The diversity of Indonesian society, from ethnicity, religion, race, and class, is a social asset that harmony must be maintained. Multicultural education has an important role in maintaining this harmony. Prospective social science education teachers must have an attractive learning design in increasing understanding related to multicultural education. This study aims to see the effect of digital book learning design on multicultural education for prospective teachers. Researchers collaborated with students of the 2017 social science education study program, faculty of social science, Jakarta State University. Analysis of learning outcomes with two-way MANCOVA analysis with one covariate. The results show the interest in learning multicultural education, a significance value of 0.955 which is greater than 0.05, then H0 is accepted. The significance value obtained from all outputs is 0.000 which is smaller than 0.05, so H0 is rejected. So, it can be concluded that there is an effect of using digital book learning media on students' multicultural education


We demonstrate Förster resonance energy transfer from dehydroergosterol to dansylated lecithin in lecithin-cholesterol vesicles and characterize the vesicles in the presence of the pro-nucleating enzyme, phospholipase C (PLC). Exposure to phospholipase C causes a temporary decrease in the dehydroergosterol to dansyl fluorescence ratio followed by an increase to and above the initial value. The temporary decrease in the fluorescence ratio results from an increase in the dansylated lecithin intensity that coincides with a dansyl blue shift. The extent of the blue shift correlates with the level of diacylglycerol generated in situ by PLC, suggesting an increased association between dansylated lecithin and cholesterol as membrane fluidity increases and membrane polarity decreases. The subsequent increase in the fluorescence ratio results from both an increase in the dehydroergsterol intensity and a concomitant decrease in the dansylated lecithin intensity of equal magnitude. This signifies a reduction in energy transfer from dehydroergosterol to dansylated lecithin and indicates an increased separation between the two fluorophores. The increase in the fluorescence ratio persists beyond the time scales for vesicle aggregation and fusion, as measured by turbidity, and precedes the onset of macroscopic cholesterol crystals observed with an optical microscope. Thus, the increased separation between dehydroergosterol and dansylated lecithin is consistent with a mechanism of cholesterol nucleation from the vesicles. Moreover, the onset and rate of increase in the fluorescence ratio correlate with the cholesterol:lecithin mole ratio of the vesicles. Fluorescence energy transfer from dehydroergosterol to dansylated lecithin therefore shows potential as a methodology for measuring cholesterol nucleation in model bile.


OBJECTIVE To assess the impact of continuous glucose monitoring on hypoglycemia in people with type 1 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS In this randomized, controlled, multicenter study, 120 children and adults on intensive therapy for type 1 diabetes and a screening level of glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) <7.5% were randomly assigned to a control group performing conventional home monitoring with a blood glucose meter and wearing a masked continuous glucose monitor every second week for five days or to a group with real-time continuous glucose monitoring. The primary outcome was the time spent in hypoglycemia (interstitial glucose concentration <63 mg/dL) over a period of 26 weeks. Analysis was by intention to treat for all randomized patients. RESULTS The time per day spent in hypoglycemia was significantly shorter in the continuous monitoring group than in the control group (mean ± SD 0.48 ± 0.57 and 0.97 ± 1.55 h/day, respectively; ratio of means 0.49; 95% CI 0.26–0.76; P = 0.03). HbA1c at 26 weeks was lower in the continuous monitoring group than in the control group (difference −0.27%; 95% CI −0.47 to −0.07; P = 0.008). Time spent in 70 to 180 mg/dL normoglycemia was significantly longer in the continuous glucose monitoring group compared with the control group (mean hours per day, 17.6 vs. 16.0, P = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS Continuous glucose monitoring was associated with reduced time spent in hypoglycemia and a concomitant decrease in HbA1c in children and adults with type 1 diabetes.


Boundary value problems are considered for the Helmholtz equation outside a domain having a finite cavity of small "radius" e < 1 . It is shown that in the case of Neumann boundary conditions the analytic continuation of the solution of the boundary value problem has poles with small imaginary part. The method of matching asymptotic expansions is used to construct asymptotic expressions for these poles with respect to the small parameter e , and it is shown that they have a resonance character. Bibliography: 19 titles.


Abstract Background To analyze utilization of a perfusion branch for temporary sac perfusion to reduce the spinal cord ischemia (SCI) in the endovascular repair of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAAs). Methods Between January 2012 and August 2016, 30 patients (18, men; median age 72 years) were treated for TAAAs with total endovascular repair using customized branched/fenestrated endografts in our institution. The median aneurysm size was 6.6 cm. Types of TAAA were: type I, 9 (30%), type II, 5 (16.6%), type III, 4 (13.3%), type IV, 6 (20%), and type V, 6 (20%). Ten patients received a perfusion branch to create an intentional endoleak, which was occluded with vascular plugs in mean interval time of 8.2 weeks (range: 6–10). Staged procedure and automated cerebrospinal fluid drainage were used in 23 (77%) and 24 (80%) patients, respectively. Results The technical success was 97%; 107 renovisceral target vessels were revascularized (32 fenestrations, 75 branches). At the time of the planned reinterventions, the mean arterial pressure (MAP) gradients were measured between the temporarily perfused aneurysm sac and the aortic endografts, and they were significantly higher (mean gradients 42.5 ± 10 mm Hg; range: 30–60) within the aortic grafts. The in-hospital and 30-day mortality was 3.3%. The incidence of postoperative SCI was 3/20 (15%) in the standard group and 0% in the group of the perfusion branch (p = 0.28). The mean follow-up was 12 months (range: 2–51). Conclusion We experience that the use of a dedicated perfusion branch is feasible and may serve as protective adjunct to reduce the risk of SCI in endovascular treatment of TAAA. The risk of rupture in interval appears to be low. Larger series and multicenter studies are warranted to corroborate these results.


In experiments on Limnae stagnalis neurons, ethymisol increased the AP duration while reducing the trace hyperpolarization and the rate of development of the AP descending phase. Ethymisol (10 mM/1) induced either hyperpolarization of neurons with an increase in membrane resistance or their depolarization (20 mM/1) with a decrease in membrane resistance. A drop in the medium temperature by 2-4 degrees C prevented the hyperpolarization. The ethymisol-induced hyperpolarization seems to be connected with a decrease in membrane permeability for sodium ions in resting conditions and with activation of electrogenic ion transport. The increase of extraneuronal potassium up to 4 mM/1 and depolarization induced by currents of 1-3 nA intensified the ethymisol effects. Ethymisol decreased efflux and influx of ions through membrane thus affecting the AP parameters. The effects of ethymisol also involved an increase of neurons excitability and intensification of synaptic activity. Neither ethyrasol nor caffein exerted these effects.


This paper researches the effects of choice of payment (cash and stock) and M&A type (technological and non-technological) on bidders' performance. We investigate 500 events in Swedish market between 2005 and 2015. Moreover, we also control the size of firms and the value of takeovers. In this paper, we conduct an event study in order to generate abnormal returns for the bidders at and around the M&A announcement. This research generates statistically significant and positive abnormal returns for the bidders especially when deals are financed by shares. Moreover, we also find that the technological M&A brings about lower abnormal returns than non-technological M&A. When we control for payment choice in technological M&A, the result shows that technological M&A paid for in shares generates higher abnormal returns than technological M&A paid for in cash.


Climate change continues to cause rising air and sea surface temperatures and changes in precipitation patterns across the globe. Many seabirds will be challenged by increasing temperatures because they must balance conflicting adaptations for dealing with cold environments when foraging and hot environments when nesting. Heat stressed seabirds often gular flutter for thermoregulation, a behaviour that is effective for dissipating heat but expensive in terms of evaporative water loss. This study examined gular fluttering behaviour of four species of southern African cormorants, crowned (Microcarbo coronatus), Cape (Phalacrocorax capensis), bank (Phalacrocorax neglectus), and white-breasted (Phalacrocorax carbo lucidus) cormorants. Results show that gular fluttering is influenced by temperature, body position and body size. Gular fluttering increases with temperature and larger cormorant species spend a greater proportion of time gular fluttering for a given temperature. Threshold temperatures for initiating gular fluttering are lower for large than for small cormorant species. Proportions of time spent gular fluttering are higher when birds are sitting than when crouching over the nest. Water loss shows the same pattern as gular fluttering, with the larger species estimated to lose a higher percentage of their daily water intake. Larger cormorant species can lose as much as 40% of their daily ingested water after eight hours of gular fluttering. These findings indicate that temperature increases from climate change will likely have serious direct impacts on nesting cormorant colonies in southern Africa. Gular fluttering could increase by as much as 25% by 2100 under current projected temperature increases, and increases in water loss could reach nearly 10%. Some species may shift their breeding dates to compensate for increasing temperatures, but if breeding activities are timed to coincide with peaks in their main prey species, this may result in poorer diets or increased competition from other species.


The applications of environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding are constantly increasing. Many validation studies have been performed in laboratories, however, field experiments are necessary to verify the robustness of eDNA based monitoring. In summer and autumn 2019 water samples in 39 sites and an inflow across three ponds of sizes of approximately 3 (A), 10 (B) and 29 (C) hectares in the Czech Republic were collected. 500 ml from each sample was filtered through 0.45 µl membrane filters and extracted using the Mu-DNA water protocol. Uniquely indexed vertebrate primers aligning mitochondrial 12S ribosomal RNA gene were utilised for eDNA amplification. PCR negative and positive controls were included to each sublibrary. Sequence reads were analysed using metaBEAT pipeline. The sequences were assigned to species level with exception Perca fluviatilis and Sander lucioperca which could not be differentiated, further referred as Perca+Sander and used as a single species.
 At the end of autumn, ponds were harvested and 319,833 fish of 27,054 kg of 22 species were captured. The most abundant species was Gymnocephalus cernua (on average 34.8%) followed by Cyprinus carpio and Pseudorasbora parva. Cyprinus carpio was also the dominant species in biomass (on average 90.7%), followed by the Ctenopharyngodon idella and Esox Lucius.
 The total number of sequences across 240 eDNA samples was 35,627,310. 21,540,396 sequences remained after bioinformatic filtering with an average read count per sample of 68,111. All samples detected 1–6 species, except for summer pond B where 64% were negative. In total, more species were detected in autumn than summer in pond A 12/10 and pond B 9/2 and the same in pond C 11/11. The only species detected in all campaigns was Cyprinus carpio with the highest average reads count of 28,961. Ctenopharyngodon idella, Rutilus rutilus, and Scardinius erythrophthalmus were detected in all campaigns except the summer pond B samples. The site occupancy values were variable between ponds and seasons with exception of ubiquitous Cyprinus carpio.
 The numbers of detected species in inflows were higher in autumn compared to summer in pond A (7/5) and B (9/4) and identical in pond C (6/6). The detected species in inflows were mostly the same as species detected in ponds. Gobio gobio was the only detected species in all campaigns. Lota lota was detected in eDNA in summer and autumn only in inflow to pond A. In pond B Perca+Sander and in pond C Pseudorasbora parva were detected in eDNA inflow in both periods and in harvest, but not in eDNA in ponds. The percentage of shared species detected by eDNA and at pond harvests was >50% in all ponds. During the pond harvest 1, 5 and 4 species were captured not detected in ponds´ eDNA compared to 3, 0, and 2 species detected only in ponds´ eDNA in ponds A, B and C, respectively. Significant positive relationships were observed between fish read counts/species site occupancy and fish abundance/biomass with exception of data from pond B in autumn.
 This study highlights the importance of field experiments and methods validation. Dominant species detection is relatively straightforward; however, detection of rare species is more challenging depending on species behaviour, habitat complexity. It further supports that eDNA should be applied in optimal conditions to achieve highest overall detection, which has important implications for applying this method to aid management and policy initiatives.
 This study was supported by projects MSM200961901, "The true picture of eDNA", QK1920011 "Methodology of predatory fish quantification in drinking-water reservoirs to optimize the management of aquatic ecosystems", and by CAS within the program of the Strategy AV 21.


It is presented the information about the persons who protected their doctor and candidate' theses at the Thesis Council under Perm State University on the geological sciences in 2011 and their annotations.


High-resolution electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) in scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope (TEM) were used to investigate the microstructure of Fe-32%Ni alloy processed by large strain multi-axial forging. The samples were compressed with loading direction changed through 90º from pass to pass at temperature of 500°C and a strain rate of 10-2/s. The results show the microstructure evolution is characterized by full development of almost equi-axed fine grains, not well-developed grain boundaries accompanied by high dislocation density and the existence of extensive extinction contours in the vicinity of grain boundaries, and the structure characteristics indicate that the grain boundaries are in a non-equilibrium state with high internal stresses.


This paper considers two distinct procedures to lexicographically compose two criteria for social or individual decision making. The first procedure composes two binary relations into one, and then selects its maximal elements. The second procedure first selects the set of maximal elements of the first binary relation, and then within that set, chooses the maximal elements of the second binary relation. We show several distinct sets of conditions for the choice functions representing these two procedures to satisfy non-emptiness and choice-consistency conditions such as contraction consistency (Chernoff, 1954) and path independence (Arrow, 1963). We also examine the relationships between the outcomes of the two procedures. Then, we investigate under what conditions the outcomes of each procedure is independent of the order of lexicographic application of two criteria. Examples for applications of the results in the economic environments are also presented.


Abstract
The spectra of the α, β, and γ forms of zinc monoarsanilazotyrosine-248 carboxypeptidase A are indistinguishable. At pH 8.2 their crystals are yellow, while their solutions are red, λmax 510 nm. Absorption and circular dichroism-pH titrations of the modified zinc and apoenzymes demonstrate that the absorption band at 510 nm is due to a complex between arsanilazotyrosine-248 and the active-site zinc atom. Two pKapp values, 7.7 and 9.5, characterize the formation and dissociation of this arsanilazotyrosine-248·Zn complex. On titrations of the apoenzyme, the absorption band at 510 nm is completely absent at all pH values. Instead, there is a single pKapp, 9.4, due to the ionization of the azophenol, λmax 485 nm. Substitution of other metals for zinc results in analogous intramolecular coordination complexes with absorption maxima and circular dichroism extrema characteristic of the particular metal. Similar data and conclusions have been derived from studies of heterocyclic azophenol·metal complexes.

The present studies demonstrate that the conformation of the crystals of all generally available α, β, and γ forms of the arsanilazoenzyme differs from that of their solutions. The spectra of the modified x-ray crystals, however, differ from those of all other carboxypeptidase forms and crystal habits studied. The internal consistency of their data, their interpretation, and the conclusions of Lipscomb and coworkers [Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA (1972) 69, 2850-2854] are examined. Dissimilar chemical modification or conformation is thought to underlie these differences.

The arsanilazotyrosine-248·zinc complex is a sensitive, dynamic probe of environmental conditions. Its response to changes in pH and physical state of the enzyme suggest different orientation of the arsanilazotyrosine-248 side chain in solution from that in the crystal. This finding calls for reexamination of the basis of the substrate-induced conformation change which has been thought to be critical to the mechanism, postulated on the basis of the x-ray structure analysis performed at pH 7.5.


It has been observed that cross-linguistically the core posture verbs 'sit'/'stand/'lie' can extend their meaning beyond the literal sense encoding posture or spatial orientation (see Newman 2002 for an overview). In the cognitive literature, the conceptual background of these extensions has been discussed, but up to now, there has been no discussion of the non-literal senses in the theoretical linguistic literature, including how the different senses are disambiguated. This paper supplements the cognitive descriptions of posture verbs, presenting data from an independent corpus study and proposing a formal analysis. The in-depth investigation of one English posture verb, 'sit', yields an empirical generalization that contributes to the discussion surrounding non-literal meaning.


Eleven isolates including Escherichia coli, Salmonella enteritidis, and Shigella sonnei, obtained in Brazil, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand, and the United States, were found to produce beta-lactamase of the PSE-1 type, which was previously considered to be Pseudomonas specific. The enterobacterial strains produced a beta-lactamase with the same isoelectric point, immunological reactions, and substrate profile as those of the prototype PSE-1 enzyme determined by Pseudomonas plasmid RPL11. The producer strains were resistant to multiple antibiotics, and all contained plasmids, ranging in size from 37 x 10(6) to 130 x 10(6), that belonged to at last six incompatibility groups. Plasmids of IncH2 and IncFIme were shown to contain 8 x 10(6)-molecular-weight transposons Tn1401 and Tn1402 that encoded PSE-1 beta-lactamase production, resistance to streptomycin and spectinomycin via AAD(3"), and resistance to sulfonamide. PSE-1 beta-lactamase was not Pseudomonas specific and appeared to have spread among plasmids found in enterobacteria by transposition.


Food waste and food insecurity are vastly different, yet inextricably linked, social, economic, and environmental problems which afflict societies throughout the world. This study contributes to the literature on individual awareness, attitudes, and behaviors to these problems through a student-led waste audit centered on food at Johnson County Community College. Pre-surveys indicated nearly 95% of individuals placed at least moderate to extreme importance on the generation of food waste in their dining decisions, while post-surveys found that 84% of respondents were surprised by the type and/or volume of waste found in cafeteria landfill bins on campus. Qualitative interview analysis suggests that events like the waste audit performed, when in the centered in the context of food, are helpful to students' understanding of food waste and food insecurity as issues. Recommendations going further suggest continuing to use waste audits structured with curricular development to help bring education and awareness to food waste and insecurity. Cover Page Footnote The Faculty Mentor for this paper was Kristy Howell, Sustainability. This article is available in JCCC Honors Journal: https://scholarspace.jccc.edu/honors_journal/vol9/iss1/4


Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) is used in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to transfer polarization from electron spins to nuclear spins. The resulting nuclear polarization enhancement can, in theory, be two or three orders of magnitude depending on the sample. In solid state systems, however, there are competing mechanisms of DNP, which, when occurring simultaneously, reduce the net polarization enhancement of the nuclear spin. We present a simple quantum description of DNP and apply optimal control theory (OCT) with an open quantum system framework to design pulses that select one DNP process and suppress the others. We demonstrate experimentally an order of magnitude improvement in the DNP enhancement using OCT pulses.


We develop and test a model on the effects of spatial housing price risk on housing choice. Housing price risk can be substantial but, unlike other risky assets which people can avoid, most people want to eventually own their home thereby creating an insurance demand for housing ownership early in life. With increasing demographic needs over the life cycle, our model predicts that people living in places with higher housing price risk should own their first home at a younger age, should live in larger homes, and should be less likely to refinance. These predictions are shown to hold using comparable panel data from the United States and United Kingdom. (JEL D12, D91)


The self-assembly of sphere-forming triblock copolymers confined between two thin homogeneous surfaces is investigated based on mean-field dynamic density functional theory. The morphologies deviating from the bulk sphere-forming phase are revealed, including cylinders oriented perpendicular to the surface, cylinders oriented parallel to the surface, perforated lamellae and lamellae by varying film thickness and surface field strength. The phase diagram of surface reconstruction is also constructed. By comparing the present phase diagram with the other relevant phase diagram for the cylinder-forming triblock copolymer film, the difference between the sphere-forming and the cylinder-forming triblock copolymer thin film is discussed.


Objectives: This study was carried out to identify the histomorphological and histochemical aspects of the uterus in the adult guinea pig (Cavica porcellus). To conduct such project, fourteen adult guinea pigs at their diestrous period were bought from the local breeders directly. Methods: Animals were euthanized, dissected, and subsequently uteruses specimens were collected and fixed by 10% neutral buffered formalin and some specimens were fixed in Bouin's solution for subsequent histochemical staining. Then after specimens were subjected to routine processes such as dehydration, clearing, embedding, and block preparation. Sections of 6 μm were prepared and stained with haematoxylin–eosin, Masson's Trichrome, Alcian blue (pH 2.5), and Periodic acid shiff stains. Findings: Gross findings of the uteruses revealed duplex uterus in the guinea pigs. It possessed two separate uterine horns united caudally to form the body, suspended by mesometrium in the abdominal cavity. Caudally, body formed the cervix, which was short and projected into the vaginal cavity forming portio vaginalis uteri with one cervical orifice.Microscopic findings revealed abrupt changes in the wall of the isthmus into the uterine horn at the utero-tubal junction. The wall of the uterus showed endometrium, vascular layer, myometrium, and adventitia or serosa. Lining epithelium was simple columnar which was similarly lined the endometrial glands. Myometrium was consisted of inner circular and outer longitudinal bundles of smooth muscle fibers. In the body, the lining epithelium was replaced gradually by simple mucous columnar epithelium. In addition to that the mucosa was thrown into long folds leaving small lumen at the cervix called os cervix. Such changes were associated with endometrial glands gradual diminishing till the cervix. Histochemically, the non-ciliated columnar cells present in the body and cervix were stained positively with AB (pH 2.5) and PAS stains. The reaction with AB (pH 2.5) was more intense compared with the staining with PAS so that it indicated that mucin was more acidic than neutral in nature.


In standard eddy current nondestructive evaluation, the depth of investigation is restricted to a limited range around the skin depth of the chosen excitation frequency. We developed a pulsed eddy current NDE technique which allows simultaneous analysis of the sample at all depths. The advantage of SQUID magnetometers over induction coil sensors is that the field does not decay as rapidly as its time derivative, allowing for a broader range of investigated depths. Using rectangular excitation pulse trains, eddy currents are induced in the samples. The generated magnetic response field is recorded in off-time between the transmitter pulses by an HTS SQUID magnetometer. The early time data of the transient signal corresponds to the upper layers of the sample, while the late time data deliver information from deep layers. The transient responses are averaged over a number of alternating excitation pulses in order to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio and to eliminate drift. Scan measurements of different aluminum samples are presented. From the measured data, a 3D apparent conductivity image of the sample is calculated by applying a technique known from geophysical data interpretation. From this tomographic conductivity image of the sample, the position and depth of flaws in the material is readily determined.


The central melanocortin (MC) pathway is suggested to mediate satiety signaling downstream of serotonin (5-HT)2C receptors. 5-HT2C receptor mutant mice consume more food, which leads to late-onset obesity and impaired glucose tolerance. Ay mice with ectopic expression of the agouti peptide, which leads to a perturbation of the central MC pathway, develop obesity and diabetes, associated with low levels of plasma total ghrelin. Here, we report that 5-wk-old Ay mice consumed more food in association with decreases in levels of plasma des-acyl ghrelin, but not active ghrelin, and increases in hypothalamic 5-HT2C and 5-HT1B receptor gene expression compared with wild-type mice matched for age and body weight. These alterations were also observed in 8-wk-old obese Ay mice. Restricted feeding significantly decreased hypothalamic 5-HT2C and 5-HT1B receptor gene expression in association with a reversal of the decreases in plasma des-acyl ghrelin levels in 5-wk-old Ay mice. Moreover, restricted feeding reduced body weight, hyperinsulinemia, and hyperglycemia in association with increases in plasma des-acyl ghrelin levels in 8-wk-old obese Ay mice. Administration of m-chlorophenylpiperazine and fenfluramine, both of which induce anorexic effects via 5-HT2C receptors and/or 5-HT1B receptors, suppressed food intake in 5- and 8-wk-old Ay mice, whereas the anorexic effects were attenuated in food-restricted Ay mice. These findings suggest that the agouti peptide down-regulates hypothalamic 5-HT2C and 5-HT1B receptor gene expression under restricted feeding conditions, whereas chronic hyperphagia increases the expression of these genes and decreases plasma des-acyl ghrelin levels in Ay mice.


Sustainability processes are complex and therefore ill-known, inconsistent, and subjective, and must be studied despite a shortage of information. It is prohibitively difficult to study them on quantitative levels using quantitative methods. The presented qualitative approach enables us to solve these issues. There are just three values used to describe the qualitative variables and their derivatives, plus/increasing, zero/constant, and negative/decreasing. An n-dimensional equation-less qualitative model is a set of pairwise relations. Such relations represent a shallow knowledge of the sustainability systems being studied. The solution of the qualitative model is a set of scenarios. The behaviour of this model is described by all of the possible transitions among these scenarios. A decision maker can easily compile a decision tree if he/she knows all of the possible transitions. The generated tree can be evaluated using traditional methods if all of the relevant probabilities are known. Otherwise, some heuristics are used to evaluate the best decision.


We previously reported an angiogenic and tumor-suppressor-like function of programmed cell death 10 (PDCD10) in glioblastoma (GBM). However, the underlying mechanism remains to be elucidated. We hypothesized that loss of PDCD10 activates GBM cells and tumor progression via EphB4. To this end, PDCD10 was knocked down in U87 and T98g by lentiviral mediated shRNA transduction (shPDCD10). GBM cell phenotype in vitro and tumor growth in a mouse xenograft model were investigated in presence or absence of the treatment with a specific EphB4 kinase inhibitor NVP-BHG712 (NVP). We demonstrated that knockdown of PDCD10 in GBM cells significantly upregulated the mRNA and protein expression of EphB4 accompanied by the activation of Erk1/2. EphB4 kinase activity, reflected by phospho-EphB4, significantly increased in shPDCD10 GBM cells, and in tumors derived from shPDCD10 GBM xenografts, which was abolished by the treatment with NVP. Furthermore, NVP treatment significantly suppressed PDCD10-knockdown mediated aggressive GBM cell phenotype in vitro and extensive tumor cell proliferation, the tumor neo-angiogenesis, and a quick progression of tumor formation in vivo. In summary, loss of PDCD10 activates GBM cells and promotes tumor growth via triggering EphB4. Targeting EphB4 might be an effective strategy particularly for the personalized therapy in GBM patients with PDCD10-deficiency.


Author(s): Stevens, Gwen R.; Clark, Larry; Weber, Richard A. | Abstract: Traditional protective measures to keep wildlife away from areas include exclusion by use of netting, hazing, and chemical repellents. The primary problem with most hazing systems is that wildlife quickly habituate to the devices if their use falls into a predictable pattern. Repellent substances cause wildlife species to avoid otherwise attractive or palatable resources by creating a disincentive to visit a specific area or consume a particular resource. Chemical repellents, both lethal and non-lethal, are typically used for agricultural and horticultural purposes, but in addition may provide a strategy to deter wildlife in other contexts. Aerosol delivery of chemical repellents might work to effectively target birds in the air prior to landing in a hazardous area (i.e., a toxic waste water impoundment). In theory, aerosol delivery of a known avian irritant could be used as an ancillary tool in bird hazing systems, to complement more traditional auditory and visual scare tactics.


Carbonyl sulfide (OCS) is a key molecule in astrobiology that acts as a catalyst in peptide synthesis by coupling amino acids. Experimental studies suggest that hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a precursor of OCS, could be present in astrophysical environments. In the present study, we used a microwave-discharge hydrogen-flow lamp, simulating the interstellar UV field, and a monochromatic synchrotron light beam to irradiate CO:H2S and CO2:H2S ice mixtures at 14 K with vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) or extreme ultraviolet (EUV) photons in order to study the effect of the photon energy and carbon source on the formation mechanisms and production yields of S-containing products (CS2, OCS, SO2, etc.). Results show that (1) the photo-induced OCS production efficiency in CO:H2S ice mixtures is higher than that of CO2:H2S ice mixtures; (2) a lower concentration of H2S enhances the production efficiency of OCS in both ice mixtures; and (3) the formation pathways of CS2 differ significantly upon VUV and EUV irradiations. Furthermore, CS2 was produced only after VUV photoprocessing of CO:H2S ices, while the VUV-induced production of SO2 occurred only in CO2:H2S ice mixtures. More generally, the production yields of OCS, H2S2, and CS2 were studied as a function of the irradiation photon energy. Heavy S-bearing compounds were also observed using mass spectrometry during the warm-up of VUV/EUV-irradiated CO:H2S ice mixtures. The presence of S-polymers in dust grains may account for the missing sulfur in dense clouds and circumstellar environments.


We study the effect of spin-flip scattering on the density of states in a long diffusive S-N junction with transparent interface. We calculate the critical value of the spin-flip scattering rate at which the minigap closes and give the dependence of the minigap on the spin-flip rate. For the system we consider, the minigap and the critical spin-flip rate have the scale of the Thouless energy, and not of the superconducting gap.


ObjectiveTo describe a syndrome of posterior segment intraocular inflammation
that causes visual loss in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
and cytomegalovirus retinitis. This syndrome was associated with immune recovery
mediated by combination antiretroviral treatment including protease inhibitors.DesignA case-control study at 2 university medical centers.ParticipantsOne hundred thirty patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
and cytomegalovirus retinitis were examined at 2 medical centers for 15 months.
In addition, the medical records of 509 patients examined at 1 center for
11 years before the initiation of protease inhibitor therapy were analyzed
retrospectively.ResultsFive patients with symptomatic vitritis and papillitis with cystoid
macular edema or epiretinal membrane formation were documented. In each patient
there was inactive cytomegalovirus retinitis that had not caused visual decrease
before the onset of inflammation. All patients had elevated CD4+
T lymphocyte levels (median increase, 86 × 106/L [86 cells/mm3]) after combination treatment including protease inhibitors. Two patients
with cystoid macular edema were treated with corticosteroids and had resolution
of the cystoid macular edema and an increase in visual acuity without reactivation
of the retinitis. Retrospective analysis failed to disclose similar patients
with intraocular inflammation in the era before the introduction of protease
inhibitors.ConclusionsThis newly described syndrome of posterior segment inflammation related
to cytomegalovirus retinitis is a cause of visual morbidity in patients with
acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. It is associated with increased immune
competence as a result of combined antiretroviral treatment with protease
inhibitors and may be amenable to corticosteroid therapy without reactivation
of retinitis.


The high prevalence of genital warts, human papillomavirus (HPV), and the virus's cancer-causing potential warrant that women be well informed about these conditions and measures to prevent them. The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine women's knowledge and beliefs about genital warts, HPV, cervical cancer, and Pap tests. We interviewed 40 women recruited from health clinics in Chicago (20 adults) and Indianapolis (20 adolescents) about these issues. Audiotapes of the interviews were transcribed and analyzed. Among both the adults and adolescents there was a good deal of misunderstanding about symptoms associated with genital warts, about the purpose of Pap smears, and about the association of genital HPV with abnormal Pap smears and cervical cancer. The gaps in women's understanding about this potentially deadly infection suggest the need for more comprehensive education about preventing genital HPV, the infection's possible sequelae, and the significance of Pap screening for cancer detection and prevention.


ABOUT five years ago, because of the large number of orbital deformities associated with war injuries, investigation was initiated of various products which offered possibilities as substitution materials in restoration of fractures of the orbital floor. A preliminary report was made concerning the use of glass wool. 1 Sufficient time has elapsed to permit a more thorough evaluation of this substance and its behavior in orbital tissues. I have been able to obtain from my own records and from those of surgeons who have sent me resumes of their own cases a total of 19 cases in which glass wool was implanted in the orbit or adjacent structures. In 10 of these, to the best of my knowledge, there have been no untoward effects. Since most of these cases represented war injuries and the patients-were treated in Army or Veterans hospitals, follow-up studies have been difficult, and it is quite


To remove low-frequency noise from data such as DC-bias from electromyo-grams (EMGs) or drift from force transducers, a high-pass filter was constructed from a low-pass filter of known characteristics. A summary of the necessary steps required to transform the low-pass digital were developed. Contaminated EMG and force platform data were used to test the filter. The high-pass filter successfully removed the low-frequency noise from the EMG signals. The high-pass filter was then cascaded with the low-pass filter to produce a band-pass filter to enable simultaneous high- and low-frequency noise reduction.


Using the Kuznetsov trace formula, we prove a spectral decomposition for the sums of generalized Dirichlet L-series. Among applications are an explicit formula relating norms of prime geodesics to moments of symmetric square L-functions and an asymptotic expansion for the average of central values of generalized Dirichlet L-series.


The thermal history that chondrites experienced on their parent body is an aspect of their petrological classification. However, in the classification scheme, metamorphic conditions are generally limited to the peak metamorphic temperature attained, while it is known that reconstruction of the genuine thermal evolution of any rock requires identification of various metamorphic factors, definition of the temperature-time path during metamorphism and characterization of the processes responsible for heating. Study of the brecciated Pultusk H chondrite shows that the meteorite comprises both low and high petrologic type material and should be classified as a H3.8–6 chondrite. Based on the textures and mineral and chemical composition, the thermal metamorphic history of the breccia is reconstructed and it is shown to be inconsistent with the petrologic classification; the textural maturation and degree of compositional equilibrium in the meteorite do not correspond to the temperatures attained. The metamorphic conditions are shown to be a function of the primary composition of the accreted minerals and of two metamorphic phases, progressive and retrogressive. First, a prograde phase led to textural maturation and equilibration of the chemical composition of silicates and oxides. The peak metamorphic temperatures were at least ~700oC for the type 3.8. and 4 material, and up to ~1000oC in H6 clasts i.e., sufficient to locally give rise to partial melting. The following retrograde metamorphism led to compositional re-equilibration of minerals and textural re-equilibration of minerals with partial melts. The cooling rate during retrograde metamorphism down to at least ~700oC was low, which allowed potassium feldspar to form patches in Na-plagioclase and pseudobrookite-armalcolite breakdown to form an association of ilmenite and rutile. The two-phase metamorphic evolution of the Pultusk breccia was the most likely the result of impact heating, which affected the parent body in its very early history.


A model of pulsed photothermal radiometry (PPTR) based on optical diffusion theory is presented for a turbid, two-layer, semi-infinite medium containing a surface layer whose optical absorption and scattering properties differ from that of the underlying layer. Assuming one-dimensional geometry, we develop expressions for the depth-dependent fluence distributions and radiant-energy-density profiles and for the time dependence of the PPTR signal. Experimental tests of the PPTR model in a series of layered phantoms of varying optical properties are described. The results of these tests are consistent with the model predictions.


In this debate about the value of introducing a supposed "practice-based view of strategy," we respond to Bromiley and Rau's defense of their approach. Coming from a background of two decades of research on strategy-as-practice, we focus on two major concerns about their initiative. The first is that the very use of the term "practice" would seem to obfuscate more than elucidate, especially given their definition of "practice" which strongly deviates from that already established in the social sciences generally. The second is that, by applying the term "practice" to strategy specifically, it becomes incumbent upon Bromiley and Rau to engage with and build upon the extensive practice-related strategy research that has gone before them.


Since the turn of the new millennium, there are positive trends indicating increasing interest in real estate as an asset class, especially by foreign investors. Despite the fall in real estate investment activities during the global financial crisis (Newell, Adair and McGreal, 2010), the momentum picked up shortly after that with renewed interest in cross-border investment activity by a wider range of investors and changing geographies. Also, the entrance of more significant market participants (Sovereign Wealth Funds, Endowment Funds, Investment Banks, etc.), the development of new real estate investment vehicles and the availability of debt financing also implies significant increases in available funds and interest in real estate investments. Furthermore, real estate investment especially the cross-border investment is mostly concentrated in prime locations, particularly the office markets, in the major global cities of London, New York, and Tokyo. This investor sentiment towards the prime location is enhanced in periods of crisis and uncertainty, for example, the 2007 global financial crisis. Existing studies argue that this trend results in a reduction in real estate diversification benefits especially in the international context as well as yield compression due to the availability of limited stocks. However, the established global cities continue to attract significant investment flows. This resilience of the global cities in attracting international real estate capital flows, albeit the increasing significance of real estate capital flows into emerging markets, has rekindled interest on the drivers of real estate capital flows and the performance of real estate markets in the global cities particularly the office market. Similarly, the increase in global uncertainties due to socio-economic and political trends, for instance, BREXIT, global conflicts and de-globalisation agendas highlight the need for more insights on the behaviour of international real estate capital flows.This research aims to identify and evaluate major factors influencing global capital flows and investments in real estate with specific reference to office markets in global cities. There is an extensive body of research pertaining to factors driving global real estate capital flows. However, this body of research mostly focuses on country-specific (pull) factors with little or no consideration for the role and significance of global factors on real estate capital


This thesis is part of an investigation project, which aims to improve the cooling efficiency of a tunnel kiln, in order to short the cooling section and make the process more efficient by saving energy and increasing the production of iron powder.The study carried out in this thesis has focused on the distribution of the airflow inside the cooling part of the furnace, depending on the different positioning of the impinging jets. In order to investigate it, a scale model of the kiln was build inside a wind tunnel laboratory and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations were done, in order to simulate similar conditions to the real case.During the experimental analysis, different measurements of the velocity profiles at the model had been carried out with Laser Doppler Anemometer (LDA) and hot film anemometer techniques. The obtained experimental results at the model had been used as boundary conditions for different CFD simulations, and for validating the obtained CFD results in the different computational models studied.As a result, it has been proved that depending on the different configuration of the jets, the distribution of the flow in the model is affected: decreasing the Bypass Effect and creating a more uniform distribution of the flow.


In December 1803, the South Carolina General Assembly voted to reopen the African slave trade, which operated in full force until it was federally banned in 1808. Approximately 75,000 slaves––nearly one-fifth of all slaves imported to North America––were imported during this short four-year span. Immediately before the trade reopened, the Medical Society of South Carolina advised state officials to relax quarantine measures for yellow fever. This advice was issued at a precipitous moment during an ongoing national debate over the contagiousness of yellow fever and whether or not it was imported. This paper examines the intersection between private interest and the state through the lens of public health. It suggests that the Medical Society of South Carolina––under the direction of Dr. David Ramsay––placed public health at risk in order to facilitate the slave trade by relaxing quarantine measures for yellow fever prior to its reopening.


Positive psychology is largely concerned with human qualities that have long been the subject of religious discussion and been encouraged through spiritual practices. We suggest that, rather than seeing positive psychology as replacing this earlier religious approach, it should be pursued in dialogue with it. We illustrate this with reference to work on forgiveness, gratitude, and hope in the Psychology and Religion Research Programme in the University of Cambridge. Though the recent upsurge of interest in therapeutic forgiveness has brought a welcome rigour to its investigation, there are still aspects of forgiveness that are better handled in the religious literature, such as the importance or receiving forgiveness. Building on recent psychological work on gratitude, we have been particularly interested in the hypothesized relationship between gratitude and subjective well-being, and have initiated research to investigate more rigorously whether there is indeed a causal connection between the two. Concerning hope, we suggest that the distinction between hope and optimism, often made by religious thinkers, could usefully be imported into the psychological literature, as much of what is called hope may really only be optimism. We have also considered, using Snyder's theory of hope, how religious faith can contribute to human hope.


Cord blood (CB) has emerged as a potential source of hematopoietic stem cells for patients who are in need of hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). The authors analyzed the Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Consortium's (PBMTC) data of consecutive unrelated CB transplants performed during the initial 2 years of using placental blood grafts. From January 1995 to December 1996 PBMTC performed a total of 44 unrelated CB transplant for a variety of diseases consisting of acute leukemias (n = 29), congenital conditions (n = 9), and bone marrow failure (n = 6). There were 15 females and 29 males with median age of 5 years (range 0.4-20.6 years) and median weight of 18.2 kg (range 6.3-70 kg). The median volume of CB units was 80 mL (range 44.5-215 mL) and the median cell dose given was 4.3 x 10(7)/kg of recipient weight (range 1.1-23 x 10(7)/kg). Techniques used for human leukocyte antigen (HLA) matching were serologic typing for class I HLA antigens and high-resolution molecular typing for HLA-DRB1 alleles. HLA disparities were as follows: 4 were 6/6 matches, 21 were 5/6, 15 were 4/6, and 4 were 3/6. Twenty-nine (66%) of CB units were DRB1 matched with recipients. Conditioning regimens consisted of either total body irradiation containing (n = 31) or chemotherapy only (n = 11) regimens. All but 3 patients receive cyclosporine as part of graft vs. host disease (GvHD) prophylaxis in combination with either methotrexate (MTX) or methylprednisolone (Pred). The other 3 patients had FK506 and MTX for GvHD prophylaxis. Myeloid engraftment (absolute neutrophil count > or = 500) occurred at a median of 21 days (range 10-43 days) and platelet > or = 50,000/mm3 was noted at a median of 44 days (range 16-102 days). Eight patients died too early (< day + 28) for evaluation of engraftment (5 for infection, 2 for multiorgan failure, 1 for toxic epidermolysis). The probability of having grade II-IV acute GvHD for all patients was 44 +/- 0.7%. The incidence of a GvHD is similar for 4/6 and 5/6 antigen when DRB1 matched, at 47 and 52%, respectively. Chronic GvHD was noted in 28% of patients surviving > 90 days. The Kaplan-Meier estimate of 4-year event-free survival was 43%. A Cox model for analysis of factors associated with survival was DRB1 matching, p = .001; cell dose, p = .009; and younger age, p = .03. In conclusion, CB transplant offers a good alternative to bone marrow transplant Although GvHD occurs, it is usually of low severity despite the high frequency of multiple HLA antigen mismatches. It also appears that a 4/6 is as good as a 5/6 matched antigen CB unit when DRB1 matched especially in the pediatric setting.


Stress testing has become one of the key prudential tools for Central Banks and Regulators following the financial crisis in the US, Europe and UK during 2007-2009. That period highlighted the inadequacy of regulatory reliance on Internal Ratings Based models that ultimately calculated Risk Weighted Asset requirements for setting capital buffers. Such models, which, amongst other things, were used to calculate the Probabilities of Default (PD's), the Loss Given Default (LGD) and the Exposure at Default (EAD) for Credit Risk and the Value at Risk for Market Risk based on historical experience, were open to mis-calibration and/or deliberate gaming by firms. The crisis forced regulators in the affected countries to establish a new way of trying to assess the riskiness of banks' portfolios that would measure wider economic risks and interlinkages in the system, and also be forward looking in its approach. The result was a new system of regulatory stress testing that aimed to combine the macro-economic top-down assessment of the economic system, with the micro-economic bottom-up analysis of individual firms. It has since become the key tool in setting capital buffers for individual firms, whilst also being used to highlight model and data weaknesses and identify key risk issues for Supervisors to focus on. In addition, stress testing is now also used to support assessments of threats to financial stability and in testing out the impact of central banking policy changes across the wider markets. As such, it is important to understand how supervisory stress testing evolved from the recent financial crisis, and to take stock of the developments that have occurred over the last few years, during which stress testing has become a key part of the annual setting of capital buffers and supervisory strategies. This paper therefore aims to summarise the key elements of stress testing regulatory regimes that have been set up in the three major global centres that suffered most during the crisis, and to consider what has been learnt in the last few years of running these processes. It will also look at how this information can help those Central Banks and Regulators who are in the process of building up or improving their stress testing processes to develop their frameworks whilst taking into account the experiences of the three key regulators most affected by the crisis.


Methane (CH4) oxidation is the only known biological sink process for mitigating atmospheric and terrestrial emissions of CH4, a major greenhouse gas. Methane oxidation in an alluvial soil planted to rice (Oryza sativa L.) under long-term application of organic (compost with a C/N ratio of 21.71), and mineral fertilizers was measured in a field-cum-laboratory incubation study. Oxidation rates were quantified in terms of decrease in the concentration of CH4 in the headspace of incubation vessels and expressed as half-life (t(1)2) values. Methane oxidation rates significantly differed among the treatments and growth stages of the rice crop. Methane oxidation rates were high at the maximum tillering and maturity stages, whereas they were low at grain-filling stage. Methane oxidation was low (t(1)2) = 15.76 d) when provided with low concentration of CH4. On the contrary, high concentration of CH4 resulted in faster oxidation (t(1)2) = 6.67 d), suggesting the predominance of "low affinity oxidation" in rice fields. Methane oxidation was stimulated following the application of mineral fertilizers or compost implicating nutrient limitation as one of the factors affecting the process. Combined application of compost and mineral fertilizer, however, inhibited CH4 oxidation probably due to N immobilization by the added compost. The positive effect of mineral fertilizer on CH4 oxidation rate was evident only at high CH4 concentration (t(1)2 = 4.80 d), while at low CH4 concentration their was considerable suppression (t(1) = 17.60 d). Further research may reveal that long-term application of fertilizers, organic or inorganic, may not inhibit CH4 oxidation.


Although magnetic data are the primary evidence for ocean floor spreading, the processes by which magnetic phases in ocean floor basalts are formed remain poorly constrained. Scanning transmission electron microscopic observations show that magnetic single-domain magnetite in sheeted dike basalts of Deep Sea Drilling Project hole 504B formed through oxidation-exsolution of ilmenite, exsolution of ulv�spinel lamellae, and recrystallization of end-member magnetite by interaction with convecting fluids. The data suggest that the sheeted dike basalts, with single-domain magnetite as an efficient and stable magnetic carrier, contribute significantly to sea-floor magnetism.


Daylighting with light-shelf is not a simple strategy. Therefore, this research aims to investigate how far the application of light-shelf can block direct sunlight and how much the distribution of daylight at office rooms is produced.
This research is a simulation using EnergyPlus from OpenStudio. Data as measurement results collected from on-site research were used as the validation base of the simulations both with multiple light shelves and without multiple light shelves.
The building orientation is toward north east (azimuth 51°), and the result showed that using multiple light shelves on the building was able to distribute evenly the intensity of natural lighting into the rooms. On the edge of the windows, there has been change of the light intensity which was previously too bright (from 925 Lux at 5 p.m. for the lowest and 7200 Lux at 9 a.m. for the highest; to 460 Lux at 5 p.m. for the lowest and 1400 Lux at 12.00 p.m. for the highest). Besides, the use of multiple light shelves was also able to lower the room temperature particularly at rush hours starting from 9.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. where the biggest difference of the temperature occurred at 3.00 p.m. (between 29.1 °C and 28.4 °C in which the temperature decreased 0.7 °C). These aforementioned facts have given contribution to the efficiency of energy used in AC while the main benefit of this research is developing knowledge about daylighting in architectural design particularly in passive design method.


Being regarded as the new paradigm for Internet communication, Web Services have introduced a large number of new standards and technologies. Though founding on decades of networking experience, Web Services are not more resistant to security attacks than other open network systems. Quite the opposite is true: Web Services are exposed to attacks well-known from common Internet protocols and additionally to new kinds of attacks targeting Web Services in particular. Along with their severe impact, most of these attacks can be performed with minimum effort from the attacker's side. In this paper we present a list of vulnerabilities in the context of Web Services. To proof the practical relevance of the threats, we performed exemplary attacks on widespread Web Service implementations. Further, general countermeasures for prevention and mitigation of such attacks are discussed.


The study of biomolecules in their native environments is a challenging task because of the vast complexity of cellular systems. Technologies developed in the last few years for the selective modification of biological species in living systems have yielded new insights into cellular processes. Key to these new techniques are bioorthogonal chemical reactions, whose components must react rapidly and selectively with each other under physiological conditions in the presence of the plethora of functionality necessary to sustain life. Herein we describe the bioorthogonal chemical reactions developed to date and how they can be used to study biomolecules.


Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) contribute to the establishment of plant disease resistance by regulating downstream signaling components, including transcription factors. In this study, we identified MAPK-interacting proteins, and among the newly discovered candidates was a Cys-2/His-2-type zinc finger protein named PtiZFP1. This putative transcription factor belongs to a family of transcriptional repressors that rely on an ERF-associated amphiphilic repression (EAR) motif for their repression activity. Amino acids located within this repression motif were also found to be essential for MAPK binding. Close examination of the primary protein sequence revealed a functional bipartite MAPK docking site that partially overlaps with the EAR motif. Transient expression assays in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) protoplasts suggest that MAPKs promote PtiZFP1 degradation through the 26S proteasome. Since features of the MAPK docking site are conserved among other EAR repressors, our study suggests a novel mode of defense mechanism regulation involving stress-responsive MAPKs and EAR repressors.


Postmortem examinations have been reimbursed under Part A of Medicare and as a reimbursable expense of the pathology department by Blue Cross. As diagnostic-related group reimbursement is implemented, hospitals are likely to cut costs by reducing the number of autopsies. Third-party payers representing the private sector will protect the interests of their subscribers or clients by excluding autopsies from coverage. To preserve the clearly demonstrable benefits that the autopsy has for the community, it will be necessary to include the autopsy as a cost of research and education. There are other costs that traditionally have been subsidized by insurance that must also be shifted to research and education. The challenge for the College of American Pathologists is to work with those with similar interests to develop funding separate and distinct from health insurance.


Colombia negotiated bilateral Trade Agreements (TAs) with the United States and with the MERCOSUR region (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay). Colombian cattle and beef interest groups argue that TAs hurt the local beef supply chain. We employ a partial equilibrium framework to assess the impact of these TAs on the welfare of cattle producers, beef marketers and meat consumers in Colombia. Our results suggest that with free imports of chicken parts from the U.S, beef consumption and retail prices of beef both decrease and the derived demand and prices of fed cattle decrease. With beef imports from the MERCOSUR region, domestic beef prices and beef production fall, but total beef consumption increases. Overall, consumers are better off and there are net gains to society with free trade agreements. These net gains tend to increase over time, as Colombia gradually decreases the tariff for imported beef. We identify the reduction in marginal costs required to compete with imported beef, primarily from MERCOSUR. We argue that this is possible because the elimination of trade barriers is gradual and the Colombian beef supply chain can compete with imported meats with an annual reduction of marginal costs between 2 and 4%.


Objective: Traditional saturation analysis on competitive location decision science focuses on diminishing returns for incumbents and newcomers in a specific spatial location pertaining to commercial retail potential past a certain point of market saturation. Methods/Findings: This study looks at this problem but employs a different approach to the subject altogether, wherein saturation is no longer a variable affecting only retailers but one that affects both: the marginal utility of consumers and the revenue of retailers albeit differently. A new mathematical model is proposed based on selected papers, contributing new insight into an already widely discussed subject. Application: Analysis shows that it is important for competitive location decision-making to address saturation from both sides of the overall competitive location decision issue, not just from the retailers' standpoint.


In the modern era, the institution of literature is being reconceived across Europe as a national institution. But the new paradigm of national literatures requires a remaking of literary discourse, including the transformation of critical terminology, and this results in literary discourse becoming politicized. By analyzing the history of the term libozvučnost (melodiousness) in the Czech national literary revival, David L. Cooper demonstrates how this seemingly innocent literary term became a political lightening rod for friends pursuing the same national program. This strongly suggests that, in the formative era of national literatures, using literary issues to discuss politics is not simply a matter of instrumentalizing literary criticism for covert political activity but that discussing literary values is directly political. The example of libozvučnost also reveals how the "borrowed" discourses of Romanticism and nationalism were fundamentally remade to respond to the modern Czech situation.


Search queries may reveal quite sensitive information about the querier. Even though many queries are not directly associated with a particular person, it has been argued that the IP addresses and cookies of the users can often be sufficient to figure out who the querier is, especially if tied to information from ISPs regarding IP address assignments at the time of the relevant query. Given that the queries have been subject to discovery both by various governments and third parties, there has been great concern for how to keep such queries private. A typical approach to such privacy legislation, especially in Europe, has been to require either destruction of the data so that it is no longer available for discovery, or anonymization so that it cannot be associated with a particular person. This solution has never been proposed for personal data such as medical information used by doctors or financial information used by credit agencies. Instead, there seems to be an assumption about these types of data that their long-term storage is necessary and/or beneficial to the individual associated with them, or at least to society at large. The framework for maintaining the privacy of these data turns on safeguards where it is being held, user control of its retention and accuracy, and strict legal limitations regarding its discovery. This article briefly reviews a few legal frameworks for data protection both in the U.S. and in Europe. It presents several arguments that the deletion or anonymization of search query data is problematic, and describes a framework similar to the way we handle health data that is more beneficial to all stakeholders. Such an approach would lead to a more uniform solution to data protection in which maintaining search query privacy would not sacrifice the benefits of long term, confidential storage of the data.


With the widespread popularity of social media, particularly Facebook among millennials, this generation may be at risk for developing Facebook Addiction. This study utilized a crosssectional predictive design to predict the variance of the psychological predictors, in relation to Facebook addiction tendencies among 1,000 Filipino millennials, age ranges from 18-34 years old from different universities and companies within Metro Manila through convenience sampling. Regression analysis was used to determine if Facebook addiction can be predicted by the scores on the measures of depression, self-esteem, Fear of Missing Out (FoMO), social comparison and neuroticism. Results indicated that there is no significant difference in terms of Facebook addiction tendencies between male and female participants. Additionally, Pearson's correlations revealed that depression and FoMo has significant positive relationship with Facebook addiction tendencies while self-esteem and social comparison showed negative influence with having tendencies towards Facebook addiction. Neuroticism had no significant relationship with Facebook addiction. Regression analysis model delineated that among the psychological predictors, only Depression and FoMO could possibly predict Facebook addiction tendencies. Results suggest that the more depressed the individual is, the more likely they exhibit Facebook addiction tendencies and the higher the individual experiences FoMO, the more likely he develops Facebook addiction.


There have been many studies done on the issue of women's political participation in Mexico, women organized in urban and in other kind of social movements but few of these studies have focused on the individual level trying to find out the perception of these women on issues basic for any democracy like citizenship, rights, participation, political influence and political culture. The study of these perceptions is relevant in order to measure the progress made by women in the realm of the public space. And also to find out which are the mechanisms that make women participate across variables of age, class, ethnicity and class belonging. Finally, this is a way to explore if the pre-conditions for democratization are there and if these have to do with gender variables.


Prepared rare-earth La modified amorphous ribbon by doping Rare-earth La in Fe78Si9B13 amorphous alloy. Investigated rare-earth content and temperature, as well as their influence on the magnetic induction effect and it's amplitude. The results show that, when magnetic field is less than 1356 A / m, with the increase of Rare-earth content ,the magnetic induction effect first increased and then decreased, when the magnetic field strength greater than 1356 A / m, the Rare-earth content influence little on magnetic induction effect , changing amplitude of magnetic induction effect shows first increased and then decreased with increasing Rare-earth content; temperature influence little on the magnitude of magnetic induction effect.


In IEEE 802.15.3 wireless personal area networks (WPANs), the acknowledgement (ACK) mechanism has significant impact on the throughput. In this paper, we propose a channel adaptive ACK (CA-ACK) mechanism where an ACK is selectively transmitted depending on wireless channel conditions to maximize the throughput. Specifically, an ACK is transmitted only when the frame error rate (FER) is greater than a predefined threshold. By developing an analytical model, we derive an appropriate threshold for given payload size and data rate. Simulation results demonstrate that CA-ACK improves the throughput adaptively to channel conditions.


To solve the problem of the enormous expenses of this resource discovery in the field of grid, on the basis of hierarchical structure, this paper puts forward a strategy for grid resources discovery and admittance based on comprehensive index method. The basis of this strategy is a kind of grid model based on hierarchical structure The strategy synthetically considers two factors: execution cost and execution time of grid jobs, and conducts multiattribute comprehensive assessment on state of the resources that declare actively to join the gird. On the premise of conducting resources discovery smoothly, this strategy can establish corresponding sub-grid aimed at reducing the expenses of the grid jobs. The results show that the proposed strategy can optimize the computing expenses and capability. Eventually simulation environment is established so that the feasibility and validity can be validated.


An essential component of visually guided navigation is the ability to perceive features of the environment that afford or constrain movement. For example, in indoor environments, walls limit one's potential routes, while passageways facilitate movement. Here we attempt to identify the cortical mechanisms that encode such navigational features. Specifically, we test the hypothesis that scene-selective regions of the human brain represent navigational affordances in visual scenes. In an fMRI experiment, subjects viewed images of artificially rendered rooms that had identical geometry as defined by their walls, but varied on the number (one to three) and position (left, right, center) of spatial passageways (i.e., open doorways) connected to them. Thus, the layout of these passageways defined the navigable space in each scene. Several versions of each layout were shown, each with the same set of passageways but different textures on the walls and floors. Furthermore, half the rooms were empty except for the walls and passageways, while the other half included visual clutter in the form of paintings along the walls, which were similar in size and shape to the passageways. Images were presented for 2 seconds while subjects maintained central fixation and performed an unrelated color-discrimination task on two dots overlaid on each scene. Using multivoxel-pattern analysis, we sought to identify representations of navigational layout that were invariant to other visual properties of the images. This analysis revealed consistent and invariant coding of navigational layout in the occipital place area (OPA), a scene-selective region near the transverse occipital sulcus. In this region, scenes elicited similar activation patterns if they had similar navigational layout, independent of changes in texture or the presence of visual clutter (i.e., paintings on the walls). These findings suggest that the OPA encodes representations of navigational affordances that could be used to guide movement through local space. Meeting abstract presented at VSS 2015.


The meander of the River Rhine at the Swiss-German hydropower plant Rheinau suffers from residual flow (5 m 3 /s vs. 372 m 3 /s mean flow). As a consequence, fish and benthic communities have shifted from lotic to lentic, and ubiquous species are more abundant. The simulation model CASiMiR, linking hydraulic and morphological conditions (water depth, flow velocity, near-bottom hydraulic forces) with ecological requirements of fish and benthos, was applied to assess habitat suitability for lotic species. Various scenarios of discharge and changes in the operation of two additional weirs located within the residual water stretch were considered. Model calculations showed that good quality habitats can be achieved either by significantly increasing residual flow and unchanged weir position (90-130 m 3 /s) or by lowering the weirs and moderately increasing discharge (20-70 m 3 /s). Seasonal variation in discharge and additional ecomorphological restoration are further options to optimize the living conditions for aquatic fauna. The suggested technical operation of the weirs allows an additional 60-70 m 3 /s to the turbines without lowering the habitat availability for fish indicator species. Hence, it can reduce the loss of energy production from about 30 to 6 % (other feasible measures such as additional turbines using the provided residual discharge are. not implied). In conclusion, such hydraulic habitat simulations can quantify the ecological impacts of technical alternatives and enable an objective, appropriate balance of ecological and economic benefits. Therefore, this kind of investigation may mitigate the controversy among stakeholders.


Studies of the c-myc promoter have shown that efficient transcription initiation at the P2 start site as well as the block to elongation of transcription require the presence of the ME1a1 protein binding site upstream of the P2 TATA box. Following fractionation by size exclusion chromatography, three protein-ME1a1 DNA complexes, a, b, and c, were detected by electrophoretic mobility shift assay. A cDNA encoding a protein present in complex c was isolated by screening of an expression library with an ME1a1 DNA probe. This cDNA was found to encode the human homolog of the Drosophila Cut homeodomain protein. The bacterially expressed human Cut (hu-Cut) protein bound to the ME1a1 site, and antibodies against hu-Cut inhibited the ME1a1 binding activity c in nuclear extracts. In cotransfection experiments, the hu-Cut protein repressed transcription from the c-myc promoter, and this repression was shown to be dependent on the presence of the ME1a1 site. Using a reporter construct with a heterologous promoter, we found that c-myc exon 1 sequences were also necessary, in addition to the ME1a1 site, for repression by Cut. Taken together, these results suggest that the human homolog of the Drosophila Cut homeodomain protein is involved in regulation of the c-myc gene.


After a long dry spell where lenders, servicers, and end-customers were unwilling to try new ideas, it appears that a corner has been turned and innovation is becoming the new trend in mortgage tech. With looming political tailwinds, consumer preference shifts, and disruptive technologies like blockchain, the mortgage landscape will continue to be transformed in 2017 and beyond. Expect to see more innovation and consolidation as mortgage service companies place their bets for the coming "liftoff" in eMortgage.


In their Comment [Phys. Rev. E 62, 8842 (2000)] Szalai et al. use the "Fourier-transform-convolution method" to correct the two three-body integrals entering our algebraic perturbation theory for polar fluids [Phys. Rev. E 59, 5085 (1999)]. We present an alternative analytical calculation of these integrals that is more transparent than that of Szalai et al. Compared with the original expression for the dielectric constant [Phys. Rev. E 59, 5085 (1999)] the corrected one demonstrates a better agreement with the simulation data for low and moderate values of the coupling constant.


The case of China's non-market economy treatment at the WTO might be the typical case where (economic) reality outdoes (legal) theory or, perhaps, expectations. By 2001, when the WTO let China in, its Protocol of Accession (PoA) included special trade remedies provisions regarding China's economic model. Today, China and other members fight fiercely at WTO, and elsewhere, over the validity and scope of some PoA's expired rules that set out the commitments by which -arguably- China was expected to become a market economy by December 2016. Aimed at contributing to the debate, this paper analyzes and thus proposes elements for a reform to the WTO's trade remedies legal framework, so as to solve those conflicts by means of multilateral negotiations in lieu of complex judicial adjudications. Negotiation is hence suggested as the most legitimate, pragmatic, and long-lasting means to ensure the preservation of the trade remedies mechanism. Otherwise, the use of de facto measures, coupled with increasing bilateral disputes, shall steadily undermine its creditworthiness.


The examination of the application of multiple regression analysis as a tool for modelling real estate aspects has been the object of several research papers. The latter mainly target to the explanation of commercial and residential property values and rental prices through the statistical analysis of their characteristics. The aim of this paper is to examine the possibility of using multiple regression analysis for explaining rental prices of commercial property in the Greek property market. The results of the analysis are subsequently compared with similar studies referring to the international property market. The relevant available literature has been thoroughly examined the factors which affect commercial and especially office rental prices have been identified and a pragmatic survey has been conducted for the selection of the factors, which were going to be considered for the creation of the statistical model. The final selection of the variables of the model was additionally determined by restrictions and limitations imposed by the nature of the factors, the availability of the data and most important by the limited time available for the study. The sample used for the statistical analysis derived from Athens city centre, where data are easier to acquire and respective transactions are representative of the market. The final regression model was acquired based on a sound statistical analysis, in order for a satisfactory explanatory level to be achieved. Alternative forms of analysis have also been attempted, such as of log-linear models or introduction in the linear regression model of alternative sets of variables. It should be noted that several factors with a potentially significant explanatory power have been omitted from the analysis, due to time restrictions and the increased complexity involved in the data collection. This fact has dictated the need for the presentation of potential alternatives and additions to the model, which could provide improved results and consist, thus the object of future research. The paper concludes with general comments on the Greek property market, an overview of its evolution during the past years, the expected growth and the way that these can be reflected in similar analyses and statistical models, incorporating the factor time as well.


The current theory of alternating-current electro-osmosis (ACEO) is unable to explain the experimentally observed flow reversal of planar ACEO pumps at high frequency (above the peak, typically 10-100 kHz), low salt concentration (1-1000 microM) , and moderate voltage (2-6 V), even taking into account Faradaic surface reactions, nonlinear double-layer capacitance, and bulk electrothermal flows. We attribute this failure to the breakdown of the classical Poisson-Boltzmann model of the diffuse double layer, which assumes a dilute solution of pointlike ions. In spite of low bulk salt concentration, the large voltage induced across the double layer leads to crowding of the ions and a related decrease in surface capacitance. Using several mean-field models for finite-sized ions, we show that steric effects generally lead to high-frequency flow reversal of ACEO pumps, similar to experiments. For quantitative agreement, however, an unrealistically large effective ion size (several nanometers) must be used, which we attribute to neglected correlation effects.


In line with the popularity of the Internet and the development of search engine, users request information through web-based services. Although general-purpose searching such as one provided by Google is powerful, searching mechanism for specific purposes could rely on metadata. In distance learning (or e-learning), SCORM provides an efficient metadata definition for learning objects to be searched and shared. To facilitate searching in a federated repository, CORDRA provides a common architecture for discovering and sharing Learning Objects. We followed SCORM and CORDRA specifications to develop a registry system, called the MINE Registry, for storing and sharing 20,738 Learning Objects created in the past five years. As a contribution, we propose the concept of "Reusability Tree" to represent the relationships among relevant Learning Objects and enhance CORDRA. We further collect relevant information, while users are utilizing Learning Objects, such as citations and time period persisted. The feedbacks from the user community are also considered as critical elements for evaluating significance degree of Learning Objects. Through theses factors, we propose a mechanism to weight and rank Learning Objects in the MINE Registry, in addition to other external learning objects repositories. As a practical contribution, we provide a tool called "Search Guider" to assist users in finding relevant information in Learning Objects based on individual requirements.


ABSTRACT Lactic acid bacteria have been used as starter strains in the production of fermented dairy products for centuries. Most of the dairy products contain lactic acid bacteria, but also other bacteria involved as contaminant microflora. We explored the microbial content of home-made dairy products and those purchased from the market. In our study twenty-six pure cultures were isolated. The isolated strains were investigated by a set of physiological and molecular-genetic methods for their accurate species identification and genotyping. From the microorganisms, involved in fermentation and ripening of dairy products with proven health benefits to human, in studied foods predominated Lactobacillus delbrueckii, Lactobacillus helveticus and Lactobacillus plantarum. Another part of the isolated strains, representatives of the genus Kluyveromyces, Rhodotorula and Candida were contaminant microflora, as a result of poor hygiene in the manufacture and storage of the dairy products. Some of these strains were isolated from commercially available dairy products. The obtained results raise again the question about the efficacy of microbiological quality control and food safety.


Vertebrates possess different types of retinal specializations that vary in number, size, shape, and position in the retina. This diversity in retinal configuration has been revealed through topographic maps, which show variations in neuron density across the retina. Although topographic maps of about 300 vertebrates are available, there is no method for characterizing retinal traits quantitatively. Our goal is to present a novel method to standardize information on the position of the retinal specializations and changes in retinal ganglion cell (RGC) density across the retina from published topographic maps. We measured the position of the retinal specialization using two Cartesian coordinates and the gradient in cell density by sampling ganglion cell density values along four axes (nasal, temporal, ventral, and dorsal). Using this information, along with the peak and lowest RGC densities, we conducted discriminant function analyses (DFAs) to establish if this method is sensitive to distinguish three common types of retinal specializations (fovea, area, and visual streak). The discrimination ability of the model was higher when considering terrestrial (78%-80% correct classification) and aquatic (77%-86% correct classification) species separately than together. Our method can be used in the future to test specific hypotheses on the differences in retinal morphology between retinal specializations and the association between retinal morphology and behavioral and ecological traits using comparative methods controlling for phylogenetic effects.


Retrograde jejunal intussusception is a rare disease. A 60-year-old female patient was hospitalized due to vomiting for 2 days, with a history of radical gastrectomy plus esophagus jejunum Rouxs-en-Y. On examination, there was a palpable wax-like mass on the left-hand side underneath the umbilicus. Computerized tomography scan showed a proximal jejunal intussusception. During surgery, the distal jejunum was found set into the proximal jejunum for a length of 30 cm, and bowel necrosis was also observed. The necrotic tube was resected and anastomosis was performed. Four days after the surgery, gastrointestinal function resumed. After a 10-month follow-up, the patient had no discomfort.


The purpose of this thesis was to implement complex optimization techniques developed in the aerospace industry for structural optimization of offshore wind turbine support structures. The OpenMDAO (Multidisciplinary analysis and optimization) framework developed by NASA (Na- tional Aeronautics and Space Administration) was used to develop a structural optimization pro- gram in combination with a finite element solver in order to reduce the weight of the support structure. The analysis is based on a bottom-fixed tower-jacket support structure. A selection of three different algorithms and two different analysis methods were developed and tested in a case study. Two of the algorithms were programmed to optimize both jacket and tower simultaneously, and one sequentially. Due to the complexity of the support structure, the simultaneous optimization gave larger weight reduction than the sequential optimization. One of the two simultaneous opti- mization algorithms used a two-stage approach. In the first stage the structure had both an upper and lower constraint for stress and fatigue damage. In the second stage, only an upper constraint for fatigue damage and stress was used. At the same time the relative dimensional ratio from the first stage was preserved. This algorithm performed best in terms of weight reduction. Both of the simultaneous optimization algorithms were recommended for further development.


This paper presents a case-based Windows graphic package developed by the authors for the education and training ofpower system restoration. In order to overcome the inherent complexities associated with a restoration switching sequence, a case-based reasoning (CBR) algorithm has been developed. An object-oriented Windows-based graphical user interface (GUI) has been developed to communicate with the expert system and to visualize outputs. Simulation results on a part of the Saskatchewan Power (SaskPower) network have been presented in this paper. The restoration practices of the SaskPower network have been collected and stored in a knowledge database called case library. The power flow and the implementation risk analysis tools have been incorporated into the expert system. A risk analysis tool has been used to determine the implementation risk due to the imperfect switching actions. Using the GUI, a user can simulate a blackout event on the system under study. The expert system proposes a restoration proposal after reasoning with the past solutions available in the case library. Using the power flow analysis tool, the user can check the system scenarios after the restoration proposal is implemented.


Earlier analyses of transitions from licensed practical nurse (LPN) to registered nurse (RN) in the North Carolina (NC) nursing workforce in terms of 11 categorical predictors were limited by not considering parsimonious classifications based on these predictors and by substantial amounts of missing data. To address these issues, we formulated adaptive classification methods. Secondary analyses of data collected by the NC State Board of Nursing were also conducted to demonstrate adaptive classification methods by modeling the occurrence of LPN-to-RN transitions in the NC nursing workforce from 2001-2013. These methods combine levels (values) for one or more categorical predictors into parsimonious classifications. Missing values for a predictor are treated as one level for that predictor so that the complete data can be used in the analyses; the missing level is imputed by combining it with other levels of a predictor. An adaptive nested classification generated the best model for predicting an LPN-to-RN transition based on three predictors in order of importance: year of first LPN licensure, work setting at transition, and age at first LPN licensure. These results demonstrate that adaptive classification can identify effective and parsimonious classifications for predicting dichotomous outcomes such as the occurrence of an LPN-to-RN transition.


This paper presents a comparative study of adaptive control approaches for Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) z-axis gyroscope, adaptive controller and adaptive sliding mode controller are proposed respectively and compared in the simulation. The proposed adaptive control approaches can estimate the angular velocity and the damping and stiffness coefficients including the coupling terms due to the fabrication imperfection. The stability of the closed-loop systems are established with the proposed adaptive control strategies. Numerical simulations are investigated to verify the effectiveness of the proposed control schemes. It is shown that adaptive sliding mode control has better robustness in the presence of model uncertainties and external disturbance than adaptive control.


Collective migration of cells is of fundamental importance for a number of biological functions such as tissue development and regeneration, wound healing and cancer metastasis. The movement of cell groups consisting of multiple cells connected by cell-cell junctions depends on both extracellular and intercellular contacts. Epithelial cell assemblies are thus regulated by a cross-talk between cell-substrate and cell-cell interactions. Here, we investigated the onset of collective migration in groups of cells as they expand from a few cells into large colonies as a function of extracellular matrix (ECM) protein coating. By varying the amount of ECM presented to the cells, we observe that the mode of colony expansion, as well as their overall geometry, is strongly dependent on substrate adhesiveness. On high ECM protein coated surfaces, cells at the edges of the colonies are well spread exhibiting large outward-pointing protrusive activity, whereas cellular colonies display more circular and convex shapes on less adhesive surfaces. Actin structures at the edge of the colonies also show different organizations with the formation of lamellipodial structures on highly adhesive surfaces and a pluricellular actin cable on less adhesive ones. The analysis of traction forces and cell velocities within the cellular assemblies confirm these results. By increasing ECM protein density, cells exert higher traction forces together with a higher outward motility at the edges. Furthermore, tuning cell-cell adhesion of epithelial cells modified the mode of expansion of the colonies. Finally, we used a recently developed computational model to recapitulate the emergent experimental behaviors of expanding cell colonies and extract that the main effect of the different cell-substrate interactions is on the ability of edge cells to form outward lamellipodia-driven motility. Overall, our data suggest that switching behaviors of epithelial cell assemblies result in a tug-of-war between friction forces at the cell-substrate interface and cell-cell interactions.


The possibility that Daunoxome (DNX), a combination of daunorubicin (DNR) with a liposomal targeting system, escapes PGP was tested. Two pairs of leukaemic cell lines, each consisting of the parental non‐multidrug resistance (MDR) line and of a MDR variant, were studied for cytotoxicity (MTT test) and for cellular DNR kinetic and accumulation (flow cytometry). DNX and free DNR were equally toxic against non‐MDR cells, whereas the liposomal anthracycline was more toxic than the free drug against the MDR variant. Non‐MDR cells accumulated DNR more rapidly when they were exposed to free DNR than to DNX, but MDR cells accumulated more DNR when they were exposed to DNX. The kinetics of DNX and free DNR were also studied in the blast cells of 41 cases of acute leukaemia and they were found to be related to blast cell PGP expression. In 15 cases with a low PGP expression intracellular DNR accumulation was faster and higher with free DNR than with DNX. In 26 cases with a high PGP expression the area under the curve was similar with DNX and free DNR, but the kinetics of intracellular DNR accumulation showed an early low plateau with free DNR and a slow and continuous increase with DNX. In MDR cell lines the ratio was more favourable to DNX than to free DNR. We conclude that liposome encapsulated DNR is partially protected from PGP and that it is worth testing for the treatment of PGP‐positive acute leukaemia.


From an initial spontaneous drawing on the back of a cigarette carton and through a series of subsequent drawings, a defendant, who shot and killed his victim before five witnesses, was granted a complete psychiatric examination on the findings of the drawing analysis. He was evaluated as a paranoid schizophrenic and eventually was acquitted but found insane and committed to a state hospital for treatment. His drawings indicated his threatened sexual identity through a disturbed body image while his movement from reality to disintegration and back is evidenced in corresponding crystalline and fragmentary form productions. The case points out the significance of drawings for psychiatric examination and evidence where they are available. An outline and discussion is appended of the history of the determination of criminal responsibility. Language: en


Fowl have a body composition that is dominated by moisture, protein and fat while carbohydrate, minerals and vitamins represent a small part. Protein, carbohydrate, minerals and vitamins are related one to the other within the aqueous framework of the whole carcass and their proportions vary little. However, most of the fat is compartmentalized within adipocytes and extensive change in its amount may occur by simply displacing cytoplasm which is largely water. Fat represents the greatest variable in the body composition of fowl. In poultry, body fat changes with age, sex, genetics and nutrition in a manner parallel to other animals. However, anatomical and physiological idiosyncrasies that exist to accommodate egg formation have a direct bearing on lipid metabolism and the extent of variation of associated reserves. T h e present paper will briefly describe the main factors concerned with changes in body fat, then examine these idiosyncrasies and speculate on their mechanism of influence.


Introduction: Superficial mycoses refer to the disease of skin, hair and nail caused by fungi, are a serious problem due to deficient sanitation and education. This group includes dermatophytoses, non dermatophytic molds and Candida spp. Microscopic detection of fungal elements using wet mount preparation of 10% and 40% potassium hydroxide (KOH) is a rapid and precise tool for laboratory diagnosis. Objectives: This retrospective study was conducted to evaluate the sensitivity of wet preparation direct microscopy using potassium hydroxide for early detection of fungal elements from various clinical specimens and thereby helping the clinicians in initiating the appropriate antifungal treatments. Materials and Methods: All clinical specimen like skin and nail scrapping from patients suspected of superficial mycoses were subjected to KOH examination for screening and detection and positive samples were cultured on SDA (Sabouraud's Dextrose Agar) medium for identification. Results: A total of 5734 samples of clinically suspected patients of superficial mycoses attended the tertiary care teaching hospital between September 2013 and August 2017 were included. 3165 patients (55%) were found to be positive by KOH examination. In the present study the most common clinical type was tinea cruris (74.3%) followed by tinea corporis (22.6%) in the patients attending tertiary health care centre. Conclusion: Clinical finding and wet mount with KOH can be believed upon as the single most important rapid and sensitive tool for early diagnosis of superficial mycoses. Since there is a high incidence of superficial mycoses in rural people coming to the tertiary heath care facilities therefore preventive and early screening measures are need of hours.


—We have long treated communication and social assessment as related but separate domains. Theorizing by George Herbert Mead on "the social self" offers an alternative to this conceptual separation and a means of evaluating children's social interaction, social participation, and communication simultaneously. This article describes Mead's thinking and presents a framework for assessing children's social reciprocity, interactive stances, and role participation as they participate in everyday life contexts.


The paper discusses the findings of a study designed to increase the generalisability, validity and reliability of earlier studies concerning the relationships between attitude toward the ad and aspects of the advertising hierarchy of effects model in the online marketing context. The findings suggest that the traditional advertising hierarchy of effects model is relevant in the online marketing environment, and that investment in online marketing communication can be evaluated using this stable and reliable method. It is, however, suggested that further research is needed to improve the generalisability of the findings.