Recent events place management accounting at the intersection of a number of emerging agenda at the world's largest and most complex organization. The 1992 presidential election focused attention on governmental management. The National Performance Review is pursuing management improvement, and Congress is debating performance based budgeting. Federal agencies are reviewing management practices, systems and accounting in response to the Chief Financial Officer Act (H.R. 5687) mandate for "fundamental reform in financial management requirements and practices." A role of increased importance seems clear since management accounting supports the information needs of those "engaged in managing the undertaking (Crowningshield, 1969)." Many accounting academics, however, feel that management/cost accounting has little to offer public sector organizations unconcerned with profit making. This research investigates the usefulness of cost accounting in government by installing an activity based cost system at a federal organization operating without cost data, but with strong non-financial measurement systems. The study documents three pre-experiment management practices, describes the informational intervention and reports changes in management actions and perspectives. The results suggest that cost information provides management with significant new insights into cost reduction, resource deployment, process improvement and line-to-staff interfaces. THEORY AND BACKGROUND Explanations for the current lack of governmental management accounting emphasize the differences between public and private sector due to the government's service nature and lack of profit motivation (Schattke and Jensen, 1981 and Anthony and Herzlinger, 1975). Horngren and Sundem (1990) argue that the lack of clear organization goals, the presence of professional employees and the difficulty in measurement of accomplishments create an inhospitable environment. They conclude that "control systems in nonprofit organizations will never be as highly developed as in profit seeking organizations (page 289)." They recommend the study of management accounting to nonprofit managers as an aid in their personal investments and interactions with businesses! Yet, many private sector organizations do use management accounting and the value of cost computation, containment and control is increasingly apparent in the public sector. Birnberg and Gandhi (1976) and Helmi (1987) cite the important contribution of cost accounting in the administration of social programs. The value of accurate cost information has been recognized in privatization decisions (London, 1990), program control and performance improvement (Nestor, 1979), planning, programming and decision making (Caldwell and Welch, 1989) and fee setting (Dierks, 1978). Why do organizations use management accounting? Accounting theorists cite the advantages of dollar based metrics in explaining the existence of accounting systems. Sterling, (1961) recognizing accounting's role in enabling comparison, notes the greater precision of numbers, and the additive nature of monetary values. Johnson (1991) also notes the ability of internal accounting systems to simulate external market forces thereby capturing market efficiencies within the organization. Simon, et al, (1954) found monetary evaluation useful in promoting increased cost consciousness and promoting continuous improvement. This study extends this literature by comparing "before" and "after" observations of a single, public sector organization's management decision making after the introduction of a cost accounting system. SITE SELECTION AND DESCRIPTION The Examinations Division of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Boston District was selected for this research. The IRS met criteria for having a typical funding environment and well developed non-financial information systems. Non-typical funding environments, such as revolving funding, seem to have greater incentives for cost system needs (Geiger, 1993). …


Author(s): Saltiel, Seth | Advisor(s): Buffett, Bruce | Abstract: Stress conditions, asperity geometry, and frictional properties affect the propagation of high amplitude seismic waves across rock fractures and faults. Laboratory evidence suggests that these properties can be measured in active seismic surveys, potentially offering a route to characterizing these important fracture properties in situ. To improve geophysical constraints on the mechanical state of fractures, we modified a unique seismic-frequency (~0.1 - 100 Hz) apparatus to also include key environmental controls (high strain amplitude and low effective stress). By measuring the modulus and attenuation of numerous rocks before and after tensile fracturing under a range of normal stresses (from 0.25 to 15 MPa), we were able to estimate the seismic detectability of fractures under equivalent effective stress conditions, and show that even well-mated fractures could be monitored with repeatable seismic sources. Utilizing a novel pressure sensitive film technique, we mapped the normal stress distribution on the fracture surface asperities, providing the ability to characterize the contact geometry and estimate the real contact area for each applied normal stress. This is crucial information for understanding and modeling the shear mechanics, which is influenced by surface geometry effects. Connecting past work from the rock physics, nonlinear elasticity, and fault friction communities; we suggest seismic field measurements of strain-dependent softening and frictional attenuation across fractures or faults can constrain their in situ frictional properties. By measuring how the rock fractures' moduli decrease and attenuation increase with strain amplitude, we inverted for the effective asperity area (consistent with real contact area measurements) and friction coefficient using a simple partial slip model. This model can also be extrapolated to fully sliding asperities, predicting the conditions for failure or the critical slip distance in rate-and-state friction. Since these measurements are made using oscillating shear stresses over a range of frequencies, they also contain information about the dynamic, strain-rate dependent frictional response. In fact, measured strain oscillations show strong nonlinearity due to the transition from static to dynamic friction on the sliding regions of the fracture surface. Although rate-and-state friction is commonly used to model fault dynamic friction, this formulation is not capable of capturing the reversal of slip observed over the strain oscillations. In order to overcome this difficulty, we used another frictional parameterization, with a similar state variable structure, based on the Dahl model, common in the engineering community. We inverted the model to fit the time-series and frequency dependent behavior, showing that high amplitude shear wave data could provide information on velocity strengthening or weakening behavior of faults and fractures in situ. This is particularly exciting because these properties determine whether a fault is expected to slide stably or fail seismically in an earthquake. Our lab measurements show the promise of a field technique to map spatial and temporal heterogeneity in the conditions of failure and the frictional properties determining the behavior during these events, vital information for informing fault modeling and seismic hazard assessment.


Organic dyes extracted from plants, insects, and shellfish have been used for millennia in dyeing textiles and manufacturing colorants for painting. The economic push for dyes with high tinting strength, directly related to high extinction coefficients in the visible range, historically led to the selection of substances that could be used at low concentrations. But a desirable property for the colorist is a major problem for the analytical chemist; the identification of dyes in cultural heritage objects is extremely difficult. Techniques routinely used in the identification of inorganic pigments are generally not applicable to dyes: X-ray fluorescence because of the lack of an elemental signature, Raman spectroscopy because of the generally intense luminescence of dyes, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy because of the interference of binders and extenders. Traditionally, the identification of dyes has required relatively large samples (0.5-5 mm in diameter) for analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography. In this Account, we describe our efforts to develop practical approaches in identifying dyes in works of art from samples as small as 25 microm in diameter with surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). In SERS, the Raman scattering signal is greatly enhanced when organic molecules with large delocalized electron systems are adsorbed on atomically rough metallic substrates; fluorescence is concomitantly quenched. Recent nanotechnological advances in preparing and manipulating metallic particles have afforded staggering enhancement factors of up to 10(14). SERS is thus an ideal technique for the analysis of dyes. Indeed, rhodamine 6G and crystal violet, two organic compounds used to demonstrate the sensitivity of SERS at the single-molecule level, were first synthesized as textile dyes in the second half of the 19th century. In this Account, we examine the practical application of SERS to cultural heritage studies, including the selection of appropriate substrates, the development of analytical protocols, and the building of SERS spectral databases. We also consider theoretical studies on dyes of artistic interest. Using SERS, we have successfully documented the earliest use of a madder lake pigment and the earliest occurrence of lac dye in European art. We have also found several examples of kermes and cochineal glazes, as well as madder, cochineal, methyl violet, and eosin lakes, from eras ranging from ancient Egypt to the 19th century. The ability to rapidly analyze very small samples with SERS makes it a particularly valuable tool in a museum context.


In a brief summary of a poll conducted by the Carnegie Council, Myers outlines the American public's views on issues ranging from foreign policy/peace issues to economic security, defense, and human rights. The underlying perception of the United States as the "moral nation" raises a fundamental question: How deeply imbedded is the distinction between words and deeds in American foreign policy? Some results of the survey defied explanation. "Why are Americans so avid about human rights abroad, yet so reluctant to commit foreign aid, and so indignant about the U.S. dollars that are spent on NATO and Japanese security? Logic and sentiment remain interwoven," concludes Myers.


Natural Language Processing (NLP) has long been used to extract information from large bodies of text. NLP is often used to intelligently parse large volumes of data where the manual alternative may be infeasible. Named Entity Recognition (NER) is used to extract named entities such as people, places or organizations from text written in natural language. Using NER, NLP algorithms can be created to extract the mentions of geographic locations of different types from current and archived news articles. This information can be used to add a spatial window into previously flat datasets, allowing users to access information by filtering location information. Information that is derived can be used to support intelligent decision making and influence expert systems. This paper describes the development of an algorithm that uses the principles of both NLP and NER to extract references to geographic locations within news articles. The algorithm has been developed using the NLTK and Pattern Web Toolkit for Python and performs with a precision and accuracy above eighty (80) percent.


We present numerical simulations of nucleation kinetics of vacancies and interstitials during RTA and we study the impact of annealing temperature on bulk micro defect concentration. Since the concentration of vacancies and oxygen and also its diffusion kinetics are significantly different inside Czochralski silicon, we assume the nucleation of vacancies and oxygen independent on each other. We show that different populations of voids formed during RTA can influence formation of oxygen precipitate nuclei. According to classical nucleation theory the homogeneous nucleation dominates around temperatures 500 °C while the calculation of oxygen diffusion into the voids shows that the oxygen clusters over the critical size can be formed above temperatures 700 °C. The nuclei concentration of BMD is thus the superposition of homogeneous nucleation below 700 °C and heterogeneous one prevailing above 700 °C.


SUMMARY: Zoospores of Phytophthora cinnamomi in a concentration gradient of hydrochloric acid or its chloride salts exhibited acute, repetitive turning movements at a point which corresponded to a critical concentration of cation and not to a critical concentration gradient. The critical concentration was calculated to be 37 μm for H+, 628 μM for K+, 5040 μm for NH4
+ and 6480 μm for Na+ with Cl- as the coionic species. The result of the negative chemotactic reaction was that zoospores swam away from the source of the chemical, regaining normal motility quickly as they returned to lower concentrations of the cation. Zoospores encysted immediately when suspensions were mixed with acids or salts having a concentration in the mixture greater than that which induced the turning reaction. They encysted swiftly at slightly lower concentrations of the cation. Negative chemotaxis appears to be largely an all-or-none response to a threshold concentration, but weaker effects caused by prolonged exposure to sub-threshold concentrations probably also occur. The response of zoospores to the various cations followed the Hoffmeister lyotropic series for cation exchange reactions, and negative chemotaxis can be interpreted as involving surface exchange phenomena.


In Reply. —We agree with Dr Collins and colleagues that the 33% reduction in risk of MI or death in patients treated with aspirin plus heparin compared with those treated with aspirin alone was not statistically significant. The P value for the 95% CI associated with the relative risk (RR) of 0.67 (95% CI, 0.44-1.02) was.057. Athough this P value does not meet the arbitrary cutoff of.05 required for statistical significance, it suggests a low probability (5.7%) that the findings occurred by chance. We believe that these findings are strengthened by the results of 2 recent trials that compared low-molecularweight heparin plus aspirin with aspirin alone in patients with unstable angina. 1,2 In both studies, adding low-molecularweight heparin to aspirin reduced the risk of MI or death during treatment. If we had included these trials in our metaanalysis, we would have found a statistically significant summary RR of 0.56 (95% CI, 0.40-0.80).


Myeloperoxidase (MPO) is a functionally important component of the normal human neutrophil host defense system. This enzyme possesses a dimeric structure composed of two heavy-subunit/light-subunit protomers, with a heme-like prosthetic group covalently linked to each heavy subunit. Although MPO exhibits unusual spectral and enzymatic properties, the nature of the prosthetic group and its mode of linkage with the apoenzyme have not been determined. In an earlier report (K.L. Taylor, J. Pohl, and J.M. Kinkade, Jr. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 25282-25288), characterization of the autolytic cleavage of MPO led to the proposal that the prosthetic group was covalently linked to the apoenzyme via a methionyl sulfonium bond with Met409. In the present study, we have demonstrated that autolytic cleavage of MPO, followed by protease digestion under nonreducing conditions, effects the release of a macrocycle with visible and Raman spectral properties consistent with that of a protoheme IX derivative. Mass spectrometric analysis, in conjunction with metabolic labeling studies and recent X-ray crystallographic data, have led to the structural assignment of this macrocycle as 1,5-dihydroxymethyl-3,8-dimethyl-4-vinyl-2-(2'-methylthio) ethenylporphine-6,7-dipropionic acid-iron complex. Based on the mechanism of methionyl sulfonium bond cleavage, this structure is consistent with our earlier proposal that the MPO prosthetic group is covalently linked to the enzyme via a methionyl sulfonium bond and suggests that this linkage occurs through a peripheral vinyl substituent.


Orofacial clefts (OFCs) are common birth defects affecting approximately 1/700 live births worldwide. OFCs may occur in the context of malformation syndromes or, more often, as isolated anomalies (non-syndromic). Epidemiological and embryological data suggest that cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL/P) and cleft palate only (CP) may represent etiologically distinct condition. Non-syndromic OFCs (nsCL/P and nsCP) have a complex multifactorial etiology, determined by the interaction of multiple genetic factors and specific environmental conditions affecting the intrauterine environment during early pregnancy, such as nutritional deficiency (hyperhomocysteinemia/folate deficiency), alcohol intake, maternal smoking. The molecular pathways and the identification of genetic elements involved in the developmental malformations of OFC are crucial to improve prevention strategies and recurrence genetic risks counseling. Different approaches such as linkage analysis, gene-candidate association studies, cytogenetic analysis and, more recently, genome-wide association studies (GWAS), led to the identification of several susceptibility loci for OFC development. The present study investigates specific genetic variants within susceptibility loci, in order to identify genetic risks factors for nsCP and/or nsCL/P. Family-based association studies were carried out in a large case-parent trios cohort (EUROCRAN and ITALCLEFT). The studies have focused on functional candidate genes and genetic region identified by GWAS. Genetic polymorphism were investigated in CBS gene (homocysteine metabolism), HLA-G gene (maternal-fetal immune tolerance), IRF6 gene (Wan der Woude syndrome, the most common cleft syndrome) and GREM1 gene (antangonist of Bone Morphogenetic Protein). Analyses were performed considering the cleft phenotype and gene-environment interaction (folic acid intake and maternal smoking in early pregnancy period). A new nsOFC risk variant were identified, in close proximity to IRF6 gene; moreover, significant results were obtain underling interactions between HLA-G genotype and pregnancy specific parameters. The study on nsCP etiology, conducted in collaboration with the De Duve Institute, Leuven University (Belgium), was focused on FAF1, SOX9, MTRR, SFSWAP and MMP17 candidate genes. The study has highlighted an association between polymorphic variants of FAF1 and SOX9 genes in nsCP risk indicating a strong relation with maternal smoking during early pregnancy.


Determination of conceptual problems which may cause alternative conceptions in science and technology textbooks is significant to increase in success of pupils and teachers. It is a vital issue to arrange books in a way removing or decreasing these faults in order to improve a better education via textbooks. This study aims to determine conceptual problems which may cause alternative conceptions in biology topics in science and technology textbooks of primary schools. In this study, the units of each textbook were analyzed page by page according to document examination method and conceptual problems were determined. The founded conceptual problems have been classified such as; misidentifications, overgeneralizations, oversimplifications, obsolete concepts and terms, under generalizations. The finding of research results have been shown that various conceptual problems which may cause alternative conceptions in pupils' textbooks about biology topics. The obtained results of research were compared with related literature and in the light of findings some recommendations were developed for future planning and development activities pupils' textbooks.


Stress has been acknowledged inherent in the process of teaching. Most teachers, howsoever bright, well read, experienced and well prepared experience some amount of stress while going to lecture in front of the student, but manage to handle it. It is also true that some feel more stressed than others and face occasional difficulty in coping with it. Some teachers find it quite heavy on them and extremely difficult carry on the work, as they are not able to either structure the work environment or exercise control over the factors underlying the stress, or to enhance their capability to cope. It then threatens to adversely impact their physical health reduces their teaching commitment and effectiveness to the extent of their needing professional help. Stress and burnout among teachers found directly influence their functioning and survival in the system, and quality of educational and related services offered to all students, and without exception for those with special needs'. INDEXTERMS Stress, Primary School, Teachers.


High-voltage circuit breakers are mechanical switching devices which connect and break current circuits (operating currents and fault currents) and carry the nominal current in closed position. As a result of multi-running, the shaft sleeve in operation mechanism could slip and even strip from the shaft at the hinge joint, which decreases the system reliability. In this work, investigations on the cause of sleeve slippage are proceeded, and the dimension parameters of shafting components where sleeve slippage occurs are optimized by incorporating a quasi-static mechanical model with Taguchi method. By developing and analyzing the mechanical model for the shaft sleeve slippage, it indicates that the sleeve slippage displacement has a same variation tendency with the shaft deflection. Theoretical equations are derived by using force analysis and superposition method to descript the analytic function of the shaft deflection. As the variables within the analytic function of the shaft deflection, the diameter and length of the shaft and the corresponding shaft sleeve length are selected as the control parameters in the optimization model. Moreover, several experiments are conducted by using the L18 (mixed orthogonal array) design method. Considering that the local mechanical characteristics such as sleeve strain are difficult to monitor via experimental method, an FEM simulation model is established to give the sleeve slippage displacement. Different levels of control parameters are introduced into the mechanical model and FEM simulation according to Taguchi method. The results from signal-to-noise (S/N) and ANOVA analysis (analysis of variance) reveal that shaft diameter is the most significant factor determining sleeve slippage in high-voltage circuit breaker operation mechanism, and that a larger diameter of shaft, a shorter shaft length and a longer sleeve length can reduce the sleeve slippage effectively. Meanwhile, the theoretical model is verified and enhanced by the FEM model.


SUMMARY The degree of vectorcardiographic ST-sgment elevation was employed as an index of myocardial ischemic injury in a study of 27 patients after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The ST-segment vector magnitude (STVM) was derived from the continuously recorded modified Frank vectorcardiogram and was plotted serially by hours after onset of AMI. The STVM in normal subjects was 51.1 ± 7.1 μV (mean ± SE). A standard deviation of the pooled variance of 15.2 1iV was obtained in a group of control patients and a change of more than 2 SD (> 30 μV) in an individual STVM was considered to be significant. The STVM progressively decreased in patients who survived without clinical complications while it remained elevated in those with congestive heart failure. A modest, sustained re-elevation of STVM was observed in patients who developed pericarditis, and a significant late average increase of 64 μV occurred in survivors with infarct extension. In contrast, STVM underwent a major increase in patients who died. In five of these six patients without associated pericarditis a mean increase of 164 μV was recorded in the last 5–12 hours of life. While death was clinically predictable in two patients with cardiogenic shock, it was not so for the four other patients who died. Thus, major increases in STVM frequently suggested significant new ischemic injury and were often premonitory to sudden death after AMI. The increases preceding death implied that not only ventricular ectopy but also lethal conduction abnormalities after AMI might be ischemia-related.


This paper summarizes highlights of research results from the Alcator C-Mod tokamak covering the period 2006–2008. Active flow drive, using mode converted ion cyclotron waves, has been observed for the first time in a tokamak plasma, using a mix of D and 3He ion species; toroidal and poloidal flows are driven near the location of the mode conversion layer. ICRF induced edge sheaths are implicated in both the erosion of thin boron coatings and the generation of metallic impurities. Lower hybrid range of frequencies (LHRF) microwaves have been used for efficient current drive, current profile modification and toroidal flow drive. In addition, LHRF has been used to modify the H-mode pedestal, increasing temperature, decreasing density and lowering the pedestal collisionality. Studies of hydrogen isotope retention in solid metallic plasma facing components reveal significantly higher retention than expected from ex situ laboratory studies; a model to explain the results, based on plasma/neutral induced lattice damage, has been developed and tested. During gas-puff mitigation of disruptions, induced MHD instabilities cause the magnetic field to become stochastic, resulting in reduction of halo currents, spreading of plasma power loading and loss of runaway electrons before they cause damage. Detailed pedestal rotation profile measurements have been used to infer Er profiles, and correlation with global H-mode confinement. An improved L-mode regime, obtained at q95 ⩽ 3 with ion drift away from the active X-point, shows very good energy confinement with a strong temperature pedestal, a weak density pedestal, and no evidence of particle or impurity accumulation, without the need for ELMs or any additional edge density regulation mechanism.


A detailed study of hadronic interactions is presented using data recorded with the highly granular CALICE silicon-tungsten electromagnetic calorimeter. The predictions of several Monte Carlo Geant4 models are compared with experimental data, taken at FNAL in 2008. The contribution recaps results published in 2015 and a set of new results available since the beginning of 2016. The published results present a detailed analysis of hadronic showers in terms of radial and longitudinal hit and energy distributions. For the most recent analysis a simple track-finding algorithm was developed to study tracks left by secondary particles, emerging from hadronic interactions in the highly granular electromagnetic calorimeter prototype. Present Monte Carlo simulations provide a good description of the experimental data in terms of new observables, available through the detailed analysis of secondary particles; the Monte Carlo predictions are within 20% of the data, and for many observables much closer.


With the increased competition in today's world market, emphasis has been on the ability to shift from an existing paradigm to a new paradigm so as to create new opportunities and to gain new market. A successful paradigm shift is dependent on two factors: (1) the ability to pinpoint the inherent weaknesses in the existing paradigm, (2) the ability to find a paradigm that can replace the old paradigm. In this paper, we show how the integrated feedback approach is able to address these two concerns. The integrated feedback approach was proposed to integrate the design phase with the downstream activities so as to achieve a design that is better for assembly. The approach operates in two phases: an evaluation phase and a redesign suggestion generation phase. A number of objective criteria have been proposed to evaluate a given design from the functional perspective, from the assembly plan perspective, and from the tolerance perspective. Through the evaluation process, weaknesses in the design are identified and techniques for generating feasible redesign suggestions are examined. By encouraging greater participation from the designer, a systematic aid to paradigm shifting can be obtained. A prototype system implementing the integrated feedback approach has been developed on a Sun Sparcstation with graphics simulation on a Silicon Graphics Iris workstation. A real life product, the telephone, is used as an illustration.


Abstract. The effect of sinusoidally modulated conical end boundaries on convection in a rotating cylindrical annulus is investigated theoretically and experimentally. A quasiperiodic time dependence of convection in the form of thermal Rossby waves is found and semi-quantitative agreement between theory and measurements can be established. The results are relevant to convection in the Earth's outer core close to the tangent cylinder touching the inner core at its equator.


and Implications One of the primary targets for the biological actions of relaxin is the uterine cervix. The effects of relaxin on this organ include inducing growth and remodeling of connective tissue and cervical cells to accommodate pregnancy and parturition. The related physiological and clinical observations include softening, ripening, and dilating the cervix and facilitating delivery of the young. The underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms remain obscure. Collagen is the most abundant protein in the cervix and plays a key role in connective tissue remodeling. This study was designed to determine the developmental and growthpromoting effects of relaxin with or without estrogen on the uterine cervix of prepubertal gilts. Littermate gilts of 80 days old were randomly assigned to four treatments: vehicle (control, 1 milliliter [ml.] phosphate buffer saline [PBS] and 1 ml. vegetable oil, n = 5); relaxin (relaxin, in PBS, 1 ml., 167 mg. ml., n = 5); estradiol benzoate (EB, in vegetable oil, 1 ml., 2 mg. ml., n = 5); and relaxin plus EB (relaxin + EB, at the same doses, n = 5), total six intramuscular injections for all treatments. Twenty-four hours after the last injection, the uterus was surgically removed, and the uterine tissues were immediately frozen at -80°C. Homogenates of uterine horns and cervices were analyzed for concentrations and contents of protein or hydroxyproline (collagen index) and DNA. Relaxin alone had no significant effect on wet or dry weight of the uterus. EB alone increased significantly (P<.05) wet weight of the uterus. In the presence of EB, relaxin treatment increased all measurements compared with control (i.e., wet weight). Compared with EB, Relaxin + EB significantly (P<.05) increased the uterine wet weight, the hydroxyproline content and DNA content. These results indicate that the growth-promoting effects of relaxin on the uterus and cervix may be, at least partly, estrogen-dependent and that the growth and development of the uterus and cervix can be accelerated by a combination of relaxin and estrogen treatment. The present results show that the growth and development of the porcine uterus and cervix can be accelerated by treatment with relaxin and estrogen. Although it is not known whether the pig at this prepubertal stage contains relaxin receptors after relaxin and estrogen stimulation, the results reported here indicate that relaxin regulates the growth and development of the uterus and cervix during pregnancy as well as during the prepubertal period.


Dual inoculation of the mutualistic endophytic fungus Fusarium oxysporum strain 162 (Fo162) applied at 1 × 106 colony-forming units/g of soil, first at sowing and then at transplanting, reduced early root penetration of Meloidogyne incognita race 3 in squash and melon up to 69 and 73%, respectively, compared to the untreated control which had over 250 nematodes per root system. Re-isolation of Fo162 from roots of squash was 28% and melon 27%. The colonization in melon was higher in the upper root zone than in the other two root portions (middle and lower root zones). In contrast, there was no fungal colonization preference among the three root zones investigated in squash. The fresh shoot weight of treated squash with Fo162 was higher than in the untreated control, whereas endophyte treatment did not affect fresh root weight. In melon there were no significant effects on plant growth. In conclusion, the results showed that the biocontrol activity of Fo162 against plant parasitic nematodes is not limited to plants of specific families, and that it has the potential to be used in cucurbitaceous crops such as squash and melon.


Eighty-two seafloor heat-flow measurements were recently obtained across the Mississippi Fan region in the deepwater northeastern Gulf of Mexico. These data display an abrupt transition in heat flow between an area near the center of Pleistocene deposition (∼20 mW/m 2 ) and the eastern margin of the fan (∼40 mW/m 2 ). Although deposition of fan sediments has very likely suppressed the shallow subseafloor thermal regime, causing lower seafloor heat-flow values near the center, the magnitude and abruptness of the heat-flow contrast cannot be fully accounted for by the mechanisms related to sedimentary deposition, which include radiogenic heat production in sediments, pore-fluid migration, and presence of salt structures. The most plausible explanation for the sharp heat-flow contrast is that the heat released from the igneous basement is significantly greater in the eastern margin of the fan. The zone of contrasting heat flow lies along a previously suggested boundary between the oceanic crust and the thin transitional crust in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. The area of higher heat flow coincides with the suggested zone of transitional crust, which, because of its granitic origin, generates greater amounts of radiogenic heat than oceanic crust. This finding opens up the possibility that heat-flow data may be used in delineating crustal lithologic boundaries along continental margins.


During the Canister Retrieval Test (CRT), the temperature around the deposition hole DD0092G01 was elevated and the stress in the rock was consequently increased. This report concerns the study to investigate if the increased stress around the deposition hole has led to micro fracturing in the surrounding rock and if the temperature and possible heat induced damage can be predicted by numerical simulation.The temperature field from thermal analysis generally matches the measured results well, whereas the calculated temperature is much higher than measured.The damage analysis might be a quite reasonable simplification for the area near the middle height of the hole. For the other part, the influence due to tunnel excavation or the end effect should have more important influence.


This study verified the inter‐related effect of 'market distance', defined as walking time, 'farm typology', defined as resource endowment, and 'site', defined as geographic location with contrasting agro‐ecologies, as well as farmers' indigenous knowledge on soil fertility variability in smallholder farming systems in two distinct regions (Bushumba, Mushinga) of South‐Kivu, DR Congo. A total of 384 soil samples were selected from representative farmers' fields and analysed for soil pH, soil organic carbon (SOC) content and quality, as well as nutrient contents, using midDRIFTS (mid‐infrared diffuse reflectance Fourier transform spectroscopy) and wet chemistry analyses. MidDRIFTS was also used to calculate SOC stability indexes as SOC quality proxies. 'Market distance' and 'farm typology' were key determinants of soil fertility variability, both with contrasting trends in Bushumba and Mushinga. Decreasing soil fertility with increasing market distance was noted across all farm typologies. 'Farm typology' was related to exchangeable calcium and magnesium, while 'site' resulted in a difference of plant available phosphorus. SOC quality indexes were related to 'site', interacting with 'market distance'. A 'market distance' effect became obvious in the medium wealthy and poor farms of Mushinga, where a lower SOC quality in remote fields plots was noted with increasing market distance. In agreement with farmers' indigenous knowledge, soil fertility levels were higher in deep than shallow soils, which were reflected in higher nutrient stocks in deep soils receiving organic amendments. Our results inferred that soil fertility variability across smallholder farms must consider various inter‐related determinants as basis for site‐specific fertility management interventions.


ABSTRACT National treatment guidelines for invasive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections recommend targeting a vancomycin 24-h area under the concentration-time curve (AUC0–24)-to-MIC ratio of >400. The range of vancomycin trough concentrations that best predicts an AUC0–24 of >400 in neonates is not known. This understanding would help clarify target trough concentrations in neonates when treating MRSA. A retrospective chart review from a level III neonatal intensive care unit was performed to identify neonates treated with vancomycin over a 5-year period. Vancomycin concentrations and clinical covariates were utilized to develop a one-compartment population pharmacokinetic model and examine the relationships between trough and AUC0–24 in the study neonates. Monte Carlo simulations were performed to examine the effect of dose, postmenstrual age (PMA), and serum creatinine level on trough and AUC0–24 achievement. A total of 1,702 vancomycin concentrations from 249 neonates were available for analysis. The median (interquartile range) PMA was 39 weeks (32 to 42 weeks) and weight was 2.9 kg (1.6 to 3.7 kg). Vancomycin clearance was predicted by weight, PMA, and serum creatinine level. At a trough of 10 mg/liter, 89% of the study neonates had an AUC0–24 of >400. Monte Carlo simulations demonstrated that troughs ranging from 7 to 11 mg/liter were highly predictive of an AUC0–24 of >400 across a range of PMA, serum creatinine levels, and vancomycin doses. However, a trough of ≥10 mg/liter was not readily achieved in most simulated subgroups using routine starting doses. Higher starting doses frequently resulted in troughs of >20 mg/liter. A vancomycin trough of ∼10 mg/liter is likely adequate for most neonates with invasive MRSA infections based on considerations of the AUC0–24. Due to pharmacokinetic and clinical heterogeneity in neonates, consistently achieving this target vancomycin exposure with routine starting doses is difficult. More robust clinical dosing support tools are needed to help clinicians with dose individualization.


5. Local anaesthesia. This is the method par excellence in all cases which may be classed as poor surgical risks. For abdominal work, as in the case of a "high spinal," relaxation is obtained by means of injection of the anaesthetic agent while the patient is kept unconscious by nitrous oxide-oxygen anaesthesia given with abundant oxygen. Many techniques are available and are described in the literature on the subject. Contraindications are injections through septic areas or scar tissue; these may be overcome by avoiding local infiltration and hitting off the nerves at a distance, as in intercostal nerve block. The disadvantage is that the injections are timeconsuming compared with any of the other means of obtaining anaesthesia; but this, one feels, is a matter of small importance, at any rate when dealing with the very sick, feeble, or aged subject. The above, then, are the chief methods of obviating the anoxia inherent in pure nitrous oxide-oxygen anaesthesia. It is only by consideration and evaluation, one against the other, of the four factors present at any operation-i.e., the condition of the patient, the experience and capabilities of the anaesthetist, the type of operation, and the likes and dislikes of the surgeon-that one can assess and judge which of these methods is best in a particular case.-I am, etc.,


Objective: Synchronization between distributed rhythms in the brain is commonly assessed by estimating the synchronization strength from simultaneous measurements. This approach, however, does not elucidate the phase dynamics that underlies synchronization. For this, an explicit dynamical model is required. Based on the assumption that the recorded rhythms can be described as weakly coupled oscillators, we propose a method for characterizing their phase‐interaction dynamics. Methods: We propose to model ongoing magnetoencephalographic (MEG) oscillations as weakly coupled oscillators. Based on this model, the phase interactions between simultaneously recorded signals are characterized by estimating the modulation in instantaneous frequency as a function of their phase difference. Furthermore, we mathematically derive the effect of volume conduction on the model and show how indices for strength and direction of coupling can be derived. Results: The methodology is tested using simulations and is applied to ongoing occipital–frontal MEG oscillations of healthy subjects in the alpha and beta bands during rest. The simulations show that the model is robust against the presence of noise, short observation times, and model violations. The application to MEG data shows that the model can reconstruct the observed occipital–frontal phase difference distributions. Furthermore, it suggests that phase locking in the alpha and beta band is established by qualitatively different mechanisms. Conclusion: When the recorded rhythms are assumed to be weakly coupled oscillators, a dynamical model for the phase interactions can be fitted to data. The model is able to reconstruct the observed phase difference distribution, and hence, provides a dynamical explanation for observed phase locking. Hum Brain Mapp, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Research suggests hypertension is associated with reduced somatosensory perception. Further, natural fluctuations in blood pressure (BP) across the cardiac cycle have been shown to modulate nociceptive responding, pain and tactile sensitivity, suggesting that arterial baroreceptors may be important moderators of somatosensation. This thesis further examined the influence of natural fluctuations in BP, and thus baroreceptor activity, across the cardiac cycle on electrocutaneous pain and tactile sensory thresholds and pain-related evoked potentials (PREPs) in normotensive individuals. Study 1 found pain thresholds were higher, i.e. pain was reduced, during systole compared to diastole. Further analysis revealed only participants with low-normal systolic BP displayed this cardiac cycle modulation, suggesting tonic BP may moderate cardiac cycle-related pain modulation. In the second study, tactile sensory thresholds did not vary across the cardiac cycle. However, when participants were split into high-normal and low-normal BP groups, interactions between BP and tactile sensory thresholds across the cardiac cycle were revealed. This finding suggests tonic BP may be an important factor determining the cardiac cycle modulation of tactile sensation. Study 3 found no variation in the N2 or P2 peak amplitudes, or N2-P2 peak-to-peak amplitudes across the cardiac cycle at scalp recording sites Cz, C3, or C4. Furthermore, BP median split analyses revealed no BP Group or interaction effect. As previous work reported a systolic dampening of PREPs, these data suggest the cardiac cycle-related modulation of PREPs may not be as robust as other measures of pain such as the nociceptive flexion reflex. Study 4 reported, in line with Study 3, no cardiac cycle related modulation of PREPs following stimulation of the right and left hands. However, a Hand × Scalp Electrode Site × Interval interaction was revealed for N2 peak amplitudes. These data suggest that the combination of side of stimulation and scalp recording site may be important in determining the patterning of PREPs across the cardiac cycle. Taken together, the findings of these studies suggest that pain perception, and to a lesser extent tactile sensation, are influenced by natural variations in BP across the cardiac cycle. However, modulation appears dependent on tonic BP. Conversely, pain-related brain activity across the cardiac cycle was not affected by tonic BP, but may be influenced by the combination of stimulation and recording sites.


A new fracturing-bolt universal breakaway steel post (UBSP) was developed and evaluated for use as a replacement for the controlled-release terminal (CRT) wood post currently used in the Thrie beam bullnose system. After numerous steel post concepts were investigated, a fracturing-bolt steel post was selected as the most promising design. The fracturing-bolt steel post successfully matched the strength and dynamic behavior of the CRT wood post in three impact orientations. The UBSP was incorporated into the Thrie beam bullnose barrier system and subjected to three full-scale vehicle crash tests according to the Test Level 3 guidelines provided in NCHRP Report 350. Test Designations 3–30, 3–31, and 3–38 were chosen to evaluate the performance of the Thrie beam bullnose system with UBSPs. All three full-scale crash tests demonstrated that the UBSP performed in a satisfactory manner in the bullnose system, as the vehicle was captured and safely brought to a controlled stop. On the basis of the successful completion of the three full-scale crash tests, it is recommended that the UBSP be considered a safe alternative to CRT posts in the original Thrie beam bullnose median barrier system. It is also noted that the performance of the UBSP suggests that it may have additional applications, including in long-span guardrail, end terminals, and guardrail in mow strips or encased in pavement.


We study optimal portfolios for defined contribution (possibly mandatory) pension systems, which maximize expected pensions subject to a risk level. By explicitly considering the present value of future individual contributions and changing the risk-return numeraire to future pension units we obtain interesting insights, consistent with the literature, in a simpler context. Results naturally imply that the local indexed (inflation-adjusted) currency is the benchmark and that the investment horizon is long. Optimal portfolios have a hedging component with an even longer duration than a deferred (real) pension, which begins its lifetime payments upon retirement. Results are illustrated with the parameters obtained for the United States by Campbell and Viceira (2001). It also discusses the implications for emerging market reformed pension systems.


ABSTRACT This article reviews recent studies on the hydrodynamic and thermal characteristics of micro pin fin heat sink (MPFHS). In the studies reviewed in this article, liquid coolants such as water, HFE-7000, HFE-7200, R-123 were tested under both single-phase and two-phase flow conditions. Analytical, computational and experimental research studies were covered with a focus on configurations with traditional arrangements of micro pin fins (MPF) as well as original designs such as oblique finned MPFs, variable density MPF, vortex generators and herringbone structures. Single-phase flow results highlighted pressure drop penalty with achieved heat transfer enhancement. Many studies revealed the inability of conventional correlations to predict the hydrodynamic and thermal characteristics and proposed new correlations for different operating conditions and geometrical specifications. Regarding the studies on two-phase flows the number of performed studies is less than the ones in single-phase flow regime although the diversity of utilized coolants is more. Under flow boiling conditions, the focus was on determining flow patterns among MPFs for different arrangements and under different operating conditions. Unlike the studies on single-phase flows, the data could be relatively well predicted using the earlier suggested model by Lockhart and Martinelli with appropriate coefficients for different arrangements of MPFs.


Heteronyx dimidiata and H. crinitus are significant pests of young Eucalyptus spp. plantations in Tasmania, but little is known about their biology. Adult beetles feeding on the leaves and developing leaf buds of young seedlings can severely affect their growth and form or even kill them.Yellow-vaned funnel traps were used to monitor the flight activity of Heteronyx in a commercial plantation over 3 years. Visual searches were also conducted to determine the incidence of inactive beetles in the soil underneath trees and the presence of active beetles on leaves. Over 12 000 H. dimidiata and 1300 H. crinitus were collected during the study. The pattern of trap captures was similar in both species with over 90% of beetles being caught in spring and low numbers
being caught throughout summer and autumn. High numbers of H. dimidiata were found in the soil surrounding the roots of Eucalyptus nitens seedlings, but very few larvae were present, indicating that oviposition occurs outside these plantations. Trap data suggest that spring flight activity is principally due to the emergence of overwintering adult beetles and that newly eclosed beetles typically invade plantations during late summer/autumn. Spring trap captures were strongly male biased, suggesting a scramble mating system where males
were more active as they competitively searched for females. Over 65% of the variation in H. dimidiata activity in spring was accounted for by levels of solar radiation and wind. Females mated up to three times and ovarian development usually commenced in spring. The incidence of food in the crop was highest during autumn/winter, but the presence of fat in the abdomen was similar throughout the year. The use of yellowvaned funnel traps to monitor the flight activity of diurnally active Heteronyx species in commercial Eucalyptus
spp. plantations is recommended.


Field emission (FE) characteristics of well-aligned multiwall carbon nanotube arrays (CNTAs) grown on originally polished and energetic iron ion bombarded Si substrates were investigated. It was found that the FE characteristics have been improved remarkably by the pretreatment of iron ion bombardment, an evident promotion of the highest emission current density from 4.05 mA/cm2 to 54.45 mA/cm2 was as an expression of this enhancement, this enhancement in characteristics is attributed to the improved adhesion between CNTs and Si substrate for the existence of iron buffer layer. The relationship between adhesive force and emission current density has been introduced, and the calculation reveals that the adhesion has been enhanced by 14.4 times due to the energetic ion pre-bombardment on Si substrate.


If an off-the-shelf software product exhibits poor dependability due to design faults, then software fault tolerance is often the only way available to users and system integrators to alleviate the problem. Thanks to low acquisition costs, even using multiple versions of software in a parallel architecture, which is a scheme formerly reserved for few and highly critical applications, may become viable for many applications. We have studied the potential dependability gains from these solutions for off-the-shelf database servers. We based the study on the bug reports available for four off-the-shelf SQL servers plus later releases of two of them. We found that many of these faults cause systematic noncrash failures, which is a category ignored by most studies and standard implementations of fault tolerance for databases. Our observations suggest that diverse redundancy would be effective for tolerating design faults in this category of products. Only in very few cases would demands that triggered a bug in one server cause failures in another one, and there were no coincident failures in more than two of the servers. Use of different releases of the same product would also tolerate a significant fraction of the faults. We report our results and discuss their implications, the architectural options available for exploiting them, and the difficulties that they may present.


As a consequence of the rising number of dual-earner households, many contemporary couples in Europe face two potentially conflicting job schedules when figuring out how to allocate their time over a week. In this article, we study how dual-earner couples with children organize their working time in Belgium, Italy, and the Netherlands. We place working time coordination explicitly in a comparative framework to allow cross-country differences in time-scheduling mechanisms to be revealed. We define working time coordination as an act that leads to hours of paid work performed by both parents at the same moment and of which the joint nature cannot be explained by factors other than the partners' potential to communicate on the timing of their work. Our main findings are as follows: (1) parents actively coordinate their working times in all three societies; (2) on average, Italian and Flemish dual-earner parents tend to synchronize (increase their work-time overlap), which indicates that parents aim at spending non-market time jointly; and (3) Dutch dual-earner parents tend to de-synchronize (decrease work-time overlap), which indicates that the latter tend to maximize the amount of time that at least one parent is out of the job.


BACKGROUND
The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of jejunostomy during esophagectomy for cancer on postoperative health-related quality of life (HRQL).

METHODS
We evaluate all consecutive patients who underwent esophagectomy for cancer at the surgical oncology unit of the Veneto Institute of Oncology (IOV-IRCCS) between January 2008 and March 2014. The primary outcome was HRQL, which was assessed using nine scales of EORTC C30 and OES18 questionnaires. General linear models were estimated to evaluate mean score difference (MD) of each selected scale in patients with and without jejunostomy, adjusting for clinically relevant confounders. The secondary outcomes were morbidity, hospital stay, postoperative weight loss and postoperative albumin impairment.

RESULTS
Jejunostomy was performed in 40 on 109 patients (41.3%) who participated in quality of life investigation. A clinically and statistically significantly worse eating at admission (P=0.009) became not clinically significant at 3 months after surgery (MD =9.1). Jejunostomy was associated to clinically and statistically significantly poorer emotional function (EF) at 3 months after surgery (MD =-15.6; P=0.04). Hospital stay was longer in jejunostomy group (median, 20 vs. 17 days, P=0.02).

CONCLUSIONS
In our series patients who had a jejunostomy during esophagectomy had been selected for their risk for postoperative complication. However, their postoperative outcome was actually similar compared to those without jejunostomy. Nevertheless, jejunostomy was associated to clinically and statistically significantly poorer EF at 3 months after surgery. Therefore, patient candidate to esophagectomy and feeding jejunostomy should receive additional psychological support.


Purpose Bone tissue engineering is helpful in finding alternatives to overcome surgery limitations. Bone growth and repair are under the control of biochemical and mechanical signals; therefore, in recent years several approaches to improve bone regeneration have been evaluated. Osteo-inductive biomaterials, stem cells, specific growth factors and biophysical stimuli are among those. The aim of the present study was to evaluate if low-intensity pulsed ultrasound stimulation (LIPUS) treatment would improve the colonization of an MgHA/Coll hybrid composite scaffold by human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) and their osteogenic differentiation. LIPUS stimulation was applied to hMSCs cultured on MgHA/Coll hybrid composite scaffold in osteogenic medium, mimicking the microenvironment of a bone fracture. Methods hMSCs were seeded on MgHA/Coll hybrid composite scaffold in an osteo-inductive medium and exposed to LIPUS treatment for 20 min/day for different experimental times (7 days, 14 days). The investigation was focused on (i) the improvement of hMSCs to colonize the MgHA/Coll hybrid composite scaffold by LIPUS, in terms of cell viability and ultrastructural analysis; (ii) the activation of MAPK/ERK, osteogenic (ALPL, COL1A1, BGLAP, SPP1) and angiogenetic (VEGF, IL8) pathways, through gene expression and protein release analysis, after LIPUS stimuli. Results LIPUS exposure improved MgHA/Coll hybrid composite scaffold colonization and induced in vitro osteogenic differentiation of hMSCs seeded on the scaffold. Conclusions This work shows that the combined use of new biomimetic osteo-inductive composite and LIPUS treatment could be a useful therapeutic approach in order to accelerate bone regeneration pathways.


The best method of monitoring ice seal populations in shifting packice is by aerial censuses. However, there are a number of problems with this method that are difficult to address in the packice and are best addressed on more accessible ice seals such as the Weddell seal. Counts made during the moult are affected by the fact that Weddell seals can leave the fast ice to forage. Seal numbers on the fast ice will therefore differ depending upon the proximity and availability of prey species, with lower numbers being recorded on the fast ice the further the seal has to travel from the ice to find food. In any census the subgroup of the population that is being counted must be known. Southern elephant seals and Weddell seals haul out to moult in sequences on the basis of age, sex and reproductive condition. This leads to periods of high and low counts through the moult. Examination of data on crabeater seals indicates that a putative 60% decline in numbers may have been due to counts being made at different times of the moult and therefore with different subgroups of the population being counted.


We systematically investigate the effects of divalent anions on the assembly of polyelectrolyte multilayers by fabricating polystyrene sulfonate (PSS)/polyallylamine hydrochloride (PAH) multilayer films from aqueous solutions containing SO(4)(2-), HPO(4)(2-), or organic dicarboxylate dianions. The chosen concentrations of these anions (i.e., ≤0.05 M) allow us to isolate their effects on the assembly process from those of the polyelectrolyte solubility or solution ionic strength (maintained constant at μ = 1.00 M by added NaCl). Compared to a control film prepared from solutions containing only Cl(-) anions, stratified multilayers deposited in the presence of dianions exhibit increased UV absorbance, thickness, and roughness. From the dependence of film properties on the solution concentration of SO(4)(2-) and number of polyelectrolyte layers deposited, we derive a generic model for the PSS/PAH multilayer formation that involves adsorption of PAH aggregates formed in solution via electrostatic interactions of PAH with bridging dianions. Experiments using HPO(4)(2-) and organic dicarboxylate species of varying structure indicate that the separation, rigidity, and angle between the discrete negatively charged sites in the dianion govern the formation of the PAH aggregates, and therefore also the properties of the multilayer film. A universal linear relationship between film UV absorbance and thickness is observed among all dianion types or concentrations, consistent with the model.


Bearing in mind the similarities shared between Vygotsky's theory of learning and development and the Marxist philosophy of language proposed by the Bakhtin circle, this paper aims at establishing a dialogue between the Vygotskian concepts of scientific and spontaneous knowledge and the Bakhtinian ideas concerning primary and secondary genres as well as behavioral and crystallized ideologies. Since these theoretical constructs share the assumption that consciousness is constituted through interaction with other people in a broad sociohistorical context, I believe that thinking of their interrelations can shed light on the understanding of teaching-learning situations seen, in a sociohistorical purview, as ideological arenas where knowledge is constructed and awareness is raised. In order to place the dialogue between these Vygotskian and Bakhtinian concepts into a concrete teaching-learning situation, I finalize the discussion with a reflection about the interplay of these conceptions in virtual conversations between a student and me, which are part of a distance course aiming at preparing the pupil for her EFL college entrance examinations.


Wide bandgap III-nitride semiconductor materials possess superior material properties as compared to silicon, GaAs and other III-V compound materials. Recent achievements in gallium nitride (GaN) technology for optoelectronics have resulted in ultra-bright blue light emitting diodes and lasers, ultraviolet emitters, and solar-blind optical detectors. In the electronic area, drastic improvement of microwave device performance has been achieved, yielding record high power densities of 20-30 W/mm. Novel applications of these materials in high-power electronics for switching, energy conversion and control are just emerging. This paper provides an overview of the state-of-the-art III-nitride wide bandgap technologies and it explores power electronic applications while illustrating the enormous potential that GaN based devices have for overcoming the major challenges of power electronics in the 21st century. The paper discusses the unique material and device properties of GaN-based semiconductors that make them promising for high-power, high-temperature applications. These include high electron mobility and saturation velocity, high sheet carrier concentration at heterojunction interfaces, high breakdown voltages, and low thermal impedance (when grown over SiC or bulk AIN substrates). The chemical inertness and radiation hardness of nitrides are other key properties. As applied to power electronics, the Ill-Nitride technology allows for high-power switching with sub-microsecond and nano-second switching times. The paper will present the innovations that further improve the performance of high-power DC-DC converters, switches and other building blocks. These include novel insulated gate HFET design that significantly expands the allowable input voltage amplitude, further increases the device peak currents, and most importantly, tremendously improves the large-signal stability and reliability. Insulated gate switching devices have been shown to operate at up to 300 degC with no noticeable parameter degradation. Novel monolithic integrated circuits of high-power switches and DC-DC converters and their performance parameters will be presented. The paper also discusses the major challenges associated with modern GaN technology and work in progress to overcome them


Background Obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD) are characterized by intrusive thoughts or images (obsessions), which increase anxiety, and by repetitive or ritualistic actions (compulsions), which decrease anxiety. The classification of obsessive-compulsive disorders includes the idea of an overlap with anxiety disorders, especially regarding the use of repetitive rituals to decrease anxiety in the sense of a form of a maladaptive homeostatic regulation. In addition there is a common overlap with anxiety disorders and depression. other psychiatric disorders significant differences in heartbeat perception ability have been observed in several clinical samples: Many studies (Eley, Stirling, Ehlers, Gregory, & Clark, 2004; Pineles & Mineka, 2005;) have shown that interoceptive sensitivity is closely associated with anxiety disorders. Interestingly Dunn and colleges (2007) found that interoceptive sensitivity is reduced in depressed patients. Deficits in interoceptive sensitivity might therefore play an important role in the etiology and maintenance of OCDs. The question as to whether interoceptive sensitivity measured by a heartbeat perception task is reduced in obsessive compulsive disorders is still open. Methods: Based on this we conducted a study to have a closer look at the ongoing bodily processes in a sample of patients with OCD using a well-validated heartbeat perception task (Schandry, 1981). Measures included the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Symptoms of the OCD were assed with the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (YBOCS). The main objective of the present study was to investigate the degree of interoceptive awareness in OCD. Additionally we examined the interoceptive awareness over the time of the ongoing therapy. As former data indicated that interoceptive sensitivity is related to anxiety and depression these variables were also assessed and included as possible mediators for observed differences. Participants were recruited in the Clinic for Psychosomatic in Windach and observed during their stationary therapy. The control group was matched for sex, age and educational level. We measured the interoceptive awareness in the beginning (first or second week), in the middle (fifths or sixths week) and at the end (between eighths and tenths week) of the therapy. The protocol for the control group was in line with this procedure. Results: We found significantly reduced interoceptive awareness in the group of OCD patients compared to the controls. OCD patient showed poorer ability of heartbeat detection at every data collection time. Additionally there was no effect over time for the interoceptive awareness, both groups did not differ in their interoceptive awareness compared between the outcome of the heartbeat perception of the first, second and third investigation. The effects remained significant while controlling for anxiety and depression. Correlations between obsessive-compulsive symptoms, measured with the YBOCS, and the heartbeat detection was significant for the first data collection time. At the second and third data collection time no significant correlation between heartbeat detection and obsessive-compulsive symptoms could be found. Discussion Our results are the first to show that OCD patients have difficulties in detecting their bodily signals measured via the heartbeat detection task, an effect that remains significant even when controlling for anxiety and depression. Furthermore we found that the interoceptive awareness of the OCD patients did not improve over the time of therapy. These findings might be useful as prognostic information concerning etiology and maintenance of the disorder. In the context of therapy concepts of the OCD further studies should focus on the impact of the ability of detecting bodily signals. A next step could be to create therapy concepts that include a heartbeat detecting training, maybe combined with techniques of biofeedback to support the development of a healthier homeostatic regulation. ement, the interrelation between different levels of physical activity (low, medium, high) in school and in leisure time as well as interoceptive processes was taken into account. Discussion and Conclusion In conclusion, our results highlight the importance of interoceptive awareness among children and adolescents in terms of self- regulation of behavior.


Previously, we noted significant differences in the behavioral patterns of mice fed safflower oil with a very low alpha-linolenate/linoleate ratio and perilla oil with a high alpha-linolenate/linoleate ratio from mothers to offsprings. In this report, we compared the behavior and drug responses in mice fed diets containing six different vegetable oils-corn, rapeseed, soybean, safflower, perilla and a mixture of perilla and safflower oils- for a relatively short period: 8 months after weaning. Soybean oil is a component of most conventional diets and was used as a control. The alpha-linolenate/linoleate ratios of the oils appeared to affect the locomotor activities in a wheel cage: the activity decreased in the order of safflower, the mixture (1:1) and the perilla oil groups. However, the rapeseed oil group exhibited much higher locomotor activity than that expected from the alpha-linolenate/linoleate ratio. Additionally, the rapeseed oil group exhibited unusual behavior patterns, including higher ambulation and rearing activities, faster acquisition of the water maze task and slower habituation behavior as compared with the control group. Susceptibility to pentobarbital anesthesia tended to be higher in the rapeseed oil group. The differences in the alpha-linolenate/linoleate ratios of these oils alone do not account for the observed differences in the behavioral patterns among the six dietary groups. Although we cannot exclude the possibility that the observed behavioral anomaly is due to the unique fatty acid composition of rapeseed oil, we speculate that a factor(s) other than fatty acids in rapeseed oil affected nervous system functions.


Cytotoxic agents such as cyclophosphamide are infrequently used in neurological practice. When they are, it is commonly in critically ill patients or in those with refractory inflammatory disorders. Cyclophosphamide in particular has a well-recognised negative impact on both female and male long-term fertility. This article summarises the data with regards the impact of cytotoxics on long-term fertility and describes the current options to preserve fertility in these patients. We hope this will provide neurologists with a useful aid for counselling patients for whom they are considering these treatments.


1. A high speed centrifuge is described in which the speed is limited only by the strength of the material of which the rotor is made. It carries sixteen tubes, each of which conveniently accommodates 7 cc. of fluid. 2. The centrifuge operates in a very high vacuum and therefore requires only a small amount of driving energy. The arrangement has been found to eliminate the possibility of producing injurious frictional heat. 3. The rotating parts are supported by anair-bearing and are driven by compressed air. 4. The centrifuge has been successfully operated at a speed of 30,000 revolutions per minute, representing a maximum centrifugal force in the fluid of 95,000 times gravity. 5 Celluloid tubes used for centrifugation of fluid at high speeds are described. 6. Experiments are described in which good sedimentation of the yellow fever virus was obtained.


Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) is developing a cooling technology concept — the Sandia National Laboratories Natural Circulation Cooler (SNLNCC) — that has potential to greatly improve the economic viability of hybrid cooling for power plants. The SNLNCC is a patented technology that holds promise for improved dry heat rejection capabilities when compared to currently available technologies. The cooler itself is a dry heat rejection device, but is conceptualized here as a heat exchanger used in conjunction with a wet cooling tower, creating a hybrid cooling system for a thermoelectric power plant.
 The SNLNCC seeks to improve on currently available technologies by replacing the two-phase refrigerant currently used with either a supercritical fluid — such as supercritical CO2 (sCO2) — or a zeotropic mixture of refrigerants. In both cases, the heat being rejected by the water to the SNLNCC would be transferred over a range of temperatures, instead of at a single temperature as it is in a thermosyphon. This has the potential to improve the economics of dry heat rejection performance in three ways: decreasing the minimum temperature to which the water can be cooled, increasing the temperature to which air can be heated, and increasing the fraction of the year during which dry cooling is economically viable. This paper describes the experimental basis and the current state of the SNLNCC.


With the rapid development of China's market economy, the improvement of people's living standards and coupled with the increase of foreign tourist arrivals, China's tourism industry develops very fast. However, along with the high-speed development, the good and bad intermingled situation in the tourist industry appeared. In recent years, scandals in this industry broke out one after another, such as rising ticket prices, fraud, hard sell, environmental pollution, which seriously affected the healthy development of China's tourism industry. One of the main causes of the non-standard phenomenon in China's tourism industry was the passive absence of China's tourism management, which included the lack of government management and the lack of Chinese law. Many local governments took tacit or inactive attitude in face of local non-standard tourist industry because currently tourism economy had gradually substituted the agriculture as the local finance source in many places. In order to ensure fiscal revenues, some local governments took that attitude. Some local governments were not aware of the importance of tourism economy and failed to fulfill their duties, leading to the low level of local tourism market development. The formally implementation of "Tourism Law" in 2013 ended the lawabsent phenomenon in China's tourism industry. However, the implementation time is very short, the effect is not obvious, and the detailed rules are still not perfect.


The emergence of Service Oriented Architectures (SOA) has created a
new paradigm of loosely coupled distributed systems. In the METEOR-S project, we have studied the comprehensive role of
semantics in all stages of the life cycle of service and process--
including annotation, publication, discovery, interoperability/data mediation,
and composition.

In 2002-2003, we had offered a broad framework of semantics
consisting of four types:1) Data semantics, 2) Functional semantics, 3) Non-Functional semantics and 4) Execution semantics.
This talk describes the need for the four types of
semantics, its standards-based support through WSDL-S/SAWSDL,
and the need for such semantic representation to dynamic and adaptive SOA.
We also briefly review the proposal for Adaptive Web Processes introduced earlier in a ICSOC 2005 vision talk.


The human gut and its microbial content (microbiome) may contribute to the pathogenesis of obesity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Possible mechanisms include altered bacterial profile, increased intestinal permeability, and elevated bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) leading to low-grade systemic inflammation termed metabolic endotoxemia. We hypothesized that two interventions with putative LPS-lowering effects, sevelamer and a synbiotic (combination pre- and probiotic), would improve peripheral insulin sensitivity in obese subjects. Based upon pre-clinical studies, sevelamer is reported to sequester LPS in the GI tract, whereas a synbiotic of Bifidobacterium longum plus oligofructose can improve intestinal barrier integrity. We randomized 22, normal glucose tolerant (NGT), lean (15F/7M, BMI=23.0, age=45.4yr, A1c=5.3%) and 28 NGT, obese subjects (20F/8M, BMI=32.7, age=51.9yr, A1c=5.5%) to receive oral sevelamer, synbiotic or placebo daily for 28 days. Insulin sensitivity (euglycemic clamp), cholesterol, endotoxemia (LPS, LBP, CD14), and intestinal permeability (lactulose/mannitol ratio, zonulin) were assessed before and after intervention. Obese subjects had reduced baseline insulin sensitivity compared to lean subjects (M value, -28.6%, p=0.0001 based on 2-sample t-test). Generalized estimating equation analysis showed that sevelamer increased insulin sensitivity (M value, +25.6%, p=0.022) and lowered plasma LDL (-16.4%, p=0.016) in obese subjects compared to placebo-treated obese subjects. Synbiotic did not significantly alter insulin sensitivity or lipids compared to placebo in obese subjects. Lean subjects saw no change in insulin sensitivity with either treatment. Neither treatment significantly altered plasma LPS or intestinal permeability in lean or obese subjects. In conclusion, sevelamer improves insulin sensitivity and LDL in obese subjects, and this effect is mostly independent of parameters of endotoxemia and intestinal permeability. Disclosure E. Baeuerle: None. H. Liang: None. V. Ganapathy: None. R. Fernandez: None. N. Sathavarodom: None. C. Wang: None. S.E. Espinoza: None. N. Musi: None. Funding American Diabetes Association (7-13-GSK-01 to N.M.); National Institutes of Health (T32GM113896)


Evolutionary information stored in multiple sequence alignments (MSAs) has been used to identify the interaction interface of protein complexes, by measuring either co-conservation or co-mutation of amino acid residues across the interface. Recently, maximum entropy related correlated mutation measures (CMMs) such as direct information, decoupling direct from indirect interactions, have been developed to identify residue pairs interacting across the protein complex interface. These studies have focussed on carefully selected protein complexes with large, good-quality MSAs. In this work, we study protein complexes with a more typical MSA consisting of fewer than 400 sequences, using a set of 79 intramolecular protein complexes. Using a maximum entropy based CMM at the residue level, we develop an interface level CMM score to be used in re-ranking docking decoys. We demonstrate that our interface level CMM score compares favourably to the complementarity trace score, an evolutionary information-based score measuring co-conservation, when combined with the number of interface residues, a knowledge-based potential and the variability score of individual amino acid sites. We also demonstrate, that, since co-mutation and co-complementarity in the MSA contain orthogonal information, the best prediction performance using evolutionary information can be achieved by combining the co-mutation information of the CMM with co-conservation information of a complementarity trace score, predicting a near-native structure as the top prediction for 41% of the dataset. The method presented is not restricted to small MSAs, and will likely improve interface prediction also for complexes with large and good-quality MSAs.


Neisseria gonorrhoeae is the causative agent of gonorrhea, a sexually transmitted infection (STI) of major importance. As a result of antibiotic resistance, there are now limited options for treating patients. We collected draft genome sequence data and associated metadata data on 76 N. gonorrhoeae strains from around the globe and searched for known determinants of antibiotics resistance within the strains. The population structure and evolutionary forces within the pathogen population were analyzed. Our results indicated a cosmopolitan gonoccocal population mainly made up of five subgroups. The estimated ratio of recombination to mutation (r/m = 2.2) from our data set indicates an appreciable level of recombination occurring in the population. Strains with resistance phenotypes to more recent antibiotics (azithromycin and cefixime) were mostly found in two of the five population subgroups.


This study reports on computational experiments for an agent-based labor market model with adaptive choice and refusal of worksite partners and with endogenously evolving worksite behaviors. Two treatment factors are experimentally varied: market structure; and ex ante capacity constraints on potential work offers and job openings. Particular attention is focused on experimentally determined correlations between treatment factors and the formation of contractual networks among workers and employers, and between contractual network formation and the types of worksite interactions and welfare outcomes that these contractual networks support.


Medicinal herbs have reached extensive acceptability as therapeutic agents for several diseases. However, the use of medicinal herbs is limited due to the issue on quality and safety assurance, as well as lack of scientific proof. Standardization is an important aspect for maintaining and assessing the quality and safety of medicinal herb. It includes raw plant authentication, microscopic and molecular examination, and identification of chemical composition. The challenge of natural chemists is to identify as much as possible the bioactive compounds and to study their mode of action to treat the diseases. This work is not easy due to the complexity of the compounds and limitation of time and budget. A lead finding with bioassay guided fractionation developing into high throughput screening could not increase the number of potential natural products in the pipeline of the pharmaceutical companies. Therefore, a new approach amends the inclusion of system biology in pharmacognosy research by using metabolomics as a tool. Metabolomics is a comprehensive analysis of the whole metabolites in a sample. Identification of both chemical and bio-markers can be performed by the instrumental analysis of both natural sources and animal bio-fluids and multivariate data analysis. All advanced instrumentation such as nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry are used in metabolomics.


In Australia and increasingly worldwide, methamphetamine is one of the most commonly seized drugs analysed by forensic chemists. The current well-established GC/MS methods used to identify and quantify methamphetamine are lengthy, expensive processes, but often rapid analysis is requested by undercover police leading to an interest in developing this new analytical technique. Ninety six illicit drug seizures containing methamphetamine (0.1%–78.6%) were analysed using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy with an Attenuated Total Reflectance attachment and Chemometrics. Two Partial Least Squares models were developed, one using the principal Infrared Spectroscopy peaks of methamphetamine and the other a Hierarchical Partial Least Squares model. Both of these models were refined to choose the variables that were most closely associated with the methamphetamine % vector. Both of the models were excellent, with the principal peaks in the Partial Least Squares model having Root Mean Square Error of Prediction 3.8, R2 0.9779 and lower limit of quantification 7% methamphetamine. The Hierarchical Partial Least Squares model had lower limit of quantification 0.3% methamphetamine, Root Mean Square Error of Prediction 5.2 and R2 0.9637. Such models offer rapid and effective methods for screening illicit drug samples to determine the percentage of methamphetamine they contain.


Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are commonly used in the treatment of pains. Self-medication is a common practice all over the world. Unwanted effects from use of this class of medication could pose health challenges. T his study evaluated the prevalence and pattern of inappropriate use of NSAIDs among Ilorin residents and identified factors that influence the pattern of use.  Survey of 630 residents of Ilorin selected using systematic random sampling was done with administration of semi-structured questionnaires. Data obtained were analyzed and presented in the form of texts, frequency tables and charts. Inferential statistics was done using logistic regression and chi square. p-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant.  The most important reason why residents used NSAIDs was body pain (54.1%), followed by headache (39.5%). The prevalence of inappropriate use of NSAIDs was 34.3% and self -medication accounted for 21.1%. Most residents (65.9%) were not aware of the side effects of NSAIDs. Lack of adequate knowledge in understanding written instructions on the drug information sheet was the most important reason why instructions were not followed. Level of education significantly influenced respondents level of awareness of NSAID's side effects (p=0.016). There was also significant association between frequency of NSAIDs use and level of pain relief by the respondents (p=0.003). Occupation of the respondents significantly affected their level of self-medication (p=0.001) whereas there was no gender difference in the respondents level of inappropriate use of NSAIDs.  There was high prevalence use of NSAIDs among the residents with similar proportion of male to female residents. The most widely used NSAID was ibuprofen. Educational status, occupation and prior knowledge of medication use contributed to inappropriate use of NSAIDs. Key words: NSAIDs, Ilorin, ibuprofen, self- medication.


The social sciences offer a variety of theoretical approaches to grasping the issue of power. 'Development' represents a good field for such analysis. Power tends to be a neglected issue and does not figure in governmental, non-governmental, or international discourse. In the academic field it is less overlooked, but in the Czech-Slovak environment there is as yet no theoretical overview of the various approaches to studying power and 'development'. This article sets out to answer the question of how best to examine power in 'development' and replies with a multidisciplinary approach. It begins by focusing on the understanding of power within the context of its first dimension, which is most vividly reflected in the perception of the World Bank as a dominant actor. The second part of the article concentrates on power in development discourse. The third part analyses disciplinary power in relations of 'development' cooperation. The fourth looks at agency, which disobeys the discourse and structure, in order to recognise the capacity for resistance among even the least advantaged. The final part focuses on governmentality and 'development'. In the conclusion the author attempts to make a brief synthesis of these approaches, on the one hand viewing power as a kind of strategic situation, but on the other hand arguing the importance not to overlook the enormous power of structure just as much as the capacity of certain privileged actors to influence it. What is important then is a subjectivity of power.


Building on previous research, this article proposes that choice behavior under preference uncertainty may be easier to explain by assuming that consumers select the alternative supported by the best reasons. This approach provides an explanation for the so-called attraction effect and leads to the prediction of a compromise effect. Consistent with the hypotheses, the results indicate that (1) brands tend to gain share when they become compromise alternatives in a choice set; (2) attraction and compromise effects tend to be stronger among subjects who expect to justify their decisions to others; and (3) selections of dominating and compromise brands are associated with more elaborate and difficult decisions.


Dust mites are a medically important group of animals commonly found in carpets and mattresses in houses. Antigens in their feces cause allergic reactions such as asthma and contact dermatitis. Dust samples were vacuum-collected in a special collecting bag from a one square meter area of living room floors of 100 randomly sampled houses in Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines for one minute. Chromato-immunoassay ELISA (Mitey Checker) was used to detect mite antigenicity. Twenty-three species of mites were identified belonging to 7 families. Of these, Blomia tropicalis (265 mites/g of dust in 87% of households) of Family Glycyphagidae and Dermatophagoides farinae (71 mites/g of dust in 58% of households) of Family Pyroglyphidae were the most prevalent and abundant species. Forty-eight percent of households were detected to have low levels of antigen (< or = 5 microg/m2). There was a weak linear relationship between mean total mite intensity and antigen level (r = 0.129). Mean Dermatophagoides intensity and antigen levels were also found to have a weak linear relationship. More mites were found in carpeted living rooms (822 mites/g) when compared to non-carpeted living rooms (645 mites/g). Different floor types did not show any difference in mean mite intensity. Likewise, mite intensity did not show correlation with household size.


Background: Coexistence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP) is common. Patients experiencing pain have a lower threshold for arousals associated with apnea episodes. Pain treatment with analgesics affects upper airway patency during sleep. Methods: Eighty‐one patients with CMP, and 100 without, were evaluated using the Berlin Questionnaire (BQ), which classifies patients as high or low risk for clinically probable OSA. Confounding variables including demographics (age, gender, BMI), medication use (sedatives, hypnotics, antidepressants), and Epworth sleepiness score (ESS) were compared between groups. Results: There was no significant difference in gender, use of sedatives and antidepressants, BMI or ESS between cases and controls. There was, however, a significant difference in use of analgesics, and hypnotics. Patients in the control group were significantly older than cases. There was a significant difference in the proportion of high versus low risk BQ values between cases and controls. Logistic regression was performed while adjusting for covariates, which were significantly different between groups (use of analgesics, hypnotics and age). Cases with high‐risk BQ scores were not sleepier than controls with high‐risk BQ scores. Conclusions: Patients with CMP have a high prevalence of clinically probable OSA. Sleepiness is not prevalent among patients with probable OSA and CMP. High‐risk BQ patients were not sleepier than low risk BQ patients.


With global energy safety and climate change prompts low carbon economy transition becomes an inevitable choice for sustainable development of countries in the world. Resource-based cities, as a special type of cities formed and developed on the basis of resources, their economic growth depends on high-carbon economy more closely, to some extent, low-carbon transition will affect the city's economic growth, thus building scientific efficiency evaluation system is very important. In this paper, Analytic Hierarchy Process and fuzzy comprehensive assessment methods are used based on an empirical study, from three sides such as economic benefit, low-carbon benefits, and social benefits to build measuring system of low-carbon transition efficiency. The studies verified effectiveness of AHP and Fuzzy comprehensive assessment methods in efficiency evaluation of low-carbon economy transition.


The place theory proposed by Jeffress (1948) is still the dominant model of how the brain represents the movement of sensory stimuli between sensory receptors. According to the place theory, delays in signalling between neurons, dependent on the distances between them, compensate for time differences in the stimulation of sensory receptors. Hence the location of neurons, activated by the coincident arrival of multiple signals, reports the stimulus movement velocity. Despite its generality, most evidence for the place theory has been provided by studies of the auditory system of auditory specialists like the barn owl, but in the study of mammalian auditory systems the evidence is inconclusive. We ask to what extent the somatosensory systems of tactile specialists like rats and mice use distance dependent delays between neurons to compute the motion of tactile stimuli between the facial whiskers (or 'vibrissae'). We present a model in which synaptic inputs evoked by whisker deflections arrive at neurons in layer 2/3 (L2/3) somatosensory 'barrel' cortex at different times. The timing of synaptic inputs to each neuron depends on its location relative to sources of input in layer 4 (L4) that represent stimulation of each whisker. Constrained by the geometry and timing of projections from L4 to L2/3, the model can account for a range of experimentally measured responses to two-whisker stimuli. Consistent with that data, responses of model neurons located between the barrels to paired stimulation of two whiskers are greater than the sum of the responses to either whisker input alone. The model predicts that for neurons located closer to either barrel these supralinear responses are tuned for longer inter-whisker stimulation intervals, yielding a topographic map for the inter-whisker deflection interval across the surface of L2/3. This map constitutes a neural place code for the relative timing of sensory stimuli.


Collaboration between organisations and groups from the public, private and voluntary sectors has been particularly encouraged in Britain's most disadvantaged communities. This practical guide offers insights into the possibilities and problems of working in partnership. It brings together different aspects of partnership: what it is; why we should do it; how to get started; supporting and developing the partnership; assessing its value and keeping it going. With the help of checklists and practical examples it offers insights, advice and resources for effective partnership working, especially with adult and community groups.


Rethinking "Urban Sociology". Part four: methodology of research in historical, cultural, and interactional approach - Doing territorial research is not only considering what we called base factors (morphology, economy, urban planning) but also many other ones, just like historical documentation and all factors connected with the culture of a place. Lat but not least, we also have to consider the role of social interaction system. This research step is probably the one where the distinction between qualitative and quantitative assumes the highest importance. In particular, it is interesting to study social interactions which favour what we called connective properties; they can be seen as an opportunity of exchange among relational, symbolic and fruition contexts.


Despite the growth of ambulatory anesthesia and the renewed popularity of regional techniques, there is little current information concerning outpatient regional anesthesia practices or attitudes about discharge with an insensate extremity. We present results from a survey sent to all members of the Society for Ambulatory Anesthesia (SAMBA). The survey was mailed in January 2001 to 2373 SAMBA members, along with a self-addressed stamped return envelope. After 3 mo, 1078 surveys were returned (response rate 45%). Respondents indicated that they were most likely to perform axillary (77%), interscalene (67%), and ankle blocks (68%) on ambulatory patients. They were less likely to perform lower extremity conduction blocks in ambulatory patients (femoral blocks, 40%; all other types of blocks, <23%]. Eighty-five percent of respondents discharged patients with long-acting blocks, but this was mainly limited to three types. Of the 16% who never or rarely discharged patients with long-acting blocks, the primary reasons were concern about patient injury (49%) and the inability for patients to care for themselves (28%). Only 22% of office-based anesthesiologists would perform upper extremity blocks and only 28% would perform lower extremity blocks (P < 0.001). This survey demonstrates that use of regional anesthesia in outpatients is common but restricted to a few techniques. Discharge with an insensate upper extremity is prevalent but discharge with an insensate lower extremity is not common and remains controversial. Despite the reasoning for the reported practices, randomized data are necessary to confirm the validity of these concerns.


Hypoxia causes changes in the rate of synthesis or release of neurotransmitters in the brain. The accumulation of serotonin (5-HT) in the central nervous system might cause hypoxic respiratory depression. In the present study, we aimed to examine the role of central 5-HT on normoxic and acute hypoxic ventilatory depression (AHVD) in peripheral chemoreceptors denervated rabbits. All experiments were performed in peripherally chemodenervated rabbits anesthetized with intravenous injection of urethane (400 mg/kg) and alpha-chloralose (40 mg/kg). For intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration of 5-HT (20 microg/kg) and ketanserin (10 microg/kg), a cannula was placed in left lateral ventricle by stereotaxic method. Respiratory frequency (fR), tidal volume (VT), ventilation minute volume (VE) and systemic arterial bood pressure (BP) were recorded in each experimental phases and mean arterial pressure was calculated (MAP). Heart rate (HR) was also determined from the pulsation of BP. The effects of ICV serotonin and ICV ketanserin on the indicated parameters during air breathing (normoxia) and breathing of hypoxia (8% O2--92% N2) were investigated. During hypoxia, fR, VT, VE, MAP and HR decreased, and AHVD was thus obtained. ICV injection of 5-HT during normoxia caused significant increases in VT (P < 0.001) and in VE (P < 0.01). On the other hand, ICV 5-HT injection reduced the degree of AHVD in peripherally chemodenervated rabbits during hypoxia (fR; P < 0.05, VT; P < 0.05 and VE; P < 0.01). After ICV injection of ketanserin, the enhancement of 5-HT on VE was prevented during normoxia. On the breathing of hypoxic gas after ICV ketanserin, the degree of AHVD was augmented. In conclusion, our findings suggested that central 5-HT increases normoxic ventilation and reduces the degree of AHVD during hypoxia and that ICV ketanserin prevents the stimulatory effect of 5-HT on respiration and augments AHVD.


Background: Myxoma virus (MYXV) is an oncolytic poxvirus that lacks the gene for 1 of the subunits of ribonucleotide reductase (RR), a crucial DNA synthesis and repair enzyme. The overexpression of RR has been implicated in the invasiveness of several cancers, including soft tissue sarcomas (STS). The purpose of the study was to investigate the oncolytic efficacy of MYXV in STS with different levels of RR expression. Methods: The oncolytic effect of recombinant MYXV was evaluated in 4 human STS cell lines, LS141 (a dedifferentiated liposarcoma), DDLS8817 (a dedifferentiated liposarcoma), RDD2213 (recurrent dedifferentiated liposarcoma), and HSSYII (a synovial sarcoma) using infectivity and cytotoxicity assays. Following the overexpression of RRM2 by cDNA transfection and silencing of RRM2 by siRRM2 in these STS cell lines, the RRM2 expression levels were analyzed by Western blot. Results: We observed a direct correlation between viral oncolysis and RRM2 mRNA levels (R = 0.96) in STS. Higher RRM2 expression was associated with a more robust cell kill. Silencing the RRM2 gene led to significantly greater cell survival (80%) compared with the control group (P = .003), whereas overexpression of the RRM2 increased viral oncolysis by 33% (P < .001). Conclusions: Our results show that the oncolytic effects of MYXV correlate directly with RR expression levels and are enhanced in STS cell lines with naturally occurring or artificially induced high expression levels of RR. Myxoma virus holds promise in the treatment of advanced soft tissue cancer, especially in tumors overexpressing RR.