OBJECTIVE
To explore antecedents and outcomes of nurse self-reported job satisfaction and dissatisfaction-based turnover cognitions, theorizing (using Self-Determination Theory) that leaders can foster work conditions that help fulfill innate needs, thereby fostering satisfaction of nurses and patients, and reducing adverse events.

DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING
Primary and secondary data were collected within a 4-month period in 2015, from 2,596 nurses in 110 Army treatment facilities (hospitals and clinics) across 35 health care systems.

DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION
We collected individual nurse responses to the Practice Environment Scale-Nursing Work Index, in addition to aggregated archival data from the same timeframe, including both facility-level patient satisfaction records (the Army Provider Level Satisfaction Survey) and health care system-level adverse events records (provided by the Army Programming, Analysis, and Evaluation office).

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS
Five predictors of nurse satisfaction and turnover cognitions emerged-supportive leadership, staffing levels, nurse-physician teamwork, adoption of nursing care practice, and advancement opportunities. Aggregated nurse satisfaction was the most consistent predictor of both patient satisfaction and adverse events.

CONCLUSION
These findings provide evidence of the importance of nurse attitudes in improving perceived and actual performance across facilities and health care systems; in addition to practical steps, managers can take to improve satisfaction and retention.


NPHS2 is gene coding for podocin protein that plays an important role in nephrotic syndrome. Many studies showed NPHS2 causing early onset and not responding to standard steroid treatment in pediatric patients with nephrotic syndrome. In this study, we established the genotyping method of 6 exons of  NPHS2 in pediatric patient blood samples collecting in National Pediatric Hospital. Blood samples was extracted DNA and amplified wanted gene by PCR. Different PCR conditions was tested, then optimal PCR product was sequenced. From sequencing results, 251 SNPs from 6 exons was detected including 7 SNPs with various polymorphism; 2 new SNPs in exon 2 and exon 3.  In conclusion, we were successfully establishing the genotyping method of all 6 exons of NPHS2 in one PCR procedure and got some first results that would be useful for our next clinical study on Vietnamese pediatric patients with nephrotic syndrome.
Keywords
NPHS2, podocin, nephrotic syndrome
References
[1] Yu Z, Ding J, Huang J, Yao Y, Xiao H, Zhang J, Mutations in NPHS2 in sporadic steroid resistant nephrotic syndrome in Chinese children. Nephrol Dial Transplant, (2005) 20:902-8.[2] Otukesh H, Otukesh S, Mojtahedzadeh M, Hoseini R, Fereshtehnejad SM, Riahi FA, Management and outcome of steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome in children, IJKD, (2009) 3:210-7.[3] Cho YH, Lee HJ, Choi JH, Lee HB, Ha SH, Choi Y, WT1 and NPHS2 mutations in Korean children with steroid resistant nephrotic syndrome. Pediatr Nephrol, (2008) 23:63-70.[4] Franceschini N, North KE, Kopp JB, Mckenzie L, Winkler C, NPHS2 gene, nephritic syndrome and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis: a huge review, Genetics in Medicine, (2006) 8:63-75.[5] Caridi G, Perfumo F, Ghiggeri GM, NPHS2 (podocin) mutations in nephrotic syndrome, Clinical Spectrum and Fine Mechanism, Pediatric Research, (2005) 57:54R-61R.[6] Boute N, Gribouval O, Roselli S, Benessy F, Lee H, Fuchshuber A, Dahan K, Gubler MC, Niaudet P, Antignac C, NPHS2, encoding the glomerular protein podocin, is mutated in autosomal recessive steroid resistant nephritic syndrome, Nature genetics, (2000) 24:349-354.[7] Frishberg Y, Megged O, Shapira E, Feinstein S, Raas-Rothschild A, Mutations in NPHS2 encoding podocin are a prevalent cause of steroid resistant nephritic syndrome among Israeli-Arab children, J Am Soc Nephrol, (2002) 13(2): 400-405.[8] Berdeli A, Yavascan O, Serdaroqlu E, Bak M, Aksu N, Oner A, Anarat A, Donmez O, Yildiz N, Sever L, Tabel Y, Dusunsel R, Sonmez F, Cakar N, NPHS2 (podocin) mutations in Turkish children with idiopathic nephritic syndrome, Pediatr Nephrol, (2007) 22: 2031-2040[9] Basiratnia M, Torabinezhad S, Erjaee A, NPHS2 gene in Steroid resistant nephritic syndrome. Prevelance, clinical course, and mutational spectrum in South West Iranian children, IJKD, (2013) 7: 357-362. [10] Otukesh H, Fereshtehnejad SM, Bakhshayesh M, Hashemi M, Hoseini R, Chalian M, Salami A, Mehdipor L, Rahiminia A, NPHS2 Mutations in Children with Steroid-Resistant Nephrotic syndrome, Iranian Journal of Kidney Diseases, (2009) 3: 99-102.[11] Fotouhi N, Bonyadi MJ, Abdolmohammadi R, Kamalifar A, Nasri H, Einollahi B, R229Q polymorphism of NPHS2 gene in patients with late-onset steroid resistance nephritic syndrome. A Preliminary study, IJKD, (2013) 7: 399-403.[12] Karle SM, Ronner V, Glaeser L, Hildebrandt F, Fuchshuber A, Novel mutations in NPHS2 detected in both familial and sporadic steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome, J Am Soc Nephrol, (2002) 13: 388-393.


Action potential-evoked neurotransmitter release is impaired in knock-out neurons lacking synaptic cell-adhesion molecules α-neurexins (αNrxns), the extracellularly longer variants of the three vertebrate Nrxn genes. Ca2+ influx through presynaptic high-voltage gated calcium channels like the ubiquitous P/Q-type (CaV2.1) triggers release of fusion-ready vesicles at many boutons. α2δ Auxiliary subunits regulate trafficking and kinetic properties of CaV2.1 pore-forming subunits but it has remained unclear if this involves αNrxns. Using live cell imaging with Ca2+ indicators, we report here that the total presynaptic Ca2+ influx in primary hippocampal neurons of αNrxn triple knock-out mice of both sexes is reduced and involved lower CaV2.1-mediated transients. This defect is accompanied by lower vesicle release, reduced synaptic abundance of CaV2.1 pore-forming subunits, and elevated surface mobility of α2δ-1 on axons. Overexpression of Nrxn1α in αNrxn triple knock-out neurons is sufficient to restore normal presynaptic Ca2+ influx and synaptic vesicle release. Moreover, coexpression of Nrxn1α together with α2δ-1 subunits facilitates Ca2+ influx further but causes little augmentation together with a different subunit, α2δ-3, suggesting remarkable specificity. Expression of defined recombinant CaV2.1 channels in heterologous cells validates and extends the findings from neurons. Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings show that Nrxn1α in combination with α2δ-1, but not with α2δ-3, facilitates Ca2+ currents of recombinant CaV2.1 without altering channel kinetics. These results suggest that presynaptic Nrxn1α acts as a positive regulator of Ca2+ influx through CaV2.1 channels containing α2δ-1 subunits. We propose that this regulation represents an important way for neurons to adjust synaptic strength. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Synaptic transmission between neurons depends on the fusion of neurotransmitter-filled vesicles with the presynaptic membrane, which subsequently activates postsynaptic receptors. Influx of calcium ions into the presynaptic terminal is the key step to trigger vesicle release and involves different subtypes of voltage-gated calcium channels. We study the regulation of calcium channels by neurexins, a family of synaptic cell-adhesion molecules that are essential for many synapse properties. Using optical measurements of calcium influx in cultured neurons and electrophysiological recordings of calcium currents from recombinant channels, we show that a major neurexin variant facilitates calcium influx through P/Q-type channels by interacting with their α2δ-1 auxiliary subunits. These results propose a novel way how neurons can modulate the strength of distinct synapses.


Abstract Age-dependent extinction is an observation with important biological implications. Van Valen's Red Queen hypothesis triggered three decades of research testing its primary implication: that age is independent of extinction. In contrast to this, later studies with species-level data have indicated the possible presence of age dependence. Since the formulation of the Red Queen hypothesis, more powerful tests of survivorship models have been developed. This is the first report of the application of the Cox Proportional Hazards model to paleontological data. Planktonic foraminiferal morphospecies allow the taxonomic and precise stratigraphic resolution necessary for the Cox model. As a whole, planktonic foraminiferal morphospecies clearly show age-dependent extinction. In particular, the effect is attributable to the presence of shorter-ranged species (range < 4 myr) following extinction events. These shorter-ranged species also possess tests with unique morphological architecture. The morphological differences are probably epiphenomena of underlying developmental and heterochronic processes of shorter-ranged species that survived various extinction events. Extinction survivors carry developmental and morphological characteristics into postextinction recovery times, and this sets them apart from species populations established independently of extinction events.


: In 41 preparations of the m. pectoralis major it has been stated by means of anatomical methods that the vascular "hilus" is projected on the upper third of its middle part and represented by the thoracic branch of the thoracoacromial artery. The latter has several variants dividing into branches of the successive orders. It has been stated that the muscle has a wide network of anastomoses at the macro-microscopic level. For plastic purposes, it is expedient to use the external and middle parts of the m. pectoralis major which have more favourable conditions of the blood supply. Owing to the data obtained and the technique, developed on 25 corpses, for cutting out and graft transplantation in the thoracic cavity, it has been possible to operate 9 patients.


Background Older growing persons face the consequences of their life, including diseases and impairments, which threaten the quality of life. Health definitions and sustainability have the environmental aspect and the quality of life in common. The focus in the sustainability theory is on a balance between the benefits for persons, profit and planet. The Green Model (P.Lawton) underlines the trigger of older growing persons to their ultimate competence. With growing age vitality of persons shows an increasing spread, which pronounces the need for a dwelling design, adaptable to individual ambitions of older growing persons. Independence Threats Housing policy towards the year 2030- perspective enhances the independent living for lifetime dwelling type. The leave of the own independent living for a move home to a Nursing hospital gives an indication of availability of a good living environment. Four main motives for leaving the own home were found: bad health condition, available good housing conditions, loneliness effects and the anxiousness for absence of future care-provisions. In this paper are explored answers for the motives to leave independent living for lifetime, which give criteria for dwelling design decisions, suitable for older growing persons. Possible Answers Formulated is a dwelling type, independent living for lifetime. This dwelling type consists in a general dwelling, which is used during lifetime, and in rules for design decisions, that facilitate flexibility to mutations, needed to adapt the dwelling on eventual individual ambitions. Exploration of the answers to health threat, loneliness, lacking dwelling quality and absence is focused on solutions within the competence of dwelling design. Results The exploration of answers resulted in the 5 following conditions: (1) A dwelling type, independent for lifetime, flexible to the potential mutations in functional use as a result of non-pathologic- ageing inhabitants during its planned exploitation-time; (2) A dwelling-design method, with a circular decision loop for each design decision phase and decision notation, based on 2 types of decisions, for the Conditional Interval and for Material Selection. (3) A Knowledge Base Health within the decision loop, which relates health threat, growth conditions of disease agents, conditions for health risk reducing intervention and design alternatives. Explored is a method to select appropriate dwelling related diseases; (4) Dwelling environment design, that has a well-known and clear planning; (5) A perspective for independent living for life span; Discussion Extreme sustainability does not automatically imply a healthy living environment. Plead is a change of focus in sustainability back towards the initial goal for sustainability; the offer of a healthy and sane living environment for humans on the long run.


In this paper we propose the Automatic Review Recognition and annOtation of Webpages method, which is capable of identifying and annotating user submitted reviews on a Web page. The method consists of six steps: data preparation, page‐level pattern identification, subjectivity analysis, container structure analysis, review properties identification, and review annotation. For the evaluation, we have implemented the method and tested it on various review websites. On the basis of the performed evaluation, we conclude that our method is capable of identifying and annotating the majority of reviews. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Strength training exercises are essential for rehabilitation, improving our health as well as in sports. For optimal and safe training, educators and trainers in the industry should comprehend exercise form or technique. Currently, there is a lack of tools measuring in-depth skills of strength training experts. In this study, we investigate how data mining methods can be used to identify novel and useful skill patterns from a binary multiple choice questionnaire test designed to measure the knowledge level of strength training experts. A skill test assessing exercise technique expertise and comprehension was answered by 507 fitness professionals with varying backgrounds. A triangulated approach of clustering and non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) was used to discover skill patterns among participants and patterns in test questions. Four distinct participant subgroups were identified in data with clustering and further question patterns with NMF. The results can be used to, for example, identify missing skills and knowledge in participants and subgroups of participants and form general and personalized or background specific guidelines for future education. In addition, the test can be optimized based on, for example, if some questions can be answered correct even without the required skill or if they seem to be measuring overlapping skills. Finally, this approach can be utilized with other multiple choice test data in future educational research.


Sr2ScF7:Ln3+ (Ln = Ce, Tb, Eu, Sm, Dy, Er, Tm, Ho and Yb) nanocrystals were firstly synthesized via a one-step hydrothermal route without employing any surfactants. The shape and size of the Sr2ScF7 nanocrystals could be readily tuned from nanorods with 120 nm length and 50 nm width to nanoparticles with a uniform diameter of 15 nm by doping 30% Ln3+ with a larger ionic radius. Furthermore, the influence of pH values, F− sources and different surfactants on the sizes and morphologies (including nanorods, quadrangular microplates, cubes and polyhedrons) of the as-prepared products was systematically investigated and the possible formation mechanism for the products has been proposed. The XRD, SEM, EDS, PL analysis and decay lifetimes were used to characterize the products. For DC photoluminescence, the Sr2ScF7:Ln3+ nanocrystals show the characteristic f–f transitions with emission colors of bluish violet (Ce3+, Tm3+), green (Tb3+, Er3+, Ho3+), blue (Dy3+) and orange (Eu3+, Sm3+) respectively. Under single wavelength 980 nm excitation, the blue UC emissions of Sr2ScF7:Yb3+,Tm3+ nanocrystals at 474 nm due to the 1G4 → 3H6 transition of Tm3+, the green UC emissions of Sr2ScF7:Er3+ nanocrystals at 522/544 nm assigned to the 2H11/2 → 4I15/2/4S3/2 → 4I15/2 transitions and the red UC emissions of Sr2ScF7:Yb3+,Er3+ at 660 nm from 4F9/2 → 4I15/2 transition of Er3+ were observed. Based on the generation of red, green, and blue emissions, the Sr2ScF7:Yb3+,Er3+,Tm3+ nanocrystals could produce multicolor, particularly in the white region (0.320, 0.330) by controlling the doping concentration of Tm3+ in the Sr2ScF7:Yb3+,Er3+,Tm3+ nanocrystals. Controlling the doping concentration of Tm3+ is an effective way of modulating the luminescence properties of Sr2ScF7:Ln3+ by controlling its size and morphology. The as-synthesized phosphors might be potentially applied in the fields of color displays, light, photonics and biological imaging.


Background: Pesticide exposure has the potential for causing acute or chronic health effects at certain developmental stages of life. It can result in irreversible damage to structure and function of an organ. The exposure of females to pesticides before or after pregnancy is a matter of concern because of the possibility of having a child born with congenital disorders and developmental defects. Prenatal exposure of any toxicants can program the developing foetus to develop diseases that manifest in later life. Very few reports are available related to the pesticide exposure induced morphological changes in kidney which has prompted us to undertake this research study. Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of pesticide, chlorpyrifos on the kidney development of rat neonates after being exposed prenatally to pesticides throughout their gestational period. Materials and Methods: Virgin female wistar rats weighing 200-250 gms were mated with adult males. It consisted of twelve, divided into two sub groups six rats per each were treated with selected pesticides, chlorpyrifos (insecticide) readily available commercially for various agricultural and non-agricultural settings. Insecticide chlorpyrifos was given at a dose of 10mg/kg per orally to the female rats throughout their gestation period. After gestation period rat neonates were sacrificed and their kidney section was processed for histopathological analysis. The SEM study of chlorpyrifos exposed kidney section of rat neonates was performed, investigating changes in morphometric and ultra-structural features of kidney in rat neonates. Results: The histopathological analysis shows morphological changes in the kidneys of prenatally pesticides exposed rat neonates markedly different from control group. Chlorpyrifos exposed neonates kidney shows damaged kidney corpuscles and glomeruli. Conclusion: This study concluded that pesticide exposure during gestation period to pregnant rats causes significant renal toxicity in their neonates.


Objective: The increasing chronic disease burden has placed tremendous strain on tertiary healthcare resources in most countries, necessitating a shift in chronic disease management from tertiary to primary care providers. Therefore, the Primary Care Network (PCN) policy was promulgated as a model of care to organise private general practitioners (GPs) into groups to provide GPs with resources to anchor patients with chronic conditions with them in the community. As the PCN is still in its embryonic stages, there is a void in research regarding its ability to empower GPs to manage chronic patients effectively. This qualitative study aims to explore the facilitators and barriers for the management of chronic patients by GPs enrolled in the PCN. Design: We conducted 30 semi-structured interviews with GPs enrolled in a PCN followed by a thematic analysis of audio transcripts until data saturation was achieved. Setting: Singapore Results: Our results suggest that PCNs facilitated GPs to more effectively manage chronic patients through 1) provision of ancillary services such as diabetic foot screening, diabetic retinal photography and nurse counselling to permit a "one-stop-shop", 2) systematic monitoring of process and clinical outcome indicators through a chronic disease registry (CDR) to promote accountability for patients' health outcomes and 3) funding streams for PCNs to hire additional manpower to oversee operations and to reimburse GPs for extended consultations. Barriers include high administrative load in maintaining the CDR due to the lack of a smart electronic clinic management system and financial gradient faced by patients seeking services from private GPs which incur higher out-of-pocket expenses than public primary healthcare institutions.Conclusion: PCNs demonstrate great promise in empowering enrolled GPs to manage chronic patients. However, barriers will need to be addressed to ensure the viability of PCNs in managing more chronic patients in the face of an ageing population.


Social protection is absent from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and only recently has gained some prominence in the post-2015 discourse. In the past quarter century, however, rising inequality has often accompanied economic growth. At the same time, the growing importance of risk and vulnerability on the wellbeing of the poor has been recognized. Further, there is now a consensus on adopting more ambitious goals on poverty reduction. Defining social protection as a collection of programs that address risk, vulnerability, inequality and poverty through a system of transfers in cash or in kind, this paper argues that social protection needs to be on the post-2015 agenda as a key element of the discourse. It provides an empirical overview of social protection around the world based on the World Bank's Atlas of Social Protection: Indicators of Resilience and Equity (ASPIRE) data set. Focusing on the goal of ending poverty, the paper estimates that social protection programs are currently preventing 150 million people from falling into poverty. Based on the data set, the paper develops, tentatively and for discussion, a set of candidate goals, indicators and targets for the acceleration of poverty reduction through social protection. The authors ask what it would take for social protection programs to contribute to halving the poverty gap in a country. They show that if all countries could achieve the actual poverty reduction efficiency already observed in the top quartile of countries, then 70 percent of the countries in the sample could achieve this goal. However, for 30 percent of the countries, even reaching the top quartile on efficiency will not be enough -- for these countries, the issue is one of budgetary adequacy.


After being in service for ten years the ball-and-race coal pulverizer was investigated after noises were noted in it. Its lower grinding ring was attached to the 6150 normalized steel outer main shaft while the upper grinding ring was suspended by springs from a spider attached to the shaft. A circumferential crack in the main shaft at an abrupt change in shaft diam just below the upper radial bearing was revealed by visual examination. The smaller end of the shaft was found to be slightly eccentric with the remainder when the shaft was set up in a lathe to machine out the crack for repair welding. The crack was opened by striking the small end of the shaft and the shaft was broken 1.3 cm away from the crack in the process. A previous fracture that resulted from torsional loading acting along a plane of maximum shear was revealed almost perpendicular to the axis of the shaft. Faint lines parallel to the visible crack thought to be fatigue cracks were revealed on examination of the machined surface. The shaft was repaired by welding a new section and machined to required diameters and tapers to avoid abrupt changes.


Objective The present prospective follow-up study aimed to evaluate the effects of KCNMB2 gene polymorphisms on ritodrine efficacy and adverse drug events (ADEs) in patients with preterm labor. Methods A total of 163 preterm labor patients were included in this single-center study. Nine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the KCNMB2 gene (rs10936979, rs7624046, rs7429015, rs7625907, rs6443559, rs9839376, rs9637454, rs11918114, and rs1382045) were assessed. The primary endpoint was time to delivery, and the secondary endpoint was ritodrine-induced ADEs. Results Patients with variant homozygotes of two SNPs (rs7624046 and rs9839376), which were in linkage disequilibrium, showed 2.06 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.14–3.73] and 2.68 (95% CI, 1.16–6.20) times the hazard of time to delivery compared to wild-type allele carriers, respectively. Among demographic characteristics, gestational age at start of drug therapy and modified Bishop score were significant factors for time to delivery. Regarding safety outcomes, patients with variant homozygotes of rs7625907 had fewer ADEs compared to those with other genotypes (odds ratio, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.13–0.83). Conclusion This pharmacogenomic study suggests that ritodrine efficacy and ADEs are associated with KCNMB2 gene polymorphisms in patients with preterm labor.


This note ranks the sensitivities of emerging market economies' (EMEs') bond fund flows to changes in the US monetary stance and global risk aversion. Based on the sensitivities, we draw heat maps to indicate the economies that are more likely to suffer large outflows. We find that bond fund flows have become more sensitive to changes in the US monetary stance and global risk aversion since the global financial crisis, possibly attributable to an increasing participation of global investors in the EME bond markets through mutual funds. Some emerging Asian economies, such as Hong Kong, Korea and Singapore, are found to be more resilient in times of market stress and demonstrate lower outflow persistence, which may reflect that global investors are able to differentiate among emerging economies based on their fundamentals. Our results also show that persistence is relatively high for bond fund inflows to emerging Asian economies, suggesting that policymakers should be vigilant about the risk of large inflows.


The evidence is reported for enhancement of critical current density Jc in YBa2Cu3O7-δ thick films with the addition of Ag, which is correlated with improvements in structural properties. An improvement of 50% in Jc (up to  500 A/cm2 at T=4.2 K) was obtained in films made from YBCO+60 wt.% Ag powder, fabricated by the spin-on technique on (100) SrTiO3, which is correlated with improvements in structure. The resulting films are 10 μm thick, uniform, partially textured, and show good adherence. The critical temperature Tc is improved by the addition of Ag, and a reduction in the density of microcracks and in the amount of secondary phases in the sintered films was observed. Normal-state resistivity is reduced by almost three orders of magnitude, making these films potentially useful for electronic applications in interconnects and novel hybrid circuits


Purification and desalting of protein and peptide samples by three-well OFFGEL electrophoresis with immobilized ultra narrow pH gradient gels is proposed as a fast preparative strategy for proteomics. The gist of this strategy is to separate proteins and peptides according to their isoelectric points and to isolate those of a given pI value equal to the mean pH value of the gel. The present approach has been demonstrated both on protein mixtures and a digested Escherichia coli protein extract. UV-Vis spectroscopy, MALDI-MS, SDS-PAGE and LC-MS/MS were employed for the quantitative and qualitative characterization of the separation results. The electrophoretic methodology has been simulated by finite element methods.


The ASME B & PV Code Sec. allows the socket weld for the nuclear piping in spite of the weakness on the weld integrity. Recently, the integrity of the socket weld is regarded as a safety concern in nuclear power plants because many failures and leaks have been reported in the socket weld. OPDE (OECD Piping Failure Data Exchange) database lists 108 socket weld failures among 2,399 nuclear piping failure cases during 1970 to 2001. Eleven failures in the socket weld were also reported in Korean NPPs. Many failure cases showed that the root cause of the failure is the fatigue and the gap requirement for the socket weld given in ASME Code was not satisfied. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the fatigue crack behavior of a surface crack in the socket weld under fatigue loading condition considering the gap effect. Three-dimensional finite element analysis was performed to estimate the fatigue crack behavior of the surface crack. Three types of loading conditions such as the deflection due to vibration, the pressure transient ranging from P=0 to 15.51MPa, and the thermal transient ranging from T=25oC to 288oC were considered. The results are as follows; 1) The socket weld is susceptible to the vibration where the vibration levels exceed the requirement in the ASME Operation and Maintenance (OM) Code. 2) The effect of pressure or Temperature transient load on the socket weld integrity is not significant. 3) No-gap condition gives very high possibility of the crack initiation at the socket weld under vibration loading condition. 4) For the specific systems having the vibration condition to exceed the requirement in the ASME Code OM and/or the transient loading condition from P=0 and T=25oC to P=15.51MPa and T=288oC, radiographic examination to examine the gap during the construction stage is recommended.


Word learning is a fundamental part of language acquisition. Learning words from cross-situational statistics (Yu & Smith 2007) has been argued to be critical for lexical acquisition, but the resulting representations are not well understood. Here, we examine the claim from Hamrick & Rebuschat (2014) that cross-situational learning results in implicit representations. Three experiments provide evidence to the contrary. First, we establish that confidence ratings positively correlate with accuracy. By using a cover story where participants were not told to infer word meaning, only highly confident answers were above chance, contrary to what accounts of implicit memory would predict. In addition, using a deadline procedure (Voss, Bayem & Paller 2008), we found that participants performed no differently than without a deadline, contrary to predictions from implicit memory representations. In sum, we conclude that representations from cross-situational word learning are explicit.


In this paper, we present a simple adhesive-free interconnect technology for microfluidic systems. Reliable connection between microfluidic devices and macroscopic world is a critical issue in many lab-on-a-chip applications. In such interconnections, it is particularly advantageous to avoid liquid adhesives (e.g., epoxy, silicone, etc.) since they can create reliability (blockage or leakage) and reproducibility problems. Our adhesive-free interconnection technology is based on a micromachined silicon flange which is connected to a medical-grade silastic tube using a heat shrink tubing sleeve. The silicon part was fabricated by consecutive anisotropic and isotropic etching processes resulting in a through-hole surrounded by a connection socket ring created using the well known lag effect of deep reactive ion etching. Biocompatible polyolefin heat shrink tubing (expansion ratio of 2:1 at its shrink temperature of 143/spl deg/C) was used to connect and tightly seal the silicon flange to the silastic tube without application of any adhesive. A two-step heat treatment starting from the silicon flange and terminating at the silastic tubing was used to seal the connection. High temperature removability of the heat shrink tubing makes interconnects reworkable. Pull-out force was measured to test the mechanical strength of interconnects with different socket shapes (square, hexagon, octagon, and 32-side circle). Increasing the number of sides improves the mechanical strength with the circular interconnects having an average pull-out force of more than 3N. Leakage tests were also performed to characterize the seal quality. The circular connectors of two different flange sizes showed zero leakage up to the maximum test pressure of 200 kPa (29 psi).


Public art is a multifaceted field of inquiry; it encompasses a wide variety of creative expressions in the public realm. From memorials and historical monuments to contemporary installations and performance events, the possibilities are endless. Each public art program's intention varies; definitions and generalizations are not commonly held. Some communities see public art as a way of enhancing or personalizing otherwise impersonal spaces. Others view it as a means to activate civic dialogue or provide a vehicle for the community to express its identity. The process of creating public art necessarily involves interaction among many interests; it is a cooperative, somewhat theaterlike production with many individuals playing a part in creating a common goal. As people of different perspectives and positions seek to make decisions cooperatively, the result can be dynamic, inviting, engaging, and sometimes contentious. Even if it is recognized that past expression of public art spoke universalist and modernist themes, recent practices of public art are characterized by a strong collaborative effort between public artist and the community and are intended both to design the physical appearance of the city and to rebuild the relationship that underpin urban life. In such a context the present paper try to trace changes in the aesthetic content of public art form and to relate those changes to the circumstances in which art is produced, evaluated and rewarded. More specifically it calls into question the new role artists are called to play in contemporary public art and it discusses a change in the relation between art and the society. As far as public art seems to make an explicit commitment to a relationship with the world, the present paper tries on the one hand to contextualize this shift and to discuss its apparent novelty compared to past art practices; on the other hand it seeks to enlighten risk and externalities related to the present conception of public art which seems to contradicts the traditional view of art as an alternative/radical practice implying a sort of revolutionary, anti-mainstream outlook and be transformed into a social services practice.


Begin researching the application of engineering principles from applied science (including mechanical, electrical, chemical and computer engineering) and physical sciences (including physics, chemistry and mathematics) to medicine.


Understanding agricultural contamination in bedrock aquifers is challenging due to complexity of fracture networks and limitations in data acquisition imposed by instrumentation and drilling costs. Engineered assemblages known as multilevel monitoring systems (MLSs) maximize data from each borehole by providing numerous, depth‐discrete monitoring intervals for profiles of hydraulic head and hydrochemistry. This article describes a hybrid MLS that uses key components of the Waterloo MLS, with extra piezometers of sufficient diameter to accommodate removable transducers for continuous pressure monitoring, attached to the outside using custom clamps. Monitoring intervals are created with sand packs separated by bentonite seals, either via backfilling from surface or tremie placement. The hybrid MLS is best suited for use in rotary drilled boreholes 12 to 15 cm diameter, smaller holes have insufficient space for the MLS and added piezometer(s) while larger holes have excessive backfill material and purge requirements. Variations were installed to 60 m depth in sandstone in Prince Edward Island, and to 150 m in dolostone in southwestern Ontario. Transducers in the external piezometers provided temporal head data under ambient and stressed conditions in key intervals, and manual measurements in all ports provided detailed vertical hydraulic snapshots. Combined with hydrochemistry profiles from groundwater sampling, the hybrid MLS provided detailed composite datasets for interpreting flow and transport in these bedrock aquifers. The hybrid MLS offers promise as a versatile low‐cost option for groundwater studies in agricultural areas providing improved insights on groundwater flow systems and vertical distribution of nitrate and other contaminants, allowing more informed management decisions.


Use this guide to help you locate resources for the COTC Department of English & Communications courses on American Literature available through Warner Library and beyond.


For the purpose of miniaturization of antenna system, a dual TX/RX sub-array antenna is necessarily required. To do this, polarization diversity techniques with orthogonal feeds are commonly used. The definite implementations of feeding network have a form of coplanar or separated layer representation Generally, in case of a dual sub-array of two dimensional form, its feeding layers should be separated, e.g. microstrip direct and aperture coupled feed. And also this scheme has good isolation characteristics between two ports. Furthermore for the requirements of the wide bandwidth and high directivity, the stacked patch configurations are adopted to satisfy above two requirements and for a simplicity of extension to array. In this work, we proposed the dual feeding structure with microstrip and aperture coupled feed. TX, RX frequency ranges are from 14.0 to 14.5 GHz and 11.7 to 12.75 GHz respectively.


Summary

Background  In order to prevent the propagation of genetic mutations, human keratinocytes irradiated with ultraviolet (UV) B light in vitro undergo premature stress-induced senescence or apoptosis. This response to UVB irradiation is dependent on the functional activation of the insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R). Based on this in vitro functional data, we hypothesized that the increased serum levels of insulin in patients with type 2 diabetes may activate the IGF-1R in skin and lead to a decreased frequency of skin cancer in these patients.

Objectives  To determine whether the use of insulin by patients with type 2 diabetes correlated with a change in the incidence in nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC).

Methods  A historical cohort study identifying the incidence of NMSC following the use of two different pharmacological therapies. The patient population was restricted to caucasians who were at least 50 years old when they began the indicated pharmacological therapy. The first group consisted of 1440 patients who used insulin therapy to treat type 2 diabetes and the second group comprised 4135 patients who used cimetidine to treat their gastrointestinal ailments. An additional group of 6131 patients with diabetes who used noninsulin antidiabetics was added to examine the effect of noninsulin therapies. All patients had regular follow-up visits at the Regenstrief Clinics during the study period between 1980 and 1999. The Regenstrief Clinics is an outpatient facility which serves the general population in Metro-Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.A.

Results  The incidence of NMSC in patients using insulin was significantly lower than in patients using cimetidine (1·25% vs. 2·35%, P < 0·02). The decrease in NMSC in patients with type 2 diabetes correlated specifically with the use of insulin (NMSC incidence insulin-only patients with diabetes: 1·40% vs. those with diabetes using noninsulin therapies: 2·35%, P = 0·11).

Conclusions  Patients using exogenous insulin had a lower risk of developing NMSC and the protective effect of insulin use becomes more distinct with increasing age.


Well-dispersed PtSn/C and PtSnO2/C catalysts with anatomic ratio of Pt:Sn (3:1) were deposited onto carbon using a modified alcohol-reduction process for electrochemical oxidation of ethanol. These materials were characterized using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). An electrochemical study in theethanol and acid medium showed that the PtSnO2/C catalyst had a better performance compared with the PtSn/C and Pt/C catalysts. The CV analysis indicated that the presence of SnO2 increased the sensitivity of the catalyst to oxidation of acetaldehyde because of its low onset potential for the electrooxidation of adsorbed ethanol and acetaldehyde compared to PtSn/C and Pt/C. Since the activation of C-C bond breaking results in the generation of higher current density (mass activity) at higher potentials, the PtSnO2/C catalyst has been found favourable for the overall oxidation of ethanol.


: Since December 2019, the world has been grappling with an ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic. Various virus variants have emerged over the past two years, each posing a greater threat than its predecessors. The recent appearance of the omicron variant (B.1.1.529) has raised significant alarm within the field of epidemiology due to its highly contagious nature and rapid transmission rate. The omicron variant possessed mutations in the key receptor-binding domain (RBD) region, the S region, and these modifications have shown a notable impact on the strain's susceptibility to neutralizing antibodies. Developing safe and efficient vaccines to prevent a future severe acute respiratory outbreak of coronavirus syndrome 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is significant. Viral surface spike proteins are ideal targets for vaccines. This study aimed to find a multi-subunit chimeric vaccine. After conducting bioinformatics analysis, the recombinant spike (RS) protein of SARS-CoV-2 was deliberately designed and subsequently produced using E. coli expression systems. The immunogenicity of RS and neutralizing antibody responses were evaluated on immunized BALB/c mice. There was a significant difference in antibody titers between RS-immunized mice and control groups. The endpoint of the serum antibody titer of mice immunized with our chimeric protein was 2.5 times higher than that of the negative control. The chimeric construct could present multiple antigens simultaneously, influentially affecting immunization. Sera from mice vaccinated by RS could recognize the SARS-CoV-2 virus and neutralize antibodies. Our chimeric peptide could bind to antibodies in the serum of patients infected with different serotypes of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, such as alpha, delta, and omicron variants. The results indicated that the RS protein would be a potential novel antigenic candidate for subunit vaccine development and could be used as a useful alternative to generate diagnostic serological tests for SARS-CoV-2 infection.


Many patients with dyspepsia do not appear to have organic disease.1 Cimetidine (Tagamet) is of proven efficacy in the treatment of peptic ulcer and reflux oesophagitis, but is widely used for the treatment of dyspepsia without investigation.2, 3 The data sheet for cimetidine now states that the drug is indicated "where reduction of gastric acid by Tagamet has been shown to be beneficial: persistent dyspeptic symptoms with or without ulceration, particularly meal-related upper abdominal pain". Is this indication valid?


Summary Terminology. Replace the term "Hemorrhagic Disease of the Newborn" (HDN) by "Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding" (VKDB), as neonatal bleeding is often not due to VK-deficiency and VKDB may occur after the 4-week neonatal period. Definition. VKDB is bleeding due to inadequate activity of VK-dependent coagulation factors (II, VII, IX, X), correctable by VK replacement. Diagnosis. In a bleeding infant a prolonged PT together with a normal fibrinogen level and platelet count is almost diagnostic of VKDB; rapid correction of the PT and/or cessation of bleeding after VK administration are confirmative. Warning signs. The incidence of intracranial VKDB can be reduced by early recognition of the signs of predisposing conditions (prolonged jaundice, failure to thrive) and by prompt investigation of "warning bleeds". Classification. VKDB can be classified by age of onset into early (<24 h), classical (days 1-7) and late (>1 week <6 months), and by etiology into idiopathic and secondary. In secondary VKDB, in addition to breast feeding, other predisposing factors are apparent, such as poor in-take or absorption of VK. VK-Prophylaxis: Benefits. Oral and intramuscular VK (one dose of 1 mg) protect equally well against classical VKDB but intramuscular VK is more effective in preventing late VKDB. The efficacy of oral prophylaxis is increased with a triple rather than single dose and by using doses of 2 mg vitamin K rather than 1 mg. Protection from oral doses repeated daily or weekly may be as high as from i.m. VK. VK-Prophylaxis: Risks. VK is involved in carboxylation of both the coagulation proteins and a variety of other proteins. Because of potential risks associated with extremely high levels of VK and the possibility of injection injury, intramuscular VK has been questioned as the routine prophylaxis of choice. Protection against bleeding should be achievable with lower peak VK levels by using repeated (daily or weekly) small oral doses rather than by using one i.m. dose. Breast feeding mothers taking coumarins. Breast feeding should not be denied. Supervision by pediatrician is prudent. Weekly oral supplement of 1 mg VK to the infant and occasional monitoring of PT are advisable. Conclusion. VKDB as defined is a rare but serious bleeding disorder (high incidence of intracranial bleeding) which can be prevented by either one i.m. or multiple oral VK doses.


Perinatal palliative care (PPC) is a clinical program that provides holistic care to critically ill fetuses and infants alongside psychosocial support to their family members. Genetic counselors are often consulted to explain prenatal or infantile conditions that are life-limiting or life-threatening. The function of the genetic counselor is to provide both education about a condition and supportive resources for their clients. Referral to a PPC program is one way a counselor may provide support. Therefore, being knowledgeable about the medical and psychosocial services offered by PPC programs is important. A recent study found that 11.4% of genetic counselors feel uncomfortable referring to these programs due to a lack of familiarity with PPC. This study aims to increase genetic counselor knowledge about PPC programs through the creation of educational resource materials for genetic counseling training programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Genetic Counseling (ACGC). A Qualtrics survey was developed and administered to ACGC accredited program leadership to assess PPC education within the curricula, clinical internships, and supplementary activities. Additionally, program directors were asked if programs would benefit from creation of resource material. Survey data shows 85% of responding programs provide education about PPC, and 90% of respondents support creation of educational resource materials. Using the results of the survey to direct content and format of resource material, three documents were created: 1) A series of case studies were created that may also be used as roleplays, 2) An annotated bibliography directing users to articles, books, videos, and websites to increase PPC knowledge, and 3) A PowerPoint covering relevant topics in PPC. Additionally, a resource map identifying locations of PPC programs within the United States was created. This study is designed to impact public health by strengthening the educational experiences of genetic counseling students, with the goal of making them more comfortable when referring clients to PPC services.


In this paper, we study the performance of a combined linkand physical-layer approach for the downlink of a dynamic OFDM-frequency division multiple access transmission system delivering MPEG-4 video streams. The approach consists of three different mechanisms— queue management, resource allocation, and subcarrier assignment—which can be used separately as well as in combination. This crosslayer approach allows to utilize channel-related knowledge and semantic information of the streams' packets. Consecutively adding these mechanisms to the studied system, we judge their respective impact on system performance. To do so, we present a new metric for quality assessment of long video transmissions (considerably longer than 10 s) and apply it to the simulation results. In particular, we introduce a local distortion threshold-based metric instead of an overall average judgment. We find that our combined system approach increases the number of supportable terminals per cell by up to 300%. q 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.


Activation of the Hippo transducer TAZ is emerging as a novel oncogenic route in breast cancer and it has been associated with breast cancer stem cells. Additionally, TAZ expression has been linked with HER-2 positivity. We investigated the association between TAZ expression and pathological complete response in HER2-positive breast cancer patients treated with trastuzumab-based neoadjuvant therapy. TAZ was assessed in diagnostic core biopsies by immunohistochemistry. To categorize samples with low TAZ and samples with high TAZ we generated a score by combining staining intensity and cellular localization. The pathological complete response rate was 78.6% in patients with low TAZ tumors and 57.6% in patients with high TAZ tumors (p=0.082). In HER2-enriched tumors there was no significant association between TAZ and pathological complete response, whereas in the luminal B subtype the pathological complete response rate was 82.4% in tumors with low TAZ and 44.4% in tumors with high TAZ (p=0.035). This association remained statistically significant when restricting our analysis to triple-positive tumors with expression of both estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor ≥ 50% (p=0.035). Results from this exploratory study suggest that the TAZ score efficiently predicts pathological complete response in Luminal B, HER2-positive breast cancer patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy and trastuzumab.


Master Thesis Business Administration, School of Business and Economics, Linnaeus University, 4FE02E, Spring 2010Authors: Zaryab Sheikh, Muhammad Saqlain Salat, Hassan Raza, Ali Asadullah RizviTutor: Dr. Helena ForslundExaminer: Dr. Asa Gustafsson Title: Improvement in delivery performance measurement and on-time reporting of PODs in Unilever SAP system. Background: In some of the European countries, Unilever is using electronic interfaces for on-time proof of deliveries (PODs) and it wants to further expand this in many other European countries. Therefore, Unilever Sweden is also looking for electronic interfaces for PODs. As Unilever, in Sweden is expecting one million new consumers by the next ten years and in order to fulfill their demands on-time, Unilever has to focus on timely delivery of their products and to achieve this target Unilever has to improve its delivery performance measurement. Research QuestionsHow is delivery performance measured in Unilever?How could delivery performance measurement be improved in Unilever?How could third party logistics (TPL) report on-time (OT) to Unilever SAP system? Methodology: This thesis is a descriptive case study and based on deductive approach. Data was gathered by personal observations, interviews, company published hand books and annual reports. Scientific credibility of this thesis is high as it is based on personal observations, extensive use of resources for data collection and assumptions were avoided. Conclusion: The delivery performance measurement process can be improved by revising the formula of customer case fill on time (CCFOT) and information sharing from TPL service providers as discussed in detail in analysis chapter. Furthermore, three solutions for on-time PODs are also suggested. Among those three solutions, the handheld computers are recommended to Unilever. But for future, it is recommended that Unilever should adopt RFID technology to get on-time reports of POD. Suggestions on future research: An interesting research can be conducted by studying the delivery performance measurement in a triadic relation of Unilever. Also PODs solutions can be researched globally to make the research more valuable.


In remote sensing, resolution of an image is limited by diffraction, atmospheric distortion and imperfect focus. Our proposed Resolution Enhancement(RE) scheme uses Dual tree-complex wavelet transform(DT-CWT), Lanczos interpolation and Fast NLM filtering for post processing. Fast Non Local Means filtering speed up the processing time compared to the NLM filtering. The Lanczos interpolator is used to interpolate the high frequency subbands and low resolution input image. Now these high frequency sub-bands are passed through Fast NLM filter for good clarity. Inverse DT-CWT is applied to obtain resolution enhanced image. In parallel performance of Fast NLM filter is also calculated for different set of input images using Mean Square Error(MSE) and Signal-to-noise ratio(SNR).


Study of immunostimulant factor (ISF) formation by splenocytes of the animals poisoned with CCl4 and elucidation of the role played by red cells in the induction of the process have demonstrated that supernatant of intact rat splenocytes does not affect the immune response induced by sheep red blood cells in syngeneic animals. The splenocytes of the rats poisoned with hepatotropic venom secrete ISF into the cultural medium. The splenocytes of normal rats given injections of red cells from the poisoned rats form ISF. The red cells of normal animals treated with the poisoned rat serum have been also shown to be capable of inducing ISF formation.


A dielectrophoretic approach with latest developed three-dimensional (3-D) carbon micro-electro-mechanical system (C-MEMS) has been extended as a potential route with idyllic solution to recommend a low-cost, biocompatible and high throughput manipulation and positioning for bio-particles as compared to 2D-planar microelectrodes. Presented in this paper is a novel platform for modelling and simulation of C-MEMS microfabrication process for dielectrophoresis (DEP) force based on various 3-D offset-microelectrode configurations. Numerical solutions are employed to investigate the upshots of multi-designed microelectrodes, applied voltage, electrode edge-to-edge gap and geometric size of microelectrodes on the electric field intensity gradient, induced by an AC voltage for the deployment of broad categories of bioparticles creation, utilization and their manipulation (separation, concentration, transportation and focusing). Sharp edge electrodes are the principle focus of this paper for DEP manipulation that is more convenient to enhance the electric field intensity distribution. The results show that square column electrodes configuration comparatively create large gradient magnitude in electric field intensity as compared to all other configurations. It is also observed that electric field extends drastically with increases in microelectrode height. These findings are consistent with literature experimental reports and will provide vital strategy for optimal design of DEP devices with 3-D C-MEMS.


PurposeThere is a limited understanding of effective strategies for tackling food loss and waste (FLW) following a circular supply chain management approach. The aim of this study is to analyze the role of the FLW Reporting and Accounting Standard for identifying FLW occurrences throughout the agri-food supply chain and facilitate their measurement. Our objective is to describe how this FLW is then reused within a circular economy (CE) perspective, thus enabling companies to implement a circular supply chain approach for effective decision-making based on the concept of waste hierarchies, the 3R and 4R rules.Design/methodology/approachAn in-depth analysis of Barilla's soft bread supply chain is provided in this study. By gathering both qualitative and quantitative data, this study investigates the implementation of the FLW standard by (1) identifying the main enablers and obstacles in measuring FLW throughout the entire production system; (2) providing a useful standardized tool for sustainable FLW measurement, minimization and reuse in other agricultural supply chains to enable circular economy approaches and (3) developing a decision-support strategy to use within the company for effective measurement, analysis and reuse according to a CE perspective.FindingsThe analyses carried out throughout Barilla's soft wheat bread supply chain provide an interesting example of a circular management system since almost nothing is lost or wasted while the value of resources is recovered through reuse thanks to a systematic and integrated measurement, representing a basis for effectively minimizing waste. The importance of developing an interconnected supply chain management emerged in order to obtain a comprehensive accounting framework for accurately quantifying and reporting the overall amount of wastage generated in the various phases of food production, paying particular attention to ex ante prevention initiatives and ex-post assessment actions.Originality/valueAn interdisciplinary approach integrating circular economy and supply chain management research streams was adopted in order to develop a decision-support tool that also includes the identification of the main facilitators and obstacles to the implementation of a comprehensive standardized accounting process that would enable companies to reduce-reuse-recycle losses and waste throughout the entire production process. Besides the studies available in the literature, the original of this study is that it focuses on organizational implications related to FLW measurement.


Abstract : The basic motivation of the multi-backend database system (MDBS) is to develop an architecture which spreads the work of the database system among multiple backends. It is a major aim of this system to allow capacity growth by the use of additional disk drives and performance improvement by the use of additional backends. However, to verify the design and implementation, it is necessary to test the capability of MDBS in capacity growth and performance gain. Three tools for the performance and capacity tests are investigated. The first tool is the file generation package which creates test files for any artificial database. The second tool is the database load subsystem which loads the artificial database into MDBS. The third tool is the request generation package. This package creates test requests to query MDBS. The following methodology is used to create an effective tool. First, the properties of an ideal tool are described. Then available existing programs are reviewed and evaluated to determine which program best meets the desired features. Lastly, the programs are upgraded to ensure that they are compatible with the current implementation, and meet the desired features. The main goal is to develop the necessary tools to generate tests in measuring the extensibility of MDBS.


Summary The years around 1980 contained dynamic architectural discourse in Swedish history covering contradictory ideas all sharing the critique of functionalism. Revisiting the discussions today implies a reconsideration of the historiographical self-conception, the notion of a local history and its relations to a broader international stream of ideas. Two trajectories can be distinguished in this discussion. The first stresses formal expressions – like pastiche, play with historical elements, individualized forms – while the other focuses on social organizations, democratic processes and labour conditions. Through tracing the pre-history of these trajectories the intention is to show how aesthetic qualities overlap with politico-economical developments and strategies of democracy and user participation. The article has two purposes: the first is to revisit the late 1970s and the early 1980s to outline the early debates on postmodernism and the second is to shift gender and discuss the feminist movement, and its theoretical and practical implications. Through an inquiry into this turning point in Swedish architecture the article aims at reframing, or broadening, the postmodern narrative as well as reinterpreting the local discussions in relation to the global. The discourse of women's liberation, as well as other emancipatory movements, had a major impact on the postmodern movement at large and it is remarkable that this side of postmodernism is not yet fully formulated in relation to architectural history. In this article the women's movement in architecture is considered as a crucial part within the larger movement called postmodernism that influences the understanding of the movement itself.


We conducted an evaluation of the implementation of a Veteran Secondary Stroke Prevention Program at two VA medical center sites. We prospectively recruited patients hospitalized for stroke/TIA and randomized to either an intervention or a control group. Each site locally tailored the intervention. The program targeted stroke self-management and risk factors or a placebo telephone call program that mimicked the intervention schedule. The self-management program followed a standardized manual (control call simply asked how the patient was doing), and interviews were conducted at baseline during hospital visit, 3 and 6 months. To address veteran preferences, both sites implemented the ASA Sharegiver peer support program to subjects in the intervention.We assessed stroke health-related quality of life with the SS-QOL and depression with the PHQ9.

 Results:
 The final sample included 174 veteran patients with an acute stroke/TIA and were randomized to receive either a VSPP (n=87) or a control program (n=87) stratified by stroke/TIA and by receipt of inpatient rehabilitation to control for stroke severity. A random subject effect was used to correlate observations from the same subject. Subgroup analyses were run with subgroups defined as diagnosed TIA or Stroke at acute event. On the SSQoL overall score and the Language subscale, those with a TIA in the intervention group reported an improved score while those in the control group reported a declined score at 3 mos. For those with Stroke in the intervention group, improvements in the Energy subscale were reported compared to declines in the control group at 3 months. For those with TIA in the intervention reported less depression than those in the control group and this effect was maintained at 6 months. Self-efficacy increased among those with stroke in the intervention group while decreased among the control group; although not significant.

 Our results indicate the feasibility of delivering a local, secondary stroke prevention program. We report better stroke specific quality of life at 3 months among stroke/TIA survivors and less depression among those with TIA 6 months after the intervention suggesting that a post stroke program may enhance recovery.
 Funded by Veterans Health Administration HSRD IAB 05-297-2


Schizosaccharomyces japonicus UCD2489 was evaluated for potential use as a starter culture in wine-making. Laboratory-scale fermentations of Trebbiano grape juice were set up to compare fermentation kinetics of pure cultures of Sch. japonicus, immobilized Sch. japonicus cells, a commercial strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (EC1118), and mixed cultures of both species. The fermentation kinetics of the sequential and coinoculated fermentations were largely driven by the presence of S. cerevisiae. UCD2489 cell immobilization resulted in a significant reduction in ethanol levels in mixed fermentations compared with EC1118. Acetic acid levels similar to those of EC1118 in pure culture were produced when fermentations were coinoculated. The ability of UCD2489 to consume malic acid was adversely affected by EC1118, particularly in the coinoculated fermentation, suggesting that acid levels could be manipulated by adjusting the relative ratios of the two yeasts and the timing of inoculation with S. cerevisiae. Depending upon the inoculation conditions used, Sch. japonicus produced a quantity of glycerol ~2-fold higher than those released by S. cerevisiae. The analyses of volatile compounds showed increases in aroma-impacting compounds such as ethyl acetate in all Sch. japonicus wines, and acetaldehyde in the free-cell coinoculated fermentation that exceed reported sensory thresholds for these compounds, and for other important aroma compounds such as isoamyl acetate, hexyl acetate, phenyl ethyl acetate, ethyl isobutyrate, and ethyl butyrate. Polysaccharide release by UCD2489 was ~4.7-fold greater than that of S. cerevisiae alone. Reduction of induced wine protein haze was correlated with the concentration of polysaccharides. Our findings suggest that Sch. japonicus could be useful in wine production to reduce acidity and final ethanol levels and to increase glycerol, volatile compounds, and active polysaccharides with potential beneficial enhancement of protein stability.


The challenges facing the development of environmentally friendly dry cutting technologies for various materials is investigated. The system used for the study includes a cutting tool equipped with inserts from layered composition ceramic with nano-scale multilayer coatings, an ionized gas medium which is supplied into the zone of cutting and the ultrasonic vibrations, which are placed to a cutting tool in the direction of the cutting speed. It is shown, that elaborated ecologically friendly dry machining not only does not match efficiency of standard machining technology with application of cutting fluid, but also in some cases surpasses it.


Background: The electric vehicle industry is an emerging industry worldwide. In China the development of the electric vehicle industry is rapid. The government policy is of great influence on the economy in the Chinese context. The Chinese electric vehicle company has to design the right business strategy to maintain and enhance its competitive advantages in order to respond to challenges. Aim: This study analyzes the five competitive forces of the Chinese electric vehicle industry and the effect of the government policies on the Chinese electric vehicle industry. The research uses Porter's Five Forces model and Porter's Generic Strategies theory to give the strategic guidance to the company. Definition: In this thesis, "Electric Vehicle" referred to the electric drive vehicle used for transporting passengers, which is designed to typically have four wheels, and to have seating for one or more people. Method: The authors use FAW Electric Vehicle Company as the case company in order to achieve the purpose of this research. The qualitative method is used in this study. The authors collect primary data through three interviews with the company managers. Results: This research reveals how the government policies affect the profitability of the industry and the company through changing the five competitive forces. FAW Electric Vehicle Company should maintain and enhance its relationship with the government. It should also maintain and enhance its competitive advantages through implementing cost leadership and differentiation strategies in different stages. Five appropriate search terms: Electric Vehicle Industry; China; Government Policy; Porter's Five Forces model; Porter's Generic Strategies


We developed a method to quantify the local minority carrier diffusion lengths in interdigitated back-contact solar cells having a 10 μm thick liquid phase crystallized (LPC) Si absorber by light-beam induced current (LBIC) measurements. The method is verified by 2-D simulations of the LBIC signals using ASPIN3. The effective minority carrier diffusion lengths determined this way range between 33-44 μm inside a grain, which proves that advanced cell concepts like an IBC system are well suited for the LPC absorbers. Furthermore, the method has the potential to help improving the optimization of contact system geometries and it may be used to understand the influences of different grain orientations and improve the LPC-Si absorber fabrication process.


Introduction:It is important to identify the reasons for implant failure when planning future dental treatment. No studies have distinguished the factors that affect implant failure by evaluating the appearance of failed fixtures. Purpose:This study investigated these factors by evaluating the surface of implant fixtures using quantitative light-induced fluorescence-digital (QLF-D), which involves detecting the red fluorescence emitted by porphyrin metabolized by oral bacteria in a mature biofilm. Materials and Methods:The areas of red fluorescence in QLF-D images obtained from all aspects of the fixture surface were then analyzed using quantitative analysis software. Results:Red fluorescence was evident on the surface of implants that failed after at least 2 years of occlusal loading and exhibited severe bone loss. Implants with no fluorescence exhibited a clean surface in blue-light images, and the bone loss could not be observed radiographically. Conclusions:The cases presented that failed dental implant surfaces caused by periimplantitis can be detected by the red fluorescence evident as QLF-D.


Abstract. The size-resolved physiochemical properties of aerosols
determine their atmospheric lifetime, cloud interactions and the deposition
rate on the human respiratory system; however most atmospheric composition
studies tend to evaluate these properties in bulk. This study investigated
size-resolved constituents of aerosols on mass and number basis, and their
droplet activation properties, by coupling a suite of online measurements
with an aerosol aerodynamic classifier (AAC) based on aerodynamic diameter
(Da) in Pinggu, a suburb of Beijing. While organic matter accounted for
a large fraction of mass, a higher contribution of particulate nitrate at
larger sizes (Da>300 nm) was found under polluted cases. By
considering the mixing state of refractory-black-carbon-containing particles
(rBCc) and composition-dependent densities, aerosols including rBCc were
confirmed to be nearly spherical at Da>300 nm. Importantly, the
number fraction of rBCc was found to increase with Da at all pollution
levels. The number fraction of refractory black carbon (rBC) is found to increase from ∼3 % at ∼90 nm to ∼15 % at ∼1000 nm, and this increasing rBC number fraction may be caused by the
coagulation during atmospheric ageing. The droplet activation diameter at a
water supersaturation of 0.2 % was 112±6 and 193±41 nm
for all particles with Da smaller than 1 µm (PM1) and
rBCc respectively. As high as 52±6 % of rBCc and 50±4 %
of all PM1 particles in number could be activated under heavy pollution
due to enlarged particle size, which could be predicted by applying the
volume mixing of substance hygroscopicity within rBCc. As rBCc contribute
to the quantity of aerosols at larger particle size, these thickly coated
rBCc may contribute to the radiation absorption significantly or act as an
important source of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). This size regime may
also exert important health effects due to their higher deposition rate.


BACKGROUND
Riluzole is currently the only Food and Drug Administration-approved treatment for ALS, but its effect on survival is modest.

OBJECTIVE
To identify potential neuroprotective agents for testing in phase III clinical trials and to outline which data need to be collected for each drug.

METHODS
The authors identified 113 compounds by inviting input from academic clinicians and researchers and via literature review to identify agents that have been tested in ALS animal models and in patients with ALS. The list was initially narrowed to 24 agents based on an evaluation of scientific rationale, toxicity, and efficacy in previous animal and human studies. These 24 drugs underwent more detailed pharmacologic evaluation.

RESULTS
Twenty drugs were selected as suitable for further development as treatments for patients with ALS. Talampanel and tamoxifen have completed early phase II trials and have demonstrated preliminary efficacy. Other agents (ceftriaxone, minocycline, ONO-2506, and IGF-1 polypeptide) are already in phase III trials involving large numbers of patients with ALS. Remaining agents (AEOL 10150, arimoclomol, celastrol, coenzyme Q10, copaxone, IGF-1-viral delivery, memantine, NAALADase inhibitors, nimesulide, scriptaid, sodium phenylbutyrate, thalidomide, trehalose) require additional preclinical animal data, human toxicity and pharmacokinetic data including CNS penetration prior to proceeding to large scale phase III human testing. Further development of riluzole analogues should be considered.

CONCLUSIONS
Several potential neuroprotective compounds, representing a wide range of mechanisms, are available and merit further investigation in ALS.


Photothermal therapy, as a physical therapeutic technique to kill cancer, has generated a great deal of interest. Photothermal agents hence play a critical role in this modern therapy. We report the use of transition metal oxides as photothermal agents based on PEGylated WO3-x nanoparticles. The well-prepared nanoparticles presented effective results during photothermal therapy both in vitro and in vivo by using near-IR laser irradiation (980 nm, 0.5 W cm(-2)). The tumor cells were effectively damaged using low power density during a short irradiation time without destroying healthy tissues. In vitro results of photothermal therapy with PEGylated WO3-x nanoparticles proved to be effective on 4T1 murine breast cancer cells via a confocal microscopy method and MTT assay. In vivo results were further confirmed by hematoxylin and eosin (H & E) histological staining. Additionally, PEGylated WO3-x nanoparticles were shown to be effective as a CT imaging contrast agent on a tumor-bearing mouse model. Our results suggest that this generation of PEGylated WO3-x nanoparticles can potentially be used in oncological CT imaging and photothermal therapy.


This study is to focus on an innate creative "spirituality" of Weimar Bauhaus' pedagogical thoughts and their backgrounds. In particular, this notes three elements of Universal mysticism, Orientalism in early Bauhaus including Expressionism, and Froebelian Education as the more practical among the romantic legacies as a source of modernism. Arguably, through these researches, just as the expressionists represent the crystallization of glass as the spirit, the important that should be noticed is explained as the fact that a panentheistic Idea of matter and spirit as a whole had been spreading to be recognized consciously or unconsciously; in other words, this awakening as dualistic monism might be one of the greatest peculiarities of modernity, and, as the fact that the universal thought and principle of 'panentheism' emphasizing a 'divine' artistic volition which is immanent in the individual is implanted first of all fundamentally by Froebelian educational influences.


The paper examined the performance of residential property market in Abuja with a view to determining the most performed market and the level of associated risk. The study utilized both descriptive (average rate of returns and coefficient of variation) and inferential methods (ANOVA and HSD). The results of descriptive analyses across twelve markets showed that Gwarimpa 3B/R and 4B/R markets performed better than other locations and it is the least volatile markets at 35% and 43% respectively, on every comparable average rate of property returns for 3B/R AND 4B/R at 11.05% and 12.5% respectively. The result of ANOVA revealed that the F-statistics at 3.1061 and 2.6401 for 3B/R and 4B/R are statistically significant at p-value of 0.0127 and 0.0288 (p-values < 0.05). The result of honesty significant difference (HSD) revealed that the bulk of significant differences in property returns were found in Maitama markets. Therefore the study concludes that returns from Gwarimpa markets are relatively stable and having the least risk per unit of3B/R and 4B/R property investment with comparable average returns with other markets for any prudent investor. Keywords: property investment performance, risk-return analysis, ANOVA and HSD-tukey test


Studies have shown that the performance of state-of-the-art automatic speech recognition (ASR) systems significantly deteriorate with increased noise levels and channel degradations, when compared to human speech recognition capability. Traditionally, noise-robust acoustic features are deployed to improve speech recognition performance under varying background conditions to compensate for the performance degradations. In this paper, we present the Modulation of Medium Duration Speech Amplitude (MMeDuSA) feature, which is a composite feature capturing subband speech modulations and a summary modulation. We analyze MMeDuSA's speech recognition performance using SRI International's DECIPHER® large vocabulary continuous speech recognition (LVCSR) system, on noise and channel degraded Levantine Arabic speech distributed through the Defense Advance Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Robust Automatic Speech Transcription (RATS) program. We also analyzed MMeDuSA's performance against the Aurora-4 noise-and-channel degraded English corpus. Our results from all these experiments suggest that the proposed MMeDuSA feature improved recognition performance under both noisy and channel degraded conditions in almost all the recognition tasks.


In the super-heated anticommunist politics of the early Cold War period, American liberals turned to the FBI. With the Communist party to the left of them and McCarthyism to the right, liberal leaders saw the Bureau as the only legitimate instrument to define and protect the internal security interests of the state. McCarthyism provided ample proof of the dangers of security by congressional investigation. In response, liberals delegated extensive powers to J. Edgar Hoover--creating a domestic intelligence capacity that circumvented constitutional and legal controls. This balanced account of the link between liberal leaders in the United States and the growth of the FBI will appeal to a broad audience of readers interested in the American political climate. William Keller identifies a tension between liberalism and the security of the state that can never be fully resolved, and analyzes the exact mechanisms through which liberals and liberal government came to tolerate and even venerate an authoritarian state presence in their midst.The author shows how the liberal offensive against domestic communism succeeded both in weakening McCarthyism and in disabling the Communist party in the United States. What was the cost of these successes? Keller's answer assesses the liberal community's contribution to changes in the FBI between 1950 and 1970: its transformation into an independent, unaccountable political police.Originally published in 1989.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.


Medical image processing algorithms have traditionally focused on a specific problem or disease per modality. This approach has continued with the wide-spread adoption of deep learning in the last 5 years. Building a system with multiple neural networks and different specialized image processing algorithms is a challenge as each network requires a lot of memory and is computationally heavy. More importantly, cascading multiple networks propagates errors from one stage to another reducing overall system accuracy. In this work, we propose a single universal network that can: 1) segment different organs across different modalities, and 2) solve both segmentation and classification problems simultaneously. We compare our approach with traditional segmentation network for each modality. Our results showed modality/viewpoint classification accuracy of 99% and average dice score of 0.89 for segmentation accuracy. The proposed network can be further developed to include segmentation of more organs and disease classification.


Key competences for district nurses include the prevention of illness and the promotion of health, based on national guidelines. This requires knowledge on evidence-based care and the implementation process. The aim of the study was to describe how students, training to become district nurses, identified areas in need for improvement relevant to the upcoming specialty and how such improvements were to be implemented through a written action plan. We conducted a qualitative content analysis of the written action plans. The results showed that students used different theories and models for the implementation of new knowledge related to change management. Evaluation and analysis of the importance of leadership emerged as both constraining and promoting factors, affecting the implementation and use of evidence-based care. In conclusion, the study showed that district nurses have an insight into what support and resources are needed to successfully implement change within their clinical practice.Keywords: District nurse, evidence-based care, leadership.


Ten Mondor's disease patients and twenty matched controls provided data for this prospective study of the relationship of Quetelet Index, breast size and the use of body girdle on the development of Mondor's disease. Comparison of the study group patients with the controls in terms of percentage excess over their ideal Quetelet Index, extent of overweight, breast cup size and habitual use of body girdle showed only statistically significant difference in the use of the body girdle. It is concluded that among our patients, extensive use of a body girdle by a mesomorphic, overweight and large breasted female increases the risk of Mondor's disease.


This paper reviews the status of the ground-source heat pump (GSHP) market in the UK and contrasts this with the more mature European markets (Austria, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland). The reasons for such a strong difference in GSHP installed capacity and the barriers that the UK market is facing are investigated. The paper presents a comparison of key facts and statistics from the UK and four nations with a strong GSHP market. A questionnaire was also designed and circulated in order to gain a greater insight into market inhibitors from those working in the UK GSHP industry. From the market assessment it is shown that GSHP development in the UK is some twenty years behind the other nations and received lower levels of support from government and utilities. A significant inhibitor appears to be the legacy of previous fossil fuel security in the UK. Feedback from the questionnaire suggests high capital costs are also a key factor.


The genetic diversity in the physicochemical properties of starches from 56 waxy rice (Oryza sativa L) genotypes (34 of indica and 22 of japonica) was studied. The parameters included thermal and retrogradation properties tested by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), pasting viscosity tested by rapid viscoanalyser (RVA), and flour swelling volume (FSV). Wide diversity was found in all the parameters. According to their gelatinisation temperature (GT), the waxy rice genotypes could be divided into two groups, a high-GT group and a low-GT group. A total of 15 genotypes were identified as high-GT, all belonging to the indica subspecies. There was about a 5 °C difference within each group and a 10 °C difference between groups. Many parameters were correlated with each other in all 56 waxy rices, but some correlations were also consistent and significant when comparing the high-GT group and the low-GT group separately. For example, hot paste viscosity (HPV) was positively correlated with onset temperature (To) and enthalpy of gelatinisation (ΔHg). The results suggested that initial screening in waxy rice breeding programmes for varieties with desirable starch properties for specific food uses could be efficiently accomplished using pasting profiles from the RVA. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry


News reportage is intended to serve the public in terms of nurturing a better understanding of political and societal concerns. But such a goal may be stymied if reporters lack a sufficient understanding of the effect gendered language may have on the conveyance and interpretation of news. To address this issue, we use the Gramulator to conduct an applied natural language processing study of the linguistic and topical features of gendered language in news reportage. Our goal is to offer some insights as to how the choice of language and topics might affect the efficacy of news reportage. Results suggest that current news reportage largely conforms to an established gender divide: Specifically, we find evidence that male reportage is more quantitative and likely to focus on topics such as politics, crime, and the military. By contrast, female reportage is more qualitative, and likely to focus on issues such as home and education. The study is of interest to all current affairs writers (e.g., journalists) because it offers a systematic approach to identifying and assessing the linguistic and topical differences that contribute to gendered language in new reportage.


We investigated and evaluated metal up-take in three common dominant plants namely Ageratina adenophora, Eupatorium odoratum and Phoenix acaulis from three proposed bauxite mine sites in Araku valley, Vishakhapatnam, India. The concentrations of Cr, Cu, Pb and Zn varied from 14.41 to 87.73 mg/kg, 3.39 to 25.09 mg/kg, 2.48 to 17.39 mg/kg and 5.77 to 50.81 mg/kg, respectively. The variables studied showed significant spatial heterogeneity (General Linear Model, ANOVA, P < 0.05) among sites and metals. Transportation index (Ti) for Zn was >1 for all the species. The pH seemed to have the greatest effect on the solubility / retention of metals in soils thus, enhancing accumulation of metals.


Confocal Raman spectroscopy is introduced as a noninvasive in vivo optical method to measure molecular concentration profiles in the skin. It is shown how it can be applied to determine the water concentration in the stratum corneum as a function of distance to the skin surface, with a depth resolution of 5 microm. The resulting in vivo concentration profiles are in qualitative and quantitative agreement with published data, obtained by in vitro X-ray microanalysis of skin samples. Semi-quantitative concentration profiles were determined for the major constituents of natural moisturizing factor (serine, glycine, pyrrolidone-5-carboxylic acid, arginine, ornithine, citrulline, alanine, histidine, urocanic acid) and for the sweat constituents lactate and urea. A detailed description is given of the signal analysis methodology that enables the extraction of this information from the skin Raman spectra. No other noninvasive in vivo method exists that enables an analysis of skin molecular composition as a function of distance to the skin surface with similar detail and spatial resolution. Therefore, it may be expected that in vivo confocal Raman spectroscopy will find many applications in basic and applied dermatologic research.


The paper draws upon a year-long practitioner inquiry with adolescents who conducted auto-ethnographies as part of a research course in their urban public high school. Through ethnographic data collection, youth researched their own lives, cultures, and beliefs with the end goal of producing multimodal films that represented their embodied senses of "Where I'm From", broadly defined. As youth collected and interpreted culturally and personally meaningful artifacts, stories, memories, and family discourses, the cosmopolitan habits of mind and heart that it is argued are important for nurturing reflective citizens of the world. In the process of video production or self-curation, youth palpably negotiated and represented complex, often transnational, identities through the sophisticated use of a range of representational modes and art forms. The paper illustrates how youth-produced multimodal texts such as films can serve as a kind of social glue in educational communities, an invitation for youth to make visible a range of local and global affiliations, creating a sense of belonging and deeper knowing in increasingly diverse learning contexts.


We propose a simple, inexpensive, portable and real-time image processing system for kinematic analysis of human gait. We view this as a feature based multi-target tracking problem. Here we track the artificially induced features appearing in the image sequence due to the non-impeding contrast markers attached at different anatomical landmarks of the subject under analysis. This paper describes a real-time algorithm for detecting and tracking the feature points simultaneously. By applying a Kalman filter, we recursively predict the tentative features location and retain the predicted point in case of occlusion. A path coherence score is used for disambiguation along with tracking for establishing feature correspondences. Experimentations on normal and pathological subjects in different gait was performed and results illustrate the efficacy of the algorithm.


We describe the cases of four patients who were taking sulfasalazine for inflammatory bowel disease, whose conjugated bilirubin concentrations in serum exceeded their corresponding total bilirubin concentrations as measured with a multilayer film analyzer, the Ektachem 400. Sulfasalazine added to pooled human serum at therapeutic concentrations increased the apparent conjugated bilirubin, as measured with the Ektachem, in a linear and dose-related fashion. Measured unconjugated bilirubin was simultaneously decreased to values less than -3 mg/L. The same interference occurred on the Ektachem 700, but an algorithm prevented the instrument from reporting the results. The major metabolites of sulfasalazine in blood did not interfere with analysis for those fractions of bilirubin. Sulfasalazine's strong absorbance at 400 nm explains its interference with determination of conjugated bilirubin in this instrument.


Case 3.-E.F., aged 76, had prostatic symptoms for six weeks and absolute retention for one day. Blood urea 50 mg.%. The bladder was slowly decompressed for 48 hours witlh an indwelling catheter. Five days after admission the patient died in uraemic coma. Necropsy.-Kidneys slightly smaller than normal and the surface a little granular. There was marked pyelitis in both kidneys and the ureters were filled with blood. The bladder was sliglhtly thickened and the mucosa showed a heavy haemorrhagic cystitis. The prostate was enlarged about 2 in. (5 cm.) in diameter and thle median lobe projected into the bladder about an inch (2.5 cm.). The bladder contained thick haemorrhagic pus and the histological findings confirmed the presence of pyelonephritis.


This paper describes a new Cornell University course serving as a non-programming introduction to computer science, with natural language processing and information retrieval forming a crucial part of the syllabus. Material was drawn from a wide variety of topics (such as theories of discourse structure and random graph models of the World Wide Web) and presented at some technical depth, but was massaged to make it suitable for a freshman-level course. Student feedback from the first running of the class was overall quite positive, and a grant from the GE Fund has been awarded to further support the course's development and goals.


: in today's advance electronic and communication systems the role of high accuracy analog to digital converters are of great importance. Nowadays, a larger percentage of mixed-signal applications requires for health care systems. Also the speed of the chosen ADC design matters a lot as we are connected with the real world signals. SAR based ADC will provides us a better solution for various analog to digital systems. It is an essential device whenever data from the analog world, through sensors or transducers, should be digitally processed or when transmitting data between chips through either long-range wireless links or high-speed transmission between chips on the same printed circuit board. The paper projects up down and ring counter as a logic for successive approximation register (SAR logic for a ADC that is one of the best suited for low power. Here the resolution is of 4-bit and a power consumption of few milli watts. SAR ADC is implemented in 45 nm nano-meter scaling technology CMOS technology with a power supply of 0.5v by maintaining 4:1 w/l ratio.


The degree to which marine ecosystems may support the pelagic or benthic food chain has been shown to vary across natural and anthropogenic gradients for e.g., in temperature and nutrient availability. Moreover, such external forcing may not only affect the flux of organic matter but could trigger large and abrupt changes, i.e., trophic cascades and ecological regime shifts, which once having occurred may prove potentially irreversible. In this study, we investigate the state and regulatory pathways of the Kattegat; a eutrophied and heavily exploited marine ecosystem, specifically testing for the occurrence of regime shifts and the relative importance of multiple drivers, e.g., climate change, eutrophication and commercial fishing on ecosystem dynamics and trophic pathways. Using multivariate statistics and nonlinear regression on a comprehensive data set, covering abiotic factors and biotic variables across all trophic levels, we here propose a potential regime shift from pelagic to benthic regulatory pathways; a possible first sign of recovery from eutrophication likely triggered by drastic nutrient reductions (involving both nitrogen and phosphorus), in combination with climate‐driven changes in local environmental conditions (e.g., temperature and oxygen concentrations).


Seed oil melting point is an adaptive, quantitative trait determined by the relative proportions of the fatty acids that compose the oil. Micro- and macro-evolutionary evidence suggests selection has changed the melting point of seed oils to covary with germination temperatures because of a trade-off between total energy stores and the rate of energy acquisition during germination under competition. The seed oil compositions of 391 natural accessions of Arabidopsis thaliana, grown under common-garden conditions, were used to assess whether seed oil melting point within a species varied with germination temperature. In support of the adaptive explanation, long-term monthly spring and fall field temperatures of the accession collection sites significantly predicted their seed oil melting points. In addition, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed to determine which genes were most likely responsible for the natural variation in seed oil melting point. The GWAS found a single highly significant association within the coding region of FAD2, which encodes a fatty acid desaturase central to the oil biosynthesis pathway. In a separate analysis of 15 a priori oil synthesis candidate genes, 2 (FAD2 and FATB) were located near significant SNPs associated with seed oil melting point. These results comport with others' molecular work showing that lines with alterations in these genes affect seed oil melting point as expected. Our results suggest natural selection has acted on a small number of loci to alter a quantitative trait in response to local environmental conditions.


OF DISSERTATION EFFECTS OF CHROMIUM ON MOUSE SPLENIC T LYMPHOCYTES AND EFFECTS OF ETHANOL EXPOSURE DURING EARLY NEURODEVELOPMENT ON BEHAVIORS IN MICE The dissertation consists of three major projects with the focus on the immunotoxicity of chromium and the behavior disorders caused by early ETOH exposure respectively Hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] is widely used in various industrial processes and has been recognized as a carcinogen. As the first line of host defense system, the immune system can be a primary target of Cr(VI). T cell population represents a major arm of the immune system that plays a critical role in host anti-tumor immunity. Dysfunction of T cells compromises host anti-tumor immunity resulting in oncogenesis. Using mouse splenic T cells as an in vitro model system, the present study assessed the effects of Cr(VI) on T cell functions, as the first step of our investigation of the mechanism underlying Cr(VI)-inhibited immunosurveillance and carcinogenesis. Our results showed that Cr(VI) decreased the viability of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, inhibited T cell activation, functions, including cytokine release, and degranulation. Fetal ethanol (ETOH) exposure can damage the developing central nervous system and lead to cognitive and behavioral deficits, known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). The use of animal models, especially mouse models is essential for investigating the neurogenetic mechanism of fetal ETOH effects and screening pharmacotherapies against it, due to the extensive knowledge of mouse genetics. However, the availability of mouse model is limited. Via adopting various dosage, timing and administration routes of ETOH exposure, we developed two mouse models to assess behavioral or cognitive changes caused by fetal ETOH exposure in pre-weaning and adolescent period. Our results show that high dosage of ETOH exposure (4 g/kg) during PD 4-10 resulted in hyperactivity, disinhibition, and deficits in learning and memory in mouse offspring, which lays the groundwork for the future FASD research.


The southern root-knot nematode [Meloidogyne incognita (Kofoid and White) Chitwood] (Mi) is a serious pest of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] in the southern USA. Many soybean cultivars with Mi resistance and high productivity have been developed in the USA during the past few decades. DNA markers have been used to identify a major quantitative trait locus (QTL) near the top of Linkage Group O (LG-O) conferring resistance to Mi. The objectives of this study were to determine the frequency of elite Mi-resistant cultivars that inherited the major Mi resistance QTL on LG-O and determine the ancestral source of the Mi-resistance allele at this QTL. Forty-eight soybean lines, including ancestral, Mi-susceptible, and Mi-resistant genotypes were analyzed at six simple sequence repeat (SSR) loci that flank the major Mi QTL on LG-O. Codescent analysis of markers and phenotypes across six cycles of breeding showed that Mi-resistant cultivars inherited a 200-by band at Satt358 and a 238-bp band at Sat―132 from 'Palmetto'. The tight linkage of both Satt358 and Sat―132 to the Mi QTL on LG-O indicates that selection for the Mi-resistant parent's allele at either of these markers should be highly effective in identifying Mi-resistant plants or lines.