One of the design goals of the neutron time-of-flight (TOF) diffractometer HIPPO (HIgh Pressure - Preferred Orientation) at LANSCE (Los Alamos Neutron Science Center) was efficient quantitative texture analysis. In this paper, the effects of the HIPPO detector geometry and layout on texture analysis, particularly the shape and dimensions of the detector panels, are investigated. An aluminum sample with a strong and asymmetric texture was used to determine the methodological limitations of various methods of quantitative texture analysis. Several algorithms for extracting the orientation distribution function (ODF) from the TOF-spectra are compared: discrete orientations at arbitrary positions, harmonic method in Rietveld codes (MAUD and GSAS) and discrete methods in MAUD. All methods provide a similar representation of the main texture component, but discrete methods have a fundamental advantage over harmonic methods in characterizing regions of the ODF with low orientation densities. For HIPPO data of the present sample, harmonic expansions beyond lmax= 12 introduce subsidiary maxima and minima, which are consistently identified as artifacts. The results of our analysis establishes HIPPO as an efficient instrument to quantitatively determine preferred orientations in relatively short measuring times, if the texture features are not exceedingly sharp (full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) in the ODF > 20-30°).


The speed and visual quality of AR Toolkit applications is often restricted by a system's CPU, video capture card, or 3D acceleration hardware. Many AR toolkit users find that they must limit video resolution to 320/spl times/240. Furthermore, complex 3D geometry, textures, and animations can lower video frame rates forcing users to reduce the quality of their content. In broadcast and feature film production, chroma key techniques are used to composite real time 2D and 3D graphics with live scenes. This technique can be used in conjunction with the AR Toolkit to improve an application's 3D rendering and video capture performance.


This dissertation addresses the role nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) play in cortical function. nAChRs are ligand gated ion channels that allow a non-specific (K) cation current to flow across the cell membrane when gated by acetylcholine or the exogenous agonist nicotine. Activation of nAChRs by acetylcholine and nicotine has been linked to cortical functions important during attention and working memory. The whole cell patch clamp technique and two-photon calcium imaging were used to assess the cellular effects of their activation in an acute cortical slice preparation experimentally relevant to attention processing. Specific interneurons but not pyramidal cells in layer V (primary output layer) of the mouse prefrontal cortex were found to express ionic conductances activated by nicotine. The expression of nAChRs in these cells types was confirmed using single cell PCR to screen for the corresponding mRNA transcripts. Spontaneous excitatory and inhibitory inputs to these cell types are also differentially modulated by nicotine application. The main experimental finding of the present work demonstrates that activation of nAChRs in the PFC can alter the threshold required to engage the calcium dependent process spike timing dependent plasticity (STDP) in layer V pyramidal cells. In line with our initial data that nAChRs in the PFC are expressed predominantly by GABAergic interneurons, this nicotine induced change in pyramidal cell STDP and the underlying calcium signalling was dependent on GABA transmission. Finally, we used multiple whole cell recordings to measure interpyramidal connectivity and the strength of disynaptic feedforward inhibition between layer V pyramidal cells of the mouse PFC. Our results confirmed the existence of a feedforward inhibitory loop between layer V pyramidal cells in the mouse similar to that found in the rat and ferret, and demonstrated that activation of nAChRs on the interceding interneuron can alter the strength of this feedforward loop. The present work has identified several cellular mechanisms by which nAChRs can alter PFC function. These processes are likely to be important to our understanding of the cognitive and addictive effects of nicotine, as well as the endogenous functional role of cortical nAChRs within the cholinergic system.


Texture formation during an austempering treatment of a TRIP-assisted steel was studied by in-situ texture measurements with a high energy source (synchrotron). Samples from a cold rolled sheet were subjected to a complete heat treatment cycle for TRIP steels including reheating to the intercritical (α+γ) temperature region, isothermal soaking and bainitic holding (austempering) at 400°C for 600s. At specific points of the thermal cycle {200}γ, {220}γ {222}γ, {331}γ and {200}α, {211}α and {220}α Debye rings were recorded and the corresponding incomplete pole figures were calculated. The latter were used to derive the orientation distribution functions (ODFs) of BCC and FCC phases at specific steps of the annealing process after assuming the orthotropic sample symmetry. The acquired data for the texture evolution during the α–γ–α phase transformation showed that during the reheating for intercritical annealing the gamma phase with {011} orientation is among the first to nucleate from the recrystallized α phase during heating and the Goss and Cube orientations are among the principal gamma phase components which transform to BCC phase after cooling.


DIAZOXIDE (Hyperstat), a nondiuretic, benzothiadiazine vasodilator, has been shown to be a potent and rapidly effective hypotensive agent.1The promptness of the hypotensive effect of diazoxide and the infrequency of adverse reactions following injection has led to widespread use of this agent in the treatment of hypertensive emergencies.1 We have recently seen, in consultation, four patients in whom severe hypotension followed diazoxide therapy. In each case, another vasodilatory agent, hydralazine hydrochloride, had been administered in close sequence to diazoxide therapy. Additionally, two of the four patients had received potential catecholaminedepleting agents while they were outpatients. The present communication serves to emphasize that combinations of diazoxide and other vasodilatory or catecholamine-depleting agents may result in extreme hypotension. Report of Cases Case 1.— A 44-year old woman with a history of hypertension was admitted to the hospital with left chest pain and a blood pressure of 250/170 mm Hg. She


Adamantinoma of long bones is a rare primary bone tumor. Approximately 100 cases have been reported in the literature. In the fourteen cases we studied in detail the ages of the patients ranged from thirteen to sixty-seven years and there were as many males as females. Twelve of the lesions were located in the tibia and two, in the humerus. The roentgenographic findings were sharply defined eccentric lobular lesions in the diaphysis. Some of the lesions were lytic and coarsely trabecular with a honeycomb appearance occasionally associated with periosteal new-bone formation. A sawtooth area of cortical-bone loss was found to be characteristic of this lesion. A microscopic finding is presented to support the theory of angioblastic origin of this tumor. The most successful treatment was amputation. Less often en bloc excision succeeded. Metastases to other bones, regional lymph nodes, and the lung were recorded.


Composers convey emotion through music by co-varying structural cues. Although the complex interplay provides a rich listening experience, this creates challenges for understanding the contributions of individual cues. Here we investigate how three specific cues (attack rate, mode, and pitch height) work together to convey emotion in Bach's Well Tempered-Clavier (WTC). In three experiments, we explore responses to (1) eight-measure excerpts and (2) musically "resolved" excerpts, and (3) investigate the role of different standard dimensional scales of emotion. In each experiment, thirty nonmusician participants rated perceived emotion along scales of valence and intensity (Experiments 1 & 2) or valence and arousal (Experiment 3) for 48 pieces in the WTC. Responses indicate listeners used attack rate, Mode, and pitch height to make judgements of valence, but only attack rate for intensity/arousal. Commonality analyses revealed mode predicted the most variance for valence ratings, followed by attack rate, with pitch height contributing minimally. In Experiment 2 mode increased in predictive power compared to Experiment 1. For Experiment 3, using "arousal" instead of "intensity" showed similar results to Experiment 1. We discuss how these results complement and extend previous findings of studies with tightly controlled stimuli, providing additional perspective on complex issues of interpersonal communication.


Issues of access, social exclusion and lifelong learning currently dominate educational policy agendas. Questions of how to widen participation and combat social exclusion in education are both pressing and troubling. Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning is one of the few journals that addresses these questions nationally and internationally.

The journal is based on the belief that there are neglected links between research and theory, and policy and practice in the promotion of widening participation in post-compulsory education and lifelong learning. It aims to provide a forum for the development of theory, the addressing of policy questions and the dissemination of innovative practice in the field of widening participation and lifelong learning.
The journal is international, interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral, relating widening participation to higher education, further education, community-based learning and schools.

Each issue of the journal contains editorial providing analysis of current key policy issues in the field; diverse articles drawing on empirical research, contextualised within current national and international policy debate, which develop the theoretical base of the field or report on significant research projects; critical evaluations of examples of innovative practice, which provide a forum for practitioners and researchers to share and discuss specific projects that are either in progress or have been completed; and reviews of important new publications.

The journal is of interest to all those who want to understand the issues involved in widening participation and lifelong learning and who are working to create positive change: researchers, policy makers and practitioners.


Structural optimal design is traditionally performed according to the elastic limit rule which makes the structure overweighted or strength over conservative to an extent. Shakedown theory is implemented in the present study in order to measure load-capacity performance of structure. It can determine the strength of a structure under arbitrary varying loads without loading history where failure form of incremental collapse, ratcheting and alternate plasticity will be avoided. The current research subsequently provides a parameter optimal design scheme with respect to maximum structure strength and strength-to-weight performance in the framework of shakedown which makes the optimal structure design in a relatively practical way. With this motivation, the formula of proposed shakedown limited parameter optimization problem is derived and solved based on genetic-gradient coupling algorithm. The present coupling algorithm is essentially solve a double-loop problem where the inner loop adopt interior point method to solve shakedown problem under a given parameter combination while the outer loop use genetic algorithm to find the optimal parameters based on a given shakedown fitness. In addition, external database technique is applied to accelerate computation and prevent unexpected interrupt. Subsequently, a test example which is a optimal parameter design problem of plate with a circular hole is presented to demonstrate the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed method and algorithm. In addition, the proposed method is also utilized to determine the optimal load-bearing capacity of a airtight module to be used in a manned spacecraft. Moreover, optimal shakedown load design results of the manned airtight module as well as optimal strength-to-weight efficiency design results are given in the end. This study confirmed that genetic-gradient coupling algorithm is a effective means for determine the optimal parameter in accordance to the shakedown load domain.


Currently, production systems are receiving the application of more advanced, integrated and connected technologies to optimize the performance of their manufacturing processes. The new technological solutions demand architectures that support intelligent solutions for a new digitalized industry. However, production systems already in operation have difficulty in implementing these technologies. The existing barriers limit the availability of the direct integration of different systems contemplated in an automation system architecture. This article systematically reviews the existing literature to portray the characteristics of each architecture and that can guide the adoption of new technologies. Through this review, emerging reference architectures were identified, such as RAMI4.0, IIRA, IBM Industry 4.0 and NIST Smart Manufacturing. In conclusion, the article presents a framework for considering which model best fits with the new technological solutions.


Recent years have witnessed significant success in Gradient Boosting Decision Trees (GBDT) for a wide range of machine learning applications. Generally, a consensus about GBDT's training algorithms is gradients and statistics are computed based on high-precision floating points. In this paper, we investigate an essentially important question which has been largely ignored by the previous literature: how many bits are needed for representing gradients in training GBDT? To solve this mystery, we propose to quantize all the high-precision gradients in a very simple yet effective way in the GBDT's training algorithm. Surprisingly, both our theoretical analysis and empirical studies show that the necessary precisions of gradients without hurting any performance can be quite low, e.g., 2 or 3 bits. With low-precision gradients, most arithmetic operations in GBDT training can be replaced by integer operations of 8, 16, or 32 bits. Promisingly, these findings may pave the way for much more efficient training of GBDT from several aspects: (1) speeding up the computation of gradient statistics in histograms; (2) compressing the communication cost of high-precision statistical information during distributed training; (3) the inspiration of utilization and development of hardware architectures which well support low-precision computation for GBDT training. Benchmarked on CPUs, GPUs, and distributed clusters, we observe up to 2$\times$ speedup of our simple quantization strategy compared with SOTA GBDT systems on extensive datasets, demonstrating the effectiveness and potential of the low-precision training of GBDT. The code will be released to the official repository of LightGBM.


Because of increased toxicity, full doses of gemcitabine and radiation therapy cannot routinely be given concurrently. The purpose of the present study was to determine the toxicity and response to treatment with full-dose gemcitabine given between cycles of split-course radiation therapy (nonconcurrent treatment) for inoperable periampullary adenocarcinoma. Treatment consisted of 3 6 week courses for a total of 18 weeks: 1000 mg/m2 gemcitabine intravenous bolus once a week × 2 weeks; 1 week break; 2 weeks of radiation therapy (1.8 Gy per fraction); 1 week break × 3. The total dose of radiation consisted of 45 Gy to the tumor + regional nodes followed by a 5.4-Gy boost. Patients were restaged at week 15 and at the completion of all treatment. Patients underwent resection if there was sufficient response. A total of 42 patients (40 pancreatic, 1 gallbladder, 1 biliary tract) were enrolled between March 1999 and July 2002. All but 2 medically inoperable patients had evidence of major vessel involvement. Median age was 63 years (range, 40–80 years). All patients were evaluable for response. There were 10 objective partial responses (24%). Six responders underwent resection with a mean survival of 18 months. Mean survival for all 42 patients was 10.3 months (range, 2.0–32.5 months; median, 9.5 months). Four patients experienced grade 3 or 4 gastrointestinal toxicity. Alternating cycles of split-course radiotherapy and gemcitabine chemotherapy permits the delivery of full doses of both modalities with acceptable tolerance. Despite the prolongation in radiation treatment time because of split-course treatment, patients with sufficient response were able to undergo resection.


Kevin Rudd's promise to introduce legislation for "marriage equality" within the first 100 days of his government, if elected, was one of the few concrete new promises to emerge in the election debate. This promise, which came at the end of the debate, led the news in a number of debate round-ups internationally and locally. Britain's Independent had a story online within half an hour of the debate's conclusion headlined: "Australia election debate: Kevin Rudd promises to legalise same-sex marriage" and news.com.au had a story: "Rudd commits to gay marriage". It is interesting that this issue, which hasn't played large in the campaign so far, was an issue raised in a debate that had limited time and only explicitly tackled a handful of issues such as: the economy and taxes, asylum seekers, the NBN, transport, aged care, and climate change.


The study involved laboratory based investigations to determine the efficacy of a natural Polyelectrolyte, Muringa oleifera seeds as a waste sludge conditioner. Waste sludge samples are activated sludge from Taman Tun Dr. Ismail Waste water Treatment Plant, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Muringa oleifera seed was applied as dry powder(shelled blended), solution(shelled blended) and solution(shelled blended oil extracted) . Results of the studies showed that Muringa oleifera improved the filterability of waste sludge up to 62 % in the optimum dosage range of 3000 to 6000mg/\. Sludge volume reduction of up to 65% was also achievable using gravity filtration compared to the control (no Muringa
oleifera added). The specific cake resistance of sludge conditioned with Muringa oleifera averaged 2.5 x 10 12 m/kg at the optimum dosage of 4000mg/\. The shelled blended
category applied in dry powder form performed the same as the solution of shelled blended but better than shelled blended oil extracted categories of Muringa oleifera.
Vegetable oil from the shelled Muringa oleifera seed of up to 30% was obtained as a by
product.


Introduction
This document reports the findings of the internal evaluation of the ERDF projects GRIP, GAINS, S&GE and Core Growth Hub. Consistent with the wider UoG summative assessment, this evaluation sought to undertake the following:

• Internal stakeholder review to assess the impact on UoG of delivering multiple projects in respect of the experience of delivering and managing the projects;
• External beneficiary review to assess the economic impact on project beneficiaries of engagement with multiple ERDF projects

Methodology
The evaluators sought to deploy a mixed methods approach to provide a means of collecting qualitative and quantitative data via an overarching data collection framework that mapped out the projects' outcomes.

A qualitative component explored staff experiences of delivering and managing the projects. A quantitative component sought to assess the impact on project beneficiaries of engagement with multiple ERDF projects delivered by UoG through the measurement of the Gross and Net Additional Impact for Employment and GVA.

Main Findings
Analysis of the qualitative data revealed a number of salient themes which are presented according to three domains:

Things that went well
• Perceived significant impacts within respective client groups. Achievements included the creation of jobs, delivering workshops and training, establishing of the business laboratory.
• Additional achievements included: strong relationships with local businesses (including significant local companies); strong case studies concerning value-added and service delivery; strong internal collaboration and relationships, and collaboration with external partners (including external agencies, deliverers of workshops, and clients themselves).
• Strong buy-in from academics and students with respect to understanding and responding to business needs.
• Wide-scale pro-active approach to learning and reflective practice in order to refine and enhance the service offer and respond meaningfully to business needs.
• Widening and deepening of offer to extend original service to include a broader range of business types and sizes.
• Creation of a strong and trusted brand within the county.
• Creation of monitoring processes that supported tracking of client progress, understanding and responding to client preferences, and wider project management.
• Cultural shift towards a wide-scale adoption of a 'platinum service' approach to all aspects of delivery that goes above and beyond in respect of valuing and supporting clients.

Things that went less well
• Lack of clarity during initial stages concerning the purpose of the projects in a singular and collective sense. This compromised internal and external understanding of the role and purpose of the projects which impeded the mapping out of the client journey and project performance.
• Early imperative to deliver services that were underdeveloped perceived to have wasted resources and damaged brand reputation.
• Inflexible approach to budgeting perceived as an issue with respect to project effectiveness and efficiency of spend. This led to later problems in terms of delivering services.
• Delays to project implementation and establishing teams following securing of the bids meant that opportunities in the market place had been lost to other parties.
• Internal competition (particularly during the early stages of delivery) between projects for the same clients impeded cross-project learning and cooperation and led in some instances to a duplication of offer.
• Inherent resources pressures and instability within the University environment led to disruptive changes of staff, disruptions to the flow of information, and uncertainty regarding the future of the projects.

What have been the challenges?
• General issues of engaging wider academic staff and teams as part of the match approach (perceived issues included academic calendar, awareness of the projects, reluctance to work in a 'commercial' setting, with exceptions), and development of processes concerning how this was going to work in practice.
• Varying leadership approaches with regard to performance management, client targeting and budgeting, and office management.
• Excessive pressure to deliver targets that were not based on sound information.
• Reconciling University and private sector approaches, particularly concerning the urgency of business needs and decision making.
• Developing sufficiently capable monitoring and management systems including CRM and time-sheets.

Quantitative findings
Establishing quantitative data in order to address the issue of GVA and to provide evidence of beneficiaries' perceptions of the quality of activities was challenging due to the internal evaluation being initiated only towards the later stages of the projects. This impacted the ability to fully embed this component within the wider evaluation and to ensure that its function was fully understood. As such, the scope of the dataset and the evaluation strategy required to support its development were not fully developed and data were subsequently missed. The lack of data made it impossible to engage in a clear analysis of the value for money each project provided.

Recommendations

1. Sustain, evolve and strengthen relationships with the local business community in order to identify opportunities for enhanced service delivery and needs-based approaches.
2. Embed evaluation within project delivery from inception to ensure adequate and timely capture of relevant data.
3. When running multiple projects, establish clear client journeys that map out the relationship between offers, avoid competition between project teams and reduce the risk of duplication.
4. Support reflective practice within delivery teams to ensure continuous learning and development across the University.
5. Create stronger awareness and understanding of Growth Hub projects across the University to foster interest and commitment from academic colleagues.
6. Devise flexible budgetary approaches to provide greater responsiveness within spending plans to maximise effectiveness.
7. Developing sufficiently capable management, monitoring and evaluation systems that maximise the use of resources and minimise burden on project staff.


As part of intelligent transportation systems, Internet-connected sensors and cameras have become ubiquitous along roads and highways, enabling many novel e-transportation applications. In this paper, we leverage this emerging technology to improve and support homeland security. In particular, we propose two evacuation algorithms, all-links and fastest-links, and perform simulation studies to compare their effectiveness and efficiency in handling single and multiple incidents scenarios. These algorithms are part of a smart traffic evacuation management system (STEMS) being developed to provide rapid and efficient response to human-caused threats and disasters, by creating dynamic evacuation plans based on real-time traffic information obtained from sensor data available through the Internet.


An important concern in the design of search engines is the construction of an inverted index. An inverted index, also called a concordance, contains a list of documents (or posting list) for every possible search term. These posting lists are usually compressed with difference coding. Difference coding yields the best compression when the lists to be coded have high locality. Coding methods have been designed to specifically take advantage of locality in inverted indices. Here, we describe an algorithm to permute the document numbers so as to create locality in an inverted index. This is done by clustering the documents. Our algorithm, when applied to the TREC ad hoc database (disks 4 and 5), improves the performance of the best difference coding algorithm we found by fourteen percent. The improvement increases as the size of the index increases, so we expect that greater improvements would be possible on larger datasets.


Abstract Circadian clock provides fitness advantage by coordinating internal metabolic and physiological processes to external cyclic environments. Core clock components exhibit daily rhythmic changes in gene expression, and the majority of them are transcription factors (TFs) and transcription coregulators (TCs). We annotated 1,398 TFs from 67 TF families and 80 TCs from 20 TC families in pineapple, and analyzed their tissue-specific and diurnal expression patterns. Approximately 42% of TFs and 45% of TCs displayed diel rhythmic expression, including 177 TF/TCs cycling only in the nonphotosynthetic leaf tissue, 247 cycling only in the photosynthetic leaf tissue, and 201 cycling in both. We identified 68 TF/TCs whose cycling expression was tightly coupled between the photosynthetic and nonphotosynthetic leaf tissues. These TF/TCs likely coordinate key biological processes in pineapple as we demonstrated that this group is enriched in homologous genes that form the core circadian clock in Arabidopsis and includes a STOP1 homolog. Two lines of evidence support the important role of the STOP1 homolog in regulating CAM photosynthesis in pineapple. First, STOP1 responds to acidic pH and regulates a malate channel in multiple plant species. Second, the cycling expression pattern of the pineapple STOP1 and the diurnal pattern of malate accumulation in pineapple leaf are correlated. We further examined duplicate-gene retention and loss in major known circadian genes and refined their evolutionary relationships between pineapple and other plants. Significant variations in duplicate-gene retention and loss were observed for most clock genes in both monocots and dicots.


Physics issues are discussed for compact stellarator configurations which achieve good confinement by the fact that the magnetic field modulus |B| in magnetic co-ordinates is dominated by poloidally symmetric components. Two distinct configuration types are considered: (1) those which achieve their drift optimization and rotational transform at low β and low bootstrap current by appropriate plasma shaping; and (2) those which have a greater reliance on plasma β and bootstrap currents for supplying the transform and obtaining quasi-poloidal symmetry. Stability analysis of the latter group of devices against ballooning, kink and vertical displacement modes has indicated that stable β values on the order of 15% are possible. The first class of devices is being considered for a low β near term experiment that could explore some of the confinement features of the high β configurations.


Abstract In this study we look at how pro- and anti-vaccination groups construct alternative knowledge and facts discursively and linguistically in order to challenge or support the established scientific knowledge on vaccines. Through this case study we wish to examine how the power of language interacts with a language of power when memes in creative ways mimic, produce and reproduce scientific language and practices. Drawing on a dialogical-semiotic and a discourse theoretical analytical strategy, we, first, adopt Austin's speech act theory and Bakhtin's concept of speech genres to argue that memes are performative with an especially illocutionary force and are made up of alien language from scientific discourses. Second, we argue that Laclau's discursive approach to how political positions are articulated in an antagonistic terrain allows us to see vaccination memes as either subversive or supportive of a scientific social imaginary.


Providing formal titles to residents in densely populated informal settlements without fuelling conflict or encouraging gentrification presents several challenges. It has been argued that, in some contexts, forms of collective tenure such as a Community Land Trust may help to overcome some of these problems. This paper analyses one attempt to legalise informal tenure arrangements, minimise relocation and prevent gentrification by introducing collective titling in an informal settlement in Nairobi. The paper demonstrates how attempts to build consensus on the most appropriate tenure system were deeply embedded in local conflicts between existing structure-owners (owners of shacks/buildings on land which is not theirs) and tenants. The state was unable to carry out the land reforms it had proposed – to protect the land user rights of all residents – because they implied a redistribution that was resisted by local elite actors. This paper argues that tenure reforms are shaped by context-specific power relations; in this case the process was characterised by the implementers' need to maintain fragile agreements with local elites in order to avoid conflict. Tenure reforms are based on different ideas of whose rights should be recognised and competing claims are both negotiated through and shaped by the implementation process. Tenure reforms for contested land in informal settlements not only require technical mechanisms to prevent gentrification and displacement, but must reflect a serious consideration of local power relations and the capacity of the state to deal with conflicts arising from redistributive plans.


Molybdenum(VI) complexes of 3,4,5-trimethoxybenzaldehydethio semicarbazone (TBTSCZH), 3,4,5-trimethoxybenzaldehydesemicarbazone (TBSCZH), 3,4,5-trimethoxy-benzaldehydebenzothiazoline (TBBZTH) and 3,4,5-trimethoxybenzaldehyde- S-benzyldithiocarbazate (TBDTCZH) have been synthesized and characterized by physico-chemical and spectroscopic studies. The complexes MoO2 (L)2 (where L represented the deprotonated form of the ligands), were formed by the reactions between dioxobis(2,4- pentanedionato-O,OÂÂ')molybdenum(VI) and the ligands TBTSCZH,TBSCZH, TBBZTH and TBDTCZH by using both techniques (thermal and microwave). The structural features of these molybdenum complexes were explored by IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and molecular weight determinations.An octahedral arrangement of ligands around the central molybdenum atom is proposed. All the four ligands and their complexes have been screened for their biological activity on several pathogenic fungi and bacteria and the data show good activity of these complexes and ligands.


Different physical, chemical and biological methods can be used to remove ammonia from aquatic environments. For this study, we used a plexiglass MBBR reactor. The useful volume of the pilot was 30 liters, in which the fluid-filled up to 46 cm of the reactor. Inside the pilot, the Kaldnes K3 type movable media and the polyethylene type with a total surface area of 584 m2 / m3 were used. After the pilot was completed, the entire research was carried out in three steps: (1) Start-up of the system and feeding with synthetic sewage for the purpose of biofilm formation. (2) Adaptation of the system and biofilm formation. (3) Inserting various organic loads and doing experiments. Three retention time, 4, 8 and 12 hours, and organic loading (COD) of 300, 500 and 800mg/l were used for this study. A large amount of information was obtained in this study including the removal efficiency of organic loading (BOD5, COD), nitrate and other items. Information on the optimal conditions for removing these pollutants was obtained. Also, there was a significant relationship between the removal efficiency of pollutants with pH, temperature, hydraulic retention time (HRT) and other parameters. Due to the fact that the country has suffered from a Drought and famine crisis, attention to the water cycle and the use of appropriate water treatment methods can be more and more important and one of the priorities of research in the field of environmental engineering .


This guide is a brief introduction to all aspects of ProQuest Dissertations & Theses including content, searching, and viewing results on the new ProQuest platform. Content provided by and edited with permission from ProQuest.


ABSTRACT The transcription factor NF-κB regulates the expression of a broad number of genes central to immune and inflammatory responses. We identified a new molecular network that comprises specifically the NF-κB family member NF-κB1 (p50) and miR-146a, and we show that in mast cells it contributes to the regulation of cell homeostasis and survival, while in T lymphocytes it modulates T cell memory formation. Increased mast cell survival was due to unbalanced expression of pro- and antiapoptotic factors and particularly to the complete inability of p50-deleted mast cells to induce expression of miR-146a, which in the context of mast cell survival acted as a proapoptotic factor. Interestingly, in a different cellular context, namely, human and mouse primary T lymphocytes, miR-146a and NF-κB p50 did not influence cell survival or cytokine production but rather T cell expansion and activation in response to T cell receptor (TCR) engagement. Our data identify a new molecular network important in modulating adaptive and innate immune responses and show how the same activation-induced microRNA (miRNA) can be similarly regulated in different cell types even in response to different stimuli but can still determine very different outcomes, likely depending on the specific transcriptome.


Styphnolobium japonicum (L.) Schott is a popular Asian tree widely used in traditional medicine. The current study explored the potential stress resistance and antioxidant activities of its fruits. Phytochemical profiling of the hydroalcoholic fruit extract was done via high performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array-electrospray ionization-mass/mass (HPLC-PDA-ESI-MS/MS). Twenty four phenolic constituents were tentatively identified in the extract. The Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) nematode model in addition to trimethyltin (TMT)-induced neurotoxicity mouse model were used for in vivo evaluation of its antioxidant properties. The ability of the extract to enhance stress resistance was manifested through increasing survival rate by 44.7% and decreasing basal reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels by 72.3% in C. elegans. In addition, the extract increased the levels of the stress response enzyme superoxide dismutase-3 (Sod-3) by 55.5% and decreased the expression of heat shock protein-16.2 (Hsp-16.2) in nematodes, which had been challenged by juglone, by 21%. Using a mouse model, the extract significantly decreased the expression of the oxidative stress marker malondialdehyde (MDA). Furthermore, an elevation in the levels of the antioxidant marker glutathione (GSH), SOD and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) enzymes were observed. Our findings imply that Styphnolobium japonicum has the potential to be used in future studies focusing on diseases associated with oxidative stress.


Background and epidemiology: West Nile virus (WNV) is a single-stranded RNA virus of the Flaviviridae family. It is maintained in nature by a cycle involving mosquitoes and birds that occasionally spills over to humans. Outbreaks in humans were first reported in 1937 in Uganda and subsequently recorded in Egypt, Israel, South Africa, Europe and Asia. The virus arrived in North America in 1999, probably through an infected migratory or imported bird or an infected mosquito.

The first cases of infection in humans in Canada were documented in 2002, and by 2003 WNV was present in 7 provinces, with more than 1300 cases confirmed.1 By 2004 local governments in many of the hot spots of WNV activity in Canada were applying larvicides to control the population of mosquito vectors. This may explain the dramatic reduction in human cases observed in 2004: only 26 cases in total were reported in Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Albert, of which 1 was apparently travel-related.

At the time of writing (Aug. 3, 2005) there have been 24 confirmed cases of infection in birds and 1 unconfirmed in a human this year (www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/wnv-vwn/). However, because WNV activity typically increases in late summer and early fall and is influenced by many factors, including weather conditions and the number of infected birds and mosquitoes in a region, it is too early to draw conclusions about the level of WNV activity this year.

Clinical management: The incubation period is 3–14 days. Many people remain asymptomatic. In about 20% of cases there is a flu-like illness of sudden onset with symptoms that can include malaise, headache, anorexia, nausea, vomiting, eye pain, myalgia and lymphadenopathy. A few patients experience a rash, which can be an erythematous macular, papular or morbilliform eruption involving the neck, trunk, arms or legs.2 Symptoms typically last 3–6 days.

In about 1 in 150 patients the infection will develop into meningitis, encephalitis or both. This is more common with advancing age and immune system suppression. Other, rarer presentations include ataxia, cranial nerve abnormalities, optic neuritis, myelitis and seizures.2 Case-fatality rates range from 4% to 14%.

WNV infection should be strongly considered in adults over 50 years with unexplained encephalitis or meningitis in summer or early fall. Patient travel history and an awareness of local levels of WNV activity are important. WNV has also spread through blood and organ donation, needle-stick injury and exposure to infected laboratory specimens. Pregnant women may pass the virus on to their fetuses, and the virus can be passed through breast milk.2

Diagnosis: The most commonly used test is detection of IgM to WNV in serum or cerebrospinal fluid using enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay (ELISA) testing.

Test cross-reactivity may cause false-positive results after other flaviviral infections or vaccination such as yellow fever or Japanese encephalitis. Also, serum IgM persists for up to 12 months after infection, and physicians must determine whether positive results are due to a recent infection or unrelated to the current presentation. Repeat ELISA testing of paired acute and convalescent sera 7–14 days apart will show a 4-fold rise in acute infection. The plaque reduction neutralization test, specific for arthropod-borne flaviviruses, can also be used to help distinguish false-positive results.2 Testing is available through provincial health departments.

Treatment consists of supportive care. Trials of ribavirin and interferon α-2b have not been completed.2

Prevention: There is no vaccine against WNV infection. Prevention depends on using mosquito repellent, avoiding peak biting times and wearing protective clothing such as long-sleeved shirts, trousers and socks. People should avoid handling dead birds and animals that may be infected.

Insect repellents should be used with caution. Children under 12 years should not be exposed to DEET concentrations of more than 10%, and DEET should not be used on infants less than 6 months. Permethrin should not be applied directly to the skin.3Spraying clothing with DEET or permethrin-containing repellent offers extra protection.

Eliminating mosquito breeding grounds is also important, and standing water should be removed from outdoor containers. Local councils may also undertake mosquito control using larvicides and adulticides.

WNV is a notifiable disease, and rapid reporting of possible cases is essential to guide public health control efforts.

Sally Murray, Erica Weir CMAJ


Due to regulatory approval, intellectual property difficulties and regulatory uncertainty, medical device development collaborations between businesses and academic institutions have been increasing as companies are moving to a more collaborative business strategy. Academic to business collaborations allow for great benefits for each partner, some generic and some more specific to each collaborative project. Using a collaborative case study this thesis aims to identify the key benefits and limitations between a university and a small to medium enterprise within the medical industry.

Using a collaborative case study and a brief set by a funded collaboration, this thesis set out to identify the key limitations and benefits in medical product development, specifically the initial product design, research and manufacturing of the medical innovation process. This paper also aims to provide and in-depth review of the viewpoints of multidisciplinary collaborative medical product development. Research including collaboration specific literature reviews, manufacturing research, experiments and prototype testing allowed for the identification of the benefits and limitations at each stage of initial medical product development.

The purpose of this thesis is to present the methods of which the case study has taken and the key benefits and limitations of the case study experienced by each collaborative partner. it is hoped that this study will inform future prospective collaborations about the benefits and limitations of academic and business multidisciplinary collaborations and ensure that they are aware and possibly avoid some of the limitations presented in this paper.


For most commodities examined in this paper, (grain and oilseeds, fertilizer, food products, grain mill products, and soymeal), inflation-adjusted rail rates (in 2011 dollars) increased from 2004 through 2011, although to different extents, depending on shipment characteristics. Shipments of some commodities had consistently higher rail rates, measured in cents per ton-mile, throughout the period. While rail rates for the various shipment sizes fluctuated differently over the period, rates for many of the shipment distances began rising between 2002 and 2004. In general, smaller shipments have noticeably higher rates than large shipments. Likewise, shipments moving longer distances normally have lower rates per ton-mile than shipments moving over shorter distances. However, agricultural commodity movements vary by shipment size and distance traveled. For instance, most grain mill products move in smaller shipments (less than 50 cars), with occasional large shipments. Grain and oilseeds, on the other hand, consistently move in shipments of all sizes and travel a large variety of distances.


Introduction: In preeclampsia, hypoxemia may result from a number of mechanisms. Preeclampsia remains a complex and poorly understood disease. Currently, there are no reliable predictors of preeclampsia for early diagnosis to avoid adverse maternal or perinatal outcomes.
Objective: The objective was to evaluate the efficacy of oxygen saturation (SpO2) as a predictor of adverse maternal outcome in women with preeclampsia.
Methodology: We conducted the cross-sectional study on 182 preeclamptic women selected by random sampling technique. They were divided into two groups on the basis of oxygen saturation: 29 preeclamptic women (Group L) having oxygen saturation 95% or below and 153 women (Group H) having oxygen saturation 96% or above. The groups were statistically compared with respect to age, gestational age, proteinuria, severity of hypertension and developing different adverse effect of preeclampsia. Women with any medical disorders were excluded.
Results: After statistical analysis, it was seen that the women having Spo2 ≤ 95% (L-Group) had experienced more adverse 2 outcomes. They were more hypertensive and more proteinuric, had higher liver enzyme levels, lower platelet counts, and were more likely to have experienced cardio-respiratory symptoms. Women with adverse outcomes were also more likely to have had therapeutic interventions, including corticosteroids, antihypertensives, and magnesium sulphate.
Conclusion: Women having SpO2 ≤ 95% (L-Group) had more adverse 2 outcomes in comparison to SpO2 ≥96%(H-Group).


The objective of this study was to compare base-level and meta-level classifiers on the task of activity recognition. Five wireless kinematic sensors were attached to 25 subjects with each subject asked to complete a range of basic activities in a controlled laboratory setting. Subjects were then asked to carry out similar self-annotated activities in a random order and in an unsupervised environment. A combination of time-domain and frequency-domain features were calculated using a sliding window segmentation technique. A reduced feature set was generated using a wrapper subset evaluation technique with a linear forward search.The meta-level classifier AdaBoostM1 with C4.5 Graft as its base-level classifier achieved an overall accuracy of 95%. Equal sized datasets of subject independent data and subject dependent data were used to train this classifier and it was found that high recognition rates can be achieved without the need of user specific training.


This article addresses enhancing supervisory knowledge and skills through the dimension of body psychotherapy, which has received decisive support for its empirical and theoretical approach through recent neurobiological findings. Learning, including learning under supervision, is related to the structure of the relationship between the parties involved and is most effective when the body and emotions are engaged. Learning is a bodily process and can be described neuroscientifically. Stress in the short term reduces learning potential and long-term performance anxiety leads to burnout. Utilization of the pulsation model of body psychotherapy can also, on the career level, help to alleviate exaggerated expectations. Critical instability, in fact, is necessary for change. The goal of this paper is to clearly outline the relevance of body psychotherapy for supervision and at the same time to caution against an all too great simplification. In view of the continual rise in stress-related illnesses, this approach is becoming increasingly important.


This paper uses patient responses to the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey for three years (2009-2011) from 1,333 acute-care hospitals in fourteen states to analyze patterns in 10 hospital-reported patient experience-of-care scores by 29 characteristics classified as: patient characteristics, payer source, patient severity, hospital characteristics, hospital operations, and market characteristics. We also evaluate how scores have changed over the three-year period. We find significant differences in patient experience-of-care scores by hospital characteristics for 250 out of 290 HCAHPS-hospital characteristic combinations measured. We find fewer significant differences in changes in scores from 2009-2011 (135 out of 290), with hospitals categorized as high scoring also reporting consistently greater improvement. We conclude that patient experience-of-care scores vary by hospital characteristics, although improvements in scores show less variety by hospital categorization.


Tienilic acid-induced hepatitis is characterized by the presence of anti-liver and -kidney microsomal (anti-LKM2) autoantibodies in patient sera. Cytochrome P4502C9(CYP2C9), involved in the metabolism of tienilic acid, was shown to be a target for tienilic acid-reactive metabolites and for autoantibodies. To further investigate the relationship between drug metabolism and the pathogenesis of this drug-induced autoimmune disease, the specificity of anti-LKM2 autoantibodies toward CYP2C9 was first determined, and the antigenic sites on CYP2C9 were localized. By constructing several deletion mutants derived from CYP2C9 cDNA and by probing the corresponding proteins with different anti-LKM2 sera, we defined three regions (amino acids 314-322, 345-356, and 439-455); they interacted to form a major conformational autoantibody binding site. This binding site was immunoreactive with 100% of sera and allowed removal of the entire reactivity of the sera tested by immunoblotting. Epitope mapping studies have been performed for CYP2D6, CYP17, CYP21A2, and, recently, CYP3A. Those data were compared with the results obtained in the current study with CYP2C9 in an attempt to elucidate one of the mechanisms by which CYP becomes immunogenic.


As traffic on the Internet has increased exponentially, it is vital that Internet routers handle the received packets faster. When a router receives a packet, it has to make a decision where to send it next. To forward an IP packet, the routers need to lookup the destination address of the received packet in the forwarding table, implement forwarding algorithms, then forward the packet to the appropriate next hop or outgoing port. We discuss a parallel approach that combines an IP packet forwarding technique based on a partitioned lookup table with linear search on prefix lengths, binary search on prefix lengths, and LC (level-compressed) trie. Simulation results show that the proposed partition schemes speeds up the IP address lookup process.


The presence of round pores generally causes a positive deviation from Wyllie's equation (Anselmetti and Eberli 1993, 1999; Saleh and Castagna 2004). However, carbonates contain a large number of different pore types that are not related roundness alone. Three quantitative pore shape parameters derived from digital image analysis are introduced to capture the complicated pore structure of carbonates with the goal to enhance porosity prediction from velocity. The first parameter that describes the roundness of the pores was first introduced by Anslemetti et al. (1998) and called γ. The second parameter Perimeterover-Area (PoA) captures the overall tortuosity of the pores system. The third parameter, Dominant Poresize, is a measure of the dominant pore size within the thin section. Out of these three parameters, PoA is the most dominant factor controlling velocity at a given porosity with Dominant Poresize being second, while roundness alone is the least important factor of the three. We conclude that the roundness of individual pores is not as relevant as the simplicity of the pore system, i.e, the pore system with low tortuosity. Combining all three parameters and porosity in a multivariate linear regression increases correlation to velocity from R of 0.49 (porosity alone) to R of 0.78.


Elucidation of the molcular pathogenesis of cancer has provided targets for novel rationally designed targeted anticancer drugs.1 Potential targets are those molecules upon which the growth and maintenance of tumours depends and, in this regard, a key breakthrough was the recognition that tumours in individual patients can become 'addicted' to continued signalling from individual molecules. In such cases, developing targeted drugs against these molecules—especially receptor tyrosine kinases (RTK)—has proved very successful.2 After just over a decade of clinical research, the treatment paradigm that has emerged is the use of a predictive biomarker assay which identifies that the growth of a particular patient's tumour is dependent upon activation of a molecule and then the use of an agent against this target in that patient.1 2 This paradigm has recently been successfully applied to gastric cancer with the demonstration of the effectiveness of trastuzumab, a monoclonal antibody against HER2, in HER2-positive tumours.3 Typically, minority subgroups of human cancers (based on anatomical and histopathological classification) express the predictive biomarker for a particular targeted agent and, as these subgroups are identified, a new molecular classification of human cancer is emerging that is intimately linked to available therapeutic agents. Between 7% and 17% of gastric cancers have either high expression of the HER2 protein (assessed by immunohistochemistry, 3+ score) or HER2 gene amplification, which are the clinically useful predictive biomarker assays for HER2 growth dependence and potential benefit from trastuzumab, and this is fairly typical of the proportional size of biomarker-defined subgroups that have emerged.1–3

Accordingly, a key aim of translational cancer research is to develop the investigational methodology that allows identification of addiction to a particular molecule. Gene amplification appears to be a reliable …


Although we can't currently offer a cure for Alzheimer's, we can provide better information and advice to people with the disease (and their caregivers) to help improve their ability to live and cope with this challenging disease. This groundbreaking book shows how to start making a difference during the initial evaluation and beyond. Treating every assessment as more than a simple diagnostic process, Whole Person Dementia Assessment sets the stage for more constructive interventions, better care, and a higher quality of life throughout the disease process by providing a richer understanding of the person and the way the disease is affecting him or her. Blending traditional clinical evaluation procedures with more person-centered approaches, Whole Person Dementia Assessment shows how to assess a person's cognitive deficits while also discovering and emphasizing remaining strengths and abilities. Best-practice assessment tools are recommended and provided, including a comprehensive, whole-person interview form. Backed by solid research findings, Dr. Benjamin T. Mast demonstrates that geriatricians, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and long-term care providers who incorporate methods such as personal interviews, life review, and validation into their assessment processes, will substantially improve their ability to * develop rapport with the person and family members * collect more in-depth and valid assessment results * identify cognitive and behavioral strengths and weaknesses * recommend interventions With Whole Person Dementia Assessment, professionals who care about the well-being of their patients and residents can now provide more productive consultations that will result in better outcomes. Take advantage of this new opportunity to help lighten the burden of a devastating disease.


The Lower Eocene shallow marine Roda Sandstone Member forms part of the Paleogene fill of the Tremp–Graus Basin in the southern Spanish Pyrenees. It is composed of mixed siliciclastic–carbonate sandstones that were severely modified in composition and texture shortly after deposition during pauses in sedimentation. Moreover, part of the sand was lithified by an early marine fringe cement. This early diagenetic cement stabilized the sandstone framework and prevented mechanical compaction. Where early cement was absent, mechanical compaction severely reduced the primary porosity during a first burial phase. Ductile grains were squeezed between rigid grains, obstructing pore connections. This caused the development of distinct porosity patterns in the sandstone bodies. After the first burial phase, two major phases of uplift and erosion resulted in the truncation of the Roda Sandstone Member in the northern part of the area studied. After the erosional phases, the sandstones were buried again. Recharge of the sandstone bodies with fresh water caused replacement of aragonite and high–magnesian calcite by low–magnesian calcite. Simultaneously, a second generation of sparry calcite cement was precipitated. Replacement and cementation were completed first in the most porous and permeable levels represented by those parts of the sandstone that contained the early cement. The intervals compacted during the first burial were cemented later or cementation was completed later.


Peritoneal metastases (PM) from colorectal cancer (CRC) are associated with poor survival. The extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a fundamental role in modulating the homing of CRC metastases to the peritoneum. The mechanisms underlying the interactions between metastatic cells and the ECM, however, remain poorly understood and the number of in vitro models available for the study of the peritoneal metastatic process is limited. Here, we show that decellularized ECM of the peritoneal cavity allows the growth of organoids obtained from PM, favoring the development of three-dimensional nodules that maintain the characteristics of in vivo PM. Organoids preferentially grow on scaffolds obtained from neoplastic peritoneum, which are characterized by greater stiffness than normal scaffolds. A gene expression analysis of organoids grown on different substrates reflected faithfully the clinical and biological characteristics of the organoids. An impact of the ECM on the response to standard chemotherapy treatment for PM was also observed. Significance Evidence of the value of ex vivo 3D models obtained by combining patient-derived extracellular matrices depleted of cellular components and organoids to mimic the metastatic niche, to be used as a tool to develop new therapeutic strategies in a biologically relevant context, to personalize treatments and increase their efficacy.


When potato tuber slices (Solanum tuberosum L.) are incubated with radioactive choline, labeled membrane-bound phospholipids are formed. If potato slices are aged for 0 to 24 hours before exposure to radioactive choline, the distribution of the labeled phospholipids undergoes both quantitative and qualitative changes. Quantitatively, there is a marked increase in the total lipoidal radioactivity with aging time. Qualitatively, there is a shift in the kinds of subeeliular fractions that are being la- beled. Fresh slices incorporate most of the lipoidal radioactivity in the microsomes. Slices aged for 9 hours incorporate most of the label in a fraction consisting of single membrane-bound cis-ternae, which are presnmed to be dictyosomal fragments. Slices aged for 24 hours before incubation with radioactive choline incorporate the greater portion of the label in this same fraction, but a significant portion of the label is found in a heavier, mitochondria-containing fraction.


Study Design Case-control study. Objectives To assess the ability of the Dynamic Leap Balance Test (DLBT) to identify balance deficits in subjects with chronic ankle instability (CAI), and to compare dynamic balance performance between the DLBT and modified Star Excursion Balance Test (mSEBT). Background Clinicians require functional tests to objectively measure patient outcomes. The mSEBT is commonly used in lower extremity injuries to measure the dynamic control of body movements over an unchanging base of support (BOS). The DLBT is a new dynamic balance task that requires serial changes in BOS with alternating limb support and recovery of dynamic stability. Methods and Measures Thirty-six young, physically-active adults were divided into two groups: 18 with history of unilateral CAI and 18 healthy. CAI subjects were identified using the Identification of Functional Ankle Instability (IdFAI) questionnaire. Subjects were randomly assigned to complete the mSEBT or DLBT on their CAI (or healthy matched) or contralateral limb on Day 1, and perform the same tasks with the other limb on Day 2. Results There were no statistically significant differences (p>0.05) among any of the four conditions for normalised composite or reach distance measures (% leg length) with the mSEBT. Statistically significant differences (p<0.001) in DLBT time were found among limbs. The DLBT time for the CAI limb (51.8±4.04 s, 95% CI=51.18, 53.52) was significantly greater than the CAI contralateral limb (44.12±3.60 s, 95% CI=42.52, 45.78) and the healthy matched limb (41.88±3.36 s, 95% CI=40.21, 43.55). Conclusion The DLBT may be a more discriminate measure of dynamic balance than the mSEBT in CAI subjects. The leaping task in the DLBT involves BOS changes, and dynamic stability reestablishment while requiring greater production and attenuation of forces similar to running, cutting and jumping.


This thesis examined the management of supply chain risks in the maritime transport industry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) has quickly become of critical importance to the world economy. Though the transport of oil from this region impacts the economies of countries around the world, it has received too little attention from the academic community. This thesis focused on expanding the field of SCRM by examining how various risk assessment and management concepts and practices are understood, interpreted and implemented throughout the region.
The majority of existing supply chain management and risk management models have been developed and are currently rooted in the US and Europe. Therefore, this thesis is of high significance because its major aim was to explore these concepts and models, namely one focused on the Middle East. This approach allowed the thesis to examine and test certain factors associated with SCRM, such as risk categories, risk assessment and risk strategies, in maritime firms in Saudi Arabia. The thesis thereby offers insights that were not otherwise available in prior research. In achieving these aims, the researcher addressed three key research questions.
The thesis was conducted by relying on the constructivist approach to data collection. The specific qualitative methodology of the case study was employed to collect a wide variety of useful and reliable data, including interviews, focus groups, direct observation and historical records.
The research model included all risks present in the maritime industry in Saudi Arabia. These risks were classified in a meaningful way to be addressed and explained in this thesis. The findings of this study revealed the strategies that could be used in order to deal with potential risks. It also exposed the reality of the situation to professionals involved in risk management decisions in the maritime industry who currently view their companies' risks management processes as efficient. Finally, the research model was found applicable to the maritime firms. The conceptual model for SCRM in this thesis was a combination
iii
of four sections that helped the researcher to discover, identify, evaluate and present techniques to reduce supply chain risk.
This thesis provides insights into the management of maritime firms risks in supply chains. The thesis provides a new classification of risk in terms of the maritime industry. It finds the tools that could help maritime firms to identify risk. And it prvides the strategies that are suitable to confront risk in maritime industry.
On the whole, there was no studies found that had researched supply chain risk management in terms of maritime industry at Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Therefore, the research of supply chain risk management using this revealed metholodgy is an approach to understand the risks that currently confront maritime industry.


Leadership is a significant element in the present life of organizations. Recent reviews suggest building novel frameworks through which leadership, as a phenomenon, could be understood comprehensively, considering all the aspects of human experience. The autopoietic perspective on cognition suggests that the quality of human experience is determined by the interplay between the biological and social dynamics of an active situated human agent, we enact our 'reality', rather than recognize one. Thus, an integrated approach to the study of any phenomenon in the social domain requires focus on the interrelatedness of the biological, mental and social aspects. This exploratory paper provides an insight into the findings of an empirical study of leadership consonant with an enactive perspective on human experience, including the biological, behavioral and social dynamics of the leadership phenomenon. The research implemented mixed methods under the umbrella of a multidisciplinary comparative case study. Heart rate variability (HRV) demonstrated as the biomarker for physiological data, semi-structured interviews, the Leadership Behavior Development Questionnaire (LBDQ) and a researcher's reflective diary were used to collect qualitative data and assist in understanding behavioral attributes. The results indicated a correlation between physiology, attitudes and behaviors, social dynamics and performance.


In tests presented in the paper the authors made use of M.M. Chruščov's concept of determining linear wear intensity Ih in model systems operating under constant load in which the contact stresses decrease in the effect of wear. They elaborated the mathematical model binding vertical approach of samples in four ball apparatus equipped with the three rollers – cone couple with rollers wear trace dimension. The model was verified in the special experiment obtaining a very good convergence of results of calculations and the experiment.


Background: Functional connectivity detected by resting-state functional MRI (R-fMRI) helps to discover the subtle changes in brain activities. Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on hemodialysis (HD) have impaired brain networks. However, the functional changes of brain networks in patients with ESRD undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD) have not been fully delineated, especially among those with preserved cognitive function. Therefore, it is worth knowing about the brain functional connectivity in patients with PD by using R-fMRI. Methods: This case-control study prospectively enrolled 19 patients with ESRD receiving PD and 24 age- and sex- matched controls. All participants without a history of cognitive decline received mini-mental status examination (MMSE) and brain 3-T R-fMRI. Comprehensive R-fMRI analyses included graph analysis for connectivity and seed-based correlation networks. Independent t-tests were used for comparing the graph parameters and connectivity networks between patients with PD and controls. Results: All subjects were cognitively intact (MMSE > 24). Whole-brain connectivity by graph analysis revealed significant differences between the two groups with decreased global efficiency (Eglob, p < 0.05), increased betweenness centrality (BC) (p < 0.01), and increased characteristic path length (L, p < 0.01) in patients with PD. The functional connections of the default-mode network (DMN), sensorimotor network (SMN), salience network (SN), and hippocampal network (HN) were impaired in patients with PD. Meanwhile, in DMN and SN, elevated connectivity was observed in certain brain regions of patients with PD. Conclusion: Patients with ESRD receiving PD had specific disruptions in functional connectivity. In graph analysis, Eglob, BC, and L showed significant connectivity changes compared to the controls. DMN and SN had the most prominent alterations among the observed networks, with both decreased and increased connectivity regions. Our study confirmed that significant changes in cerebral connections existed in cognitively intact patients with PD.


By gauging life 's diversity with differences in size and shape rather than numbers of species, paleontologists are gleaning surprising new insights into evolutionary radiations. For example, on p page 1492, an analysis of the ancient marine crinoids or sea lilies raises the heretical notion that competition from other organisms doesn't impede such bursts of evolution. And on page 1489, a great radiation of hoofed mammals 25 million years ago is ultimately linked to climate change.


DMP 811 {4-ethyl-2-n-propyl-1-[(2'-(1H-tetrazole-5-yl)biphenyl-4-yl) methyl]imidazole-5-carboxylic acid; L-708,404} is a highly potent angiotensin II receptor antagonist. The physiological disposition of DMP 811 was examined in the Sprague-Dawley rat, rhesus monkey, and pan troglodytes chimpanzee. Plasma concentrations of DMP 811 were determined by an HPLC assay with fluorescence detection. After intravenous administration of DMP 811 to rats (1 mg/kg), monkeys (0.5 mg/kg), and chimpanzees (0.5 mg/kg), the plasma clearance was 1.3, 1.8, and 0.3 ml/min/kg, respectively. The corresponding volumes of distribution were 0.16, 0.10, and 0.10 liters/kg, and the value for the terminal half-life was 3.0, 2.4, and 10.1 hr in the respective species. After oral administration to rats (5 mg/kg), monkeys (2 mg/kg), and chimpanzees (2 mg/kg), DMP 811 was 8.4%, 10.2%, and 8.0% bioavailable, respectively. The mass balance of [14C]DMP 811 was investigated in rats and monkeys. In rats, the radiolabeled dose was excreted primarily in feces (79% intravenous; 99% oral) with <1% of the dose in urine. In monkeys, the intravenous radiolabeled dose was excreted in both urine (48%) and feces (42%), whereas the oral dose was excreted largely in feces (79%), with an additional 6% in urine. In summary, DMP 811 was cleared slowly in all three species. The oral bioavailability of DMP 811 was low, but consistent across species. Pharmacokinetic data suggest that the low oral bioavailability was not caused by first-pass metabolism, but probably caused by limited absorption.


"To truly understand brain function, we have to understand how different types of neurons are connected to each other across many distant brain areas. The rabies tracing methods we have developed made that possible, but we were only labeling a fraction of all of the connections," says Edward Callaway, a Salk professor and senior author of the new paper, published April 14, 2016 in the journal Cell Reports.


The crisis of fosil (Petroleum) fuel around Lampung municipal and other districs in Indonesia need some alternative solution with SWOT analysis.  The Diesohol can be applied both in gasoline engine and diesel engine respectively. The Diesohol which the mixing 2 percent of bioethanol and 98 percent of biodiesel or diesel  oil was able to use in diesel engine properly.  Although only 2 percent of bioethanol applied in diesohol but this opportunity will decrease fosil fuel consumption in the future. The Strength of Diesohol is The raw material is renewable which obtain from biomass around us, The Weakness is difficult to mix between bioethanol and biodiesel without agitator or stirrer. The Opportunity is circumstances kindly and under govenment national program.  The threats is CO2 gas which by product in bioethanol production and the higher cost production of diesohol.rather than fossil fuel.


The purpose of the project 1s to develop statistical methods for detecting genes associated with sperm competition in natural populations of Drosophila (fruit flies) . The flies' genotype information given by Fiumera et al. (2004) is used as the starting point of the analysis. This dataset utilizes blocks of tightly linked single nucleotide polymorphisms within genes suspected to affect sperm competition. The sperm competition detection process is completed in three different stages: maternal and offspring haplotypes reconstruction; paternal genotype and offspring fraction estimation; and preferred genotype detection. Software programs HAPLORE and PHASE 2.0 were implemented for maternal and offspring haplotype reconstruction . The software Parentage is applied on the reconstructed haplotypes for estimating paternal genotypes and the amount of offspring they produced. Lastly, the Kruskal Wallis and permutation tests were conducted to detect differences in offspring produced between groups of males with different genotypes .


The importance of electricity in enhancing the daily activities of human life is a basis for the development of any nation. The developmental activity requires huge electricity supply and qualitatively the sustainability of the supply is also another big concern in planning the economic growth of a country. The potential availability of energy supply resources are not only ample but also variety of alternative renewable resource for energy exploitations are widely promising for implementation in Ethiopia. The recent study has indentified that around 1.3mill.MW wind potential and 45000MW hydropower potential are available among which only 171MW of wind and about 2000MW of hydropower potential have implemented. These existing power plants are insignificant compared to the available potential for exploitation and compared to the number of the consumers in need of the electricity. Recently the government has focused largely towards the development of hydropower and wind farms. Preferably the principles of hybrid electricity supply system is on its virtue of wide spread in sustaining the energy supply under any critical hydrological inflows and/or very low wind speeds. Hence, in this thesis, the study of the possibility of the integrating hydropower and wind power in Ethiopia was undertaken as a major concern. The challenges in the combined hydro-wind power system was also discussed and the possible best combination alternative was suggested. The effective way of managing the hydro-wind integrated power supply system is the use of back-pumped reservoirs to complement the critical times of the hydrological inflows and the periods of low wind speeds. In Ethiopia, it is common that the hydrology and wind availability varies temporally and spatially. The variability of these electricity sources ranges from short time variation, seasonal variation to yearly variation. However, the complementarities of these climate variables were checked in this study and concluded that during the time of critical inflow into the reservoirs there is high wind potential due to high temperature for heating the air system of the ground surface which creates the pressure difference and wind density. This results in wind blow during dry periods than during the wet periods. On the other hand, the hydro dominated power system with storage reservoirs in the country helps to store water inflow during high rainfall time in particular during the rainy season to secure the dry time power supply and environmental flow conditions. The data for this study were collected from the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation EEPCO, the Ethiopian Ministry of Water and Energy MoWE, the Ethiopian National Meteorology Agency NMA, and the National Centers for Environmental Prediction NCEP and various websites and many literatures reviews. The data for hydropower production was collected directly from the Generation Department, EEPCO whereas the data for wind power was difficult to get from the generation department, instead the raw wind speed data were collected from the wind mast records, meteorology stations and NCEP. The raw wind speed data were used through different steps of analysis to approximate the actual wind power that can most probably be generated at both existing wind farms namely Adama I Wind Farm and Ashegoda Wind Farm. The computation of the wind power was undertaken using spreadsheet and the final result was used as an input for modelling combined hydro-wind power system for the present and the future. In this study, two major tasks were undertaken as the main objectives of the thesis work. The first one was the complementarities between hydropower and wind power under different circumstances in relation to the climate variables which are sources of electricity i.e., the hydrology and wind speeds. The second major task was to study the validity of the existing combined hydro-wind power system in meeting the balance between demand and supply system and also to check for the future possibility of the wind penetration into the hydropower system; assuming the future interconnected system of power supply only contains hydropower and wind power. In conclusion, the hydropower and wind integration system in Ethiopia shows a perfect match and the combined system should be beneficiary if developed further. The existing combined supply system was analyzed and indentified as there is insignificant average daily power shortage which was estimated to be 0.799GWh and the future possibility of the hydro-wind integration in the country, Ethiopia, is moreover promising as far as the share of wind penetration into the hydro dominating system is very low.


BACKGROUND
Use of donor human milk (DHM) is increasing, but criteria for its use are not well defined.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
We conducted a 34-question Internet-based survey of medical directors of U.S. level 3 and level 4 neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), with the goal of describing specifics of policies developed to guide DHM use in U.S. NICUs. Respondents reported NICU characteristics and details of policies concerning DHM use. Policy-specified criteria for DHM use, if any, were described. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify NICU characteristics associated with DHM use.

RESULTS
Respondents returned 153 (33%) surveys, with use of DHM reported by 91 (59%). Donor human milk use was more likely with more than 100 annual admissions <1500 g at birth (odds ratio [OR], 2.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1-4.7) and with Vermont-Oxford Network participants (OR, 4.6; 95% CI, 1.8-11.6). Among 72 NICUs reporting a written policy, criteria for providing DHM required birth weights varying from <1000 to <1800 g and/or gestational ages from <28 to <34 completed weeks, but criteria were reportedly waived in many circumstances. Policies regarding duration of DHM therapy were similarly varied.

CONCLUSIONS
Criteria for initiating and continuing DHM vary widely among U.S. level 3 and level 4 NICUs. Donor human milk use is more frequent in NICUs with many very low-birth-weight admissions and among Vermont-Oxford Network participants. Further research is needed to define short- and long-term outcomes and cost benefits of DHM use in subgroups of NICU patients, particularly for uses other than necrotizing enterocolitis prevention.


The paper considers nonparametric estimation of absolutely continuous distribution functions of independent lifetimes of non-identical components in k-out-of-n systems, 2 ≤ k ≤ n, from the observed "autopsy" data. In economics, ascending "button" or "clock" auctions with n heterogeneous bidders with independent private values present 2-out-of-n systems. Classical competing risks models are examples of n-out-of-n systems. Under weak conditions on the underlying distributions the estimation problem is shown to be well posed and the suggested extremum sieve estimator is proven to be consistent. The paper considers sieve spaces of Bernstein polynomials which allow to easily implement constraints on the monotonicity of estimated distribution functions.


In the rapidly growing field of combinatorial chemistry, the Multipin approach has been used for rapid and efficient multiple parallel syntheses of organic compounds. This strategy is particularly well adapted for the optimization of reaction conditions prior to chemical library syntheses, for the preparation of a wide range of compounds in relation to a lead structure or for the generation of parallel libraries involving complex multistep chemistries. In all cases, direct in situ monitoring of support-bound products would be highly valuable. In this work, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry was applied to the analysis of support-bound intermediates. The analytical method was applied to a range of crowns loaded with various dipeptides. The solid support was subjected to primary ion bombardment and characteristic ions indicative of both the peptide chain and the polymeric support were unambiguously identified. Analysis could be performed at any stage of the synthesis, and as the method is effectively non-destructive, the analyzed crowns could be further used to prepare target compounds. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


An intermittent transmission control in the MAC layer protocol is very important for managing the energy consumption of wireless sensor networks. This research focuses on an intermittent receiver-driven data transmission (IRDT) protocol in which communication starts when multiple receiver nodes transmit their own IDs intermittently and a sender node receives them. This method aims at prolonging network life time under the conditions that data-generating frequency is comparatively small. In this paper, we clarify the performance characteristics of this method by comparing it with the low power listing (LPL) method, which is a sender-driven protocol. By simulation, we show that IRDT can result in a higher reduction of energy consumption than LPL, especially at small loads. We also propose an improved IRDT scheme. While all nodes have equal and constant intermittent intervals in the original IRDT, the improved IRDT changes each node's intermittent intervals adaptively. This achieves more than 98% packet collection ratio and 50% lower power consumption than adaptive LPL, which also sets the intermittent interval adaptively.


The information rate of finite-state source/channel models can be accurately estimated by sampling both a long channel input sequence and the corresponding channel output sequence, followed by a forward sum-product recursion on the joint source/channel trellis. This method is extended to compute upper and lower bounds on the information rate of very general channels with memory by means of finite-state approximations. Further upper and lower bounds can be computed by reduced-state methods


The pelegongan dance repertoire in Bali remains one of the most performed and rigorously taught forms in Balinese dance. What elements define this form and what degrees of variation within these elements, in turn, are allowable? In other words, what makes a legong dance a legong ? For the present study I explore this question by looking at "Legong Gering," a new legong dance created in 2005 by I Nyoman Cerita for Odalan Bali, a North American touring concert by Cudamani, a performance troupe from Pengosekan village, Ubud, Bali. The study begins with an analysis of the context and visual elements of the piece (including costuming, choreography, and musical accompaniment). It then uses an explicit approach in explaining the motivations behind creation: it defines the pelegongan form and then analyzes how closely "Legong Gering" follows these "standards." "Legong Gering" is governed by both new and preexisting social and religious concepts." Legong Gering," much like the Odalan Bali performance, is an aestheticization of ritual itself. As a corollary to this short study, I also entertain the possibility of studying the "implicit" nature of dance knowledge and creation with reference to the legong dance form.


The terrorist atrocities perpetrated against the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo on 7 January 2015 led to a national and international outpouring of anger and solidarity with the victims. This solidarity came to be expressed most clearly via the social media hashtag #JeSuisCharlie which spread across networks such as Facebook and Twitter in the hours and days after the shootings. In the first part of this article, I explore how the 'Je suis Charlie' slogan was not universally accepted, and how it was problematic for individuals to express themselves if they condemned the terrorist attacks but did not want to proclaim 'Je suis Charlie'. The second and main part of the article will focus in particular on the freedom of thought of certain intellectuals, whose voices have arguably been sidelined and discredited in the wake of the attacks because their analysis of events did not correspond to the logic of the 'Je suis Charlie' response.


The suitability of alternative sites for non‐invasive blood pressure (NIBP) measurement was investigated in 100 awake healthy volunteers. The calf and the ankle were chosen for comparison with the arm, and the results analysed subjected to Bland–Altman analysis. Discomfort was graded using a Visual Analogue Scale. There was a poor agreement between the different sites with respect to systolic blood pressure: the agreement was closer for diastolic and mean measurements. The mean blood pressure calf measurement was on average 4 mmHg (95% limits of agreement −12 to 20), higher than the arm. The ankle was 8 mmHg higher (−8 to 24) than the arm. ANOVA demonstrated a statistically significant difference in the discomfort scores between the sites (p < 0.001). The calf demonstrated the highest discomfort score and the ankle the lowest. We suggest that the ankle should be considered in preference to the calf as an alternative site for NIBP measurement if use of an arm is undesirable or impossible.


We identified a Rho guanine exchange factor (GEF) expressed as two splice variants, which differ only in either having or lacking a Postsynaptic density 95, Disk large, Zona occludens-1 (PDZ) motif. The PDZ adaptor protein synectin bound the longer splice variant, Syx1, which was targeted to the plasma membrane in a synectin-dependent manner. The shorter variant, Syx2, was diffusely distributed in the cytoplasm. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) imaging revealed similar differences between the spatial patterns of active RhoA in Syx1 versus Syx2-expressing cells. Expression of Syx1 augmented endothelial cell (EC) migration and tube formation, whereas Syx2 expression did not. It appears, therefore, that synectin-dependent targeting of Syx is critical to its contribution to these EC functions. Although agonist-stimulated global RhoA activity was similar in Syx1- and Syx2-expressing cells, basal RhoA activity was surprisingly higher in the latter. Out of 23 cell types, we found a significant level of endogenous Syx2 expression only in brain tumor cells, which also exhibited high basal RhoA activity. We found that the activity level of JNK, which mediates transcriptional regulation downstream of RhoA, is elevated in a Syx2-dependent manner in these cells, possibly contributing to their tumorigenicity.


This paper presents an analysis of the positron capture by a neutron reaction, which is just the inverse of the well-known neutrino capture by a proton reaction. The effect of the QED radiative corrections is investigated. In particular, the analysis considers the effects of treating the neutron as a composite object that can have an electric dipole moment (nEDM). For the case of unpolarized hadrons the effects of a nEDM appear to vanish.


The functionalization of substrates through the application of nanostructured coatings allows to create new materials, with enhanced properties. In this work, the development of self-cleaning and antibacterial textiles, through the application of TiO2 and Ag based nanostructured coatings was carried out. The production of TiO2 and Ag functionalized materials was achieved both by the classical dip-padding-curing method and by the innovative electrospinning process to obtain nanofibers doped with nano-TiO2 and nano-Ag. In order to optimize the production of functionalized textiles, the study focused on the comprehension of mechanisms involved in the photocatalytic and antibacterial processes and on the real applicability of the products. In particular, a deep investigation on the relationship between nanosol physicochemical characteristics, nanocoating properties and their performances was accomplished. Self-cleaning textiles with optimized properties were obtained by properly purifying and applying commercial TiO2 nanosol while the studies on the photocatalytic mechanism operating in self-cleaning application demonstrated the strong influence of hydrophilic properties and of interaction surface/radicals on final performance. Moreover, a study about the safety in handling of nano-TiO2 was carried out and risk remediation strategies, based on "safety by design" approach, were developed. In particular, the coating of TiO2 nanoparticles by a SiO2 shell was demonstrated to be the best risk remediation strategy in term of biological response and preserving of photoreactivity. The obtained results were confirmed determining the reactive oxygen species production by a multiple approach. Antibacterial textiles for biotechnological applications were also studied and Ag-coated cotton materials, with significant anti-bacterial properties, were produced.
Finally, composite nanofibers were obtained merging biopolymer processing and sol-gel techniques. Indeed, electrospun nanofibers embedded with TiO2 and Ag NPs, starting from aqueous keratin based formulation were produced and the photocatalytic and antibacterial properties were assessed. The results confirmed the capability of electrospun keratin nanofibers matrix to preserve nanoparticle properties.


Objective Occupational dust exposure has been associated with accelerated lung function decline, which in turn is associated with overall morbidity and mortality. In the current study, we assess potential benefits on lung function of hypothetical interventions that would reduce occupational exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) while adjusting for the healthy worker survivor effect. Methods Analyses were performed in a cohort of 6485 hourly male workers in an aluminium manufacturing company in the USA, followed between 1996 and 2013. We used the parametric g-formula to assess lung function decline over time under hypothetical interventions while also addressing time-varying confounding by underlying health status, using a composite risk score based on health insurance claims. Results A counterfactual scenario envisioning a limit on exposure equivalent to the 10th percentile of the observed exposure distribution of 0.05 mg/m3 was associated with an improvement in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) equivalent to 37.6 mL (95% CI 13.6 to 61.6) after 10 years of follow-up when compared with the observed. Assuming a linear decrease and (from NHANES reference values), a 20 mL decrease per year for a 1.8 m-tall man as they age, this 37.6 mL FEV1 loss over 10 years associated with observed exposure would translate to approximately a 19% increase to the already expected loss per year from age alone. Conclusions Our results indicate that occupational PM2.5 exposure in the aluminium industry accelerates lung function decline over age. Reduction in exposure may mitigate accelerated loss of lung function over time in the industry.


A retrospective epidemiological study was made of dog bite accidents seen at the Casualty department of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, between 1 January 1962 and 31 December 1973. A variety of host, agent and environmental factors were analysed. The incidence per 1000 attendances was 11.5 with a male/female ratio of 57:43. Majority of the bites occurred in the dry season and 75.4% of the victims were less than 20 years of age. 83.5% of the bites were inflicted on the extremities and 59.1% were moderately severe or severe. 50% of the bites were unprovoked and 80.3% of the biting dogs belonged to known owners. 86.9% of the victims reported for treatment within 24 hours of the accident but only 6.6% attended for follow up beyond four weeks. 73.5% of the victims received active immunization with rabies vaccine but only 50.2% of these completed the prescribed course. The findings in this study provides a factual basis for making recommendations to prevent, control and treat dog bites. Language: en


Considering the global decline of amphibian populations, the present study aimed to investigate the sensitivity of tree frogs to a common pesticide, dimethoate. Our study reports the effects of dimethoate on 21st- and 25th-stage Hyla arborea larvae under standardized laboratory conditions in an acute toxicity test using the static system. Specimens used for testing were obtained from the eggs of mating pairs collected at a local natural pond. Each experimental group contained 10 healthy larvae exposed to 5 different concentrations of technical grade dimethoate for 96 h. For each concentration, including the controls, 3 replicates were used. The concentrations of dimethoate causing 50% mortality (LC50) after 96 h were estimated using a probit analysis program. Regarding the lethal concentrations, 21st-stage larvae were more sensitive (LC50 = 20.27 ppm) than the 25th-stage larvae (LC50 = 37.37 ppm). Malformations such as edema and tail deformaities were observed in 21st- and 25th-stage larvae, respectively. Retardation of growth was also observed in dimethoate-exposed 21st-stage larvae. Certain signs of toxicity, such as initial hyperactivity symptoms, followed by loss of balance, motionlessness, and finally death, were observed.


Ultrafine-grained titanium was processed by severe plastic deformation (SPD). The SPD was carried out by equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) at high temperature. The ECAPprocessed sample was further deformed by conventional techniques such as radial forging and drawing. The microstructure was characterized quantitatively by X-ray diffraction line profile analysis and transmission electron microscopy after each step of deformation. The effect of procesing routes on the mechanical behavior was also studied. It was found that the conventional deformation processes after ECAP result in further increment in dislocation density and strength at the expense of ductility.


4D flow MRI offers the possibility for complete volumetric and functional assessment of liver blood flow in patients with liver cirrhosis. This study reveals a significant difference when using a lower venc for visualization of the portal vein branches. Similar results are obtained for contrast application and different field strengths. For qualitative assessment of the intrahepatic branches by 4D flow MRI a lower venc is recommended.


Background Standardized Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE) has demonstrated efficacy in the cognitive functional neuropsychiatric symptoms of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). With regard to its underlying molecular mode of action, first evidence was provided that GBE was able to modulate neuronal outgrowth in vitro, but the mechanisms underlying GBE effects on neuroplasticity remain unclear. Methodology/Principal findings In this study, we investigated the effect of GBE on neurite outgrowth using SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells in a 2D and 3D surface culture. The effects of the GBE LI1370 on neuroplasticity and neurite outgrowth were compared to those of nerve growth factor (NGF, 50 ng/ml) which was used as a positive control. We evaluated several parameters of neurite outgrowth such as the neurite number, total neurite length and extend of branching. Our findings showed that GBE (10 and 100 μg/ml) significantly increased neurite outgrowth in the 2D as well as 3D culture model after 3 days of treatment with a comparable effect than that NGF. The use of the 3D cell culture allowed us to better reproduce the in vivo neuronal microenvironment for the evaluation the neurite formation after GBE treatment. In addition, we assessed the effects of GBE on the Akt/mTOR pathway, which is known to promote neuroplasticity induced by nerve growth factors. We showed that GBE treatment induced an increase of phosphorylated IGF1R (Tyr1135/Tyr1136), Akt (Ser473), TSC2 (Ser939), mTOR (Ser2448), PTEN (Ser380) and GSK3β (Ser9). Conclusion Together, these findings indicate that GBE promotes neurite growth and activates the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway suggesting that this plant extract supports neuronal plasticity.


We have developed a unique delivery system of growth factors using collagen membranes (CMs) to induce bone regeneration. We hypothesized that fibroblast growth factor18 (FGF-18), a pleiotropic protein that stimulates proliferation in several tissues, can be a good candidate to use our delivery system for bone regeneration. Cell viability, cell proliferation, alkaline phosphatase activity, mineralization, and marker gene expression of osteoblastic differentiation were evaluated after mouse preosteoblasts were cultured with a CM containing FGF-18, a CM containing platelet-derived growth factor, or a CM alone. Furthermore, expression of microRNA, especially miR-133a and miR-135a involving inhibition of osteogenic factors, was measured in preosteoblasts with CM/FGF-18 or CM alone. A sustained release of FGF-18 from the CM was observed over 21 days. CM/FGF-18 significantly promoted cell proliferation, alkaline phosphatase activity, and mineralization compared to CM alone. Gene expression of type I collagen, runt-related transcription factor 2, osteocalcin, Smad5, and osteopontin was significantly upregulated in CM/FGF-18 compared to CM alone, and similar to CM/platelet-derived growth factor. Additionally, CM/FGF-18 downregulated expression of miR-133a and miR-135a. These results suggested that released FGF-18 from a CM promotes osteoblastic activity involved with downregulation of miR-133a and miR-135a.