ABSTRACT Unusually shaped concretions are occasionally dredged on the north-central and northeast margin of Georges Bank. In their centers are molds and casts of molluscan fossils of Miocene age. The fauna is probably correlative with fauna of the Chesapeake Group of Maryland and suggests deposition in a shallow open sea with cool temperate water. The mineralogical and textural composition of the sandy mudstone and muddy sandstone surrounding the fossils is similar to that of some Tertiary Atlantic Coastal Plain units including Miocene deposits. The framework consists of angular quartz of fine-sand grade, feldspar, lithic grains, phosphorite, glauconite, mica, plant fibers, and dark organic grains. Ovules, probably fecal pellets, and patches of matrix reworked by organisms are common. Grains f oat in a matrix paste of microcrystalline calcite, clay minerals, phosphate, ferruginous cement, or mixtures thereof. The concretions are early diagenetic in origin and are concentrated at present as a lag pavement in areas near outcrops of Miocene deposits on the top of Georges Bank.


Much of what passes for knowledge about the world is defeasible, or can be mistaken. Our perceptions and premises can never be certain, we are forced to jump to conclusions in the presence of incomplete information, and we have to cut our deliberations short when our environment closes in. For this reason, any theory of artificial intelligence requires at its heart a theory of default reasoning, the process of reaching plausible, but uncertain, conclusions; and a theory of belief revision, the process of retracting and adding certain beliefs as information becomes available. In this thesis, we will address both of these problems from a logical point of view. We will provide a semantic account of these processes and develop conditional logics to represent and reason with default or normative statements, about normal or typical states of affairs, and statements of belief revision. The conditional logics will be based on standard modal systems, and the possible worlds approach will provide a uniform framework for the development of a number of such systems. Within this framework, we will compare the two types of reasoning, determining that they are remarkably similar processes at a formal level of analysis. We will also show how a number of disparate types of reasoning may be analyzed within these modal systems, and to a large extent unified. These include normative default reasoning, probabilistic default reasoning, autoepistemic reasoning, belief revision, subjunctive, hypothetical or counterfactual reasoning, and abduction.


In this paper, we consider the problem of determining optimal configurations of Roll-to-Roll (R2R) process machines which consist of many interconnected dynamic elements to transport flexible materials (webs) on rollers. The problem is to optimally locate the controlled dynamic elements within the R2R machine so as to minimize the effect of disturbances propagated by the transported web. Typical disturbances on R2R machines include misalignment and out-of-roundness of rollers which cause web wrinkles and registration errors if unattenuated. The central contribution of this paper is to pose the combinatorial problem of determining the optimal configuration for a R2R machine as a Mixed-Integer Semi-Definite Program (MISDP) and provide an algorithm to efficiently compute feasible configurations and bounds on their sub-optimality. The proposed algorithm is based on tools such as McCormick relaxations, outer-approximation via eigenvalue cuts, and bound tightening procedures. We provide numerical results for representative R2R systems to show the efficiency of the proposed algorithm.


The U.S. economy has been in recession for more than a year, the unemployment rate is climbing, the ranks of the uninsured are growing rapidly, and health care provider organizations are feeling the squeeze. What help can the federal government offer as part of the economic stimulus package? What will the increasing pressure mean for proposed health care reforms? And is there any silver lining in the clouds for the future of the U.S. health care system? In a roundtable discussion moderated by Dr. Thomas Lee, three experts in health policy, economics, and health care delivery — Drs. James Mongan, . . .


This paper proposes a model of sovereign default that features interest rate multiplicity driven by rollover risk. Our core mechanism shows that the possibility of a rollover crisis by itself can lead to high interest rates, which in turn reinforces the rollover risk.By exploiting complementarity between the traditional notions of slow- and fast-moving crises, our model generates a rich simulated dynamics that features frequent defaults and a volatile bond spread even in the absence of shocks to fundamentals. In the presence of risky income, our mechanism amplifies the dynamics of debt and spreads relative to model benchmarks where equilibrium multiplicity relies on the underlying shocks to income.


This paper presents a new method based on the optimization method for tuning the parameters of the power system stabilizers (PSS) to enhance small-signal stability. A general-purpose nonlinear programming package is used to minimize the real part of the dominant eigenvalue in the system without implementing the eigensensitivities. The basic control theory and the root-coefficient relationship for polynomial equations are incorporated for obtaining the equality constraints. The PSS parameters bound in a set are formulated as the inequality constraints. A comparative result for a small-signal stability problem validates the applicability of the proposed method.


Chagasic patients with megaesophagus were submitted to an endoscopy of the upper digestive tract and the samples were collected with special instruments under sterilized conditions. One of the four samples collected was from the stase liquid and the other three samples were collected from fragments of the esophageal mucosa at one, three and five centimeters from the esophageal-stomach transition (Z line). The samples were analized by the Microbiology and Pathologic labs for the identification of microorganisms. After that, the results were correlated with the degree of mega esophagus according to Ferreira-Santos. We observed that the incidence of pathogenic microorganism is very high in megaesophagus, with no relation with the degree of dilatation making the surgery for the treatment of this afection potencially contaminated. There was no significant difference concerning the positivity of the culture relating to the degree of esophagus dilatation.


Aim The influence of soil properties on photosynthetic traits in higher plants is poorly quantified in comparison with that of climate. We address this situation by quantifying the unique and joint contributions to global leaf-trait variation from soils and climate. Location Terrestrial ecosystems world-wide. Methods Using a trait dataset comprising 1509 species from 288 sites, with climate and soil data derived from global datasets, we quantified the effects of 20 soil and 26 climate variables on light-saturated photosynthetic rate (Aarea), stomatal conductance (gs), leaf nitrogen and phosphorus (Narea and Parea) and specific leaf area (SLA) using mixed regression models and multivariate analyses. Results Soil variables were stronger predictors of leaf traits than climatic variables, except for SLA. On average, Narea, Parea and Aarea increased and SLA decreased with increasing soil pH and with increasing site aridity. gs declined and Parea increased with soil available P (Pavail). Narea was unrelated to total soil N. Joint effects of soil and climate dominated over their unique effects on Narea and Parea, while unique effects of soils dominated for Aarea and gs. Path analysis indicated that variation in Aarea reflected the combined independent influences of Narea and gs, the former promoted by high pH and aridity and the latter by low Pavail. Main conclusions Three environmental variables were key for explaining variation in leaf traits: soil pH and Pavail, and the climatic moisture index (the ratio of precipitation to potential evapotranspiration). Although the reliability of global soil datasets lags behind that of climate datasets, our results nonetheless provide compelling evidence that both can be jointly used in broad-scale analyses, and that effects uniquely attributable to soil properties are important determinants of leaf photosynthetic traits and rates. A significant future challenge is to better disentangle the covarying physiological, ecological and evolutionary mechanisms that underpin trait–environment relationships.


We analysed the influence of congenital hypothyroidism, diagnosed in the third year of life, on the outcome of pregnancy. We observed the physiological progress of pregnancy and normal development of the foetus. We delivered newborn by caesarean section. We did not observe any disadvantageous influence of congenital hypothyroidism in the mother on newborn status. We analysed the pharmacological substitution and its influence on pregnancy outcome.


Articular cartilage is a resilient and load bearing material that provides diarthrodial joints with excellent friction, lubrication and wear characteristics required for continuous motion. However, articular cartilage has a poor regenerative capacity and its degeneration is a common cause of morbidity in terms of loss of joint function and osteoarthritis, frequently resulting in the need for total knee replacement. Articular cartilage has a distinct zonal architecture with biochemical and cellular variations existing from the surface zone to the deeper calcified layers. Thus, the development of the tissue must be stringently controlled, both spatially and temporally in order for the complex structure to be established. Importantly, the surface zone is believed to be responsible for the appositional growth of articular cartilage during development and this growth is believed to be driven by a population of slow cycling progenitor cells within the surface zone itself. The focus of this thesis is the isolation and characterisation of articular cartilage progenitor cells together with an exploration of the cells capabilities in potential cartilage repair therapies. The cells were identified on the basis of differential adhesion assays and colony forming ability. Subsequent experiments were carried out to show the differential expression of various cell surface markers eg Notch 1 receptors and the role of the onco-foetal form of fibronectin, known as fibronectin-EDA on the modulation of cell behaviour. In terms of the potential of the cells for use in tissue engineering, a promising feature of the cells is the discovery that enriched populations of the cells can undergo extensive expansion in simple monolayer cultures and yet retain their ability to undergo chondrogenic differentiation. This property may enable the use of the cells in commercial cartilage repair and/or tissue engineering strategies.


This paper proposes an audio-visual speech recognition method using lip movement extracted from side-face images to attempt to increase noise-robustness in mobile environments. Although most previous bimodal speech recognition methods use frontal face (lip) images, these methods are not easy for users since they need to hold a device with a camera in front of their face when talking. Our proposed method capturing lip movement using a small camera installed in a handset is more natural, easy and convenient. This method also effectively avoids a decrease of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of input speech. Visual features are extracted by optical-flow analysis and combined with audio features in the framework of HMM-based recognition. Phone HMMs are built by the multi-stream HMM technique. Experiments conducted using Japanese connected digit speech contaminated with white noise in various SNR conditions show effectiveness of the proposed method. Recognition accuracy is improved by using the visual information in all SNR conditions, and the best improvement is approximately 6% at 5dB SNR.


In their seminal work, Compeau and Higgins (1995) provided the IS research community with a measure of computer selfefficacy (CSE) based on Bandura's (1986) Social Cognitive Theory. The use of this CSE measure has since flourished within various academic literatures. Recent research interest (Marakas, Johnson, & Clay, 2007; Thatcher, Zimmer, Gundlach et al., 2008), however, challenges the continued application and analysis of Compeau and Higgins' (1995) measure despite its widespread adoption. This paper presents the results of a meta-analysis of general CSE provided through the foundation of technology adoption research. The results should create future dialogue regarding general CSE and its application. We show evidence of moderate associations (r = |0.32| to |0.59|) of general CSE with several technology adoption research constructs. Guidance is offered for future moderator analyses, which may likely provide empirical evidence for either the support or refutation of current research claims in regard to general CSE.


Paleomagnetic and rock magnetic measurements for 27 sites in the tonalitic ca. 108 Ma Alpine and ca. 100 Ma Ramona complexes in the suspect Yuma terrane or western zone of the Peninsular Ranges Batholith near San Diego show that single- and pseudosingle-domain magnetite carries their characteristic remanence. The Alpine and Ramona paleopoles agree with six published paleopoles from Cretaceous igneous rocks in the Yuma terrane, but all eight paleopoles are discordant for North America. Al-in-hornblende geothermobarometric depth determinations at 16 sites, plus published mapping and depth determinations, suggest that the batholith is divided into blocks by orogen-parallel faults or by orthogonal fault sets with large vertical displacements. The paleomagnetic data show that the fault blocks in the terrane underwent, on average, ENE-side-up tilting of ~10° ± 3° about an orogen-parallel axis between ca. 125 Ma and ca. 89 ± 7 Ma, but they have not been translated northward as a suspect terrane by ≥500 km, excluding Neogene opening of the Gulf of California. The tilting is attributed to torque from ENE shallow underthrusting of the Farallon plate beneath the WSW overthrusting North American plate, where subsequent extension has caused differential uplift of the fault blocks. Nonsignificant dextral displacement of ~4° ± 1° (440 ± 110 km) between the eastern and western zones of the batholith suggests that this boundary represents an intraarc fault. The large paleopole discordance found in younger sedimentary strata of Baja California is attributed mainly to compaction shallowing of the remanence and/or postdepositional remagnetization.


What drove business profitability during the 1980s and early 1990s? Management consultants, business academics, investment analysts, and the business press have all offered managers a range of theories. However, managers have not had access to much data about aggregate trends and broad influences on business profitability over time. With new reporting requirements in place in the United States around 1980, the problem was partly solved. This article uses the new data to categorize the performance of U.S. businesses over the past two decades. The study begins by grouping businesses based on the trajectory in their accounting profitability. If offers information on the average size, growth, financial-market premium, and sectoral affiliation of businesses within each of the groups. Finally, this article describes the broad strategic issues that arise for a subset of the businesses within each group. The result is a series of suggestions about shifts in the strategic issues that face businesses across the economy.


A high level of polycystin-1 expression is detected in kidneys of all patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). Mice that overexpress polycystin-1 also develop renal cysts. Whether overexpression of polycystin-1 is necessary for cyst formation is still unclear. Here, we report the generation of a targeted mouse mutant with a null mutation in Pkd1 and its phenotypic characterization in comparison with the del34 mutants that carry a 'truncation mutation' in Pkd1. We show that null homozygotes develop the same, but more aggressive, renal and pancreatic cystic disease as del34/del34. Moreover, we report that both homozygous mutants develop polyhydramnios, hydrops fetalis, spina bifida occulta and osteochondrodysplasia. Heterozygotes also develop adult-onset pancreatic disease. We show further that del34 homozygotes continue to produce mutant polycystin-1, thereby providing a possible explanation for increased immunoreactive polycystin-1 in ADPKD cyst epithelia in the context of the two-hit model. Our data demonstrate for the first time that loss of polycystin-1 leads to cyst formation and defective skeletogenesis, and indicate that polycystin-1 is critical in both epithelium and chondrocyte development.


We examine the approximation of the probability density of a filtered signal envelope in the presence of phase noise. The probability density function (pdf) is of practical interest, especially for the performance evaluation of coherent optical systems employing envelope detection. We consider a few possibilities for approximate pdf construction, and develop simple, yet very accurate, expressions to describe the envelope of a filtered signal influenced by phase noise. To check the accuracy, we use the approximation for performance evaluation of a coherent optical frequency-shift keying (FSK) receiver, and compare the results with those obtained from existing methods.


Children who have an episode of acute respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) bronchiolitis are at increased risk for developing asthma, a disorder characterized by reversible airway obstruction, airway hyperresponsiveness and airway inflammation. Because latent or persistent pulmonary viral infections have been implicated in the pathogenesis of the airway inflammation underlying asthma, a guinea pig model of human RSV lung infection was developed to test the hypothesis that RSV persists within the lung following resolution of acute bronchiolitis. One month old, "juvenile" guinea pigs, intranasally inoculated with human RSV, were compared on day 6 post-inoculation to two month old, "adolescent" RSV-inoculated animals and uninfected controls by clinical examination, gross lung examination and lung histopathological examination using a semi-quantitative scoring system for bronchiolar inflammation. The natural history of intrapulmonary RSV was studied in juvenile animals on days 6, 14, 60 and 125 using viral culture to test for replicating virus, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to test for assembled virus, immunohistochemistry to test for RSV antigens and the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to test for RSV genomic RNA. The experiments showed that juvenile guinea pigs inoculated with human RSV developed statistically significant bronchiolar inflammation by day 6 that resolved by day 14, similar to human acute bronchiolitis. Intrapulmonary RSV was documented by culture, TEM, immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR during acute infection on day 6; in the longer term studies, replicating RSV was cultured up to 14 days post-inoculation, RSV antigens were identified within alveolar macrophages up to day 60 and RSV genomic RNA was identified on day 125. In conclusion, human RSV produced a self-limited acute bronchiolitis in juvenile guinea pigs, with evidence of subsequent persistent infection of alveolar macrophages. Persistent RSV infection of alveolar macrophages may represent a mechanism by which host pulmonary defense mechanisms are compromised against other, non-specific environmental agents implicated in the pathogenesis of asthma.


Aims Substantial increase in heavy drinking upon transition from high school to college is common. Norwegian universities and university colleges arrange yearly introductory weeks to welcome new students. It has been questioned whether these events are too centered on alcohol. We aimed to investigate whether participation in the introductory week is associated with risky drinking (RD). We further aimed to investigate whether RD is associated with academic performance. Finally, we investigated whether alcohol-related attitudes are associated with both RD and introductory week participation. Design Data from the Norwegian study of students' health and well-being (SHoT, 2014, n=13,663) were used. The odds ratio (OR) of RD was calculated for individuals having participated in the introductory week compared to others. Different measures of academic performance (having failed exams, study progression and study-related self-efficacy (SRSE)) were compared between individuals reporting RD compared to others. The association between attitudes and participation in the event and RD was investigated. Results Individuals having participated in the introductory week are more likely to report RD (OR (95%CI) = 2.41 (2.12-2.74)). Individuals reporting RD report lower SRSE and are more likely to have failed exams more than once. Study progression is unassociated with RD. Liberal alcohol-related attitudes are associated with participation in the event and RD. Conclusions RD among students is associated with participation in the introductory week and with poorer academic performance. The university introductory week might be in danger of excluding individuals who do not drink much, or of promoting an unhealthy drinking culture among students.


During an experiment carried out in 2009–2010 we observed different population densities of Typhlodromus pyri in three monitored pear cultivars in Organic Pest Management (OPM) as well as Integrated Pest Management (IPM) orchards. In both years the population density of T. pyri was the highest in the cultivar Conference (organic orchard). The lowest population density was found in 2009 on the cultivar Dicolor (IPM orchard) and in 2010 on the cultivar Bohemica. Factors involved are discussed.


We assessed the clinical outcome after coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) therapy in 14 patients presenting ataxia classified into two groups according to CoQ10 values in muscle (deficient or not). We performed an open‐label prospective study: patients were evaluated clinically (international cooperative ataxia rating scale [ICARS] scale, MRI, and videotape registration) at baseline and every 6 months during a period of 2 years after CoQ10 treatment (30 mg/kg/day). Patients with CoQ10 deficiency showed a statistically significant reduction of ICARS scores (Wilcoxon test: P = 0.018) after 2 years of CoQ10 treatment when compared with baseline conditions. In patients without CoQ10 deficiency, no statistically significant differences were observed in total ICARS scores after therapy, although 1 patient from this group showed a remarkable clinical amelioration. Biochemical diagnosis of CoQ10 deficiency was a useful tool for the selection of patients who are good candidates for treatment as all of them responded to therapy. However, the remarkable clinical response in 1 case without CoQ10 deficiency highlights the importance of treatment trials for identification of patients with CoQ10‐responsive ataxia. © 2010 Movement Disorder Society


Learning environments complying with the cognitive architecture of learning, immersing learning within a meaningful context (contextualism), making learning an active process (constructivism) and promoting learning in groups (collaboration) are more powerful and effective [1]. Undergraduate medical students working and learning in small groups may fulfill many of these requirements. Small group learning has been shown to have a positive effect on a variety of medical competencies [2,3]. The small group offers a learning environment where students can develop their self-directed learning skills and get the opportunity to collaborate with other group members to achieve both individual and group learning goals [4]. A study found that the small group tutorial provided a conductive learning environment which influenced both the students' personal development and socialization with faculty [4]. The authors proposed that the small group may be useful for integrating a diverse student population into a new academic environment.

Xavier University School of Medicine (XUSOM) is an offshore Caribbean medical school in Aruba, Kingdom of the Netherlands admitting students from the United States (US), Canada and other countries to the undergraduate medical (MD) course. From January 2013 the school shifted to a partially integrated curriculum and from January 2014 to a fully integrated curriculum with all basic science subjects being learned together in an integrated organ system based manner [5]. Students visit a local general practitioner for early clinical exposure and problem-based learning sessions and other small group learning sessions are conducted. Developing self-directed learning (SDL) skills is becoming increasingly important for medical students. Applying the best principles of teaching adults to the education of medical students is important in the process of transforming learners to become and remain effective physicians [6].

At XUSOM didactic lectures were the predominant teaching-learning strategy under the previous discipline based curriculum. With the integrated curriculum and other changes there was an increased emphasis on SDL and small group work [7]. Students are introduced to small group work and working in a team right from the orientation program at the start of the first semester [8]. Students are introduced to the stages of group formation during an interactive session and interview their partner and introduce him/her to the house in an activity called 'Meet the experts'. They also play a game titled 'Crossing the river'. In the institution small group activities and group work are used during the PBL sessions, medical humanities module, medical ethics sessions, clinic visits, case presentations and sessions on critical appraisal of scientific literature (CASL). Four important roles in the group are emphasized during small group work. These are those of the team leader, recorder, presenter and time keeper. The groups are instructed to rotate these roles among members during various sessions. Each group consists of 6 to 8 members and the groups are kept constant through a semester.

First semester students initially begin to work in small groups during the medical humanities sessions where they use case scenarios, presentations, paintings, role plays, and debates to explore different aspects of the medical humanities [9]. The PBL director conducts a familiarization session on PBL before the start of the PBL sessions around week eight of the first semester. The PBL cases are based on the organ system being covered during a particular period. Each group has a faculty facilitator. Usually the facilitator for a group is kept constant during a semester. Gradually the students are provided a greater degree of responsibility and the support provided by the facilitator during the PBL sessions is decreased. The facilitators, PBL director, and members of the curriculum committee are available for help and advice in case students have any problem. Student feedback regarding small group effectiveness during PBL sessions was studied using the small group effectiveness instrument and the findings were shared among all facilitators [10]. Student perception about small group effectiveness was positive.

External experts interact with faculty periodically and have conducted sessions on group facilitation, evaluating students, providing feedback to students at the end of the PBL session and on writing good PBL cases. The author who has a fellowship in health professions education also conducts periodic sessions for faculty on facilitating small groups. During the PBL session facilitators assess students using a structured checklist. Application of knowledge base, clinical reasoning and decision making skills, self-directed learning, group work, attitude, and professionalism are among the different parameters assessed. At the end of the session the group conducts a self-reflection on the areas which went well and those which need improvement. The facilitator also provides the group with feedback regarding what went well and the areas needing improvement. From this semester we have initiated a process of peer-feedback where students provide constructive feedback to each other.

During the CASL sessions the groups critically analyze a research publication. During the first and second semester the emphasis is on critically analyzing an original research paper, during the third semester the group critically analyzes a randomized clinical trial, while during the fourth and fifth semesters students conduct a critical review of meta-analyses and systematic reviews. Small group activities are also used during sessions on the personal or P-drug selection process in pharmacology. Students select a personal or P-drug for a disease condition using the criteria of efficacy, safety, cost and suitability, verify the suitability of their selected P-drug for a particular patient and write a prescription. They counsel a standardized patient (SP) regarding the use of the drug and management of the condition.

During clinical case presentations students are provided with a list of common clinical conditions/diseases. Working in groups they develop a complete presentation (case) of the particular disease. Signs, symptoms, clinical features, laboratory and other investigations and management of the condition are developed by the groups. They then present the case to other groups of students and the facilitators. The facilitators provide critical inputs on the case developed by the group. During visits to the local general practitioner students in groups obtain a history from patients during the first semester and learn basic physical examination skills during the third. As class sizes in the institution are small certain faculty members also use small group activities during interactive lecture sessions.

Flip charts, flip boards, white boards and power point projectors are used by the groups during their presentations. Feedback obtained from students during informal interactions has been positive. Students are slowly feeling comfortable with taking increasing responsibility for their own learning. Faculty have also been familiarized with facilitation skills and concentrating more on the process of small group work and small group dynamics and not acting like content experts during the sessions.

Small group sessions have placed increased demands on faculty time and also necessitated creating separate rooms/facilities for small group work. A separate room with whiteboards, flip boards, flip charts and flexible seating was created. The classrooms have chairs with attached writing surfaces which can be easily rearranged to form small groups.

Initiating small group, activity-based learning in a medical school where didactic lectures were the predominant teaching-learning methodology can be challenging. Small group learning requires a change in the role of the teacher from a content expert to a facilitator of student learning. As the school has a greater number of younger faculties initiating small group learning may have been easier. Students though they had initial reservations were more receptive to small group learning after the process and its advantages were explained to and became evident to them. As the school offers only an undergraduate medical program collaborative group work with other healthcare professionals is difficult to offer to the students. There have however, been occasions where other health practitioners have visited the school and conducted learning sessions for students and faculty which have offered opportunities of inter-professional education. We have had occasional problems with group dynamics in certain small groups. Sometimes group members felt a particular student was not contributing enough to the group deliberations and activities. We instruct the groups to try to resolve the differences on their own and if not possible to obtain help from the faculty facilitator and PBL director.

We plan to conduct more sessions for faculty on facilitation skills, and providing feedback. We are planning to continue with different small group activities for students. We plan to further strengthen the process of self-reflection and peer-feedback during small group sessions.


What kind of methodological and axiological lodestars would the academic community of Islam scholars do wise to observe in the current situation of intense political and medial 'discursivization' of Islam and Muslims? How are 'we' – our imagined scholarly community – to navigate in a field that over the past decades has moved from a fairly select and exclusive island to an increasingly deceitful and contested archipelago? Surely the first thing to do must be critical self-reflection, asking ourselves questions about our trade's ideological and political implications and about the truths we hold selfevident. The second thing to do is also rather 'self-centred', albeit in a less meta-wise way, and that is to try to decide and spell out and commit oneself to some kind of research agenda.


Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) is a vascular disease, where aortic wall degradation is mediated by accumulated immune cells. Though cytokines regulate the inflammatory milieu within the aortic wall, their contribution to AAA through distant alterations, particularly in the control of hematopoietic stem cells proliferation and myeloid cell differentiation remains poorly defined. Here we report an unexpected pathogenic role for interleukin-27 receptor (IL-27R) in AAA development as genetic inactivation of IL-27R protected mice from AAA induced by Angiotensin (Ang) II. The mitigation of AAA in IL-27R deficient mice is associated with a blunted accumulation of myeloid cells in suprarenal aortas due to the surprising attenuation of Ang II-induced expansion of HSCs. The loss of IL-27R engages transcriptional programs that promote HSCs quiescence and suppresses myeloid lineage differentiation, decreasing mature cell production and myeloid cell accumulation in the aorta. We, therefore, illuminate how a prominent vascular disease can be distantly driven by cytokine dependent regulation of the bone marrow precursors.


Machine-learning techniques, properly combined with data structures, have resulted in Learned Static Indexes, innovative and powerful tools that speed up Binary Searches with the use of additional space with respect to the table being searched into. Such space is devoted to the machine-learning models. Although in their infancy, these are methodologically and practically important, due to the pervasiveness of Sorted Table Search procedures. In modern applications, model space is a key factor, and a major open question concerning this area is to assess to what extent one can enjoy the speeding up of Binary Searches achieved by Learned Indexes while using constant or nearly constant-space models. In this paper, we investigate the mentioned question by (a) introducing two new models, i.e., the Learned k-ary Search Model and the Synoptic Recursive Model Index; and (b) systematically exploring the time–space trade-offs of a hierarchy of existing models, i.e., the ones in the reference software platform Searching on Sorted Data, together with the new ones proposed here. We document a novel and rather complex time–space trade-off picture, which is informative for users as well as designers of Learned Indexing data structures. By adhering to and extending the current benchmarking methodology, we experimentally show that the Learned k-ary Search Model is competitive in time with respect to Binary Search in constant additional space. Our second model, together with the bi-criteria Piece-wise Geometric Model Index, can achieve speeding up of Binary Search with a model space of 0.05% more than the one taken by the table, thereby, being competitive in terms of the time–space trade-off with existing proposals. The Synoptic Recursive Model Index and the bi-criteria Piece-wise Geometric Model complement each other quite well across the various levels of the internal memory hierarchy. Finally, our findings stimulate research in this area since they highlight the need for further studies regarding the time–space relation in Learned Indexes.


For the first time, the FDA has approved a genetically engineered animal as food—the AquAdvantage Salmon.

The agency said the particular genetic modification introduced into the salmon meets the definition of a drug. The fish has a growth hormone gene from a Chinook salmon and a promoter sequence from another edible fish, the ocean pout, which activates the growth hormone gene. The result is an Atlantic salmon that reaches market size much more quickly than traditional farm-raised Atlantic salmon (http://1.usa.gov/1MEDh2k).


Many companies develop software product lines-collections of similar products-by cloning and adapting artifacts of existing product variants. Transforming such cloned product variants into a "single-copy" software product line representation is considered an important software re-engineering activity, as reflected in numerous tools and methodologies available. However, development practices of companies that use cloning to implement product lines have not been systematically studied. This lack of empirical knowledge threatens the validity and applicability of approaches supporting the transformation, and impedes adoption of advanced solutions for systematic software reuse. It also hinders the attempts to improve the solutions themselves. We address this gap with an empirical study conducted to investigate the cloning culture in six industrial software product lines realized via code cloning. Our study investigates the processes, and the perceived advantages and disadvantages of the approach. We observe that cloning, while widely discouraged in literature, is still perceived as a favorable and natural reuse approach by the majority of practitioners in the studied companies. This is mainly due to its benefits such as simplicity, availability and independence of developers. Based on our observations, we outline issues preventing the adoption of systematic software reuse approaches, and identify future research directions.


The effect of 24-hours continuous somatostatin 14 infusion on the volume of the bile secretion and on the bile composition were studied in seven patients with malignant biliary obstruction who had transhepatic external biliary drainage. The bile acid composition was measured with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Somatostatin infusion significantly reduced the daily bile loss from median 473 ml to 140 ml (41 percent, p=0.01) with a concomitant significant reduction in the daily molar loss of cholesterol, triglyceride, Na+, K+, CI−, Ca++ and Mg++. The loss of chloride and sodium was reduced with median 50 mmol/day each (p=0.01). The relative concentrations of the measured bile constituents did not change significantly, except for bile acids (p=0.02): the concentration of glycochenodeoxycholic acid increased significantly (p=0.04). The molar loss of taurocholic acid decreased significantly (p=0.035), so the increased concentration of glycochenodeoxycholic acid resulted only in a marginally significant reduction in the total molar loss of bile acids (p=0.051). Somatostatin is a potent inhibitor of bile secretion. The peptide may be used in severely bile depleted patients for reducing their serious electrolyte and acidity problems. Analysis of bile acid composition by HPLC is well suited for further investigations of the regulatory mechanisms of bile acid secretion.


We examined the renal effects of a specific adenosine A1-receptor antagonist, 1,3-dipropyl-8-cyclopentylxanthine (DPCPX, 10 micrograms.kg-1.min-1 iv). Since adenosine is a potent inhibitor of renin release, additional experiments were performed with an angiotensin AT1-receptor antagonist (losartan, 10 mg/kg i.v.). DP CPX alone induced a significant (P < 0.05) decrease in afferent arteriolar resistance (RA, 1.83 +/- 0.18 to 1.43 +/- 0.06 dyn.s.cm-5 x 10(10); P < 0.05). This led to a rise in the transcapillary hydraulic pressure difference (delta P, 35 +/- 1 to 43 +/- 2 mmHg; P < 0.05). Surprisingly, the glomerular capillary ultrafiltration coefficient (Kf) fell (0.101 +/- 0.017 to 0.064 +/- 0.009 nl.s-1.mmHg-1, P < 0.05). Additionally, DPCPX infusion resulted in dramatic increases in both urine flow and sodium excretion. With losartan pretreatment, DPCPX did not cause significant changes in RA and delta P. Also, DPCPX increased Kf (0.057 +/- 0.005 to 0.075 +/- 0.008 nl.s-1.mmHg-1, P < 0.05). Furthermore, the large DPCPX-induced increases in urine flow and sodium excretion were largely suppressed by pretreatment with losartan. These data indicate that endogenous adenosine plays a significant role in maintaining afferent arteriolar tone and that the renin-angiotensin system may mediate some of the wide ranging renal effects of adenosine.


'Forecasting and Understanding Trends, Uncertainty and Responses of North Pacific Marine Ecosystems' (FUTURE) is the flagship integrative Scientific Program undertaken by the member nations and affiliates of the North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES). A principal goal of FUTURE is to develop a framework for investigating interactions across disciplinary dimensions in order to most effectively understand large-scale ecosystem changes and resulting impacts on coastal communities. These interactions are complex, often nonlinear, occur across a range of spatial and temporal scales, and can complicate management approaches to shared and trans-boundary problems. Here we present a Social-Ecological-Environmental Systems (SEES) framework to coordinate and integrate marine science within PICES. We demonstrate the application of this framework by applying it to four 'crisis' case studies: (a) species alternation in the western North Pacific; (b) ecosystem impacts of an extreme heat wave in the eastern North Pacific; (c) jellyfish blooms in the western North Pacific; and (d) Pacific basin-scale warming and species distributional shifts. Our approach fosters a common transdisciplinary language and knowledge base across diverse expertise, providing the basis for developing better integrated end-to-end models. PICES provides the structure required to address these and other multi-national, inter-disciplinary issues we face in the North Pacific. An effective and comprehensive SEES approach is broadly applicable to understanding and maintaining resilient marine ecosystems within a changing climate.


ABSTRACT FROM: Graff-Guerrero A, Rajji TK, Mulsant BH, et al . Evaluation of antipsychotic dose reduction in late-life schizophrenia: a prospective dopamine D2/3 receptor occupancy study. JAMA Psychiatry 2015;72:927–34.

The use of lower doses of antipsychotics is recommended by experts in the treatment of older patients with schizophrenia, with the literature suggesting that older age is related to greater antipsychotic sensitivity.1 To date, three randomised controlled trials have examined the effects of olanzapine and risperidone dose reduction on clinical outcome in schizophrenia with inconsistent results.2–4 However, this topic has not been addressed specifically in older patients with schizophrenia, nor has the relationship between decreased dopamine D2/3 receptor occupancy and clinical response.

The study, using [11C]-raclopride positron emission tomography (PET), is an open-label, single-arm, prospective study. A total of 35 outpatients, 50 years or older, with clinically stable schizophrenia and receiving the …


The capital asset pricing model (CAPM) states that assets are priced commensurate with a trade-off between undiversifiable risk and expectations of return. The model underpins the status of academic finance, as well as the belief that asset pricing is an appropriate subject for economic study. Notwithstanding, our findings imply that in adhering to the CAPM we are choosing to encounter the market on our own terms of rationality, rather than the market's.


This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. The spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) has led the majority of countries worldwide to implement emergency lockdown plans to limit the spread of the virus;this has resulted in the interruption of on-campus school and university instruction. Responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in medical education have varied from country to country, from closures of medical schools to online/distance learning approaches to abiding by country-specific measures such as social distancing to stop the spread of the disease.The sudden transition from on-campus learning to exclusively distance learning is challenging for both faculty and students and has required a lot of preparation and other efforts in a short time. This paper aims to share the experiences of four authors in the middle east that have dealt with the sudden transition from ordinary teaching and learning to fully online teaching.The process of Curriculum delivery in Medical Education during an emergency has included;establishing a sense of urgency, establishing working teams, conducting needs assessments, developing implementation plans, communicating the curriculum content, capacity building, managing students' stress, finding tools to be used, managing student engagement and motivation, student assessment, anticipating challenges and planning for how to overcome them, and monitoring and evaluation of curriculum implementation and continuous improvement.The proposed process will hopefully assist the medical schools in response to the current pandemic (COVID-19) and when facing similar situations.


This study aimed to identify the factors that predict success in a teamwork task with secondary students. The following factors, which have been established by research as key elements in the resolution of teamwork task in a cooperative way, were treated as the independent variables: gender composition, group objectives, distribution of roles, interaction patterns, goal orientation, social atmosphere, reciprocal support, effective time focused on work and group self assessment. The study consisted of 87 triads (N = 261). The groups were asked to write an expository text on how to measure fever after having read three complementary source texts. The correct integration of the ideas was the dependent variable. The factors best predicted successes were group self assessment; the perception on effective use of time; a positive social atmosphere, especially at the beginning of the interaction; and a predominance of girls in the groups.


Native structure based models are a broadly used technique in bio molecular simulation allowing understanding of complex processes in the living cell involving bio macromolecules. Based on energy landscape theory and the principle of minimal frustration, these models find wide application in simulating complex biological processes as diverse as protein or RNA folding and assembly, conformational transitions associated with allostery, to structure prediction. To allow rapid adoption by scientists, especially experimentalists, having no background in programming or high performance computing, we here provide an effective user interface to existing applications running on distributed computing resources. Based on the gateway technologies WS-PGRADE and gUSE, we developed a web-based community application service for native structure based modeling by integrating a powerful user interface to an existing UNICORE grid application based on the eSBMTools package. The eSBM port let has been integrated into the MoSGrid portal and is immediately accessible for the bioinformatics, biophysics and structural biology communities.


A survey of 32 asset managers looks at the asset management industry's approach to the European equity investment process. Most managers invest money following a large-cap blend style, and do not deviate substantially from popular benchmarks such as the MSCI Europe. The majority of the European equity managers have a bottom-up investment process, in which input for stock selection comes both from qualitative and quantitative analysis. Qualitative research mainly looks to the quality of the management of a company and its strategy; quantitative analysis usually is based on the key measures of profitability and valuation. There is no consensus as to a distinction between the function of an analyst and the function of a fund manager. Most European equity analysts operate on a sector basis. The interest rate cycle, inflation, economic growth, and corporate earnings growth are considered the driving factors in asset allocation. While there are differences among managers, investment approaches have a number of common features.


Abstract : As a nation with the largest prison population in the world, the United States has all the ingredients for criminals, extremists, and religious radicals to collaborate in producing a new breed of homegrown terrorist. Although there are documented cases where homegrown prison converts have conducted or provided material support for terrorist operations both domestically and internationally, the phenomenon is still a relatively new concern for U.S. homeland security. This thesis uses survey and interview methodologies to assess the opinions of correctional officers and experts as to the extent of the problem, as well as identifying gaps in intelligence, training, and strategy. The results suggest that prisons are fertile recruiting grounds for disaffected inmates that may be influenced by charismatic extremists acting under the guise of religion or politics. However, the results also point to a disconnect between corrections and other homeland security disciplines that prevents the creation of a robust information sharing environment. This study's conclusions indicate that a comprehensive and effective strategy cannot be developed without first acknowledging that the problem exists, understanding the rudimentary contributing factors, and initiating discussion on a multi-faceted approach to counter the radical influence.


The ocular effects of two beta blocking drugs, carteolol and practolol, were assessed in beagle dogs. Practolol-treated dogs showed a tear flow reduction: histopathological examination showed lymphocytic infiltration in the lacrymal glands and electroretinogram showed a decrease in the amplitudes of the A + B-wave. By contrast, no drug-related abnormal changes were observed in carteolol-treated dogs. These results were thought to indicate that a tear flow measurement and electroretinogram examination should be used in the evaluation of the safety of beta blocking drugs.


CD30 is a cell membrane protein expressed on the surface of a range of lymphomas, which has important diagnostic, pathogenic, and prognostic roles. The most common CD30+lymphomas are Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) and anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), but other types of lymphoma also express CD30, although less frequently. Attempts to develop a monoclonal antibody therapy that targets CD30 were initially unsuccessful, but recent Phase I and II trials have shown promising results from the use of the immune conjugate brentuximab vedotin in HL and ALCL. Phase III trials are ongoing to evaluate clearly the benefit–risk ratio when compared with standard treatment. The first of these to report preliminary findings, the AETHERA trial, showed improved progression-free survival times in relapsing/refractory HL patients treated with brentuximab vedotin as a consolidation therapy after autologous stem cell transplantation compared with those receiving placebo. Patients with rarer CD30+ lymphomas may also benefit from brentuximab vedotin therapy in the future. Moreover, combination treatment with immunomodulatory and cell cycle checkpoint modulators that are currently under development, as well as conventional chemotherapeutic agents, may yield further benefits. To this end, improved methods of CD30 detection and quantitation will improve the delineation of non-HL subtypes in which CD30-targeted therapy may be clinically indicated.


Using pooled cross-sectional data from the 1992 to 2005 March Current Population Survey (CPS), this study examines the relationship between minimum wage increases and the economic well-being of single mothers. Estimation results show that minimum wage increases were ineffective at reducing poverty among single mothers. Most working single mothers were not affected by minimum wage hikes because they already earned wages above state and federal minimum wages. And less-educated single mothers who were affected did not see a rise in net income because of negative employment and hours effects. For this low-skilled population, a 10 percent increase in the minimum wage was associated with an 8.8 percent reduction in employment and an 11.8 percent reduction in annual hours worked. © 2008 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management


The attentional boost effect (ABE) refers to enhanced memory for information that is learned under conditions of divided attention in which participants encode stimuli while performing a second task involving target monitoring. The present investigation examined the ABE in young and young-old adults in forced-choice recognition (Experiment 1), and in young, young-old, and older-old adults in yes/no recognition that included manipulations of word frequency and study-to-test changes in modality (Experiments 2 and 3). Contrary to previous findings that showed an elimination of the ABE in young-old adults (Bechi Gabrelli, Spataro, Pezzuti, & Rossi-Arnaud, 2018), young-old adults exhibited an ABE whose magnitude did not differ from that of young adults. Older-old adults, however, displayed a reduced ABE compared with the young. The results may be understood by a framework in which age-related cognitive declines create vulnerable boosted memories in the ABE that are more easily disrupted over time than the boosted memories in young adults.


Through the impact of shops like Habitat and IKEA, and of the countless glossy magazines, books and catalogues that focus on the concept of 'interior design', we have all become familiar with the idea of our homes and public interiors containing items of modern furniture and decor. Yet design historian and critic Penny Sparke shows that, unlike designed buildings and artefacts, the fixed idea of the 'modern interior' has only ever been an abstract and idealized concept, promoted through exhibitions, retail contexts and the mass media, and that it rarely exists in an absolute form. "The Modern Interior" provides a persuasive account of the forces, conflicts and debates that have underpinned the emergence of something we now effortlessly refer to as the 'modern interior'. Offering fascinating and eloquent insights into the work of international designers including C.R. Mackintosh, Adolf Loos, Josef Frank, Frank Lloyd Wright, Marcel Breuer, Lilly Reich, Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier, Philippe Starck, and Charles and Ray Eames, Sparke focuses on the realities as well as concepts of the modern interior, whether in the hands of professional decorators and designers, or in those of its amateur inhabitants. By doing so, she deftly unravels the shift from Victorian to modern style, and demonstrates that the easy transition to the modern interior so frequently portrayed is little more than a mythology. "The Modern Interior" is essential reading for all students of modern design, architecture and culture, as well as anyone interested in why the interior spaces we inhabit look the way they do.


Introduction:  Strife is one of the most important health threatening happenings that leads to more than 0.5 million deaths each year, and is among the most important causes of mortality in youth. Studying it can increase knowledge on its resulting traumas and be a base for supervising these crimes. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the epidemiology of strife cases presenting to emergency department (ED).  Methods:  The present study is a retrospective cross-sectional one that evaluates the epidemiology of strife and violence in those presenting to the ED of Imam Hossein Hospital, Tehran, Iran, during April 2014 to January 2016. The studied variables included age, sex, time of visit, social history of the patient, trauma mechanism, anatomical site of trauma, measures taken, and final outcome.  Results:  499 patients with the mean age of 26.4 ± 8.7 were studied. 442 (88.6%) were male and 443 (88.9%) were of Iranian nationality. Based on the obtained results, 321 (64.4%) were single and 335 (67.1%) were in the 20-29 years age group. 317 (87.3%) cases had negative social habits (smoking, drinking,…) and cigarette was the most commonly used substance in cases with positive social habits. The highest frequency of ED visits happened between 4PM and 12AM (49.7%), on weekdays (73.1%), and in spring (41.9%). 283 (56.7%) of the studied cases had visited ED following penetrating trauma and 240 (48.1%) needed some kind of surgical intervention. Finally, 398 (79.8%) cases were discharged with full recovery, 81 (16.2%) were discharged against medical advice, and 4 (0.8%) died.  Conclusion:  Based on the findings of the present study, prevalence of trauma due to strife was 16 in each 1000 visits to the trauma unit of the studied center. Most cases of strife happened in men, singles, those aged 21-30 years, in spring, on weekdays, in the evening and with penetrating trauma and about 80% were discharged from ED with full recovery.


Abstract Predicting N losses in flooded agricultural systems is complex because of the large number of potential N transformation pathways. Although coupled nitrification/denitrification at the flooded sediment near-surface oxic/anoxic interface is a recognized pathway of fertilizer N loss, the role of the newly discovered anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) pathway in agricultural systems is poorly understood. A survey study was implemented to characterize sediment denitrification rates, anammox activity, and fluxes of ammonium and nitrate, and the vertical distribution of N functional genes were measured in Hawaiian taro (Colocasia esculenta) fields under three fertilizer management regimens (conventional, organic, and hybrid) as a model for flooded agroecosystems. Potential denitrification rates and anammox activity were measured using a slurry-based isotope pairing technique, and fluxes were determined by porewater modeling. Although significant numbers of anammox 16S rRNA genes were detected, only negligible anammox activity was found, illustrating the need to quantify not only the presence but also the activity of these bacteria. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction was performed for bacterial amoA, nirS, nosZ, and the 16S rRNA gene at 1-cm soil depth increments. Slurry isotope pairing technique–based potential denitrification rates (4.3–12.3 mmol N2 m−2 day−1) were on the high end of previous anaerobic incubation studies. Flux-derived denitrification rates were up to three orders of magnitude lower than slurry isotope pairing technique rates, suggesting strong nitrification regulation. Organically managed fields exhibited significantly lower slurry and flux-based denitrification rates than conventional and hybrid systems. This study supports the use of alternative fertilizer management techniques in flooded agroecosystems by the mitigation of N losses through denitrification and decreased overall N flux rates.


Gradient estimation is often necessary for fitting generative models with discrete latent variables, in contexts such as reinforcement learning and variational autoencoder (VAE) training. The DisARM estimator achieves state of the art gradient variance for Bernoulli latent variable models in many contexts. However, DisARM and other estimators have potentially exploding variance near the boundary of the parameter space, where solutions tend to lie. To ameliorate this issue, we propose a new gradient estimator bitflip-1 that is lower variance at the boundaries of the parameter space. As bitflip-1 has complementary properties to existing estimators, we introduce an aggregated estimator, unbiased gradient variance clipping (UGC) that uses either a bitflip-1 or a DisARM gradient update for each coordinate. We theoretically prove that UGC has uniformly lower variance than DisARM.
Empirically, we observe that UGC achieves the optimal value of the optimization objectives in toy experiments, discrete VAE training, and in a best subset selection problem.


The author synthesizes ideas from prior research and develops a model describing how information system (IS)-related learning impacts organizational processes and productivity. Aspects of both education and training are discussed with an emphasis on how they complement one another. The author examines how IS-related learning is put into operation using a case analysis. The emphasis is on describing how the subject companies approach education and/or training. The author provides prescriptions for organizational learning based on ideas gleaned from the case analysis. Suggestions are made as to how companies should approach IS-related education and training.<<ETX>>


Emmet Gowin has been taking aerial photographs of the landscape in the United States, Mexico, Czechoslovakia, Asia, and the Middle East for over twenty years. In his most compelling photographs, one witnesses how man's footprint has visually scarred and continually altered the earth's surface. This extraordinary book, published in conjunction with the first major touring exhibition of Gowin's photographs in over ten years, focuses on images created after 1986. That was the year Gowin began to extend his aerial photography explorations in America by recording images of military test sites, missile silos, ammunition storage and disposal facilities, coal mining, pivot irrigation, offroad motor traffic, and more. The book also surveys his more recent works, which focus on other regions of the world, including the battlefields of Kuwait, new golf courses in Japan, and the chemo-petrol industries of the Czech Republic. Gowin's richly toned black-and-white images have been characterized as "immorally gorgeous," since at a distance even his most disturbing images can appear to be beautiful. In this exquisitely produced volume, Jock Reynolds provides an overview of Gowin's aerial photography and places it in the context of his earlier work and that of such photographers as Carleton Watkins, Alfred Stieglitz, Ansel Adams, and Frederick Sommer. Philip Brookman illuminates Gowin's recent work in the Czech Republic, while Terry Tempest Williams discusses Gowin's images from the American West, especially his Nevada Test Site series.


Stone's central interests include the development of the self, empathy, narcissism, shame, envy, rage and the group-self. He is concerned with several aspects of clinical technique [and] is especially sensitive to our co-creation of so-called "difficult patients". His understanding of dreams as both personal and group products which manifest visual narratives will be of particular interest to students of the social and collective unconscious. Stone's work with narcissistic and borderline patients developed in parallel with his work with the chronically mentally ill, who are often institutionalised. He demonstrates that group therapy for such patients is not only a matter of containment and holding in the service of administrative control, but also involves interpretative work based on an understanding of the primary need for a good enough self-object. Group analysts will be able to connect these ideas with their own theories of ego training in action, the complementarity and reciprocity of transference and countertransference processes, the maintenance of an optimal balance of involvement and detachment in conducting and convening groups, and finding crucial areas of engagement between the group-as-a-whole and the members of it. This work locates aggression within the system of aggressive feelings, frustration and failures in empathy and care. Clearly, Stone has contributed to the development of an authentic relational perspective in psychoanalytical group therapy.' - From the Introduction by Earl Hopper


Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis is a treatment-responsive encephalitis associated with anti-NMDA receptor antibodies, which bind to the extracellular conformal epitope in NR1/NR2 heteromers of the NMDA receptor, although recent data have demonstrated that its critical epitope region resides in the NR1 subunit. This disorder usually develops in young women with ovarian teratoma, who typically present with prominent psychiatric symptoms, often preceded by a common cold-like illness. Most cases develop seizures, followed by an unresponsive/catatonic state, prolonged cloudiness of consciousness, central hypoventilation, bizarre dyskinesias, and autonomic symptoms. Brain MRI is often unremarkable. CSF reveals nonspecific changes. EEG usually shows diffuse slowing without paroxysmal discharges. Tumor occurrence was initially believed to be 100%, but now it is estimated to comprise 58% of all cases, 62% in women and 22% in men. The median age at onset is 23 years, but it develops between 5 to 76 years. Although early tumor resection with immunotherapy is recommended, spontaneous recovery also occurs. The pathogenesis remains unknown; however, a recent study demonstrated that the antibodies reversibly inhibit the clustering of the NMDA receptor on the neuronal cell membrane. Based on symptomatology, we speculate that an antibody-mediated inhibition of the NMDA receptor on presynaptic GABAergic interneurons may reduce the release of GABA, causing the disinhibition of postsynaptic glutamatergic transmission, excessive release of glutamate in the prefrontal/subcortical structures, and glutamate and dopamine dysregulation. Acute juvenile female non-herpetic encephalitis (AJFNHE) has been proposed as a distinct clinical entity in Japan independently of tumor presence since 1997, when 5 young women with encephalitis were reported. A recent study suggested that these disorders are identical.


The Escherichia coli strain PLK1427 (Henson, Kopp, Kuempel, 1984) was used in this work. It carries a deletion of 60 thousand pairs of nucleotides in the chromosomal region 30-31 min and a partially deleted prophage lambda rev cI875Sam7 integrated into the 30 min region, instead of the rac prophage. Among the mutants of PLK1427 strain selected for resistance to 42 degrees C, deletions extending about 4 min and affecting the loci nirR (29.3 min), zdc235::Tn10 (32.3 min) and zdd230::Tn9 (33.3 min) were found. Although the deletion mutants obtained affect the region of replication termination (terC) of the chromosome, they have no alterations in the growth rate. It was demonstrated that some deletions may be transferred and are capable of recombination, giving the wild type in transductional experiments with the mutant phage T4.


Infant mortality is defined as the number of deaths per 1000 births. The U.S. infant mortality rate in 2014 was reported as 5.8 which is very high compared to other countries such as Japan where the rate 2.1. It is known that infant mortality is a huge problem, but the challenge right now is finding ways to solve this issue. My research aims to see what factors influence infant mortality to see how it can be reduced. I also wanted to learn about which groups are most vulnerable to experiencing high infant death rates. The purpose of this research is to find out how factors such as delivery method, birth weight, and race affect infant mortality to determine how these factors lead to the reduction of mortality rates. I wanted to see if there is a preferred delivery method for small infants compared to larger infants. To evaluate this, I analyzed 2007-2016 U.S. infant mortality data from the CDC and created bar charts relating race, birth weight, and delivery method to the death rate. I found out that the vaginal delivery method has the lower death rate compared to the C-section delivery method, that American Indians who were born through C-sections have the highest death rate out of all the other races and delivery methods, that the death rate is lower for small infants when they are delivered through the C-section method and that it is preferable to deliver larger infants through the vaginal method since the death rate would be lower. These results can serve as then beginning of a more comprehensive look into infant mortality.


The relationship between leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula L.) and the species composition of mixed-grass prairie was examined on both a large scale, within a 200-km2 area, and on a local scale, within a single infestation. On the large scale, cover values of 8 of the 10 most common species varied significantly (P & 0.05) between native prairie and spurge-dominated vegetation. Cover values of all common native species were negatively correlated with cover of leafy spurge. Within a single infestation of leafy spurge, the frequency of 5 common native species decreased significantly with leafy spurge. Most native species were absent where leafy spurge was most abundant and species richness declined from 11 outside the infestation to 3 at the center. Ninety-five percent of leafy spurge infestations within a 374-ha area were associated with anthropogenic disturbances (vehicle tracks, road construction and fireguards) which removed native plant cover and exposed mineral soil. These observations corroborate experimental studies which show that leafy spurge establishes more readily in disturbed soil and indicate that the result of such disturbances is the replacement of native species with leafy spurge.


Rationalist, psychological, and domestic politics approaches have all generated internally consistent, plausible explanations for long wars. But sorting out which of these explanations is most valid is quite difficult, because definitional questions bedevil the study of war duration, and more importantly, because it is very hard to evaluate the evidence for competing explanations of war duration. The latter difficulty arises for three reasons. First, many state behaviors are consistent with multiple, competing explanations of long wars. Second, in most states, multiple people play important roles in crafting foreign policies, meaning different leaders may have different primary motives for continuing a war. Last, even individual leaders may be driven by multiple motives. These challenges are relevant for both case study research and large-N studies. Recognizing these challenges should help to improve future studies of the causes of long wars.


In the paper we evaluate the influence of crown thinning with positive selection, different intensity (moderate PRP III and heavy PRP IV) and 5-year frequency on development of growth, production, quality and leaf area index of black walnut (Juglans nigra L.) monocultures growing on the series of three permanent research plots (PRP) Sikenica (Levice Forest Enterprise, Levice Forest District) as observed in 1978–2003. The trends of development of mean stem, basal area, standing volume and aboveground dendromass (in dry matter) were mainly influenced by heavy crown thinning. The index of growth was as follows: basal area 169.01%, standing volume 262.12%, aboveground dendromass (in dry matter) 324.48%. At the age of 64 years the black walnut monocultures tended by heavy crown thinning had the following parameters: basal area 31.03 m2/ha, standing volume 463.88 m3/ha and aboveground dendromass 194.98 t/ha. Mean periodic increment reached the values: basal area 0.51 m2/ha/year, standing volume 11.48 m3/ha/year and dendromass 5.39 t/ha/year. The index of increment percent growth was: basal area + 31.75%, growing stock + 30.85% and dendromass + 0.79%, compared to the control. The total production was also significantly influenced by heavy thinning. At the stand age of 64 years the tended stands had the total basal area of 4.92 m2/ha, total volume production of 572.77 m3/ha and total weight production of 246.04 t/ha. The total mean increment of basal area is 0.67 m2/ha/year, of volume 8.95 m3/ha/year and of weight 3.84 t/ha/year, which is by 24.07%, 23.96% and 16.01% more than on the control plot. The leaf area index at the age of 64 years ranges from 6.54 ha/ha (PRP III) to 7.82 ha/ha (PRP V). Dendrochronological analyses revealed minimum widths of annual rings in the years 1952, 1961, 1968, 1971, 1975, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1993, 2000, maximum ones in 1951, 1957, 1959, 1967, 1974, 1979, 1982, 1984, 1989, 1999.


Environmental conditions and human activities influence the ubiquity and diversity of microorganisms in the atmosphere thereby acquiring the ability to resist antibiotics which poses serious public threat. Airborne bacteria and fungi isolated using settling plate method from three different points (where kolanuts, meat and onions are sold) at Owena Market, Osun state, Nigeria were assayed for antimicrobial susceptibility using disc diffusion. The microorganisms were identified as Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, Proteus vulgaris, Bacillus megaterium, Alcaligenes spp., Aeromonas spp., Escherichia coli, Micrococcus spp., Streptococcus spp. , Mortierella polycephala, Epicoccum nigrum, Alternaria spp., Penicillium chrysogenum, Aspergillus flavus, Acremonium spp., Penicillium oxalicum, Cladosporium cladosporiodes, Rhizopus stolonifer, Stemphylium spp., and Trichoderma spp. About 30% of the bacterial isolates were resistant to the antibacterial agents (antibiotics) and all the bacterial isolates were resistant to at least four or more antibiotics while 18% and 64% of the fungi isolated were susceptible to griseofulvin and ketoconazole, respectively. This study shows that the market environment serves as reservoirs for multiple antibiotic resistant bacteria and fungi capable of causing infectious diseases. Keywords: Airborne microbes, air monitoring, diversity, human activities, multidrug resistance Cite this Article Oginni GF, Oloketuyi SF, Chukwu RO et al . Antimicrobial Susceptibility Profile of Airborne Bacteria and Fungi at Owena Market, Osun State, Nigeria. Research & Reviews: A Journal of Microbiology and Virology . 2017; 7(2): 12–16p.


In this paper, we study the localization problem in large-scale Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks (UWSNs). Unlike in the terrestrial positioning, the global positioning system(GPS) can not work efficiently underwater. The limited bandwidth,the severely impaired channel and the cost of underwater equipment all makes the localization problem very challenging. Most current localization schemes are not well suitable for deep underwater environment. We propose a hierarchical localization scheme to address the challenging problems. The new scheme mainly consists of four types of nodes, which are surface buoys, Detachable Elevator Transceivers (DETs), anchor nodes and ordinary nodes. Surface buoy is assumed to be equipped with GPS on the water surface. A DET is attached to a surface buoy and can rise and down to broadcast its position. The anchor nodes can compute their positions based on the position information from the DETs and the measurements of distance to the DETs. The hierarchical localization scheme is scalable, and can be used to make balances on the cost and localization accuracy. Initial simulation results show the advantages of our proposed scheme.


During the last decade the potential of insects for human nutritional protein is increasingly recognised. Direct consumption of insects contributes to a reduction of the ecological footprint of human food production and is claimed to have health benefits. An alternative is feeding poultry (broilers and layers) with insect-derived protein. This offers several additional advantages, e.g. a more extensive use of (new sources) of organic by-products of food industry for insect production. Implementation of a People-Planet-Profit (PPP) sustainable way of utilising these opportunities requires the development of sustainable business models. Such business models need to be based on the opportunities of insect-derived protein in feeding poultry but should also include the risks associated with insect-derived protein for feeding poultry. This article explores the insect-fed poultry production value chain through an interdisciplinary approach. First, the essential features of this value chain are described. Then, an inventory and classification is made of the main opportunities and risks of this value chain. Finally, the opportunity-risk trade-offs are discussed, as well as their implications for developing sustainable business models. We conclude that for PPP-sustainable business models, management of the asymmetric trade-offs between opportunities and risks related to possible contamination of organic by-products used as substrate for insect production should receive prime attention. Implications for organising the value chain are discussed.


Contemporary advances in microfluidic and molecular techniques have enabled coral studies to shift from reef and colony scales to polyp- and molecular-level investigations. Polyp bail-out provides an alternative approach to acquire solitary polyps for studies at finer scales. Although induction of polyp bail-out has been reported in several studies, polyp health after bail-out has not been investigated. In this study, we monitored morphological and genetic changes in Pocillopora acuta polyps after bail-out induced by hyperosmosis. In isosmotic conditions, over 80% of bailed-out polyps survived, of which half regenerated normal polyp morphology within 5 days, including a polarized polyp body, extended tentacles, and a distinguishable oral disk. In contrast, the remaining polyps degenerated into tissue ball-like structures that resemble multicellular aggregates reported in earlier studies. In morphologically recovered polyps, transcriptomic analysis showed that ∼87% of genes altered during bail-out induction recovered from stress status, suggesting resumption of metabolism, cell division, and immunity, while in degenerated polyps, only ∼71% of genes recovered. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction data further demonstrated that genetic recovery of energy production, cell proliferation, and immune response was achieved in morphologically recovered polyps within 3 days after bail-out, but was not fully accomplished in degenerated polyps even after 5 days. Our findings indicate that solitary polyps generated by hyperosmosis-induced bail-out can recover rapidly from physiological stress under laboratory conditions, suggesting that bailed-out polyps could be used as new models for coral research.


In June 1954, Eunice Kathleen Waymon performed on an Atlantic City stage for the first time under the name Nina Simone. This performative self-creation is mirrored in the structure and lyrical content of one of her best-known songs, "Four Women," in which each verse features Simone singing as a different woman. By examining the similarities between the varying accounts of Waymon's transformation into Simone, and by conducting a close reading of Simone's performances of "Four Women," it is possible to understand Simone's song as challenging representational politics by pluralizing identities.
 This strategic decision was underscored when the rapper Talib Kweli and DJ Hi Tek recreated "Four Women" as "For Women" on their 2000 record Reflection Eternal. "For Women" reproduces the structure and message of Simone's original. Mimicking the logic of self-creation that Simone embodied both in her life and in "Four Women," Kweli and Hi-Tek craft a song where Kweli transitions, often mid-verse, between rapping about each of these four women in the third person and taking on the first-person perspective of each woman. Understanding these two examples together illustrates the power and legacy of "Four Women" and its critique of representational politics and of the rigidity of unique subject positions.


Companies have increasingly focused on their own core business and created partnerships with other companies to increase their competitiveness. Linear supply chains of companies create the enterprise networks. The enterprise networks could produce wider product and service entities, and the entire network could be comprehended as a value adding value network for the product or service. VTT Industrial Systems has researched enterprise networks but there is also a need to research supportive applications for business and communications between the applications. The objective of this study is to define which kind of applications are suitable for managing networked enterprises and supply chains, and how application integration can be achieved. Information sharing for the company's use and with the business partners improves the transparency of a dynamic business environment. The objective is to create a hypothetical model for value network integration in practice by combining the research results of this study. The research is focused on electronic contract manufacturing industry but the technologies and models are applicable also to other industries. The supply chain and network management and management tools are studied in the literature survey and by using www-material from the Internet. The supply chain and network management and tools are studied also by interviewing software vendors. Information about supply chain management in practice is studied in a joint project by VTT and the customer company by interviews and discussions with the parties involved. The conclusion of the study is a hypothetical model for value network integration in practice. By use of information technologies, it is possible to improve business and communication between enterprises. From the point of view of the enterprises, it is worthwhile to invest in enterprise networks and to improve the communications between the business partners.


Although the field of pharmacogenetics has existed for decades, practioners have been slow to implement pharmacogenetic testing in clinical care. Numerous publications describe the barriers to clinical implementation of pharmacogenetics. Recently, several freely available resources have been developed to help address these barriers. In this review, we discuss current programs that use preemptive genotyping to optimize the pharmacotherapy of patients. Array-based preemptive testing includes a large number of relevant pharmacogenes that impact multiple high-risk drugs. Using a preemptive approach allows genotyping results to be available prior to any prescribing decision so that genomic variation may be considered as an inherent patient characteristic in the planning of therapy. This review describes the common elements among programs that have implemented preemptive genotyping and highlights key processes for implementation, including clinical decision support.


Laserexcited fluorescence spectroscopy was adopted for dityrosine detection in horse spleen apoferritin. Dityrosine was identified in horse spleen apoferritin. Fractionation of acid-hydrolyzed horse spleen apoferritin showed fluorescence attributed to dityrosine, and other compounds, excited by 325-nm laser radiation. The other fluorescent compounds resulted in a broad fluorescence emission spectrum of horse spleen apoferritin. The broad emission band overlapped with the fluorescence emission spectrum of pure dityrosine. Fractionation of horse spleen apoferritin acid hydrolysate prior to laser-excited fluorescence detection was necessary for dityrosine quantitative analysis. The concentration of dityrosine in horse spleen apoferritin was 2.5% (mol/mol), estimated from the method of standard addition.


Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty is an established method of revascularization in a variety of arterial stenotic conditions. When applied to specific morphologic and clinical indications, it can be very effective. It appears to be the procedure of choice for focal stenotic lesions of the iliac and femoropopliteal system. Its role in infrapopliteal atherosclerotic disease is less certain, but more optimistic, with recent reports. New methods for preventing restenosis and abrupt closure are currently being developed, and they appear to be promising as adjunctive therapy with mechanical catheter-directed intervention. The future of these adjunctive agents will likely improve the outcome and reduce the immediate failure rates of angioplasty. Other modalities, including thermal laser angioplasty and atherectomy, also appear to have a promising future. These methods, coupled with better endoluminal guidance, such as ultrasound, will help guide the interventional procedure more precisely and hopefully broaden the application and improve the outcome.


Objective—Adipose tissue inflammation contributes to the development of complications, such as insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus. We previously reported that plasma levels of N&egr;-(carboxymethyl)lysine (CML) were decreased in obese subjects resulting from CML accumulation in adipose tissue and that this CML accumulation plays an important role in adipose tissue inflammation. The objective of this study is to investigate associations between obesity (body mass index, waist circumference, and trunk fat mass), plasma CML (as an inversely correlated marker of CML accumulation in adipose tissue), and low-grade inflammation (LGI) in a large sample of individuals whose weight status ranged from normal to morbid obesity. Approach and Results—We studied 1270 individuals of the Cohort on Diabetes and Atherosclerosis Maastricht Study and Hoorn Study, in whom protein-bound CML levels were measured by UPLC-Tandem MS (ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry), and 6 inflammatory markers were measured with multiarrays. These inflammatory markers were compiled into an LGI score. Multiple linear regression, adjusted for covariates, showed that (1) waist circumference was inversely associated with protein-bound CML plasma levels (standardized regression coefficient [&bgr;]=−0.357 [95% confidence interval: −0.414; −0.301]); (2) protein-bound CML was inversely associated with LGI score (&bgr;=−0.073 [−0.130;-0.015]); and (3) the association between waist circumference and LGI (&bgr;=0.262 [0.203;0.321]) was attenuated after adjustment for protein-bound CML plasma levels and other potential mediators (to &bgr;=0.202 [0.138;0.266]), with CML explaining the greatest portion of the attenuation (≈12%). Further analysis with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry measures of body composition confirmed a strong inverse association of fat mass preferentially accumulated in the trunk with protein-bound CML plasma levels, significantly explaining ≈21% of the trunk fat–LGI association. Conclusions—Obesity, in particular central obesity, is characterized by greater levels of LGI but by lower levels of circulating CML; the latter significantly explaining a portion of the positive association between central obesity and inflammation.


This article reports briefly on flexible and printed organic electronics, with an emphasis on organic thin-film transistor(OTFT)device technology, and highlights our laboratory's latest research and development results. Progress will be described in areas including printing processes, printable materials and printed devices, as well as potential applications. Printed OTFT devices are fabricated with various printing methods and silver nanoparticle inks are commonly used to form interconnects and electrodes. Small-molecule organic semiconductors with their highly crystalline nature are patterned on printed source and drain electrodes. A typical carrier mobility for printed OTFT devices is over 1 cm/Vs at low operating voltages, even for short channel length devices. Integrated circuits such as D-flip flops and ring oscillators as well as operational amplifiers are successfully demonstrated. An OTFT-based biosensor with an extended gate electrode for biosensing is proposed and good sensitivities are obtained for the detection of immunoglobulins, lactate and other biomarkers. Lastly, flexible hybrid sensors with Si-LSI die are also demonstrated and their applications are discussed.


Financial institutions are often the crucial factor in a society's progress toward sustainable development. Yet financial workers and public policy researchers are largely unaware of this role. Sustainability in Finance seeks to bridge this gap as it posits a theoretical foundation for a finance-policy partnership. The volume presents an innovative analysis of current practices at both global financial institutions and banks in developing countries and ultimately offers a valuable consideration of the future of sustainable development.


Context. A field star, HD 61199 (V ≈ 8), simultaneously observed with Procyon by the MOST (Microvariability & Oscillations of STars) satellite in continuous runs of 34, 17, and 34 days in 2004, 2005, and 2007, was found to pulsate in 11 frequencies in the δ Scuti range with amplitudes from 1.7 down to 0.09 mmag. The photometry also showed variations with a period of about four days. To investigate the nature of the longer period, 45 days of time-resolved spectroscopy was obtained at the Thüringer Landessternwarte Tautenburg in 2004. The radial velocity measurements indicate that HD 61199 is a triple system. Aims. A δ Scuti pulsator with a rich eigenspectrum in a multiple system is promising for asteroseismology. Our objectives were to identify which of the stars in the system is the δ Scuti variable and to obtain the orbital elements of the system and the fundamental parameters of the individual components, which are constrained by the pulsation frequencies of the δ Scuti star. Methods. Classical Fourier techniques and least-squares multi-sinusoidal fits were applied to the MOST photometry to identify the pulsation frequencies. The groundbased spectroscopy was analysed with least-squares-deconvolution (LSD) techniques, and the orbital elements derived with the KOREL and ORBITX routines. Asteroseismic models were also generated. Results. The photometric and spectroscopic data are compatible with a triple system consisting of a close binary with an orbital period of 3.57 days and a δ Scuti companion (HD 61199 A) as the most luminous component. The δ Scuti star is a rapid rotator with about v sin i = 130 km s−1 and an upper mass limit of about 2.1 M . For the close binary components, we find they are of nearly equal mass, with lower mass limits of about 0.7 M . Comparisons to synthetic spectra indicate these stars have a late-F spectral type. The observed oscillation frequencies are compared to pulsation models to further constrain the evolutionary state and mass of HD 61199 A. The orbit frequency of the close binary corresponds to the difference of the two δ Scuti frequencies with the highest amplitudes – a coincidence that is remarkable, but not explained.


A previously unknown maltose transporter is essential for the conversion of starch to sucrose in Arabidopsis leaves at night. The transporter was identified by isolating two allelic mutants with high starch levels and very high maltose, an intermediate of starch breakdown. The mutations affect a gene of previously unknown function, MEX1. We show that MEX1is a maltose transporter that is unrelated to other sugar transporters. The severe mex1 phenotype demonstrates that MEX1is the predominant route of carbohydrate export from chloroplasts at night. Homologous genes in plants including rice and potato indicate that maltose export is of widespread significance.


: A totaL of 160 crossbred pigs were fed a sorghum-soybean meal diet with ammonium polyphosphate (APP) or dicalcium phosphate (DiCa) as supplemental phosphorus (P) sources for growing-finishing swine. The diets contained P levels of .5 and .4% for the grower phase and .4 and .33% for the finisher phase. Ammonium polyphosphate was evaluated on the basis of pig performance and bone development and compared with DiCa as a standard. The first rib and third and fourth metacarpals were removed from eight barrows from each of the four treatments. Replacement of DiCa with APP as the P supplement did not affect (P greater than .05) average daily gain, average daily feed and feed:gain ratio of growing-finishing pigs. No effect on bone variables examined on the first rib and third and fourth metacarpals was obtained between pigs fed APP or DiCa. Pigs on the lower supplemental P levels had lower (P less than .05) dry fat-free weight and percentage ash for all three bones. The breaking force of the first rib was less (P less than .05) for the pigs fed the lower P supplements of APP and DiCa than for pigs fed the higher level of DiCa. A trend was observed for an apparent decreased P availability from APP than DiCa when fed at the lower level of supplementation, but this trend was not observed when APP was added to provide a P level to meet National Research Council requirements. Ammonium polyphosphate as a P supplement for growing-finishing swine was satisfactory for performance and bone mineralization as compared with DiCa.


For contributing to a true advancement of science, physicists should define a correct attitude toward revelation, identify, like the classical physicists, the physical information incorporated in the terms of the underlying equations, and give a rationale for their work, or any work they investigate. Einstein's merit of turning parts of revealed knowledge (without being aware of dealing with it) into rational knowledge in deducing the Lorentz transformation in [1] proves that hi s genius was actually far more impressive than that just celebrated in the World Year of Physics 2005 [3]. Unfortunately, his resulting jumps over all explanatory steps have hidden his distinguished performance.


AIMS
To report our experience with the Cook Formula® stent in the treatment of (recurrent) coarctation of the aorta in children below 12 kg.

METHODS AND RESULTS
In vitro study of the Cook Formula 418 (8 mm) and 535 (8 and 10 mm) stents demonstrated successful downcrimping on smaller balloons and predictable fracturing patterns. Between November 2012 and January 2019, one patient with native, one patient with post-interventional and thirteen patients with post-surgical coarctation of the aorta underwent implantation of a Cook Formula stent. Patient and procedural characteristics were obtained as well as procedural success, complications and follow-up. Median age was 4.3 months and median weight 5.5 kg. Arterial sheath size ranged from 5 to 7 Fr. In-stent diameters of 3.7 to 8.8 mm were obtained with a median residual gradient of 0 mm Hg. Major complications consisted of peri-procedural hemodynamic instability (n=1), dissection of the iliac artery (n=1) and non-deployment with surgical removal (n=1). Redilations were performed after a median interval of 24.3 months. Median follow-up was 31.7 months.

CONCLUSIONS
The bare-metal Cook Formula stent® provides a durable and effective alternative to reoperation and balloon dilatation for native as well as post-surgical aortic coarctation in children below 12 kg.


The effects of thyroid hormone on Na,K-ATPase alpha-subunit mRNA (mRNA alpha) content and Na,K-ATPase activity were measured in renal cortex, heart, and cerebrum of hypothyroid rats 24 and 72 h after injection of diluent or T3. Use of a cDNA probe complementary to rat brain mRNA alpha in Northern blot analysis revealed a single 26-27 S band in RNA isolated from these three tissues regardless of thyroid status. Tissue mRNA alpha content was estimated by dot blot analysis of whole cell extracts and isolated total RNA. Injection of T3 augmented mRNA alpha content by 2.1- to 2.5-fold in kidney cortex and myocardium at 24 h. After three daily injections of T3, the increases in mRNA alpha were evident despite a global increase in RNA content associated with hypertrophy of these target tissues. Furthermore, the increases in abundance of mRNA alpha after 72 h of T3 treatment correlated with enhancement of Na,K-ATPase activity. In contrast, both mRNA alpha and enzyme activity were invariant in the cerebrum. These data suggest that T3-induced augmentation of Na,K-ATPase activity is mediated, at least in part, by increased mRNA alpha content in target tissues.


ABSTRACT
 The lower jaw of a gymnodont fish collected from the lower Eocene Cambay Shale Formation in Gujarat Province, western India, has fused dentaries without a beak and a remarkable series of teeth that are unique among all known fossil and living Tetraodontiformes. The teeth are molariform, with raised spokes radiating inward from the emarginated peripheral edge of the crown. Tooth development is intraosseous, with new teeth developing in spongy bone before they erupt and attach to the dentary by pedicels. Although many of the 110 tooth loci in the fossil have lost their teeth, in life the teeth would have grown to fit tightly together to form a broad and continuous crushing surface. The estimated age of the Cambay Shale vertebrate fauna is ca. 54.5 Ma, making the jaw the second oldest confirmed gymnodont fossil. Preliminary comparisons with extant taxa of gymnodonts with fused dentaries (e.g., Diodon, Chilomycterus, and Mola) show detailed similarities in jaw structure, but further study of the dentition is needed to better understand the evolutionary position of the new fossil. We describe the new gymnodont as †Avitoplectus molaris, gen. et sp. nov., in †Avitoplectidae, fam. nov., and place the family as incertae sedis within Gymnodontes.