Rapeseed oil which is a triglyceride had undergone chemical modification on its structure to obtain hydroxyl groups. The hydroxylated chemical structure was crosslinked using methylene-pphenyl diisocyanate to produce a thermoset rapeseed oil resin. The cross linking process was monitored in situ using the Attenuated Total Internal Reflectance Fourier Transform-Infrared spectroscopy and the thermogravimetric analysis techniques. The infrared technique was also used to monitor chemical groups of the unmodified rapeseed oil. A reduction of the absorption band around 3300 cm -1 which is due to the presence of hydroxyl groups was observed indicating the occurrence of the reaction between the hydroxylated rapeseed oil and methylene-p-phenyl diisocyanate. The thermogravimetric analysis technique recorded the reduction of the hydroxyl groups as the loss in mass of the reactants as a function of temperature. The two analytical techniques provided about the same cure time. Both, the infrared and thermogravimetric techniques elucidated useful cure characteristics of the rapeseed oil resin. The applications of more than one analytical method offer a complement of the results. Keywords : Triglycerides, hydroxylation, cure, polyurethane, characterisation Tanz. J. Sci . Vol. 37 2011, 17-25


The effect of nystatin and mycoheptyne on pregnancy and fetus of rats of Wister line was studied after single and multiple oral administrations of the drugs. Nystatin was used in single doses of 3000, 500 and 100 mg/kg. In chronic experiments the dose was 500 mg/kg. It was found that nystatin had a slight abortive effect when used during the whole period of pregnancy. Mycoheptyne was used in single doses of 1000, 100 and 20 mg/kg. In chronic experiments the dose was 100 mg/kg. It was noted that mycoheptyne had a higher toxic effect on the pregnant rats than nystatin. The animal death and abortus were observed more often. The level of the changes depended on the dose, time and period of the antibiotic use. No defects in the rat fetus were found.


This paper provides a framework for understanding the different types of interorganizational information sytsems and the risks that they pose. We suggest that the increased functionality and accessibility of information systems may require a new "trust" intermediary whose major role is to minimize competitive risk, which is expected to be the major dimension of risk in future interorganizational information systems.


Study Design. The authors review the evidence supporting the role of glucocorticosteroids in spinal cord injury, critique published studies, and provide recommendations for steroid use in this complex and difficult problem. Objectives. The authors detail the evolution of the use of glucocorticosteroids for acute spinal cord injury and objectively assess the results of NASCIS I and II. Summary of Background Data. Glucocorticosteroids were first used in patients with acute spinal cord injury in the 1960s. An initial randomized clinical trial (NASCIS I) did not demonstrate a difference in outcome between the low‐ and high‐dose steroid therapy. A subsequent study (NASCIS II) demonstrated that a treatment could enhance neurologic recovery. Methods. The authors critically review the preclinical studies of glucocorticosteroids, NASCIS I and NASCIS II. The majority of the critique focuses on NASCIS II and independent analysis of the data generated by that trial. Results. NASCIS II suggests clinical benefit from high‐dose intravenous methylprednisolone therapy. The true benefit of steroid therapy is unclear because of the difference in outcome of the two placebo groups who entered the protocol before and after 8 hours. The initial promising results may be negated by the better recovery of the delayed treatment and/or untreated group of patients in the greater than 8‐hour placebo group. However, until the raw patient data from NASCIS II is made available for independent review, the actual benefit of intensive steroid therapy will remain elusive. Conclusions. Even with the controversies and unresolved issues, we advocate initiation of intensive gluco‐corticosteroid therapy as soon as possible after acute spinal cord injury, and not beyond the first 8 hours. There is too much data available to arrive at any other conclusion.


Purpose: Low levels of physical activity have been shown to be associated with depression in adults. The few studies that focused on adolescents yielded mixed and inconsistent results. Efforts to examine the direction of this relationship have been inconclusive up to now. The aims of this study were therefore to investigate (1) the direction of the inverse association between physical activity and depressive symptoms over time and (2) whether these associations are specific to particular clusters of depressive symptoms in adolescents. Methods: Depressive symptoms and physical activity were assessed in a population sample of adolescents (N = 2230), who were measured at three waves between age 11 and age 16. Depressive symptoms were measured by the Affective Problems scale of the Youth Self-Report (YSR) and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), while physical activity was operationalized as the amount of time spent on physical exercise. Structural Equation Modeling was used to examine bidirectional effects of physical activity and depressive symptoms over time. Results: We found significant cross-lagged paths from prior physical activity to later depression as well as from prior depression to later physical activity (beta values = -0.033 to -0.047). After subdividing depression into affective and somatic symptoms, the affective symptoms were reciprocally related to physical activity, while the paths between somatic symptoms and physical activity did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion: An inverse bidirectional association between physical activity and general depressive symptoms was observed. This association was restricted to affective symptoms. 31 PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS


In this work, a series of chalcogenide glass ceramics were prepared by thermal treating a precursor glass in molar composition of Ge20Sn5Se75 with different duration. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) measurements showed the precipitation of nano-crystals belonging to GeSe2 and SnSe2 phases in the heat-treated glasses, which was confirmed by Raman spectra as well. The crystallization in glass matrix caused the variation of optical properties (i.e. Optical band gap, Urbach energy) due to localized field effect of the nano-crystals, while the infrared transmittance was kept unchanged. Third-order optical nonlinear properties of the precursor glass and glass ceramic samples were investigated by femtosecond Z-scan technique at telecom wavelength of 1550 nm. The maximum nonlinear refraction (γ) of the Ge-Sn-Se glass ceramics reached 5.319 × 10−16 m2/W, which is almost one order higher than that of the precursor glass, demonstrating the significant influence of nano-crystals on optical nonlinear property of the chalcogenide glasses.


Humans have played a major role in altering savanna structure and function, and growing land-use pressure will only increase their influence on woody cover. Yet humans are often overlooked as ecological components. Both humans and the African elephant, Loxodonta africana, alter woody vegetation in savannas through removal of large trees and activities that may increase shrub cover. Interactive effects of both humans and elephants with fire may also alter vegetation structure and composition. Here we capitalize on a macroscale experimental opportunity - brought about by the juxtaposition of an elephant-mediated landscape, human-utilized communal harvesting lands and a nature reserve fenced off from both humans and elephants - to investigate the influence of humans and elephants on height-specific treefall dynamics. We surveyed 6 812 ha using repeat, airborne high resolution Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) to track the fate of 453 685 tree canopies over two years. Human-mediated biennial treefall rates were 2-3.5 fold higher than the background treefall rate of 1.5% treefall ha-1 yr-2, while elephant-mediated treefall rates were 5 times higher at 7.6% treefall ha-1 yr-2 than the control site. Model predictors of treefall revealed that human or elephant presence was the most important variable, followed by the interaction between geology and fire frequency. Treefall patterns were spatially heterogeneous with elephant-driven treefall associated with geology and surface water, while human patterns were related to perceived ease of access to wood harvesting areas and settlement expansion. Our results show humans and elephants utilize all height-classes of woody vegetation, and that large tree shortages in a heavily utilized communal land has transferred treefall occurrence to shorter vegetation. Elephant- and human-dominated landscapes are tied to interactive effects that may hinder tree seedling survival which, combined with tree loss in the landscape, may compromise woodland sustainability.

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


These notions in the title are of fundamental importance in any branch of physics. However, there have been great difficulties in finding physically acceptable definitions of them in general relativity since Einstein's time. I shall explain these difficulties and progresses that have been made. In particular, I shall introduce new definitions of center of mass and angular momentum at both the quasi-local and total levels, which are derived from first principles in general relativity and by the method of geometric analysis. With these new definitions, the classical formula p=mv is shown to be consistent with Einstein's field equation for the first time. This paper is based on joint work [14][15] with Po-Ning Chen and Shing-Tung Yau.


Ammonia; It is a toxic molecule for the central nervous system resulting from the catabolism of proteins. Its excretion is provided with the urea cycle. Argininemia is a rare subtype of urea cycle disorders. Arginase enzyme catalyzes the last stage of the urea cycle, arginine; urea and ornithine are broken down. The decrease in arginase 1 (ARG1) enzyme activity is responsible for argininemia. The most common presenting symptoms of patients diagnosed with argininemia are progressive spastic diplegia, regression in developmental stages, choreoathetosis, hepatomegaly and seizures. The diagnosis of the disease can be made by detecting the elevation of arginine in body fluids together with the increase in serum ammonia. Neurological findings of these patients can be confused with cerebral palsy. In this case report, we wanted to present a patient with argininemia who was followed up with a diagnosis of cerebral palsy for a long time. Early diagnosis, restricted protein and arginine diet are life-saving in this disease. Argininemia should be kept in mind in patients with unexplained neuromotor retardation.


Phytoremediation is an emerging concept for contaminated soil restoration via the use of resilient plants that can absorb soil contaminants. The harvested contaminated biomass can be thermochemically converted to energy carriers/chemicals, linking soil decontamination with biomass-to-energy and aligning with circular economy principles. Two thermochemical conversion steps of contaminated biomass, both used for contaminated biomass treatment/exploitation, are considered: Supercritical Water Gasification and Fast Pyrolysis. For the former, the vast majority of contaminants are transferred into liquid and gaseous effluents, and thus the application of purification steps is necessary prior to further processing. In Fast Pyrolysis, contaminants are mainly retained in the solid phase, but a part appears in the liquid phase due to fine solids entrainment. Contaminants include heavy metals, particulate matter, and hydrogen sulfide. The purified streams allow the in-process re-use of water for the Super Critical Water Gasification, the sulfur-free catalytic conversion of the fuel-rich gaseous stream of the same process into liquid fuels and recovery of an exploitable bio-oil rich stream from the Fast Pyrolysis. Considering the fundamental importance of purification/decontamination to exploit the aforementioned streams in an integrated context, a review of available such technologies is conducted, and options are shortlisted. Technologies of choice include polymeric-based membrane gas absorption for desulfurization, electrooxidation/electrocoagulation for the liquid product of Supercritical Water Gasification and microfiltration via ceramic membranes for fine solids removal from the Fast Pyrolysis bio-oil. Challenges, risks, and suitable strategies to implement these options in the context of biomass-to-energy conversion are discussed and recommendations are made.


At present, the structural dynamic observation by scanning electron microscope (SEM) has a wide range application in the research and production of materials. In this scheme, the sample stages with the function of stretching, compressing, bending and twisting samples are designed by reforming the construction of scanning electron microscope sample stage. Specifically, the aim of conducting structural dynamic observation is achieved by installing different mechanical clamping devices on the scanning electron microscope sample stage base. Furthermore, the sample stage has simple structure, low lost and practical advantages.


The paper presents the conceptual assumptions of research concerning the design of a theoretical multi-criteria model of a system architecture to stabilize the operation of power distribution networks based on a hydrogen energy buffer, taking into account the utility application of hydrogen. The basis of the research process was a systematic literature review using the technique of in-depth analysis of full-text articles and expert consultations. The structural model concept was described in two dimensions in which the identified variables were embedded. The first dimension includes the supply chain phases: procurement and production with warehousing and distribution. The second dimension takes into account a comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach and includes the following factors: technical, economic–logistical, locational, and formal–legal.


A genetic analysis of the prohibited species catch (PSC) of chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) collected during 2016 from the federally managed walleye pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) trawl fishery in the Bering Sea and from the federal groundfish fisheries in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) was undertaken to determine the overall stock composition of the sample sets. Samples were genotyped for 11 microsatellite markers from which stock contributions were estimated using the current chum salmon microsatellite baseline. In 2016, one genetic sample was collected for every 30.6 chum salmon caught in the Bering Sea midwater trawl fishery. The evaluation of sampling in the Bering Sea based on time, location, and vessel indicated that the genetic samples were representative of the total chum salmon PSC in the Bering Sea. The majority of the 114 chum salmon samples from the A-season were from Northeast Asia (37%) and Eastern GOA/Pacific Northwest (PNW) (37%) stocks. Based on the analysis of 2,701 chum salmon collected throughout the B-season, the largest stock groups in the catch were Eastern GOA/PNW (35%) and Northeast Asia (31%), followed by Western Alaska (19%), Southeast Asia (9%), Upper/Middle Yukon (5%), and Southwest Alaska (< 2%) stocks. The chum salmon caught in the Bering Sea in 2016 shared general patterns of stock distribution with those from past years, but differed by some finer-scale spatiotemporal strata. Of the 473 chum salmon samples from the GOA groundfish fisheries, the highest proportion was from Eastern GOA/PNW (93%) stocks, similar to previous years.


An alternative multipole expansion of the correlation term is derived. Modified spherical Bessel type functions which simplify as a summation of multiple orders of basic trigonometric functions are generated from this new method. We use this new expansion to obtain useful insights into the electron-electron interaction. An analytic expression for the electronic correlation term is suggested. Also, a pseudopotential for helium-like system is derived from this alternative expansion, and some reasonable eigenvalues for the ground state and two autoionizing levels of helium atom, is provided as a test of efficiency of this solution approach. With some additional corrections beyond the non-relativistic limit, a helium atom groundstate energy of -2.9036 is obtained using the analytical form derived from this method and the Slater determinant expansion of the wavefunction.


Abstract Existing research into anal sex has centred on androcentric, medicalised parameters that focus on risk and health implications, leading to a lack of focus on women's experiences. Research that has focused on women's experiences has centred on concern around young women's anal sex practices, with little exploration of why people participate in anal sex and neglect of its relational and pleasure-based dimensions. The present study sought to explore these concerns via data gathered using focus groups and individual interviews with a range of individuals including sexual health practitioners and young people. Data were thematically coded, with results centred on three themes: anal sex as deviance, anal sex as phallocentric, and anal sex as agentic. Results suggest a pattern of perceptions and narratives that has potential to undermine honest education, advice-giving and safer sex if they are not addressed and questioned in safe spaces, prior to work with young people. The implications of these findings for sexual health education are discussed.


Dual Rotated Plates (DRP) eccentric lapping mode is developed on the base of traditional eccentric lapping mode for precise balls. Spin angle is an important target of expressing ball rotation in the lapping process. Whether lapping track can uniformly cover the ball surface or not is directly determined by the variation of the spin angle. Applying virtual prototype technology and ADAMS (Automatic Dynamic Analysis of Mechanical Systems) to simulate the ceramic ball lapping track in DRP eccentric lapping mode. And these results are compared to traditional one. At the same condition, the DRP eccentric lapping mode owns better lapping uniformity than traditional one and it is easy to apply to science for the simplicity of structure and control. The result may offer theoretical basis for high-precision ceramic balls machining.


[1] The Analyzer of Space Plasmas and Energetic Atoms (ASPERA-4) instrument on Venus Express is used to determine bow shock position at Venus using ion data alone, using data recorded during a solar minimum from the Ion Mass Analyzer (IMA) which is part of the ASPERA-4 package. Previous models constructed from solar minimum data using Venus Express, Pioneer Venus Orbiter (PVO) and Venera 9 and 10 are also compared to the current fit. An important feature of this new fit is a statistical accuracy introduced in the form of a probability weighting function for the data points, based on the time spent in particular locations. The bow shock curve is then compared to two-dimensional ion maps. These verify the accuracy of this and previous solar minimum fit curves based on PVO and Venus Express magnetic data. Comparing all bow shock models to the 2D ion maps shows that a combination of models produces the best fit. Since all the fitted curves show differences in position they are investigated relative to the solar conditions pertaining at the times when the individual data sets were measured. The sub solar point and terminator distance were thus found to vary linearly with sunspot number and hence with solar activity. This relationship, which was already known to exist between solar maximum and solar minimum, is now shown to exist between different solar minima and even within the same minimum. This indicates a need for the mechanisms for bow shock maintenance and variance to be more closely modeled.


Control of the time between sawtooth crashes, necessary for ITER and DEMO, requires real-time detection of the moment of the sawtooth crash. In this paper, estimation of sawtooth crash times is demonstrated using the model-based interacting multiple model (IMM) estimator, based on simplified models for the sawtooth crash. In contrast to previous detectors, this detector uses the spatial extent of the sawtooth crash as detection characteristic. The IMM estimator is tuned and applied to multiple ECE channels at once. A model for the sawtooth crash is introduced, which is used in the IMM algorithm. The IMM algorithm is applied to seven datasets from the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak. Five crash models with different mixing radii are used. All sawtooth crashes that have been identified beforehand by visual inspection of the data, are detected by the algorithm. A few additional detections are made, which upon closer inspection are seen to be sawtooth crashes, which show a partial reconnection. A closer inspection of the detected normal crashes shows that about 42% are not well fitted by any of the full reconnection models and show some characteristics of a partial reconnection. In some case, the measurement time is during the sawtooth crashes, which also results in an incorrect estimate of the mixing radius. For data provided at a sampling rate of 1 kHz, the run time of the IMM estimator is below 1 ms, thereby fulfilling real-time requirements.


This paper presents a computer vision application of transfer learning in the detection of 'Tungro' among rice plants, using pre-trained deep convolutional neural networks. An AlexNet network, consisting of 5 convolution layers and 3 fully connected layers of neurons, was customized and fine-tuned to accommodate as inputs, images of rice plants representing two (2) classes: those afflicted with Tungro, and those that are healthy. The fine-tuned network was trained on five hundred twenty (520) images of rice plants, three hundred sixty-eight (368) of which belong to the group without infestation, and one hundred fifty-two (152) are infested with Tungro. Both the training and testing dataset-mages were captured from rice fields around the district and validated by technicians in the field of agriculture. Applying stochastic gradient descent as the learning algorithm, the two-class classifier achieved a very high accuracy of 98.17% at mini batch size of twenty (20) and learning rate of 0.0001.


Embryo Transfer Technology (ETT) plays an important role in improving productivity of dairy cattle ( Bos indicus ). Embryo Transfer Technology allows top quality female livestock to improve a herd or flock in much the same way that artificial insemination has allowed greater use of superior sires. The technology hastens genetic enhancement by virtue of its capacity to reduce generation interval and is also useful in progeny testing programmes. A retrospective study analysed conception rates data collected over a period of six years, from 2007 to 2012. A total of 115 embryos had been transferred during that period. The factors affecting conception rates (CR) included embryo developmental stage, deposit site and stage of recipient in days after estrus. The deposit site had a significant effect on CR (χ 2 =0.27395; p<0.05). The quality and stage of the embryo development influenced the CR. Generally, CR reduced as the growth of the embryo. Days after estrus also significantly affected the CR, whereby transfer on day 8 resulted in more conceptions in recipient animals. Even though ETT has several benefits and requires consistent promotion, challenges such as lack of trained personnel and equipment for ovulation and packaging of embryos at the farm site need to be addressed. Key words : Artificial insemination, Bos indicus , conception rate


Abstract Background During the COVID-19 outbreaks many IBD clinics in Italy adopted a remote monitoring approach both to ensure an adequate follow-up of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and respect the rules of social distancing, while access to hospital was restricted. Aim of the study was to perform a survey on IBD patients submitted to remote monitoring in our tertiary referral center in order to assess adherence and patients' perceptions and satisfaction as well as their opinions for future monitoring. Changes in disease activity and Quality of Life were also evaluated. Methods Consecutive patients with IBD scheduled for follow-up visits were switched to remote monitoring through e-mail from March 2020 to February 2021, Patients were asked to complete a questionnaire focusing on 3 elements of the intervention: (1) self-assessment questions, (2) action plans, and (3) educational messages. With regards to self-assessment questions, we used the SIBDQ (to evaluate the QoL) and the IBDSI (to evaluate symptoms as patients' reported outcomes). All patient sent by email results of blood texts: ESR, CRP, CBC, faecal calprotectin, ferritin, serum iron. HBI Index and Mayo UC score were calculated by the treating physicians. Results 424 subjects, 100% Caucasians, completed the survey. 233 (55,1%) were male, 220 (52.0%) had Crohn's Disease (CD). Median baseline Mayo Score and Harvey Bradshaw Index were 3 and 4, respectively. 9 (2,1%) patients were referred to emergency department because of disease flares. 2 (1%) UC patients needed to add topical therapy, 9 (4%) CD patients started therapy with systemic steroids and 3 (1,3%) with biologics. 410 (96,9%) patients were satisfied about telemedicine, and 320 (76,5%) patients reported that would maintain this approach also after COVID-19 outbreak. On univariate logistic regression analysis, only a high ferritin value was found to be related to patients' satisfaction (p=0.001). Lower calprotectin (p=0.012) and need for treatment change (p<0001) were found to be related to QoL, while CD (p=0.052), age (p=0.027), disease duration (p=0.046) and higher calprotectin (p=0.021) were associated to the need for treatment change. None of the variables were significant on multivariate analysis. Conclusion Our results confirm in an homogeneous cohort of IBD patients from southern Italy that a telemedicine approach can substitute face-to-face consultations at least for patients in remission or mild clinical activity. Patients'outcomes were not affected as far as concerns referral to emergency services or the use of steroids for disease flares. A high proportion of patients would maintain this management strategy.


Communicating in oncology belongs to communicate in difficult circumstances. Moreover, "to say" is a medical requirement. We need to make this communication a field of realistic proposals and proceed step by step. This is probably one of the greatest challenges that we have to face in oncology. Organizing first medical consultation in oncology might offer an opportunity to speak with patient of any possible issues. In doing so, give it the means to fight and it is also accompany him. Accompanying this is not a palliative, not a "lack of...". This is the noble part of our work that can not be reduced to the technique.


More students of color enroll in U.S. colleges today than in previous decades due to changing demographics and rising aspirations. However, racist incidents on college campuses, persistent achievement gaps, and lack of faculty of color indicate there are race-related problems in higher education. Research shows that conversations on race increase cultural competency, promote empathy, reduce prejudice, improve relations among conflict group members, and develop critical awareness of privilege and oppression. Yet, educational leaders rarely engage in racial conversations to affect systems change. This paper examines the growing body of literature on the use of race conversations in schools and colleges. Additionally, it considers how race conversations might be aligned with systems thinking for dismantling structural racism within the higher education system.


American Pima cotton (Gossypium barbadense L.) is an extra-long staple cotton produced in the southwestern USA and in other regions around the world. Pima cotton generally yields less than Upland (G. hirsutum L.), but there have not been any studies conducted to document the basis for these differences. Field trials were conducted at two south-central Arizona locations from 1990 through 1992 for the purpose of comparing growth and yield between representative cultivars of Upland and Pima cotton. The aboveground portion of Upland 'Deltapine 90' (DPL 90) and Pima 'S-6' were harvested and separated into stems, leaves (including petioles), burs (carpel walls), lint, and seeds. The bur fraction also included immature fruiting forms. Dry matter accumulation was modeled as a function of heat units (HU) accumulated after planting (HUAP). Both cultivars exhibited a linear increase of total dry matter over the duration of sampling. By the end of sampling, DPL 90 produced more total, stem, seed, lint, and reproductive (bur + seed + lint) dry matter than Pima S-6; the dry matter that accumulated in leaves, bur fraction, and vegetative structures (leaf + stem) did not differ. The reproductive/vegetative ratio (RVR) was found to be similar for both cultivars, increasing rapidly with HU accumulation. Comparisons of lint dry matter accumulation as a function of RVR and harvest index (HI) revealed that DPL 90 yields more lint than Pima S-6 due to a greater total biomass production and more efficient partitioning of dry matter into reproductive organs.


In a prospective study between 1989 and 1993, 50 patients (45 males, 5 females, mean age: 58.4 years; mean AHI = 37.8/h) suffering from obstructive sleep apnoea were examined. They underwent nocturnal polysomnography and were provided nightly treatment with nasal CPAP (Respironics Sleep-Easy III und REMSTAR, Respironics Inc, Monroeville, PA). 41 patients were given primary treatment with nCPAP. Nine patients were secondarily treated with a nCPAP mask after other modalities of therapy (weight reduction, mandibular positioning appliance, nasal surgery, uvulopalatopharyngoplasty) had been applied without success. All patients were controlled in the sleep laboratory nine to fourty-two months (mean: 18 months) after the masks were fitted. A questionnaire was used to evaluate subjective complaints, use of the CPAP mask, technical problems, partner's acceptance of the mask etc. 46 patients wore the mask on an average of 6.2 nights per week and 6.5 hours per night. These self-reported data from the questionnaire correlated only in 85 per cent of the cases with the data provided by the time clock installed in the CPAP machine. The long-term compliance with nCPAP of the studied group was 92 per cent. Four patients returned their masks within two months. It was possible to provide sufficient respiration to more than 90% of the patients using an average pressure between 7 and 8 cm water column. Respiration presented no problems for all six patients who had previously been treated with uvulopalatopharyngoplasty in our hospital. Despite the mask 41 patients slept with their partner in a common room.


Characterizing the ecological processes driving the assembly and functional composition of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal communities is an area of active research. Here, we applied a trait‐based framework to address whether and how environmental filtering and niche differentiation influence the diversity of ECM fungal enzymatic activities in two oak‐dominated forest ecosystems. We hypothesized that fungal enzymatic activities and ECM community assembly are influenced by the availability of targeted resources in the surrounding soil. We pinpointed a major influence of environmental filtering on ECM fungal taxonomic and functional composition. Contrasted taxonomic composition among forest ecosystems was linked to broad interspecific trait variation and entailed contrasted functional responses at community level. However, intraspecific trait variation contributed to community response within ecosystems. We characterized a strong relationship between enzymatic activities and targeted resource availability in surrounding soil, suggesting a functional role of the enzymes for the acquisition of these resources. Conversely, we did not find a significant influence of niche differentiation in ECM community assembly. Synthesis. Heterogeneous distribution of soil resources drives a community‐level functional response and determines the functional and taxonomic mosaic of ECM communities in forest ecosystems.


We have developed an ultra-fast photon-counting energy-resolved application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for spectral computed tomography (CT). A comprehensive characterization has been carried out to investigate the performance of the ASIC in terms of energy resolution under different photon flux rates and the count rate linearity in photon-counting mode. An energy resolution of 4.7 % has been achieved for 59.5 keV low flux photons. The count rate performance of the ASIC was measured with 120 kVp polychromatic x-rays. The results indicate that the count rate linearity can be kept for a flux rate up to 150 Mphotons s-1 mm-2 with retained energy information, and this value is increased to be 250 Mphotons s-1 mm-2 in photon-counting mode.


This new edition of Ann Bowling's well-known and highly respected text has been thoroughly revised and updated to reflect key methodological developments in health research. It is a comprehensive, easy to read, guide to the range of methods used to study and evaluate health and health services. It describes the concepts and methods used by the main disciplines involved in health research, including: demography, epidemiology, health economics, psychology and sociology.The research methods described cover the assessment of health needs, morbidity and mortality trends and rates, costing health services, sampling for survey research, cross-sectional and longitudinal survey design, experimental methods and techniques of group assignment, questionnaire design, interviewing techniques, coding and analysis of quantitative data, methods and analysis of qualitative observational studies, and types of unstructured interviewing. With new material on topics such as cluster randomization, utility analyses, patients' preferences, and perception of risk, the text is aimed at students and researchers of health and health services. It has also been designed for health professionals and policy makers who have responsibility for applying research findings in practice, and who need to know how to judge the value of that research


Background Several studies have evaluated the impact of preoperative depression on outcomes following total joint arthroplasty (TJA), however few have studied new-onset depression or anxiety after TJA. We aimed to identify the incidence of and risk factors for new-onset depression/anxiety after TJA, specifically focusing on the role of chronic opioid use. Methods Patients who underwent total hip (THA) or total knee (TKA) arthroplasty from 2012 to 2015 were identified from the Truven MarketScan database. The main outcomes were new-onset depression or anxiety. The main risk factor of interest was chronic opioid use as a proxy for chronic pain; this was classified into three groups: isolated preoperative use, isolated postoperative use, and preoperative use that continued postoperatively. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to obtain ORs and 95% CIs. Results Overall, 106 260 TJA procedures were included (34.3% THA/65.7% TKA); new-onset depression and anxiety were observed in 3.6% and 4.8% of patients, respectively. Preoperative chronic opioid use (6.3%; OR 1.88, 95% CI 1.47 to 2.40), isolated postoperative use (10%; OR 2.61, 95% CI 2.08 to 3.28), and continued postoperative use (7.8%; OR 2.08, 95% CI 1.74 to 2.49) were all associated with significantly increased odds of new-onset depression. Additional risk factors included female gender, younger age, comorbid psychological conditions, and hospital readmission within 6 months of surgery. Similar patterns were seen for new-onset anxiety. Discussion Given the observed relationship between chronic opioid use and adverse psychological outcomes following TJA, the relationship between these two entities requires further evaluation, specifically to identify if there is a causal relationship.


Plane strain elastic-plastic analyses were performed on a variety of 2-D planar cracked geometries and loading conditions, based on a small strain formulation and deformation theory plasticity (termed finite boundary (FB)analysis hereafter). For the majority of the cases analyzed, the crack tip fields in the mechanistically significant region around the crack tip agreed well with those of the corresponding modified boundary layer (MBL) solutions for load levels up to large scale yielding. The crack-tip fields in the MBL solutions were normalized using the elastic-plastic J values and the elastically-scaled T-stress values of the corresponding FB specimens. However, good agreement could be obtained with (J, T) only up to moderate scale yielding for a center-cracked tension (CCT) geometry. At large scale yielding, the MBL solution based on the elastically-scaled T-stress could not capture the effects of crack tip stress and strain redistribution in the CCT. An alternative method was proposed to calculate the T-stress using weight functions and the elastic-plastic remote stress field of the CCT (termed effective T-stress). Incorporating the effective T-stress into the MBL solutions, good agreement in both stress and strain fields was obtained between the MBL solution and the FB CCT solution at load levels up to general yielding. To demonstrate the limits of two-parameter characterizations in accurately describing elastic-plastic crack-tip fields, a three-point-bend specimen was analyzed for load levels up to large plasticity. It is shown that although Q-values could be operationally defined at large plasticity, in general, no complete, consistent, two-parameter description was forthcoming to accurately describe the crack-tip stress and strain fields beyond certain limits. The inherent limits of two-parameter characterization of elastic-plastic crack tip fields should be recognized, analogous to those of one-parameter (J) characterization. A locus of two-parameter (J, T) characterization limits is proposed based on the crack-tip stress fields of the geometry and loading configurations analyzed. The J-T based two-parameter approach is shown to greatly extend the validity domain of fracture mechanics analysis for specimens with negative T-stress.


Consumer health technologies have an enormous potential to transform the self-management of chronic conditions. However, it is unclear how individuals use self-tracking technologies to manage them. This in-depth interview study explores self-tracking practices in multiple sclerosis (MS), a complex neurological disease that causes physical, cognitive, and psychological symptoms. Our findings illustrate that when faced the unpredictable and degenerative nature of MS, individuals regained a sense of control by intertwining self-care practices with different self-tracking technologies. They engaged in disease monitoring, fitness tracking, and life journaling to quantify the body and care for the mind. We focus attention on the role of emotional wellbeing and the experience of control in self-tracking and managing MS. Finally, we discuss in which ways self-tracking technologies could support the experiential nature of control and foster mindful experiences rather than focusing only on tracking primary disease indicators.


The regional technological innovation capability is an important standard to weigh the development of regional economies, and it also plays a crucial role in the growth and competition of the regional economies. As there is really quite a difference in the capacities of regional technical innovation, this paper first makes a principal component analysis (PCA) on the indexes of capacities of regional technical innovation by adopting MARLAB. Then, it clusters them based on extracted principal component scores and the results were analyzed. Through the discussion on clustering results, it could help us to improve the knowledge of regional economic unbalance and capacity of regional technical innovation


This review reflects both the variable presentation and the systemic nature of preeclampsia. Recommendations for the comprehensive evaluation and management of organ dysfunction associated with pre-eclampsia are included. The main points in the review are that: (1) Preeclampsia is a systemic disorder that may affect many organ systems. (2) For preeclampsia remote from term (<34 weeks), expectant management improves perinatal outcomes, but requires obsessive surveillance to mitigate maternal risks and is a "package." (3) Initial assessment and ongoing surveillance of women with preeclampsia should include assessment of all vulnerable maternal organs as well as of the fetus. (4) Initiate antihypertensive drug treatment immediately if sBP >160 mmHg or dBP more than 110 mmHg, or if sBP 140-159 mmHg and/or dBP 85-109 mmHg (prepregnancy renal disease or diabetes). (5) The treatment of nonsevere pregnancy hypertension should include a treatment goal of dBP 80-105 mmHg (depending on practitioner preference), with one of the following agents, Methyldopa, Labetalol, Nifedipine, or, with special indications (renal or cardiac diseases), diuretics. (6) Drugs to avoid: angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors; angiotensin II receptor antagonists; and atenolol. (7) For the acute management of severe hypertension, initially reduce dBP by 10 mmHg and maintain the blood pressure at or below that level with either Nifedipine or Labetalol. (8) For both prophylaxis against and treatment of eclampsia, MgSO4 (4 g IV stat, then 1 g/hr). (9) For recurrent seizures, MgSO4 (2g IV stat, then increase to 1.5 g/hr). (10) Total fluid intake should not exceed 80 ml/hr; tolerate urine outputs as low as 10 ml/hr. (11) Early-onset and/or severe preeclampsia predict later cardiovascular morbidity and mortality; it would seem prudent to offer such women screening and lipid lowering interventions.


Aims: This study aims to explore the associations between final compulsory school grades and gambling and their relation to substance use and perceived mental health among people aged 18–29 in Finland (N = 831). Methods: Cross-sectional random sample data, weighted on the basis of age, gender and region of residence, were collected in 2015. The data were analysed using logistic regression models adjusted for sociodemographic variables, risky alcohol use, daily smoking, and perceived mental health. Results: Weekly gambling and at-risk and problem gambling (ARPG) were more common among men. Weekly gambling was linked to smoking and risky alcohol use among men and smoking among women. Additionally, ARPG was linked to risky alcohol use among men. ARPG was associated with moderate/poor mental health among men and women, but this was not the case with weekly gambling. Among men, low and average final school grades at age 16 were associated with weekly gambling later in life, even when adjusting for other variables. Among women, low and average final school grades were not associated with weekly gambling when adjusting for substance use. Lower final school grades were associated with ARPG among women but not among men when all potential confounders were adjusted for. Conclusions: Adolescents with lower final school grades are more likely to gamble weekly later in life. Lower final school grades are also linked with ARPG among women. It is important therefore for schools to have clear policies on gambling and to implement early prevention programmes.


Entrepreneurship education was introduced in all technical institutions m 1990 after recommendation by various government policy documents. According to Sifuna (1981), industrial education was to focus on better housing, clothing, mechanical tools and village industries such as weaving leather work, pottery and mat making. Also Wanjala (1991) called for adoption of an education relevant to the needs of communities and to preserve the best of African tradition and prepare students for the world of work. Entrepreneurship education was therefore introduced as a strategy for self reliance and rapid economic growth. This study sought to investigate how entrepreneurship education had impacted on the performance of graduates of technical institutions in Thika district. The study target population consisted of all graduates who successfully went through entrepreneurship education alongside their vocational trade and completed school between 1993 and 2000. Purposive and snow balling methods were used to select a sample of 150 respondents. Data was collected by use of a questionnaire and analyzed by use of descriptive statistics such as frequency tables, percentages, means and standard deviation. According to the study entrepreneurship training offered at technical institutions had a positive impact on the lives of the graduates. The training is also adequate despite the failure to effectively capture networking, coping with change and competitive competencies. From this study it can be concluded that graduates of technical institutions have a positive perception towards entrepreneurship education and self-employment. The study also concluded that training is not an adequate factor that affects performance of graduates, other interventions such as access to technology, markets and capital needs to be addressed. Majority of graduates still take formal employment as their preferred option. The study recommends that training should be complemented with other factors such as access to capital, access to technology, technological information, and general enabling environment.


The G-protein-dependent intracellular signal cascades of excitation in longitudinal and circular intestinal smooth muscles (SM) are compared and summarized in the present review. The key mechanism of excitation in longitudinal SM is an activation of electro-mechanical coupling, in that G-proteins, phospholipase A2, arachidonic acid, membrane-bound cyclic adenosine diphosphoribose and Ca2+ are involved. We observed the role of arachidonic acid-activated chorine and voltage-dependent Ca2+ -channels (L-type) in Ca2+ mobilization in these muscle cells. In contrast to longitudinal, the main mechanism of agonist-induced excitation in circular SM is connected with activation of key methabotropical processes. The role of Rho-kinase in mechanisms of Ca2+ --sensitization of contractile apparatus in SM is also shown in this review. A comparative analysis of involvement of different links of signal cascades in initial and sustained phases of contraction in longitudinal and circular SM are also reviewed.


Melphalan is a cytotoxic chemotherapy used to treat patients with multiple myeloma (MM). Bone resorption by osteoclasts, by remodeling the bone surface, can reactivate dormant MM cells held in the endosteal niche to promote tumor development. Dormant MM cells can be reactivated after melphalan treatment; however, it is unclear whether melphalan treatment increases osteoclast formation to modify the endosteal niche. Melphalan treatment of mice for 14 days decreased bone volume and the endosteal bone surface, and this was associated with increases in osteoclast numbers. Bone marrow cells (BMC) from melphalan-treated mice formed more osteoclasts than BMCs from vehicle-treated mice, suggesting that osteoclast progenitors were increased. Melphalan also increased osteoclast formation in BMCs and RAW264.7 cells in vitro, which was prevented with the cell stress response (CSR) inhibitor KNK437. Melphalan also increased expression of the osteoclast regulator the microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), but not nuclear factor of activated T cells 1 (NFATc1). Melphalan increased expression of MITF-dependent cell fusion factors, dendritic cell-specific transmembrane protein (Dc-stamp) and osteoclast-stimulatory transmembrane protein (Oc-stamp) and increased cell fusion. Expression of osteoclast stimulator receptor activator of NFκB ligand (RANKL) was unaffected by melphalan treatment. These data suggest that melphalan stimulates osteoclast formation by increasing osteoclast progenitor recruitment and differentiation in a CSR-dependent manner. Melphalan-induced osteoclast formation is associated with bone loss and reduced endosteal bone surface. As well as affecting bone structure this may contribute to dormant tumor cell activation, which has implications for how melphalan is used to treat patients with MM.


Major urban institutions may no longer pursue strictly internal strategies by expanding their campuses and shrinking the neighborhoods around them. Further, even without expansion needs, urban institutions cannot view adjacent neighborhood areas as beyond their concern, subject only to natural market forces and/or the leadership of local governments. Instead, they must form multiple strong partnerships with neighborhood leadership groups using the same neighborhood "boundaries" set by the city, and set long term visions that serve both partners and approach local government together to achieve those goals. Institutions must also be prepared to coinvest in the resulting projects.


The generation of a potent humoral immune response by B cells relies on the integration of signals induced by the B cell receptor, toll-like receptors and both negative and positive co-receptors. Several reports also suggest that integrin signaling plays an important role in this process. How integrin signaling is regulated in B cells is however still partially understood. Integrin activity and function are controlled by several mechanisms including regulation by molecular adaptors of the paxillin family. In B cells, Leupaxin (Lpxn) is the most expressed member of the family and in vitro studies suggest that it could dampen BCR signaling. Here, we report that Lpxn expression is increased in germinal center B cells compared to naïve B cells. Moreover, Lpxn deficiency leads to decreased B cell differentiation into plasma cells in vitro. However, Lpxn seems dispensable for the generation of a potent B cell immune response in vivo. Altogether our results suggest that Lpxn is dispensable for T-dependent and T-independent B cell immune responses.


the human stage english theatre design 1567 1640 is available in our digital library an online access to it is set as public so you can get it instantly. Our book servers hosts in multiple locations, allowing you to get the most less latency time to download any of our books like this one. Kindly say, the the human stage english theatre design 1567 1640 is universally compatible with any devices to read.


This paper considers the role of art in ocean conservation. Drawing on the presentations and work of two artists featured in the One Ocean Hub Art and Emotions webinar hosted during the UN World Ocean Week, the paper focuses specifically on the sensorial nature of art and of human beings and the role that art can play in advancing ocean conservation. The main argument offered is that ocean conservation plans and policies should consider the importance of humans to ocean conservation, the importance of human artistic endeavour to ocean activism and finally the importance of the sensory to human experience. Acknowledging and recognising the importance of human sensory experience in relation to the sea, can nuance existing discourses of ocean use and benefits, revealing human priorities and potential obstacles to conservation. Third, by leveraging human sensory expression through art, ocean conservation advocates may be able to refine and produce more effective communication for ocean conservation. Finally, recognising the sensory (and the artistic) is key to reorienting humanity as it enters a post-anthropocentric age, marked by dramatic ecological change.


This research examines how social networking fosters the mobility of young people in a rural Spain. Generally, rural areas have been overlooked in the discourse on Globalization and Network Society, which is the foundation of the concept of "linked city". Although many scholars have highlighted the direct link between the increase in the modes of communication of people and the increase of any kind of interaction, face-to-face included, it is necessary to stress that most of these studies are conducted in urban context where a certain grade of efficient transport exists. This study provides an approach to the impact of mediated communication on the lives of people in villages. Based on the concept of Digital Natives this study addresses the Social Network use of young people in a determined rural area in Spain and its correlation with the aim of mobility of the respondents. The results bring to light a certain degree of correlation between the increase of interaction via the Internet and the wish of mobility. Besides, this study uncovers a transportation shortage among locations in this rural area that forces young people to reduce the face-to-face interactions around specific nodes (e.g. High School or a near big city). Finally this study stresses the need for improvement of the transportation networks in terms of cost, flexibility, functionality and reach among rural population in order to avoid a cultural, economic and social backwardness in comparison to urban environments.


This paper describes our experience with profiling and optimizing physical locality for the distributed shared cache (DSC) in Tilera's Tile multicore processor. Our approach uses the Tile Processor's hardware performance measurement counters (PMCs) to acquire page-level access pattern profiles. A key problem we address is imprecise PMC interrupts. Our profiling tools use binary analysis to correct for interrupt "skid," thus pinpointing individual memory operations that incur remote DSC slice references and permitting us to sample their access patterns. We use our access pattern profiles to drive page homing optimizations for both heap and static data objects. Our experiments show we can improve physical locality for 5 out of 11 SPLASH2 benchmarks running on 32 cores, enabling 32.9%–77.9% of DSC references to target the local DSC slice. To our knowledge, this is the first work to demonstrate page homing optimizations on a real system.


The optimum use of existing water resources as well as the efforts to achieve new water resources have been considered as two major solutions to the relative resolution of water scarcity. Through utilization of the information and meteorological data, it is possible to identify areas with potentials for water harvesting from air humidity. It also allows for collecting and converting them into fresh water using simple physical laws. Due to lack of atmospheric precipitations or inappropriate distribution of precipitations in Chabahar, located in the south of Sistan and Baluchistan province, Iran, water is a limiting factor for agricultural activities and even for the entire life. In this study, water was harvested from air humidity using a screen collector with dimensions of 1×1 m. The magnitude of water harvesting was monitored daily for a period of 365 days. The results revealed that approximately 20% of the water available in the air could be extracted in this area. Then, monthly meteorological data from Chabahar synoptic station between 1990 and 2011 was used to predict the harvestable water for the upcoming year using an artificial neural network. After determining the effective input variables in predicting the amount of harvestable water, the modeling was performed using Multi-Layer Perceptron Network (MLP) and General Feed Forward Network. The results indicated that the MLP network had a higher ability to predict the amount of harvestable water when compared to the GFF network (at the R2 test stage it was 0.86 versus 0.44). The most suitable structure to predict harvestable water from the fog in Chabahar was the MLP Artificial Neural Network with the array of 12-1-25 and the Hyperbolic Tangent Stimulus Function with the Lewenburg Marquette Training Law. Also, the values of the RMSE and MAE error rates were 2.19 and 1.81, respectively. Therefore, it is possible to predict the amount of harvestable water in the next 12 months which can be used in water resources management and productivity.


ABSTRACT Non-human primate (NHP) studies are often an essential component of antibody development efforts before human trials. Because the efficacy or toxicity of candidate antibodies may depend on their interactions with Fcγ receptors (FcγR) and their resulting ability to induce FcγR-mediated effector functions such as antibody-dependent cell-meditated cytotoxicity and phagocytosis (ADCP), the evaluation of human IgG variants with modulated affinity toward human FcγR is becoming more prevalent in both infectious disease and oncology studies in NHP. Reliable translation of these results necessitates analysis of the cross-reactivity of these human Fc variants with NHP FcγR. We report evaluation of the binding affinities of a panel of human IgG subclasses, Fc amino acid point mutants and Fc glycosylation variants against the common allotypes of human and rhesus macaque FcγR by applying a high-throughput array-based surface plasmon resonance platform. The resulting data indicate that amino acid variation present in rhesus FcγRs can result in disrupted, matched, or even increased affinity of IgG Fc variants compared with human FcγR orthologs. These observations emphasize the importance of evaluating species cross-reactivity and developing an understanding of the potential limitations or suitability of representative in vitro and in vivo models before human clinical studies when either efficacy or toxicity may be associated with FcγR engagement.


Dental calculus has great potential in the research of oral microbiome in past populations. Alongside the advantages of novel molecular approaches applied on ancient human dental calculus, we encounter the drawbacks as well. One of the main issues is contamination. There is a possibility of detection of microbial contamination by scanning electron microscopy prior to subsequent expensive molecular analysis. Although decontamination is always part of the workflow, the metagenomic analysis points out the residual microbial contamination. This study presents the means of detecting contamination and precautions to be taken for the best prevention of it.


Ruminal, coagulase-negative, urease and bacteriocin-like substances producing staphylococci were screened for their heavy metal ions and antibiotics resistance. All strains tested were resistant to disodium arsenate at a minimal inhibition concentration (MIC > 5 g/l) and cadmium sulphate (MIC > 4 g/l). MIC = 50-60 mg/l was determined in eight staphylococci screened in mercury chloride resistance test (Tab. I). Silver nitrate resistance was detected in seven of the bacteria used (MIC = 40-50 mg/l). All strains were novobiocin resistant. Staphylococcus cohnii subsp. urealyticum SCU 40 was found as a strain with resistance to all heavy metal ions and 5 antibiotics (Tab. II). In addition, this strain produced bacteriocin-like substance which inhibited growth of six indicators of different origin (Tab. II). The most of staphylococci were detected as heavy metal ion polyresistant strains and antibiotic polyresistant strains producing antimicrobial substances with inhibition effects against at least one indicator of different origin. These results represent the first information on heavy metal ion resistance in ruminal bacteria. They also show relation or coresistance between heavy metal ions and antibiotics. Resulting from this study, staphylococci can be used as a bioindicator model for animal environmental studies. In addition, it can be used for specific interactions studies within the framework of ruminal bacterial ecosystem and also mainly with regard to molecular genetic studies.


The prostate is an accessory gland of the mammal reproductive system with great volume and high functional importance. Many works infer that, in addition to the androgenic ones, the estrogen can be associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostatic cancer, but no conclusive evidence exists on the role of estrogen in normal prostatic and neoplastic tissue. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of chronic administration of estradiol benzoate on the lateral prostate of guinea pigs in the pre-pubescent, pubescent, post-pubescent and adult phases, with emphasis on the modifications provoked by this hormone on the glandular epithelium. The analyses of the estradiol-treated and control groups were investigated using histological procedures and transmission electron microscopy. The histopathological analysis of the lateral prostate in the treated group revealed areas where epithelial dysplasia was observed, assuming at some places a pattern of epithelial stratification characteristic of prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia. After ultrastructural analysis, the following were observed: enlargement of the internal membranes, heterogeneity in the cellular types, hypertrophy of the basal cells and apparent decrease of cytoplasmic organelles in some cells of the prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia. Still, a loss of cellular polarity was observed, along with nuclei of various forms, sizes and heights--as well as irregular chromatin distribution patterns. Such alterations were found mainly in pubescent, post-pubescent and adult animals subject to the chronic administration of estradiol. These findings reinforce the already existent data in understanding the role of estrogen in the etiology of prostatic diseases.


A combined inversion of body wave receiver functions and Rayleigh wave phase velocities using a niching genetic algorithm (NGA) increases the unique- ness of the solution over separate inversions and also facilitates explicit parameteri- zation of layer thickness in the model space. This parameterization requires fewer layers and a priori constraints for modeling more complex structures than traditional linearized inversion. NGAs solve for a suite of locally optimal solutions in addition to isolating the globally optimal solution by using an evolutionary paradigm. This nonlinear examination of the error space provides an opportunity to examine trade- off within the model space. The method, when applied to synthetic data, locates interfaces within 2 km of the test structure and identifies appropriate structure and velocity. Applying this method to data from a deployment of five broadband stations in Chilean Patagonia yields a regional model of crustal structure that is consistent with the geological history of the region. Sediment thickness is inversely proportional to crustal thickness, with sediment thicknesses reaching more than 4 km, where the crustal thickness thins to 28 km. This is consistent with previous geological studies, which suggests that the Rocas Verdes basin in western Patagonia formed by crustal thinning, isostatic compensation, and subsequent sedimentation.


Fault gouge along the Badwater Turtleback fault system displays abundant evidence for mesoscopic ductility, as foliation, isolated and/or rotated inclusions, and isoclinal folds. Fault-gouge thicknesses also vary dramatically. At the outcrop scale, gouge thicknesses can range from 0 to >1 m, and at the 100 m scale, they can range from 0 to >5 m. Because these variations are closely associated with other ductility-related features, they probably also formed because of ductile flow. Ductile flow appears to locally strengthen the fault zone by severe attenuation of the gouge and by transport of inclusions. Where gouge pinches out to zero thickness, hanging-wall rock rests directly on footwall rock, a condition that produces an overall stronger fault zone as well as stick-slip behavior in laboratory tests. Transport of inclusions within the gouge zone may create local inclusion "jams" which may also have a strengthening effect. The presence of these stronger portions of the fault zone may give indirect evidence for ancient seismicity on the fault.


CONTEXT
As part of a College of American Pathologists (CAP) proficiency testing survey, a comparison is made between human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) results from an actual patient pool and a similarly targeted artificial sample. The goal is to gain insight into the possible source(s) of bias attributable to the proficiency testing material (PTM) with a view toward creating more appropriate survey materials.

OBJECTIVE
To compare hCG and related variants in a pool of fresh frozen sera (FFS) with that found in PTM.

DESIGN
The 2003 CAP K/KN-A Survey included a FFS specimen along with admixtures of PTM. The FFS (K-02) and 1 PTM admixture (K-01) had similar mean hCG values. Five hCG-related analytes were measured on these 2 samples by a reference laboratory.

PARTICIPANTS
Approximately 1800 clinical laboratories and diagnostic test kit manufacturers participated in the K/ KN-A Survey.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Method imprecision (coefficient of variation) and method bias (relative difference between peer group mean and all-method median) were computed for the 2 samples. Differences were evaluated with respect to hCG-related analytes levels.

RESULTS
All-method hCG results were 12.9 mIU/mL (12.9 IU/L) for the PTM material and 21.6 mIU/mL (21.6 IU/L) for the FFS material. Method biases for 14 manufacturers were greater for PTM than for FFS (-40% to +35% and -16% to +23%). Twelve of 14 methods had higher coefficients of variation on PTM. Total hCG and free beta hCG measurements by the reference laboratory were 14.1 mIU/ mL (14.1 IU/L) for the PTM material and 18.5 mIU/mL (18.5 U/L) for the FFS material (FFS), and 2.4 (PTM) and 0.7 (FFS) mIU/mL (2.4 and 0.7 IU/L), respectively. On a molar basis, free beta represented 17% and 4% of the total hCG, respectively. Levels of hyperglycosylated hCG, nicked hCG, and beta core fragment were not measurable in either sample.

CONCLUSIONS
It is unlikely that the hCG added to the PTM is the source of the increased bias and variability. The main difference is a 3-fold increase in free beta found in the PTM, but methods previously found to strongly react with free beta were not systematically elevated. The biases between manufacturers found for the FFS specimen are likely attributable to calibration differences.


ally. Qui tarn litigation, which features individuals bringing lawsuits on behalf of the government, is a powerful tool for the government in its fight against many types of fraud. The False Claims Act, the federal government's most potent qui tarn mechanism, however, expressly ex cludes tax fraud from its scope. Recognizing this gap in coverage, the Internal Revenue Service has instituted a whistleblower program that pays individuals for bringing information on tax fraud to the attention of the Service. A small number of states, on the other hand, allow qui tam suits alleging violations of their tax laws. This Note reviews the federal False Claims Act and compares it to three different models for involving individuals in the prosecution of tax fraud: the 1RS whistleblower program, state false claims acts implicitly authorizing qui tam for tax, and the New York False Claims Act, the first statute to expressly authorize qui tam actions alleging tax fraud. This Note then argues that qui tam lawsuits no more threaten the pri vacy of taxpayers and the consistent and accurate application of the tax laws than do whistleblower programs, and points out that certain state practices have proven to alleviate potential risks associated with qui tam litigation in the realm of tax fraud. After reviewing the substantial advantages qui tam litigation


Finance is considered as life-blood and also coined as an economic activity of any company or organisation. Many companies in today's fast growing world and rapidly changing economy mostly prosper due to their financial viability and health. The reasons behind these issues are effective financial management practices. The factors influencing may be both external and internal, macro and micro as well. Therefore, there is a need to undertake research and understand the various issues in the fields of managerial finance. This book, therefore deals with some of the very important areas of finance that have great significance in today's world. The various areas explored in this book are Financial Performance & Analysis, Foreign Direct Investment, Microfinance, Corporate Governance and Inflation. Further, this book will be useful to the students and researchers in their research work and preparation of project reports.


This paper presents a teenage patient followed at Motol University Hospital. She has irreversible damage to the lung parenchyma due to primary ciliary dyskinesia. At the molecular level, there is a defect of the outer dynein arms, given by DNAH5 gene mutation. Repeated viral and bacterial infections of the respiratory tract led to progressive worsening of respiratory functions. In 2018, two severe exacerbations occurred, accompanied by an episode of allergic rash caused by antibiotics. The airways went colonized by the fungus Exophiala dermatitidis, which is known chiefly as a pathogen of the skin and brain in immunocompromised persons. In cystic fibrosis, colonization of the airways is quite usual, but in PCD, it is unique. Although the clinical condition has improved, colonization of the lower respiratory tract persists despite complex treatment, which is limited by inborn prolongation of the QT interval.


nor functional cardiac anomalies were taken into account for this purpose. Results: A total of 57 (3.8%) cases of sCHD were found in the entire population, the incidence of sCHD was 3.25% in DC, 4.35% in MC and in TTTS cases was about 8%. 34 (59.6%) of cases underwent selective feticide because of either associated anomalies or severity of CHD. 7 (12.3%) died spontaneously in-utero and 16 were followed until birth, 75% of which was preterm (mean gestational age 29 +/− 2 weeks). 4 (25%) of cases were severe pulmonary stenosis (all of them in previous TTTS cases), two of which underwent pulmonary valvuloplasty at 4th and 7th day of life. 4 (25%) presented anomalous vein drainage systemic (3) and pulmonary (1). 3 (18.7%) fulfilled criteria for Fallot tetralogy. 3 (18.7%) had aortic coarctation. 2 (12.5%) presented cono-truncal anomalies (TGA and truncus). Neonatal intensive care stay was very long (mean of 74 +/− 23 days) because of prematurity and surgical interventions. Conclusions: sCHD have a higher incidence among twins, in TTTS the incidence of pulmonary stenosis is even higher than in other twins. Cardiac thorough screening is mandatory in all TP, particularly in MC.


An original mathematical instrument matching two different operational procedures aimed to change orientation and velocity of a spacecraft is suggested and described in detail. The tool ' s basements, quaternion algebra with its square-root (pregeometric) image, and fractal surface are represented in a parenthetical but in a sufficient format, indicating their principle properties providing solution to the operational task. A sup- plementary notion of vector-quaternion version of relativity theory is introduced since the spacecraft-observer mechanical system appears congenitally relativistic. The new tool is shown to have a simple pregeometric image of a fractal pyramid whose tilt and distortion evoke needed changes in the spacecraft ' s motion parameters, and the respec- tive math procedures proved to be simplified compared with the traditionally used math methods.


Information Physics Multiparameter models, which can emerge in biology and other disciplines, are often sensitive to only a small number of parameters and robust to changes in the rest; approaches from information theory can be used to distinguish between the two parameter groups. In physics, on the other hand, one does not need to know the details at smaller length and time scales in order to understand the behavior on large scales. This hierarchy has been recognized for a long time and formalized within the renormalization group (RG) approach. Machta et al. (p. 604) explored the connection between two scales by using an information-theoretical approach based on the Fisher Information Matrix to analyze two commonly used physics models—diffusion in one dimension and the Ising model of magnetism—as the time and length scales, respectively, were progressively coarsened. The expected "stiff" parameters emerged, in agreement with RG intuition. An information-theoretical approach is used to distinguish the important parameters in two archetypical physics models. The microscopically complicated real world exhibits behavior that often yields to simple yet quantitatively accurate descriptions. Predictions are possible despite large uncertainties in microscopic parameters, both in physics and in multiparameter models in other areas of science. We connect the two by analyzing parameter sensitivities in a prototypical continuum theory (diffusion) and at a self-similar critical point (the Ising model). We trace the emergence of an effective theory for long-scale observables to a compression of the parameter space quantified by the eigenvalues of the Fisher Information Matrix. A similar compression appears ubiquitously in models taken from diverse areas of science, suggesting that the parameter space structure underlying effective continuum and universal theories in physics also permits predictive modeling more generally.


Angelman syndrome (AS) is a severe neurodevelopmental disorder caused by the loss of function from the maternal allele of UBE3A, a gene encoding an E3 ubiquitin ligase. UBE3A is only expressed from the maternally-inherited allele in mature human neurons due to tissue-specific genomic imprinting. Imprinted expression of UBE3A is restricted to neurons by expression of UBE3A antisense transcript (UBE3A-ATS) from the paternally-inherited allele, which silences the paternal allele of UBE3A in cis. However, the mechanism restricting UBE3A-ATS expression and UBE3A imprinting to neurons is not understood. We used CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing to functionally define a bipartite boundary element critical for neuron-specific expression of UBE3A-ATS in humans. Removal of this element led to upregulation of UBE3A-ATS without repressing paternal UBE3A. However, increasing expression of UBE3A-ATS in the absence of the boundary element resulted in full repression of paternal UBE3A, demonstrating that UBE3A imprinting requires both the loss of function from the boundary element as well as upregulation of UBE3A-ATS. These results suggest that manipulation of the competition between UBE3A-ATS and UBE3A may provide a potential therapeutic approach for AS. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Angelman syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by loss of function from the maternal allele of UBE3A, an imprinted gene. The paternal allele of UBE3A is silenced by a long, non-coding antisense transcript in mature neurons. We have identified a boundary element that stops the transcription of the antisense transcript in human pluripotent stem cells, and thus restricts UBE3A imprinted expression to neurons. We further determined that UBE3A imprinting requires both the loss of the boundary function and sufficient expression of the antisense transcript to silence paternal UBE3A. These findings provide essential details about the mechanisms of UBE3A imprinting that may suggest additional therapeutic approaches for Angelman syndrome.


The contextualist contract interpretation approach – under which courts consider all the relevant circumstances beyond the written contract – is a major method applied by courts in contract law disputes. Although the theoretical debate over the desirability of this approach is rich, there are only a few empirical studies aiming to assess the contract parties' opinion about this approach. Focusing on the interpretation of unenforceable contract terms, this Article empirically investigates the interpretation preferences of sophisticated parties to commercial contracts. By examining 500 commercial contracts that have been recently disclosed to the Securities and Exchange Commission, this Article finds that a majority (71%) of contracts include a "severability clause," which typically triggers an anti-contextualist rule of contract interpretation. Under this rule, if the contract includes any type of unenforceable term, courts should normally enforce the remainder of the contract. Such rule, in essence, opts-out from the default contextualist method of interpretation typically applied by courts. Under this default method, courts consider all the relevant circumstances surrounding the contract in order to ascertain the intention of the parties regarding the outcome of the specific unenforceable term. This outcome can be either the enforcement of the remainder of the contract or the nullification of the entire agreement, depending on the intention of the parties, as determined via a contextualist interpretation method. This Article however indicates for the first time that contract parties normally object to such contextual default regime by adopting a severability clause. The results of this study also indicate that the severability clauses adopted by contract parties are not a mere standardized boilerplate that varies marginally, if at all, among different contracts. These clauses vary significantly both in form and substance. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.


Two-thirds of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients, who survive to hospital admission, die in the hospital from neurological injuries related to cerebral hypoperfusion. Hyperspectral near infrared spectroscopy (hNIRS) is a non-invasive technique that measures the major chromophores in the brain, such as oxygenated hemoglobin, deoxygenated hemoglobin and cytochrome C oxidase (CCO), an intracellular marker of oxygen consumption. We have demonstrated that hNIRS can detect changes in cerebral oxygenation and metabolism in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve insertion (TAVI) – a procedure that temporarily induces sudden hypotension and hypoperfusion that mimics cardiac arrest. Using multi-distance hNIRS, we found that while measured regional oxygen saturation (rSO2) changes resulted mainly from the extra-cerebral tissues, CCO changes during cardiac arrests occurred mainly in the brains of patients. We also applied the hNIRS algorithm based on the "2-layer model" to the data to measure cerebral oxygen saturation and CCO in patients during the procedure. We found that changes in all the parameters scale with the thickness of the extra-cerebral layer. Finally, the results of the comparison of breath holding measurement by using multispectral NIRS algorithm with the selected wavelength combinations from a previous study on animal suggests that changes in CCO could be measured, however wavelengths need to be further optimized for the adult patients.


Background Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) is a kind of common chronic disease.Guangdong Internet Hospital is China's first officially recognized network hospital and the government encourage development of telemedicine in the country. Increasing research evidences support the efficacy of telemedicine in management of chronic diseases. However, There are still few researches about AS management by using telemedicine. Objectives We here conducted a 6-month randomized, controlled trial to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of Guangdong Internet Hospital in AS management. Methods A total of 102 AS patients were randomly divided into two groups: standard care (ST) group or standard care with Network-Enhanced Management (ST-NEM) group. NEM enhanced disease management including cognition of the disease, medication monitoring, behavioral management and psychotherapy. Individuals were assessed by using several tools at baseline and 6 months later: Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) for the disease acticity, Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI) for the functional limitation, the Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale Zung (SDS) for the psychological status, Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) for the sleep quality, and SF-36 for the general health status. In addition, we made a satisfaction survey about the network platform in the management of the disease. Both group received the same medications during the period. There were no significant differences in baseline demographic and clinical characteristics between the two groups. Results After 6 month, 91 patients completed the trial. BASFI (1.75±0.73 vs. 2.04±0.69, P=0.026), SAS (28.12±3.22 vs. 39.56±4.61, P=0.022), SDS (26.51±6.34 vs. 32.12±6.34, P=0.031), PSQI (3.31±0.46 vs. 4.79±0.54, P=0.019) and SF-36 (SF-36M: 54.24±9.66 vs. 61.41±8.56, P=0.014; SF-36P: 63.42±11.08 vs. 68.98±10.46, P=0.032) were significantly lower in ST-NEM group than ST group after 6 months. There was no significant difference in BASDAI (2.66±0.91 vs. 2.75±0.75, P=0.068) between the two groups. Individuals assigned to the ST-NEM group reported significantly improvement in functional limitation, psychological status, sleep quality and the general health status. In addition, Guangdong Internet Hospital were widely accepted by the AS patients in disease management. Conclusions Guangdong Internet Hospital showed potential feasibility and efficacy in AS management. AS patients may receive disease management through the netwrok platform conveniently and effectively, especially those in the remote areas of the country. The results may be important for clinical practice in disease management of AS by using telemedicine. References Sinclair. 2015. Effectiveness and User Acceptance of Online Chronic Disease Management Interventions in Rural and Remote Settings: Systematic Review and Narrative Synthesis. Clinical Medicine Insights: Therapeutics: 43. Tu J, Wang C, Wu S. 2015. The internet hospital: an emerging innovation in China. The Lancet Global Health 3: e445-e6. Disclosure of Interest None declared


Background/context The WHO (World Health Organisation) theatre checklist has been widely recognised in reducing clinical risk and improving patient safety in hospital theatres across the world. We are not aware of any other attempts to implement this approach in the Emergency Department setting. Description of innovation An educational framework for teaching team Leadership was developed in the simulation environment and later modified to reflect the core components of the 'WHO' safety checklist. The framework was based on the acronym SPORT. Staffing, Patient factors, Organise the team, Resuscitation/Reception plan, Treatment, Tests, Thoughts. This framework or checklist is now part of a standard operational framework for the Emergency Care pathway in Worthing as part of a project to standardise patient care through the Emergency Care pathway. Methodology 85 Doctors, nurses and paramedics were interviewed and then practiced the handover of seriously ill patients without and with the use of the leadership framework. The framework was validated to see whether it was user friendly and reproducible in the simulation environment. Results/outcomes The framework was almost unanimously acknowledged to be helpful in the preparation phase of emergency scenarios (83/85). It was also found to be reproducible without the need for a paper checklist. Anecdotal feedback from staff within the department is that team leadership is felt to be stronger with the use of the framework. Educational supervisors have found the use of a standard helpful in teaching leadership to trainees who have had leadership issues reported. Conclusions This project is an example of innovation as a consequence of simulation based medical education. The simulation environment can be used as a factory for developing, validating and stress testing frameworks or checklists prior to use in clinical operation. References Gawande A. The checklist manifesto – How to get things right. Profile Books, 2010 Scottish intercollegiate Guidelines network. SIGN 50 A guideline developers handbook: www.sign.ac.uk/pdf/sign50.pdf, October 2014


Introduction: We examined young patients with verified virus pneumonia. The main clinical manifestations of the lung acute injury in this group of patients were: severe pulmonary edema, breathlessness and hemoptysis. Aims and objectives: The aim of study was to find out main radiologic features of VP in young patients. Methods: We analyzed 15 chest CT-scans of patients of two groups ( mean age of 31,3 + 11,4 years and 15 patients with mean age of 61,3 + 9,8 years) with verified VP. Chest CT scans were obtained on GE Optima 660, with HRCT and MDCT-angiography. Results: In all clinical cases of VP in young patients we founded out polysegmental infiltrates. 71% of young patients demonstrate bilateral lung involvement, 29% - unilateral. In 44% of young patients, we detected ARDS and pulmonary opacifications were extending more than 2/3 lung volume. In 43% of young patients, we founded out predominant "ground-glass" pattern with thickening of interlobular septal lines. Another group of young patients (57%) demonstrated prevalence of pulmonary consolidation areas with air bronchograms, with surrounding ground-glass attenuation. The main clinical sign of VP in young patient was hemoptysis. In control group of VP patients of elder age lung involvement was not so spread. 81% of elder patients we determined bilateral polysegmental areas of increase attenuation of lung parenchyma in peripheral pulmonary zones. Conclusion: In all VP cases we found out predominance of bilateral polysegmental "GG" pattern. In young patients we detected early emerging of alveolar infiltrates and high frequency of ARDS. Also young patients with VP demonstrated hemoptysis in all cases, so pulmonary embolism had to be ruled out by CTA.


This publication describes the history of minimal intervention dentistry (MID) for managing dental caries and presents evidence for various carious lesion detection devices, for preventive measures, for restorative and non-restorative therapies as well as for repairing rather than replacing defective restorations. It is a follow-up to the FDI World Dental Federation publication on MID, of 2000. The dental profession currently is faced with an enormous task of how to manage the high burden of consequences of the caries process amongst the world population. If it is to manage carious lesion development and its progression, it should move away from the 'surgical' care approach and fully embrace the MID approach. The chance for MID to be successful is thought to be increased tremendously if dental caries is not considered an infectious but instead a behavioural disease with a bacterial component. Controlling the two main carious lesion development related behaviours, i.e. intake and frequency of fermentable sugars, to not more than five times daily and removing/disturbing dental plaque from all tooth surfaces using an effective fluoridated toothpaste twice daily, are the ingredients for reducing the burden of dental caries in many communities in the world. FDI's policy of reducing the need for restorative therapy by placing an even greater emphasis on caries prevention than is currently done, is therefore, worth pursuing.


Author(s): McKillop, Gordon; Poole, Dylan | Abstract: The effectiveness of a new design of electric strained wire fence (CSL fence) for managing rabbits is currently being assessed in a two year trial. It is being compared with a commercially available electric netting fence (Flexinet fence) and also with farmers' normal control methods. The study is taking place on commercial farms in Cornwall, England, where the fences are being erected to protect fields of cauliflower. The amount of rabbit damage to individual plants in each field is being assessed and the numbers of rabbits feeding in these fields are being counted. Plant yields at harvest will also be used to determine effectiveness. Observations of rabbit behavior at the CSL fence are being conducted to identify potential design problems and to assess solutions to these problems. There was no difference between the effectiveness of the two fences during the first six months of the trial. Few plants were completely eaten by rabbits in the protected fields (CSL fence: 5±6%; Flexinet fence: 0%) but, by contrast, most were eaten at the control sites (82±17%). No more than a single rabbit was ever counted at night on the CSL- (0.7.±0.1 rabbits) or Flexinet- (0.5±0.2) protected sites but up to 20 (17.0±3.0) were counted on the control sites. The few rabbits which were observed crossing the CSL fence either jumped through or over it. The CSL fence design is proving to be extremely cost-effective and in this trial it would already have recouped its costs many times over if it had been used to protect the control fields. It will be further tested next year. The research was funded by the Horticultural Development Council.


This paper claims that an existential reading of bare nouns, used with the progressive form of a stage-level predicate, can be explained by the fact that the temporariness implicature of the progressive is incompatible with genericity. Furthermore, this paper argues that an existential reading of bare nouns employed in the there-be construction should be approached in parallel with the definiteness effect observed with respect to the construction. That is, the referentiality status of the there-be construction evokes a scalar implicature that negates scales stronger than referentiality. Thus, restricted generics are ruled out in the construction. These pragmatic accounts have an apparent advantage, since they can handle exceptions more adequately than any syntactic or semantic analyses.


Only 20 years ago, the term "osseointegration" was virtually unknown within the United States. The use of endosseous implants to replace dentition, although not unheard of in 1980, fell outside the American dental mainstream in general practice. This article reviews some of the key developments that have ensued since then. Special attention is paid to the concept of osseointegration as it applies to dental general practitioners.


The increasing complexity and dynamism of the business environment but also the compulsion of raising efficiency, which is always associated with making internal systems lean, forces the need for a comprehensive and holistic risk management system. Therefore, besides the financial perspective, we also have to look at value-added production and service processes with their resulting risks. A well functioning efficient risk management in performance economy requires a systematic methodical support in the various phases of the risk management process. A study carried out by the Department of Economics and Business Management, Montanuniversitat Leoben shows how permeated these methods and instruments are when used in industrial practice. Data collection was conducted in the years 2010 and 2011, with a written questionnaire in an online survey of 850 German and Austrian companies. In general, the focus of the survey was aimed at the prevailing understanding of risk, the importance of key risk areas and the risk management process in the performance economy. Here, above all, the permeation of the methodological support in the strategic and operational risk management process has been studied. The aim of this research was to investigate: How is the dominant risk-managementunderstanding constituted in operational practice and what are the risk areas having the greatest relevance? Which policies, laws, regulations and standards are geared to operational practice? How far has the set of different instruments and tools permeated the risk management process in operational practice? The present study shows that just in that field a systematic and consistent application of instruments and tools in the risk management process is lacking in operational practice. The methodological gaps often lead to not closing risk management process loops and to a missing connection from an operational to a strategic management level. Here it is important to use a matched set of instruments and


The theoretical and experimental studies of the car power unit functioning at unsteady modes have been conducted. The experimental studies have been conducted using the test stand for measuring engine performance. In addition, the measurements of the parameters of the power unit of the category N1 vehicle under natural conditions (the road tests in the modes of standardized driving cycles) have been made. The aim of the work is increasing the fuel efficiency of the vehicles under operating conditions. For this purpose, the transmission parameters have been optimised for the conditions of the vehicle driving in the standardized NEDC and WLTC driving cycles. The research results enable to give recommendations on improving both the design of the power unit and its operating modes in operation.


We have combined the benefits of the fully depleted tri-gate transistor architecture with high-k gate dielectrics, metal gate electrodes and strain engineering. High performance NMOS and PMOS trigate transistors are demonstrated with IDSAT=1.4 mA/mum and 1.1 mA/mum respectively (IOFF=100nA/mum, VCC =1.1V and LG=40nm) with excellent short channel effects (SCE)-DIBL and subthreshold swing, DeltaS. The contributions of strain, the lang100rang vs. lang110rang substrate orientations, high-k gate dielectrics, and low channel doping are investigated for a variety of channel dimensions and FIN profiles. We observe no evidence of early parasitic corner transistor turn-on in the current devices which can potentially degrade ION-IOFF and DeltaS


Objective Osteoarthritis (OA) is characterized by progressive matrix destruction of articular cartilage. This study aimed to investigate the potential antioxidative and chondroprotective effects and underlying mechanism of Icariin (ICA) in interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β)-induced extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation of OA cartilage. Methods Human chondrocyte cell line HC-A was treated with different doses of ICA, and then MTT assay and PI staining were used to estimate ICA-induced chondrocyte apoptosis. Intracellular ROS and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) were measured after treatment by IL-1β with or without ICA. The mRNA and protein expression levels of redox transcription factor Nrf2 and the downstream effector SOD-1, SOD-2, NQO-1 and HO-1 were assayed to explore the detailed mechanism by which ICA alleviates ECM degradation. Finally, to expound the role of Nrf2 in ICA-mediated chondroprotection, we specifically depleted Nrf2 in human chondrocytes and then pretreated them with ICA followed by IL-1β. Results ICA had no cytotoxic effects on human chondrocytes and 10−9 M was selected as the optimum concentration. ROS induced by IL-1β could drastically activate matrix-degrading proteases and ICA could significantly rescue the matrix degradation and excess ROS generation caused by IL-1β. We observed that ICA activated the Nrf2/ARE pathway, consequently upregulating the generation of GPX and SOD. Ablation of Nrf2 abrogated the chondroprotective and antioxidative effects of ICA in IL-1β-treated chondrocytes. Conclusion ICA alleviates IL-1β-induced matrix degradation and eliminates ROS by activating the Nrf2/ARE pathway.


Abstract. Drawing upon numerous field studies and modelling exercises of snow processes, the Cold Regions Hydrological Model (CRHM) was developed to simulate the four season hydrological cycle in cold regions. CRHM includes modules describing radiative, turbulent and conductive energy exchanges to snow in open and forest environments, as well as account for losses from canopy snow sublimation and rain evaporation. Due to the physical-basis and rigorous testing of each module, there is a minimal need for model calibration. To evaluate CRHM, simulations of snow accumulation and melt were compared to observations collected at paired forest and clearing sites of varying latitude, elevation, forest cover density, and climate. Overall, results show that CRHM is capable of characterising the variation in snow accumulation between forest and clearing sites, achieving a model efficiency of 0.51 for simulations at individual sites. Simulations of canopy sublimation losses slightly overestimated observed losses from a weighed cut tree, having a model efficiency of 0.41 for daily losses. Good model performance was demonstrated in simulating energy fluxes to snow at the clearings, but results were degraded from this under forest cover due to errors in simulating sub-canopy net longwave radiation. However, expressed as cumulative energy to snow over the winter, simulated values were 96% and 98% of that observed at the forest and clearing sites, respectively. Overall, the good representation of the substantial variations in mass and energy between forest and clearing sites suggests that CRHM may be useful as an analytical or predictive tool for snow processes in needleleaf forest environments.


The aroma composition of autoxidized arachidonic acid was characterized by aroma extract dilution analysis. The most potent odorant was trans-4,5-epoxy-(E)-2-decenal followed by 1-octen-3-one, (E,Z)-2,4-decadienal, (E,Z,Z)-2,4,7-tridecatrienal, (E,E)-2,4-decadienal, and hexanal. (E,Z,Z)-2,4,7-Tridecatrienal was unequivocally identified by mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data. The stereochemistry of its extended double-bond system was elucidated on the basis of NMR measurements. The target compound was synthesized in four steps starting with bromination of 2-octyn-1-ol, followed by copper-catalyzed coupling of the bromide with ethylmagnesium bromide and (E)-2-penten-4-yn-1-ol. Partial hydrogenation of the resulting C(13)-compound with triple bonds in the positions C-4 and C-7 gave rise to (E,Z,Z)-2,4,7-tridecatrien-1-ol, which was finally oxidized to the target compound. It exhibits a typical egg-white-like, marine-like odor at low concentrations, and an intense orange-citrus, animal-like odor at higher concentrations. Its odor threshold was estimated by gas chromatography-olfactometry to be 0.07 ng/L air, which is of the same order of magnitude as that reported for 1-octen-3-one and (E,E)-2,4-decadienal.