the review provides a basic framework in deciding the technology for a specific scenario or location according to the prerequisites for the deployment.


BACKGROUND
Somatising disorders are a common, complex and disabling cluster of disorders. Research suggests that general practitioners find this group of patients challenging. The disorders are complicated by the fact that doctors play a role in both their aetiology and maintenance. The interaction between the illness worry of the patient and the disease worry of the doctor can lead to escalating disability and the risk of iatrogenic disease.

OBJECTIVE
In this article, common conceptual frameworks for somatising disorders are discussed and a framework for managing these complex disorders is presented.

DISCUSSION
Patients with somatising disorders need to establish a positive therapeutic relationship with their doctor that encourages open and honest discussion of their illness. General practitioners need to strike a balance between empathy for the patient's suffering and collusion in their disease worry. Excessive intervention and investigation should be avoided. This may require considerable professional support for the doctor.


Hypersensitivity reactions limit the use of the antileukemic enzyme asparaginase (ASE). We evaluated Ab levels against Escherichia coli ASE and ASE activity in 1221 serum samples from 329 patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia who had received ASE treatment according to the ALL-BFM 2000 or the ALL-REZ BFM 2002 protocol for primary or relapsed disease. ASE activity during first-line treatment with native E coli ASE and second-line treatment with pegylated E coli ASE was inversely related to anti-E coli ASE Ab levels (P < .0001; Spearman rank order correlation). An effect on ASE activity during second-line treatment with pegylated E coli ASE was, however, only observed when anti-E coli ASE Ab levels were high (> 200 AU/mL). In the presence of moderate or intermediate Ab levels (6.25-200 AU/mL) the switch from native to pegylated E coli ASE resulted in a significant increase of ASE activity above the threshold of 100 U/L (P < .05). Erwinia chrysanthemi ASE activity was not correlated with anti-E coli ASE Ab levels. Erwinia ASE was found to be the best ASE alternative if Ab levels against E coli ASE exceed 200 AU/mL. This retrospective analysis is the first to describe the relationship between the level of anti-E coli ASE Abs and serum activity of pegylated E coli ASE used second-line after native E coli ASE.


The Garden Park National Natural Landmark (GPNNL) is north of Cañon City, Colorado, and encompasses all of the major historical dinosaur quarries of the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation in this area. The formation there can be divided into the lower redefined Ralston Creek Member and an upper unnamed member. The Morrison Formation is bracketed below by the J-5 unconformity and above by the K-1 unconformity. The Ralston Creek Member is composed of up to 55 m of arkosic conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone, and gypsum conformably underlying the unnamed member. Fossil fishes previously used to infer a Middle Jurassic age are non-diagnostic. A diplodocid skeleton 4 m above the J-5 unconformity from the west-adjacent Shaws Park, and a radiometric date of 152.99 + 0.10 Ma from the Purgatoire River area demonstrate that the Ralston Creek rightly belongs in the Morrison Formation and correlates with the Tidwell and Salt Wash Members on the Colorado Plateau. The Ralston Creek was deposited in a broad playa complex analogous to those of central Australia and here called the Ralston Creek boinka. Groundwater flux played an important role in gypsum deposition in gypsisols and playa lakes. The overlying unnamed member in the GPNNL can be subdivided on the west side of Fourmile Creek into a lower part composed largely of mudstone with many thin, discontinuous channel sandstone beds, and a thicker upper part containing more persistent tabular sandstone beds; this subdivision does not occur east of Fourmile Creek. Several thin limestone beds occur in the Ralston Creek Member and in the lower part of the unnamed upper member. The limestone contains fresh water ostracods and aquatic mollusks indicating a lacustrine origin. However, these fauna are apparently stunted and the ostracod valves closed indicating periodic hypersaline conditions. All detrital rocks in the Morrison Formation at Garden Park are composed of varying amounts of quartz, potassic feldspar, and the clay minerals illite, smectite, and kaolinite. Mapping of the clay minerals in the unnamed member reflect various paleosols throughout the mudstone interval, including protosols and argillisols. At the top of the formation, a sandstone previously assigned to the Morrison is reassigned to the overlying Cretaceous Lytle Formation based on similar weathering characteristics, mineral content, and fabric. Thus, the K-1 unconformity between the Morrison and overlying Lytle rests on the uppermost occurrence of the Morrison Formation mudstone-sandstone-limestone complex and beneath the blocky, cliff-forming Lytle Formation.


We study from economic and environmental angles under what conditions no-till technology is socially optimal. We demonstrate theoretically that if yield under no-till is equal to or greater than under conventional technology, its adoption is socially optimal provided that herbicide runoff damages under both technologies are close enough. Finnish data shows, however, that only in one case out of three no-till provides higher social returns. In terms of nutrient runoffs no-till performs better than conventional technology. No-till reduces surface runoffs of nitrogen by 58%, and surface runoffs of particulate phosphorus by 70% relative to conventional technology, but causes more than three times higher dissolved phosphorus surface runoffs. The amount of total phosphorus surface runoff is, however, lower under no-till. No-till produces higher total herbicide runoff because of higher use of herbicides to control perennial weeds.


This paper investigates the effect of relative income on marriage. Accounting flexibly for absolute income, the ratio between a man's income and a local reference group median is a strong predictor of marital status, but only for low-income men. Relative income affects marriage even among those living with a partner. A 10 percent higher reference group income is associated with a 2 percent reduction in marriage. We propose an identity model to explain the results.


The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has recently revised the defense acquisition system to address suspected root causes of unwanted acquisition outcomes. One of the major changes in the revised acquisition system is an increased emphasis on systems engineering trade-offs made between capability requirements and lifecycle costs early in the acquisition process (Cilli, Parnell, Cloutier, & Zigh, 2015). Given that systems engineering trade-off analyses will play a pivotal role in future defense acquisition efforts, this paper takes an in-depth look at the state of systems engineering trade-off analysis capability through a review of relevant literature and a survey of systems engineering professionals and military operations research professionals involved in defense acquisition. The survey was developed to measure the perceived level of difficulty associated with compliance to the revised defense acquisition system mandate for early systems engineering trade-off analyses and to measure perceived likelihood and impact of potential pitfalls within systems engineering trade-off studies. The survey instrument was designed using Survey Monkey and was deployed through a link posted on several groups within LinkedIn, a professional social media site, and was also sent directly via email to those with known experience in this research area. Although increased systems engineering activity early in the life cycle is a compelling change for DoD, the findings of the literature review and the survey of practitioners both indicate that there is much to be done in order to position the systems engineering community for success so that the improved defense acquisition outcomes as envisioned by the architects of 2015 DoDI 5000.02 can be realized.


AQ4N (banoxantrone) is a prodrug that, under hypoxic conditions, is enzymatically converted to a cytotoxic DNA-binding agent, AQ4. Incorporation of AQ4N into conventional chemoradiation protocols therefore targets both oxygenated and hypoxic regions of tumors, and potentially will increase the effectiveness of therapy. This current pharmacodynamic and efficacy study was designed to quantify tumor exposure to AQ4 following treatment with AQ4N, and to relate exposure to outcome of treatment. A single dose of 60 mg/kg AQ4N enhanced the response of RT112 (bladder) and Calu-6 (lung) xenografts to treatment with cisplatin and radiation therapy. AQ4N was also given to separate cohorts of tumor-bearing mice 24 hours before tumor excision for subsequent analysis of metabolite levels. AQ4 was detected by high performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry in all treated samples of RT112 and Calu-6 tumors at mean concentrations of 0.23 and 1.07 μg/g, respectively. These concentrations are comparable with those shown to be cytotoxic in vitro. AQ4-related nuclear fluorescence was observed in all treated tumors by confocal microscopy, which correlated with the high performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry data. The presence of the hypoxic marker Glut-1 was shown by immunohistochemistry in both Calu-6 tumors and RT112 tumors, and colocalization of AQ4 fluorescence and Glut-1 staining strongly suggested that AQ4N was activated in these putatively hypoxic areas. This is the first demonstration that AQ4N will increase the efficacy of chemoradiotherapy in preclinical models; the intratumoral levels of AQ4 found in this study are comparable with tumor AQ4 levels found in a recent phase I clinical study, which suggests that these levels could be potentially therapeutic. [Mol Cancer Ther 2009;8(12):3266–75]


Compiling Bayesian networks (BNs) to junction trees and performing belief propagation over them is among the most prominent approaches to computing posteriors in BNs. However, belief propagation over junction tree is known to be computationally intensive in the general case. Its complexity may increase dramatically with the connectivity and state space cardinality of Bayesian network nodes. In this paper, we address this computational challenge using GPU parallelization. We develop data structures and algorithms that extend existing junction tree techniques, and specifically develop a novel approach to computing each belief propagation message in parallel. We implement our approach on an NVIDIA GPU and test it using BNs from several applications. Experimentally, we study how junction tree parameters affect parallelization opportunities and hence the performance of our algorithm. We achieve speedups ranging from 0.68 to 9.18 for the BNs studied.


The glutathione (GSH) content of mouse T- and B-cells was determined and compared with the GSH content of human peripheral blood lymphocytes and human erythrocytes. Owing to the difficulty of obtaining large numbers of purified lymphocytes, a technique was developed to measure picomolar quantities of GSH. By this technique, mouse T- and B-cells, as well as mouse peripheral-blood lymphocytes, were found to contain approx. 30% of the GSH found in human peripheral-blood lymphocytes. The concanavalin A response of human peripheral-blood lymphocytes and human spleen cells was insensitive to 2-mercaptoethanol as well as to culture in 17% O2, whereas mouse lymphocyte responses were altered by 2-mercaptoethanol and inhibited by 17% O2. The capacity of human peripheral-blood lymphocytes, human erythrocytes, mouse T-cells and mouse B-cells to regenerate GSH stores after chemical oxidation by diamide was tested, and it was found that mouse cells were less capable of regenerating GSH than human erythrocytes or human peripheral-blood lymphocytes. In addition, the latter lymphocytes were less sensitive to oxidation of GSH and to inhibition of proliferation by diamide.


Plant development, growth and response to varying environmental conditions, involves a complex network of overlapping interactions between plant signalling hormones and gene expression, known as 'CROSSTALK', which controls cell proliferation, elongation and differentiation. Hormone response, concentrations and gene expression levels vary through the root tip and display patterning, which ultimately drives development; however, little is known about how this is established. Models have been constructed to explain patterning, including a 'physical' auxin flux model in a simple rectangular 2-D multicellular Arabidopsis root which excludes crosstalk (Grieneisen et al., 2007), and a single cell 'biological crosstalk' model of multiple hormone and protein interactions in WT and mutants (Liu et al., 2010; Liu et al., 2013). The project goal was to combine these approaches by embedding the single cell biological crosstalk relationships into a 2-D multicellular root structure to reproduce experimentally observed hormone and gene expression patterning. An initial model was constructed and parameter values calibrated to meet fit criteria and produce a WT parameter set. The model proved robust to parameter variation, indicating that results did not rely on unique parameter value selections. Model results were compared to experimental data to test predictive capability and matched experimentally observed patterning and concentration trends for most species and mutants. A more realistic digital root map was then developed with additional auxin carriers to allow improved comparison between model and experimental images at a cell-scale level. The roles of auxin influx and efflux carriers in regulating auxin patterning were investigated by developing a 'Recovery Principle', where pattern perturbations due to changes in one carrier set could be recovered by adjustments to the other carrier set. Finally, using additional experimental data from the literature, the crosstalk network was revised to produce more representative cytokinin patterning. The model provides an explanation of crosstalk control of gene expression and patterning, and forms a foundation for future expansion of hormonal crosstalk and gene expression modelling in the Arabidopsis root. In summary, this project has developed predictive models to further explore hormone and gene expression levels and spatiotemporal pattern formation in the Arabidopsis thaliana root tip.


all mortality at 1 year was 85% (4F/13M). The patient with the tracheobronchial fistula died after 2 months without being discharged from the ICU (procedure related mortality 5%). Discussion: Overall mortality in this patient group was high and only 15% of patients survived after 1 year of hospital discharge. Percutaneous dilational tracheostomy with the PercuTwist technique is simple but significant procedure-related morbidity and mortality occurred (early complications in 20% of procedures, late complications in 15% of patients, procedure related mortality 5%). Larger trials are needed to investigate PercuTwist PDT's patient safety. Reference: 1 Francois B, Clavel M, Desachy A, et al. Complications of tracheostomy performed in the ICU. subthyroid tracheostomy vs. surgical cricothyroidotomy. Chest 2003; 123: 151–158.


Mass spectrometry is emerging as one of the most exciting new techniques being applied to studies of protein folding. Recent developments in soft ionization techniques enable intact proteins to be generated in the gas phase from aqueous solution, and fragmentation methods are providing a means of obtaining sequence‐specific information. These techniques, particularly in combination with established methods such as NMR spectroscopy, allow the investigation of both covalent and noncovalent events that occur during refolding processes. One important type of application involves mass spectrometry in an analytical role, for example, in characterizing the products of oxidative refolding experiments. Mass spectrometry can also be used to reveal fundamentally new information about the conformational properties of folding intermediates, both in isolation and in complexes with molecular chaperones, through the exploitation of hydrogen‐deuterium exchange phenomena. Of particular interest is the insight this approach can provide into the coopera‐ tivity of structure formation and the distribution of intermediates at different steps along folding pathways. In this paper we describe recent insights into protein folding resulting from the application of mass spectrometry and discuss the future potential of the method for studies in this area.—Miranker, A., Robinson, C. V., Radford, S. E., Dobson, C. M. Investigation of protein folding by mass spectrometry. FASEB J. 10, 93‐101 (1996)


BACKGROUND
Intravenous (IV) iron is widely prescribed for patients on haemodialysis, to replace iron losses during treatment. It releases labile iron, which can induce oxidation of vitamin C and trigger oxidant damage. We examined the stability of vitamin C in the presence of IV iron compounds. We further examined in the ability of vitamin C to release iron from these compounds.

METHODS
Vitamin C was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. Iron release from iron sucrose (FeSuc) and ferric gluconate (FeGlu) was determined with the ferrozine method.

RESULTS
Vitamin C, in human plasma or fetal calf serum, was oxidized in this order of reactivity: FeSuc > FeGlu > blank reaction. FeSuc and FeGlu also oxidized vitamin C when added to freshly obtained whole human blood. During a 4 h incubation in buffer, vitamin C stimulated the release of 60% of the iron content of FeSuc at p 4, with lesser amounts at pH 3, 5 and 6, and 5% release at pH 7. Vitamin C also triggered the release of iron from FeGlu, but less release was observed than with FeSuc. Using ferrozine reagent, no iron release was detected to heparinized human plasma, following addition of 500 microM concentrations of iron compounds.

CONCLUSION
Each IV-iron compound can oxidize substantial amounts of vitamin C when added to plasma or whole blood. The interaction of vitamin C is accompanied by release of iron from the particle at mildly acidic pH, which may explain the ability of high-dose vitamin C to mobilize iron from storage sites for erythropoiesis.