Lanthanum carbonate is a powerful phosphate binder that has shown efficacy and safety in clinical trials for hyperphosphataemia management, although there are few data in regular clinical practice. The study's objective was to evaluate, in regular clinical practice, its efficacy and safety in patients on dialysis. We retrospectively collected data from 15 months of monitoring, corresponding to 3 months prior to the start of treatment with lanthanum carbonate until 12 months after the start. Results included values of serum calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase, iPTH, hepatic enzymes and haemogram, as well as the daily-prescribed dose of lanthanum carbonate, the concomitant medication, treatment compliance and adverse events. 647 patients were included of which 522 completed the study. Abandonment, for the most part, was due to gastrointestinal disorders (26%) and hypophosphatemia (19%). Serum phosphorus decreased from 6.4±1.7 mg/dl (start) to 4.9±1.4 mg/dl (12 months) (P<.001). At the end of the monitoring period, 47% were within the desired phosphorus range (3.5-5mg/dl). There were no significant variations in the remaining parameters. Initial dose of lanthanum carbonate: 1900 mg/day; and end dose: 2300 mg/day. The variables independently associated with phosphataemia were baseline serum phosphorus and treatment compliance. In relation to safety, we observed 238 slight or moderate adverse effects in 117 patients, with 88% linked to gastrointestinal abnormalities. In conclusion, lanthanum carbonate reduces the serum phosphorus values in patients on dialysis with a good safety profile and acceptable adherence to that profile, with gastrointestinal disorders being the most frequent adverse effect.


One of the most extraordinary aspects of human development is how children acquire their language(s) by listening to spontaneous speech. Perhaps more remarkably, they do so even though speech is often highly disfluent. To better understand how language acquisition unfolds, this dissertation explored the effects of speech disfluencies on real-time word comprehension and on word learning for listeners from different language backgrounds and levels of expertise: monolingual children, bilingual children, and bilingual adults.

Manuscript 1 reports two word comprehension studies, looking at the ability of children and adults to use disfluencies to predict whether a speaker will name a novel or a familiar object. This ability was investigated by presenting sentences with disfluencies in listeners' native and non-native language(s). Study 1 tested 32-month-old monolingual and bilingual children, and Study 2 tested bilingual adults. Results from Studies 1 and 2 indicate that listeners looked more at the novel than the familiar object upon hearing a disfluency, irrespective of participants' language experience, and whether the disfluency was in participants' native language(s). Importantly, the results suggest that listeners might attend to a speaker's uncertainty more than the particular realization of the disfluency.

Manuscript 2 investigates the impact of speech disfluencies on novel word learning in monolingual and bilingual 32-month-old children. We considered two contrasting possibilities: (1) Disfluencies will facilitate novel word learning, since listeners direct looks to novel objects upon hearing a disfluency, versus (2) disfluencies will hinder novel word learning, since they signal a speaker's uncertainty about an object's label. The results indicate that disfluencies may hinder novel word learning: Children did not learn the novel words following disfluencies, nor the novel words following fluent speech. Though somewhat inconclusive as children did not learn words in either case, these results suggest that children's word learning may be hindered when a speaker is disfluent.

Together, the results from the two manuscripts in this dissertation suggest that speech disfluencies are a double-edge sword: they can be helpful for making predictions during real-time comprehension, but could hinder word learning. These findings have important implications for understanding the role of speech disfluencies in language acquisition.


Intravenous administration of cholecystokinin octapeptide (CCK-8) to urethane-anesthetized rats produced both inhibitory and excitatory effects on intestinal motility. The inhibitory effect, evident as a transient relaxation or inhibition of distension-induced reflex contractions, was abolished by adrenoreceptor blockade, guanethidine pretreatment or removal of the celiac ganglion complex, but was hexamethonium-and atropine-insensitive. The excitatory action of CCK-8 was atropine- and hexamethonium-sensitive, while being unaffected by guanethidine pretreatment. Ligation experiments indicated that the excitatory effect of CCK-8 originates from a stimulant action on structures in the upper duodenum/pyloric sphincter from which a propagated contraction travels to the distal duodenum. We conclude that i.v. CCK-8 inhibits small intestinal motility by directly activating sympathetic neurons in the celiac ganglion and initiates a propagated form of intestinal motility by stimulating neural elements in the upper part of the small intestine.


An alpaca and a llama in late stages of gestation were evaluated for lethargy, anorexia, and recumbency. Both camelids had cloudy, white, turbid serum, elevated serum triglyceride (1564, 5658 mg/dL, respectively) and cholesterol (158, 297 mg/dL, respectively) concentrations, and ketonuria. Signs of fetal stress were evident ultrasonographically in the alpaca, and a live cria was delivered by Cesarean section performed under general anesthesia. The alpaca developed severe metabolic acidosis, hepatic lipidosis, and acute renal failure secondary to renal lipidosis and died 36 hours after admission despite medical therapy. Histopathology revealed renal and hepatic lipidosis and neutrophilic pancreatitis. The cria died 72 hours after birth. The llama responded to IV electrolyte, dextrose, and regular crystalline insulin therapy. The pregnancy was maintained, and the llama was discharged from the hospital 20 days after admission. Two months after discharge, the llama gave birth to a live, 5 kg cria. Findings of hypertriglyceridemia, hypercholesterolemia, elevated sorbitol dehydrogenase activity, metabolic acidosis, azotemia, and ketonuria occurred in these two camelids. Based on this report, camelids appear to be similar to both horses and cattle in their response to severe energy imbalances in late gestation.


Smoking is understood to be the primary cause of preventable morbidity and premature death in the UK. In Northamptonshire, UK, rate of smoking among adults was 20.9% (~ 144,607 people) in 2011/12. Among pregnant women, rate of smoking at time of birth was higher in Northamptonshire (16%) compared to the national average (13.2%) in 2011/12. Figures suggest the need to generate new knowledge and understandings on how to safely and effectively help women, particularly those living in the margins of society, with tobacco addiction. This presentation discusses how pregnant women who smoke face multiple layers of stigmatization in relation to gender, age, and socio-economic status and how these act as either facilitators or barriers to accessing services. A mixed quantitative (cross-sectional analysis) and qualitative (in-depth interviews) approach was applied to assess aggregated effectiveness of the program and understand individual-level positive and negative experiences of the program. Findings report gendered influences on smoking such as partner influence, socioeconomic impact of lone-motherhood and individual, societal and structural stigma surrounding mothers that smoke.


This essay deals with the form and function of color in comics, a strongly undertheorized aspect of graphic storytelling. It makes a plea for a holistic approach of color, whose use cannot be separated from the system of narrative in general. From a methodological point of view, it focuses less on the opposition between black and white and color, which is difficult to maintain for in-depth analyses, than on the shift from one system to another. It discusses two main examples that in the 1930s have similarly undergone such a paradigm shift from the monochromatic to the multichromatic, one European (Hergé) and the other American (Herriman).


Voluntary programs have been used with varying degrees of success to address a variety of environmental issues. The goal of the present study was to assess mariner response to a voluntary program to reduce the threat of vessel collisions with the endangered North Atlantic right whale Eubalaena glacialis. The program involves the creation of temporary zones, dynamic management areas (DMAs), in which vessel operators are requested, but not required, to either navigate around the area or travel through at speeds of 10 knots or less. Using remotely sensed automatic identification system data, we analyzed 3324 transits made by 1100 individual vessels, the majority of which belong to the international commercial shipping industry utilizing east coast ports of the USA. In general, we observed very little change in vessel operations in response to the DMAs. The mean transit speeds for cargo, tanker, and passenger vessels within the DMAs exceeded the requested maximum of 10 knots and differed little from speeds used outside DMAs. In addition, few transits appeared to involve efforts to navigate around the DMAs. Therefore, we conclude that the program likely had only a modest consequence in reducing vessel collisions with whales, at least as measured by vessel operations. These results may have application to other settings where voluntary programs are contemplated or implemented.


Hybridization could be considered part of the evolutionary history of many species. The hybridization among sea turtle species on the Brazilian coast is atypical and occurs where nesting areas and reproductive seasons overlap. Integrated analysis of morphology and genetics is still scarce, and there is no evidence of the parental chromosome set distribution in sea turtle interspecific hybrids. In this study, chromosome markers previously established for pure sea turtle species were combined with morphological and molecular analyses aiming to recognize genetic composition and chromosome sets in possible interspecific hybrids initially identified by mixed morphology. The data showed that one hybrid could be an F2 individual among Caretta caretta × Eretmochelys imbricata × Chelonia mydas, and another is resulting from backcross between C. caretta × Lepidochelys olivacea. Native alleles of different parental lineages were reported in the hybrids, and, despite this, it was verified that the hybrid chromosome sets were still balanced. Thus, how sea turtle hybridism can affect genetic features in the long term is a concern, as the implications of the crossing-over in hybrid chromosomal sets and the effects on genetic function are still unpredictable.


Universal pre-kindergarten (UPK) is a popular reform in West Virginia, offering part-time readiness-oriented instruction for four-year-olds and some three-year-olds with special needs. The reform joins public school sites and community partners (private preschool and/or Head Start resources) in the goal of pre-kindergarten for all eligible children, and has targeted the struggling lower-middle class. UPK may position parents between choices and rights by providing discrepant public and private choices for families who do not qualify for the Head Start strand while naming access "universal". In this case study, I examine the context of access in relation to the discourses and politics of neoliberal globalism. Neoliberal globalism has shaped West Virginia's UPK policy towards producing particular childhoods and roles for teachers and parents in service to the economic growth of the state. Specifically, I analyze the role of social class dynamics among lower-middle class parents who sought readiness opportunities in one UPK community. The results indicate that Bourdieu's theory of social reproduction is relevant. Lower-middle class parents were active and instrumental choosers within the hybrid market system. Given two groups of lower-middle class participants (RMC-recent members of the lower-middle class descended from the middle class and HMC-historical members of the lower-middle class), RMC advantageously engaged resources traditionally designated for poor and working class families while HMC used social networks built locally over time to support their choice-making. In order to re-think West Virginia UPK's


In 1600 they were the largest, most technologically advanced indigenous group in northwest Mexico, but today, though their descendants presumably live on in Sonora, almost no one claims descent from the Opatas. The Opatas seem to have disappeared as an ethnic group, their languages forgotten except for the names of the towns, plants, and geography of the Opateria, where they lived. Why did the Opatas disappear from the historical record while their neighbors survived? David Yetman, a leading ethnobotanist who has traveled extensively in Sonora, consulted more than two hundred archival sources to answer this question. The result is an accessible ethnohistory of the Opatas, one that embraces historical complexity with an eye toward Opatan strategies of resistance and assimilation. Yetman s account takes us through the Opatans initial encounters with the conquistadors, their resettlement in Jesuit missions, clashes with Apaches, their recruitment as miners, and several failed rebellions, and ultimately arrives at an explanation for their disappearance. Yetman s account is bolstered by conversations with present-day residents of the Opateria and includes a valuable appendix on the languages of the Opateria by linguistic anthropologist David Shaul. One of the few studies devoted exclusively to this indigenous group, " The Opatas: In Search of a Sonoran People" marks a significant contribution to the literature on the history of the greater Southwest."


Up to date, neither Certified Reference Materials (CRM) nor Standard Reference Materials (SRM) has been available for thermal diffusivity values in the range around 10-2cm2/s, which would be useful to advanced ceramics research. Therefore, a round robin test of Pyroceram glass ceramics Corning 9606 for one of the SRMs has been arranged by the subcommittee C-14.91 in National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)/ASTM. The results of thermal diffusivity measurement of the Corning 9606 have been described toward the international collaboration to certify Standard Reference Material. The surface of a disc sample was coated by carbon spray. The apparent thermal diffusivity of an identical sample increased with the number of laser beam flashing because the irradiation of a laser beam burns the carbon coating: (1) a small low temperature rise caused by lower absorption ratio of damaged coating substance increases the apparent thermal diffusivity associated with the negative temperature dependence of thermal diifusivity of Corning 9606 and (2) a burned carbon coating permits the penetration of the laser beam to the sample, which caused fast temperature rise of back surface. For reducing the irradiation damage of carbon coating, a glass cell filled with a CuSO4 solution was inserted in the laser beam path as a variable attenuator. Ninety percent attenuation for the sample 0.97mm thick was found to be favorable to determine the thermal diffusivity value with sufficient reproducibility. The effect of transparency of the sample on the measured thermal diffusivity was also estimated by the theoretical calculation and this clearly confirmed the usefulness of carbon coating. Based on these careful preliminary examinations, the thermal diffusivity values of Corning 9606 in a temperature range between room temperature and 976K were independently determined using two different apparatuses and good agreement was found.


We discuss the main problems which make a scientific text difficult to find, to be read or to be accepted by readers. A scientific text is considered a logical argument. Therefore, methods, results and data from literature are premises supporting the conclusions of the work; and in the "Introduction" session, the justification corroborates the objective of the study. This conception makes the text a hermetically coherent structure where only the necessary data should be included (some controversy is still pertinent). In a second step, we show formal mistakes in scientific writing which make texts less attractive. Thus, we give examples of errors or inadequacy of formal aspects of presenting titles, abstracts, results (figures and tables), and grammar mistakes in Portuguese (but also valid for English grammar). After that, we emphasize the need for writing in international language (English) and for publication in periodicals with international impact on the scientific community. Finally, considerations to improve the Brazilian periodicals in the biological area are presented.


Increasingly popular in Europe and Asia as the intracavitary component for cervical cancer radiotherapy, high-dose rate brachytherapy demonstrates certain advantages over historical low-dose rate treatments. High-dose rate intracavitary treatment improves radiation safety, lessens treatment times, allows for outpatient treatment regimens, and has improved packing and retraction techniques, which can decrease rectal and bladder doses. Although retrospective studies of high-dose rate treatment show survival rates comparable with those of historical low-dose rate intracavitary treatment, there have been few randomized, prospective studies to support the use of high-dose rate techniques. Low- and high-dose rate comparisons are further complicated by the lack of standardized fractionation schemes and dose prescriptions for high-dose rate treatment. Recent data showing decreased local control in advanced cervical cancer with the prolonged overall treatment time of low-dose rate treatment suggest the practical advantage of outpatient high-dose rate intracavitary brachytherapy, which uses fractionated regimens and shortens overall treatment times. Although high-dose rate treatment has not been shown to improve survival compared with low-dose rate treatment, its practical advantages may account for its increasing use.


Sparsity has played a central role in many fields of applied mathematics such as signal processing, image processing, compressed sensing, and optimization. Theoretically, sparse solutions are of interested in these fields because they can be recovered exactly from ill-posed inverse problems. Numerically, methods for computing sparse solutions have fast and efficient implementations, making them extremely practical. In terms of modeling, sparsity is promoted through the addition of an $L^1$ norm (or related quantity) as a constraint or penalty in a variational model. This methodology is also related to various properties of solutions of partial differential equations (PDEs) including compact support sets for free boundary problems and sparse representation of the solution space. Recently, sparsity-inducing methods used in image processing and compressed sensing have been applied to computational PDEs and applied harmonic analysis. Part I of the thesis focuses on the construction of efficient numerical schemes for PDEs with sparse structures. From the early theoretical work on variational inequalities, it was showed that PDEs with $L^1$ subdifferential terms have unique solutions with compact supports which can be considered to be sparse in the discrete sense. We considered an elliptic PDE derived from a variational principle or a parabolic PDE associated with the gradient flow of a convex functional. In order to compute the solutions, fast computational schemes were introduced to solve the resulting minimization problem. Those methods can handle the multivalued nature of the sub-gradient $\partial \|u\|_{L^1}$, which involve the proximal operator of the $L^1$ term. Although these methods are popular in imaging and data science, their applications in PDEs are limited.The $L^1$-based methodology was also introduced to elliptic obstacle problems and related free boundary problems such as Hele-Shaw flow, two-phase membrane, and divisible sandpile. Our numerical methods are based on a reformulation of those PDEs in terms of $L^1$-like penalties on the associated variational problems. One advantage of the proposed methods is that the free boundary inherent in the obstacle problem arises naturally in the energy minimization without any need for problem specific or complicated discretization. Moreover, the numerical solution can be computed using fast and simple algorithms.Part II of the thesis focuses on data decomposition methods to extract important features or recover the intrinsic properties from the original data. From the variational approaches, a unifying retinex framework was developed to decompose an image into two components with certain sparsity and fidelity priors. The unified formulation connects many retinex implementations into one model. Moreover, new retinex applications were introduced within a single framework which includes shadow detection, cartoon-texture decomposition, nonuniform illumination correction and color contrast enhancement.


A recent article in the Dutch Journal of Medicine describes two cases of patients with body integrity identity disorder (BIID), a disorder in which patients might resort to self-amputation in order to create the body they wish for. The authors wonder if medical professionals should provide elective amputations in BIID patients in order to prevent them from harm and death. The amputation of a healthy limb in BIID in a medical context is currently under discussion. Doctors struggle to proceed to elective amputation of a healthy body part in BIID. An analogy with gender dysphoria or euthanasia might shed a different light on this dilemma.


We have examined the affinity shown by the immunoglobulin fraction from each of five sera containing macroamylase for amylases from different sources: human saliva or human, porcine, or ovine pancreas. High affinity constants, 0.4 X 10(10) to 7.2 X 10(10) L/mol, were found in competitive binding experiments with human or porcine pancreatic amylase. All but one serum yielded linear Scatchard plots, indicating that in most sera the amylase-binding immunoglobulins are homogeneous, possibly monoclonal. The immunoglobulin fractions from different sera differed in their specificity: two of them bound all four types of amylases, whereas two bound only one type. Three of the five immunoglobulin fractions showed considerably higher affinity towards one or both of the animal amylases than towards the human ones, and may be primarily directed against some animal amylase.


Digital calibration schemes generally allow for high-speed operation and reduced power consumption at the price of lower accuracy compared with their analogue counterparts. However, in dynamic comparators, when exceeding 4 or 5 bits, any resolution increase will be progressively traded against the circuit parameters. This study presents a three-step design procedure to optimise the comparator performance for a given N
. First, a new configuration of the latch comparator has allowed optimising the comparison speed in terms of N
. Second, the calibration scheme has been reduced to a simple digital sequencer to perform a progressive capacitive offset trimming. Third, the sequencer automatic increment has been programmed to stop at optimal operation to achieve the best calibration accuracy. The proposed method has then been applied to design a latch comparator with 7 bit calibration control in a commercially available 0.18 μm complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor technology. Post-layout statistical simulations have shown that the circuit can achieve up to 5.9 bit calibration resolution without altering the comparator performances.


In order to know the fate of an organic carbon in deep subduction zone, we have observed the Sanbagawa eclogite (Tonaru eclogite) accompanying cupper-iron sulfides (so called Besshi mine type Cu-Fe sulfides). The sulfides are considered as precipitates related to the Jurassic ridge-hydrothermal alteration. In the eclogite, Cu-Fe sulfides contain silicate with graphite along cracks. The rims of the sulfides are replaces as Fe-Cu oxides. It is considered that the graphites were on the sulfide and along the interstitial domain such as cracks then rim of the oxides were overgrown. The graphite crystallization temperature calibrated using laser Raman peak shift, is estimated lower than 300 C. It is obviously lower than that of the metamorphic temperature of the eclogite 550-600 C. It clearly suggests that graphite was probably from the micro-bacteria with Cu-Fe sulfides in the hydrothermal zone in the Mid-oceanic ridge system. It is well known that the Cu-Fe oxides were formed in high P/T Sanbagawa metamorphism. Therefore overgrowth of the oxides on the studied sulfide-graphite association were in deep subduction zone. In summary, the Jurassic ridge-hydrothermal alteration provides bacteria cluster, and subsequently the organic carbon would be recycled down deep in the mantle via subduction zone.


It is a qualitative study that describes and analyzes how professionals deal with social issues of inclusiveness and ethics in the investigation of cases involving interventions for adolescents. The focus is on the strategies that staff in social services expressed in terms of obstacles and opportunities for working participatively and especially when it comes to dealing with ethical dilemmas that may arise. The method used was qualitative research interviews. Five social workers from two different municipalities were interviewed and the material is analyzed on the basis of socio-cultural theory and organizational theory. Themes that emerged were participation, ethics, discretion and flexibility, collaboration, organization, skills and time. The main obstacles that have emerged in the study are that those who work in social services have had been difficulties to fully create participation due to various factors. The study has shown that organizational factors, limited room for maneuver, and time has a huge impact and can be seen as a threat towards quality and job involvement. The main conditions that have emerged in the study is that discretion, knowledge and experience as an opportunity to create participation.


BACKGROUND
The term schizophrenia is being debated worldwide in connection with the updating of current classification systems for mental illness. There is a growing tendency towards a more uniform and dimensional way of thinking, where it is recognised that there is a gradual transition between the symptom patterns in the bipolar and schizophrenia spectrum and individual symptoms are manifested in a continuum extending from well to ill.

MATERIAL AND METHOD
We have selected some texts from the 1800 s and studied them in the light of the current debate. The purpose of this article is not to explain historical events, and our selection of texts is not claimed to be representative. Rather, we have attempted to bring texts from the past into the current discussion concerning classification and the concept of continuum.

RESULTS
In texts from the 1800 s, mental illness was perceived as a spectrum of disorders that ranged from ill to well. Rather than set clear and distinct boundaries between disorders, these authors made it clear that the transitions were gradual. A number of them believed that the different forms taken by mental illness were merely different manifestations of one and the same disorder.

INTERPRETATION
Both the manifestations of the illnesses and psychiatrists' diagnostic constructs reflect the practice and thinking of the past. This makes historical reviews fruitful as a backdrop to the current debate.


Objective: To review the international body of literature from 2010 to 2015 concerning methods of economic evaluations used in hospital- and community-based studies of pharmacy services in publicly funded health systems worldwide, their clinical outcomes, and economic effectiveness. Data Sources: The literature search was undertaken between May 2, 2015, and September 4, 2015. Keywords included "health economics" and "evaluation" "assessment" or "appraisal," "methods," "hospital" or "community" or "residential care," "pharmacy" or "pharmacy services" and "cost minimisation analysis" or "cost utility analysis" or "cost effectiveness analysis" or "cost benefit analysis." The databases searched included MEDLINE, PubMed, Google Scholar, Science Direct, Springer Links, and Scopus, and journals searched included PLoS One, PLoS Medicine, Nature, Health Policy, Pharmacoeconomics, The European Journal of Health Economics, Expert Review of Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research, and Journal of Health Economics. Study Selection and Data Extraction: Studies were selected on the basis of study inclusion criteria. These criteria included full-text original research articles undertaking an economic evaluation of hospital- or community-based pharmacy services in peer-reviewed scientific journals and in English, in countries with a publicly funded health system published between 2010 and 2015. Data Synthesis: 14 articles were included in this review. Cost-utility analysis (CUA) was the most utilized measure. Cost-minimization analysis (CMA) was not used by any studies. The limited use of cost-benefit analyses (CBAs) is likely a result of technical challenges in quantifying the cost of clinical benefits, risks, and outcomes. Hospital pharmacy services provided clinical benefits including improvements in patient health outcomes and reductions in adverse medication use, and all studies were considered cost-effective due to meeting a cost-utility (per quality-adjusted life year) threshold or were cost saving. Community pharmacy services were considered cost-effective in 8 of 10 studies. Conclusions: Economic evaluations of hospital and community pharmacy services are becoming increasingly commonplace to enable an understanding of which health care services provide value for money and to inform policy makers as to which services will be cost-effective in light of limited health care resources.


In this paper, we present a rule to improve the nonlinear solution with frequency map analysis (FMA), and without frequently revisiting the optimization algorithm. Two aspects of FMA are emphasized. The first one is the tune shift with amplitude, which can be used to improve the solution of harmonic sextupoles, and thus obtain a large dynamic aperture. The second one is the tune diffusion rate, which can be used to select a quiet tune. Application of these ideas is carried out in the storage ring of the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF), and the detailed processes, as well as better solutions, are presented in this paper. Discussions about the nonlinear behaviors of off-momentum particles are also presented.


MAy, 2010 Production of this publication was made possible through a financial contribution from the Public Health Agency of Canada. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of the Public Health Agency. Translated materials completed by Sexuality Education Resource Centre. For copies of all topic information and languages go to: www.cancercare.mb.ca/translated_treatment_info Nausea and Vomiting (sick to your stomach/throwing up) Nausea and Vomiting


Radiotelemetry is the "state of the art" for monitoring physiological functions in awake and freely moving laboratory animals, while minimizing stress artifacts. For researchers, especially those in the fields of pharmacology and toxicology, the technique provides a valuable tool for defining the physiological and pathophysiological consequences derived from advances molecular, cellular, and tissue biology and in predicting the effectiveness and safety of new compounds in humans. There is ample evidence that radiotelemetry systems for measuring physiological functions has been sufficiently validated. Today, the technology is an important tool for collection of a growing number of physiological parameters, for contributing to animal welfare (reduction and refinement alternatives), and for reducing overall animal research costs.


Talkback radio in Australia has been identified as a space used by politicians to communicate with the public. The political power wielded by talkback radio programs and hosts has also been explored (Griffen-Foley, 2007; Faine, 2005; Ward, 2002). However, relatively little is known about how Australian audiences who listen to talkback radio receive and react to the political content and, more importantly, how these audiences use talkback to engage with politicians. This article explores these issues, with a focus on the latter theme, through the words of some of the people who listen to and call talkback radio programs in Australia. It examines the role played by talkback radio for these audiences in facilitating access to politicians and how some individuals use this access to achieve solutions to their problems and issues. To some extent, its findings counter existing research, which has positioned talkback radio as the tool of the politician, revealing that in some instances it can be a powerful tool for the citizen.


Educational organisation is a reflection of the intelligence and breadth of vision of a community.Properly thought out it should provide both for adjustment of the individual to his society, and also for the progress of that society. A society concerned with the immediacies and efficiency could not be expected to provide a lengthy period of training for its teachers, nor express concern for a real depth of knowledge. From 1900 New Zealand educationalists could not stir to a realisation of the value of a thorough grounding for techers, a population over concerned with the development of its material conditions.


Proceedings of a Conference Cosponsored by the Canadian Consulate General in New York, the Centre for the Study of Living Standards, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and the New York Association for Business Economics.


Economic change requiring a more highly skilled workforce prompted worldwide concern over high school drop out. Dropouts are young people who leave school early, often without attaining formal educational qualifications. Much previous research centred on at-risk students and a range of individual, social, family and school factors associated with drop out were identified. This case study of student drop out and retention at three girls' state secondary schools over 2003 suggests that early leaving behaviour cannot be understood outside of the settings in which it occurs. Adopting an ecological perspective facilitated a deeper understanding of the complex interactions between the dropouts and their environment. From a narratives and numbers approach rich stories of early leaving emerged. Patterns of leaving were consistent with national trends: The lower decile school had the highest drop out rate, and dropouts were more likely to be Maori and Pasifika than European. Dropping out was shown to be a complicated and iterative process in which the influence of the environment is very important. Family and school relationships had a major impact but which had the greatest influence was inconclusive because there was a high level of interconnectedness between these proximal settings within the mesosystem and the bigger picture education and welfare systems. The extent of the contribution each level made to early leaving varied across individual stories, between schools and over time. Leaving school is an ecological transition that involves changing roles from high school pupil to that of tertiary student, mother, worker or benefit recipient. The students' stories show drop out to be both an outcome, and an initiator, of developmental change. An important challenge for schools is not necessarily to reduce the number of early leavers but to establish effective transition programmes that assist students to become proactive in navigating the many transitions anticipated over their life course. The implementation of such school programmes needs to be supported by parallel changes in government policy.


Chronic griseofulvin (GF) feeding induces preneoplastic foci followed by hepatocellular carcinoma in the mouse liver. Our previous study suggested that GF-induced hepatocellular proliferation had a different mechanism from that of peroxisome proliferator (PP)-induced direct hyperplasia. The GF-induced hepatocellular proliferation was mediated through activation of immediate early genes such as Fos, Jun, Myc, and NFKB. In contrast, PP-induced direct hyperplasia does not involve activation of any of these immediate early genes. It has been shown that nuclear hormone receptors including peroxisome proliferator activated receptors (PPARs) and retinoid x receptors (RXRs) play important roles in mediating the pleiotropic effects of PPs. To examine the possible roles of PPARs and RXRs during non-PP-induced hepatocellular proliferation and the interaction between PP and non-PP-induced proliferation, we have studied the expression of the PPAR and RXR genes in the GF model using northern blot hybridizations and gel retardation assays. The data showed that the expression of PPARalpha and RXRalpha genes was down-regulated in the livers containing preneoplastic nodules and in the liver tumors induced by GF. The mRNA down-regulation was accompanied by a decrease in the amount of nuclear protein-bound to peroxisome proliferator and retinoic acid responsive elements. Down-regulation was also associated with the suppressed expression of the PPARalpha/RXRalpha target genes (i.e., acyl-Co oxidase and cytochrome P450 4A1) and the catalase gene. The RXR-gamma gene was also down-regulated, but the RARalpha, beta, and gamma and PPARbeta and gamma genes were up-regulated. These results indicated that the hepatocarcinogenesis induced by GF is accompanied by suppression of the PPARalpha/RXRalpha-mediated direct hyperplasia pathway. The differential expression of these nuclear hormone receptors reveals a new aspect for understanding the individual roles and intercommunication of PPAR, RXR, and RAR isoforms in the liver.


Abstract The liberal international order, the inseparable mix of US geopolitical power and ideational project of organising international relations along normative frameworks such as internationalism, institutionalism and democracy, is reeling under the pressure of profound systemic changes such as greater interconnectedness and multipolarity. Predictions abound that increasing great power competition, most visibly at play in geographical areas of contested orders, will eventually tear it down. However, even if major actors – the US included – display a selective, irregular and often instrumental commitment to the liberal order, they are still repositioning themselves in that order and not outside of it. In addition, conflict is not the default outcome of order contestation, as hybrid forms of governance are possible even in troubled regions. No doubt, the world of tomorrow will be less American-shaped and less liberal, but transformation is a more plausible future than collapse for the liberal order.


Aims: Our aim was to investigate factors associated with participation in buccal cell DNA collection using a large-scale prospective cohort study. Methods: Of the 183,634 Korea Medical Insurance Corporation (KMIC) prospective cohort study enrollees, 44,773 (36,794 men) were randomly selected. Buccal cell collection kits were mailed and collected from March to September 2004. Epidemiologic characteristics measured at baseline (1990 or 1992) and during follow-up (1998) were compared between respondents and nonrespondents. Results: Among the 13,084 (29.2%) respondents, 78.7% submitted usable samples (DNA concentration ≧3 µg). After adjustments for either or both age and family history of chronic disease, participation in men was positively associated with old age, a family history of chronic disease, low subjective health status, and regular exercise, and negatively associated with current smoking status. In women, only old age was associated with participation. Low body mass index (BMI) (<18.5 kg/m2), blood pressure, total cholesterol, and fasting blood glucose level were negatively associated with participation in men after adjustments for age and family history of chronic disease, but not in women, except for low BMI. Conclusions: In this study, collecting buccal cell DNA by mailed survey has a low success rate (29%), and there appear to be a nonresponse bias and gender differences in the collection process.


PURPOSE
As impaired glucose metabolism may arise progressively during childhood, we sought to determine whether the introduction of specialist-taught school physical education (PE) based on sound educational principles could improve insulin resistance (IR) in elementary school children.

METHODS
In this 4-yr cluster-randomized intervention study, participants were 367 boys and 341 girls (mean age = 8.1 yr, SD = 0.35) initially in grade 2 in 29 elementary schools situated in suburbs of similar socioeconomic status. In 13 schools, 100 min·wk-1 of PE, usually conducted by general classroom teachers, was replaced with two classes per week taught by visiting specialist PE teachers; the remaining schools formed the control group. Teacher and pupil behavior were recorded, and measurements in grades 2, 4, and 6 included fasting blood glucose and insulin to calculate the homeostatic model of IR, percent body fat, physical activity, fitness, and pubertal development.

RESULTS
On average, the intervention PE classes included more fitness work than the control PE classes (7 vs 1 min, P < 0.001) and more moderate physical activity (17 vs 10 min, P < 0.001). With no differences at baseline, by grade 6, the intervention had lowered IR by 14% (95% confidence interval = 1%-31%) in the boys and by 9% (95% confidence interval = 5%-26%) in the girls, and the percentage of children with IR greater than 3, a cutoff point for metabolic risk, was lower in the intervention than the control group (combined, 22% vs 31%, P = 0.03; boys, 12% vs 21%, P = 0.06; girls, 32% vs 40%, P = 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
Specialist-taught primary school PE improved IR in community-based children, thereby offering a primordial preventative strategy that could be coordinated widely although a school-based approach.


The recent advent of quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) enables room-temperature mid-infrared spectrometer operation which is particularly favourable for industrial process monitoring and control, i.e. the detection of transient and stable molecular species. Conversely, fluorocarbon containing radio-frequency discharges are of special interest for plasma etching and deposition as well as for fundamental studies on gas phase and plasma surface reactions. The application of QCL absorption spectroscopy to such low pressure plasmas is typically hampered by non-linear effects connected with the pulsed mode of the lasers. Nevertheless, adequate calibration can eliminate such effects, especially in the case of complex spectra where single line parameters are not available. In order to facilitate measurements in fluorocarbon plasmas, studies on complex spectra of CF4 and C3F8 at 7.86 μm (1269 – 1275 cm-1) under low pressure conditions have been performed. The intra-pulse mode, i.e. pulses of up to 300 ns, was applied yielding highly resolved spectral scans of ~ 1 cm-1 coverage. Effective absorption cross sections were determined and their temperature dependence was studied in the relevant range up to 400 K and found to be non-negligible.


The recent cloning of complete cDNAs encoding carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and non-specific cross-reacting antigen has revealed the existence of a new gene family belonging to the immunoglobulin gene superfamily. We have reported the isolation of a partial CEA cDNA and of L-cell transfectant cell lines that express human antigens cross- reactive with commercial antibodies directed to native CEA (Kamarck, M., J. Elting, J. Hart, S. Goebel, P. M. M. Rae, J. Nedwin, and T. Barnett. 1987. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 84:5350-5354). In this study, we describe the identification and cloning of 3.9-, 3.7-, 2.2-, and 1.8-kb cDNAs and a 23-kb genomic transcription unit, which code for new members of the CEA gene family. DNA sequence analysis of these cloned DNAs establishes the existence of a set of four alternatively spliced mRNAs which are expressed in several tumor cell lines, in human fetal liver, and in L-cell transfectants. Deduced amino acid sequences of the encoded isoantigens show extensive similarity to CEA and nonspecific cross-reacting antigens, but in addition demonstrate transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains. We designate members of this antigen family transmembrane CEAs. The transmembrane CEA isoantigens share general structural characteristics with members of the immunoglobulin gene superfamily and can be specifically compared to the cell adhesion molecules, N-CAM (neural cell adhesion molecule) and MAG (myelin-associated glycoprotein).


This study revealed a sagittal zonal pattern of projections to the cerebellar cortex after hydraulic or iontophoretic injections of anterograde tracers (tritiated leucine, wheat germ agglutinin‐horseradish peroxidase, or biotinylated dextrane amine) in the basilar pontine nuclei of Wistar rats. The zonal pattern of projection was observed only after injections of small size, whereas large injections labeled diffusely wide areas of the cerebellar cortex, masking the zonal projection because the fusion of contiguous stripes. Diverging projections to discrete sets of sagittal stripes in the two sides of the cerebellar cortex arose from single injections. The stripes of fiber terminals were sharply delimited on both sides by areas, interstripes, either virtually void of labeling or with a much lower density of labeling. Thus, the areas of the cerebellar cortex were parceled in sets of sagittal compartments, stripes and interstripes, by the pontine projections. Up to five compartments (three stripes and two interstripes) were observed in the paraflocculus, in the copula pyramidis, and in vermal lobule IX. Up to nine compartments (five stripes and four interstripes) were found in the crus I, the lobulus simplex, the paramedian lobule, and vermal lobules VI–VIII. Up to seven compartments (four stripes and three interstripes) were found in the crus II. Single injections into the basilar pontine nuclei usually labeled symmetric areas of the cerebellar cortex, which, in some cases, showed similar number of stripes. When this was not the case, the stripes were usually more numerous in the contralateral than in the ipsilateral side. All areas of the cerebellar cortex were projected upon, with zonation patterns from different regions of the basilar pontine nuclei. The projections of the basilar pontine nuclei to the cerebellar cortex were arranged according to a fixed pattern specific for each cortical area, independently of the number of stripes labeled within. The mean width of the stripes visualized in the single cortical areas of different rats was similar, despite the different size of the injections. The length of the stripes ranged widely in the various areas of different rats. The data collected in this study are consistent with the idea that all the mossy afferents to the cerebellar cortex are arranged with a zonal pattern. J. Comp. Neurol. 430:471–484, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Lung cancer incidence in the elderly is rising over year. The standard treatment for locally non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is based on a combination of chemotherapy and thoracic radiation. No standard is described or validated for patients older than 70 years.
The objective of this retrospective study was to evaluate the toxicities and the feasibility of daily cisplatin at a dose of 6 mg/m² during thoracic irradiation (66-70 Gray) in NSCLC with poor WHO performance status, and/or comorbidities. The second objective was to obtain a first estimation of survival for patients with stage III-IV.
Between 2011 and 2015, 13 patients were retrieved from the hospital database. The median age was 71.3 years, and the most frequent histologic type was squamous cell carcinoma (69%). The most frequent grade 2 adverse events were cardiac (n=3) or digestive (n=1). No pulmonary toxicity was observed. For the 10 patients with stage III-IV, the median progression free survival was 171 months. The 1-year overall survival (OS) was 90%, and the 2-years OS was 67%.
The combination of daily cisplatin with thoracic radiation is effective, and well tolerated in fragile NSCLC patients. This association should be evaluated in clinical trials.


Many companies are implementing new mechanisms to better manage operations across units in a supply chain. Both the operations management literature and the accounting literature are investigating such inter-organizational developments. Since supply chain planning (SCP) typically started across several units within the domain of a single company, the models that have been developed in inventory theory assume a single company perspective. SCP from a centralized perspective optimizes objectives at the level of the total chain. However, it is mainstream thought nowadays in the operations management literature that the planning function should focus as much as possible on the entire supply chain rather than on a single unit in the supply chain. Consequently, SCP across independent companies has seen some attempts in practice, although inventory models have not been formulated so far. The accounting literature has started to examine the conditions under which information exchange mechanisms and other elements of SCP are beneficial to each individual company in the supply chain. The present paper builds on this perspective of the individual units' objectives. Each unit will often be part of different supply chains, and we investigate how decisions made by the SCP functions of those different supply chains may interfere at the level of the unit. These planning decisions may not be in that unit's best interest, which would prevent independent companies from engaging in SCP. This paper introduces two new concepts to describe and support SCP across independent companies: outsourced SCP and between-supply-chain coordination.


In November 2013 the Centre for Development Innovation (CDI) of Wageningen University & Research Centre organized an international seminar to discuss Public-Private Partnerships and the role they can potentially play in improving market access for smallholder farmers and entrepreneurs. The seminar was an integral part of the international CDI course Market access for Sustainable Development. This report describes the proceedings and findings of the seminar. Report number CDI-13-035.


ABSTRACT Emergence of unharvested potatoes that survived during winter becomes source for nematodes and diseases, causing serious weed problems in rotational crop fields. Herein, we describe frost killing of unharvested potatoes in potato–wheat rotation fields using snow compaction 'yuki-fumi' under multiple climate conditions. The effect of snow compaction in controlling volunteer potato over winter wheat was verified in 17 farm fields in Hokkaido, Japan from 2015–16 to 2017–18. A reduction in the temperature of soil under 'yuki-fumi' was slower than that under snow removal 'yuki-wari', which was used in previous studies. However, snow compaction achieved a substantial reduction in volunteer potato sprouting in most of the experimental sites. The sprouting of volunteer potatoes was reduced in snow-compaction blocks with soil temperatures below −3°C. For winter wheat sowing in potato–wheat rotation, the soil is tilled to a shallower depth than that for other crops, and thus, unharvested potato tubers are not pushed down during field preparation for wheat sowing. Consequently, even if the soil temperature drops slightly, snow compaction can regulate the sprouting of volunteer potatoes. Snow compaction did not exert any apparent influence on wheat growth and grain yield. At some sites with a deeper snowpack, development of soil frost and reduction in soil temperature did not progress with continued snow compaction owing to fallen snow. We validated the usefulness of snow compaction as a countermeasure to control volunteer potatoes in snowy regions. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT


A method for estimating the build‐time required by the laminated object manufacturing (LOM) process is presented in this paper. The proposed algorithm – taking into account the real process parameters and the information included in the part's STL‐file – performs a minimum manipulation of the file, and calculates total volume, total surface area and flat areas involved in fine cross‐hatching. A number of experiments performed verify the applicability of the algorithm in process build‐time estimation. The time prediction estimates are within 7.6 per cent of the real build‐times for the LOM process. It is believed that, through specific minor adjustments, the algorithm could well be employed in process build‐time estimation for similar rapid prototyping processes.


The elimination of specific stromal cells allows the immune system to suppress the growth of solid malignant tumors. Cancer cells are embedded in stroma, the connective tissue framework of solid tumors. It consists of nonmalignant hematopoietic and mesenchymal cells, as well as extracellular matrix. Whether stromal cells have an essential role in cancer development and growth has been long debated. On page 827 of this issue, Kraman et al. (1) show that deleting a subpopulation of stromal fibroblasts arrests the growth of a solid tumor, an effect that depends on an immune response to the tumor. These results agree with other studies suggesting that immunizing against fibroblasts in tumors can unmask an immune response to cancer (2, 3).


Purpose: Mechanisms of Change (MoC) explain how strategies used to enhance the uptake of evidence in social and human services enable change in the behaviors of individual practitioners, organizational leaders or entire organizations, and systems. One such strategy is the use of implementation support practitioner (ISPs). This study examines the mechanisms through which ISPs facilitate behavior supportive of the implementation of research-supported interventions. Methods: A systematic, integrative review was conducted. The conceptualization of MoCs built on a model by Dalkin and colleagues. Results: Based on a unique combination of knowledge, skills, and attitudes, ISPs install trust in and among their stakeholders and utilize this trust to promote meaningful and relevant learning; provide ongoing opportunities for learning, reflection, and support; help to span boundaries; and positively motivate stakeholders. Discussion: ISPs do not represent a short cut to better implementation. They represent an additional implementation challenge that requires dedicated attention and resources.


We propose a quantum simulator based on driven superconducting qubits where the interactions are generated parametrically by a bichromatic magnetic flux modulation of a tunable bus element. Using a time-dependent Schrieffer-Wolff transformation, we analytically derive a multiqubit Hamiltonian which features independently tunable $XX$- and $YY$-type interactions as well as local bias fields over a large parameter range. We demonstrate the adiabatic simulation of the ground state of a hydrogen molecule using two superconducting qubits and one tunable bus element. The time required to reach chemical accuracy lies in the few microsecond range. Therefore, the proposed adiabatic protocol could be implemented using currently available superconducting circuits. Further applications of this technique may also be found in the simulation of interacting spin systems.


Continuous high-resolution observations of cell membrane would greatly aid the elucidation of the relationship between structure and function and facilitate the study of physiological processing in cell biology. However, high-resolution studying living neuron membrane structures and its functions is still a challenge in current nanobiology. The new developed Hoping Probe Ion Conductance Microscopy (HPICM) is designed for non-contact continuous high-resolution topographic imaging of living cells under physiological conditions. In this review, we concisely introduced the basic operation principle of HPICM and its applications in high spatial resolution imaging of two living neuron cell models, N-type SK-N-SH cells and NGF-differentiated sympathetic neuron-like PC12 cells. Combining HPICM with patch-clamp technique, we further investigated the functional ion-channel of under-differentiated neuron-like PC12 cells and demonstrated that NGF treatment promoted the outgrowth of neurites and increased the activity of TTX-sensitive sodium channel. All these results demonstrate that HPICM combined with patch-clamp technique offers high-resolution topographic imaging of living neurons with non-contact — making HPICM an ideal high-resolution imaging technique not to interact/interfere with living neurons during image acquisition, and provides detailed information about the relationship between membrane structures and ion-channel functions of living neurons at the same time, which has the potential to become a powerful microscopy for in-depth researching in neural nanobiology.


The following essay by Giorgio Agamben is based on a lecture given in central France in the summer of 2013. Responding directly to recent occupations and insurrections—from Cairo and Istanbul to London and New York City—Agamben builds upon his existing work in order to develop and clarify his understanding of the political and, in particular, the notion of destituent power (potenza destituente). In contrast to attempts to affirm a constituent power independent of a relation to constituted power, which for Agamben both reproduce the governmental structure of the exception and represent the apex of metaphysics, destituent power outlines a force that, in its very constitution, deactivates the governmental machine. For Agamben, it is in the sensible elaboration of the belonging together of life and form, being and action, beyond all relation, that the impasse of the present will be overcome. Ultimately, Agamben points not only towards what it means to become Ungovernable, but towards the potential of staying so.


Whereas the number of girls involved in the juvenile justice system is on the rise, little is known about female juvenile offenders after they reach adulthood. This study aims to explore the meaning that young adult women ascribe to their juvenile court experiences and assess their perceptions of facilitators and barriers to progress in their adult lives. Data on services and support are presented from nine semistructured interviews. Findings include the commonality of mental health issues, substance abuse, and problematic relationships with intimate partners. Implications for service provision and policy, as well as future research directions, are outlined.


'Adolescence', Pregnancy and Abortion-Catriona I. Macleod 2010-07-07 Winner of the Rhodes University ViceChancellor's Book Award 2012! Winner of the 2011 Distinguished Publication Award of the Association for Women in Psychology! Why, despite evidence to the contrary, does the narrative of the negative consequences of teenage pregnancy, abortion and childbearing persist? This book argues that the negativity surrounding early reproduction is underpinned by a particular understanding of adolescence. It traces the invention of "adolescence" and the imaginary wall that the notion constructs between young people and adults. Macleod examines the entrenched status of "adolescence" within a colonialist discourse that equates development of the individual with the development of civilisation, and the consequent threat of degeneration that "adolescence" implies. Many important issues are explored, such as the invention of teenage pregnancy and abortion as a social problem; issues of race, culture and tradition in relation to teenage pregnancy; and health service provider practices, specifically in relation to managing risk. In the final chapter, an argument is made for a shift from the signifier "teenage pregnancy" to "unwanted pregnancy". Using data gathered from studies worldwide, this book highlights central issues in the global debate concerning teenage pregnancy. It is ideal for academics, and students of health psychology, women's studies, nursing and sociology, as well as practitioners in the fields of youth and social work, medicine and counselling.


PURPOSE
To analyze the relationship between ARMS2 and HTRA1 in the association with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in an independent case-control dataset and to investigate the subcellular localization of the ARMS2 protein in an in vitro system.

METHODS
Two SNPs in ARMS2 and HTRA1 were genotyped in 685 cases and 269 controls by a genotyping assay. Allelic association was tested by a chi(2) test. A likelihood ratio test (LRT) of full versus reduced models was used to analyze the interaction between ARMS2 and smoking and HTRA1 and smoking, after adjustment for CFH and age. Immunofluorescence and immunoblot were applied to localize ARMS2 in retinal epithelial ARPE-19 cells and COS7 cell transfected by ARMS2 constructs.

RESULTS
Both significantly associated SNP rs10490924 and rs11200638 (P < 0.0001) are in strong linkage disequilibrium (LD; D' = 0.97, r(2) = 0.93) that generates virtually identical association test and odds ratios. In separate logistic regression models, the interaction effect for both smoking with ARMS2 and with HTRA1 was not statistically significant. Immunofluorescence and immunoblot show that both endogenous and exogenous ARMS2 are mainly distributed in the cytosol, not the mitochondria. Compared with the wild-type, ARMS2 A69S is more likely to be associated with the cytoskeleton in COS7 cells.

CONCLUSIONS
The significant associations in ARMS2 and HTRA1 are with polymorphisms in strong LD that confer virtually identical risks, preventing differentiation at the statistical level. ARMS2 was mainly distributed in the cytosol, not in the mitochondrial outer membrane as previously reported, suggesting that ARMS2 may not confer risk to AMD through the mitochondrial pathway.


Cellulose is very essential to plants because it determines the shape of cells, protects them from pathogens, and helps retain water that is needed for plant functions. It is also the major component of wood, cotton, and paper, which are items we use on a daily basis. Also, it can be used for the synthesis of biofuels. However, cellulose exists as strong fibers, which make it hard to breakdown for biofuel synthesis. If we can understand how cellulose is synthesized we can manipulate its fibers to make them stronger, more flexible, more absorbent, or easier to break down for use as biofuels. Cellulose synthase complexes are observed by electron microscopy in the plasma membrane and Golgi vesicles of algae and plants. However, the different CESA proteins cannot be identified using this technique. Therefore, the number of CESAs in a complex is still unknown as well as their stoichiometry. Regulation of the activity and assembly of the complex are also unknown. A general idea is that there are certain CESAs that are responsible for the formation of the primary cell wall, and others that are responsible for the secondary cell wall in vascular plants. But, the moss Physcomitrella patens has only primary cell walls and still has seven different CESAs. The purpose of this project is to study the properties and characteristics of cellulose synthase 5 (CESA5). Understanding the role of CESA5 in P. patens can lead to a better understanding of the evolution of the cellulose synthase complex and the formation of cellulose. This can ultimately enable us to break down cellulose for biofuels and use it as a possible solution to global warming. During the course of this project, a miniSOG-tagged CESA 5 expression clone was successfully created using Gateway cloning. Polymerase chain reaction and a BP reaction were used to make a tandem-miniSOG entry clone and an LR reaction was used to insert the entry clones into the destination vector. The destination vector was transformed into the moss. Phenotypic analysis will be performed on the transformed lines to gain insight onto the function of CESA 5 in the synthesis of cellulose.


The objects of the study were grasslands situated along the watercourse that collect matter directly from surface runoff from the surrounding fields and ditches. Therefore, the chemical composition of the bottom sediments can be varied. The aim of the study was to determine the content of anthropogenic fractions of selected heavy metals in meadow soils where the material from the watercourse maintenance was stored. Soil samples were collected along the banks of the Witonia "A" Channel (soil with sediment), and 30 meters from the watercourse (soil without sediment). The pH of soils without sediment was in the range 6.2–6.6, whereas the soil with sediment had a pH >7.0. The content of organic matter was 5.7–31.5%. The concentration of anthropogenic fractions of elements was determined by atomic absorption spectrometry after extraction with a (1 + 4) HCl solution. The anthropogenic enrichment coefficients (AEC) calculated in relation to the geochemical background level, were within the range: 0.9–2.8 for Zn, 1.2–3.5 for Cu, 0.7–3.1 for Pb, 1.0–2.8 for Ni and 0.3–0.9 for Cd. The AEC values for lead, copper, cadmium and nickel were usually higher in samples without sediment. A significant correlation between the metal and organic content (R2 =0.7–0.9) was found. On two sites, the level of heavy metals under investigation shows a significant local influence from anthropogenic pressure.


Giardia lamblia, a prevalent human pathogen and one of the lineages that branched earliest from prokaryotes, can be infected with a double-stranded RNA virus, giardiavirus (GLV). The 6,277-bp viral genome has been previously cloned (A.L. Wang, H.-M. Yang, K.A. Shen, and C.C. Wang, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 90:8595-8599, 1993; C.-H. Wu, C.C. Wang, H.M. Yang, and A.L. Wang, Gene, in press) and was converted to a transfection vector for G. lamblia in the present study. By flanking the firefly luciferase gene with the 5' and 3' untranslated regions (UTRs) of the GLV genome, transcript of the construct was synthesized in vitro with T7 polymerase and used to transfect G. lamblia WB trophozoites already infected with GLV (WBI). Optimal electroporation conditions used for the transfection were set at 1,000 V/cm and 500 microF, which resulted in expression of significant luciferase activity up to 120 h after electroporation. Furthermore, the mRNA and the antisense RNA of the luciferase gene were both detected by reverse transcription and PCR from 6 to 120 h postelectroporation, whereas no antisense RNA of luciferase was observed in the electroporated virus-free Giardia WB trophozoites. The mRNA of luciferase was detectable in the virus-free trophozoites by reverse transcription and PCR only up to 20 h after the electroporation, indicating that the introduced mRNA was replicated only by the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase inside the WBI cells. This expression of luciferase was dependent on the presence of UTRs on both ends of the viral genome transcript, including a putative packaging site that was apparently indispensable for luciferase expression. This is the first time that a viral vector in the form of mRNA URTs has been successfully used in transfecting a protozoan.


(1) Background: A well-established Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) facility includes many essential systems, which are the epithermal neutron beam system, on-line monitoring system (OMS), QA/QC (quality assurance or quality control) system, boron concentration (BC) measurement system, and treatment planning system (TPS). Accurate data transmission, monitoring, and deposition among these systems are of vital importance before, during, and after clinical, animal, and cell BNCT irradiation. This work developed a novel integrated platform NeuTHOR Station (NeuTHORS) for BNCT at Tsing Hua Open-pool Reactor (THOR). Apart from the data of the OMS and QA/QC system, the data of BC and TPS can be loaded on NeuTHORS before BNCT clinical, animal, and cell irradiation. (2) Methods: A multi-paradigm computer programming language c# (c sharp) was used to develop the integrated platform NeuTHORS. The design of NeuTHORS is based on the standard procedures of BNCT treatment or experiment at THOR. Moreover, parallel testing with OMS-BNCT (the former OMS) and QA/QC of THOR was also performed for more than 70 times to verify the validation of NeuTHORS. (3) Results: According to the comparisons of the output, NeuTHORS and OMS-BNCT and QA/QC of THOR show very good consistency. NeuTHORS is now installed on an industrial PC (IPC) and successfully performs the monitoring of BNCT Treatment at THOR. Patients' f BC and TPS data are also input into NeuTHORS and stored on IPC through an internal network from BC measurement room and TPS physicist. Therefore, the treatment data of each patient can be instantaneously established after each BNCT treatment for further study on BNCT. NeuTHORS can also be applied on data acquisition for a BNCT-related study, especially for animal or cell irradiation experiments. (4) Conclusions: A novel integrated platform NeuTHOR Station for monitoring BNCT clinical treatment and animal and cell irradiation study has been successfully established at THOR. With this platform, BNCT radiobiology investigations will be efficiently performed and a thorough data storage and analysis system of BNCT treatments or experiments can thus be systematically built up for the further investigation of BNCT at THOR.


We present an investigation of 84 star clusters in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) galaxy using different broad-band photometric, age-estimation methods. Because of its intermediate distance, the LMC is uniquely positioned to compare its clusters that have previously been aged using both resolved photometry [colour–magnitude diagrams (CMDs)] of the constituent stars and unresolved methods (integrated, broad-band colour photometry). In our comparison between the published CMD ages to three similar, but different methods based on UBV integrated colours, we find poor matches. We attribute this primarily to two things. First, the UBV integrated broad-band ageing methods require matching a cluster with an expected model prediction of the cluster colours as a function of age. The biggest problem we find is that the stellar clusters in our sample do not typically lie on the model line based on their known age and extinction. That is to say, real cluster colours often do not match the model colours and can be found some distance from expected model values. The second issue, which has been previously documented in numerous studies, is the strong degeneracy between age and extinction in the UBV plane. Certainly, providing more photometric bands will reduce degeneracy between age and reddening. Better yet, if extinction can be independently determined, we show that ages from methods based on integrated colours will more closely match those obtained from CMD ages. However, the underlying issue remains. Simple stellar population models often do not accurately represent the colours of real stellar clusters due to the incomplete and stochastic sampling of the stellar mass function in low- and moderate-mass stellar clusters.


Objectives Takayasu's arteritis (TAK) is a chronic, inflammatory, large-vessel vasculitis. In this study we aimed to evaluate vascular endothelial function by brachial ultrasonography and to evaluate carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT) in patients with TAK compared to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and healthy controls. Methods The study included 32 patients with TAK, fulfilling the 1990 Classification Criteria of American College of Rheumatology (ACR), 18 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) classified according to the 1982 ACR Criteria and 20 age- and sex-matched controls. Brachial artery Doppler ultrasonography and bilateral CIMT measurements were performed. Results Basal diameter and nitrate-induced dilatation (NID) values of the brachial artery were similar between the three groups. Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) was markedly reduced in patients with TAK compared to controls (P = 0.0001). CIMT was also signifi cantly increased in the TAK group, compared to the controls (P = 0.0001). In the SLE group, a marked impairment in FMD% was also obtained compared to controls (P = 0.0001). CIMT measurement was similar between the patients with SLE and the controls (P = 0.60, P= 0.05). Conclusions We detected significantly decreased FMD and increased CIMT in TAK, suggesting a marked endothelial dysfunction. Both chronic systemic inflammation and vasculitis might lead to endothelial dysfunction and increased atherosclerosis in TAK, suggesting that management of cardiovascular risk factors are also important in the management of vasculitis.


In the past decade, research has yielded mixed results regarding the relationship between task complexity and writing quality. Some studies have suggested that an increase in task complexity results in the improvement of syntactic complexity, accuracy and fluency. Other studies have demonstrated partial improvement in fluency, accuracy, syntactic complexity, or lexical complexity. This study examines the impact of task structure on writing quality among English-as-a-second-language (ESL) young learners. The analysis is based on 236 ESL fourth-grade pupils' narrative compositions. Using the Limited Attention Capacity Model and the Cognitive Hypothesis, the analysis revealed that Primary Four pupils wrote significantly longer and syntactically more complex texts in structured tasks, and they scored higher in lexical variety in unstructured tasks. The accuracy of writing did not vary significantly based on task structure. The study provides new empirical evidence for the argument that task structure affects ESL young learners' writing performance in terms of syntactic complexity, fluency, and lexical variety. The findings contribute new knowledge to the field of second language writing. In particular, how task structures influence writing quality and how such knowledge can inform writing pedagogy and the evaluation of students' written work.


The study was conducted on 29 New-Zealand female rabbits to examine the dose-response pattern of SO2 in inhaled air. A group of 14 animals was exposed to papain-aerosol (P-A) twice a week for 1 h each over 12 weeks in order to increase bronchial reactivity. A group of 9 animals received similar treatment but with saline-aerosol (NaCl-A); this group served for control. The third group of 6 animals remained untreated (K). After 12 weeks of treatment individual animals were anesthetized and the P-A and NaCl-A groups were exposed for 5 min each to different concentrations of SO2 (0.0, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0 and 9.0 mg/m3). The animals of group K were treated similarly but they were exposed 5X to synthetic air; this group served the purpose to follow the anesthesia effect on respiration and cardio-vascular system. The recovery period was 30 min between the exposures. The K-animals showed gradual decrease of lung resistance (R1). In contrast P-A and NaCl-A animals both showed a clear increase in R1 following exposure to SO2, and R1 was considerably higher in P-A than in NaCl-A animals. The maximum change in R1 was caused by exposure to 4.0 mg/m3 SO2 and it was even greater than the response produced by 9.0 mg/m3 SO2 in P-A animals. A similar pattern of response was also observed in NaCl-A animals, but the highest increase in R1 was caused by exposure to 2.0 mg/m3 SO2. From these results it can be concluded that high concentration of SO2 could have a damaging effect on sensory receptors of the tracheobronchial system.


The effect of varying the fraction of charged monomer units of the polyion in aqueous polyion-oppositely charged surfactant complex salts has been investigated. The complex salts used were based on cetyltrimethylammonium (C16TA+) with three different polymeric counterions: poly(acrylate) (PA-) or poly(acrylate) copolymerized with either dimethylacrylamide (PA-/DAM) or N-isopropylamide (PA-/NIPAM). The charge density of the polyion was varied by either adding poly(acrylic) acid (PAA) to the C16TAPA complex salt (annealed charges) or by varying the fraction of uncharged units in the C16TAPA/DAM or C16TAPA/NIPAM complex salts (quenched charges). The formed phases were studied visually between crossed polarizers and by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Both types of complex salts (annealed and quenched) formed hexagonal phases at high fractions of charged monomers and low water contents. Upon increasing the water content, a cubic phase of the Pm3n space group was found. Upon further addition of water, a miscibility gap with the cubic phase in equilibrium with pure water was found. Decreasing the fraction of charged monomers in the annealed complex salt resulted in an increase of the curvature of the surfactant aggregates. Only at very low (<0.05) fractions of charged monomers did the packing of the surfactant aggregates lose long-range order, and eventually, the miscibility gap disappeared. For the quenched complex salts, the changes upon decreasing the fraction of charged monomers in the polyion were similar, but the loss of long-range order occurred at much higher fractions of charged monomers. The average surfactant aggregation number in the surfactant aggregates, which was similar for the annealed and quenched systems, decreased when the fraction of charged monomers was decreased.


This research analyzes derivative strategies that have been applied on the Nifty IT index, which is one of the sectoral indexes under Nifty. It involves the application of derivative strategies on five years of historical data of the Nifty IT index and determines their profitability. Two strategies have been used for this purpose: long straddle and short straddle. The success rates of the two neutral option strategies have been computed. The research aims to identify the strategy that can be consistently applied on the Nifty IT index in the future to generate profits. Payoff graphs for the most recent months have also been generated to complement the findings of this analysis. The results suggest that the success percentage of a long straddle strategy has been around 40% and that of short straddle around 60%. The authors conclude that the market is more bearish on volatility for the Nifty IT index. The short straddle strategy was more successful than the long straddle strategy for the period studied. Therefore, of the two strategies, the short straddle seems to offer the best prospects for neutral trading on the Nifty IT index in the future.


In this paper, the first panel on sources of funding for Portuguese publicly owned museums is explored. There has been little work in this field worldwide, and none for Portugal. Evidence in this paper seems contrary to that relating to the UK and to the US. We find that incremental budgeting still plays a major role on the funding of Portuguese museums, allowing for inefficient management and moral hazard: the interests of museums' management may diverge clearly from those of the authorities ruling them and from those of the general public. We also find that the ability to generate their own revenues plays no role in the funding allocated to museums every year. Budgeting is mainly determined by past operating costs. Policy changes seem to be advisable. The scarce relevance of museum patronage by the private sector makes a discussion of possible crowding out effects irrelevant in the current Portuguese context.


This major research paper explores the use of gamification mechanics and procedural rhetoric to engage loyalty program communities on social media. In doing so, this study investigates the influences of online communities, the applications of gamification mechanics and procedural rhetoric, as well as the role and agency of consumers. A quantitative content analysis was used to analyze a sample of 10,000 tweets related to the Air Miles Rewards Program. The results showed that gamification mechanics and procedural rhetoric were present in the Twitter conversations. However, they were used differently to achieve various elements of community based on competing interests by authors. Findings from this study contribute to the academic and professional world of communication, and can inform digital marketing and social media strategies for community engagement


Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide and results from a complex interaction between carcinogen exposure and inherent susceptibility. Despite its prevalence, genetic factors that predispose to the development of lung cancer remain elusive. Inbred mouse models offer a unique and clinically relevant tool to study genetic factors that contribute to lung carcinogenesis due to the development of tumors that resemble human adenocarcinoma and broad strain-specific variation in cancer incidence after carcinogen administration. Here, we set out to investigate whether strain-specific variability in tumor immunosurveillance contributes to differences in lung cancer. Using bone marrow transplantation, we determined that hematopoietic cells from lung cancer-resistant mice could significantly impede the development of cancer in a susceptible strain. Furthermore, we show that this is not due to differences in tumor-promoting inflammatory changes or variability in immunosurveillance by the adaptive immune system but results from strain-specific differences in natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxicity. Using a newly discovered congenic strain of mice, we show a previously unrecognized role for strain-specific polymorphisms in the natural killer gene complex (NKC) in immunosurveillance for carcinogen-induced lung cancer. Because polymorphisms in the NKC are highly prevalent in man, our data may explain why certain individuals without obvious risk factors develop lung cancer whereas others remain resistant to the disease despite heavy environmental carcinogen exposure.


Introduction After years of mounting pollution across the American landscape, Congress enacted ambitious environmental legislation, particularly throughout the 1970s. Ensuing decades, however, brought torpid federal environmental policy. Conservationists became especially anxious as a duo of oil company executives became president and vice president in 2001. Their fears of an anti-environmental administration appeared warranted as energy industry executives and legislators with poor environmental voting records were nominated to key posts in the Department of Interior and Environmental Protection Agency. Soon, hundreds of environmental regulations and laws were relaxed or eliminated by the Bush administration. In some cases, Congress tried to restore environmental protection legislation. This study attempts to gauge the ecological mood of the electorate as reflected by the success of green incumbent candidates in the Congressional elections of 2002. While a majority of Americans support the concept of environmental protection, results were mixed. A majority of Congressional incumbents considered advocates of environmental protection were re-elected, yet nearly all members with poor ecological records (extensively outnumbering the champions) were also returned to office, indicating that other factors (i.e., incumbency, party, region, endorsements, campaign resources) are more significant in explaining the outcome of the 2002 midterm election. One might imagine that with a Republican majority in Congress, powerful industry influence, and notable, albeit, tenuous presidential popularity, the early years of the new millennium will not witness robust environmental protection policy. The Environmental Legacy During the Nixon administration (1969-1974), Congress, backed by strong public support, recognized the need to protect an environment rapidly under assault by disasters such as the Santa Barbara oil spill and the Cuyahoga River fire. President Richard M. Nixon, generally not regarded as a champion of environmental protection, responded by establishing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the steady bureaucratic stewardship of its first director, William Ruckelshaus. In fact, the 1970s would witness the enactment of some of the most protective legislation that established a legacy for environmental protection. In 1970, Congress, in response to the National Environmental Protection Act, created the Council on Environmental Quality. The council served as an advisory agency to analyze the impact of various projects affecting sensitive areas of the environment. That same year, the Clean Air Act authorized the EPA to identify air pollutants that cause a health threat, and to establish auto and factory emission standards. The Water Pollution Control Act of 1972 stiffened anti-water pollution laws and, in 1975, included wetlands protection. The Endangered Species Act of 1973 authorized the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to designate endangered species for federal protection and to regulate areas of "critical habitat." The Toxic Standards Control Act of 1976 directed the EPA to define hazardous wastes and toxic substances and to establish standards for their release into the atmosphere. Later, President Jimmy Carter, concerned over mounting toxic wastes in the environment, signed into law the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act which authorized the EPA to oversee solid and industrial waste removal as well as recycling efforts. In 1980, the Comprehensive Environmental Response Act established the "Superfund" for cleaning up old toxic and hazardous waste sites. The EPA would oversee the cleanup of the sites, placing some 1,200 on its National Priority List. (1) During the ensuing decades, there were many attempts in both the legislative and executive branch to roll back a variety of environmental protections. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan, recalcitrant against enacting rigorous environmental policy, ordered the removal of former President Carter's White House solar panels. …


This thesis focuses on the politics of electoral reform. It examines dynamics operating at both the public and political elite levels. The first paper looks at the place of electoral reform in British politics, in particular the place of the Alternative Vote (AV), and demonstrates a positive relationship between disproportionality and interest in electoral reform. The second paper focuses on the tension between representative democracy and direct democracy and considers why the referendum became the pathway to decide on the issue. The third paper analyses the voting behaviour in the UK's 2011 AV referendum and demonstrates that voters cast their votes based on cues and in harmony with the positions taken by the party leaders they trusted. Agreement with campaign statements was also indicative of an individual's vote mediating the impact of partisanship. Direct contact by campaigns did not have much significant effect on a typical individual's vote except for those individuals contacted by the Liberal Democrats. Contact by the Liberal Democrats, contrary to the expectations had an impact in the negative direction of the position endorsed by the Party.


An exciting decade of two-photon fluorescence imaging has revealed that the shape and turnover of dendritic spines are dynamic and modulated by synaptic plasticity (Matsuzaki et al., 2004). Such structural changes can be induced via focal glutamate uncaging at individual spines, but they can also be driven by experience (Holtmaat et al., 2006). Indeed, the size of both the head and neck of dendritic spines can be modulated by neuronal activity (Matsuzaki et al., 2004; Bloodgood & Sabatini, 2005). In turn, the geometry of spines will affect the compartmentalization of signals generated at the spine head and the extent to which ions and second messengers can spread via the neck to the parent dendrite and nearby spines. Interestingly, Santamaria et al. (2006) demonstrated in an earlier study that diffusion in spiny dendrites cannot be described by the standard diffusion equation. Instead, spines temporarily 'trap' molecules causing anomalous diffusion in the parent dendrite (Fig. 1). Uncaging dextran-conjugated fluorescent probes and imaging the fluorescence changes over time along a stretch of dendrite enabled calculation of the spatial variance of the diffusing molecules and estimation of the anomalous exponent dw. In smooth dendrites diffusion had an anomalous exponent of dw = 2, whereas in spiny dendrites dw turned out to be high (dw > 2) resulting in slowed diffusion. The importance of this finding is that the diffusion of second messengers within dendrites could be controlled by changes in spine shape or density. It is known that spine density in CA1 pyramidal neurons varies considerably across their dendritic arbors, with a progressive increase in spine density and spine size in the distal segments of apical dendrites (Konur et al., 2003). Thus, different dendritic compartments may exhibit different rates of diffusion of postsynaptic signaling molecules. In their study published in this issue of EJN, Santamaria et al. (2011) show that, in both Purkinje cells and CA1 pyramidal neurons, the anomalous exponent dw scales linearly with spine density. Anomalous diffusion in dendrites appears to be a hallmark of all neurons with spines. In addition, these authors provide empirical evidence that neither branching geometry nor dendrite diameter account for anomalous diffusion, confirming their previous theoretical models (Santamaria et al., 2006). The mechanistic studies by Santamaria et al. (2011) might be relevant to explain, for example, the functional impact of estradiol on memory formation (Andreescu et al., 2007) or of the pathological impact of a lack of fragile X mental retardation protein on motor behavior (Koekkoek et al., 2005). In both cases, altered geometry of spines and ⁄ or their inputs are likely to affect the diffusion of second messengers in the dendritic network. Therefore, it will be of general interest to identify the molecules for which anomalous diffusion plays a relevant role under physiological and pathophysiological conditions. For instance, active extrusion of calcium is likely to supersede the effects of spine geometry on diffusion of this ion in dendrites, whereas diffusion of inositol triphosphate (IP3) is slowed down (Santamaria et al., 2006) and that of GTPase signaling proteins varies among their family (Yasuda & Murakoshi, 2011). Anomalous diffusion imposed by spine geometry may thus represent a mechanism modulating the function of a selected set of signaling molecules.


This investigation was an attempt to determine the effects of a change of habitat factors on the responses of big bluestem which dominates favorable site in the mixed prairie association. Responses of big bluestem on five habitats were determined with reference to the following factors: (1) soil composition; (2) temperature; (3) relative humidity; (4) evaporation; (5) wind; (6) light; and (7) mulch cover. The five habitats for studying big bluestem were selected on the basis of range site and exposure. Four were located on an east-facing slope and the fifth was located on a west-facing slope. During the growing season of 1960, when this study was conducted, a mid-season drought occurred, greatly affecting vegetative growth. One hundred square-foot quadrats were established in order to make weekly measurements of big bluestem. Responses of big bluestem to habitat factors were grouped into four main categories as follows: (1) weekly and cumulative height of plants and number of leaves of each marked plant; (2) basal cover and composition; (3) plant population; and (4) total production. Climatic and edaphic factors of each habitat were measured weekly. Findings were as follows: (1) In spite of considerable difference in depth of soil among habitats, the texture of soils was the same for all habitats. (2) Average maximum air temperature was higher on the west-facing slope than on the east-facing slope for the season. (3) Air temperatures were consistently higher inside the vegetation than outside. (4) Surface-soil was consistently warmer during the day than sub-soil. (5) Soil temperatures were highest in the afternoon in surface soil and in the evening in sub-soil. (6) Average weekly relative humidity was consistently higher inside the vegetation than above. (7) Relative humidity inside the vegetation was lower on the west-facing slope than that on any habitat on the east-facing slope. (8) Rate of evaporation was higher from the habitat on the west-facing slope than that on any habitat on the east-facing slope. (9) Wind velocity was higher at the top of vegetation than inside. (10) The velocity was higher in the evening than that of noon or morning. (11) Light intensity was lower inside the vegetation than outside and was the lowest at the mulch level. (12) Average height and number of leaves per plant was greatest on habitat D favored by more mesic conditions. (13) Though big bluestem plants did not increase in height after July 15, new basal leaves were produced by many plants until September 13. (14) Only one per cent of the plants of big bluestem produced inflorescences. (15) Basal cover was lowest on the west-facing slope having more xeric conditions. (16) Exposure and depth of soil were primarily the determining factors for variations in species occurrence. (17) Percent survival of big bluestem plants was proportional to variations in intensity of habitat factors. (18) A linear increase in amount of mulch was found with increased height of plants. (19) The highest yield of big bluestem was harvested on habitat D favored by more mesic conditions while the lowest production was associated with more xeric condition of habitat E.


ABSTRACT Acinetobacter baumannii RYC 52763/97, a clinical isolate involved in a prolonged nosocomial outbreak at our hospital, was resistant to all β-lactams tested, including imipenem and meropenem, which had MICs of 128 and 256 μg/ml, respectively. This strain synthesized three β-lactamases: a plasmid-mediated TEM-1 β-lactamase (pI 5.4), an AmpC-type chromosomal cephalosporinase (pI 9.4), and a novel, presumptively chromosomally mediated OXA-related enzyme (pI 9.0) named OXA-24. After cloning and sequencing, the deduced amino acid sequence of the OXA-24 β-lactamase showed 40% homology with the OXA-10 (PSE-2) and OXA-7 β-lactamases, 39% homology with the OXA-11 and OXA-5 enzymes, and 33% homology with the LCR-1 β-lactamase. The amino acid sequence of the OXA-24 β-lactamase contained the STFK motif found in serine β-lactamases, but the typical class D triad KTG was replaced by KSG and the motif YGN was replaced by FGN. The OXA-24 β-lactamase hydrolyzed benzylpenicillin and cephaloridine but lacked activity against oxacillin, cloxacillin, and methicillin. The enzymatic activity was inhibited by chloride ions and by tazobactam (50% inhibitory concentration [IC50], 0.5 μM), sulbactam (IC50, 40 μM), and clavulanic acid (IC50, 50 μM). Carbapenem MICs for an Escherichia coli transformant (pBMB-1) expressing the cloned OXA-24 enzyme had a fourfold increase. RelativeVmax/Km values of 13 and 6 were obtained with imipenem and meropenem, respectively, and a positive microbiological assay result with imipenem was obtained with a purified enzymatic extract of this transformant strain. Therefore, we consider this new β-lactamase to be involved in the carbapenem resistance of A. baumannii RYC 52763/97.


Case Presentation A 57-year-old Caucasian woman 11/28/16 was referred for cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) examination for the prosthetic treatment planning. There were no complaints of pain or any other symptoms. She had no history of trauma, facial bones or temporomandibular joint diseases. CBCT scans were performed on Galileos GAX5 (Sirona Dental Systems, Bensheim, Germany) using standard settings (85 kV; tube current: 507 mA; acquisition period: 14 sec; effective radiation time: 2-6 sec; voxel size: 0.3 × 0.3 × 0.3 mm). Reformatted panoramic and sagittal CBCT images were analyzed using GALILEOS Viewer (Sirona, Bensheim (Germany). On reformatted panoramic images single round radiolucent area of size 9.10 × 7.93 mm of the ramus of mandible upwards and backwards from mandibular foramen was detected. 3D reconstruction showed а local ramus thinning with the formation of the depression on its inner surface. Outer cortical plates were saved throughout. Radiological signs of bone lesion were not found. Contralateral ramus of the mandible was without pathological findings. In comparison with the appearance of the lesion 5 and 3 years ago, the shape and size of the lesion now did not show any distinguishable changes. Absence of the progression and unaltered structure of the jaw allowed excluding mass lesions.
Diagnosis Parotid Stafne bone defect (SBD) of the left mandibular ramus, lingual variant. According to the literature the overall incidence of SBD varies from 0.009% to 0.3% [1]. Wolf and Barker believe that SBD develops in the result of the pressure by hyperplastic/hypertrophic salivary glands tissues on the bone surface (Figure 1) [2,3].


We present a design flow for the generation of application-specific multiprocessor architectures. In the flow, architectural parameters are first extracted from a high-level system specification. Parameters are used to instantiate architectural components, such as processors, memory modules and communication networks. The flow includes the automatic generation of communication copro-cessor that adapts the processor to the communication network in an application-specific way. Experiments with two system examples show the effectiveness of the presented design flow.