Robots that perform complex manipulation tasks must be able to generate strategies that make and break contact with the object. This requires reasoning in a motion space with a particular multi-modal structure, in which the state contains both a discrete mode (the contact state) and a continuous configuration (the robot and object poses). In this paper we address multi-modal motion planning in the common setting where the state is high-dimensional, and there are a continuous infinity of modes. We present a highly general algorithm, Random-MMP, that repeatedly attempts mode switches sampled at random. A major theoretical result is that Random-MMP is formally reliable and scalable, and its running time depends on certain properties of the multi-modal structure of the problem that are not explicitly dependent on dimensionality. We apply the planner to a manipulation task on the Honda humanoid robot, where the robot is asked to push an object to a desired location on a cluttered table, and the robot is restricted to switch between walking, reaching, and pushing modes. Experiments in simulation and on the real robot demonstrate that Random-MMP solves problem instances that require several carefully chosen pushes in minutes on a PC.


GPU and multicore hardware architectures are commonly used in many different application areas to accelerate problem solutions relative to single CPU architectures. The typical approach to accessing these hardware architectures requires embedding logic into the programming language used to construct the application; the two primary forms of embedding are: calls to API routines to access the concurrent functionality, or pragmas providing concurrency hints to a language compiler such that particular blocks of code are targeted to the concurrent functionality. The former approach is verbose and semantically bankrupt, while the success of the latter approach is restricted to simple, static uses of the functionality. This paper presents an extension to an existing actor-based programming model and runtime to support executing applications on parallel hardware architectures. Besides the glove-like fit of a kernel to the actor abstraction, quantitative code analysis shows that actor-based kernels are always significantly simpler than API-based coding, and generally simpler than pragma-based coding. The structuring of applications in this manner, enables the runtime to automate the initialisation and interaction with these parallel hardware platforms. Performance measurements show that the overheads of actor-based kernels are commensurate to API-based kernels, and range from equivalent to vastly improved for pragma-based annotations, both for sample and real-world applications.


The aim of this thesis is the development of a political economy of large accounting and
auditing firms. The importance of this lies in the rapid growth of these firms and the lack
of appropriate theories. Economists have applied the theory of the firm to accounting and
have approached auditing from agency and litigation costs perspectives, while
sociologists have studied the culture of accounting firms and approached auditing using
concepts such as 'legitimation' and 'jurisdiction'. These approaches do not recognise
that to do justice to the subject matter, we must study accounting firms in the broader
context of accounting and its many conceptual and practical problems. These include the
conceptual framework, auditor independence, the audit expectations gap, creative
accounting, and fraud. To study the accounting firm within the context of accounting the
thesis develops a political economy approach that emphasises conflict between investors,
managers, workers, and the state. This approach proves helpful because it encompasses
all accounting and auditing problems within a framework that recognises agency and
links together the profits of accounting firms with their legitimation.
The method adopted is the development of a theory of the profits of accounting firms and
a model of factors driving auditor independence. Following Bryer, the thesis develops
the theory from Marx's Capital by combining his analyses of 'bookkeeping' and
'commercial capital'. The theory highlights that as capitalist enterprises accounting firms
compete with all other capitalist firms for a share of surplus value, as well as competing
with other accounting firms. However, the political economy approach also highlights
the essential contradiction in accounting: that measuring and disclosing profits can
exacerbate the 'labour danger'. The provocative character of accounting means that
disguise of profits is part of its nature, but that this must co-exist with the contradictory
need for accurate, objective measurement of profits. The model therefore suggests that
the role accounting firms play in disguise is the key to understanding their behaviour. It
predicts that as the level of profits and labour militancy rises, so do investors' demand for
disguise. However, because investors need disguise, auditors cannot have full
independence, and the thesis concludes that this explains why auditing is within the
private sector. Its general conclusion is that rather than being a principle, auditor
independence is a variable driven by investors' needs and the capitalist tactics of
accounting firms.
The thesis derives and tests two behavioural predictions. First, that accounting firms will
exhibit the same types of behaviour as other capitalist firms. Second, the auditor does not
act independently. The thesis tests these predictions with evidence of accounting firms'
mergers and profit margins (1986 to 1995), the changes introduced in the US to increase
auditor independence (2001 to 2003), and the change to limited liability partnership
status (2004 to 2007) in the UK. The high levels of profits disclosed by the LLP
accounting firms and the close relationship between mergers and profit margins support
the hypothesis that accounting firms adopt capitalist tactics. The wide-ranging debates
(1995 to 2005) and changes to auditor independence rules introduced by SEC and
Sarbanes-Oxley support the hypothesis that claims of auditor independence are untrue,
and that the level of audit independence is a variable. The thesis proposes further
development of the theory through historical research and formalising the model.


BACKGROUND
Prior to graduation, students often express an interest to advance clinical and professional skills in teaching, research, administration, and various niche practice areas. The acquisition of advanced education in selected areas of practice is believed to improve employment opportunities, accelerate career advancement including eligibility for professional certifications, and contribute to personal satisfaction in the profession.

PURPOSE
The purpose of this paper is to (1) describe an innovative model of education, the Directed Practice Experience (DPE) elective, that incorporates a student-initiated learning process designed to achieve student-identified professional goals, and (2) report the outcomes for graduates who have completed the DPE in an entry-level program in physical therapy education.

METHODS
Students who met select criteria were eligible to complete a DPE. Applicants designed a 4- to 6-week clinical education experience consisting of stated rationale for personal and professional growth, examples of leadership and service, and self-directed objectives that are beyond entry-level expectations as measured by the revised Physical Therapist Clinical Performance Instrument, version 2006.

RESULTS
Twenty-six students have completed DPEs since 2005. Fifty percent resulted in new academic partnerships. At least 25% of graduates now serve as clinical instructors for the entry-level program. Those who participated in DPEs have also completed post-graduate residencies, attained ABPTS Board certifications, authored peer-reviewed publications, and taught in both PT and residency programs.

CONCLUSION
The DPE model allows qualified students to acquire advanced personal skills and knowledge prior to graduation in areas of professional practice that exceed entry-level expectations. The model is applicable to all CAPTE accredited physical therapy education programs and is especially beneficial for academic programs desiring to form new community partnerships for student clinical education.


In this paper,a two-way winding-beam space-harmonic excitation beam string under the action of the dynamic response has been studied to capture the dynamic response of the structure of the law, identify the structure of the weak components,and for the design and construction to provide the necessary theoretical data. Using ANSYS finite element software to numerical analysis and reduced scale quarter ratio of model test research methodology to study,using experimental test results and finite element numerical analysis of mutual authentication.Numerical analysis taking into account the geometric non-linear structure,carried out static analysis,modal analysis,harmonic analysis and transient response time-history analysis. Experimental studies of the dynamic signal acquisition and analysis and processing, through the comparative analysis of data, master of the winding space for a two-way steel beam string dynamic response law obtained structural response of the frequency response range,weak location and distribution of components of type of structural design and construction process were proposed.


In an attempt to protect their intellectual property and compete effectively in an increasingly dynamic marketplace, software publishers have employed a number of preventive and deterrent controls to counter software piracy. Conventional wisdom suggests that reducing piracy will force consumers to acquire software legitimately, thus increasing firm profits. We develop an analytical model to test the implications of antipiracy measures on publisher profits. Our results suggest that preventive controls decrease profits and deterrent controls can potentially increase profits. Empirical results are also presented that support the proposition on the impact of deterrent controls on the extent of software piracy derived from the analytical model.


Millions of scrap tires are generated annually in the United States and threaten the environmental and public health. Coconut fiber is a biodegradable agricultural waste that is plentiful in many tropical countries. Using these two materials would make the world a better place environmentally. Experiments were done to determine the shock absorption properties of these two materials. A 1-inch thick layer of crumb rubber (shredded scrap tires) with four different grain sizes of 6-14 mesh, 10-30 mesh, 50-80 mesh, and 80-200 mesh reduced impact acceleration from a base value by 15.49%, 20.79%, 31.22% and 38.47%, respectively. Crumb rubber with smaller grain size absorbed shock better than crumb rubber with larger grain size. In a similar study, 1-inch thick coconut fiber reduced impact acceleration from the same base value by 46.44%, 41.89% and 36.13% at 0% (room dry), 100% and 200% water contents, respectively. Coconut fiber is more effective in shock absorption when it contains less water.


Several studies discuss about the difference in the amount of applied force from a simultaneous two homonymous limb contraction compared to the sum of individual one-limb contractions, this is known in the literature as bilateral deficit phenomenon. The purposes of our revision were 1) to examine and classify the main factors affecting to bilateral deficit, 2) to determine the influence of strength training on this, and, 3) to recommend strategies to improve performance of the neuromuscular system in different conditions (bilateral and unilateral). Cochrane, Ibecs, Lilacs, Medline, Pedro and Scielo databases were searched from 1991 to 2014. Studies must conform to the definition of bilateral deficit. A total of 45 studies were included. The underlying mechanisms of bilateral deficit are not fully clear, the physical fitness condition could be a high influence factor (Howard and Enoka, 1991, J Appl Physiol (1985), 70(1), 306–16). Moreover the two-limb unilateral training increases the bilateral deficit (Weir et al., 1997, J Orthop Sports Phys Ther,25(4), 264–70), but the two-limb bilateral training decreases this phenomenon (Janzen et al., 2006, Eur J Appl Physiol,97(3), 253–60). Therefore, the main mechanisms responsible for the bilateral deficit were classified into biological and mechanical factors. Additionally, the plasticity of the bilateral deficit is mainly influenced by the execution (bilateral or unilateral) performed during the training protocol. Understanding the bilateral deficit and bilateral facilitation as two situations in which a subject can trigger a loss of strength when performing different tasks, took us to hypothesise the bilateral optimisation. The aim of this would be to achieve through strength training an optimal situation between bilateral and unilateral force relationship. Because numerous studies have shown relationships between force loss and increased risk of injury, this hypothesis could help to reduce these potential risk situations.


Abstract In a rapidly changing Australian health care environment, providers of undergraduate nursing programs are continually upgrading their assessment methods to ensure that graduates are competent and safe to practice. Competence assessment is based on the existing Australian Nursing & Midwifery Council (ANMC) Competency Standards for Registered Nurses. It is acknowledged that there are issues surrounding the validity and reliability of current assessment methods, primarily due to organisational constraints both at the University and the service provider level.There are a number of highly reliable tools available that enable assessment of nursing students in the psychomotor domain. Assessment in other domains is less precise.This paper explores some of the issues relating to competence assessment processes in order to promote discussion and discourse between educators, facilities and policy makers. It is envisaged that increased debate will result in an enhanced level of academic and clinical preparation for the upcoming nursing workforce in this country.


We apply coarse-to-fine MCMC to perform Bayesian inference for a seismic monitoring system. While traditional MCMC has difficulty moving between local optima, by applying coarse-to-fine MCMC, we can adjust the resolution of the model and this allows the state to jump between different optima more easily. It is quite similar to simulated annealing. We will use a 1D model as an example, and then compare traditional MCMC with coarse-to-fine MCMC and discuss the scaling behavior.


The carbohydrate nature of the lectin GHA was studied using Western Blotting * (Concanavalin A as a carbohydrate indicator) coupled with Amido Black staining (as a protein indicator). GHA is composed of two molecules: GHA la and GHA lb used in Western Blotting and Amido Black staining. In the presence of Concanavalin A, non-deglycosylated GHA la and lb produce bands. Upon cleavage by PNGase F, GHA la and lb show an Amido Black band and the absence of a Concanavalin A-sensitive band. These results show GHA to be an N-linked glycoprotein whose carbohydrate has a mass of ~ 2500 Da (~10 hexose units). Unexpected results indicated that reduced GHA la and lb contain a carbohydrate-rich doublet. This Concanavalin A-sensitive doublet disappeared upon deglycosylation, implying covalent linkage. Amido Black does not stain the doublet. Peak 3 and Pre a are not related to the GHA la and lb doublet. Peak 2 showed a carbohydrate-rich doublet that runs faster than the GHA la and lb doublet. The doublet found for Peak 2 is also not sensitive to Amido Black staining. Further data are needed to determine the source of the carbohydrate-rich GHA la and lb doublet and its effects.


In this paper we explore how functional and anatomical constraints and resource optimization could be combined to obtain a canonical cortical micro-circuit and an explanation for its laminar organization. We start with the assumption that cortical regions are involved in Bayesian Belief Propagation. This imposes a set of constraints on the type of neurons and the connection patterns between neurons in that region. In addition there are anatomical constraints that a region has to adhere to. There are several different configurations of neurons consistent with both these constraints. Among all such configurations, it is reasonable to expect that Nature has chosen the configuration with the minimum wiring length. We cast the problem of finding the optimum configuration as a combinatorial optimization problem. A near-optimal solution to this problem matched anatomical and physiological data. As the result of this investigation, we propose a canonical cortical micro-circuit that will support Bayesian Belief Propagation computation and whose laminar organization is near optimal in its wiring length. We describe how the details of this circuit match many of the anatomical and physiological findings and discuss the implications of these results to experimenters and theorists.


Concerns about diminishing fossil fuel reserves along with global warming effects caused by increasing levels of CO2 in the atmosphere are driving society toward the search for new renewable sources of energy that can substitute for coal, natural gas and petroleum in the current energy system. Lignocellulosic biomass is abundant, and it has the potential to significantly displace petroleum in the production of fuels for the transportation sector. Ethanol, the main biomass-derived fuel used today, has benefited from production by a well-established technology and by partial compatibility with the current transportation infrastructure, leading to the domination of the world biofuel market. However, ethanol suffers from important limitations as a fuel (e.g., low energy density, high solubility in water) than can be overcome by designing strategies to convert non-edible lignocellulosic biomass into liquid hydrocarbon fuels (LHF) chemically similar to those currently used in internal combustion engines. The present review describes the main routes available to carry out such deep chemical transformation (e.g., gasification, pyrolysis, and aqueous-phase catalytic processing), with particular emphasis on those pathways involving aqueous-phase catalytic reactions. These latter catalytic routes achieve the required transformations in biomass-derived molecules with controlled chemistry and high yields, but require pretreatment/hydrolysis steps to overcome the recalcitrance of lignocellulose. To be economically viable, these aqueous-phase routes should be carried out with a small number of reactors and with minimum utilization of external fossil fuel-based hydrogen sources, as illustrated in the examples presented here.


The antioxidative action of amphiphilic mono-(alkanoylamino) ethyldimethylamine-N-oxides (EDA), di-N-oxides 1,1-bis{[2-(N,N-dimethylamino)ethyl]amido}alkane-di-N-oxides (MEDA) and 1,1-bis {[3(N,N-dimethylamino)propyl]amido}alkane-di-N-oxides (MPDA) with a 12and 14-membered acyl chain against tert-butylhydroperoxide (TBHP)-produced peroxyl and paraquat (PQ)-generated superoxide radicals was determined in superoxide dismutase-deficient mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and, in parallel, in a chemical assay based on chemiluminescence changes caused in a luminol system by peroxyl radicals generated from the azo-compound 2,2 ́-azobis(2-amidinopropane dihydrochloride) (AAPH). At 30 μmol/L, the shorter-chain compounds did not affect strain survival while longer-chain ones, in some cases, lowered the survival of sod2 and sod1 sod2 cells. Whether nontoxic or medium-toxic, all N-oxides protected the sod strains against the toxic effect of PQ and TBHP, the protection being stronger with the di-N-oxides. The survival was lowered only by 14-MPDA in the TBHP-exposed sod2 mutant. Membrane lipids isolated from all strains were protected against TBHP-induced peroxidation by both monoand di-N-oxides, the protection being dependent on the alkyl chain length. Mono-N-oxides were again less active than di-N-oxides with the same alkyl chains, the antiperoxidative activity being also dependent on lipids isolated from the individual mutants. In the chemiluminescence assay, the IC50 value of the N-oxides for scavenging of radicals generated from AAPH generally decreased (i.e. the scavenging efficiency increased) with increasing chain length and was the highest in MEDA.


Suranjan (colchicum) is one of the prime drugs used for arthritis in Unani System of Medicine. Two varieties of the drug are available in the market under the name of Suranjan; one is Suranjan Shirin ( Colchicum autumnale ) and the other is Suranjan Talkh ( Colchicum luteum) . The two varieties are often confused with each other due to morphological resemblance. So there is a need to set a distinction between these two varieties of Suranjan. For this purpose the marker compound (Total Alkaloid Content) were estimated quantitatively and the High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) was conducted on both the drugs. 3 g of the powdered drug was extracted in petroleum ether and dissolved in 6 mL of 75% ethanol to yield test sample. Methanol at a flow rate of 1 mL/min was used as a standard. The peaks eluted were detected at 254 nm and compared with the authentic standard at 3.2 min of retention time. The colchicine concentration was found to be higher in Suranjan Talkh (0.21%) as compared to the Suranjan Shirin (0.15%). Therefore the present study offers a phytochemical concentration criterion, namely, colchicine content to distinguish between Suranjan Shirin ( Colchicum autumnale ) and Suranjan Talkh ( Colchicum luteum ).


SUMMARY It is the common opinion of Whig historians, and not a few recent revisionists, that James VII and II undermined the parliamentary cultures of England and Scotland before the revolution of 1688–89. At the extreme end of this approach he is declared to have usurped parliamentary authority in a drive for absolute power. Some of this is now seen as rhetorical exaggeration but James certainly developed a particular understanding of the power of parliaments in relation to monarchy. In some respects this was a return to a late medieval Stewart and Tudor outlook, that of James V of Scotland and Henry VIII of England, which saw parliaments as the personal vehicles of royal authority. The difficulty for James, of course, was that the Scottish and English Parliaments had become 'modernized' over the seventeenth century, growing a strong sense of independence and legitimacy as representative institutions. In this essay both the practical engagement James had with Scottish affairs and his philosophical opinions as revealed in his own writings will be explored in an attempt to better define this monarch's view of the Scottish Parliament and its workings. Through this, his reactions to the notions of unionism and nationalism will become more apparent.


Purpose: Hizikia fusiforme is renowned for the possession of anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. In this study, the role of the ethyl alcohol extract of H. fusiforme (EAHF) in the induction of apoptosis in human leukemia U937 cells was investigated. Methods: Protein expression was investigated by Western blot analysis. Cell viability and apoptosis were analyzed by an MTT assay and flow cytometric analysis. Caspase activity was analyzed using a caspase-specific kit. Results: EAHF suppressed the proliferation of U937 cells in a dose-dependent manner. This effect was closely related to the induction of apoptosis via the downregulation of IAP family members such as IAP-1, IAP-2 and XIAP, as well as Bcl-2 proteins. The results also showed that caspases play an essential role in EAHF-induced apoptosis by generating of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In addition, ROS scavenging by N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) and glutathione (GSH) decreased EAHF-induced apoptosis via the suppression of caspase activity. Although EAHF induced the phosphorylation of mitogenactivated protein kinases (MAPKs), treatment with MAPK inhibitors did not affect EAHF-induced apoptosis. Conclusion: These results suggest that EAHF induces apoptosis in U937 cells via ROS-dependent caspase activation. Keywords: Hizikia fusiforme , Apoptosis, Caspase, Reactive oxygen species


The ORF3 protein of hepatitis E virus (HEV), the precise cellular functions of which remain obscure, was used in a yeast two-hybrid screen to identify its cellular binding partners. One of the identified interacting partners was fibrinogen Bbeta protein. The ORF3-fibrinogen Bbeta interaction was verified by co-immunoprecipitation and fluorescence resonance energy transfer in mammalian cells. Fibrinogen is a hepatic acute-phase protein and serves as a central molecule that maintains host homeostasis and haemostasis during an acute-phase response. Metabolic labelling of ORF3-transfected HuH-7 cells showed that secreted as well as intracellular levels of fibrinogen were decreased in these cells compared with vector-transfected controls. Northern hybridization and RT-PCR analyses revealed that the mRNA levels of all three chains of fibrinogen, Aalpha, Bbeta and gamma, were transcriptionally downregulated in ORF3-transfected cells. The constitutive expression of fibrinogen genes can be significantly upregulated by interleukin (IL)-6, an important mediator of liver-specific gene expression during an acute-phase response. Transcription of fibrinogen genes after IL-6 stimulation was less in ORF3-expressing cells compared with controls. This report adds one more biological function to, and advances our understanding of, the cellular role of the ORF3 protein of HEV. The possible implications of these findings in the virus life cycle are discussed.


Purpose: The authors investigated the reliability of myotonometry-measured muscle tone in the thenar and perineal muscles. Methods: Participants were women aged 18-50 years who were asymptomatic for thumb and pelvic floor dysfunction (interrater study n=20; intrarater study n=43) or who were symptomatic for vulvodynia (interrater study n=14; intrarater study n=32). Mechanical properties (stiffness, frequency, decrement, relaxation time, and creep) of the muscles were measured using a myotonometer (MyotonPRO) while the muscles were in a relaxed state. Measures were performed twice by two assessors. Intra- and interrater reliability were determined using intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) and absolute reliability using the standard error of measurement and a minimum detectable change. Results: The primary property of interest, muscle stiffness, showed very good interrater (ICC 0.85-0.86) and intrarater (ICC 0.82-0.88) reliability in the thenar eminence. In the perineal muscles, reliability results ranged from good to very good for interrater (ICC 0.70-0.86) and intrarater (ICC 0.80-0.91) reliability for muscle stiffness. Absolute reliability was confirmed, with all measures showing minimal variance. Conclusions: Muscle stiffness of the smaller muscles of the body can be reliably measured using the MyotonPRO. The device could be used as a reference standard in the development of a digital palpation scale that would facilitate accurate diagnosis of muscle tone.


Similarity search in general metric spaces is a key aspect in many application fields. Metric space indexing provides a flexible indexing paradigm and is solely based on the use of a distance metric. No assumption is made about the representation of the database objects. Nowadays, ever-increasing data volumes require large-scale distributed retrieval architectures. Here, local and global indexing schemes are distinguished. In the local indexing approach, every resource administers a set of documents and indexes them locally. Resource descriptions providing the basis for resource selection can be disseminated to avoid all resources being contacted when answering a query. On the other hand, global indexing schemes are based on a single index which is distributed so that every resource is responsible for a certain part of the index. For local indexing, only few exact approaches have been proposed which support general metric space indexing. In this paper, we introduce RS4MI—an exact resource selection approach for general metric space indexing. We compare RS4MI with approaches presented in literature based on a peer-to-peer scenario when searching for similar images by image content. RS4MI can outperform two exact general metric space resource selection schemes in case of range queries. Fewer resources are contacted by RS4MI with—at the same time—more space efficient resource descriptions.


Poor air quality has been projected to be the world's top cause of environmental premature mortality by 2050 surpassing poor sanitation and dirty water (IGBP / IGAC press release, 2012 ). One of the major challenges of air quality management is how to adequately quantify both the spatial and temporal variations of pollutants for the purpose of implementing necessary mitigation measures. The work described in this thesis aims to address this problem using novel electrochemical based air quality (AQ) sensors. These instruments are shown to provide cost effective, portable, reliable, indicative measurements for urban air quality assessment as well as for personal exposure studies.
Three principal pollutants CO, NO and NO2 are simultaneously measured in each unit of the AQ instrument including temperature / RH measurements as well as GPS (for time and position) and GPRS for data transmission.
Laboratory studies showed that the electrochemical sensor nodes can be highly sensitive, showing linear response during calibration tests at ppb level (0-160 ppb). The instrumental detection limits were found to be < 4 ppb (CO and NO) and < 1 ppb for NO2 with fast response time equivalent to t90 < 20 s.
Several field studies were carried out involving deployment of both the mobile and static electrochemical sensor nodes. Results from some short-term studies in four different cities including Cambridge (UK), London (UK), Valencia (Spain) and Lagos (Nigeria) are presented. The measurements in these cities represent snapshot of the pollution levels, the stark contrast between the pollution level especially CO (mean mixing ratio of 16 ppm over 3 hrs) in Lagos and the other three cities is a reflection of the poor air quality in that part of the world.
Results from long-term AQ monitoring using network of 46 static AQ sensors were used to characterise pollution in different environments ranging from urban to semi-urban and rural locations. By coupling meteorological information (wind measurements) with pollution data, pollution sources, and phenomena like the street canyon effect can be studied. Results from the long-term study also revealed that siting of the current fixed monitoring stations can fail to represent the actual air quality distribution and may therefore be unrepresentative.
This work has shown the capability of electrochemical based AQ sensors in complementing the existing fixed site monitors thus demonstrating an emerging measurement paradigm for air quality monitoring and regulation, source attribution and human exposure studies.


Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by synovial inflammation that can lead to structural damage of cartilage, bone and tendons. Assessing the inflammatory activity and the severity is essential in RA to help rheumatologists in adopting proper therapeutic strategies and in evaluating disease outcome and response to treatment. In the last years musculoskeletal (MS) ultrasonography (US) underwent tremendous technological development of equipment with increased sensitivity in detecting a wide set of joint and soft tissues abnormalities. In RA MSUS with the use of Doppler modalities is a useful imaging tool to depict inflammatory abnormalities (i.e. synovitis, tenosynovitis and bursitis) and structural changes (i.e. bone erosions, cartilage damage and tendon lesions). In addition, MSUS has been demonstrated to be able to monitor the response to different therapies in RA to guide local diagnostic and therapeutic procedures such as biopsy, fluid aspirations and injections. Future applications based on the development of new tools may improve the role of MSUS in RA.


A major difficulty for currently existing theories of inductive inference involves the question of what to do when novel, unknown, or previously unsuspected phenomena occur. In this paper one particular instance of this difficulty is considered, the so-called sampling of species problem. The classical probabilistic theories of inductive inference due to Laplace, Johnson, de Finetti, and Carnap adopt a model of simple enumerative induction in which there are a prespecified number of types or species which may be observed. But, realistically, this is often not the case. In 1838 the English mathematician Augustus De Morgan proposed a modification of the Laplacian model to accommodate situations where the possible types or species to be observed are not assumed to be known in advance; but he did not advance a justification for his solution. In this paper a general philosophical approach to such problems is suggested, drawing on work of the English mathematician J. F. C. Kingman. It then emerges that the solution advanced by De Morgan has a very deep, if not totally unexpected, justification. The key idea is that although 'exchangeable' random sequences are the right objects to consider when all possible outcome-types are known in advance, exchangeable random partitions are the right objects to consider when they are not. The result turns out to be very satisfying. The classical theory has several basic elements: a representation theorem for the general exchangeable sequence (the de Finetti representation theorem), a distinguished class of sequences (those employing Dirichlet priors), and a corresponding rule of succession (the continuum of inductive methods). The new theory has parallel basic elements: a representation theorem for the general exchangeable random partition (the Kingman representation theorem), a distinguished class of random partitions (the Poiss-on-Dirichlet process), and a rule of succession which corresponds to De Morgan's rule.


The development of power plants focuses on increasing the parameters of water coolants up to a supercritical level. Depressurization of the unit circuits with such a coolant leads to emergency situations. Their scenarios can change significantly with the variation of initial pressure and temperature before the start of depressurization. When the pressure drops from the supercritical single-phase region of the initial thermodynamic parameters of the coolant, either the liquid boils up, or the vapor is condensed. Because of the rapid pressure decrease, the phase transition can be non-equilibrium that must be taken into account in the simulation. In the present study, an axisymmetric problem of the outflow of a water coolant from the pipe butt-end is considered. The equations of continuity, momentum and energy for a two-phase homogeneous mixture are solved numerically. The vapor and liquid properties are calculated using the TTSE software package (The Tabular Taylor Series Expansion Method). On the basis of the computer complex LCPFCT (The Flux-Corrected Transport Algorithm) the program code was developed for solving numerous problems on the depressurization of vessels or pipelines, containing superheated water or gas under high pressure. Different variants of outflow in the external model atmosphere and generation of waves are analyzed. The calculated data on the interaction of pressure waves with a barrier are calculated. To describe phase transitions, an asymptotic relaxation model of nonequilibrium evaporation and condensation has been created and tested.


Assessment of the phenolic content of red grapes is an important prerequisite for understanding how grape phenols impact wine quality. The inf luence of selected factors on extraction efficiency of phenols from eight different red grape cultivars was investigated to determine a rapid and robust extraction method. The effects of solvent contact time, extraction temperature, and concentration of ethanol and hydrochloric acid on extraction of total phenols and anthocyanins were investigated in a series of statistically designed factorial experiments. The results were compared to the "total" concentrations as measured by a modified "total" extraction protocol and the data were expressed as relative extraction efficiencies. Both extraction temperature and concentration of the solvents ethanol and hydrochloric acid exerted highly significant effects on the extraction of both total phenols and anthocyanins. The optimized extraction procedure was as follows: mix 50% v/v acidified aqueous ethanol (0.1 M HCl) in a 1:1 v/w ratio with crushed grapes to give a final ethanol of ~25% v/v for 5 min at 40oC, followed by neutralization and clarification. By this rapid procedure, it was possible to extract an average 81.8% of the total phenols and 91.5% of the anthocyanins from the grapes.


It is now recognised that redox control of proteins plays an important role in many signalling pathways both in health and disease. Proteins can undergo a wide variety of oxidative post-translational modifications (oxPTM); while the reversible modifications are thought to be most important in physiological processes, non-reversible oxPTM may contribute to pathological situations and disease. The oxidant is also important in determining the type of oxPTM (chlorination, nitration, etc.), and the susceptibilities of residues vary depending on their structural location. The best characterized oxPTMs involved in signalling modulation are partial oxidations of cysteine to the disulfide, glutathionylated or sulfenic acid forms, but there is increasing evidence that specific oxidations of methionine and tyrosine may have some biological roles. Well understood examples of oxidative regulation include protein tyrosine phosphatases, e.g. PTP1B/C, and members of the MAPK pathways such as MEKK1 and ASK1. Transcription factors such as NFkB and Nrf-2 are also regulated by redox-active cysteines. Improved methods for analysing specific oxPTMs in biological samples are critical for understanding the physiological and pathological roles of these changes, and tandem or MS3 mass spectrometry techniques interfaced with nano-LC separation are being now used. MS3 fragmentation markers for a variety of oxidized residues including tyrosine, tryptophan and proline have been identified, and a precursor ion scanning method that allows the selective identification of these oxPTMs in complex samples has been developed. Such advances in technology offer potential for biomarker development, disease diagnosis and understanding pathology.


graphic journal of phallic images was performed by the authors. RESULTS: Phallika (penis processions) of ancient Greece were festivals honoring the god of wine, Dionysis where the phallus was prominently displayed. Aristotle, in the Poetics states that comedy plays originated from these "phallic processions". In the city of Tynavos, on the first day of Lent (spring-time), the annual Bourani phallic festival occurs. 00Clean Monday00 is a day of merry making with many sexual and love symbols displayed, combined with a traditional Greek folk festival and dances. Big vats of spinach soup (Bourani) are made and served to 00initiates00 while people dance and sing lewd songs, surrounded by phallic shaped bread, cups, candy, and thrones. Initiates kiss phallic symbols and drink tsipouro. In Japan, the Kanamara Matsuri festival, "Festival of the Steel Penis" is held on the first Sunday in April, at the Kanayama Shinto Shrine, in Kawasaki. The festival dates back to the Edo era in the 16 century. Phallic images abound, with penis shaped candy, fruits, vegetables,hats, and many giant phallic statues. The main event is the mikoshi (portable shrine) parade, where penis sculptures (wood and steel) are carried to the shrine. Offerings are made for a good harvest and fertility. The festival has become a tourist attraction and is now used to raise money for HIV research. Legend behind the festival is that a jealous sharp-toothed demon fell in love a women, who spurned his love. The jealous demon hid inside her vagina and bit off the husband0s penis on their wedding night. The local blacksmith fashioned an steel dildo for the women e the demon broke all his teeth and fled. The Kanayama Shrine was popular with sex workers from local tea houses praying for protection from sexually transmitted infections. The Shrine also offers divine protection for an easy delivery, marital harmony and fertility. CONCLUSIONS: The Spring time phallus festivals/ processions of the 00Steel Penis00 and "Bourani" occupy special spaces in Japanese and Greek cultures.


The origin of rings around giant planets remains elusive. Saturn's rings are massive and made of 90–95% of water ice with a mass of ~10 kg. In contrast, the much less massive rings of Uranus and Neptune are dark and likely to have higher rock fraction. According to the so-called "Nice model", at the time of the Late Heavy Bombardment, giant planets could have experienced a significant number of close encounters with bodies scattered from the primordial Kuiper Belt. This belt could have been massive in the past and may have contained a larger number of big objects (Mbody=10 22 kg) than what is currently observed in the Kuiper Belt. Here we investigate, for the first time, the tidal disruption of a passing object, including the subsequent formation of planetary rings. First, we perform SPH simulations of the tidal destruction of big differentiated objects (Mbody=10 21 and 10 kg) that experience close encounters with Saturn or Uranus. We find that about 0.1–10% of the mass of the passing body is gravitationally captured around the planet. However, these fragments are initially big chunks and have highly eccentric orbits around the planet. In order to see their long-term evolution, we perform N-body simulations including the planet's oblateness up to J4 starting with data obtained from the SPH simulations. Our N-body simulations show that the chunks are tidally destroyed during their next several orbits and become collections of smaller particles. Their individual orbits then start to precess incoherently around the planet's equator, which enhances their encounter velocities on longer-term evolution, resulting in more destructive impacts. These collisions would damp their eccentricities resulting in a progressive collapse of the debris cloud into a thin equatorial and low-eccentricity ring. These high energy impacts are expected to be catastrophic enough to produce small particles. Our numerical results also show that the mass of formed rings is large enough to explain current rings including inner regular satellites around Saturn and Uranus. In the case of Uranus, a body can go deeper inside the planet's Roche limit resulting in a more efficient capture of rocky material compared to Saturn's case in which mostly ice is captured. Thus, our results can naturally explain the compositional difference between the rings of Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.


C. S. Lewis is one of the most influential and beloved Christian writers of the past century, and interest in him grows as books about his fantasy, fiction, and biography continue to appear. Although Lewis's personal journey was a deeply philosophical search for the most adequate worldview, the few extant books about his Christian philosophy focus on specific topics rather than his worldview as a whole. In this book, Michael Peterson develops a comprehensive, coherent framework for understanding Lewis's Christian worldview—from his arguments from reason, morality, and desire to his ideas about Incarnation, Trinity, and Atonement. All worldviews address fundamental questions about reality, knowledge, human nature, morality, and meaning. Peterson therefore examines Lewis's Christian approach to these same questions in interaction with other worldviews. Accenting that the intellectual strength and existential relevance of Lewis's works rest on his philosophical acumen as well as his Christian orthodoxy—which he famously called "mere Christianity"—Peterson skillfully shows how Lewis's Christian thought engages a variety of important issues raised by believers and nonbelievers alike, including: the problem of evil and suffering, the problem of religious diversity, the problem of meaning, the relation of prayer and providence, the relation of science and religion, and the nature of humanity. Just as Lewis was gifted in communicating philosophical ideas and arguments in an accessible style, Peterson has artfully crafted a major contribution to Lewis scholarship which will interest specialists and benefit the general reader.


Airborne Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) has been used extensively to model the topography of the Earth surface by emitting laser pulses and measuring the distance (range) between the LiDAR sensor and the illuminated object as well as the backscattered laser energy (intensity). Nowadays, airborne LiDAR systems operating in near-infrared spectrum are also gaining a high level of interest for surface classification and object recognition. Nevertheless, due to the system- and environmental- induced distortions, airborne LiDAR intensity data requires
certain correction and normalization schemes to maximize the benefits from the collected data. The first part of the thesis presents a correction model for airborne LiDAR intensity data based on the radar (range) equation. To fill the gap in current research, the thesis introduces a set of correction parameters considering the attenuation due to atmospheric absorption and scattering which have not been previously considered. The thesis further derives a set of equations to compute the laser incidence angle based on the LiDAR data point cloud and GPS trajectory. In the second part of the thesis, a normalization model is proposed to adjust the radiometric misalignment amongst overlapping airborne LiDAR intensity data. The model is built upon the use of a Gaussian mixture modeling technique for fitting the intensity histogram which can then be partitioned into several sub-histograms. Finally, sub-histogram equalization is applied to calibrate the LiDAR intensity data. To evaluate the effects of the proposed methods, a LiDAR dataset covering an urban area with three different scans was used for experimental testing. The results showed that the coefficient of variance of five land cover features were significantly reduced by 70% to 82% and 33% to 80% after radiometric correction and radiometric normalization, respectively. Land cover classification was conducted on the LiDAR intensity data where accuracy improvements of up to 15% and 16.5% were found on the classification results using the radiometrically corrected intensity data, and radiometrically corrected and normalized intensity data, respectively. With the improved land cover homogeneity and classification accuracy, the effectiveness of the proposed approach was demonstrated. The outcome of the thesis fills the gap in existing airborne LiDAR research and paves the way for the future development of LiDAR data processing system.


Wind power is a mature market for large wind turbines but the small wind turbine market is still an open one. There is only one player of considerable size on the small wind market: the market leader Southwest Windpower. Now Skyllermarks Pressar AB (hereafter referred to as Skyllermarks) wants to develop a more competitive turbine than Southwest Windpower's Skystream 3.7. The first step in this project is to develop a blade for injection moulding for FuturEnergy's FE10XX turbine.Skyllermarks is a reseller for the English small wind turbine manufacturer FuturEnergy. As a first step towards developing a new turbine the aim of this theisis is to provide the backbone for developing a new wind turbine blade for FuturEnergys FE10XX turbine. The turbine is a fixed pitch, variabel speed machine with a rotordiameter of 1.75 m. It uses furling for overspeed protection.Southwest Windpower is Skyllermarks's main competitor as the market leader in the small wind sector. Because of this, Southwest Windpower's turbine Skystream 3.7 is used as a basis for comparsion for the FE10XX. It is found that the FE10XX turbine should be able to provide the desired annual energy production of 2000 kWh for a average wind speed of 4 to 6 m/s if the rotordiameter is expanded to 3.6 m. The blade profile family S822 or S833 from NREL should be used for the new blade. To make the turbine quieter the optimal tip speed ratio of the blades should be reduced from the present 5.5 to 4.5. The tip shape of the blade also has an impact on the sound and therefore a tip shape with a sweept leading edge is recomended. Is is concluded that the new blade can be produced in the largest injection moulding machine at Skyllermarks's plastic mouldning partner Accenta Plast.At the price of added complexity the rotor can be improved further by adding vortex generators to make the blades more efficient and quiet and by using PETD technology for de-icing the blades.


Background Exposure to cold causes cutaneous vasoconstriction to reduce body heat loss, while the nasal cavity warms up the inspired cold air. This suggests cooling might evoke a different response in nasal mucosa blood vessels than in cutaneous blood vessels. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of cooling (to 24°C) on the vascular response of isolated nasal mucosa. Methods An in vitro isometric contraction of nasal mucosa excised from patients suffered from chronic nasal congestion was continuously recorded. Either electrical field stimulation (EFS) or exogenous norepinephrine (NE) was applied to the turbinate mucosa strip at 37 and 24°C, and the influence of cooling (to 24°C) was evaluated. Results EFS (1, 2, 4, and 8 Hz) produced frequency-dependent contractions at 37 and 24°C. Cooling did not alter the magnitude but significantly prolonged the duration of EFS-induced contraction. Exogenous NE (10-8 to 10-4 M) produced concentration-dependent contractions at 37 and 24°C. Cooling significantly enhanced the contractile responses evoked by NE between 3 × 10-6 and 1 × 10-4 M. Conclusion Cooling (to 24°C) prolonged the EFS-induced and enhanced NE (3 × 10-6 to 1 × 10-4 M)-induced contraction of isolated human nasal mucosa.


BACKGROUND
The news media are an important source of information on new medical treatments. There is, however growing concern that some of the coverage may be inaccurate and overly enthusiastic, thereby misleading the general population.

METHODS
Eight major Norwegian newspapers were screened for articles on the benefits and risks of all the 60 new medications introduced on the Norwegian market from July 1998 through March 2000. We found a total of 492 articles describing 18 new medications over the period January 1998 through June 2000.

RESULTS
Of the 357 stories that mentioned benefits, 79% did not report this in any greater detail, 51% gave the medication a positive coverage, while 19% used overly enthusiastic terms like "wonder pill". 39% of the 492 stories pointed to potentially harmful effects of the medication while 27% mentioned costs. 174 stories cited at least one expert describing the effects of the medication, but only four of these stories disclosed financial ties between the expert and the manufacturer of the specific drug. Press releases from drug companies were cited twice as often as papers in medical journals.

INTERPRETATION
The Norwegian news media usually given new medications an overly enthusiastic coverage, while there is incomplete information about the benefits, risks and costs of the drugs as well as about the financial ties between medical experts and the pharmaceutical industry.


Background: Recent studies on hemodialysis patients have focused more on the suffering caused by physical and psychological problems in them, and they have paid less attention to their caregivers. Since the caregivers of these patients are intensively affected by the physical and psychological problems caused by this method of treatment, it is necessary to pay more attention to the challenges as well as the problems that exist among them. This study aimed to describe the lived experiences of caregivers in caring for hemodialysis patients. Methods: The present study is a qualitative study with a phenomenological design. Sampling was first done through a purposive sampling method, and the snowball sampling method was then applied in order to select 21 caregivers for the hemodialysis patients from three hemodialysis centers in Qazvin, Iran. An audio recorder were used to collect the data of in-depth face-to-face semi-structured interviews. The interviews were analyzed using Colaizzi's approach. The criteria of Lincoln and Guba was followed for trustworthiness. Results: Analysis of the interviews in response to the main question revealed 108 initial codes, 18 subcategories, and 3 main themes, including 1. Care: Growth experience, 2. Care: Living in solitary confinement, and 3. In silence: Seeking help. Conclusion: In situations where the caregivers of hemodialysis patients felt they did not have sufficient material and spiritual support from those around them, they reported two different and conflicted experiences. Some people experienced progress and excellence, while others felt stuck and had to make ideal sacrifices. More in-depth research is required to discover the factors that influence such diverse insights.


Summary Back-arc basins are formed by extensional processes similar to those occurring at mid-ocean ridges. However, whereas the magmas erupted along the major ocean ridges are predominantly LIL element-, Ta- and Nb-depleted N-type MORB, many back-arc basins are floored by basalts transitional between N-type MORB and island arc or even calc-alkaline basalts (viz. enrichment of LIL elements (K, Rb, Ba, Th) relative to HFS elements (Nb, Ta, Zr, Hf, Ti)). On a broad scale, it is possible to relate basalt composition, tectonic setting of the basin, and maturity of the adjacent subduction zone. Thus, the Parece Vela Basin, formed during the earliest stages of the Mariana subduction system, is floored by basalts indistinguishable from N-type MORB, whereas the later Mariana Trough is erupting N-type MORB and basalts with calc-alkaline characteristics, commonly in close spatial proximity. The calc-alkaline component is best developed in narrow, ensialic basins such as Bransfield Strait, where the extension is adjacent to mature, continent-based magmatic arcs. This range of compositions, from N-type MORB to calc-alkaline basalt, can be satisfactorily explained only by invoking chemical variations in the composition of the mantle material supplying the back-arc basin crust. Two major processes may be suggested: (i) selective contamination of the mantle wedge by LIL-enriched hydrous fluids, perhaps together with sediments, derived from the descending, dehydrating oceanic lithosphere; and (ii) repeated melt (and incompatible element) extraction during basalt genesis. The former process will enrich the mantle source of back-arc basalts with LIL elements; the latter will deplete the source in all incompatible elements, but the net effect of both processes is to increase the LIL/HFS element ratio of the source regions. Consequently, as the subduction zone matures, the LIL/HFS element ratio of successive back-arc basalts will be expected to increase, from initial N-type MORB 'background' values, to ratios more typical of island-arc basalts. The model has implications for mantle dynamics in back-arc regions, because transfer of material from the subducted slab may destabilize the overlying mantle, potentially leading to diapiric uprise when tectonic conditions permit extension.


Miliary dissemination is common in tuberculosis, but is an extremely rare form of brain metastasis. It is mainly found in patients with primary lung cancer (small cell and adenocarcinoma). Here, we presented a case of miliary metastases of lung adenocarcinoma to the brain without lesion enhancement on MRI after administration of contrast. A 38-year-old Chinese male was diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma and received chemotherapy monthly for 6 months. At one month after completion of chemotherapy, the patient presented with headache, dizziness, and vomiting. Brain MRI revealed numerous, disseminated, tiny, rounded cystic high-signal intensity lesions on T2-weighted images, and low-signal intensity lesions on T1-weighted images, with no enhancement. In addition, a high signal on T2-weighted images and uneven enhancement with contrast in the hypophysis were noted. A right frontal lobe biopsy revealed miliary metastases originating from primary lung adenocarcinoma, which was consistent with the pathological finding of a bronchial biopsy. However, the patient and his family requested supportive treatments only, and he died 3 months after the diagnosis. In summary, this case indicates that when imaging findings are not consistent with the most likely cause of miliary brain metastasis, a biopsy is necessary to make a definitive diagnosis.


As Frank Mort suggests, there is a need for a 'new synthesis of business and cultural history' in the somewhat compartmentalized history of consumption. Although historians have recognized the importance of popular women's magazines, extant studies have predominantly focused upon 'cultural' rather than 'business' issues. This article suggests how the two approaches may be reconciled by examining the relationship between commercial messages and editorial content in Woman's Own. This was the first and arguably most important of the 'new' mass-circulation weekly women's magazines that appeared in the 1930s. By the end of the 1930s there were over 50 magazines aimed at women readers, several of which had attained readership figures in the hundreds of thousands . While acknowledging women's magazines' cultural significance, this must be appreciated alongside their presentation of commercial messages. The launch of Woman's Own in 1932 established the formulaic structure that characterized the genre, embodying the synthesis of commercial messages and representations of women's roles that underpinned the genre's success. This is explored using a simple content analysis of the magazine between October 1932 and December 1939, which reveals the extent to which readers were exposed to commercial messages through advertising and its editorial content. The paper is organized as follows. First, it reviews the use of British women's magazines from the interwar period as an historical source, identifying problems inherent within the extant literature. This is followed by a brief overview of Woman's Own in the 1930s, focusing upon the magazine's endorsement of domestic ideals and lifestyles in the light of the commercial objectives of its publishers and advertising clients. The paper then turns to the empirical analysis of the magazine's advertising and editorial content between 1932 and 1939, culminating in an investigation of the relationship between advertising and editorial content. The paper concludes that Woman's Own successfully blurred the distinction between editorial and commercial content to create a publishing formula attractive to readers. In doing so, it became the model for future women's magazines.


We consider the problem of sequential decentralized detect ion, a problem that entails several interdependent choices: the choice of a stopping rule (specifyin g the sample size), a global decision function (a choice between two competing hypotheses), and a set of qua ntization rules (the local decisions on the basis of which the global decision is made). In this paper we esolve an open problem concerning whether optimal local decision functions for the Bayesian f ormulation of sequential decentralized detection can be found within the class of stationary rules. We dev elop an asymptotic approximation to the optimal cost of stationary quantization rules and show how t his approximation yields a negative answer to the stationarity question. We also consider the class of b lockwise stationary quantizers and show that asymptotically optimal quantizers are likelihood-based t hreshold rules. 1


ABSTRACT Limestone beds containing rhythmic parallel laminations occur within a channel-fill sequence exposed locally in the Salem Limestone (Mississippian) of Indiana. The laminations consist of carbonate grains and micrite in layers up to 2 mm thick capped by thin (0.1-0.3 mm) drapes of organic matter. Each couplet was generated by mixed or semidiurnal tidal events, during which carbonate sediment was mobilized and deposited by the dominant tide and organic material settled from suspension during slackwater conditions. Laminae thicken and thin systematically in a vertical sequence as a result of neap-spring tidal current fluctuations that occur during a lunar month. Laminations are well preserved in certain beds ranging from 20 to 40 cm thick through much of the channel-fill sequence. Other beds are extensively bioturbated and contain only a partial record of the laminations. The sequence of bioturbated and unbioturbated units defines a rhythmic pattern, suggesting periods of seasonal environmental restriction that precluded burrowing organisms. Estimation of sedimentation rates based on the neap-spring tidal cycles indicates that deposition within the channel occurred very rapidly (averaging 35 cm/year), a rate four orders of magnitude faster than calculated long-term depositional rates.


Density-ratio estimation (i.e. estimating f = fQ/fP for two unknown distributions Q and P ) has proved useful in many Machine Learning tasks, e.g., risk-calibration in transfer-learning, two-sample tests, and also useful in common techniques such importance sampling and bias correction. While there are many important analyses of this estimation problem, the present paper derives convergence rates in other practical settings that are less understood, namely, extensions of traditional Lipschitz smoothness conditions, and common high-dimensional settings with structured data (e.g. manifold data, sparse data). Various interesting facts, which hold in earlier settings, are shown to extend to these settings. Namely, (1) optimal rates depend only on the smoothness of the ratio f , and not on the densities fQ, fP , supporting the belief that plugging in estimates for fQ, fP is suboptimal; (2) optimal rates depend only on the intrinsic dimension of data, i.e. this problem – unlike density estimation – escapes the curse of dimension. We further show that near-optimal rates are attainable by estimators tuned from data alone, i.e. with no prior distributional information. This last fact is of special interest in unsupervised settings such as this one, where only oracle rates seem to be known, i.e., rates which assume critical distributional information usually unavailable in practice.


In this paper we consider a model which describes a polymer chain interacting with an infinity of equi-spaced linear interfaces. The distance between two consecutive interfaces is denoted by $T = T_N$ and is allowed to grow with the size $N$ of the polymer. When the polymer receives a positive reward for touching the interfaces, its asymptotic behavior has been derived in Caravenna and Petrelis (2009), showing that a transition occurs when $T_N \approx \log N$. In the present paper, we deal with the so-called depinning case , i.e., the polymer is repelled rather than attracted by the interfaces. Using techniques from renewal theory, we determine the scaling behavior of the model for large $N$ as a function of $\{T_N\}_{N}$, showing that two transitions occur, when $T_N \approx N^{1/3}$ and when $T_N \approx \sqrt{N}$ respectively.


For Danielle Allen, punishment is more a window onto democratic Athens' fundamental values than simply a set of official practices. From imprisonment to stoning to refusal of burial, instances of punishment in ancient Athens fueled conversations among ordinary citizens and political and literary figures about the nature of justice. Re-creating in vivid detail the cultural context of this conversation, Allen shows that punishment gave the community an opportunity to establish a shining myth of harmony and cleanliness: that the city could be purified of anger and social struggle, and perfect order achieved. Each member of the city--including notably women and slaves--had a specific role to play in restoring equilibrium among punisher, punished, and society. The common view is that democratic legal processes moved away from the "emotional and personal" to the "rational and civic," but Allen shows that anger, honor, reciprocity, spectacle, and social memory constantly prevailed in Athenian law and politics.Allen draws upon oratory, tragedy, and philosophy to present the lively intellectual climate in which punishment was incurred, debated, and inflicted by Athenians. Broad in scope, this book is one of the first to offer both a full account of punishment in antiquity and an examination of the political stakes of democratic punishment. It will engage classicists, political theorists, legal historians, and anyone wishing to learn more about the relations between institutions and culture, normative ideas and daily events, punishment and democracy.


We present the results of our long-term monitoring of BD +53 ◦ 2790, the optical counterpart to the X-ray source 4U 2206+54. Unlike previous studies that classify the source as a Be/X-ray binary, we find that its optical and infrared properties differ from those of typical Be stars: the variability of the V/R ratio is not cyclical; there are variations in the shape and strength of the Hemission line on timescales less than 1 day; and no correlation between the EW and the IR magnitudes or colors is seen. Our observations suggest that BD +53 ◦ 2790 is very likely a peculiar O9.5V star. In spite of exhaustive searches we cannot find any significant modulation in any emission line parameter or optical/infrared magnitudes. Spectroscopy of the source extending from the optical to the K-band confirms the peculiarity of the spectrum: not only are the He lines stronger than expected for an O9.5V star but also there is no clear pattern of variability. The possibility that BD +53 ◦ 2790 is an early-type analogue to He-strong stars (like � 1 Ori C) is discussed.


OBJECTIVES
The purposes of this study were to examine the cross-cultural validity of the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS) as well as the reliability of raters from different cultures.

METHOD
Six trained raters from diverse cultural backgrounds scored 10 Japanese subjects' performances on familiar and culturally relevant tasks of their own choosing.

RESULTS
Results indicated high cross-cultural validity and interrater reliability for the AMPS, as indicated by goodness of fit of subjects and raters via the many-faceted Rasch measurement model. The relative rater severity was also evaluated cross-culturally by the standardized difference (z). The Japanese rater and one of the three American raters varied significantly in severity between their scoring of Japanese subjects versus European subjects.

CONCLUSION
The results support the hypothesis that the AMPS can be used as a cross cultural instrumental activities of daily living assessment. Further study is needed to clarify the issue of possible cultural bias in rater severity.


Liver cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world and has no effective cure, especially in later stages. The development of a tangible protocol for early diagnosis of this disease remains a major challenge. In the present manuscript, an aptamer-based, label-free electrochemical biosensor for the sensitive detection of HepG2, a hepatocellular carcinoma cell line, is described. The target cells are captured in a sandwich architecture using TLS11a aptamer covalently attached to a gold surface and a secondary TLS11a aptamer. The application of TLS11a aptamer as a recognition layer resulted in a sensor with high affinity for HepG2 cancer cells in comparison with control cancer cells of human prostate, breast, and colon tumors. The aptasensor delivered a wide linear dynamic range over 1 × 10(2) to 1 × 10(6) cells/mL, with a detection limit of 2 cells/mL. This protocol provides a precise method for sensitive detection of liver cancer with significant advantages in terms of simplicity, low cost, and stability.


Objective: The primary goal of the study was to examine students' perceptions of classroom assessment at a public university in Afghanistan. Exploring current assessment practices focused on student and faculty members lived experiences was a secondary goal. The study also sought to collect evidence on whether or not the new assessment policy was effective in student achievement. Method: Authors used an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design to conduct the study. Initially, we applied the Students Perceptions of Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ), translated into Dari/Farsi and validated, to collect data from a random sample of 400 students from three colleges: Agriculture, Education, and Humanities. Response rate was 88.25% (N = 353). Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from a purposeful sample of 18 students and 7 faculty members. Descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, and t-tests were used to analyze quantitative data, and NVivo 12 was used to conduct thematic analysis on qualitative data. Results: The quantitative results suggest that students have positive perceptions of the current assessment practices. However, both students and faculty members were dissatisfied with the grading policy, reinforcing summative over formative assessment. Results support that the policy change regarding assessment has resulted in more students passing the courses compared to in the past. The findings also suggest improvements in faculty professional skills such as assessment and teaching and ways that they engage students in assessment processes. Implication for Policy and Practice: Recommendations include revisiting the grading policy at the national level to allow faculty members to balance the formative and summative assessment and utilizing assessment benchmarks and rubrics to guide formative and summative assessment implementation in practice.


In this paper, we use recent demand estimation models for the KFMA dataset to identify the determinants of farm household expenditure patterns and its implications to the main street business. Comparing endogeneity adjusted and unadjusted QUAIDS model estimates, we establish that not accounting for endogeneity leads to the inconsistent demand estimates. Our results show that success of a business operating in farming communities depends on the farm characteristics of that location. We also find that some business benefits by offering the lowest possible cost for their items, while other by increasing the income level of purchasing households through efficient farm production measures.


Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate the immune response to serotype 19A in children aged 12-23 months after immunization of the 19F containing 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7). Methods Blood samples from a total of 45 subjects (age 12-23 months) were included in the study. Subjects were categorized according to immunization status into three groups as follows: 18 subjects with 3 primary doses and 1 booster dose of PCV7 (booster group), 21 subjects with 3 primary doses before 12 months of age (primary group), and 6 subjects with no vaccination history of PCV7 (control group). An ELISA and opsonophagocytic killing assay (OPKA) was done to evaluate the immune responses against serotypes 19F and 19A. Results According to the ELISA, all subjects had antibody titers ≥0.35 µg/mL for serotypes 19F and 19A in the booster and primary group and 83.0% and 66.7% in the control group, respectively. According to the OPKA, subjects with opsonic activity (≥20) against serotypes 19F and 19A were 100% and 61.1% of the subjects in the booster group and 66.7% and 19.0% in the primary group, respectively. No subjects in the control group had opsonic antibodies against both serotypes. Conclusion In conclusion, in children 12-23 months age who were previously vaccinated with PCV7, a cross-reactive immune response is elicited against serotype 19A after a primary series of 3 doses in a small proportion of subjects, and this response is amplified after booster vaccination.


A study has been made of the modifications of the shape of a nerve action potential dependent upon the placement of the two electrodes, always necessary for a lead. In a classic diphasic lead separation of the electrodes brings out, in addition to a separation of the phases, the appearance of a positive deflection traceable to the passage of an impulse between the electrodes. This phenomenon, called the lead separation effect (1.s.e.), must be considered as an expression of a feature of normal nerve fiber biophysics. It regularly appears and it can be analyzed with respect to the position of the sink maximum. Also it cannot be eliminated by a block at the second electrode. The advantage of approximating the leads was shown by the absence of a 1.s.e. following spikes recorded by electronic integration of tangents, which with validity can be derived from threshold fibers. Since tangent leads are not adaptable to recording a spectrum, a block at the second electrode is required. The making of such blocks and the configuration of records obtained with them are described. Conditions for an optimal lead, but not an ideal lead, were delimited. In an optimal lead only two major elevations appear in the spectrum of a skin nerve: those known as alpha and delta. A reference to maps of fiber size analyses shows that the fibers in the delta elevation have velocities of conduction slower than they would have if following in linear sequence the fiber diameters belonging to the alpha elevation.


The magnetization relaxation of thin ferromagnetic Ni81Fe19 films in close proximity and in direct contact with antiferromagnetic FeMn films was investigated using broadband ferromagnetic resonance. For unbiased films, a contribution to the effective-damping parameter αeff inversely proportional to the ferromagnetic film thickness is found, consistent with the presence of spin pumping. For biased films, we find a unidirectional contribution to the effective-damping parameter, which does not scale with the inverse film thickness. The unidirectional character of the magnetization relaxation is described in terms of two-magnon scattering.


Mobile biometrics is an emerging research area with some unique capabilities compared to the traditional biometrics. One aim of this book is to provide some unique views and experience from industrial partners. Their experience in developing mobile sensors or devices, algorithms, and systems could be useful and valuable to academic researchers. The angle from industry to view mobile biometrics may be different from academia, but the rich information and unique experience from industrial experts could inspire academic researchers greatly with some fresh ideas. In this book, there are five chapters from the industry experts, about one-third of the whole book. Progress can also be made faster in industrial mobile biometrics product development, given that important challenges and relevant issues are addressed by the academic researchers in a timely manner.


The red-tip of pineapple leaves which affected the Gandul variety was sighted in the early 1990's in Peninsula Plantations, Simpang Renggam, Johore where it has been found that about 10% or more of its leaves starting from the tip had turned red. It was speculated that it was due to sulphur deficiency as a result of the change of nitrogen carriers from ammonium sulphate to urea. This study was carried out with three main objectives: (i) to investigate whether the red-tip problem is related to nutrient deficiency through Missing Element Experimental Technique and thus identify the nutrients that are involved, (ii) to investigate the effect of ammonium sulphate and urea as the nitrogen carriers on the red-tip of pineapple leaves and also the plant performance in terms of vegetative growth and fruit yield at field conditions and (iii) to examine and compare the cell structural differences between the normal (green) and infected (red-tip) part of the pineapple leaf from cv. Gandul
The Missing Element experiment was carried out in the glasshouse to achieve the first objective while the second objective was achieved through a field experiment in Simpang Renggam, Johore. Further to the above experiments, the red-tip area and the green area of the leaves were also viewed under a Confocal and Transmission Electron Microscope to look for any differences between them at the cellular level which covered the third objective of the study.
Visual observations of the plants from the first experiment could not reproduce the red-tip as found in Simpang Renggam for all treatments including plants treated without the input of sulphur though there was some occurrence of the red-tip in these plants at 150 days after planting (DAP). The deficiency symptom of other eliminated nutrients was mostly similar to that reported in literature and there were no similarities seen compared with the red-tip phenomenon. Vegetative growth variables studied from the destructive sampling carried out at 180 and 300 days after planting showed significant differences between treatments only at the later stage of plant growth, the second stage of sampling. The first experiment indicated that sulphur deficiency was not the primary cause for the occurrence of the red-tip phenomenon in the pineapple leaves.
Plants grown in the field from both treatments, i.e. plants fertilised with ammonium sulphate as nitrogen fertiliser (Treatment 1, T1) and plants fertilised with urea as nitrogen fertiliser (Treatment 2, T2) did not show any significant differences between them in terms of vegetative growth, plant nutrient uptake, soil nutrient concentrations and yield. There were also no significant differences between T1 and T2 in the red-tip percentage at all sampling periods except one but further soil and plant nutrient analysis did not show any significant differences. Besides that, the uptake trend of the macro and micro nutrients was also not significant for both treatments and the levels had indicated healthy growth for both treatments. The sulphur and other nutrient concentrations for plant and soil were well above the critical point for deficiency to occur and the continuous occurrence of red-tip in plants treated with input of ammonium sulphate gave a doubt whether sulphur is the main cause of the phenomenon. The insignificant yield between the two treatments had further increased the doubt. The second experiment had further strengthened that the deficiency of sulphur is not the cause of the red-tip in the pineapple leaves.
With the above findings, observations carried out using the Confocal Microscope of both the green and red-tip area of the pineapple leaves revealed the presence of some blockages in the phloem cells of the red-tip area which was not found in the green area. Further magnification of this area using the Transmission Electron Microscope revealed presence of some globular structures in the sieve element cells of the red-tip area similar to the infection of Mycoplasma Like Organisms (MLO). The presence of these structures had most likely blocked the movement of nutrients through sieve element cells thus causing the disintegration of chlorophyll to anthocyanin causing the red-tip of pineapple leaves. However further trials are needed to confirm this speculation. The study had given an understanding that the red-tip phenomenon is not caused by the deficiency of sulphur or any other plant nutrients but due to the presence of the globular structures in leave cells which may be MLO.


Perforated base pipe is an important component in a completion system. Field applications dictate that a good perforated base-pipe design should have good expandability and good post-expansion tensile strength and collapse strength. High fidelity FEA models for evaluation of expandable base pipes have been developed; however, to optimize hole pattern design (size, shape, placement pattern) of a given size base pipe, even numerically, can be expensive and time consuming. Using FEA models and a genetic algorithm-based multi-objective optimization scheme, the authors have successfully optimized a perforated base pipe in a relatively short period of time. The significant improvement over standard design has been demonstrated by physical tests. Several aspects of the optimization process will be presented in this paper.


Rapid production of protein-based tumor-specific vaccines for the treatment of malignancies is possible with the plant-based transient expression system described here. We created a modified tobamoviral vector that encodes the idiotype-specific single-chain Fv fragment (scFv) of the immunoglobulin from the 38C13 mouse B cell lymphoma. Infected Nicotiana benthamiana plants contain high levels of secreted scFv protein in the extracellular compartment. This material reacts with an anti-idiotype antibody by Western blotting, ELISA, and affinity chromatography, suggesting that the plant-produced 38C13 scFv protein is properly folded in solution. Mice vaccinated with the affinity-purified 38C13 scFv generate >10 micrograms/ml anti-idiotype immunoglobulins. These mice were protected from challenge by a lethal dose of the syngeneic 38C13 tumor, similar to mice immunized with the native 38C13 IgM-keyhole limpet hemocyanin conjugate vaccine. This rapid production system for generating tumor-specific protein vaccines may provide a viable strategy for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.


SUMMARY The vertebrate Zic gene family encodes C2H2 zinc finger transcription factors closely related to the Gli proteins. Zic genes are expressed in multiple areas of developing vertebrate embryos, including the dorsal neural tube where they act as potent neural crest inducers. Here we describe the characterization of a Zic ortholog from the amphioxus Branchiostoma floridae and further describe the expression of a Zic ortholog from the ascidian Ciona intestinalis. Molecular phylogenetic analysis and sequence comparisons suggest the gene duplications that formed the vertebrate Zic family were specific to the vertebrate lineage. In Ciona maternal CiZic/Ci‐macho1 transcripts are localized during cleavage stages by asymmetric cell division, whereas zygotic expression by neural plate cells commences during neurulation. The amphioxus Zic ortholog AmphiZic is expressed in dorsal mesoderm and ectoderm during gastrulation, before being eliminated first from midline cells and then from all neurectoderm during neurulation. After neurulation, expression is reactivated in the dorsal neural tube and dorsolateral somite. Comparison of CiZic and AmphiZic expression with vertebrate Zic expression leads to two main conclusions. First, Zic expression allows us to define homologous compartments between vertebrate and amphioxus somites, showing primitive subdivision of vertebrate segmented mesoderm. Second, we show that neural Zic expression is a chordate synapomorphy, whereas the precise pattern of neural expression has evolved differently on the different chordate lineages. Based on these observations we suggest that a change in Zic regulation, specifically the evolution of a dorsal neural expression domain in vertebrate neurulae, was an important step in the evolution of the neural crest.


The CaZrO3 complex oxide ceramic was synthesized in the development of the potential refractory for melting of titanium alloy, the crucible ( 40XH40mm) was prepared by the solid sintering of mixture of powder (CaO:ZrO2 =1:1) with a small amount of TiO2 as additive at 1750°C. The melting of TiNi and Ti6Al4V was carried out in the inducting furnace under vacuum or/and Ar atmosphere. The interfacial reaction between the melts of alloys and CaZrO3 refractory was investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). It is found that, the thickness of interfacial reaction layer between the ceramic CaZrO3 and the melt of titanium alloys (TiNi and Ti6Al4V) is approximately 30-300 μm, there are few elements such as Ca, Zr, Ti, and Ni diffused through the interfacial reaction layer. These results may provide the basement to designing a novel refractory for melting of titanium alloys.


Rosidae, a clade of approximately 90 000 species of angiosperms, exhibits remarkable morphological diversity and extraordinary heterogeneity in habitats and life forms. Resolving phylogenetic relationships within Rosidae has been difficult, in large part due to nested radiations and the enormous size of the clade. Current estimates of phylogeny contain areas of poor resolution and/or support, and there have been few attempts to synthesize the available data into a comprehensive view of Rosidae phylogeny. We aim to improve understanding of the phylogeny of Rosidae with a dense sampling scheme using both newly generated sequences and data from GenBank of the chloroplast rbcL, atpB, and matK genes and the mitochondrial matR gene. We combined sequences from 9300 species, representing 2775 genera, 138 families, and 17 orders into a supermatrix. Although 59.26% of the cells in the supermatrix have no data, our results generally agree with previous estimates of Rosidae phylogeny and provide greater resolution and support in several areas of the topology. Several noteworthy phylogenetic relationships are recovered, including some novel relationships. Two families (Euphorbiaceae and Salvadoraceae) and 467 genera are recovered as non‐monophyletic in our sampling, suggesting the need for future systematic studies of these groups. Our study shows the value of a botanically informed bioinformatics approach and dense taxonomic sampling for resolving rosid relationships. The resulting tree provides a starting point for large‐scale analyses of the evolutionary patterns within Rosidae.


ABSTRACT Predicting the impacts of projected change in precipitation (P) and temperature (T) on occurrence of drought and extreme events is essential for managing natural resources and setting policy. This study compares future occurrence of excessively dry and wet periods based on P, T, stream flow, soil moisture, and extreme P and T events. The comparisons are based on coupled future climate projections from multiple Earth system models downscaled using site-specific weather data and hydrologic model outputs for the Goodwater Creek Experimental Watershed, Missouri, USA. The use of multiple drought indices, downscaled climate data, and process model output facilitated drought prediction for different land surface processes and its comparison. The P and T extremes and droughts were calculated using standardized indices. The results based on drought and extreme indices indicate increased frequency and duration of drought in the future, primarily due to a projected decline in summer precipitation resulting in summer droughts. The streamflow and soil water-based drought indices indicated increased spring drought risks in the future despite a precipitation increase, indicating the importance of process representation with hydrologic models for drought computation.


NAD salvage is one of the pathways used to generate NAD in mammals. Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT), the rate-limiting enzyme in this pathway, uses nicotinamide (NAM) to generate nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN). NMN is one of the main precursors of NAD synthesis in cells. Our previous study showed the importance of NAMPT in maintaining NAD levels in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cells (PDAC), and that the NAMPT inhibitor FK866 decreased pancreatic cancer growth. We now tested the effect of STF-118804, a new highly specific NAMPT inhibitor, in models of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. STF-118804 reduced viability and growth of different PDAC lines, as well as the formation of colonies in soft agar. In addition, STF-118804 decreased glucose uptake, lactate excretion, and ATP levels, resulting in metabolic collapse. STF-118804 treatment activated AMPK and inhibited of mTOR pathways in these cells. This effect was significantly potentiated by pharmacological AMPK activation and mTOR inhibition. Exogenous NMN blocked both the activation of the AMPK pathway and the decrease in cell viability. Panc-1 cells expressing GFP-luciferase were orthotopically implanted on mice pancreas to test the in vivo effectiveness of STF-118804. Both STF-118804 and FK866 reduced tumor size after 21 days of treatment. Combinations of STF-118804 with chemotherapeutic agents such as paclitaxel, gemcitabine, and etoposide showed an additive effect in decreasing cell viability and growth. In conclusion, our preclinical study shows that the NAMPT inhibitor STF-118804 reduced the growth of PDAC in vitro and in vivo and had an additive effect in combination with main current chemotherapeutic drugs.


Despite the increased use of molecular diagnostics, the extent to which patients who have these tests harbor potentially actionable aberrations is unclear. We retrospectively reviewed 439 patients with diverse cancers, for whom next-generation sequencing (mostly 236-gene panel) had been performed. Data pertaining to the molecular alterations identified, as well as associated treatment suggestions (on- or off-label, or experimental), were extracted from molecular diagnostic reports. Most patients (420/439; 96%) had at least one molecular alteration: 1,813 alterations (in 207 distinct genes) were identified [the majority being mutations (62%) or amplifications (29%)]. The three most common gene abnormalities were TP53 (44%), KRAS (16%), and PIK3CA (12%). The median number of alterations per patient was 3 (range, 0–16). Nineteen patients (4%) had no alterations; 48 patients (11%) had only one alteration; and 372 patients had two or more abnormalities (85%). The median number of potentially actionable anomalies per patient was 2 (range, 0–8). Most patients (393/439; 90%) had at least one potentially actionable alteration, and in all these cases the aberration could at least be targeted by an experimental drug in a clinical trial. A total of 307 patients (70%) had an alteration that was actionable with an approved drug, but in only 89 patients (20%) was the drug approved for their disease (on-label). Next-generation sequencing identified theoretically actionable aberrations in 90% of our patients. Many of the drugs are, however, experimental or would require off-label use. Strategies to address drug access for patients harboring potentially actionable mutations are needed. Mol Cancer Ther; 14(6); 1488–94. ©2015 AACR.


Sepsis causes an inhibition of protein synthesis in skeletal muscles composed of fast-twitch fibers, in part, as a result of a decreased activity of the eukaryotic initiation factor 2B (eIF-2B). In the present study, we investigated the expression of two subunits of eIF-2B, i.e., the beta- and epsilon-subunits during sepsis. The expression of both beta- and epsilon-subunits of eIF-2B in gastrocnemius was decreased approximately 50% from control values during the first 5 days after induction of sepsis. The decreased expression of eIF-2B epsilon during sepsis correlated with similar reductions in eIF-2B epsilon mRNA. Restoration of protein synthesis (10 days postsurgery) was associated with a return of eIF-2B epsilon expression to values observed in control rats. Expression of eIF-2B epsilon was not altered in heart during sepsis or in gastrocnemius from nonseptic abscess animals. Amrinone, which ameliorated the inhibition of protein synthesis during sepsis, also prevented the fall in eIF-2B epsilon protein after 5 days of infection. The data provide evidence that expression of eIF-2B epsilon is markedly influenced in gastrocnemius during the course of the septic episode and support the concept that this change is a mechanism responsible for the inhibition of protein synthesis observed under this condition.


Contemporary multimedia, scientific and medical applications use indexing structures to access their high-dimensional data. Yet, in sufficiently high-dimensional spaces, conventional tree-based access methods are eventually outperformed by simple serial scans. Vector quantization has been effectively used to index data that are mostly distributed uniformly. However, in real-world applications, clustered data and skewed query distributions are the norm. In this paper, we propose DiVA, an approach that selectively adapts the quantization step to accommodate varying indexing needs. This adaptation mechanism triggers the restructuring and possible expansion of DiVA so as to provide finer indexing granularity and enhanced access performance in certain "hot" areas of the search space. User-supplied policies help both identify such "hot" areas and satisfy versatile application requirements. Experimentation with our detailed prototype shows that in a real-world data set, DiVA yields up-to 64%reduced I/O compared to competing methods such as the VA-file and the A-tree.


Meningococci are facultative-pathogenic bacteria endowed with a set of adhesins allowing colonization of the human upper respiratory tract, leading to fulminant meningitis and septicemia. The Neisseria adhesin NadA was identified in about 50% of N. meningitidis isolates and is closely related to the Yersinia adhesin YadA, the prototype of the oligomeric coiled-coil adhesin (Oca) family. NadA is known to be involved in cell adhesion, invasion, and induction of proinflammatory cytokines. Because of the enormous diversity of neisserial cell adhesins the analysis of the specific contribution of NadA in meningococcal host interactions is limited. Therefore, we used a non-invasive Y. enterocolitica mutant as carrier to study the role of NadA in host cell interaction. NadA was shown to be efficiently produced and localized in its oligomeric form on the bacterial surface of Y. enterocolitica. Additionally, NadA mediated a β1 integrin-dependent adherence with subsequent internalization of yersiniae by a β1 integrin-positive cell line. Using recombinant NadA24–210 protein and human and murine β1 integrin-expressing cell lines we could demonstrate the role of the β1 integrin subunit as putative receptor for NadA. Subsequent inhibition assays revealed specific interaction of NadA24–210 with the human β1 integrin subunit. Cumulatively, these results indicate that Y. enterocolitica is a suitable toolbox system for analysis of the adhesive properties of NadA, revealing strong evidence that β1 integrins are important receptors for NadA. Thus, this study demonstrated for the first time a direct interaction between the Oca-family member NadA and human β1 integrins.


Critical aspects of innovative design in engineering disciplines like infrastructure, transportation, and medical applications require the joining of dissimilar materials. This study investigates the literature on solid-state bonding techniques, with a particular focus on diffusion bonding, as an effective method for establishing engineering bonds. Welding and brazing, while widely used, may pose challenges when joining materials with large differences in melting temperature and can lead to mechanical property degradation. In contrast, diffusion bonding offers a lower temperature process that relies on solid-state interactions to develop bond strength. The joining of tungsten and steel, especially for fusion reactors, presents a unique challenge due to the significant disparity in melting temperatures and the propensity to form brittle intermetallics. Here, diffusion characteristics of tungsten–steel interfaces are examined and the influence of bonding parameters on mechanical properties are investigated. Additionally, CALPHAD modeling is employed to explore joining parameters, thermal stability, and diffusion kinetics. The insights from this research can be extended to join numerous dissimilar materials for specific applications such as aerospace, automobile industry, power plants, etc., enabling advanced and robust design with high efficiency.


Abstract While the majority of worldwide hepatitis E viral (HEV) infections that occur in people are from contaminated water or food sources, there has also been a steadily rising number of reported cases of transfusion-transmitted HEV (TT-HEV) in blood donation recipients. For most, HEV infection is acute, self-limiting and asymptomatic. However, patients that are immunocompromised, especially transplant patients, are at much higher risk for developing chronic infections, which can progress to cirrhosis and liver failure, along with overall increased mortality. Because of the rising trend of HEV serological prevalence among the global population, and the fact that TT-HEV infection can cause serious clinical consequences among those patients most at need for blood donation, the need for screening for TT-HEV has been gaining in prominence as an important public health concern for both developing and developed countries. In the review, we summarise evidence for and notable cases of TT-HEV infections, the various aspects of HEV screening protocols and recent trends in the implementation of TT-HEV broad-based blood screening programmes.