The effect of cooling rate and stacking sequence on fatigue behavior was analyzed for notched quasi-isotropic AS4/PEEK laminates. The fatigue behavior of fast (475°F/min) and slow (1°F/min) cooled specimens of the following two lay-ups was studied: Layup A of (−45/0/45/90)s and Layup B of (45/90/−45/0)s. All specimens were subjected to a load-controlled, tension-tension fatigue loading with a stress ratio R = 0.1 at a frequency of 5 Hz. Damage was monitored by the reduction in dynamic stiffness and penetrant enhanced X-radiography. Post-failure analysis was carried out by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Influence of cooling rate on the fatigue properties was different in the two stacking sequences investigated. The fatigue behavior changed drastically with the variation in the stacking sequence. A model, based on a constant strain-to-failure, was developed for life prediction and the predicted lives are in good agreement with the experimental values. To help understand the fatigue behavior of the two stacking sequences studied, the interlaminar stress distributions were calculated with a quasi-3D finite element analysis (FEA) for the regions around the hole. Specimens of Lay-up A were predicted to be more prone to delamination as compared to those of Lay-up B and this is consistent with experimental observations.


Strategies for conventional cancer treatment including chemotherapy and radiation therapy decrease the bulk of tumor cells but a population of cancer stem cells (CSCs) remains. CSCs comprise a very small population in many cancers with ability of self-renewal and differentiation. Drug resistance of CSCs lead to their survival after treatment which finally result in cancer recurrence. It has been shown that many phytochemicals and plant extracts are able to target CSCs and may be a true therapeutic strategy for eradicating cancer. In this study, we evaluated the in vitro cytotoxic activity of methanol extracts of four medicinal plants against P19 embryonal carcinoma cell which is considered as a CSC. Trypan Blue exclusion assay and MTT assay were used for evaluation of plant extract cytotoxicity. Morus alba showed the highest cytotoxic effect on P19 cells which is followed by Eucalyptus camaldulensis and Zataria multiflora and the least cytotoxicity was found in Circhorium intybus. Although Morus alba methanol extract showed the most potent anti-proliferative activity and could be investigated for finding pure anticancer compounds, but IC50 values> 100 of mentioned plant extracts after 48, 96 and 144 h incubation period indicates their weak cytotoxicity against P19 cells.


It is a challenge to determine the remaining useful life of items having several failure modes that are dependent on age and several condition monitoring sources. Remaining useful life has always been a wanted quantity in maintenance planning. If the exact time before a failure occurs were known, maintenance planning would be simpler. The main objective of the thesis is to provide quantitative estimates of remaining useful life including error bounds. Based on information from process control systems, condition monitoring systems, and inspection reports, the technical condition of the items is quantified by technical condition indexes (TCIs). The TCIs are normalized quantities that can be aggregated upwards an established hierarchy to the desired level. Both an expert judgement principle and a proportional hazards model approach are used to establish the aggregated TCIs. In the latter approach significant covariates test are used to identify significant covariates. Problems with partial or incomplete data where segments of recorded required maintenance actions and TCIs are missing are solved by left-truncation in the statistical model. The aging effect which is quantified by the Weibull proportional hazards model is used to estimate the remaining useful life. Realizing that the literature within the prognostic area tends to put more focus on age-independent models, the remaining useful life is also modelled as a degradationthreshold model. Here, a gamma process is used to model the deterioration trend of an aggregated TCI. The results from the two approaches are compared and discussed. A discussion of uncertainty and predictability is also performed. This information is important in decision making for further maintenance. The models have been applied to a case study of a natural gas export compressor system. In the case study a detailed description of failure modes, condition monitoring, and inspection data is given. The case specific hierarchical aggregation of the technical condition index to compressor-level is also presented. Finally, the thesis make a summary of the work performed, and proposes further research related to the next generation of prognostic systems.


Objectives: Abdominal pain occupies most of the emergency department admissions. This entity leads to research various markers for the early detection of causes in patients presenting with abdominal pain. There is limited data about collaborations between lactate levels and vital signs at admission in abdominal pain.
Materials and Methods: Patients aged 18 years and older, who had presented with abdominal pain to the Emergency Department, in total 102 patients, were included to the study. The patients' demographics, vital signs, abdominal physical examination findings, diagnosis and outcomes of patients were recorded. The 1 ml venous blood samples were collected by blood gase injectors from the patients and lactate levels were analyzed.
Results: Female patients' percentile was 68,6% and mean age was 39 years old. The systolic blood pressure levels were normal in 45 patients, low in 26% patients and high in 29% patients. The seventy-six of the patients had normal pulse rate and 26 of them were tachycardic. Most common diagnosis was non-specific abdominal pain (37,25%) and the least common was ovarian torsion/intracystic hemorrhage (0,98%) and obstruction due to hernia (0,98%). There was no statistically significant relation between lactate level and pulse rate (p=0,637), systolic blood pressure (p=0,052), diastolic blood pressure (p=0,095), respiratory rate (p=0,527), body temperature (p=0,040) and oxygen saturation (p=0,905). Similarly, no significant association occurred between lactate levels and diagnosis and outcomes.
Conclusion: Further studies including more patients groups have to be done in order to attain more reliable data about this topic.


Frequency and voltage are two important parameters for proper operation of industrial power plants. To maintain these indices in the standard levels in various operating conditions, efficient control strategies should be organized. Otherwise, severe fluctuations in the frequency or voltage may jeopardize the system stability which ends in operation collapse. Such occasions are more potent in back-pressure industrial microgrids within which the cogeneration of electricity and steam happens. An increase in generator back-pressure or a decrease in input steam due to drops in gas pressure results in steam fluctuations on the generator's shaft. This initiates frequency oscillations wherein if no any control action is exerted, the frequency instability is likely to happen. This paper investigates the performance of a double-layer fuzzy based load shedding methodology over the frequency and voltage fluctuations of a real autonomous industrial microgrid. Contemplating as a practical solution, the intelligent load shedding mechanism receives the steam pressure and frequency deviations as the input signals. It is found that the proposed two-layer mechanism reduces the amount of load shedding, though the voltage of the plant is deteriorated. Finally, a three-layer fuzzy logic controller is preliminary proposed for load shedding and terminal voltage correction. The third layer of the fuzzy controller operates as a supervisory control level to update the gain of automatic voltage regulator. This fuzzy layer receives the output of the second layer and voltage deviations of the industrial plant.


Background: Patients with hyperglycemia during hospitalization, especially during ICU hospitalizations, often have worse outcomes, even if they do not have a premorbid diagnosis of diabetes. High glucose levels can provide insight into the underlying pathogenesis of a disease and can contribute to tissue injury. Some patients with COVID-19 have hyperglycemia during hospitalizations. Methods: The Infectious Disease and Control office at University Medical Center in Lubbock, Texas, provided a list of patients with a COVID-19 infection hospitalized between March 1 and May 15, 2020. The medical records were reviewed to collect information on age, gender, history of diabetes, and glucose levels on admission and through the first 7 days of hospitalization. Results: This study included 63 patients with a mean age of 62.1 ± 14.1 years. Thirty-five patients (55.6%) were males. The in-hospital mortality rate was 30.2%. The mean admission glucose level was 129.4 ± 57.1 mg/dL in patients who survived (N = 47) and 189.6 ± 112.2 mg/dL in patients who died during hospitalization (N = 16, P = .007). An admission glucose greater than 180 mg/dL predicted mortality in a model adjusted for a diabetes, age, and male gender. The mean differences between the maximum and minimum glucose levels calculated over the first 7 days of hospitalization were 112.93 ± 115.4 (N = 47) in patients who survived and were 240.5 ± 97.7 (N = 15) in patients who died during hospitalization (P = .0003). A difference between the maximum and minimum glucose level greater than 105 mg/dL was associated with increased mortality. Conclusions: Patients who died during hospitalization for COVID-19 had higher admission glucose levels than patients who survived. Larger differences between maximum and minimum glucose levels during the first 7 days of hospitalization were associated with increased mortality. These results suggest that high glucose levels identify patients at increased risk for mortality and warrant more study.


This study investigated if visual attention can influence multisensory integration at the onset of a reaching action. On each trial, one of three squares was identified as the target, and participants executed a pointing movement to that square. At movement onset, secondary stimuli consisting of two flashes (F) and one or two beeps (B) that included unimodal (2F), congruent (2F2B), and incongruent (2F1B) conditions were presented within the target of the reaching movement (i.e., attended), in the adjacent square (i.e., unattended close), or two squares away from the target (i.e., unattended far). After each trial, participants reported the perceived number of flashes. Although increased visual eccentricity could increase the weight on audition and susceptibility to the fusion illusion in the incongruent condition, visual attention was expected to influence sensory integration and thus increase susceptibility to the fusion illusion. As expected, accuracy in both the unimodal and congruent conditions was significantly better in the attended condition relative to the unattended close and far conditions. In the incongruent condition, however, susceptibility to the fusion illusion was greater in the attended and unattended far conditions as compared to the unattended close condition. Such findings may suggest that the auditory-induced visual illusion captured attention exogenously, thus yielding stronger fusion percepts in the attended vs. the unattended close condition. The greater susceptibility to the fusion illusion in the unattended far and attended conditions could thus be due to visual eccentricity and attention, respectively. Nevertheless, visual attention can influence multisensory integration processes.Acknowledgments: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC); Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI); Ontario Research Fund (ORF); JSPS KAKENHI (JP17H00753); Japan Science and Technology Agency CREST (JPMJCR14E4)


The high volume of foreclosures during and following the Great Recession in the United States led to the revelation of many troubling lending practices. It also led to problematic judicial decisions that erode borrower protection by curtailing or eliminating procedural requirements and substantive defenses with respect to foreclosure. This Article examines the treatment of statute of limitation and res judicata defenses after a loan has been accelerated following a borrower default. Some courts ignore the traditional rule that acceleration under a contract starts the clock for statute of limitation purposes or that acceleration consolidates the loan instrument into a single obligation as opposed to an installment obligation. Instead, these courts have permitted lenders to accelerate loans repeatedly without triggering the statute of limitations or res judicata defenses. Consequently, lenders are permitted to assert foreclosure claims with respect to the same underlying debt amount over and over again. Rather than being used as a last resort, acceleration and the subsequent foreclosure process can now be wielded as a significant threat to borrowers throughout the life of their home loan. Consistent with favoritism demonstrated in our prior research, we argue that creating exceptions for lenders in the application of statutes of limitation and res judicata defenses provides little incentive for banks and servicers to reform questionable lending and collection practices.


We present new Spitzer observations of the phase variation of the hot Jupiter HD 189733b in the MIPS 24 μm bandpass, spanning the same part of the planet's orbit as our previous observations in the IRAC 8 μm bandpass (Knutson et al. ). We find that the minimum hemisphere-averaged flux from the planet in this bandpass is 76% ± 3% of the maximum flux; this corresponds to minimum and maximum hemisphere-averaged brightness temperatures of 984 ± 48 K and 1220 ±  47 K, respectively. The planet reaches its maximum flux at an orbital phase of 0.396 ± 0.022, corresponding to a hot region shifted 20°–30° east of the substellar point. Because tidally locked hot Jupiters would have enormous day–night temperature differences in the absence of winds, the small amplitude of the observed phase variation indicates that the planet's atmosphere efficiently transports thermal energy from the day side to the night side at the 24 μm photosphere, leading to modest day–night temperature differences. The similarities between the 8 and 24 μm phase curves for HD 189733b lead us to conclude that the circulation on this planet behaves in a fundamentally similar fashion across the range of pressures sensed by these two wavelengths. One-dimensional radiative transfer models indicate that the 8 μm band should probe pressures 2–3 times greater than at 24 μm, although the uncertain methane abundance complicates the interpretation. If these two bandpasses do probe different pressures, it would indicate that the temperature varies only weakly between the two sensed depths, and hence that the atmosphere is not convective at these altitudes. We also present an analysis of the possible contribution of star spots to the time series at both 8 and 24 μm based on near-simultaneous ground-based observations and additional Spitzer observations. Accounting for the effects of these spots results in a slightly warmer night-side temperature for the planet in both bandpasses, but does not otherwise affect our conclusions.


Fuel for the energy supply in space travel must be elevated by other fuel, requiring more fuel for its elevation. The consequence is a limit to the size of space transporting systems and to the duration of travel. This limitation can be removed, if an energy supply can be constructed, which doesnÂÂÂÂ't need to combust ponderable matter. A possible appropriate energy source is the zero point energy of the quantum-vacuum (ZPE). The necessary research is the development of an energy converter, which can tap ZPE-energy from the quantum vacuum. An electrostatic rotor presented here, which the author analyzed at the Otto-von-Guericke- University in Magdeburg, demonstrates a verification that ZPE-energy can be converted into classical mechanical energy. Due to the small amount of converted power (150 nanowatts), the experiment is regarded as a fundamental scientific proof, not as an engineering construction of a ZPE-motor. Additionally, computer-simulations of a powerful ZPE-engine are developed in theory, arising the expectation to operate in the range of several hundred watts or some kilowatts – with the future perspective to build a prototype of a useful engine. If energy can be gained from the quantum-vacuum, the recoil of photons can be used for propulsion techniques.


The technology of ground-source heat pump is a revolutionary new technology emerging in the field of central air conditioners for buildings in China. Its application in Hohhot grew continuously in recent years. Based on the demonstration project of general office building of the Development & Reform Commission, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, this paper studies the application of ground-source heat pump air conditioning system with supporting heat source in northern cold area, analyzing the energy consumption of system operation, presenting some problems in the operation and solutions thereof, and concluding that the ground-source heat pump air conditioning system is feasible in Hohhot.


The number of devices connected to the Internet using mobile devices is increasing every day. Charge for mobile data over 3G and 4G networks is high in some countries which pushes users to browse the Internet through text-only service. Facebook proposed free basics service which allows users to browse Facebook for free but without showing images. This research formats the images on web pages in a method that makes images transferred over text-only networks. This allows users with low income or slow connections to surf text service over the internet with images supported. The main objective is to test the free basic service by Facebook and Internet Service Provider over 3G networks additionally proposing an image format for text-only networks. The proposed algorithm converts .png and .jpg images and post them on the Facebook page. The results from the Facebook page show images can be seen over 3G networks with free mode enabled.


This extended abstract investigates the appropriateness of natural language processing (NLP) in the context of robot-assisted navigation for the visually impaired. Several assumptions of corpus-based robotics are examined. It is argued that, in the short term, NLP may be inadequate and, in the long term, it may not be necessary to enable robotic guides to solicit route directions from bystanders. Human sublanguage acquisition is presented as one feasible alternative.


Background: There is both increased interest and awareness in diabetes-associated Charcot foot arthropathy. The number of affected patients will likely increase as the incidence of both diabetes and morbid obesity increases. Many experts now favor surgical correction of the deformity rather than longitudinal management with accommodative bracing. In patients with open wounds and exposed bone and/or chronic osteomyelitis, it is controversial whether resolution of the bony infection should be achieved before attempting surgical correction of the acquired deformity. Methods: During a 78-month period, 178 patients underwent surgical correction of deformity with diabetes-associated Charcot foot or ankle arthropathy by a single surgeon. Seventy-three had evidence of osteomyelitis at the time of surgery. There were 41 males and 32 females. Their average age was 57.9 (range, 31 to 76) years, and body mass index was 36.9 (range, 21.8 to 60.9). The clinical diagnosis of osteomyelitis was made by (a) an open wound overlying the deformity with exposed bone and chronic drainage; (b) a history of biopsy-diagnosed osteomyelitis that was not currently draining, but had clinical and pathologic evidence of abnormal bone in the region of the previous infection; or (c) a history of previous wound overlying bony deformity with abnormal bone observed at the time of surgery. Surgery involved radical resection of the clinically infected bone, combined with acute correction of the deformity to a plantigrade foot. Parenteral culture-specific antibiotic therapy was administered and monitored by an infectious disease comanagement service. A three-level preconstructed static circular external fixator was applied to maintain the surgically obtained correction. Results: Sixty-eight of 71 patients (95.7%) achieved limb salvage and were able to ambulate with commercially available therapeutic footwear. One patient died shortly after removal of the external fixator from unrelated causes. Three patients required amputation. Resolution of infection and wound closure was achieved in five patients following a second surgical debridement. Two noninfected wounds were resolved with local soft tissue flaps. Two patients have persistent noninfected wounds that have been resistant to wound care therapy. Discussion: A plantigrade noninfected foot can be achieved in patients with infected diabetic Charcot foot deformity with single-stage radical resection of osteomyelitis, correction of the deformity, maintenance of the correction with static external fixation, and culture-specific antibiotic therapy. Level of Evidence: IV, Retrospective Case Series


T-lymphocyte activation may contribute to atherosclerosis, the prevalence of which is increased in transplant patients. However, the cardiovascular consequences of polyclonal antithymocyte globulin (ATG)-induced immune modifications, which include alterations in T-cell subsets, are unknown. We conducted a retrospective single-center study to assess whether ATG associates with an increased incidence of atherosclerotic events (CVEs) in kidney transplant patients. Propensity score analysis was performed to address potential confounding by indication. We also tested whether ATG use induces a proatherogenic immune status. Sixty-nine (12.2%) CVEs occurred during follow-up (87±31 months). The cumulative incidence of CVEs was higher in ATG-treated patients (14.7% versus 8.2%; P=0.03). Cox regression analysis revealed that ATG use was an independent risk factor for CVEs (hazard ratio [HR], 2.36; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.35 to 4.13; P=0.003). Results obtained in the propensity score match analysis recapitulated those obtained from the overall cohort (HR, 2.09; 95% CI, 1.11 to 3.98; P=0.02). Late-stage differentiated CD8(+) T cells increased 1 year after transplantation only in ATG-treated patients. More generally, ATG associated with features of immune activation. These modifications increased markedly in patients exposed to cytomegalovirus (CMV). Subanalyses suggest that the effect of ATG on CVEs is restricted to CMV-exposed patients. However, CMV infection associated significantly with CVEs only in ATG-treated patients (HR, 2.07; 95% CI, 1.16 to 3.70; P=0.01). In conclusion, ATG associated with both immune activation and post-transplant CVEs in this cohort. Further studies should precisely determine whether ATG-induced immune activation is the causal link between ATG and CVEs.


Informatics is omnipresent in modern radiology and is very pertinent in aiding radiologists make accurate diagnoses. Screening programs involving radiological imaging compound the difficulty of appropriate image interpretation due to low abnormality presentation rates amongst the screened population. Breast cancer screening is a good example of this. Various approaches have been examined to aid radiologists in this domain to minimize error rates. In the UK a national self-assessment scheme has been found useful in helping maintain radiologists' screening skills. This has been used successfully for over 20 years with various modifications over time which have employed informatics enhancements as technologies have improved. These are described, together with the latest incarnation, which uses a web-based service to provide improved user experience.


Proteoglycans were extracted from bovine (15-18 months old) femoral-head cartilage. The heterogeneity of the A1D1 proteoglycan fraction was examined by gel chromatography, sedimentation velocity, sucrose rate-zonal centrifugation and CS2SO4 isopycnic centrifugation. In all cases polydisperse but unimodal distributions were obtained. Chemical analysis of the preparation yielded a galactosamine/glucosamine molar ratio of 7:1, and 13C n.m.r. spectroscopy showed that the chondroitin sulphate comprised equal proportions of the 4- and 6-sulphate isomers. Gel chromatography of a papain and Pronase digest of the proteoglycan indicated that the chondroitin sulphate chains had a Mn of approx. 10500. The mean buoyant density of the proteoglycan in pure CS2SO4 was 1.46 g/ml. Physical characterization of the proteoglycan preparation in 4M-guanidine hydrochloride, pH 7.4, by using conventional light-scattering gave a radius of gyration of 42 nm and a Mw of 0.96 X 10(6). Quasi-elastic light-scattering in the same solvent yielded a translational diffusion coefficient, D020, of 5.41 X 10(-8) cm2 X S-1, and ultracentrifugation gave a sedimentation coefficient, S020, of 12.0S. Thus from sedimentation-diffusion studies a Mw of 1.36 X 10(6) was calculated. The possible origins for the differences in the two molecular-weight estimates are discussed. It is concluded that the high-buoyant-density proteoglycans from bovine articular cartilage are significantly smaller than those from bovine nasal septum, and that this is largely due to the smaller size of their chondroitin sulphate chains.


Hamas won an overwhelming electoral victory in January 2006, overturning many assumptions regionally and globally. Branded as terrorist by Israel and the West, it is the largest Palestinian militant Islamist organisation, formed fifteen years ago at the beginning of the first intifada. Its short-term objective is to drive Israeli forces from the West Bank and Gaza, an aim it hopes to realise through attacks on Israeli troops and settlers in the Occupied Territories and-more controversially--n civilians. It also has the long-term aim of establishing an Islamic state on all of historic Palestine. In the post-Oslo world, Hamas gained power and influence as Israel steadily destroyed the power structure of the avowedly secular Yasser Arafat and his Palestinian Authority. A grass-roots organisation that commands wide respect among Palestinians for its incorruptibility, Hamas is divided into two main sections, one responsible for establishing schools, hospitals and religious institutions, the other for military action and terror attacks carried out by its armed underground wing the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades. This book charts the origins of Hamas among the Muslim Brotherhood, details the influence of its exiled leadership in Syria and elsewhere, and sets out its internal structure and political objectives.


Bacillus cereus is a gram-positive and anaerobic spore. This bacteria produces enterotoxin that causes diarrhea and vomiting. Due to its resistance to temperature changes, conventional methods of strilization and cooking are not enough to control it. So, rapid and precise detection of the bacteria is requierd in the food quality control centers. In this study, to identify the Bacillus cereus, nheB and hblD genes were used to design the primers. PCR results showed amplification of expected fragments of 842 and 396 bp corresponded to nheB and hblD genes, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the primers in Bacillus cereus and 10 negative controls were evaluated. According to the results, sensitivity for hblD and nheB genes were 0.01 and 0.5 ng/μl respectively, and specificity were 100% for both genes. Then nheB gene sequencing was performed and result was deposited to NCBI gene bank. After designing probes for binding to the target molecule and the gold nanoparticle, experiments were carried out on optimization the detection using gold nanoparticles. The results revealed specificity of 100% and sensitivy of 12 x 105 CFU/mL. Comparison of PCR and gold nanoparticles probes with biochemical methods to detect Bacillus cereus showed greater sensitivity and speed of these methods to biochemical methods. In addition hybridization of probes and DNA molecules at wavelengths between 400 and 700 nm was investigated, changing in color from red to blue related to the binding of probes for target DNA were observed.


Fifteen successively presenting cases of dental fragments in the lips were analyzed as to cause, site of injury and relationship to groups of anterior teeth. In each case a lip laceration extended from mucosa to skin. This finding supported the hypothesis that a tooth, having transfixed the affected lip, fractured on emergence from the skin surface on contact with a hard object. Skin wounds were often repaired in general hospitals without detecting the foreign body and prior to seeking a dental opinion.


A study was instigated to test whether grazing herbivores have evolved effective strategies to reduce parasite ingestion and to assess the effects of parasitism on these strategies. Two choice trials, each using five animals parasitized with O. circumcincta and five parasite naive animals, were conducted to investigate cues used by sheep to avoid grazing swards contaminated with faeces. Animals were presented with pairs of artificial swards (36 X 21 cm) and allowed to graze for short periods. In the first trial, four quantities (0 g, 5 g, 25 g and 25 g), and in the second trial a control (no faeces) and three age classes (0, 10 and 21 days old), of faeces were tested against each other. Increasing amount of faeces per sward tray was associated with a reduced proportion of bites taken from the sward and reduced bite depth and mass. The minimum amount of faeces at which sheep showed significant levels of rejection was 15 g. Decreasing age of faeces was associated with a reduced proportion of bites taken from the sward, reduced bite depth and mass. This presented the paradox that grazing swards contaminated with young faeces presented least risk of parasitism, yet fresh faeces presented the strongest stimulus for sward rejection. Parasitism altered animal grazing behaviour with parasitized animals becoming more selective when avoiding contaminated swards, taking smaller bites at reduced bite rates compared with nan-infected animals. The enhancement of faeces avoidance behaviours shown by parasitized animals could act to reduce further intake of parasites and suggests that grazing behaviour is affected by nematode infection.


Background: Cholera is one of the most diseases of human. Cholera toxin is the most important pathogenic factor in humans that causes diarrhea. The cholera toxin is produced by V. cholerae and CTXфPhage. Objectives: In this study, we have investigated the production cholera toxin with different density of Vibrio cholerae. Materials and Methods: With this propose we inoculated classical strain O1 of Vibrio cholerae ATCC 14035 and Vibrio cholerae O1biovar El Tor N16961 into the AKI medium. Then, the total mRNA was determined by standard procedure which was converted into total cDNA. Results: Cholra toxin production was determined by qPCR and maximum production of cholera toxin was at 1010 cfu/mL. Conclusions: In conclusion, production of cholera toxin was minimized almost up to zero at 1010.5 cfu/mL; which could be due to presence of high level concentration of autoinducer.


SiC nanoparticles (40nm) reinforced metal matrix composites (MMCs) were made by a common stir casting technique in two different preparation processing routes. In the first route, the coated ceramic powder was prepared using electroless plating to coat SiC nanoparticles by Cu. In the second route, Cu and SiC nanoparticles were fully mixed by high energy ball milling, and then SiC nanoparticles were embedded in Cu to form a "jujube-cake" structure. In both cases the average particles size were 0.2μm. The SiC nanoparticles enhanced A6061 alloy matrix composites were made by stir casting, and as-cast microstructures were studied by means of optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results show that in the first route, the Cu off and the slagging reaction occurs to form a mixture at the upper part of the ingot by a vacuum melting and the ingot central also has a large number of pores, only the lower part of the ingot organization is uniform. The second route can make better uniform composites.


There is no shortage of books on allergy. The standard multi-author volumes (often American) tend to be good encyclopaedias but fail to give practical advice. 'Essential Allergy', however, is a landmark not only in the field of allergy but also in setting a new standard for clarity of writing and presentation. The innovative format of this book could well be applied to many other medical topics. There are 107 short mini chapters. Potentially awkward subjects, most notably immunological mechanisms, are presented in beautifully lucid small and easily digestible parts. The layout, diagrams, illustrations, and tables are models of clarity. The author has selected key references, given a short description of the content, and added his own helpful and critical remarks. These references appear in small print near the end of the chapter, and each chapter concludes with a summary. This structure means that the book will be useful to the student and specialist alike, for it can be read at different levels. I found it particularly useful to be able to refer to key research and clinical studies that form the basis for current knowledge and practice. The content is as original as the layout. The mini chapters are divided into 12 sections, on basic immunology, allergen sources, the diagnosis of allergy, gastrointestinal reactions and food allergy, rhinitis, eye disease, skin disease, environmental control and immunotherapy, systemic allergic reactions, two sections on asthma, and one on other lung diseases. Throughout are numerous difficult areas and practical problems that have never really been well described before. In particular, the book covers all the practical aspects of treatment of atopic disease. The author discusses every form of treatment, so that antihistamines, bronchodilators, corticosteroids, allergen avoidance, and hyposensitisation are all fully discussed. The author's balanced but critical approach is an invaluable ingredient. Thus, to take one of many possible examples, the doctor looking for guidance on how to treat atopic eczema will find a particularly good account of topical treatment as well as clear and balanced advice on the role of elimination diets and allergen avoidance. Indeed, the book is worth having just for its excellent description of the standard medical treatment of asthma, eczema, rhinitis, urticaria, and allergic conjunctivitis, all of which are more clearly presented here than in most paediatric textbooks. This magnificent book totally succeeds in its aim of being suitable for the student, postgraduate, and specialist alike. It is easy and enjoyable to read and is reasonably priced. I think it will also interest those who in the past have been put off by the indigestible nature of immunology and the hopelessly anecdotal nature of much current allergy practice. One subject not covered in this book is drug allergy. The difficulty of getting sound practical advice from colleagues on this complex topic is matched by a dearth of useful publications.


An instrumental method for measuring the properties of liquids has been developed. The instrument, called the fiber-capacitive drop analyzer (FCDA), is based on a specially designed drop sensor by means of the fiber drop analyzing technology and the capacitive drop analyzing technology, and produces a volume-based fiber drop trace (VFDT), which shows the relation between the light intensity passing through the liquid drop and the instant drop volume. Preliminary experiments have been carried out and these prove that VFDT externalizes the overall properties of tested liquids and is suitable for fine discrimination among different kinds of liquids. In this paper, a multi-wavelength drop analysis (MWDA) method is described. In this case, the light source of the FCDA is developed from a single wavelength to a multi-wavelength. A special filter is employed to sort out the signals from the mixed multi-wavelength signals and it becomes possible to get two or three VFDT with different light wavelength at the same time. As one knows, a material will absorb the light on certain wavelengths. It means that, for a mixed liquid, one can get different VFDTs by MWDA at the same time. By this way, the resolution capability of a FCDA is enhanced very much due to more information including in those VFDTs. A special signal process circuit, the key technology of the MWDA, is described in this paper. The test results show that the new circuit had satisfied the MWDA method well and will be very useful to an instrument of the FCDA with MWDA.


patients, associated with any evidence of drug-induced lupus. It is possible therefore that extension of Dr Marshall's investigation to larger numbers of patients, with appropriate age-matched controls, could result in conclusions different from those reported. However, their finding that all prazosin-related ANF patterns were of the speckled variety is very unusual. When ANF did occur in patients on prazosin in our study it was not restricted to this morphological pattern. This suggests that there may be some unusual factors influencing results in Dr Marshall's patients. The full data from which this summary is drawn will be presented elsewhere.


The enzyme transketolase (Enzyme Commission number: 188.8.131.52) has significant potential as a biocatalyst in the production of pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals. The enzyme catalyses the irreversible transfer of a C2 (1,2-dihydroxyethyl) moiety from p-hydroxypyruvate (P-HPA) to a wide range of acceptor substrates in a stereospecific reaction. However, commercial application of transketolase is currently restricted by the limited availability and expense of p-HPA. This project describes efforts to generate and identify variants of E. coli transketolase that are capable of accepting pyruvate: a related, but much cheaper compound. The variants were prepared by a novel directed evolution technique, "focused" error-prone PCR (fepPCR), and then screened for the desired activity: pyruvate (donor) and glycolaldehyde (acceptor) to (S)-3,4-dihydroxybutan-2-one (and carbon dioxide). The high-throughput screen consisted of the following steps: (1) transformation of a plasmid library into E. coli XLIO-Gold competent cells (2) culture of individual colonies in 384-well plates (3) lysis of the cultures (4) incubation of the lysates with cofactors and the target substrates and finally (5) high-throughput HPLC analysis measuring donor substrate (pyruvate) depletion. The first four steps were optimised to ensure the highest possible concentration of holotransketolase in each screening reaction. The HPLC method utilised a 50mm guard column as the separation matrix and was capable of processing one sample every 1.2 minutes. Several libraries of transketolase variants were generated using a novel mutagenesis technique: "focused" error-prone PCR (fepPCR). FepPCR uses knowledge of an enzyme as a map for targeting mutation to the most beneficial regions of the gene - in this case, three stretches of residues in the active site of E. coli transketolase (Ser24-His26, Gly99-Prol01, and Asp469- His473). Primers were designed to flank these small target sites (9-15bp) and they were PCR-amplified from the tkt gene under conditions that drastically lowered the fidelity of Taq DNA polymerase (0.14 misincorporations per nucleotide). The three mutated fepPCR products (50-54bp) were then cloned into the tkt vector pQR711 singly and in combination to create four distinct libraries. The PCR-based cloning techniques QuikChange Site-Directed Mutagenesis (Stratagene Ltd.) and QuikChange Multi Site-Directed Mutagenesis (Stratagene Ltd.) were both found to be effective for this step. The four libraries were screened for the target activity and the following levels of coverage were achieved: 100% of all possible single point mutations in the three targets sites and 22% of all possible combinations of double point mutations in the target sites. Careful analysis of the HPLC chromatograms failed to identify any variants with the desired activity. It is proposed that larger libraries may yield positive results.


The development of 77 neonates, with maternal premature membranes rupture in a neonatal intensive care unit was reviewed. Clinical characteristics, evolution, complications and mortality, as well as the risk factors for mortality were reviewed. The incidence was 25.8% in 298 neonates discharged, maternal age 25 + 6 years (X and standard deviation), number of gestations 2 + 1, maternal infection in 11 (14.2%), chorioamnioitis in 18 (23.3%), the ruptured membranes time was > 24 hours in 48%. Vaginal birth were 37.7%, and cesarean section 59.7%. Males predominated with 61%, gestational age 31 + 2 weeks, birth weight 1577 + 530. The three main morbidity causes were nosocomial pneumonia (44.1%), respiratory distress syndrome (39%), and intrauterine pneumonia (33.8%). By clinic and laboratory 3.8% neonates had septicemia, but only eight had some positive culture. Disease during pregnancy, vaginal birth, prematurity and neonatal sepsis were risk factors for mortality. Incidence of infants with PROM and neonatal sepsis is higher than majority of other reports. All premature neonates with PROM more; disease during pregnancy, vaginal birth, or neonatal sepsis, have high risk for mortality, then they need specially cares.


Divisible Load Theory (DLT) is an effective tool for blueprinting data-intensive computational problems. Heuristic algorithms have been proposed in the past to solve for a DLS (Divisible Load Schedule) with result collection on heterogeneous star networks. However scheduling on heterogeneous multi-level trees with result collection is still an open problem. In this thesis, new heuristic algorithms for scheduling divisible loads on heterogeneous multi-level trees (singleand twoinstallment) including result collection are presented. Experiments are performed on both random networks and cluster networks. Results show that scheduling using multi-level trees produces lower solution times compared to the traditional star network in the majority of cases, however efficiency of resources in multi-level trees tends to be lower, i.e., more processors were used. Cluster results with multi-level trees are found to outperform the star when there are enough clusters available to provide good overlap of communication and computation. Experiments on random networks with varying levels of heterogeneity of resources show that multi-level trees outperform star networks in the majority of cases. Experiments were conducted comparing schedules with and without latency costs. The results from all schedules where latency was considered had signifiantly lower solution times and higher efficiency of resources. Overall, scheduling on single-installment multi-level trees in either clusters or random networks had the lowest solution times, but the star had highest efficiency of resources.


A molecular approach was used to examine the genetic relatedness of 19 Frankia isolates by measuring the extent of deoxyribonucleic acid-deoxyribonucleic acid homology and the fidelity of hybrid duplex molecules. The Frankia isolates examined were divided into two groups based on the results of hybridization tests. The members of genogroup 1, consisting of isolates from Alnus, Myrica, and Comptonia host plants, exhibited high levels of homology (67.4 to 94.1%) with strain ArI4, an isolate from Alnus rubra. Isolates from Elaeagnus, Ceanothus, Purshia, and Casuarina and isolate AirI2 from Alnus did not exhibit significant homology (less than 39%) with strain ArI4. None of the strains showed a high degree of homology with strain EuI1a (less than 33%), an isolate from Elaeagnus umbellata. Among the isolates not belonging to genogroup 1, subgroupings seemed to exist, as evidenced by a very high level of homology (97%) between two isolates from Casuarina, strains D11 and the G2, but a low level of homology (27%) between other strains and strain G2. Thermal stability studies of the hybrid deoxyribonucleic acids which showed high levels of homology revealed an average mismatch of 3%, whereas the low-homology duplexes exhibited about 5% mismatch. The genome molecular weights of two probe Frankia strains, strains ArI4 and EuI1a, were 8.3 × 109and 6.0 × 109, respectively.


This past decade has witnessed an extraordinary transformation in men's lives. For years, wave after wave of the women's movement, a movement that reshaped every aspect of American life, produced nary a ripple among men. But suddenly men are in the spotlight. Yet, the public discussions often seem strained, silly, and sometimes flat-out wrong. The spotlight itself seems to obscure as much as it illuminates. Old tired cliches about men's resistance to romantic commitment or reluctance to be led to the marriage altar seem perennially recyclable in advice books and on TV talk shows, but these days the laughter feels more forced, the defensiveness more pronounced. Pop biologists avoid careful confrontation with serious scientific research in their quest to find anatomical or evolutionary bases for promiscuity or porn addiction, hoping that by fiat, one can pronounce that "boys will be boys" and render it more than a flaccid tautology. And political pundits wring their hands about the feminisation of American manhood, as if gender equality has neutered these formerly proud studs. Misframing Men, a collection of Michael Kimmel's commentaries on contemporary debates about masculinity, argues that the media have largely misframed this debate. Kimmel, among the world's best-known scholars in gender studies, discusses political moments such as the Virginia Military Institute and Citadel cases that reached the Supreme Court (he participated as expert witness for the Justice Department) along with Promise Keepers rallies, mythopoetic gatherings, and white supremacists. He takes on antifeminists as the real male bashers, questions the unsubstantiated assertions that men suffer from domestic violence to the same degree as women, and examines the claims made by those who want to rescue boys from the "misandrous" reforms initiated by feminism. In writings both solidly grounded and forcefully argued, Kimmel pushes the boundaries of today's modern conversation about men and masculinity.


A experiment was conducted during rabi season during 2005-06 on lateritic soil, at Agronomy Farm, College of Agriculture, Dapoli, to study the effect of nitrogen levels (0,50,100,150 and 200 kg ha and spacing (60x20cm, 45x20cm and 30x20cm) on the performance of yield attributes,yield and quality parameter of baby corn study revealed that spacing 60 x 20 cm was pat par with 45 x 20 cm recorded significantly higher values of yield attributing characters over the spacing of 30 x 20 cm. The spacing of 45 x 20 cm recorded significantly higher baby corn yield with and without husk than the remaining spacing's. The length of baby corn cob, number of cobs per plant and baby corn (cob) weight without husk increased significantly with the increase in nitrogen levels up to 150 kg/ha. Application of 200 kg N/ha recorded significantly higher baby corn yield with husk, green fodder yield and total biomass production (q/ha) than rest of the nitrogen levels. The wider spacing of 60 x 20 cm recorded significantly higher protein and sugar content than the narrower spacing. Application of 200 kg N/ ha recorded significantly higher protein %, in baby corn than rest of the nitrogen levels. The further application of 150 kg/ha and 200 kg/ha nitrogen were at par and recorded significantly higher sugar content than the remaining nitrogen levels viz. 100 k/ha, 50 k/ha and control.


Background: Recent advances with B-raf and Mek targeted therapies have transformed the therapeutic landscape for metastatic melanoma and improved survival times for patients. Despite this progress, resistance to targeted therapies remains a universal problem that limits treatment efficacy. Combination therapy strategies represent a viable option to overcome the problem of therapeutic resistance.

Glycoprotein Non-Metastatic B (GPNMB) is a cell surface protein that is highly expressed in a wide variety of cancer types, and regulates: tumor growth, cancer cell migration, invasion and metastasis. Glembatumumab vedotin (CDX-011) is a GPNMB-targeted antibody-drug conjugate that is in clinical trials for the treatment of melanoma and breast cancer. Interestingly, a wide spectrum of kinase inhibitors (KI) has been reported to induce GPNMB expression in a variety of cell types. Here we investigate the mechanism(s) responsible for elevated GPNMB levels in melanoma cells treated with clinically relevant KI, determine whether KI-mediated induction of GPNMB expression synergizes with CDX-011 in the treatment of melanoma.

Methods: B-raf mutant (A375, WM-2664) and N-ras mutant (SkMel2) melanoma cells were exposed to inhibitors of B-raf (vemurafenib, dabrafenib), or Mek (trametinib, selumetinib). Immunoblot analysis or fluorescence-activated cell sorting was used to assess GPNMB expression. B-raf mutant cells were passaged in the presence of vemurafenib over the course of several weeks to months to generate vemurafenib-resistant cells. Transient siRNA knockdown studies were used to assess the requirement for the transcription factor, MiTF, in KI-mediated induction of GPNMB. To assess the interaction between individual KI and CDX011, dose response curves for the KI and CDX-011 alone or in combination in melanoma cells in vitro were generated. Melanoma cells were either 1) pretreated or 2) pre and co-treated with KI for 48 hours prior to treatment with CDX011 for 96 hours. Cell viability was assessed by XTT assay.

Results: B-raf inhibition led to an induction of total and cell surface GPNMB protein in B-raf mutant, but not in B-raf WT melanoma cells. Mek inhibition induced GPNMB expression in all three melanoma cell lines. In addition to acute inhibitor treatment, Vemurafenib-resistant cells also expressed higher levels of GPNMB when compared to parental cells (inhibitor sensitive). Knock-down of the MiTF transcription factor abrogated the vemurafenib-mediated induction of GPNMB. Pretreatment of melanoma cells with Mek inhibitors led to a reduction in cell viability, compared to untreated cells, that was further exacerbated by exposure to CDX-011, in a dose-dependent manner. Interestingly, sub-optimal doses with B-raf inhibitors did not significantly affect cell viability of WM-2664 cells when used in isolation, but did enhance the sensitivity of melanoma cells to CDX-011.

Conclusions: Induction of GPNMB in response to B-raf/Mek inhibition is a MiTF-dependent process that occurs in both B-raf mutant and WT cells. In this context, induction of GPNMB expression sensitizes cells to CDX-011 mediated cell killing. As such, the combination of B-raf/Mek inihibitors with CDX-011 represents an intriguing new combination therapy strategy for the treatment of melanoma, and warrants further validation in in vivo mouse models.

Citation Information: Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):C232.

Citation Format: April A.N. Rose, Peter M. Siegel. B-raf/Mek/Erk Pathway inhibition induces GPNMB expression and sensitizes melanoma cells to the antibody-drug conjugate glembatumumab vedotin. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2013 Oct 19-23; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):Abstract nr C232.


Cysticercosis results from ingestion of the eggs of the tapeworm Taenia solium. Reduction of the incidence of human and swine cysticercosis requires identification and treatment of individuals who carry the adult tapeworm. T. solium and Taenia saginata eggs cannot be differentiated on the basis of morphology; thus, in order to improve existing methods for the diagnosis of taeniasis, we have developed highly sensitive, species-specific DNA probes which differentiate T. solium and T. saginata. Recombinant clones containing repetitive DNA sequences which hybridize specifically with genomic DNAs from either species were isolated and characterized. T. solium-specific DNA sequences contained complete and truncated forms of a tandemly repeated 158-bp DNA sequence. An unrelated T. saginata DNA sequence was also characterized and shown to encode a portion of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I gene. T. solium- and T. saginata-specific DNA probes did not hybridize in dot blot assays either with genomic DNA from the platyhelminths Taenia hydatigena, Taenia pisiformis, Taenia taeniaeformis, Echinococcus granulosus, and Schistosoma mansoni or with genomic DNA from other eukaryotes, including Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida albicans, Cryptosporidium parvum, Entamoeba histolytica, Trypanosoma gambiense, Trypanosoma brucei, and Giardia lamblia, Caenorhabditis elegans, and human DNA. By using these T. solium and T. saginata DNA probes, a rapid, highly sensitive and specific dot blot assay for the detection of T. solium eggs was developed.


Introduction
This study aimed to determine the vertical and horizontal soft-tissue vs hard-tissue changes after isolated functional genioplasty and to revisit hard-tissue remodeling at the symphysis.

Methods
Seventy-five patients who underwent genioplasty as an isolated procedure at the end of their orthodontic treatment were divided into three groups on the basis of their age at surgery: < 15 years (group 1), 15-18 years (group 2) and ≥ 19 years (group 3). Patients were evaluated at three time points: immediately before surgery (T1), immediately after surgery (T2) and two years after surgery (T3). In addition, 25 patients who did not accept genioplasty, were age-matched with group 1, and had a follow-up radiograph two years after the end of their orthodontic treatment were used as a control group.

Results
From T2 to T3, group 1 showed less forward horizontal hard-tissue and soft-tissue changes at pogonion (Pg) than the control group; however, no difference was noted for vertical changes at Me & Me'. From T1 to T3, the horizontal hard-tissue and soft-tissue changes at Pg were 6.39 mm and 6.72 mm, respectively, for surgical groups. Vertical hard-tissue change at menton (Me) showed a reduction of 1.63 mm (95% confidence interval [CI], -3.37 to 0.11) and 3.89 mm (95% CI, -5.83 to -1.95) in nongrowing female and male patients, respectively. The vertical soft-tissue change reduction was similar for nongrowing male and female patients (1.7 mm [95% CI, -2.96 to -0.45]). Soft-tissue thickness change at Pg (0.33 mm) was not significant. In contrast, a small but significant increase in soft-tissue thickness was noted at Me (0.54 mm). Linear regressions were calculated for all groups and allowed for predicting long-term soft-tissue changes (T3-T1) using the amount of surgical displacement (T2-T1).

Conclusions
The horizontal hard-tissue change was stable for nongrowing patients, and the horizontal soft-tissue change was 92% of hard-tissue. Vertical soft-tissue change is less predictable. Variation of soft-tissue thickness after genioplasty can be explained by skeletal changes and the achievement of an unforced labial occlusion. These results support the functional and esthetic benefits of this surgery. Comparison with the control group showed that genioplasty does not change the growth pattern, and bone remodeling is likely to explain the difference noted at Pg.


Applied to grade 9 students in Jordan, this study aimed at examining the effi ciency of using the 'learning cycle' strategy in acquiring Arabic grammatical concepts. A sample of 124 students was approved, which was distributed over two schools (boys and girls) and in two groups. The experimental group was taught the subject instructional material through the learning cycle strategy with 29 males and 35 females, whereas the control group was taught through the same material through the traditional program with 32 males and 28 females. In terms of fi ndings, there were found statistically signifi cant differences in the subjects' achievement in acquiring Arabic grammatical concepts, in favor of the experimental group. Statistically signifi cant differences were also found due to gender in favor of females. Whereas no statistically signifi cant differences were found due to the interaction between group/teaching strategy and gender.


In this study, the surface modification and biocompatibility of the biologic chitosan scaffold were investigated. The chitosan scaffold with excellent reticular structure was attained after being purified, emulsionized, cross-linked, molded and freeze-dried step by step by using the native materials, coming from such as lobster shell, crab shell etc.. After that, its surface modification was operated with film coating by using gelatin. Then the bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) derived from New Zealand rabbits were used as the seed cells and were inoculated onto the modified biologic chitosan scaffolds at 3×105 cells/ml to investigate the biocompatibility and bone conductive efficiency of this kind of scaffold in static culture for one week. As a control, the cell suspensions with same densities were inoculated onto the chitosan scaffold without being treated. During the whole culture process, the cellular adherence and expansion were observed under inverted microscope. After culture, the biological properties of the fabricated cell-scaffold tissues were detected by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and HO/PI fluorescent double staining. The results showed that the biologic chitosan scaffold treated with gelatin or rat-tail collagen promoted a higher adhesion and proliferation of BMSCs in comparison to the untreated samples. Besides, the BMSCs within the treated scaffold were more regular and well-distributed than those in untreated one. It is concluded that this kind of surface modification can be used to change the physicochemical properties of chitosan scaffold. The improved biologic chitosan scaffold is suitable to be an ideal biomedical scaffold for tissue engineering.


A two-timescale simulation-based actor-critic algorithm for solution of infinite horizon Markov decision processes with finite state and compact action spaces under the discounted cost criterion is proposed. The algorithm does gradient search on the slower timescale in the space of deterministic policies and uses simultaneous perturbation stochastic approximation-based estimates. On the faster scale, the value function corresponding to a given stationary policy is updated and averaged over a fixed number of epochs (for enhanced performance). The proof of convergence to a locally optimal policy is presented. Finally, numerical experiments using the proposed algorithm on flow control in a bottleneck link using a continuous time queueing model are shown.


This study aims to synthesize Cr doped Perovskite brown pigments. The pigment were synthesized by doping Cr2O3(0.01 ~ 0.05mole) for TiO2(0.993 ~ 0.963 mole) at 1150 ~ 1350°C. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman Spectrometer, Scanning Electron Microscope(SEM) and the UV/Vis spectroscopy. The optimum composition was CaCr0.03Ti0.978O3and heating condition was 1300°C for 3h of soaking time. The doped Cr ion for Perovskite was observed to be Cr(Ⅲ) and Cr(Ⅳ). The brown color was mixed with violet doped by Cr4+(3A2 → 3T2) and Blueish-Green doped by Cr3+(4A2g → 4F1g). The results of SEM analysis showed the Perovskite structure and the particle size was approximately 2µm. The color in Frit 6060 glaze adding 10wt% pigment was Redish Brown, and CIE Lab parameters were L*= 41.53, a*=13.27 and b*=9.94 .


Cavitation Resistance of TiN Nanocrystalline Coatings with Various Thickness TiN nanocrystalline coatings of various thicknesses deposited on austenitic stainless steel, X6CrNiTi18-10, by means of the cathodic arc evaporation method were investigated in a cavitation tunnel with a slot cavitator. The estimated cavitation resistance parameters of the coatings were the incubation period and total mass loss. It was found that the incubation periods of the 4 μm and 7.8 μm-thick TiN coatings were over two and half times longer than that of the uncoated X6CrNiTi 18-10 steel and the total mass losses of these coatings were approximately half lower than of the uncoated specimen. The scanning electron microscope analysis indicated that the damage process of the TiN-4 coating originates from the micro-folding and coating fracture arises on the top of the micro-folds, whiles the TiN-8 and TiN-12 coatings were removed in the form of thin flakes. The factors mainly responsible for cavitation resistance of the TiN coatings are ability to plastic deformation of the coating and coating adhesion.


Purpose: This paper outlines previous attempts to model aircraft deceleration and using a newer database containing a greater number of observations tries to refine the model. Design/Methodology : It is noted that data inadequacies still necessitate the estimation of a given acceleration for the aircraft wreckage path, but that there are more opportunities to change the intercept in a regression model to reflect categorical and dummy variables that proxy factors such as runway condition, the degree of control exercised by the pilot during the crash, the speed at the point of first impact (hereafter POFI), headwind, rain, characteristics of the terrain on the wreckage path  and aborted take-offs. Findings: The contribution of some of the explanatory variables can be seen. It is a shame other potential influences are not found to be significant. It is important to understand deceleration so that the wreckage location of aircraft accidents can be understood. This then gives guidance of appropriate runway safety areas. Originality/ value : This is the first time this has been attempted on the expanded accident database.


Aim: The elaboration of biscuits was proposed from different percentages of breadfruit flour (Artocarpus altilis) and wheat flour (Triticum vulgare L). Materials and Methods: The samples were processed in a similar way establishing adequate times, optimal temperatures, and good practices of raw material handling. The organoleptic evaluation of the product was carried out through sensory evaluation with 10 untrained tasters, to obtain the best treatment, being this substitution: 40% breadfruit flour + 60% wheat flour, from which the bromatological and microbiological characteristics of the biscuits were determined, with permissible results within the regulations. Results: With the analyzes carried out and using the nutritional calculator of the Ecuadorian agency for regulation, control, and health surveillance "for its initials in Spanish," the labeling of the nutritional semaphore of the obtained product was determined by recording: "High" in fat content, "low" in sugar content, and "low" in salt content, which identify biscuits suitable for consumption. Conclusion: The results of the microbiological analysis quantified a mesophilic aerobic load of 298 CFU/g. The microbiological tests of molds and yeasts identified values of 18 CFU/g, being within the ranges established by the INEN standards. With respect to Escherichia coli, the results showed total absence.


Many meshes in computer animation practice are meant to approximate solid objects, but the provided triangular geometry is often unoriented, non-manifold or contains self-intersections, causing inside/outside of objects to be mathematically ill-defined. We describe a robust and efficient automatic approach to define and compute a signed distance field for arbitrary triangular geometry. Starting with arbitrary (non-manifold) triangular geometry, we first define and extract an offset manifold surface using an unsigned distance field. We then automatically remove any interior surface components. Finally, we exploit the manifoldness of the offset surface to quickly detect interior distance field grid points. We prove that exterior grid points can reuse a shifted original unsigned distance field, whereas for interior cells, we compute the signed field from the offset surface geometry. We demonstrate improved performance both using exact distance fields computed using an octree, and approximate distance fields computed using fast marching. We analyze the time and memory costs for complex meshes that include self-intersections and non-manifold geometry. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our algorithm by using the signed distance field for collision detection and generation of tetrahedral meshes for physically based simulation.


Editing and proofreading a piece of writing can help make meaning clear, and clarity makes it easier to understand. While editing involves changing and correcting content and syntax, proofreading involves making only minor changes, additions, or deletions to a document in order to find and mark mistakes that need to be corrected. Some of the editing strategies are editing papers alone, with a partner, expecting others to edit your paper, using computer programs and self-editing checklist. The proofreading strategies include using self/peer reading aloud and the computer spellchecking software. The current paper aims at investigating the editing and proofreading strategies used by koya University lecturers when reading through written documents and comparing English and non-English instructors in using those strategies. This study tries to find answers to these research questions: What are the editing and proofreading strategies used by Koya university lecturers? What is the difference between teachers whose specialty is English and those of non-English? To this end, the researcher administered and distributed a questionnaire of Five Point Likert Scale which composed of the participants' demography, editing, and proofreading strategies and sent it to all Koya University lecturers at all departments. The results demonstrated that Koya University lecturers use almost all of the editing strategies and all are in favor of using the strategy of editing by themselves rather than with others. The proofreading strategies are less used but all lecturers use self-proofreading strategy. The study concludes that all Koya University teaching staff regardless of being specialized in English and non-English are not that much familiar with different types of editing and proofreading strategies.


TGF-β is a key immunoregulatory cytokine which supports self-tolerance by signaling to T cells. In this report, we show a crucial role for TGF-β signaling to T cells in enabling the long-term acceptance of allografts, whether natural or induced therapeutically by coreceptor and costimulation blockade. The requirement for TGF-β appears most pronounced during the initial exposure to alloantigens. We demonstrate the ability of TGF-β to direct the development in vitro of regulatory cells that suppress graft rejection in vivo. Such suppression was not affected by anti-TGF-β treatment of the recipient mice. Despite this, TGF-β may still have a role in CD4+ cell-mediated suppression of antiallograft responses in vivo, since its neutralization can, in some cases, abrogate suppression. These results show that TGF-β signaling to T cells is dispensable for mounting destructive responses against skin allografts while appearing to be an essential intermediary in establishing long-term tolerance.


The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of temperature-dependent viscosity on the natural convection flow from a vertical permeable circular cone with uniform heat flux. As part of numerical computation, the governing boundary layer equations are transformed into a non-dimensional form. The resulting nonlinear system of partial differential equations is then reduced to local non-similarity equations which are solved computationally by three different solution methodologies, namely, (i) perturbation solution for small transpiration parameter (ξ), (ii) asymptotic solution for large ξ, and (iii) the implicit finite difference method together with a Keller box scheme for all ξ. The numerical results of the velocity and viscosity profiles of the fluid are displayed graphically with heat transfer characteristics. The shearing stress in terms of the local skin-friction coefficient and the rate of heat transfer in terms of the local Nusselt number (Nu) are given in tabular form for the viscosity parameter (ε) and the Prandtl number (Pr). The viscosity is a linear function of temperature which is valid for small Prandtl numbers (Pr). The three-fold solutions were compared as part of the validations with various ranges of Pr numbers. Overall, good agreements were established. The major finding of the research provides a better demonstration of how temperature-dependent viscosity affects the natural convective flow. It was found that increasing Pr, ξ, and ε decrease the local skin-friction coefficient, but ξ has more influence on increasing the rate of heat transfer, as the effect of ε was erratic at small and large ξ. Furthermore, at the variable Pr, a large ξ increased the local maxima of viscosity at large extents, particularly at low Pr, but the effect on temperature distribution was found to be less significant under the same condition. However, at variable ε and fixed Pr, the temperature distribution was observed to be more influenced by ε at small ξ, whereas large ξ dominated this scheme significantly regardless of the variation in ε. The validations through three-fold solutions act as evidence of the accuracy and versatility of the current approach.


In this paper we present a method of directly translating higher order functions from functional program s into object-oriented programs . We show how to pass methods to generalized algorithms in pure object-oriente d languages without extending the language . The translation allows partial parameterization, including currying , and conforms to strong typing . Finally we compare our method with conventional object-oriented approaches in terms of locality and reusability .


This paper presents the effect of feed composition, xF, and feed thermal conditions on benzene-toluene distillation plant performance. An interactive computer model was developed to simulate the process using vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE) data, mass and energy balances and McCabe-Thiele method. The feed thermal conditions studied were vaporized feed (VF), feed at its boiling point (FBP) and subcooled liquid (SCL) feed. The feed composition was varied between 0.20 and 0.45 kmol/kmol. The process was simulated at fixed feed flow rate (1000 kmol/h), reflux ratio (R = 4.0) and distillate and bottoms compositions (95 and 5%, respectively). The minimum reflux ratio, theoretical and actual number of stages, reboiler duty and steam mass flow rate, and boil-up ratio changed with increasing xF according to fourth-order polynomial functions. The condenser duty and cooling water flow rate increased linearly with xF. The effect of increasing xF on the stripping section operating line (SOL) is reported separately for different feed thermal conditions. While all q-lines for VF passed at (xB, xD) with decreasing slope; the q-lines for FBP were vertical and those for SCL feed were parallel. Graphical presentations of q-lines and SOLs for increasing xF were developed in this study.

 Key words: Distillation plant performance, feed composition, feed thermal conditions, number of stages, reboiler duty, condenser duty, boil-up ratio, mass and energy balances, vapor liquid equilibrium.


Household waste management in Vasterbotten, Sweden - investigating how small municipalities aim for waste reductionAuthor: Sofia SparrfeldtAbstractThe aim of the study is to investigate how small municipalities in Vasterbotten County (Northern Sweden) manage household waste. Eight municipalities have established a cooperation, including a joint plan to handle waste management in order to lower the amount of waste. The goal was to interview all eight municipalities, but only six of them answered. Based on the interview results, the municipalities had accepted the plan aiming to lower the amount of household waste, but not all of them had initiated the implementation of the plan. According to data from the joint waste management plan, the amount of waste did not decrease between the years 2008-2011. However, the data was collected during a time period before the plan was finally ready to be implemented. Some of the interviewed municipalities expect that the load of waste will decrease in their municipality, but this was not always directly related to implementation of the joint waste management plan. Municipalities rather assume that the reduction is related to a general population decrease, or that a tense economic situation of the citizens affected their consumption. In general, the civil servants in most of the investigated municipalities have many different tasks in addition to coordinating the waste management. Therefore, they appreciated a joint effort among small municipalities. However, they also identified disadvantages with the cooperation, such as for example that it can take very long time to get something happening when many municipalities are involved.Keywords: household waste, waste management, Sweden


Translation of mRNA into protein is a fundamental yet complex biological process with multiple factors that can potentially affect its efficiency. In particular, different genes can have quite different initiation rates, while site-specific elongation rates can vary substantially along a given transcript. Here, we analyze a stochastic model of translation dynamics to identify the key parameters that govern the overall rate of protein synthesis and the efficiency of ribosome usage. The mathematical model we study is an interacting particle system that generalizes the Totally Asymmetric Simple Exclusion Process (TASEP), where particles correspond to ribosomes. While the TASEP and its variants have been studied for the past several decades through simulations and mean field approximations, a general analytic solution has remained challenging to obtain. By analyzing the so-called hydrodynamic limit, we here obtain exact closed-form expressions for stationary currents and particle densities that agree well with Monte Carlo simulations. In addition, we provide a complete characterization of phase transitions in the system. Surprisingly, phase boundaries depend on only four parameters: the particle size, and the first, last and minimum particle jump rates. Relating these theoretical results to translation, we formulate four design principles that detail how to tune these parameters to optimize translation efficiency in terms of protein production rate and resource usage. We then analyze ribosome profiling data of S. cerevisiae and demonstrate that its translation system is generally efficient, consistent with the design principles we found. We discuss implications of our findings on evolutionary constraints and codon usage bias.


Behaviour of construction materials i.e. steel, concrete and mortar under elevated temperature is important. In the study, the variations in mass loss, and strengths of polypropylene fiber reinforced mortar subjected to elevated temperatures were examined. Mortar was made with CEM I 42.5R Portland cement, monofilament polypropylene fiber, fine aggregate and drinkable water. The sand-cement and water-cement ratio were chosen 3:1 and 1:2 for all mixtures, respectively. Mixes containing 0, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3% polypropylene fiber in volume of solid matter of mixture were prepared. Mortars were exposed to 100, 200, 400, 600 and 800°C temperatures and cooled down 23±2°C in air and water. There was a difference between the temperatures at which the important reductions observed for flexural tensile and compressive strength. Significant reduction was observed at 400°C for compressive strength and while it was 200°C for flexural strength. No difference was observed between air cooling and water cooling regimes up to 600°C; however, at 800°C the residual compressive and flexural strength of water cooled mortar was about 40% of the air cooled mortar. Mortar containing polypropylene fiber presented better behaviour to elevated temperature in terms of relative residual strengths up to 400°C.


The harmful impact of constructed facilities on human wellbeing is serious phenomenon in the built environment. Empirical evidence from literature revealed that sick building syndrome (SBS) is among the significant causes of increased health care cost, loss of employee's productivity and users discomfort. SBS is recognized as a condition in which the building users bear awful health or uneasiness that appear to be accompanying to the time used in the building with no clinical definition or an identifiable cause. This study therefore, focuses on investigating the impact of environmental physical quantities on emergence of SBS symptoms on staff and worshippers in selected public buildings in Lagos, tropical climate. A hybrid research approaches of one-time survey and field measurement was utilized. Descriptive statistics was carried out on the data obtained and are presented on tables and figures. The results signposted that among all the dynamics appraised, higher room temperature (˃25 o C) relates to the establishment of SBS symptoms among study respondents. The import of this study hinges on offering understanding and cognizance of SBS symptoms to facilities management departments of tertiary and financial institutions in Nigeria. The study also showed the environmental physical quantities ranks that can be relatively felt in public buildings in tropical region of Nigeria.


The kidney is a very vital organ required for excretion of metabolic waste products in the body and when the kidney is damaged, this function is compromised. Paraquat is a toxicant that is known to have toxic injuries in different organs. Therefore, the aim of this study was to uncover the treatment effect of vitamin E in paraquat inflicted kidney injury. The experimental animals (male rats) were 200 and they were classified into 4 groups designated as A, B, C and D. The A served as the control group, B, C and D were test groups classified based on dose of paraquat administered. A was not treated with paraquat, B, C and D were treated with 0.02g, 0.04g and 0.06g of paraquat respectively every two weeks for three months. Each group mentioned had subgroups designated "0" and "VE"; "0" subgroups were subgroups not treated with vitamin E while "VE" were subgroups treated with 500mg of vitamin E. Treatment of vitamin E occurred weekly for one month. Both vitamin E and paraquat treatments occurred orally. After treatment period rats were sacrificed and blood sample collected via cardiac puncture for urea and creatinine assay. The results showed that there was no significant difference in urea levels among paraquat alone treated groups but there was a significant increase in creatinine levels among paraquat alone treated groups. There was a significant decrease in creatinine level after vitamin E treatment. This study has shown that vitamin E is a therapeutic hope for paraquat inflicted nephrotoxicity in rats.


Abstract. The tsunamis that have occurred in many places around the world over the past decade have taken a heavy toll on human lives and property. The eastern coast of the Korean Peninsula is not safe from tsunamis, particularly the eastern coastal areas, which have long sustained tsunami damage. The eastern coast had been attacked by 1983 and 1993 tsunami events. The aim of this study was to mitigate the casualties and property damage against unexpected tsunami attacks along the eastern coast of the Korean Peninsula by developing a proper tsunami response system for important ports and harbors with high population densities and high concentrations of key national industries. The system is made based on numerical and physical modelings of 3 historical and 11 virtual tsunamis events, field surveys, and extensive interviews with related people.


Research on why people underutilise mental health help-seeking sources has baffled the scientific community. Social, gender, attachment and clinical theories have all contested to illuminate the intricate nature of this observed behaviour, that leads to poorer mental health prognosis and even financial repercussions. This study examined the effects of alexithymia (externally oriented thinking 'EOT', difficulty identifying feelings 'DIF', and difficulty describing feelings 'DDF'), and prior counselling utilisation on the prediction of help-seeking attitudes. Potential sex differences were also examined in separate regression models. The analysis was carried out with a sample consisting of 557 utilisers and non-utilisers. Results found that EOT was the most consistent predictor, overpassing the effects of total sessions and DIF. DDF was found not a statistically significant predictor. However, separate analyses determined distinct sex differences in alexithymic pathways to help-seeking attitudes. Theoretical and practical implications are critically discussed in relation to early prevention, therapeutic planning, and counselling reformations.


(51) Int. Cl. G09B 3/00 (2006.01) (52) U.S. Cl. ........................................................ 434/350 (57) ABSTRACT The invention relates to a method for measuring personal satisfaction by means of a device for giving feedback, which comprises an internal power source and at least two selector Switches for giving feedback, indicating the type of the feed back, a memory for storing feedback data, and a data trans mission module for transmitting the feedback data. The method comprises: presenting the Subject for the feedback, receiving feedback from at least one person giving feedback, on the basis of the selection of a selector switch, storing the data on the feedback in the memory of the device for giving feedback, and transmitting the feedback data at a predeter mined time from the device for giving feedback to a server in a wireless manner. The invention also relates to a device for giving feedback and a data processing system to be used in the method.


Recent research strongly suggests that CEO incentive schemes are not solely determined by the standard considerations of risk-sharing and effort. Here, we examine the effect of the microstructure of the market in which the firm's shares are traded. If informed traders are free to choose both the size of orders they place on the market and the amount of information they gather, an increase in market liquidity makes the stock price more informative and increases the optimal linkage between CEO compensation and shareholder wealth. If on the other hand informed traders are severely restricted in their ability to take positions by considerations such as wealth constraints, increased liquidity reduces the informativeness of share price and dilutes optimal CEO incentives. We find evidence to support the second view in a sample of 329 large US corporations. Our sample contains firms that are listed on either the NYSE or the NASDAQ. The relationship between CEO incentives and the spread is significant and positive only for the NYSE firms, and NYSE firms have significantly higher pay-performance sensitivities. These results suggest a regulatory explanation whereby the monopoly specialist on the NYSE widens the bid-ask spread on small trades and subsidizes more informative large trades because of an affirmative duty to dampen large price movements.


A diffusely venting chimney spire from the East Pacific Rise (9 degrees N) was analysed by petrographic thin sectioning and 16S rRNA gene cloning and sequencing in parallel, to correlate microbial community composition with mineralogy and inferred in situ conditions within the chimney mineral matrix. Both approaches indicated a zonation of the chimney spire into distinct microhabitats for different bacteria and archaea. The thermal gradient inferred from the mineral composition and porosity of the chimney was consistent with the distribution of bacterial and archaeal phylotypes in the chimney matrix. A novel phylogenetic lineage of euryarchaeota was found that co-occurred with clones related to cultured hyperthermophilic archaea. A few phylotypes related to mesophilic bacteria were found in the hot core of the chimney, indicating that seawater influx during retrieval and cooling of these highly porous structures can entrain microorganisms into chimney layers that are not their native habitat.


SUMMARY: Quantitative studies have been carried out on the survival of bacteria on drying from the frozen state. Attention has been confined mainly to one species of vegetative bacteria, viz. Bucterium coli, of which several different strains were examined. When suspended in a phosphate buffer (pH 7.6) and dried from the frozen state (-35°), it was found that the percentage of organisms surviving varied widely with the strain used. With a given strain, it was found tht a well-defined relationship existed between the concentration of organisms in the suspension before drying and the percentage of viable survivors recovered after reconstituting the dried product; the more dilute the suspension thelower the percentage of organisms surviving. When a low concentration of organisms was suspended in the cell-free Altmte obtained from a higher concentration of the same organisms, the percentage of viable organisms recovered approximated to the figure to be expectedfor the higher concentration of organisms. The dependence of percentage survival on the concentration of organiamS in the suspension being dried was shown to be due to soluble material derived from the organisms themselves. On freezing alone, percentage survival wasindependent of the concentration of organisms in the suspension; the material affords protection during the drying stage of the process only. The protective effect of the material during freeze-drying was enhanced by the addition of glucose, especially during prolonged secondary drying.


In this paper I visualize rhyme patterns of sonnet sequences as rectangular colored bands. My examples from three different poets, Sir Philip Sidney (1554‐1586), William Wordsworth (1770‐1850), and Rainer Maria Rilke (1875‐ 1926), demonstrate the expressive freedom poets have even under the constraints of rhyme patterns for sonnets. These colored bands in the plane provide a comprehensive view of dozens of sonnets at a glance. In the second half of the paper I use the colored bands just for their visual effect, "painting" them onto surfaces in space. Appropriate choice of parameters for a band produces a self-intersecting surface while keeping the band sequence intact. When the band of rhyme patterns is wrapped around a surface, covering the same surface mesh periodically, small computational differences in the coordinates of the mesh points can lead to intriguing, non-uniform color patterns.


In cells undergoing apoptosis or cell death, mitochondria, the powerhouses of the cell, often have a key role. Not only is cellular metabolism shut down, but mitochondria also release molecules into the cytoplasm that further promote cell death. Substantial controversy has surrounded the mechanisms by which these processes occur. Green and Kroemer review the role of mitochondria in cell death. Permeabilization of the mitochondria can be the point-of-no-return that seals the fate of a cell, and numerous strategies are envisioned to alter these processes therapeutically to benefit patients suffering from a range of illnesses from cancer and heart failure to neurodegeneration. D. R. Green, G. Kroemer, The pathophysiology of mitochondrial cell death. Science 305, 626-629 (2004). [Abstract] [Full Text]


To investigate a possible association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and oral clefts, a study was conducted using Swedish health registries. Infants with oral clefts (N = 1834) were selected among 1,002,742 infants born between 1983 and 1992 with known smoking exposure in early pregnancy. Confounders such as maternal age and parity were controlled for by using the Mantel-Haenszel technique. A statistically significant association with maternal smoking was found. The odds ratio (OR) for any maternal smoking among cases of cleft lip with or without cleft palate [CL(P)] was 1.16 (95%Cl: 1.02-1.32). For cases of cleft palate alone (CP), the corresponding OR was 1.29 (95%Cl: 1.08-1.54). The results of the present study, based on the largest series of oral cleft cases published to date, indicate that cigarette smoking during pregnancy is associated with increased risks of CL(P) and CP.


The Scientific Conference 'Revolutions and Contrarevolutions of Consumption: Researches in the Philosophy, Sociology and Communication' held at the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences in 2018 is overviewed in the article. The text reflects the course of the Conference. The main thoughts of speakers are reviewed, some of them are discussed. Topics examined at the Conference are the following: the consumer class, entrepreneurship in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 17th century, consumerism in the popular music, the consumption of body style in the media, alternatives of the consumerism culture, the relation between expansion of consumption and freedom, the ontology of consumption, the features of consumer behaviour of the Z generation, the consumption of sexualized images of women in the social media, the consumption of the artistical identity and other topics.


Objectives In this study we investigated the role of radiomic applied in women with endometrial cancer underwent 18F-FDG PET scan, to evaluate if imaging features computed on the primary tumor could improve sensitivity in detection of lymph node (LN) metastases. Methods Between 1/2009 and 12/2018, 116 women underwent preoperative 18F-FDG PET/CT were considered. SUV, MTV, TLG, geometrical shape, histograms and texture features were computed inside tumor contours. In group 1 (87 patients), univariate association with LN metastases was computed by Mann-Whitney test and a neural network multivariate model was developed. Univariate and multivariate models were assessed with leave one out on 20 training sessions and on group 2 (29 patients). Results Sensitivity and specificity of LN visual detection were 50% and 99% on group 1 and 33% and 95% on group 2. The lower sensitivity of visual detection in group 2 is mainly related to the higher rate of micrometastases (25% vs 13%). A unique heterogeneity feature computed on the primary tumor (GLSZM ZP) was able to predict LN metastases better than any other feature, or multivariate model (sensitivity and specificity of 75% and 81% in group 1 and of 89% and 80% in group 2). Tumors with LN metastases generally demonstrated a lower GLSZM ZP value, i.e. by the co-presence of high-uptake and low-uptake areas. Abstract 263 Figure 1 Conclusions In our study the computation of imaging features on the primary tumor increases nodal staging for detection sensitivity in 18F-FDG PET and can be considered for a better planning of the surgical treatment.


Bleu TX-III was isolated from Bothrops leucurus snake venom on one-step analytical chromatography reverse phase HPLC, was homogeneous on SDS-PAGE, and was confirmed by Q-Tof Ultima API ESI/MS (TOF MS mode) mass spectrometry in 14243.8 Da. Multiple alignments of Bleu TX-III show high degree of homology with basic PLA2 myotoxins from other Bothrops venoms. Our studies on local and systemic myotoxicity "in vivo" reveal that Bleu TX-III is myotoxin with local but not systemic action due to the decrease in the plasmatic CK levels when Bleu TX-III is administrated by intravenous route in mice (dose 1 and 5 μg). And at a dose of 20 μg myotoxin behaves like a local and systemic action. Bleu TX-III induced moderate marked paw edema, evidencing the local increase in vascular permeability. The inflammatory events induced in the mice (I.M.) were investigated. The increase in the levels of IL-1, IL-6, and TNF-α was observed in the plasma. It is concluded that Bleu TX-III induces inflammatory events in this model. The enzymatic phospholipid hydrolysis may be relevant to these phenomena. Bothrops leucurus venom is still not extensively explored, and the knowledge of its toxins separately through the study of structure/function will contribute for a better understanding of its action mechanism.


Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the best imaging modality for evaluating most spinal tumors. In this review, we describe the MRI appearance of extradural, intradural-extrameduilary, and intradural-intramedullary tumors as well as the image interpretation techniques that permit identification of the compartment in which a lesion is located. In addition, we review the literature and our experience in using an anatomic classification system to narrow the differential diagnosis for patients with spine turners. This method permits successful identification of a narrow differential diagnosis, which can be used to guide additional evaluation and treatment.


Impulsivity is widely regarded as a multidimensional trait that encompasses two or more distinct patterns of behavior, and dopaminergic systems are implicated in the expression of impulsive behavior in both humans and animal subjects. Impulsive choice, or the tendency to choose rewards associated with relatively little or no delay, has been extensively studied in humans and animal subjects using delay-discounting tasks. Here, delay-discounting procedures were used to assess the effects of receptor-selective dopaminergic agonists, antagonists, and dopamine transporter ligands on choices of immediate versus delayed sucrose pellets. The effects of d-amphetamine, GBR 12909, apomorphine, SKF 81297, sumanirole, pramipexole, ABT-724, SCH 23390, L-741,626, PG01037, and L-745,870 were assessed in 24 Sprague–Dawley rats. The only drugs to affect impulsive choice selectively without altering undelayed choice were the D1-like antagonist, SCH 23390 (0.01 mg/kg), and the D4 partial agonist, ABT-724 (3.2 mg/kg), which both increased impulsive choice. The shared effects of these compounds may be explained by their localization within the prefrontal cortex on different groups of neurons. None of the selective agonists and antagonists tested reduced impulsive choice, so further research is needed to determine if direct dopaminergic agonists or antagonists may be therapeutically useful in the treatment of impulse-control disorders.


Abstract The phosphodiesterase inhibitor 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX), which enhances 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-stimulated cyclic nucleotide levels and ornithine decarboxylase (l-ornithine carboxy-lyase, EC 188.8.131.52) activity in mouse epidermis in vivo , was tested for its ability to modify the process of skin carcinogenesis using the initiation-promotion (two-step) model system for the production of skin tumor in mice. Topical application of 10 µmol of IBMX prior to each promotion with 8.5 nmol of TPA reduced by 78% the number of papillomas per mouse. The inhibition was dose dependent. All phosphodiesterase inhibitors tested inhibited the development of skin papillomas. Topical applications of guanosine cyclic 3′:5′-monophosphate and/or adenosine cyclic 3′:5′-monophosphate before each treatment with TPA were also very effective in inhibiting the formation of skin papillomas. Combined treatments including IBMX, guanosine cyclic 3′:5′-monophosphate, and adenosine cyclic 3′:5′-monophosphate reduced by 98% the incidence of skin papillomas promoted by TPA. However, IBMX treatment 24 hr after each promotion with TPA did not suppress the formation of skin papillomas. Furthermore, repeated applications of IBMX before or after initiation with 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene did not alter the development of skin tumors. These results indicate that phosphodiesterase inhibitors and cyclic nucleotides inhibit the promotion of skin papillomas. Indeed, these modifiers act on some of the biochemical events proposed to be necessary components of the carcinogenesis process. They inhibit dramatically both TPA-increased polyamine levels and TPA-stimulated RNA, protein, and DNA synthesis. Combined treatments including IBMX and cyclic nucleotides produced additive inhibitions of polyamine, RNA, protein, and DNA synthesis in relation with their greater reduction of the formation of skin papillomas. Since IBMX and cyclic AMP block the usual accumulation of putrescine and spermidine produced by TPA in mouse epidermis in vivo and inhibit the activity of ornithine decarboxylase when added in the assay mixture, these compounds may actually interact directly with the enzyme in situ as other ornithine decarboxylase inhibitors do.