The role of semen in sexual transmission of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is currently unclear. This is surprising, as HCMV is frequently detected in this body fluid and infection is of high danger for neonates and pregnant women. In this study, we found that seminal plasma (SP) dose dependently inhibited HCMV infection. The infection inhibition was specific for HCMV, as other viruses, such as human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2), were not inhibited by SP. SP must contain a soluble, heat-resistant factor that limits attachment of HCMV particles to cells, probably by interaction with the trimeric glycoprotein complex gH/gL/gO. This novel virus-host interaction could possibly limit transmission of HCMV via semen during sexual intercourse. ABSTRACT Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is the most frequent viral cause of congenital infections that can lead to severe birth defects. Although HCMV is frequently detected in semen and thus is potentially sexually transmitted, the role of semen in HCMV transmission is largely unclear. Here we describe that human seminal plasma (SP; the cell-free supernatant of semen) inhibits HCMV infection. The inhibition of HCMV infection was dose dependent and effective for different cell types, virus strains, and semen donors. This inhibitory effect was specific for HCMV, as herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2) and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infections were enhanced by SP. Mechanistically, SP inhibited infection by interfering with the attachment of virions to cells most likely via an interaction with the trimeric glycoprotein complex gH/gL/gO. Together, our findings suggest that semen contains a factor that potentially limits sexual transmission of HCMV. IMPORTANCE The role of semen in sexual transmission of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is currently unclear. This is surprising, as HCMV is frequently detected in this body fluid and infection is of high danger for neonates and pregnant women. In this study, we found that seminal plasma (SP) dose dependently inhibited HCMV infection. The infection inhibition was specific for HCMV, as other viruses, such as human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2), were not inhibited by SP. SP must contain a soluble, heat-resistant factor that limits attachment of HCMV particles to cells, probably by interaction with the trimeric glycoprotein complex gH/gL/gO. This novel virus-host interaction could possibly limit transmission of HCMV via semen during sexual intercourse.


In African savannas, termite mounds usually serve as browsing hotspots for mammals because of their soil fertility. Van der Plas et al., in this issue, describe that browsers avoid the unpalatable, evergreen tree species on mounds of Macrotermes natalensis in a mesic savanna, preferring mainly leguminous species with high leaf N and P concentrations in the matrix. This exception is probably a consequence of the fertile soils of the study area, and highlights the importance of environmental context for assessing ecological interactions.


Sample preparation is a vital and inseparable part of an analytical procedure. This issue has motivated the analytical research community around the world to develop new, fast and cost-effective extraction methods which can eliminate interfering substances, provide high preconcentration factors and increase the determination sensitivity. Electrical field induced extraction technique is a topic that has received major attention in recent years. This fact can be attributed to the considerable advantages provided by imposition of an electrical driving force especially control of different properties of an extraction system such as selectivity, cleanup, rate and efficiency. In this review, focus is centered on the electrical field induced liquid phase extraction techniques and their potential for bioanalysis.


Recent funding programmes supporting research and development in telecare have argued for a shift in perspective from a technology-driven approach to one that is needs-led. While this is in the interests of both users and technologists, achieving this goal is not straightforward. This paper outlines some of the conceptual, methodological and practical problems that potentially constrain a needs-led approach and illustrates the emergent issues with a case study of the development of an intelligent home monitoring system to support the independent living of older people. The research indicates clear differences between users and technologists in the way problems, needs and requirements are understood and defined. This in turn has consequences for the way assistive technologies are developed and implemented.


Reduced sinusoidal endothelial nitric oxide (NO) production contributes to increased intrahepatic resistance and portal hypertension after liver injury. We hypothesized that V-PYRRO/NO, an NO donor prodrug metabolized "specifically" in the liver, would reduce portal venous pressure (PVP) without affecting the systemic vasculature. Liver injury was induced in male BALB/c mice by weekly CCl(4) gavage. PVP and mean arterial pressure were recorded during intravenous administration of V-PYRRO/NO. In vivo microscopy was used to monitor sinusoidal diameter and flow during drug administration. Mean PVP was increased in CCl(4)-treated mice compared with sham-treated mice. In dose-response experiments, the minimum dose of PYRRO/NO required to acutely lower PVP by 20%, the amount believed to yield a clinically meaningful outcome, was 200 nmol/kg. This dose decreased portal pressure in cirrhotic (23.4 +/- 2.0%, P < 0.001 vs. vehicle) and sham-treated (19.5 +/- 2.3%, P < 0.001 vs. vehicle) animals by a similar magnitude. This concentration also led to dilation of hepatic sinusoids and an increase in sinusoidal volumetric flow, consistent with a reduction of intrahepatic resistance. The effect of V-PYRRO/NO on mean arterial pressure was significant at all concentrations tested, including the lowest, 30 nmol/kg (P < 0.001 vs. vehicle for all doses). We conclude that V-PYRRO/NO had widespread vascular effects and, as such, is unlikely to be suitable for treatment of portal hypertension. As the potential of this or other similar compounds for treatment of portal hypertension is evaluated, effects on the systemic vasculature will also need to be considered.


Mafic microgranular (microgranitoid) enclaves (MMEs) with fine-to medium-grain–size igneous microstructures are abundant in Permian granitoid plutons in the northern North China Block (NCB). They are mainly dioritic in composition with SiO 2 contents from 51.0 wt% to 62.7 wt% and are contiguous with their host granitoids (SiO 2 = 60.4–68.4 wt%). Their main mineral assemblage of plagioclase (oligoclase and andesine), hornblende, biotite, K-feldspar, and quartz is similar to that of their host granitoids but with different mineral proportions. Zircon laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometer (LA-ICP-MS) U-Pb dating, hornblende-plagioclase thermobarometry, and Ti-in-zircon thermometry results show that the crystallization ages and pressure-temperature ( P-T ) conditions of the MMEs in each Permian granitoid pluton are very similar to those of their host granitoids, indicating simultaneous crystallization at the middle to upper crustal levels. Petrographical, geochemical, and Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic data show that the source areas of the Permian granitoid plutons in the northern NCB are temporally and spatially different and magma mixing was likely involved during formation of some granitoid plutons. However, the whole-rock Sr-Nd and zircon Hf isotopic compositions of the MMEs in each pluton are very similar to those of their host granitoids, indicating complete isotopic equilibration between the host granitoids and their enclaves. Combined with similar mineral assemblage and mineral chemistry between the MMEs and their host granitoids and absence of coeval mantle-derived rocks in or nearby the plutons, we confirm that the MMEs were crystallized from a coeval magma that gave rise to the host granitoids, and not by mixing and/or mingling between mantle-derived mafic and crustal-derived felsic magmas or by synplutonic injections of mafic magma into the host granitoid magma. We conclude that magma isotopic equilibration between host granitoids and their enclaves was achieved prior to emplacement and the magma mixing process during formation of some Permian granitoid plutons occurred mainly in the melting, assimilation, storage, and homogenization (MASH) zone in the lowermost crust or mantle-crust transition, not in the magma conduits or chambers at middle to upper crustal levels. A two-stage model that includes rapid cooling within the cogenetic host granitoid magma operating at pluton margins to form solid to sub-solid dioritic rocks and crystal accumulations of the host granitoid magma at the bottom of the pluton to form cumulates, and dioritic rocks and cumulates then fragmentated and interacted with progressive evolved host granitoid magma to change their shapes and orientations is proposed for origin of the MMEs in the Permian granitoid plutons in the northern NCB. This model may be more widely applicable to the generation of many MMEs in granitic rocks, especially where no direct evidence exists for the presence of mafic magmas coeval with granitoids and where there is a lack of isotopic contrast between hosts and enclaves. Our new results on origin of the enclaves in the granitoid plutons in the northern NCB show that some MMEs previously used as evidence for magma mixing and/or mingling are "autoliths (cognate xenoliths)" crystallized from the same magma as their host granitoids. There is an essential need for caution in using the MMEs as evidence for crustal-mantle interaction or mixing and/or mingling between crustal-derived felsic and mantle-derived mafic magmas during formation of granitic rocks, especially where no independent evidence is found for such a process. The role of MMEs in evaluating the mixing and/or mingling processes between crustal-derived felsic and mantle-derived mafic magmas has been much more likely overestimated by some previous studies and should be reconsidered. Instead, the MMEs in this origin can provide valuable information on emplacement mechanism and incremental growth of granitoid plutons in continental crust.


In recent years, a number of attempts have been made in exploring and establishing the "school community physical education" mode in some areas in China, but the ideal mode established for school community physical education was not working so well in the process of actual operation. By means of literature data and field investigation, the author carried out systematic review, cause analysis and countermeasures study on such an issue, and theoretically concluded that communities and schools are provided with the power to establish school community sports, but it is in fact difficult to implement school community physical education. Therefore, the author focused on interpreting the issue from the perspective of "territory" in sociology, and considered that the division of "territory" between schools and communities is the main cause for the difficulty to unify school community physical education, i.e. from the perspective of overall situation, school is in general a special territory, difficult to blend into easy going communities; from the perspective of school territory, physical education is not critically important for schools; while in terms of scholastic physical education, extracurricular sports activities are nothing important as well: Therefore, the school admittance for community sports becomes a problem.


The recent decades have seen the increase in demand for reliable and clean form of electricity derived from renewable energy sources. One such example is solar power. The challenge remains to maximize the capture of the rays from the sun for conversion into electricity. This paper presents fabrication and installation of a solar panel mount with a dual-axis solar tracking controller. This is done so that rays from the sun fall perpendicularly unto the solar panels to maximize the capture of the rays by pointing the solar panels towards the sun and following its path across the sky. Thus electricity and efficiency increased.


We extend entropy production to a deeply quantum regime involving noncommuting conserved quantities. Consider a unitary transporting conserved quantities ("charges") between two systems initialized in thermal states. Three common formulae model the entropy produced. They respectively cast entropy as an extensive thermodynamic variable, as an information-theoretic uncertainty measure, and as a quantifier of irreversibility. Often, the charges are assumed to commute with each other (e.g., energy and particle number). Yet quantum charges can fail to commute. Noncommutation invites generalizations, which we posit and justify, of the three formulae. Charges' noncommutation, we find, breaks the formulae's equivalence. Furthermore, different formulae quantify different physical effects of charges' noncommutation on entropy production. For instance, entropy production can signal contextuality - true nonclassicality - by becoming nonreal. This work opens up stochastic thermodynamics to noncommuting - and so particularly quantum - charges.


The Joyoung brand was launched in 1994 when a group of recent college graduates invented the world's first automatic hot soymilk-maker home appliance. After some ups and downs, the Joyoung manufacturer founded the Shandong Joyoung Electric Appliances Co., Ltd. in 2002. It was further reorganized to the current Joyoung Company Limited in September 2007. Joyoung's sales grew rapidly from RMB 6 million in 1994 to 120 million in 1999, and this trend has continued into the new century. By the first quarter in 2006, the signature product of Joyoung—the soymilk makers—alone have already surpassed the sales by Philips Home Appliances in the Chinese market. Contrary to its current success, however, Joyoung Soymilk Maker's launch did not go smoothly. When the first model of the automatic soymilk maker was introducted in 1994, people had no idea what this new creature was supposed to do. The first 2,000 units of Joyoung products remaintroducedined stacked in storage for months. Joyoung then decided to conduct some marketing research. Joyoung's repositioning strategies and new product developments based on their marketing research have been evidently successful, and they have defined a new product category in China and in the world.


This paper originates in the context of growing recognition that the success of the global tourism industry will ultimately depend on the professionalism of its workforce (Edgell et al., 2008). Indeed, as far back as 1986, Baum and Reid highlighted the need for professionalism in the Irish hospitality sector. More recently, the Tourism Policy Review Group (TPRG) report (2003, p. 54) targeted the need for enhanced professionalism in the fragmented, SME-dominated Irish industry (cf. Travers et al., 2004). However, while a general consensus exists on the merits of higher levels of professionalism, and education's role as a key driver of the professionalisation process is undisputed, continuing education for owner/managers of micro/small businesses is problematic (Kelliher et al., 2009). While the larger tourism businesses benefit from a graduate management intake and continuing executive development, the owner of the small tourism operation is limited in their professional development and face barriers to both access to and engagement in education associated with their scale, specifically their resource poverty and the bind of the workplace (Failte Ireland, 2004; Morrison and Teixera, 2004). In light of the foregoing, Failte Ireland began a tendering process for the delivery of a degree-level programme for owner/managers of micro/small business enterprises to address this deficit, and the authors' tertiary institute was successful in this process. A new three-year Bachelor of Science in Small Enterprise Management (BSc), based on an andragogical philosophy and problem-based learning approach (PBL), was developed during the 2009-2010 academic year. This paper details the BSc's development; it will provide insights into how the particular sector-specific challenges were met through a creative and innovative programme, tailor-made to be responsive to its specific audience's major needs for a sense of involvement, relevance and flexibility both in content and delivery (Storey and Westhead, 1997; Moon et al., 2005).
While there is an awareness of the potential enhancement of professionalism that PBL offers (Nilsson, 2007), Strobel and Van Barneveld's (2009) meta-analysis of the literature highlighted a lack of consensus on the impact of PBL on learning outcomes. This paper will add to the extant literature on PBL by addressing the first stages in the operationalisation of the BSc initiative to enhance professionalism which involved substantial interaction with stakeholders (Failte Ireland discussions, round-table discussions and pilot study with potential students, and post pilot study interviews with participants). In addition to elaborating on the feedback to date from the pilot-study, the authors present their observations on the significance of these initial findings and the implications for the programme development team and industry stakeholders. Finally, although the BSc is specific to a particular sector, it is perceived that this paper, which reports on the first stages of a longitudinal study on the programme's learning impact, should provide guidelines to other educators who are responsible for the development of higher education for adult learners who are owner/managers of micro/small business enterprises.


Considering the human cerebral‐hemispheric specialization, specific tasks can be performed under a certain sound environment without any interference effects. Under other conditions, strong interference effects occur between the task performance and the sound environment [Y. Ando, Acustica64 , 110–116 (1987)]. For example, the left hemispheric tasks can be interrupted by the verbal sound, and the right hemispheric tasks can be interrupted by nonverbal sounds like noise. In order to identify hemispheric specialization for some important tasks, which are often performed in an office, the effective durations of the autocorrelation function of the α‐brain wave range from both left and right hemispheres are analyzed here. Results may be utilized to design the recommended sound environment for each task in the office.


This paper attempts to look at the relationship between public accountability and sustainable development in Nigeria's Civil Service. It traces and analyses the cumulative effect of poor accountability and the extent it has come to shape the present crisis of development in Nigeria. It explores formal control measures within a public service system aimed at achieving accountability, higher performance and greater productivity. We discovered that mechanisms put in place so far in enforcing public accountability in the civil service have failed, resulting to poor spirit of accountability in the conduct of public affairs in this country. We therefore concluded that sustainable development in Nigeria cannot be feasible without serious commitment from our political leaders and public officers, not only to honour these accountability measures in this paper, but, more specifically to refrain from using their positions of authority to influence the normal functioning of the administration. The society therefore must be ready to accept change of values and has the duty to nurture good qualities and potentials of our committed leaders.
 Global Journal of Social Sciences Vol.3(1&2) 2004: 11-19


High-quality gallium nitride(GaN) film was grown on nano-patterned sapphire substrates(NPSS) and investigated using XRD and SEM.It was found that the optimum thickness of the GaN buffer layer on the NPSS is15 nm,which is thinner than that on micro-patterned sapphire substrates(MPSS).An interesting phenomenon was observed for GaN film grown on NPSS:GaN mainly grows on the trench regions and little grows on the sidewalls of the patterns at the initial growth stage,which is dramatically different from GaN grown on MPSS.In addition,the electrical and optical properties of LEDs grown on NPSS were characterized.


This paper explains how the results of the source water characterisation for the Western Corridor Recycled Water Project in South East Queensland was used to augment the qualitative water quality risk assessment process and design of the monitoring programs. Results were evaluated against health standards published in 2008 by Queensland Health and also against level of reporting. This determined the relative risk of exceeding the health standard for parameters detected in the source. The relative risk was used to inform the qualitative risk assessment as well as the frequency of monitoring in both the source and purified water. Categorising hazards using their ionic charge and hydrophobicity enabled the selection of indicators for both source and purified water compliance monitoring programs.


Green spaces such as golf courses that intermingle within or exist on fringes of urban landscapes can provide opportunities for increasing the ecological value of urban areas. To that end, more naturalistic and less input-intensive "links"-style golf courses have recently gained favor over input-intensive parkland courses. The Osgood Public Golf Course in Fargo, ND is a links-style golf course set adjacent to suburban housing developments. This course incorporated large areas of prairie plantings, or "constructed grasslands," which over time became dominated by fescue species and infested with Canada thistle. Our objective was to explore the efficacy of using prescribed fire combined with aminopyralid herbicide to control Canada thistle and promote a more diverse mix of warm-season C4 and cool-season C3 grasses. Aminopyralid was applied during fall 2010 and prescribed fire was applied during spring 2011. We found that aminopyralid provided excellent control of Canada thistle 1 and 2 yr post-treatment. Open niches created from Canada thistle control were readily filled by C3 grasses, primarily fescue species, which were the dominant species on the constructed grasslands prior to treatment. Fire intensity was variable within and across plots and was associated with reductions of litter and C3 grasses, but was not associated with increases of C4 grasses within the time frame of this study. Our results demonstrate the effectiveness of aminopyralid for Canada thistle control in constructed grasslands. Prescribed fire maintained C3 grass dominance while removing litter, but C4 grass response was variable and appeared dependent on pretreatment C4 species abundance. Reduction of litter in constructed grasslands dominated by fescue could potentially lead to microsite conditions that would favor C4 and other C3 species, especially if short-term management promoted additional facilitation efforts, such as repeat spring fire treatments and seeding. Nomenclature: Aminopyralid; Canada thistle, Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop. CIRAR.


There is an ongoing debate in the United States and elsewhere on the effects of outsourcing and offshoring on employment and wages, yet little is known how U.S. enterprises have restructured their organizations by externalizing business functions domestically and internationally. This paper presents the results from a pilot survey that uses a business function framework to collect information about the domestic and international sourcing practices of United States organizations. Our results suggest that offshoring is not as pervasive as might be expected and appears to be most common in large goods - producing companies. Offshoring is spread across all business functions and international sourcing is more commonly from foreign affiliates than in dependent contractors. Perhaps most surprisingly, most offshoring is to countries with costs that are the similar to the United States. About two thirds of internal domestic employment is in the primary business function, and the distribution of employment by business function is roughly similar across industry groupings. Wages show clear variation across business functions. We find that international sourcing is positively related to percentage of workers in high wage jobs, suggesting that offshoring is complementary to domestic activities and may substitute for low wage jobs.


Bacterial plasmids have been linked to virulence in Escherichia coli and Salmonella since their initial discovery. Though the plasmid repertoire of these bacterial species is extremely diverse, virulence-associated attributes tend to be limited to a small subset of plasmid types. ABSTRACT Bacterial plasmids have been linked to virulence in Escherichia coli and Salmonella since their initial discovery. Though the plasmid repertoire of these bacterial species is extremely diverse, virulence-associated attributes tend to be limited to a small subset of plasmid types. This is particularly true for extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli, or ExPEC, where a handful of plasmids have been recognized to confer virulence- and fitness-associated traits. The purpose of this review is to highlight the biological and genomic attributes of ExPEC virulence-associated plasmids, with an emphasis on high-risk dominant ExPEC clones. Two specific plasmid types are highlighted to illustrate the independently evolved commonalities of these clones relative to plasmid content. Furthermore, the dissemination of these plasmids within and between bacterial species is examined. These examples demonstrate the evolution of high-risk clones toward common goals, and they show that rare transfer events can shape the ecological landscape of dominant clones within a pathotype.


During 2013, mango (Mangifera indica) producers of the most important growing area of Iran (Hormozgan province), reported extensive damages to panicles of mango trees of cv. Lengra, consisting of necrosis of flowers and pedicels. A fungus was isolated from affected panicles and its morphological traits were determined on colonies grown on Synthetic Nutrient Agar (SNA) medium as described by Bensch et al. (2012). Conidia 3-6×5.5-20 μm in size were fusiform with visible scars extensions. A portion of the translation elongation factor 1-α gene was amplified (Bensch et al., 2012) and sequenced (GenBank accession No. KT247610). A BLAST search showed 99% similarity with GenBank sequences belonging to Cladopsorium tenuissimum. Four healthy inflorescences were selected on a mango tree and, after disinfection by spraying 1% sodium hypochlorite and thoroughly washing with sterile distilled water, were sprayed with a spore suspension. Inoculum was prepared by rinsing a 7-day-old culture on PDA with sterile water and adjusted to 106 spores/ml. The inoculated inflorescences were kept covered with thin polythene bags for two days. Four control panicles on the same experimental tree were similarly disinfected and kept covered with thin polythene bags, after spraying with sterile distilled water. Symptoms resembling those observed in the field appeared on inoculated panicles from which the pathogen was re-isolated. Control treatments developed no symptoms. To our knowledge, this is the first report of C.
 tenuissimum causing inflorescence infection on magno in Iran.


Purpose The health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients completing multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) treatment in Namibia and whether the occurrence of adverse events influenced patients' rating of their HRQoL was evaluated. Patients and methods A cross-sectional analytic survey of patients completing or who recently completed MDR-TB treatment was conducted. The patients rated their HRQoL using the simplified Short Form-™ (SF-8) questionnaire consisting of eight Likert-type questions. Three supplemental questions on the adverse events that the patients may have experienced during their MDR-TB treatment were also included. Scoring of HRQoL ratings was norm-based (mean =50, standard deviation =10) ranging from 20 (worst health) to 80 (best health), rather than the conventional 0–100 scores. We evaluated the internal consistency of the scale items using the Cronbach's alpha, performed descriptive analyses, and analyzed the association between the patients' HRQoL scores and adverse events. Results Overall, 36 patients (20 males, 56%) aged 17–54 years (median =40 years) responded to the questionnaire. The median (range) HRQoL score for the physical component summary was 58.6 (35.3–60.5), while the median score for the mental component summary was 59.3 (26.6–61.9), indicating not-so-high self-rating of health. There was good internal consistency of the scale scores, with a Cronbach's alpha value of >0.80. In all, 32 (89%) of the 36 patients experienced at least one adverse drug event of any severity during their treatment (median events =3, range 1–6), of which none was life-threatening. The occurrence of adverse events was not related to HRQoL scores. For patients reporting zero to two events, the median (range) HRQoL score was 56.8 (44.4–56.8), while for those reporting three or more events, the median score was 55.2 (38.6–56.8); P=0.34 for difference between these scores. Conclusion Patients completing treatment for MDR-TB in Namibia tended to score moderately low on their HRQoL, using the generic SF-8 questionnaire. The occurrence of adverse events did not lead to lower HRQoL scores upon treatment completion.


The thesis presents the results of our research on symmetry for some semilinear elliptic problems and on existence of solution for quasilinear problems involving singularities. The text is composed of two parts, each of which begins with a specific introduction. The first part is devoted to symmetry and symmetry-breaking results. We study a class of partial differential equations involving radial weights on balls, annuli or $R^N$ --where these weights are unbounded--. We show in particular that on unbounded domains, focusing on symmetric functions permits to recover compactness, which implies existence of solutions. Then, we stress the fact that symmetry-breaking occurs on bounded domains, depending both on the weights and on the nonlinearity of the equation. We also show that for the considered class of problems, the multibumps-solution phenomenon appears on the annulus as well as on the ball. The second part of the thesis is devoted to partial and ordinary differential equations with singularities. Using concentration-compactness tools, we show that a rather large class of functionals is lower semi-continuous, leading to the existence of a ground state solution. We also focus on the unicity of solutions for such a class of problems.


AbstractWe propose that the definition of well-formedness in narrative production should be expanded to include different types of narrative genres. Furthermore, varia-tions in narrative genre may be related to the emotional tone of the narrative. Research on preschool children's personal narratives is reported, which indicates that young children employ different narrative structures when narrating experi-ences related to different emotional moods. In relating a happy experience, children often focused on recreating the mood of a particular moment in time; these stories contained relatively less dynamic action and were more often categorized as moment-in-time stories which achieved coherence through their richness of description and use of emotional evaluation. Stories about anger and fear more closely resembled traditional plotted stories in which dynamic actions rise to a climax or high point that is followed by falling action and resolution. However, when telling stories about a fearful experience children focused more on rising action and less on falling action than when they related stories about anger. Thus, the fear stories focused more on recreating a mood of suspense and impending danger whereas the anger stories focused more on conditions leading to anger, the expression of anger, and its consequences. Examples from adult writers are also discussed in terms of these narrative structures for talking about emotion. (Psychology)


In a free society where it often seems nothing is sacred, many feel that one thing at least should be: that despite constitutional guarantees of free speech, it should be illegal to desecrate the American flag. For most Americans, no symbol is more charged with emotion, and incidents of its abuse have led many to declare that freedom of expression has its limits. When Gregory Lee Johnson burned a flag as part of a political protest, he was convicted for flag desecration under Texas law, but the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals reversed the conviction on First Amendment grounds and the Supreme Court confirmed that physically damaging the flag constituted symbolic-and protected-speech. Robert Justin Goldstein now examines this landmark case and the attendant controversy over whether protection of the flag conflicts with constitutional guarantees of free speech. He also explores the case's ramifications for future legal battles. Goldstein, who has published widely on the flag desecration debate, offers a concise and updated account of the controversy for students and general readers. He traces the history of the flag protection movement from its nineteenth-century origins through the enactment of early state laws, and he examines modern incidents of flag desecration from the Vietnam era to the present. At the heart of the book is the Johnson case and the political firestorm that it ignited. Goldstein examines the legal and philosophical issues surrounding the case through courtroom testimony, oral arguments, and interviews with Johnson, the lawyers (including former Whitewater prosecutor Kenneth Starr and the late famed "radical attorney" William Kunstler), and the judges who heard the many rounds of appeals. He then takes us inside the Supreme Court to analyze the justices' reasoning that government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds it offensive. Finally, he looks at reactions to the decision including recent heated attempts to protect the flag through legislation or constitutional amendment. Goldstein helps us better understand the human emotion and psychological drama that underlie abstract legal and constitutional issues and that fundamental rights sometimes are held by the courts to be superior to majority rule or popular emotion. By demonstrating how competing and often contradictory concepts can be embodied in the very same symbol, he helps us understand the fundamental meanings of democracy and patriotism."


Introduction: Surgical treatment is usually recommended for acute, high-grade acromioclavicular joint (ACJ) injuries. A wide variety of surgical techniques exist, and the literature does not strongly support one over the other. In this literature review, we describe and compare the results of different surgical treatments for the management of acute unstable ACJ dislocation and aim to guide surgeons on optimal treatment. Materials and methods: A literature review was performed by searching PubMed, Medline, Cochrane, and Embase databases. Seventeen studies met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. Only studies with comparative data were included. The clinical and radiological outcomes of these studies were reviewed. Results: Seventeen studies were included in this literature review. We found no difference in outcomes between open and arthroscopic procedures. Coracoclavicular ligament (CCL) reconstruction techniques provide better results than the more rigid hook plate fixation. There is no evidence that biologic repair with tendon graft is superior to synthetic grafts. Furthermore, an autograft is not shown to be better than an allograft. Rigid fixation between the clavicle and coracoid and the non-anatomic Weaver-Dunn technique appears less popular in recent literature. The hook plate is associated with subacromial osteolysis, acromial erosion, and the morbidity of a secondary procedure. Discussion: There is a recent increase in publications on the reconstruction of the ACJ after injury, with new techniques focusing on the anatomic reconstruction of the CCLs aiming to restore both vertical and horizontal plane stability of the ACJ using synthetic/biological grafts. Despite the plethora of new techniques introduced, meaningful comparisons are difficult to draw due to the heterogeneity of the treatments used and the outcome measure used to assess the results.


The purposes of this study were to evaluate the microstructures and chemical composition changes of the surface of tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (TZP) after irradiation of nanosecond pulsed laser and to consider the effects for biocompatibility. Two types of zirconia ceramics, yttria-stabilized TZP (Y-TZP) and ceria-stabilized TZP/alumina nanocomposite (Ce-TZP), were irradiated. To evaluate microstructures, the irradiated samples were observed with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Laser irradiation blackened the surface of Ce-TZP; contrastingly, it gave no color change on that of Y-TZP. To identify the chemical composition changes, the samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). To examine the changes in the surface chargeability of zirconia, zeta potential was determined. SEM images showed microgrooves, whose widths were the same as that of laser spot (30 μm), were formed on the surfaces of both samples, and the surfaces of the grooves were roughened by coagulation materials of a few micrometers in size. Such cell-sized grooves with rough surfaces are considered a favorable environment to help osteoblast cells to grow. XRD patterns showed that laser irradiation induced monoclinic-to-tetragonal phase transform. Because the monoclinic phase was induced by machining or polishing, this result means laser irradiation returned the crystal phase to the bulk state. However, XRD patterns did not reveal the reason of the color change. EDX result showed oxygen atoms decreased on the irradiated surface of both samples. In addition, XPS spectra of Zr3d from Ce-TZP showed a part of Zr shifted to lower side after irradiation. Considering these points, the color change was caused by the generation of oxygen-de cient zirconia. After laser irradiation, zeta potential of Ce-TZP was decreased. This result suggests the possibility that the amount of deposition of ions and proteins in body liquid is decreased. It is concluded that the grooves to improve biocompatibility can be formed on TZP surfaces by nanosecond pulsed laser, but adverse chemical composition change can be occurred by de ciency of oxygen. Additional process may be needed to prevent the phenomenon. [doi:10.2320/jinstmet.J2018043]


The single-stranded DNA containing the Moloney murine leukemia virus origin for plus-strand synthesis was cloned in M13mp2 and used as a template for avian myeloblastosis virus reverse transcriptase in the presence of Moloney RNA which had been treated with pancreatic RNase A. The RNA pieces containing the polypurine stretch near the plus-strand origin were processed, presumably by RNase H, to generate primers for DNA synthesis which initiated both at the correct origin site and at one nucleotide downstream from the correct site. Approximately 50% of the labeled DNA fragments synthesized under these conditions retained the priming RNA on their 5' ends. When the isolated fragments were hybridized back to the template DNA and again treated with the reverse transcriptase, all of the RNA was removed from the labeled DNA. By using 5'-end-labeled pancreatic RNase A-resistant fragments, it was possible to show that the RNA primers were removed intact. It appears from these results that the RNase H activity associated with the enzyme shows a preference for cutting at the junction between the RNA and DNA moieties of such complexes and therefore is ideally suited for removing RNA primers.


The aim of this thesis is to generate a starting guess for volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plan optimization by using data from an intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) plan. We develop a mixed-binary linear programming model, based on choosing segments among a set of predefined segments. The objective is to deliver intensity modulation as similar as possible to the intensity modulation of the IMRT plan. The quality of the solutions is largely dependent on the quality of the predefined segments. However, the model achieves high similarity in intensity modulation when supplied with suitable segments. Unfortunately, high similarity in intensity modulation does not necessarily imply high similarity in dose distribution. In order for the model to generate VMAT plans with acceptable dose distributions the leaf travel between adjacent control points needs to be kept low. The model shows some promising features, but improvements, especially regarding implementation, need to be made in order for the model to be useful.


Purpose: Primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) is one such field in Ophthalmology where ophthalmologists have failed to stop blindness due to it. All the available treatment modalities are directed towards the reduction of intraocular pressure (IOP) but without interfering the basic aetiopathogenesis. In this study we propose to study efficacy, potency and adverse effects of topical Timolol and Betaxalol in primary open angle glaucoma. Methodology: A comparative study of topical Betaxalol 0.5% and Timolol 0.5% in the management of POAG was conducted at Tertiary care hospital. Fifty patients of newly diagnosed POAG of different age, sex, religion from both urban and rural population attending eye OPD were included in this study. 25 patients were treated with topical Timolol maleate 0.5% ophthalmic solution BD and 25 patients were treated with topical 0.5% Betaxalol hydrochloride phthalmic solution BD. At 20 weeks follow up IOP levels n both the groups measured by applanation tonometer were compare to each other. Results: In this study a total of 50 patients with POAG were studied. 25 patients were treated with Timolol maleate 0.5% ophthalmic solution and 25 patients were treated with 0.5% Betaxalol hydrochloride ophthalmic solution. Out of 50 patients, 29 (58%) were male and 21(42%) were female patients. POAG was most common in the age group of 51-60 years with average age 51.50 (S.D. 9.8) years. Average age in males was 54.50 years, while in female it was 49.31 years. Conclusion: both Timolol and Betaxalol are effective in decreasing IOP in POAG patients. The magnitude of Timolol in decreasing IOP is more as compared to Betaxalol. The selective beta 1 adrenergic inhibition of Betaxalol provides an added benefit for those patients in whom beta 2 blockade could be harmful.


The influences of two flavones (baicalein, chrysin) and two flavonols (galangin, kaempferol) selected on induction of differentiation in a human esophageal adenocarcinoma (OE33) cell line were studied in the present work. All compounds selected could be able to inhibit proliferation of OE33 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The inhibitory potency of these compounds on OE33 cells was in the order of: galangin > chrysin > baicalein >kaempferol. OE33 cells treated with these compounds for 24 h showed differentiation characteristics including the differentiation-specific morphological changes, the augmentation of differentiation markers and the inhibition of human telomerase reverse transcriptase. The potency of these compounds on induction of differentiation of OE33 cells was similar to that of them on growth inhibition. To reveal the possible molecular mechanisms by which these compounds modulate proliferation and differentiation in OE33 cells, the alterations of three genes, 14-3-3s, cyclin B1 and cyclin D1, which are related to proliferation and differentiation of cells, were investigated by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot. The results showed that up-regulation of 14-3-3s and down-regulation of cyclin B1 and cyclin D1 at the mRNA and protein levels were observed in OE33 cells treated with these compounds, indicating that 14-3-3s, cyclin B1 and cyclin D1 might be target genes of these flavonoids in inducing differentiation of OE33 cells.

 Key words: Flavones, flavonols, differentiation, esophageal cancer, molecular mechanism.


The geothermal heat flux (GHF) is an important boundary condition for modeling the movement of the Antarctic ice sheet but is difficult to measure systematically at a continental scale. Earlier GHF maps suffer from low resolution and possibly biased assumptions in tectonism and crustal heat generation, resulting in significant uncertainty. We present a new GHF map for Antarctica constructed by empirically relating the upper mantle structure to known GHF in the continental United States. The new map, compared with previously seismologically determined one, has improved resolution and lower uncertainties. New features in this map include high GHF in the southern Transantarctic Mountains where warmer uppermost mantle is introduced by lithospheric removal and in the Thwaites Glacier region. Additionally, a modest GHF in the central West Antarctic Rift system near the Siple Coast and an absence of large‐scale regions with GHF greater than 90 mW/m2 are found.


BACKGROUND
The aim of the present study was to retrospectively compare the results of right- and left-laparoscopic donor nephrectomy (LDN) performed in our Center.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Two hundred and eight patients who were operated on between October 2010 and October 2011 were included. Of the patients, 65 underwent right-LDN and 143 underwent left-LDN. The groups were compared in terms of duration of surgery, warm ischemia time, postoperative complications, length of hospital stay, and donor outcomes.

RESULTS
The mean duration of surgery was 144±19.7 min and 147.8±20.2 min in the right- and left-LDN groups, respectively. The mean warm ischemia times were 139.1±54.1 s and 141.5±37.9 in the right- and left-LDN groups, respectively. The mean length of hospital stay was 2.4±1.0 days for both groups. No major complications were observed in the groups. There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of donor outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS
The right-LDN is approached cautiously because of short length of vein and the risk for thrombosis. The results of the present study demonstrated that the right-LDN is as safe and effective as the left-LDN.


The guarantee of secure and authentic future access to any digital data is a big worry to those who work with data now and those who are responsible to keep it accessible for the future. There are a wide range of threats to digital data that these people should need to take into consideration. The project PreservIA had the goal to assess the risks of using analogue 35mm film to store and preserve digital information and define its strengths and weaknesses for long-term secure preservation of all kinds of digital data.
The research project was examining the application of the Piql technology to ensure the security, integrity and authenticity of the information stored on a unique storage medium. PiqlFilm has been designed for a life span of 500 years or more and the research tries to assess how well this solution could maintain the authenticity and availability of the information, independently of internal and external changes in the surrounding environment over time.
The research project has been designed using a scenario-based approach and the morphological method of scenario development is used to define a set of scenarios covering the risks to the service.
The scenario classes used were accident, technical error, natural disaster, crime, sabotage, espionage, terrorism, armed conflict and nuclear war. A scenario template has been included for the purpose of describing current and future scenarios. The final scenario analysis identified potential vulnerabilities.
The paper shows briefly how Piql Preservation Services holistic preservation approach perform the work, defines a methodology to select the scenarios for the assessment and then studies the vulnerabilities and security challenges of the solution on those scenarios. The project also includes a comparison of other existing storage media to evaluate their robustness to the addressed scenarios in relation to Piql technology.


Industry widely uses rotary valves and blow tanks for the pneumatic conveying of products, each having their pros and cons depending on the specific application. This article shows the differing results obtained when low-velocity conveying a product through a common pipeline using both a drop-through rotary valve and a bottom-discharge blow tank feeder. A number of issues arise in the rotary valve system, the main one being rotary valve air leakage. A blow tank system, on the other hand, does not leak, as it is an enclosed system. The experimental results show dramatic differences in product throughput. Further exploration leads to a novel modification being made to the rotary valve system in an attempt to increase its capacity. The result of this modification shows a slight increase in output tonnage, but still significantly less than that obtained from the blow tank.


In this paper, spectral coherence (SC) is used to study the somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) signals in rodent model before and after spinal cord injury (SCI). The SC technique is complemented with the Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) behavior analysis method to help us assess the status of the motor recovery. SC can be used to follow the effects of SCI without any preinjury baseline information. In this study, adult female Fischer rats received contusion injury at T8 level with varying impact heights using the standard New York University impactor. The results show that the average SC between forelimb and hindlimb SEP signals before injury was relatively high ( ges0.7). Following injury, the SC between the forelimb and hindlimb SEP signals dropped to various levels (les0.7) corresponding to the severity of SCI. The SC analysis gave normalized quantifiable results for the evaluation of SCI and recovery thereafter using the forelimb signals as an effective control, without the need of any baseline data. This technique solves the problems associated with the commonly used time-domain analysis like the need of a trained neurophysiologist to interpret the data and the need for baseline data. We believe that both SC and BBB may provide a comprehensive and complementary picture of the health status of the spinal cord after injury. The presented method is applicable to SCIs not affecting the forelimb SEP signals.


In the twenty-first century, the electric power industry is becoming increasingly regional in geographic scope. Due to the creation of wholesale power markets and the development of renewable energy resources, greater quantities of power flow across state lines today than at any time in the history of the industry. With this growth in the interstate trade in power, expanding the transmission grid can yield significant regional benefits. New transmission lines can enhance system reliability, reduce the level and volatility of power prices, and improve the environment on a local and global scale. While the benefits of new transmission are broadly shared, the costs of new transmission – both economic and non-economic – tend to be concentrated on the localities through which the lines run. Despite the potentially large benefits from new transmission lines, aggregate transmission investment has declined in recent decades. State jurisdiction over transmission siting has been cited as a chief cause of underinvestment in the grid. Because of the asymmetry of benefits and costs, states often do not want to authorize lines that would benefit their neighbors at the expense of their own citizens. Those residing near proposed transmission lines tend to be among the most vocal opponents of them. For them, new lines are blights on the horizon and potential hazards to their health that offer no tangible benefits in return. To compound the state and local bias against new transmission investment, powerful incumbent utilities sometimes use regulatory processes to block new projects as a means of protecting their market power. To facilitate the construct ion of socially beneficial grid expansions, Congress should preempt state authority over the funding and siting of new transmission lines. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission should be granted exclusive authority over where to site and how to pay for new transmission. A federal regulator would approve transmission projects based on a comprehensive examination of their benefits and costs, instead of the parochial assessment often performed today by states. Congress would be acting well within its constitutional authority and would be following past legislative enactments in other network industries. It is imperative for Congress to act if the United States is to realize the vision of affordable, reliable, and clean electricity for all Americans.


End-to-side (ETS) nerve repair, in which the distal stump of a transected nerve is coapted to the side of an uninjured donor nerve, offers a technique for repair of peripheral nerve injuries where the proximal nerve stump is unavailable or a significant nerve gap exists. Details of animal models are explored including motor and sensory regeneration to further clarify the mechanism of collateral sprouting while eliminating false positive results from contaminating axons. Some experimental studies support the conclusion that sensory or motor reinnervation may be derived from collateral sprouting while others suggest that reinnervation requires an injury to the donor nerve. Clinical experience with ETS neurorrhaphy includes management of upper extremity nerve injury, facial reanimation, reconstruction following tumor ablation, and the prevention of neuroma formation. Our interpretation of the ETS literature suggests that sensory axons may sprout without deliberately attempting to injure them, while motor axons regenerate only in response to a deliberate injury. Experimental and clinical experience with ETS neurorrhaphy has rendered mixed results. Our interpretation of the literature suggests that the success of this technique is dependent upon axonal injury of motor and possibly sensory nerves. While continued clinical and laboratory experimentation with ETS nerve repair is warranted, it should not yet replace more established techniques of nerve repair.


A sucrose-inducible alpha-glucosidase activity that hydrolyzes sucrose in Candida albicans has been demonstrated previously. The enzyme is assayable in whole cells and was inhibited by both sucrose and maltose. A C. albicans gene (CASUC1) that affects sucrose utilization and alpha-glucosidase activity was cloned by expression in a Saccharomyces cerevisiae suc2 mutant (2102) devoid of invertase genes. CASUC1 enabled the S. cerevisiae mutant to utilize both sucrose and maltose. DNA sequence analysis revealed that CASUC1 encodes a putative zinc finger-containing protein with 28% identity to a maltose-regulatory gene (MAL63) of S. cerevisiae. The gene products of CASUC1 and MAL63 are approximately the same size (501 and 470 amino acids, respectively), and each contains a single zinc finger located at the N terminus. The zinc fingers of CASUC1 and MAL63 comprise six conserved cysteines (C6 zinc finger) and are of the general form Cys-Xaa2-Cys-Xaa6-Cys-Xaavariable-Cys-Xaa2-Cys-+ ++Xaa6-Cys (where Xaan indicates a stretch of the indicated number of any amino acids). Both contain five amino acids in the variable region. CASUC1 also complemented the maltose utilization defect of an S. cerevisiae mutant (TCY-137) containing a defined mutation in a maltose-regulatory gene. The sucrose utilization defect of type II Candida stellatoidea, a sucrase-negative mutant of C. albicans, was corrected by CASUC1. Determinations of alpha-glucosidase activity in whole cells revealed that activity was restored in transformants cultivated on either sucrose or maltose. To our knowledge, this is the first zinc finger-encoding gene, as well as the first putative regulatory gene, to be identified in C. albicans.


KeyWords: parks; landscape research; design of seats; bionics design Abstract: Landscape is an important ingredient of city parks, so the design of seats in the parks integrated with the city landscape serves as an innovative inspiration for the design of the specific product. With the research of the landscape design and park seats, this project proposes flower as the developing form of the park seats, with the lily as the final design choice for a new seat in the parks. The specific structural forms of the seats are designed in accordance with the characteristics of lily, and the materials for the seats are chosen based on the park seats and bionics design. An integration of landscape and bionics in this design brings an innovation for the design of the landscape and seats in the parks.


Meeting appropriate nutritional demands in the inpatient setting is a fundamental aspect of optimal patient care. Optimizing nutrition delivery and preventing malnutrition can have a significant positive effect on clinical outcomes and costs of care. Despite extensive research, many questions remain regarding the delivery of nutrients to hospitalized patients, especially in the critically ill. Recent advances have been made over the past decade, and landmark studies have yielded an end to many controversial topics, such as the broad utilization of immunonutrition. However, there are still many questions that remain unanswered, for example how do we objectively define malnutrition? Cutting edge research in the areas of morphomics and metabolomics are raising new questions which are poised to revolutionize how we will answer today's questions. In this review, we summarize the historical pedagogy underlying nutritional practice alongside contemporary evidence supporting current practice guidelines. Furthermore, we identify and explore key barriers preventing the rapid identification and treatment of malnutrition. We introduce two emerging technologies foremost in nutritional research that may eventually disrupt current barriers. And finally, we discuss key populations at specifically high risk for the development of malnutrition.


Background Cryopreservation of zebrafish embryos is still an unsolved problem despite market demand and massive efforts to preserve genetic variation among numerous existing lines. Chilled storage of embryos might be a step towards developing successful cryopreservation, but no methods to date have worked. Methods In the present study, we applied a novel strategy to improve the chilling tolerance of zebrafish embryos by introducing a preconditioning hydrostatic pressure treatment to the embryos. In our experiments, 26-somites and Prim-5 stage zebrafish embryos were chilled at 0°C for 24 hours after preconditioning. Embryo survival rate, ability to reach maturation and fertilizing capacity were tested. Results Our results indicate that applied preconditioning technology made it possible for the chilled embryos to develop normally until maturity, and to produce healthy offspring as normal, thus passing on their genetic material successfully. Treated embryos had a significantly higher survival and better developmental rate, moreover the treated group had a higher ratio of normal morphology during continued development. While all controls from chilled embryos died by 30 day-post-fertilization, the treated group reached maturity (~90–120 days) and were able to reproduce, resulting in offspring in expected quantity and quality. Conclusions Based on our results, we conclude that the preconditioning technology represents a significant improvement in zebrafish embryo chilling tolerance, thus enabling a long-time survival. Furthermore, as embryonic development is arrested during chilled storage this technology also provides a solution to synchronize or delay the development.


A micropropagation protocol was developed by further improvement of prevailing methods using proven germplasm for ex vitro rooting and addressed the effect of the number of subcultures on the rooting ability of shoots. A comparative study was done between in vitro rooting method and ex vitro rooting method. Using the ex vitro rooting method a plantlet could be produced in 135 days, which was in a shorter time compared to the in vitro rooting method – 180 days. The best axillary shoot bud induction was observed on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 4.6 μM thidiazuron (TDZ) with 5 shoot buds per explant. In the shoot cluster, which was subcultured on MS medium supplemented with 2.3 μM TDZ, the rate of shoot multiplication increased in the 3rd subculture. The maximum mean number of shoots per explant (20) was obtained at the 3rd subculture on the same medium. Shoots were harvested at the 1st, 3rd and 5th subculture and pulse treated for root induction. The highest rooting (95%) was achieved from the 3rd subculture onwards with pulse treated shoots for fifteen days. The rooted plants could be established in a greenhouse with 99% survival. Ex vitro rooting is a promising method to reduce the time for plant generation. The resultant plantlets well established in pots and fruiting was observed within a year.


The effects of gain-loss message framing on breast-cancer-related cognitions and behaviors were assessed among 539 women aged 30 to 70 years. The design involved a prebrochure telephone interview, followed by a brochure mailout, and a postbrochure telephone interview. The brochures contained information about breast cancer and the risk of family history. Recommended behaviors were framed to emphasize gains, losses, or were neutral; and statistical risk information was presented either positively or negatively. Measures included demographics, family history, breast self-examination (BSE) performance, BSE intention, self-efficacy in performing BSE, perceived early detection risk of breast cancer, perceived susceptibility to breast cancer, and anxiety about breast cancer. A loss-framed message led to greater positive change in BSE behavior. Interactions between framing effects and variables of issue involvement, perceived early detection risk, and self-efficacy indicated effects on behavior, but not beliefs.


Married or cohabitating substance-abusing patients (N = 80) who were entering individual outpatient treatment, most of whom were referred by the criminal justice system (n = 68 ; 85%), were randomly assigned to a no-couples-treatment control group (n = 40) or to 12 weekly sessions of adjunctive behavioral couples therapy (BCT ; n = 40). Drug use and relationship adjustment measures were collected at pretreatment, posttreatment, and at 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-month follow-ups. Couples who received BCT as part of individual-based treatment had better relationship outcomes, in terms of more positive dyadic adjustment and less time separated, than couples in which husbands received individual-based treatment only. Husbands in the BCT condition also reported fewer days of drug use, longer periods of abstinence, fewer drug-related arrests, and fewer drug-related hospitalizations through the 12-month follow-up period than husbands receiving individual-based treatment only. However, some of the drug use and relationship adjustment differences between these groups dissipated over the course of the follow-up period.


Atherosclerosis and its consequences are a significant cause of death in industrialized countries. In recent years, due to modern techniques which permit DNA analysis, a series of alleles associated with dyslipoproteinemia and heart disease have been identified. In this study these genetic markers, in particular those found at the level of the genes of apolipoproteins, are reviewed. The knowledge of these facts is important for the paediatrician, since these disturbances can be identified in the first days of an individual's life, thus a positive influence can be made over the lifestyle habits.


In nanoindentation, the plasticity size effect has been observed for several years, where a higher hardness is measured as contact size decreases. For spherical indenters, Lim and Chaudhri (1999 Phil. Mag. 79 2979) first showed that the entire flow curve appears at higher contact pressures for smaller radius indenters in copper. However, few papers have reported the initial yield size effect due to the difficulty in defining the yield point. Recently, Spary et al (2006 Phil. Mag. 86 5581) demonstrated that the initial yield strength of metals increases linearly with inverse cube root of indenter radius, by nanoindentation together with finite elemental modelling. Here, we use a clear method to determine the onset of plasticity in spherical nanoindentation without the uncertainties of modelling. This enables us to measure the yield pressure of tungsten metal and a series of ceramics with a high degree of accuracy and over a large range of indenter radii (hundreds of nanometres to several tens of micrometres). Our data of all ceramics and metals show clearly that there is a significant yield strength enhancement, which is inversely proportional to the cube root of the indenter radius. Normalizing the data for each material by its yield pressure for an infinite radius indenter, we find that the data for metals and ceramics fall on lines of different slope, indicating that material parameters influence the indentation yield strength size effect as well as the geometrical size effect.


We have developed an easy-to-use and memory-efficient method called PhenotypeSeeker that (a) generates a k-mer-based statistical model for predicting a given phenotype and (b) predicts the phenotype from the sequencing data of a given bacterial isolate. The method was validated on 167 Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates (virulence), 200 Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates (ciprofloxacin resistance) and 460 Clostridium difficile isolates (azithromycin resistance). The phenotype prediction models trained from these datasets performed with 88% accuracy on the K. pneumoniae test set, 88% on the P. aeruginosa test set and 96.5% on the C. difficile test set. Prediction accuracy was the same for assembled sequences and raw sequencing data; however, building the model from assembled genomes is significantly faster. On these datasets, the model building on a mid-range Linux server takes approximately 3 to 5 hours per phenotype if assembled genomes are used and 10 hours per phenotype if raw sequencing data are used. The phenotype prediction from assembled genomes takes less than one second per isolate. Thus, PhenotypeSeeker should be well-suited for predicting phenotypes from large sequencing datasets. PhenotypeSeeker is implemented in Python programming language, is open-source software and is available at GitHub (https://github.com/bioinfo-ut/PhenotypeSeeker/). Summary Predicting phenotypic properties of bacterial isolates from their genomic sequences has numerous potential applications. A good example would be prediction of antimicrobial resistance and virulence phenotypes for use in medical diagnostics. We have developed a method that is able to predict phenotypes of interest from the genomic sequence of the isolate within seconds. The method uses statistical model that can be trained automatically on isolates with known phenotype. The method is implemented in Python programming language and can be run on low-end Linux server and/or on laptop computers.


Objective: To determine prevalence of malocclusion and orthodontic treatment needs in Down syndrome individuals among Sudanese population in Khartoum area. Materials & Method: A total of 75 (37 males and 38 females) Down syndrome individuals age ranging from 6-28 years were clinically examined after obtaining their guardian's consent, malocclusion was determined based on Angle and Incisor classification. Exclusion criteria were included individuals who had history of extraction and orthodontic treatment. Data was analysed by using SPSS Version 17, at an alpha level 0.05 and 95% confidence limits. Result: Angle Class III and Incisor III malocclusion represents the most prevalent type of malocclusions (58.7%) Angle classification, (53.3%) Incisors classification. Angle Class III malocclusion was more frequent among females (60.5%) than in males (56.8%). The majority of individuals with Down syndrome are in need of orthodontic treatment (85.3%). Conclusion: The prevalence of malocclusion and orthodontic treatment need among Sudanese Down syndrome individuals was high. Angle and Incisor Class III malocclusion representing commonest trait of malocclusion with more frequency in females than males. Key word: down syndrome, Class III malocclusion, orthodontic treatment


We compared our recently reported reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assay for detection of epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV) in clinical samples with different virus isolation (VI) procedures. Thirty-six blood samples and 1 spleen sample from deer were assessed by the EHDV PCR assay and VI in baby hamster kidney (BHK)-21 cells and embryonated chicken eggs (ECE). The EHDV PCR assay detected EHDV RNA from 6 blood samples obtained from deer during 1988–1989 outbreaks of epizootic hemorrhagic disease and from the spleen and blood samples of a deer with clinical hemorrhagic disease in 1992. The 6 blood samples from the 1988–1989 outbreaks and the spleen sample from the 1992 case were VI positive on BHK-21 cell culture. The blood from the same deer with the PCR- and VI-positive spleen was VI negative in BHK-21 cells and ECE. All EHDV isolates were identified as EHDV serotype 2 by a plaque inhibition test. The results of this study indicate that the sensitivity of the previously described EHDV PCR assay is comparable to or greater than that of the VI method in BHK-21 cell culture or ECE. The EHDV PCR assays could provide a superior diagnostic alternative to the current cumbersome and time-consuming VI procedures.


This paper describes a numerical simulation with 3D finite elements of a tunnel. The viscoplastic law of Perzyna represents the rockmass behavior. The concrete, shotcrete or precast, is modeled as a viscoelastic material through the Maxwell and Kelvin chain models. Finite element simulations are performed by incorporating subroutines for viscoelastic concrete models in the ANSYS code. The method to simulate tunnel excavations is by activating and deactivating elements in sequential steps. In the first part of the paper two validations are performed. The analytical solution and the deformation achieved on the stabilization in the ANSYS code are compared with an unlined tunnel. A lined tunnel, with an elastic and viscoplastic rockmass combined with an elastic lining, is compared with the results of the GEOMEC91 code. In the second part, it is compared the same tunnel with two different concrete lining for two chain models. Finally, it is modeled the Kielder experimental tunnel, which in situ measured data is available.


A Long-term Vision of spatial (regional and territorial) development of Slovakia is an integral part of broader work about A Long-term vision of the Slovak society development (up to year 2030). The scientific authorities prepared this official material as a special product for Slovak government. The main aim of contribution is an attempt for critical assessment of understanding selected aspects of rural development and its position in broader context of spatial development of Slovakia. We describe, analyse, and compare the selected indicators of settlement and population structures in urban and rural municipalities aggregated into eight administrative regions with the aim to show not only the level of interregional, but also the intraregional (urban-rural) disparities. From the rural development point of view is cardinal question the scope of diffusion of growth impulses from towns throughout their zones of influence into rural surrounding. We are trying to highlight the interrelation ship and interdependency between regional and rural socio-economic developments.


Our Gang provides a fascinating historical portrait of the Jewish criminal world from the era of mass immigration through Prohibition and beyond. Jenna Weissman Joselit traces the origins, nature, patterns, location, and impact of Jewish crime from the early years, when it was inextricably bound up with the East Side community as a whole, with criminals living among the more or less law-abiding citizens they preyed upon, to the post-World War I period and the gradual assimilation and absorption of Jewish crime into the mainstream of the American underworld.Parallel with this theme is a broader one: the New York Jewish community's reaction to Jewish crime, evolving from disbelief to denial to concern and the establishment of a network of correctional and preventive agencies, and finally as the nature of Jewish crime changed, and as the community itself felt a growing sense of security a sort of acceptance."


This paper describes a novel DC-coupled single input preamplifier which is robust to drift noise and variation due to the circuit operation conditions. The preamplifier is intended for capacitive sensors such as the capacitive electret film type sensor, which is one of the most sensitive and accurate sensors presently available. There are both DC-coupled and AC-coupled conventional preamplifiers available for such sensors. However, DC-coupled preamplifiers do not always suppress drift noise and variation, while AC-coupled preamplifiers require a large capacitor to expand the frequency range, thus making the large-scale integration (LSI) very large and inducing problems associated with the large capacitor. We describe a DC-coupled preamplifier with wider low-frequency range as well as less drift noise and variation. The design combines a time constant amplifier and rail-to-rail transconductance amplifier, and is implemented in an LSI with 6-GHz fT bipolar 11-V process with 5-V supply voltage. For an LSI with this preamplifier, the output voltage variation due to changes in load current is within ± 35 mV, whereas the variation for a conventional preamplifier is proportional to the load current up to 2.5 V. The output voltage drift due to changes in temperature and load current is restricted to within ± 35 mV for load resistance of 1-5 kΩ , whereas the drift for a conventional preamplifier is 800 mV.


OBJECTIVE
To study the clinical presentation of culture-confirmed pertussis in children and their contacts with cough illnesses in an outpatient setting.

METHODOLOGY
In conjunction with a large pertussis vaccine efficacy trial in Germany, a central laboratory to isolate Bordetella species from nasopharyngeal specimens was established in Erlangen in October 1990. Pediatricians in private practices in southern Germany, the Saar region, and Berlin were encouraged to obtain nasopharyngeal specimens and clinical characteristics from patients with cough illnesses >/=7 days' duration. Bordetella species were isolated by use of calcium alginate swabs, Regan-Lowe agar, and modified Stainer-Scholte broth. Clinical characteristics were determined by initial and follow-up questionnaires.

RESULTS
From October 1990 to September 1996, 20 972 specimens were submitted, and B pertussis was isolated in 2592 instances (12.4%). Of the culture-proven cases, 50.7% were female, and the age range was 6 days to 41 years, with a mean and median of 4.3 years and 4.1 years, respectively. The following characteristics were noted. Only 4% of the patients had received pertussis vaccine. Of unvaccinated patients, 90.2% had paroxysmal cough, 78.9% demonstrated whooping, and 53.3% presented with posttussive vomiting; 5.7% had fever >/=38 degrees C. The duration of cough was </=4 weeks in 37.9% and </=3 weeks in 17.4%. Leukocytosis and lymphocytosis (values above the age-specific mean) were observed in 71.9% and 75.9% of unvaccinated patients, respectively. The overall complication rate was 5.8%, and pneumonia (29%) was the most frequent complication. In infants <6 months of age, the rate of complications was 23.8%. One death in a 7-month-old infant occurred.

CONCLUSIONS
Typical symptoms of pertussis were observed in the great majority of patients regardless of age group. However, the duration of cough was surprisingly short in one sixth of the patients. These short illness cases would not be classified as pertussis according to the World Health Organization clinical case definition, which requires >/=21 days of spasmodic cough.


Component-Based Software Engineering is concerned with the assembly of pre-existing software components that leads to software systems that respond to client specific requirements. Component selection and component systems assembly have become two of the key issues involved in this process.There may be different alternative components that can be selected (to obtain a configuration), each coming at their own set of offered requirements. Our goal is to select the best existing component alternatives. In order to attain this goal, the evaluation of the components is a necessity. As a result in this direction, software metrics are very useful being a mean to quantify those attributes considered important for the system that will built.We formulate the problem as multiobjective, considering different metrics values. The approach is an evolutionary computation technique. The experiments and comparisons (considering different criteria and various number of individuals and iterations) shows the importance of multicriteria-based solution.


Faced with a situation in which countries compete for international students, it becomes especially important to understand students preferences regarding migration behaviour. This paper looks at the determinants of international mobility intentions in the specific situation of Indian students in sciences and engineering. It uses data collected from a survey of students at five Indian universities, complemented by qualitative data from interviews. We looked at the role of students personal and family background, universityrelated factors, theirsocial network and preferences for living location in their motivations for moving abroad. The type of university and field of studies work as strong predictors for students desire to move abroad. Whether a student plans a career in academia or wants to work in a company has a decisive influence on where they see themselves in the near future. Professional aspects are confirmed to be the most prominent in the decisionmaking regarding international mobility. People who place high importance on workrelated factors are more mobile, while people who place higher importance on familyfriendly environment and public safety prefer staying in India. International student mobility is clearly a family decision. Parents support is crucial for moving abroad, in moral as well as in financial terms. Normally, obligations towards family are put in first place ahead of potentialindividual initiatives.


Vitex mollis is used in traditional Mexican medicine for the treatment of some ailments. However, there are no studies on what happens to the anti-inflammatory activity or antioxidant properties and total phenolic content of leaves and stem extracts of Vitex mollis during the digestion process; hence, this is the aim of this work. Methanolic, acetonic, and hexanic extracts were obtained from both parts of the plant. Extract yields and anti-inflammatory activity (elastase inhibition) were measured. Additionally, changes in antioxidant activity (DPPH and ABTS) and total phenols content of plant extracts before and after in vitro digestion were determined. The highest elastase inhibition to prevent inflammation was presented by hexanic extracts (leaf = 94.63% and stem = 98.30%). On the other hand, the major extract yield (16.14%), antioxidant properties (ABTS = 98.51% and DPPH = 94.47% of inhibition), and total phenols (33.70 mg GAE/g of dried sample) were showed by leaf methanolic extract. Finally, leaf and stem methanolic extracts presented an antioxidant activity increase of 35.25% and 27.22%, respectively, in comparison to their initial values after in vitro digestion process. All samples showed a decrease in total phenols at the end of the digestion. These results could be the basis to search for new therapeutic agents from Vitex mollis.


This thesis by publication is built around three articles which are at different stages of publication. All three articles have in common the concept of regularisation and they provide various applications of this concept in the field of functional data analysis. The thesis consists of five chapters. The first chapter is an introduction and it sets the historical context for concepts such as complexity and regularisation. It also looks at different forecasting problems from the point of view of complexity and considers regularisation as a practical means of reducing complexity in statistical models. The second part is an article "Bivariate data with ridges: two-dimensional smoothing of mortality rates", which applies the concept of regularisation to a problem of smoothing mortality rates in particular and to any bivariate data in general. The article proposes an innovative approach for smoothing which allows for data to have abrupt "two-dimensional" changes as well as "ridges" – one dimensional statistically significant effects. The third part is an article "Low-dimensional decomposition, smoothing and forecasting of sparse functional data". This article proposes an innovative approach of dealing with bivariate data which allows the data to be sparse. The article demonstrates this approach by applying it to two different problems. The first is related to sparse medical data. The second is related to forecasting where the values, which need to be forecasted, are considered as missing values. The fourth part is an article "STR: A Seasonal-Trend Decomposition Procedure Based on Regression". Proposing a new approach of decomposing seasonal time series, it sets a new level of simplicity and generality in this field. The last part concludes the thesis. It outlines the main ideas which drove my research as well as my understanding of my main contributions. It also discusses new possible research directions.


BACKGROUND: Risk factors for the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in the intensive care unit (ICU) include positive fluid balance, high tidal volumes (TVs), high airway pressures, and transfusion of blood products. However, research examining intraoperative factors such as fluid resuscitation, mechanical ventilation strategies, and blood administration on the postoperative development of ARDS is lacking. METHODS: We assessed patients admitted to the ICU with postoperative hypoxemic respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation for the development of ARDS in the first 7 postoperative days using established clinical and radiological criteria. Data on risk factors for ARDS were obtained from the electronic anesthetic and medical records. Logistic regression was used to examine the independent association between fluid resuscitation, TV per ideal body weight, and number of blood products transfused during surgery and the postoperative development of ARDS, adjusting for important clinical covariates. RESULTS: Of the 89 patients with postoperative respiratory failure, 25 developed ARDS. Compared with those who received <10 mL/kg/h fluid resuscitation in the operating room, patients receiving >20 mL/kg/h fluid resuscitation had a 3.8 times higher adjusted odds of developing ARDS (P = 0.04), and those receiving 10 to 20 mL/kg/h had a 2.4 times higher adjusted odds of developing ARDS (P = 0.14). TV per ideal body weight and the number of blood units transfused were not associated with ARDS development in this study. CONCLUSIONS: This cohort study provides evidence to suggest a relationship between intraoperative fluid resuscitation and the development of ARDS. Larger prospective trials are required to confirm these findings.


Biofilms are ubiquitous in drinking water systems, either in the form of thin and patchy colonies or as surface-covering multiple layers. In biofilters they are used for the elimination of biologically degradable substances. However, they occur in other sites, e.g., on the walls of containers and pipes, on sediment and on suspended particles. They can rise problems by contamination of the water phase by detaching biofilm organisms. Biofilms provide a possible habitat for hygienically relevant microbes in which they can persist and even multiply. Here they are protected against disinfectants, in particular if located in corrosion products, sediments or ingested by protozoa which feed on biofilm cells. Biofilms are related to the occurrence of "black water" and malodours. They are involved in the corrosion of metals, mineral materials and synthetic polymers. The limiting factor for biofilm growth is usually the availability of nutrients, mainly provided either by biodegradable substances leaching from materials or from by the water phase. The extent of biofilm growth and of the occurrence of hygienically relevant organisms is still unknown and to be investigated. However, latest research indicates that such organisms do not multiply in large numbers in drinking water biofilms; it is possible that drinking water biofilms can inhibit the propagation of invading pathogens.


The Ammonoosuc Volcanics and equivalent rocks of Ordovician age are exposed in the Oliverian domes along the Bronson Hill anti-clinorium (BHA) between northern New Hampshire and southern Connecticut. In western New Hampshire and adjacent Vermont and Massachusetts, the Ammonoosuc lithology consists of a lower, mainly mafic unit of homblende-plagioclase amphibolite, and an upper, mainly felsic, metamorphosed quartz keratophyre tuff. These lithologies are locally interlayered, and both are intruded by sills, dikes, and plugs of trondhjemite. Trondhjemite also constitutes the interior gneissic "core" of several small domes or plutons. The trondhjemite is highly siliceous (SiO 2 = 73%–81%), low in A1 2 O 3 (11.3%–13.5%), generally contains 2 O, and thus resembles some trondhjemites in island-arc or continental-margin settings. Chemical trends of both trondhjemite and Ammonoosuc Volcanics (felsic and mafic) are essentially calc-alkaline. Variations in both major and trace elements of trondhjemites in several of the domes suggest several somewhat different sources along the BHA. Overall, however, the major- and minor-element chemistry of the trondhjemites is closely similar to that of the Ammonoosuc quartz keratophyre tuff. These rocks could have been produced either by partial melting or by fractional crystallization of basaltic source rocks. The partial-melting model is preferred because of the largely bimodal basalt-quartz keratophyre Ammonoosuc assemblage in which andesitic and other intermediate compositions are virtually lacking. The relatively thin Ammonoosuc section appears to preclude generation of trondhjemite at the presently exposed base of an island arc, as has been postulated for very similar trondhjemite-amphibolite assemblages (Twillingate trondhjemite, Little Port Complex) in Newfoundland. Instead, generation of the felsic Ammonoosuc rocks more likely occurred at deeper levels along a subduction zone dipping eastward under the BHA, as postulated in current plate-tectonic models. The close juxtaposition in space and time of sialic crust and Ammonoosuc Volcanics may explain the calc-alkaline trends of the latter and suggests a paleotectonic environment of convergent oceanic-continental plate margins, possibly with significant crustal shortening across the arc.


Bronchial asthma occurs independently from gender and in all age groups belonging to the frequent diseases with a high demand for treatment. A part of those affected suffer from comorbid mental burden and disorders. The review analyses studies investigating the prevalence of mental burden and disorders in patients with bronchial asthma. The database MEDLINE was searched for studies published from 1980 to 2002. Patients with bronchial asthma frequently show mood and anxiety disorders, with prevalence rates up to 41 % and 52 %. There is no significant correlation between the severity of asthma and the existence of a mental burden or disorder. However, persons with difficult-to-treat asthma (brittle asthma) show more mental burden than patients with controllable symptoms. Compliant patients show a lower prevalence rate of depressive burden than noncompliant patients. The reviewed studies are very heterogeneous with respect to their methodology and the investigated samples limiting the interpretation of their results significantly. In the future more well-designed epidemiological studies have to be performed to achieve valid and representative conclusions about the prevalence rates of mental burden and disorders in patients with bronchial asthma.


OBJECTIVE
Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common type of thyroid malignancy with physiological microRNA (miR) pathomorphological changes. MiR-548c-3p participates in multiple processes of tumor development and progression. However, the role of miR-548c-3p in PTC and the underlying mechanisms remain undefined. Therefore, this study aimed to detect the expression of miR-548c-3p in PTC and to explore its exact function.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
MiR-548c-3p expression was analyzed in PTC tissue and cell lines by Real-Time fluorescence quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction. Colony formation and cell viability assay were used to measure cell proliferation. Wound healing assay and transwell invasion assay were conducted to examine cell migration and invasion. The protein expression of the signaling pathways was determined by Western blot analysis.

RESULTS
Our results indicated that miR-548c-3p was downregulated in PTC tissues and cell lines. Moreover, miR-548c-3p mimics suppressed PTC cell viability, colony formation, cell migration, and invasion capacity. Low expression of miR-548c-3p significantly enhanced N-cadherin and vimentin expression. A negative correlation was determined between miR-548c-3p and hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) 1α or vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels, indicating that miR-548c-3p inhibited tumor progression by suppressing the HIF1α-mediated VEGF signaling pathway.

CONCLUSIONS
MiR-548c-3p could suppress PTC progression by inhibiting the HIF1α-mediated VEGF signaling pathway.


Many benefits of the contraceptive pill are recognized in healthy women: regular cycles, without heavy bleeding, without dysmenorrhea and without premenstrual syndrome. But the contraceptive pill can be used for specific therapeutic objectives: treatment of polycystic ovaries, endometriosis, vaginal bleeding disorders and in long term acne, seborrhea, hirsutism and alopecia therapy (contraceptive pills containing ethinyl estradiol and a progestogen with antiandrogenic activity). There is still scientific evidence that the contraceptive pill reduces the risk of appearance of tumors or cysts in the ovary or endometrium. However the contraceptive pill also has its risks. These being dependent on the dose, it is estimated that in modern low-dose oral contraceptives, they are much less frequent and intense than in the early days of their marketing, but do not fail to manifest themselves. The most common are those that lead to a decrease in physical and / or psychological well-being of women. There is also some scientific evidence that hormonal contraceptives may be involved in the onset / development of benign liver tumors as well as increased risk of gallstones. But the most serious adverse effects are cardiovascular effects: increased risk of thromboembolic disease, onset / worsening of hypertension, dyslipidaemia and glucose intolerance, and the consequent increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Finally, the literature refers that hormonal contraceptives increase the risk of developing certain cancers, especially in the cervix and breast. As with any drug, the risk-benefit ratio must always be taken into account when prescribing one contraceptive pill, and the principle of therapeutic individualization should be based on scientific and clinical but also personal and socio-economic criteria. Also in regard to contraception we should follow evidence-based medicine: use all the scientific information and make it available to the woman so that she, in the biopsychosocial context in which it appears, can make an informed decision regarding her fertility.


Due to process limitations, wiring rules are imposed on chip layout by foundries. Under nanometer wiring rules, the required separation between two wire ends is dependent on their surrounding wires, and there is a limit on the minimum length of each wire segment. However, traditional shortest path algorithms are not properly designed for these rules. In the paper, we propose a maze routing algorithm, called MANA, capable of finding legal shortest paths under these rules. Experiments with seven industrial cases show that by handling these rules during maze routing, 94% of the violations are prevented on average, and the overall runtime of a commercial router is reduced by 71%. In addition, the total wire length is also reduced by 3% on average.


The Golden Helix Institute of Biomedical Research is an international nonprofit scientific organization with interdisciplinary research and educational activities in the field of genome medicine in Europe, Asia and Latin America. These activities are supervised by an international scientific advisory council, consisting of world leaders in the field of genomics and translational medicine. Research activities include the regional coordination of the Pharmacogenomics for Every Nation Initiative in Europe, in an effort to integrate pharmacogenomics in developing countries, the development of several national/ethnic genetic databases and related web services and the critical assessment of the impact of genetics and genomic medicine on society in various countries. Educational activities also include the organization of the Golden Helix Symposia(®), which are high-profile scientific research symposia in the field of personalized medicine and the Golden Helix Pharmacogenomics Days, an international educational activity focused on pharmacogenomics, as part of its international pharmacogenomics education and outreach efforts.


Abstract The insecticidal efficacy of baculoviruses can be enhanced by engineering the viral genome to express proteins that disrupt the physiology of the host insect. Here we describe the development of a genetically engineered Autographa californica multicapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) which expresses a modified form of juvenile hormone esterase (JHE). Previously, two viruses expressing different modified JHEs were found to have a greater insecticidal effect on larvae of Trichoplusia ni and Heliothis virescens than a virus expressing wild-type JHE. To study a possible synergistic effect, the distinct mutations in the modified JHEs were combined in a new JHE construct. Two lysine residues were replaced with arginine residues to reduce the efficiency of lysosomal targeting (JHE-KK) and the catalytic serine was replaced with glycine, which eliminated catalytic activity (JHE-SG). The modified JHE, JHE-KSK, was expressed in a recombinant baculovirus, AcJHE-KSK. Larvae of H. virescens infected with this recombinant virus caused 44% less feeding damage to lettuce than larvae infected with the wild-type AcMNPV. However, AcJHE-KSK did not have significantly improved insecticidal properties over the parent viruses AcJHE-KK and AcJHE-SG, suggesting that the separate mutations have no major synergistic effect. Infection with a control recombinant baculovirus expressing JHE with the same lysine to arginine conversions and in which a catalytic histidine was converted to lysine (AcJHE-KHK) did not reduce feeding damage compared with that caused by larvae infected with AcMNPV.


The Cooperative Co-Evolution model has been used in Evolutionary Computation to optimize the training of artificial neural networks (ANNs). This architecture has proven to be a useful extension to domains such as Neuro-Evolution (NE), which is the training of ANNs using concepts of natural evolution. However, there is a need for real-time systems and the ability to solve more complex tasks which has prompted a further need to optimize these Cooperative Co-Evolution methods. Cooperative Co-Evolution methods consist of a number of phases, however the evaluation phase is still the most compute intensive phase, for some complex tasks taking as long as weeks to complete. This study uses NE as a test case study and we design a parallel Cooperative Co-Evolution processing framework and implement the optimized serial and parallel versions using the Golang (Go) programming language. Go is a multi-core programming language with first-class constructs, channels and goroutines, that make it well suited to parallel programming. Our study focuses on Enforced Subpopulations (ESP) for single-agent systems and Multi-Agent ESP for multi-agent systems. We evaluate the parallel versions in the benchmark tasks; double pole balancing and prey-capture, for single and multi-agent systems respectively, in tasks of increasing complexity. We observe a maximum speed-up of 20x for the parallel Multi-Agent ESP implementation over our single core optimized version in the prey-capture task and a maximum speedup of 16x for ESP in the harder version of double pole balancing task. We also observe linear speed-ups for the difficult versions of the tasks for a certain range of cores, indicating that the Go implementations are efficient and that the parallel speed-ups are better for more complex tasks. We find that in complex tasks, the Cooperative Co-Evolution Neuro-Evolution (CCNE) methods are amenable to multi-core acceleration, which provides a basis for the study of even more complex Cooperative Co-Evolution methods in a wider range of domains.