The World Health Organization (WHO) monitors the spread of diseases globally and maintains a list of diseases with epidemic or pandemic potential. Currently listed diseases include Chikungunya, cholera, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, Ebola virus disease, Hendra virus infection, influenza, Lassa fever, Marburg virus disease, Neisseria meningitis, MERS-CoV, monkeypox, Nipah virus infection, novel coronavirus (COVID-19), plague, Rift Valley fever, SARS, smallpox, tularemia, yellow fever, and Zika virus disease. The associated pathogens are increasingly important on the global stage. The majority of these diseases have neurological manifestations. Those with less frequent neurological manifestations may also have important consequences. This is highlighted now in particular through the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and reinforces that pathogens with the potential to spread rapidly and widely, in spite of concerted global efforts, may affect the nervous system. We searched the scientific literature, dating from 1934 to August 2020, to compile data on the cause, epidemiology, clinical presentation, neuroimaging features, and treatment of each of the diseases of epidemic or pandemic potential as viewed through a neurologist's lens. We included articles with an abstract or full text in English in this topical and scoping review. Diseases with epidemic and pandemic potential can be spread directly from human to human, animal to human, via mosquitoes or other insects, or via environmental contamination. Manifestations include central neurologic conditions (meningitis, encephalitis, intraparenchymal hemorrhage, seizures), peripheral and cranial nerve syndromes (sensory neuropathy, sensorineural hearing loss, ophthalmoplegia), post-infectious syndromes (acute inflammatory polyneuropathy), and congenital syndromes (fetal microcephaly), among others. Some diseases have not been well-characterized from a neurological standpoint, but all have at least scattered case reports of neurological features. Some of the diseases have curative treatments available while in other cases, supportive care remains the only management option. Regardless of the pathogen, prompt, and aggressive measures to control the spread of these agents are the most important factors in lowering the overall morbidity and mortality they can cause.


There is not much research available on the issue of race in generic manga. If addressed at all, the focus is on manga as overcoming the confines of race. The assumption that manga representations overcome racial barriers can lean on the fact that characters' supposed race and visual representation frequently do not correspond, creating a character design visually abstracted from any specific race. Furthermore, on a global scale, manga has a racially diverse readership: readers project themselves onto allegedly Caucasian manga characters regardless of their own skin colour. In this paper I will focus specifically on shōjo manga, and will trace how visual racial abstraction transcends specific race, yet remains involved with race-related topics such as alienation and otherness. I will start by analysing possible meanings of race-relevant elements in character design with emphasis on gender. In order to do that, I will begin with investigation of Oshiyama Michiko's analysis of essential gender traits in shōjo manga. Further, I will introduce several discourses of race in manga, such as theory of "speciesism" by Thomas LaMarre's and Terry Kawashima's theory of "selective reading" of racial traits. In the framework of shōjo manga, I will focus specifically on the image of the Westerner, from early shōjo manga elaborated on by Ōgi Fusami and Ishida Minori, and proceeding with analysis of the eroticized image of the foreigner in contemporary women's manga by Nagaike Kazumi. I will introduce theory of "plastic lines" by Thomas LaMare in order to focus on the construction of "the other" in relation to the visual representation of race via specific lines. I intend to conclude that shōjo manga may transcend visual traits of any specific race, but that it retains the recurring theme of conflict and otherness, which in part is related also to racial issues. Visual abstraction from specific race, however, appears to imply "otherness" as an external feature, placed by society upon the characters' bodies, while the visual representation of their interiority facilitates the impression of sameness, or absence of otherness.


Angiogenesis is a driving force of a tumor's development. Targeting this process is an attractive option, as this is a feature shared by most of the solid tumors. A lot of antiangiogenic drugs have been developed following this path, including bevacizumab, sorafenib, sunitinib, vandetanib, ramucirumab, motesanib and many others. The latest drug of this class to be approved for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was nintedanib, a triple angiokinase inhibitor. This molecule targets vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), platelet derived growth factor (PDGF) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) pathways, avoiding the tumor's switch to normal escape mechanisms. The pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic and toxicity profiles of nintedanib have been tested in several studies. These trials revealed it to be very interesting, as this agent did not lead to the classical adverse events of other tyrosine kinase inhibitors. A phase III clinical trial that recently concluded provided us with relevant information in patients with NSCLC of adenocarcinoma histology. Here we present a short overview of the tumor angiogenesis pathways and antiangiogenic drugs. In particular, we will focus on nintedanib, from the preclinical studies to the latest phase III clinical trial that allowed this new agent to be approved by the European Medicines Agency as a second-line treatment option in association with docetaxel for NSCLC patients with adenocarcinoma histology.


This paper assesses how shocks to bank capital may influence a bank's portfolio behaviour using novel evidence from a UK bank panel data set from a period that pre-dates the recent financial crisis. Focusing on the behaviour of bank loans, we extract the dynamic response of a bank to innovations in its capital and in its regulatory capital buffer. We find that innovations in a bank's capital in this (pre-crisis) sample period were coupled with a loan response that lasted up to three years. Banks also responded to scarce regulatory capital by raising their deposit rate to attract funds. The international presence of UK banks allows us to identify a specific driver of capital shocks in our data, independent of bank lending to UK residents. Specifically, we use write-offs on loans to non-residents to instrument bank capital's impact on UK resident lending. A fall in capital brought about a significant drop in lending, in particular to private non-financial corporations. In contrast, household lending increased when capital fell, which may indicate that — in this pre-crisis period — banks substituted into less risky assets when capital was short.


In this paper, we outline alternative methods for constructing transition probabilities conditional on both borrower-/loan-specific and macroeconomic factors. We define the transition states in terms of monthly delinquency and prepayment behavior in which payment behavior is measured in terms of days past due over a reoccurring, fixed-length (monthly) billing cycle: a discrete-time model design that allows us to better capture consumers' decisions to continue servicing their debt, delay payment, prepay, or default. We find that for a large sample of active, first-lien, single-family, owner-occupied mortgages from 20042013 the assumptions of a Markov chain do not hold and by conditioning the estimates of the transition probabilities on loan-specific and macroeconomic factors, we generate more accurate out-of-time forecast over a time horizon typically used in practice (i.e., 24-months ahead) and are significantly more accurate during periods of changing economic conditions as was observed during the 2008-2010 financial crisis. JEL code: C51 C53 G21


Abstract Over the past two years, institutions of higher learning in South Africa have been sites of student protests. At the core of these protests were language politics which drew attention to theories of decoloniality and which challenged universities to examine their language policies and practices. Nelson Mandela University was no exception. In the Faculty of Education, in particular, it became clear that language debates should form part of ongoing conversations about a transformed and decolonised curriculum. Teaching and learning conversations had to be reimagined as 'talking spaces' with students. Using a critical pedagogy lens, this article seeks to provide an auto-ethnographic reflection on the language issues as revealed in student voices generally, during and after the protests. Moreover, this paper focuses on how the language politics has influenced thinking about strategies for developing a language policy at the university. It is argued that a language policy that does not address issues of social justice, equity and does not serve the needs of the diverse university community is problematic. Furthermore, a case is made that in order to make an effective contribution to debates on language politics, universities should aim to engage students as active participants as their voice can influence change.


Since 1999 the English Department of Widya Mandala University has given the chance to the students to choose either thesis or non-thesis program. However, the feedback of this thesis and non-thesis program application has never been evaluated formally. This study was then conducted to depict the alumni's perception on non-thesis program. It was more particularly expected to reveal the advantages as well as the disadvantages the alumni think they get from taking non-thesis program.
A descriptive study was employed to answer the research questions. The samples of this study were 299 students who graduated by taking non-thesis program. More specifically, they were the ones who graduated from the English Department of Widya Mandala Surabaya in 2000 - 2003.
To obtain the data, the writers designed a set of questionnaire which was tried out twice. Two types of questions – open and closed ones – were formulated in such a way to make the alumni reveal their perception on non-thesis program. All together there were 15 questions. The questionnaires were then sent to the respective respondents by post and by the university courier. They were sent to the respondents' home addresses and some to their office addresses. The return envelope with the stamp stuck on it was also sent to each respondent. 39.62% returned questionnaires were collected and analysed.
Globally the analysis of the data obtained from the respondents' answers suggests that the alumni hold positive attitude toward non-thesis program. The majority perceive 'on time graduation' as the advantage they get. The alumni are determined to say they finish their study more quickly. Another advantage perceived is related to substitute subjects. The substitute subjects are deemed to be useful thus advantageous. The other two advantages are related to 'easy graduation' and 'quick as well as efficient graduation'. The alumni indicate that they get the benefit of finalizing their study more easily and also more quickly and more efficiently – saving time and money.
Analysis of the data suggests that throughout the respondents' answers, only a small percentage of alumni indicates the disadvantages. The data analysis concerning the perception on non-thesis graduates show that one might be considered a low achiever or a lazy one because of taking non-thesis program. This disadvantage is reported by merely 3.88% respondents. Being deprived of learning or getting more is another disadvantage the alumni get. Similarly, the answer to this particular research question is revealed by the minority - only 4.04% respondents.


Antibiotic resistance in pathogenic microorganisms is a serious threat to successful therapy. The aim of the present study was to determine antibacterial efficacy of condensed cashew apple (Anacardium occidentale L.) against antibiotic resistant urinary tract pathogens. The juice was extracted from ripe cashew apples and concentrated to 1/10th of original volume. Inhibitory activity of condensed cashew apple juice was tested against five urinary tract pathogens by Agar well diffusion assay. Among Gram negative and Gram positive test bacteria, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterococcus faecalis were inhibited to higher extent respectively. Least inhibitory activity was observed in case of Escherichia coli. Antibacterial efficacy of condensed cashew apple juice could be attributed to the presence of inhibitory components present in it. Further studies on separation of bioactive components and determination of their inhibitory activity against uropathogens are to be carried out.


Background: The proteolytic enzyme matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 can degrade structural compounds such as the extracellular matrix and the basement membrane in the airways and lungs. MMP-9 has therefore been implicated in remodelling of the airways and lungs during severe asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods: The effect of the T lymphocyte derived proinflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-17 on MMP-9 protein release and activity in the airways was studied in vivo and in vitro. Results: In vivo, intranasal stimulation of mice with IL-17 induced the release of the precursor molecule proMMP-9 in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, associated with a pronounced local accumulation of neutrophils that stained positive for MMP-9. Stimulation with IL-17 also increased the concentration of free soluble MMP-9 that was proteolytically active as determined by a gelatinase substrate assay. The concentration of MMP-9 in BAL fluid had a strong positive correlation with the number of neutrophils; the amount of MMP-9 per neutrophil was not increased by IL-17 stimulation. In vitro, stimulation of mouse neutrophils with IL-17 did not increase the concentration of proMMP-9 in the conditioned medium. Conclusion: Local stimulation with IL-17 increases the concentration of biologically active MMP-9 as well as its precursor molecule in mouse airways in vivo. This increase in proteolytic load is probably mainly due to an increased number of neutrophils and not to an increase in the release of MMP-9 from each neutrophil. These findings indicate a link between the T lymphocyte cytokine IL-17 and increased proteolytic load in the airways which may be relevant for chronic inflammatory airway diseases such as severe asthma and COPD.


Population growth increasing every year can affect demand of Land for residentia~ employment, and facilities, thus it may reduce areas of Green Open Space (RTH). Based on Indonesia Conslilulions in UU No.26 year 2007 about Spatial Planning, proportion of RTH in urban areas is at least 30% of total city area. Remote sensing
technology which based on satellite image can be used for monitoring land cover, especially for presence of green
open space in urban areas. This study uses a high resolution satellite image which is cligitally classified to identifY land cover. Regarding an existing land use, it consists of eight classes; there are buildings, water bodies, roads, barelands, beaches, forests, gardens and rice fields. Image processing uses object oriented method using segmentation and merging so lhat pixels in the image become homogeneous as one entity for object representing
each land cover class. The results of this study showed that green open space area consists of forest, gardens and rice fields classes with a total percentage are 32.86% of total city area. Thus, urban areas in Banda Aceh City can be categorized as a xegion; it bas fuliilled proportion of green open space according Indonesia Constitutions in UU No.26 year 2007.


Spectrum frequency is a valuable resource for wireless communication but very limited in its availability. Due to the extensive use and ever increasing demands of unlicensed bands by wireless devices, they are becoming congested, while the licensed bands are found mostly under-utilized. To solve this problem of spectrum scarcity, Cognitive Radio (CR) devices can use licensed bands in many different ways. As reported in academic literature, among various options, the exclusive-use model is the most promising because it provides benefits to both licensed and unlicensed users. In this model, CR enabled service providers, also known as secondary service providers, can buy spectrum from licensed, known as primary service providers, for both a short and long period of time and gain exclusive rights to access the spectrum. The spectrum trading model should depend on several practical factors including pricing of the spectrum, reputation of a seller, duration of the contract and spectrum quality. However, existing pricing models for dynamic spectrum access mainly consider bandwidth which makes these models unsuitable for real-world spectrum trading. In this thesis, a number of innovative approaches on spectrum trading have been introduced particularly considering these practical issues in terms of microeconomic theories. In the first approach, the reputation of spectrum sellers is considered and updated dynamically by considering a buyer's own trading experience with sellers and collecting recommendations on sellers from other buyers. Trustworthiness of recommenders as well as incentive to encourage recommendations are modeled. In addition to these, contract duration and spectrum quality are incorporated such that a buyer's utility is formulated as a function of buyer's resource requirement, reputation of seller, and trustworthiness of recommenders. Finally, the model is analyzed using dynamic pricing of the market and the solution is obtained using market equilibrium. For long term spectrum leasing from primary service providers, a buyer's reliability is also important for a seller to reduce its risk of profit loss. Therefore, the above developed model is then further extended by incorporating a buyer's reliability, calculated based on its reputation and credibility scoring. A seller's experience with a buyer is obtained based on the buyer's payment completion status, passed time after payment deadline, and percentage of contract completion. As game theory can better capture direct competition among sellers, it is therefore used in our method to model competition among sellers. Once the spectrum is traded, its utilization among secondary users (SUs) under a secondary service provider is essential to improve their throughput. In the post-trading scenario, a dynamic spectrum sharing method is proposed which allows multiple SUs to reside in the same channel and to use it concurrently to maximize the spectrum utilization exploiting variable transmission power of the SUs. The proposed spectrum trading model has been compared with relevant and contemporary methods. The proposed model outperforms existing counterparts in terms of profit for sellers and throughput for buyers, respectively.


Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are cell-derived multicomponent messengers that participate
in diverse intercellular communication processes regulating immune responses,
cell survival and proliferation. However, EVs also play a role in disease processes like
cancer. Since EVs contain biological information that reflects the status of the cell of
origin, they might be used in liquid biopsies as disease biomarkers. The detection and
characterization of EVs is a fundamental step towards EV-based biomarker profiling of
pathological processes and is complicated due to their small size, heterogeneity and
complex composition. Therefore, technological solutions that allow high throughput
detection and analysis of single EVs are of utmost importance. Flow cytometry (FCM)
is a promising technology for this purpose. However, traditional flow cytometers, designed
for cells, lack the sensitivity for the detection of nano-sized EVs, whose signals
are typically below or at the detection limit of conventional instruments.
In my PhD thesis I explored the limits of flow cytometry of single EVs, provide guidance
for reproducible and robust EV FCM and address the challenges of EV analysis in body
fluids. First, we developed and characterized a reference material for EV research. Next,
we focused on high-sensitivity FCM for the detection of EVs and I present a reporting
framework developed by the ISEV-ISAC-ISTH EV Flow cytometry workgroup to increase
reproducibility of results. Since fluorescence calibration of EV signals is of importance
for inter-instrument and inter-lab comparisons, we provide insights into the utilization
of current calibrators and show that intrinsic variations related to these calibrators compromise
accurate calibration of EV signals. In addition to the fluorescence, light scatter
signals also contain valuable information that it is often lost within the background
noise. By using an open-architecture flow cytometer, we optimized the configuration
by combining differently sized hardware components to improve light scatter-based EV
detection by reducing optical background signals. Lastly, we applied these technological
advancements in the field of high-sensitivity FCM to investigate interactions between
biological particles, namely EVs and lipoprotein particles (LPPs), which are known to
co-isolate. Liquid biopsy EV-based biomarker profiling is complicated because LPPs in
blood outnumber EVs by orders of magnitude and have biophysical overlapping properties
with EVs, including size and density. We here demonstrate by high-sensitivity
FCM, in combination with orthogonal methods; i.e., Rayleigh and Raman scattering
and cryo-electron microscopy, that EV-LPP complexes can be formed and can impact
EV-analysis in blood. Overall, the findings presented in my thesis can contribute to
the development of robust liquid biopsy EV biomarker profiling by FCM and shed light
on the complexity of single EV analysis in body fluids, which will ultimately help to a
successful clinical translation of EVs as disease biomarkers.


Hot extrusion is a metal forming process with a huge importance in the manufacturing of long metallic bars with complex shapes, and because of this, academics and industries are especially interested in better understanding how metal flows during the process. In order to have a reliable computational tool that can help to solve and to obtain material internal flow, experimental tests and numerical simulation with the finite element method were carried out to obtain results of the velocity fields generated in hot direct extrusion of aluminum billets (aluminum alloy 6351). The experimental results of the velocity field will be used to validate a computational code based on the finite volume method.


Motivation Due to the nature of experimental annotation, most protein function prediction methods operate at the protein-level, where functions are assigned to full-length proteins based on overall similarities. However, most proteins function by interacting with other proteins or molecules, and many functional associations should be limited to specific regions rather than the entire protein length. Most domain-centric function prediction methods depend on accurate domain family assignments to infer relationships between domains and functions, with regions that are unassigned to a known domain-family left out of functional evaluation. Given the abundance of residue-level annotations currently available, we present a function prediction methodology that automatically infers function labels of specific protein regions using protein-level annotations and multiple types of region-specific features. Results We apply this method to local features obtained from InterPro, UniProtKB and amino acid sequences and show that this method improves both the accuracy and region-specificity of protein function transfer and prediction by testing on both human and yeast proteomes. We compare region-level predictive performance of our method against that of a whole-protein baseline method using a held-out dataset of proteins with structurally-verified binding sites and also compare protein-level temporal holdout predictive performances to expand the variety and specificity of GO terms we could evaluate. Our results can also serve as a starting point to categorize GO terms into site-specific and whole-protein terms and select prediction methods for different classes of GO terms. Availability The code is freely available at: https://github.com/ek1203/region_spec_func_pred


Furniture is one of wood products to fulfill the household needs, especially for household furnishing. Wood product which is used for furniture tends to decrease because of the substitution products, i.e.: plastic, rattan, bamboo, glass, and metal. To continue their effort, small industries in Indonesia face hard problems and challanges. To solve the hard problems and challenges, then a new marketing strategy through the study on marketing strategy of small wood-furniture industry is needed. This research objectives are to know several factors which have relation toward marketing of woodfurniture and compile alternative small industrial marketing strategy of wood-furniture. Research conducts in Small Industry Centre, Pondok Bambu, East Jakarta from June to July 2008. Some tools are used in this research, such as: questionaire, calculator, camera, and stationery. The method of data collection is purposive sampling with total amount of responden is 30 people-small industry owners. Data analysis uses regression and SWOT method (Strength, Weaknesses. Opportunities, Threath). Result of the research for the regression equation of wood-furniture marketing Y= 9,001 0,6798 X1 - 1,4834 X2 - 1,4834 X3 + 0,4818 X4 with value R 2 is equal to 51.3%. Linearity test model indicates that F Calculated is 6.57 in significat level α = 1%. Factors that influence wood-furniture marketing of sale volume are variation of product, wood-furniture price, distribution system and promotion. The relation between sale volume with variable of product variation, wood-furniture price, and distribution system is significant with negative direction. It means that smaller product variation, lower wood-furniture price, and more efficient distribution system; will effect to higher sale volume. Whereas the relation between sale volume with variable of promotion is not significant with positive direction. It means that activity of promotion does not have any effect on sale volume of woodfurniture. This matter is caused by the same source of raw material and product design of woodfurniture which is used by small industry has relatively similar form as source of semi-finished product from Jepara. Market position according to SWOT matrix at 1 st Quadrant is called SO ( StrengthOpportunities) position. It means that small industry of wood-furniture has to create strategy by using strength to exploit existing opportunity. Applications of SO strategy are by selling product at cheaper price, improving service to consumer, using strategic location to attract consumer and improving product quality.


Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate three hypotheses for the existence of a wage premium between incumbents and employees who are hired from other employers in the external labour market. Design/methodology/approach - The paper presents estimates of wage equations for a sample of externally hired workers and internally promoted employees. It uses an employer-employee matched data set of Dutch firms from all economic sectors (1998). It controls for various observed characteristics of the firm, the worker and the job. Findings - The estimates reject the hypothesis that firms rely more on observable characteristics for wage formation of external candidates. Nor do the estimates favor the prediction that there is a wage premium due to the option value of risky employees. Finally, employees who are recruited internally have on average a 15 percent higher wage (net of tenure) than comparable employees who are hired from other employers. Research limitations/implications - It was found that there was a limited possibility of identifying risky employees. Practical implications - Firms do not reward risky employees; the incumbents seem to be of better quality than the external hirees. Originality/value - Here the focus is on hirees who were previously employed elsewhere. Usually, a broader definition of external hiring is used.


This paper introduces an emerging interdisciplinary research field, namely neuroeconomics, which uses the neuroscientific methods to investigate the neural systems supporting economically relevant behaviors. Traditional economic research is restricted to the level of describing decision behaviors, leaving the cognitive mechanisms behind them unknown. It also fails to predict many decision behaviors in real life. The combination of neuroscience and economics makes it possible to uncover the underlying mental and neural processes of economic decision making. This paper reviews the findings from the neuroeconomic literature on encoding of utility in the brain, showing that neuroeconomic research can test the validity of economic concepts and theories and provide new explanations to economic phenomenon. It discusses the important role the emotion plays in economic decision making and the associated neural evidence, suggesting the possibility of understanding the impact of emotion upon decision making by measuring the neural activity of emotion-related brain regions. This paper also summarizes neuroscientific studies on cooperation and trust in monetary games, pointing out that the trend of neuroeconomic research is to model the real life decision making in the laboratory with solid ecological validity. Neuroeconomics provides not only neuroscientific evidence for economic theories, such as the prospect theory, the regret theory and the game theory, but also foundations for more comprehensive and powerful economic models.


Lua is a powerful, fast, lightweight, embeddable scripting language. Lua combines simple procedural syntax with powerful data description constructs based on associative arrays and extensible semantics. Lua is dynamically typed, runs by interpreting bytecode for a register-based virtual machine, and has automatic memory management with incremental garbage collection, making it ideal for configuration, scripting, and rapid prototyping.


Tidal energy represents a promising resource for the future energy mix. For harnessing tidal currents free stream horizontal axis turbines have been investigated for some years. The acting physics is very similar to the one of horizontal axis wind turbines, with the additional phenomenon of cavitation, which causes performance reduction, flow induced noise and severe damages to the turbine blade and downstream structures. The paper presents an enhanced semi-analytical model that allows the prediction of the performance characteristics including cavitation inception of horizontal axis tidal turbines. A central component is the wellknown blade element momentum theory which is refined by various submodels for hydrofoil section lift and drag as a function Reynolds number and angle of attack, turbine thrust coefficient, blade hub and tip losses and cavitation. Moreover, the model is validated by comparison with comprehensive experimental data from two different turbines. Predicted power and thrust coefficient characteristics were found to agree well with the experimental results for a wide operational range and different inflow velocities. Discrepancies were observed only at low tip speed ratios where major parts of the blades operate under stall conditions. The predicted critical cavitation number is somewhat larger than the measured, i.e. the prediction is conservative. As an overall conclusion the semi-analytical model developed seems to be so fast, accurate and robust that it can be integrated in a future workflow for optimizing tidal turbines.


Introduction: The present study was planned to assess the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors among nurses. Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was done on employed nurses in Birjand in 2011. At first, complete clinical examinations were done; including height, weight, waist circumference, and blood pressure in standard ways. Then, 5cc blood of each subject, after a 12 hour fasting, was taken in order to measure FBS and lipid profile. A questionnaire inquiring demographic information and history of previous cardiovascular risk factors was filled out. At the end data were analyzed by T test in SPSS software (V.15). Results: The mean age of the subject was 40.6±7.2 yrs. The most prevalent risk factor were dyslipidemia, overweight, and central obesity (70.4%, 40%, and 37.7% respectively). Dyslipidemia and smoking in men, and obesity in women were more prevalent. Conclusion: The prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors were high in nurses despite the adequate specialized knowledge about these risk factors.


Since 2003, libraries and publishers have been working with and using COUNTER usage statistics as a core metrics. However, both the producers and users of COUNTER usage reports described difficulty in understanding and interpreting the Code of Practice, which sets out the standard for recording and reporting usage of electronic resources. This issue led COUNTER to collaborate with many partners around the world to produce Friendly Guides. These are non-intimidating manuals which explain terminology, the purpose of the usage reports and provide tips how on how to use COUNTER data. This paper explains how collaboration has been essential in meeting the challenges of producing the Friendly Guides in multiple languages.


Vaccination has been proven to be the most effective method to prevent infectious diseases and in 1974 the World Health Organization (WHO) established the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) to provide universal access to all important vaccines for all children, with a special focus on underserved low- and middle-income countries. However, there are still roughly 20 million infants worldwide who lack access to routine immunization services and remain at risk, and millions of additional deaths could be avoided if global vaccination coverage could improve. The broad goal of this research is to optimize the design and operation of the WHO-EPI vaccine distribution chain in these underserved low- and middle-income countries. We first present a network design problem for a general WHO-EPI vaccine distribution network by developing a mathematical model that formulates the network design problem as a mixed integer program (MIP). We then present three algorithms for typical problems that are too large to be solved using commercial MIP software. We test the algorithms using data derived from four different countries in sub-Saharan Africa and show that with our final algorithm, high-quality solutions are obtained for even the largest problems within a few minutes. We then discuss the problem of outreach to remote population centers when resources are limited and direct clinic service is unavailable. A set of these remote population centers is chosen, and over an appropriate planning period, teams of clinicians and support personnel are sent from a depot to set up mobile clinics at these locations to vaccinate people there and in the immediate surrounding area. We formulate the problem of designing outreach efforts as an MIP that is a combination of a set covering problem and a vehicle routing problem. We then incorporate uncertainty to study the robustness of the worst-case solutions and the related issue of the value of information. Finally, we study a variation of the outreach problem that combines Set Covering and the Traveling Salesmen Problem and provides an MIP formulation to solve the problem. Motivated by applications where the optimal policy needs to be updated on a regular basis and where repetitively solving this via MIP can be computationally expensive, we propose a machine learning approach to effectively deal with this problem by providing an opportunity to learn from historical optimal solutions that are derived from the MIP formulation. We also present a case study on outreach operations and provide numerical results. Our results show that while the novel machine learning based mechanism generates high quality solution repeatedly for problems that resemble instances in the training set, it does not generalize as well on a different set of optimization problems. These mixed results indicate that there are promising research opportunities to use machine learning to achieve tractability and scalability.


DAF (decay-accelerating factor) is one of the integral membrane proteins of erythrocytes, and is considered to play an important role in the regulation of complement activation. The purification of DAF has been impeded by the difficulty in removing glycophorin. We devised an effective method for removing glycophorin. Through the limited trypsinization of stromata prior to the extraction of DAF, glycophorin was readily digested so that the DAF could be purified free of glycophorin by DEAE-Sephacel and Bio-Gel A 0.5 m chromatographies. On SDS-PAGE, DAF from trypsinized stromata showed the same mobility as that from native stromata: its molecular weight was estimated to be about 70 kDa. Amino acid analysis of DAF showed high contents of serine and glutamic acid. The amino-terminal sequence of DAF prepared by the present method, determined for the 29 residues, did not show significant homology with that of glycophorin.


Abstract Clinical outcome assessments (COAs) measure outcomes that are meaningful to patients in clinical trials and are critical for determining whether a treatment is effective. The objectives of this study are to (1) describe the different types of COAs and provide an overview of key considerations for evaluating COAs, (2) review COAs and other outcome measures for chronic pain treatments that are recommended by the Initiative on Methods, Measurement, and Pain Assessment in Clinical Trials (IMMPACT) or other expert groups, and (3) review advances in understanding pain-related COAs that are relevant to clinical trials. The authors reviewed relevant articles, chapters, and guidance documents from the European Medicines Agency and U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Since the original core set of outcome measures were recommended by IMMPACT 14 years ago, several new advancements and publications relevant to the measurement or interpretation of COAs for chronic pain trials have emerged, presenting new research opportunities. Despite progress in the quality of measurement of several outcome domains for clinical trials of chronic pain, there remain some measurement challenges that require further methodological investigation.


Objectives & Background Stress amongst ED staff has been studied previously with observational research conducted since the 1980s. Many have measured outcomes of exposure to stress such as mental ill-health and more recently burnout. The factors which underlie workplace stress in the ED however are not well understood. This study aims to explore these issues in more detail. Methods The HSE stress indicator tool was administered to all staff working in the ED at the Northern General Hospital in Sheffield in November 2014 (Doctors, Nurses, Support Workers, Admin, Orderlies and Domestics). Results were analysed using the HSE analysis tool which compared our results against 136 other surveyed organisations in the UK. Following the survey, six focus groups containing a mixture of professional groups were held in which results were presented, factors underpinning observed results were discussed and issues that were not identified in the questionnaire highlighted. A more detailed questionnaire was developed. Results Overall response rate was 66%. All six staff groups identified high levels of demand and low levels of control over their work. Nursing staff displayed the highest levels of stress across the seven domains of the tool with little difference with respect to seniority of grade. Junior doctors displayed the lowest levels of stress of all professional groups. Higher levels of stress were seen in consultants than other medical grades. Orderlies and domestics whilst scoring higher on the demand/control domains, scored similarly to other groups with respect to support and relationships with colleagues (Table 1). Focus groups with staff identified issues relating to effort-reward imbalance and organisational justice which were not covered by the HSE tool. A more detailed questionnaire including these models of stress will be administered in July 2015 and to a control group from another hospital department which will be presented at the conference if the abstract is accepted. Conclusion This exploratory study has identified differences in the origins and nature of workplace stressors affecting professional groups in our ED. If they are to be successful, interventions aimed at tackling workplace stress in the ED should take account of these differences. Further work should explore whether our results reflect those of other EDs and develop appropriately tailored intervention to address this issue on a wider scale. Figure 1


In this study, poly(hydroxypropyl methacrylate) gel beads were synthesized, then it was functionalized to yield glucamine carrying hydrogel beads as a sorbent for boron uptake. The batch-mode sorption studies were performed to obtain the optimum resin concentration and pH for boron removal. The results showed that percent of boron removal increased with increasing amount of resin and reached 98% at 12 mg-resin/mL-solution. The boron removal did not effected much with the change of pH between 4 and 9. The boron adsorption isotherm is in good accordance with the Langmuir and Freundlich equations. The equilibrium adsorption amount of boron is 13.5 mmol g−1 at optimum conditions which is 5 to 50 times higher than the other boron selective adsorbents recorded in literature. Desorption studies showed that 100% elution is possible with HCl. As a conclusion the glucamine carrying hydrogel beads can be effectively used for uptake of boron from aqueous solutions because of their high boron adsorption capacity and reusability. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011


The Kenyan government strives for every Kenyan to have access to water and sanitation services, primarily through Water Works Development Agencies (WWDAs). This paper sought to understand the effect of resource allocation on service delivery by WWDAs in Kenya. A census of all the agencies in Kenya was done, while a sample of 80 employees across these agencies responded to the questionnaire. Primary data were collected through questionnaires; data were cleaned up and coded into the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Descriptive statistics measures of central tendency were used to analyze and interpret the data, while skewness and kurtosis was used to confirm the normal distribution of data. Inferential statistics in ordinal regression were tested for a possible relationship between the independent and dependent variables. Results from the evaluation revealed that resource allocation had a significant effect on service delivery of WWDAs in Kenya. According to the findings, the dependent variable and resource allocation had a strong positive and significant association (service delivery). As a result, this study established that resource allocation influenced the delivery of services by Kenya's WWDAs in a positive and significant way. The study concluded that any variability in resource allocation results in a corresponding variability in service delivery by WWDAs in Kenya.


Proventricular dilatation disease (PDD) is an inflammatory disease of birds that primarily affects the autonomic nerves of the upper and middle digestive tract, the cases usually presenting gastrointestinal tract dysfunction such as dysphagia, regurgitation, and presence of undigested food in feces. A total number of 54 psittacine birds belonging to different species (6 Amazona aestiva, 1 Amazona ventralis, 7 Ara ararauna, 4 Ara macao, 12 Psittacus erithacus, 2 Cacatua galerita, 1 Cacatua alba, 2 Cacatua sulphureus,1 Pionis menstruus, 2 Pionites leucogaster, 11 Psittacula krameri, 5 Psittacula eupatria) were included in the study. The screening with PCR methods for the presence of ABV identified 47 infected animals that scored positive in the assays. The other birds were negative in these assays. It was also observed an abundant presence of fermentation yeasts in various organs of infected parrots.


We appreciate the interest in our review of antibiotic duration in hospitalized patients. Drs. Sikkens and van Agtmael comment that drug pharmacokinetics can alter true treatment duration.1,2 Specifically, azithromycin has a long half-life in tissues.3 We did not consider pharmacokinetics in our prespecified protocol for study inclusion, nor require that studies compare the same drug between treatment groups. This is consistent with a systematic review of antibiotic duration in community-acquired pneumonia, which included 3 of the 4 studies comparing shortcourse azithromycin to a longer course of another antibiotic.4 Similarly, in a recent pilot study of antibiotic duration in bloodstream infections, only treatment duration was prespecified.5 We agree that the differing pharmacokinetics between drugs is a limitation to our findings. To assess whether the inclusion of studies using short-course azithromycin biased our conclusions, we performed an additional meta-analysis for clinical efficacy excluding the 4 studies that compared azithromycin with another drug. This subgroup included 9 trials comprising 1270 patients. The overall risk difference was 0.3% (95% CI −2.7%, 3.3%), consistent with the primary findings that short-course antibiotic treatment is non-inferior to long-course antibiotic treatment. None of these 4 studies examined mortality; thus, the meta-analyses for shortterm and long-term mortality are unaffected.


Purpose
This study aims to present a corporate social responsibility (CSR) model that would apply to Islamic banks, considering the international aspect of social responsibility because CSR is not applicable in the same way in all types of societies.

Design/methodology/approach
Based on the extensive review of the existing literature, the authors aim to present an Islamic CSR model applicable to Islamic banks. This study is based on the international approach to CSR developed by Masoud (2017). Each responsibility has an equal share but with specific changes regarding the order of priorities between them and the type of responsibility.

Findings
The findings show that the existing literature provides several Islamic CSR models. Most of these models are general and offer guidelines to Islamic financial institutions, but no model applies exclusively to Islamic banks. Using these models for Islamic banks is challenging because of their specific business activities, especially in non-Muslim countries. This study proposes a model that could act as the main guideline for Islamic banks with enough flexibility to meet different market and stakeholders' requirements.

Practical implications
The model was not tested on a sample, and not all Islamic principles were considered. However, it is applicable for Islamic banks, especially considering internationalization in their businesses and the further development of Islamic banking. At the same time, this model puts ethical norms in the spotlight. This is particularly emphasized in the case of non-Muslim countries or in societies where a particular law does not regulate Islamic bank activities.

Originality/value
Although there is a growing literature on this topic, existing studies primarily discuss the Islamic approach to CSR from the overall perspective, not in a specific industry. While some authors developed their own Islamic CSR models relying on the primary Shariah sources, others base their proposals on other classical CSR ideas. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study based on the CSR model developed by Masoud (2017), considering the relationship between economics and religion and the implications of the Islamic moral economy.


Introduction Non-specific neck pain (NSNP) is a common musculoskeletal condition resulting in pain, physical limitations and associated functional disability. Current guidelines recommend manipulation and/or mobilisation as part of the multimodal management of NSNP. This study focuses on intervention at the articular level and aims to identify whether joint mobilisation or joint manipulation has a greater effect on function, range of movement or pain outcomes in the management of NSNP. Methods and analysis A systematic review protocol has been designed and is reported in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocols. A targeted search strategy will enable searching of key databases from inception to 31 March 2020: CINAHL, PEDro, AMED, EMBASE, OVID, MEDLINE, Web of Science, PubMed and Google Scholar. Key journals will be searched using predefined keywords determined from preliminary scoping searches for randomised controlled trials of manipulation and mobilisation modalities for adults with NSNP in the absence of radiculopathy or whiplash, published in English. Grey literature and unpublished studies will also be searched. Studies will be screened by title and abstract and full text. Two independent reviewers will conduct the searches independently, extract data, assess risk of bias (Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool 2) and assess overall strength of evidence (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation). Meta-analysis will be performed where individual studies measure comparable outcomes including performance-based outcome measures such as range of movement or patient reported outcome measures such as Neck Disability Index; and where interventions are comparable in their delivery such as number of oscillations and Maitland grading. Where not possible, data will be presented descriptively. Ethics and dissemination This study does not require ethical approval. Findings will be submitted for publication to relevant peer-reviewed journals and will be presented at profession-specific conferences. PROSPERO registration number CRD42020164457.


The genus Zonophora, established by DE SELYS (Bull. Acad. Belg. (2) 21, p. 80) in 1854 for BURMEISTER'S Diastatomma campanulata from Brazil, is represented in Surinam by two species only: Z. batesi Selys 1869 and Z. calippus Selys 1869. Both species had already been reported as occurring in Surinam, and have again been collected in this country during my researches since 1955. The species Z. surinamensis NEEDHAM (Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc. 69, 1944, p. 219) was collected in Brazil (Matapaoni), close to the border of Surinam, and may for this reason be encountered in Surinam as well. In 1941 Dr. E. SCHMIDT (D. Entom. Ztschr., p. 76—96) published his "Revision der Gattung Zonophora Selys," which contained the then known members of the genus Zonophora. However, his treatise was written without examination of the original type specimens; hence, in order to acquire a sounder basis for my study of the subject, I took the opportunity of investigating the original material during my leave in Europe in 1961. In the following pages I present a general view of my explorations, which have been founded chiefly on the material mentioned below, as well as on that from Surinam.


Sirtuin 3 (SIRT3) is an NAD+-dependent protein deacetylase. Recent studies have shown that SIRT3 expression is decreased in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Moreover, SIRT3 is a key regulator of succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), which catalyzes the oxidation of succinate to fumarate. Increased succinate concentrations and the specific G protein-coupled receptor 91 (GPR91) are involved in the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). In this study, we aimed to establish whether SIRT3 regulated the SDH activity, succinate, and GPR91 expression in HSCs and an animal model of NAFLD. Our goal was also to determine whether succinate released from hepatocytes regulated HSC activation. Inhibiting SIRT3 using SIRT3 siRNA exacerbated HSC activation via the SDH-succinate-GPR91 pathway, and SIRT3 overexpression or honokiol treatment attenuated HSC activation in vitro. In isolated liver and HSCs from methionine- and choline-deficient (MCD) diet-induced NAFLD, the expression of SIRT3 and SDH activity was decreased, and the succinate concentrations and GPR91 expression were increased. Moreover, we found that GPR91 knockdown or resveratrol treatment improved the steatosis in MCD diet-fed mice. This investigation revealed a novel mechanism of the SIRT3-SDH-GPR91 cascade in MCD diet-induced HSC activation in NAFLD. These findings highlight the biological significance of novel strategies aimed at targeting SIRT3 and GPR91 in HSCs with the goal of improving NAFLD treatment.


The paper highlights the concept of library portals and information architecture and the relationship that exists between the two concepts. Further, it imports the functions of librarians in the traditional setting into the webometric setting, elucidating the roles librarians can play as Information Architects whereby they are seen as content creators, copyright experts, digital reference service personnel, metadata creators, portal specifiers and creators. Questions regarding the imported concepts of Information Architects and librarians' roles are raised. Problems facing librarians as Information Architects are raised and solutions proffered. The paper concludes by making a submission that librarians become Info-architects in the present digital information environment.


The paper examines the incidence and spatial distribution of poverty in Karachi, Pakistan. Based on a survey of 6000 households, it locates the clusters of poverty and presents a profile of the poor in the city. Just over one-third of the households in Karachi can be classified as poor, based on an absolute poverty line derived from standard consumption norms. Poverty is concentrated in six geographical clusters, which account for 60 percent of the sample households but 90 percent of the very poor households. Analysis of residential movement is used to derive some indirect evidence of socioeconomic mobility. This suggests that, historically, the incidence of upward mobility amongst the poor in Karachi, based partly on the acquisition of skills and education, has been quite high. Poverty in Karachi has not been endemic as a continuous influx of migrants at the bottom replaced those who moved up the economic ladder. The little evidence of downward mobility also identifies it as a more recent occurrence as compared to upward mobility. Data on education show that generational inequalities in educational attainments across different groups among the poor are not being perpetuated over time. At the same time, an analysis of investment in the education of children suggests some very tentative evidence of a possible loss of faith in education as a mechanism for upward mobility. Such indicative evidence is of considerable value given the absence of panel data for most cities in developing countries.


The possibility of using treated oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fibres as substrate for cellulase production by Aspergillus terreus was studied using shaking flask fermentation. The effect of different chemical pretreatments, i.e. formic acid, acetic acid, propylamine, phosphoric acid, and n-butylamine, on the suitability of OPEFB fibres as fermentation substrate was investigated. The findings revealed that pretreatment with these chemicals significantly (P<0.05) increased the cellulose and reduced the lignin contents prior to enzymatic hydrolysis. However, fermentation using OPEFB fibres pretreated with phosphoric acid gave the highest cellulase production, which was related to high cellulose content. Further improvement in cellulase production was obtained when the chemically pretreated OPEFB fibres were subsequently treated hydrothermally (autoclaved at 160oC for 10 min) and then biologically (using effective microorganisms). The final activity of the three main components of cellulase (FPase, CMCase, and β-glucosidase) obtained in fermentation by A. terreus using optimally treated OPEFB fibres was (0.77 U mL−1, 8.5 U mL-1, and 6.1 U mL-1), respectively. The production of all these three major components of cellulase using pretreated OPEFB fibres (i.e. chemical, hydrothermal, and biological) were about three times higher than those obtained from fermentation using untreated OPEFB fibres.


Problem statement: Many more Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) have decided to adopt the euro. Given the attraction and uncertainties associated with moving into a common currency, the potential gains and losses of a currency adoption was of academic and political interest. The economic impact of implementing a common currency was examined by studying the before and after of those countries that have joined the currency union utilizing data from Eurostat. Approach: This preliminary research strengthened the hypothesis that currency unions improve macroeconomic indicators in countries that participate in them. There were several new European Union (EU) members from the CEEC region on the path of achieving the same currency adoption goals as the former group of countries. Using statistical and econometric methods, the economic benefits that accrue to these countries in the pipeline were examined. This study isolated recessions and country-specific differences for the purpose of isolating the impact of the convergence criteria. Results: The study suggested that six out of the eight countries are boosting their macroeconomic variables by adopting the criteria required to join the EU currency. This study helps promote the idea of currency unions for countries interested in such transitions. Conclusions/ Recommendations: The regression analysis showed the values of the examined countries' coefficients were negative suggesting that as the candidate countries progressed in the compliance with the convergence criteria, they would encounter positive economic growth. Therefore, this study suggested that candidate countries should focus on exchange rates stability above other targets as they focus on joining the monetary union.


This paper investigates whether political competition plays an important role in determining the level of agricultural protection. In order to do so, we exploit variation in political and economic data from 74 developing and developed countries for the post-war period. Our results robustly show that the level of agricultural distortions is the higher, the higher is the level of political competition. We show that political competition may importantly complement other institutional aspects in determining policy choices. We investigate the heterogeneous effects of political competition across different electoral rules (majoritarian vs. proportional), forms of government (coalition vs. single-party) and level of incomes.


Literature has revealed many works on the important of AIS to SMEs, most of the researchers' result have shown the relevant and the challenging SMEs face in AIS adoption. However, this study bridges the gap, in analyzing the important of AIS adoption to SMEs through the business owners' perception based on their; competitive strength, longer-term strategic goals and market expansion. This research was carried out in Ilorin, Kwara State. Primary data was used as a source of data. A well-structured questionnaire based on the research questions was used to establish the effect of AIS adoption on competitive strength, longer-term strategic goals and market expansion. 60 SMEs were randomly selected in Ilorin, Kwara State. Regression and correlation analysis was used analyzed the relationship between AIS and competitive strength, longer-term strategic goals and market expansion. The result obtained shows that AIS have a positive correlation with; longer-term strategic goals (.435) which is positively significant at α=0.05, competitive strength (.272) which is positively significant at α=0.01 and market expansion (.322) which is also significant positively at α=0.05. The study concluded that the importance of AIS adoption cannot be over emphasized in any business setup and the study recommendation that: AIS could be adopted by SMEs to improve non-financial performance like longer-term strategic goals, market expansion and competitive strength. KEYWORD: Accounting Information System, SMES, Competitive Strength, Longer-Term Strategic Goals, Market Expansion.


We give the exact analytical expression for the autocorrelation function of the polarization mode dispersion (PMD) vector of a fiber link in which first-order PMD is compensated for at the output. We use the result to obtain the mean-square width of a Gaussian pulse in the presence of a first-order PMD compensator.


Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) has been the focus of a virtual storm research, both to better understand its unique properties and to harness its potential in commercial applications such as hydrogen storage, atomic force microscopy probe, microelectronic transistor, electrical field emitter of flat panel display. There are two main premises in this research project; the first premise was to synthesis the CNTs via Pulsed Laser Ablation Deposition (PLAD) technique, and the second premise was to study the effect of Fe2O3 as catalyst on the magnetic properties of the deposited materials.
This work reports the formation of carbon web-like nano structure synthesized in a T-shape stainless steel chamber. ND:YAG laser with 532nm wavelength and 10.24 W power was used to ablate the target of graphite and catalyst. Fe2O3 and NiO were mixed separately as the catalyst with graphite (carbon) to form the target. The vacuum level was kept at 5 mtorr with argon gas flowing from bottom of the chamber. The soot that was deposited on the glass substrate was then characterized using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), EDX and Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM).
The SEM images confirm a web-like structure formed after the ablation. The graphite target that was ablated with laser does not form web-like structure. However, when NiO or Fe2O3 were introduced as the oxide catalysts, the web-like structure was formed successfully. The TEM pictures proved the web-like structure is the carbon nanotubes. Magnetic characterization via VSM was conducted after the CNTs structure was confirmed. From the magnetic characterization, we found that CNTs behaves as non-magnetic material due to the absence of the hysteresis curve. When it was filled with Fe2O3, the magnetic properties enhanced tremendously. It was also concluded that these Fe2O3 nano particles magnetic materials were trapped in the tubes. The CNTs acted as nano-wires and were able to induce the magnetization of the magnetic particles.


Catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSIs) pose significant health risks and financial consequences for healthcare systems worldwide. In order to develop novel antiseptic technologies as alternative prophylactics for CRBSIs, a consistent and reproducible bacterial inoculation method is required for testing the technologies' antiseptic effects. This study developed and investigated a new "Inocap" model for standardized bacteria inoculation on to surfaces of catheter hubs that is exposed and highly susceptible to contamination in healthcare settings. The results showed a significantly smaller variance in the number of bacteria inoculated onto the catheter hubs by the new Inocap method than the traditional dip method (p ≈ 0.02) while producing no significant difference in the mean value (p > 0.25), indicating that this new Inocap method could work as a more precise inoculation model for future disinfection studies.

Address Correspondence to author:
2301/2 New Petchburi Rd. Bangkapi, Huaikwang, Bangkok Thailand 10310 email: email@example.com

Keywords:
Bacteria inoculation model, disinfection, catheter related bloodstream infections, intraluminal infection, catheter hubs, contamination

Address Correspondence to author:
2301/2 New Petchburi Rd. Bangkapi, Huaikwang, Bangkok Thailand 10310 email: email@example.com

Received: June 30, 201
Revision received: July 3, 2018
Accepted after revision: July 10, 2018
BKK Med J 2018;14(2): 28-33.

DOI: 10.31524/bkkmedj.2018.09.006


A nanomagnetic absorbent based on calcium alginate was produced successfully with the maghemite nanoparticles synthesized in situ, i.e., together with the polysaccharide crosslinking reaction. Physicochemical properties of the absorbent were analyzed and its ability to remove Ni(II) and Mn(II) ions from a real metallurgical industry wastewater was evaluated. Kinetic studies of the adsorption of these heavy metals were realized. To ascertain the most suitable quantity of absorbent to remove Ni(II) and Mn(II) from the wastewater, the absorbent mass was varied and adsorption kinetics was also evaluated. The competitiveness between the metals was evaluated to understand the adsorption mechanism. The samples were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, vibrating sample magnetometry, X-ray diffractometry and Mössbauer spectroscopy. The absorbent prepared, in this work, can be classified as a hydrogel. It presented predominant spherical morphology and micrometric dimension, containing atoms of iron and calcium dispersed uniformly in their internal and external surfaces. The synthesized maghemite nanoparticles presented superparamagnetic behavior. Results showed that the adsorption equilibrium time for both ions was about 60 min. The removal percentages from wastewater were 60.5% for nickel and 56.6% for manganese, using 300 mg of hydrogel. Results revealed that the adsorption mechanism is by ionic change between calcium and heavy metals.


International trade theory suggests that advanced trade integration may lead to higher level of IIT. The enlargement of the European Union during last decade is as a good example to analyse the IIT in agri-food products. The aim of the paper is to analyse the pattern and drivers of IIT within European Union between 1999 and 2010. Previous empirical studies fail to provide an exact link between the theory and the data. Thus, we employ a new empirical strategy developed to test the predictions of Helpman and Krugman (1985) model. At the country level, Belgium, France, Netherlands and Germany report the highest level of IIT within the EU. Our calculations mainly support the Cieslik's (2005) proposal to find the missing link between empirics and theory of IIT. In addition, our results are robust to various IIT indices and subsamples.


The objective of this study is to examine how Lean can make the utilization of inventory more effective and, from a Lean perspective, examine how the value-adding activities related to inventory can increase. To examine this, a case study was perfomed at Svenska Fonster. The conclusions of this study are that Lean can advantageously be applied on inventory to increase the efficiency.


While commencing the introduction of this special edition in the early months of 2021, the live music industries across the world were just beginning to tentatively emerge from what one commentator described as their "biggest collective threat in living memory"—COVID-19 (Mullova 2020). In England for example, as part of the "post-Covid" recovery process, a government-sanctioned trial event took place in Liverpool's Sefton Park on 2 May 2021, where 5,000 people attended with no masks or social distancing, in what Youngs (2021) described as "the largest number of people to have legally crammed into a small space in the UK since the start of the pandemic". Despite this being an iconic occasion for both artists and audience, the event gave scientists the opportunity to study factors such as the impacts of audience movement and catering and alcohol consumption, with it being compulsory for all attendees to take supervised lateral flow tests. This concert, promoted by Festival Republic, was part of the UK Government's broader "Events Research Programme", which included activities such as the FA Cup final and the World Snooker Championships. This series of events, overseen by an industry-led steering group and taking place between 18 April and 15 May 2021, were used to inform UK Government policy on social distancing, ventilation and test and trace protocols (UK Government 2021). © Equinox Publishing Ltd 2022


Small-vessel vasculitis is a convenient descriptor for a wide range of diseases characterized by vascular inflammation of the venules, capillaries, and/or arterioles with pleomorphic clinical manifestations. The classical clinical phenotype is leukocytoclastic vasculitis with palpable purpura, but manifestations vary widely depending upon the organs involved. Histopathologic examination in leukocytoclastic vasculitis reveals angiocentric segmental inflammation, fibrinoid necrosis, and a neutrophilic infiltrate around the blood vessel walls with erythrocyte extravasation. The etiology of small-vessel vasculitis is unknown in many cases, but in others, drugs, post viral syndromes, malignancy, primary vasculitis such as microscopic polyarteritis, and connective tissue disorders are associated. The diagnosis of small-vessel vasculitis relies on a thorough history and physical examination, as well as relevant antibody testing including antinuclear antibody and antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody, hepatitis B and C serologies, assessment of complement, immunoglobulins, blood count, serum creatinine, liver function tests, urinalysis, radiographic imaging, and biopsy.


This thesis is about the study of the effect of heave passive compensation during subsea factory heavy lift operations. All the analysis are based on the data provided by Peter Sandvik, Marintek. The main objective is to demonstrate the positive effect of passive heave compensation and determine the optimized stroke of passive heave compensator by the static and dynamic analysis in SIMA program. The literature study is based on articles related to heave compensation during marine operation and DNV-RP-H103, which provides guidance for modelling and analysis of marine operations. The different types of heave compensator with different applications are introduced in the thesis. Then, an introduction of SIMA program will be presented in chapter 4. Meanwhile how the models of environment conditions, different bodies and coupling specifications, as well as the calculation parameters are established in SIMA is illustrated in chapter 5. Moreover, five cases are performed in this thesis to prove that the passive heave compensator will contribute to the reduction of dynamic loads and motions during heavy lift operation. The analysis is performed in SIMA, a workbench used to solve tasks during marine operations. The lifting module is modelled as a combination of four same mudmat and the passive heave compensator is modelled by a fixed elongation coupling between the hook and cranemaster. As for the model without passive heave compensator, it just replaces the fixed elongation coupling between the hook and cranemaster with a simple coupling wire.And all he results from SIMA will be plotted in chapter 6. In the last chapter, the conclusion is drawn. It proves that the passive heave compensator has an effect of alleviating vertical forces and motions during heavy lift operation. Meanwhile it also demonstrates that the optimized PHC has the same influence as the initial PHC(passive heave compensator). At last, the recommendation for further work is given.


Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere, Kyoto University (RISH) has been studying the atmosphere and ionosphere by using radars. The first big facility was the MU (Middle and Upper atmosphere) radar installed in Shiga, Japan in 1984. This is one of the most powerful and multi-functional radar, and is successful of revealing importance of atmospheric waves for the dynamical vertical coupling processes. The next big radar was the Equatorial Atmosphere Radar (EAR) installed at Kototabang, West Sumatra, Indonesia in 2001. The EAR was operated under close collaboration with LAPAN (Indonesia National Institute for Aeronautics and Space), and conducted the long-term continuous observations of the equatorial atmosphere/ionosphere. The EAR, however, had a limited sensitivity to the MU radar as the total output power is just 1/10 to the MU radar. Our new project is to establish "Equatorial MU (EMU) Radar" just next to the EAR site in Indonesia. The EMU will have an active phased array antenna with the 163 m diameter and 1055 cross-element Yagis. Total output power of the EMU will be more than 500 kW. The EMU is the "MU radar class" facility, and can detect turbulent echoes from the mesosphere (60-80 km). In the ionosphere incoherent-scatter observations of plasma density, drift, and temperature would be possible. Multi-channel receivers will realizes radar-imaging observations. Preparation for the EMU progress in many aspect including site survey for the construction, discussion with local government, etc. In March 2019, RISH and LAPAN have 1st Internal School on Equatorial Atmosphere (ISQUAR) 2019 with more than 100 participants at Bandung, Indonesia. ISQUAR aims to promote interesting studies of the equatorial atmosphere and use of the atmospheric radar including the EMU. The EMU is one of the key element in the project "Study of coupling processes in the solar-terrestrial system" that is one of the important project in the Master Plan 2014 and 2017 of the Science Council of Japan (SCJ). We continue proposing the project to the SCJ Masterplan 2020.


In the last few years, knowledge management has become one of the hot topics discussed by scholars and industry practitioners. There is also an increasing awareness that to survive and maintain sustained competitive advantage in an uncertain and global market place, organisations need to give due consideration strategies that lead to effective knowledge management initiatives and outcomes. Despite the increasing in adoption of knowledge management concepts and initiatives in other industrial sectors, the construction industry has, arguably, been slow to adopt effective knowledge management practices and strategies; hence many construction organisations are yet to fully exploit the potential benefits of knowledge management concepts and initiatives. The main objectives this paper are, inter alia, to identify the importance and benefits of formal and informal knowledge management approaches in construction organisations and to critically appraise some of the strategies of knowledge management being adopted by organisations from which lessons learned are discussed for the benefits of the construction industry. The paper concludes that there are many knowledge management strategies currently being adopted and used by organisations and each having its own strengths, weaknesses, benefits and potentials. It also concludes that there is no one knowledge management strategy that is likely to lead to successful outcomes in all organisations, but there are certain issues worthy of consideration in developing a knowledge management strategy that offers potential for success. The realisation of this success will, however, depend on a host of factors, including organisational capabilities. This latter conclusion leads to important recommendations for the attention or industry, organisations and the academic community. These are also documented in the paper.


Purpose: Gastric adenocarcinoma is the third most common cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Accurate and affordable noninvasive detection methods have potential value for screening and surveillance. Herein, we identify novel methylated DNA markers (MDM) for gastric adenocarcinoma, validate their discrimination for gastric adenocarcinoma in tissues from geographically separate cohorts, explore marker acquisition through the oncogenic cascade, and describe distributions of candidate MDMs in plasma from gastric adenocarcinoma cases and normal controls. Experimental Design: Following discovery by unbiased whole-methylome sequencing, candidate MDMs were validated by blinded methylation-specific PCR in archival case–control tissues from U.S. and South Korean patients. Top MDMs were then assayed by an analytically sensitive method (quantitative real-time allele-specific target and signal amplification) in a blinded pilot study on archival plasma from gastric adenocarcinoma cases and normal controls. Results: Whole-methylome discovery yielded novel and highly discriminant candidate MDMs. In tissue, a panel of candidate MDMs detected gastric adenocarcinoma in 92% to 100% of U.S. and South Korean cohorts at 100% specificity. Levels of most MDMs increased progressively from normal mucosa through metaplasia, adenoma, and gastric adenocarcinoma with variation in points of greatest marker acquisition. In plasma, a 3-marker panel (ELMO1, ZNF569, C13orf18) detected 86% (95% CI, 71–95) of gastric adenocarcinomas at 95% specificity. Conclusions: Novel MDMs appear to accurately discriminate gastric adenocarcinoma from normal controls in both tissue and plasma. The point of aberrant methylation during oncogenesis varies by MDM, which may have relevance to marker selection in clinical applications. Further exploration of these MDMs for gastric adenocarcinoma screening and surveillance is warranted. Clin Cancer Res; 24(22); 5724–34. ©2018 AACR.


Orodispersible tablets (ODTs), also known as fast melt, quick melts, fast disintegrating have the unique property of disintegrating in the mouth in seconds without chewing and the need of water. The purpose of this investigation was to develop mouth dissolving tablets of Lornoxicam using KYRON T-314 (Polacrillin Potassium) as a novel superdisintegrant. Mouth dissolving tablets of lornoxicam were prepared by wet granulation technique using KYRON T-314 as superdisintegrant and menthol as subliming agent. The present study demonstrated potentials for rapid absorption, improved bioavailability, effective therapy and patient compliance.
Keywords: KYRON T-314, Mouth dissolving tablet, Lornoxicam, Subliming agent, Superdisintegrant


Increasing transducer bandwidth and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is fundamental to improving the quality of medical ultrasound images. In previous work, we have proposed the use of multi-layer 1-3 PZT/polymer composites to increase both, but have encountered significant fabrication challenges [19]. These difficulties include making the bond thickness between the layers small relative to the ultrasound wavelength and aligning the posts of the composite to increase coupling coefficient. Thus, we have developed a multi-layer composite hybrid array that will not require post alignment. Starting from a 2-MHz, three-layer PZT-5H, thick film transducer designed for 1.5-D arrays, cuts are made only through the top layer and back-filled with epoxy, forming a composite layer on top of two ceramic layers. Finite element (PZFlex) simulations show that for a 2-MHz phased-array element with a single matching layer, the three-layer hybrid structure increases the pulse echo SNR by 11 dB versus a single layer PZT element and improves -6 dB pulse echo fractional bandwidth by a factor of 1.4. Composite hybrid arrays fabricated in our laboratory showed an improvement in SNR of 6 to 11 dB over a PZT control and an increase in -6 dB bandwidth by a factor of 1.1. Images from a phased-array scanner confirmed these improvements.


When new health-promoting methods have been presented, it often takes a long time for them to come into daily use. This delay means that possible health gains are not achieved as quickly as we would like. Our hope is that this report will act as a support for public health planners, prevention coordinators and others with similar working tasks , i.e. for people who occasionally face the challenge of implementing new methods to promote public health.


Thin chitosan films were prepared by casting method and their  mechanical properties like tensile strength, elongation at break were studied .Cross linking agent  ethylene glycol (EG) was incorporated with chitosan in various ratios (where chitosan: EG 70:30,80:20and 90:10).Both chitosan and chitosan EG films were treated with gamma radiation. Films of 10% EG with chitosan treated with100 krad of gamma radiation showed the highest mechanical and thermal properties. The TS of 100 krad gamma treated chitosan EG film was 26.7 MPa and Eb is14.0%. Water uptake of the films was carried out at room temperature (25°C) in an aqueous medium. Thermal properties such as DSC and TGA studies were performed to understand the behavior of the irradiated chitosan EG films on application of thermal energy. Results of X-ray (XRD) analysis indicate the crystallinity and amorphous condition of the different intensity of diffraction peak.


A study of the electrical properties of metallic nanowires requires a clear analysis of conductive networks. In this study, we demonstrated that the conducting networks of Ag nanowires (AgNW) could be visually observed by examination of the voltage contrast of the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images, which was caused by the differences in the degrees of charging of AgNWs. When AgNWs dispersed on a quartz glass were irradiated by primary electrons, the substrate became negatively charged. This induced positive charges on the AgNWs in contact with the electrodes. As a result, AgNW networks connected to electrodes appeared dark in the SEM image, while the isolated AgNWs appeared brighter. By varying the acceleration voltage of the primary electrons, the extent of charging could be controlled, which, in turn, enabled the observation of the voltage contrast of AgNWs. Using the voltage contrast of SEM images, we could visually distinguish the AgNW networks having an electrical connection with the electrode from the ones that were not connected to the electrode.


This article reports on the results of a qualitative case study that addresses recent calls for greater attention to clinical aspects of practice and experiment in teacher education programmes. Grounded in the notion of approximations of practice, this study uses the analytic lens of teacher identity to understand how one group of preservice teachers in Hong Kong negotiated boundaries between opportunities for practising teaching within their university classroom and the classrooms of their practicum placement schools. Through in-depth interviews and classroom observations, this paper explores relations between opportunities to practice instructional routines and teacher identity construction within and beyond the university classroom. The data suggest that preservice teachers can face considerable challenges in constructing identities as they move between opportunities for practice available in coursework and engagement in the practices and activities of teaching within schools. These challenges include negotiating competency and gaining legitimate and legitimising access to practice as they confront relations of power within schools and teacher education programmes. Implications for the organisation of teacher education programmes that promote teacher agency and for future research are discussed.


This report describes a collaborative two-year action research project, Questions of Engagement, which aimed to identify influences on engagement and disengagement with learning of students in Years 5 to 8. This collaboration between Maribyrnong and Moonee Valley Local Learning and Employment Network, Victoria University (VU) and five schools in the inner west of Melbourne commenced in 2014. A participatory action research approach was used, with the phases of the research encompassing: 1.    Reconnaisance This phase developed strategies and measures on the level of engagement and disengagement amongst students: School-level data such as school demographics, attendance rates, parent satisfaction surveys, student satisfaction surveys, NAPLAN scores, and teacher and AusVELS assessments. Student focussed data - a Motivation and Engagement Survey (MES) (Martin 2013) and small group interviews of students. 2.    Plan This phase involved each school considering the reconnaissance findings and developing improvement strategies. The school level data shed little light on the level of student engagement. The student-focussed data was rich, and catalysed reflective discussions with teachers and the identification of school-specific projects to improve results. The MES data showed that students have high self-belief and are generally focussed on schooling. However, a number of students are struggling with Planning, Task Management, Anxiety and Uncertainty Control, and many are undermining their own learning through self-sabotage and disengagement. The student interview data identified what students experience as 'boosters' and guzzlers', and led to two additional themes of significance - Learning and School. 3.    Enact Four schools carried out a plan of action during 2015. Two schools implemented specific programs --Student Voice and the GANAG lesson planning approach. The other two schools undertook continuous improvement processes, one at a whole-of-school level and the other at the level of the individual classroom. Student-focussed data were collected in May and October of 2015 to examine student responses. 4.    Reflect This phase involved the research teams critically evaluating the intended and unintended consequences of the action taken. The changes in the MES data were found generally small and, due to the small numbers of students surveyed, could provide only indications of change. The interview data provided greater insight into students' responses to changes in practices. 5.    Re-plan Reflection took three of the participating schools into this next loop of participatory action research. The VU researcher linked the first-loop findings to current literature and tailored suggestions to each school's context and needs. Self-regulated learning underpinned the recommended pedagogical approach -  Assessment for Learning, Student as Researcher and Funds of Knowledge. 6.    Enact (2) A revised plan of action was developed by the schools in response to the recommendations. Two attributes of participatory action research were critical to the project's success: the collaborative approach; and its focus on the teaching practices and student learning occurring in each school. The Case Study demonstrates the power of the student voice in bringing about system-wide change.


To assess safety, antitumor response, and immunological and virological activity of interferon-alpha 2a and zidovudine combination therapy in patients with AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma, we conducted an open-label, Phase II, multicenter study. Sixty-three patients with biopsy-proven Kaposi's sarcoma and no previous interferon-alpha therapy received zidovudine 600 mg/day and interferon-alpha 2a 18 x 10(6) U/day. The median duration of follow-up was 49 weeks. Of 62 evaluable patients, 25 (40%; 95% confidence interval, 0.28-0.52) showed a complete (26%) or partial (15%) antitumor response. Eight of 30 patients (27%) with or = 100 CD4 cells/mm3 had a response. The median time to response was 36 weeks. Of the 25 patients with a response, four developed tumor progression. The median duration of response was 22.4 weeks. Eight patients (13%) developed another AIDS-defining event and 13 (21%) died. The major toxicities included anemia (16%), neutropenia (27%), elevated serum transaminases (16%), weight loss (16%), malaise (14%), fatigue (14%), fever (10%), and headache (6%). Therapy with intermediate-dose interferon-alpha 2a and zidovudine resulted in tumor regression in patients with AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma who had a wide range of CD4 cell counts; this therapy was relatively well tolerated.


An extensive data set of teleseismic and strong‐motion waveforms and geodetic offsets is used to study the rupture history of the 2008 Wenchuan, China, earthquake. A linear multiple‐time‐window approach is used to parameterize the rupture. Because of the complexity of the Wenchuan faulting, three separate planes are used to represent the rupturing surfaces. This earthquake clearly demonstrates the strengths and limitations of geodetic, teleseismic, and strong‐motion data sets. Geodetic data (static offsets) are valuable for determining the distribution of shallower slip but are insensitive to deeper faulting and reveal nothing about the timing of slip. Teleseismic data in the distance range 30°–90° generally involve no modeling difficulties because of simple ray paths and can distinguish shallow from deep slip. Teleseismic data, however, cannot distinguish between different slip scenarios when multiple fault planes are involved because steep takeoff angles lead to ambiguity in timing. Local strong‐motion data, on the other hand, are ideal for determining the direction of rupture from directivity but can easily be over modeled with inaccurate Green's functions, leading to misinterpretation of the slip distribution. We show that all three data sets are required to give an accurate description of the Wenchuan rupture. The moment is estimated to be approximately ![Graphic][1] with the slip characterized by multiple large patches with slips up to 10 m. Rupture initiates on the southern end of the Pengguan fault and proceeds unilaterally to the northeast. Upon reaching the cross‐cutting Xiaoyudong fault, rupture of the adjacent Beichuan fault starts at this juncture and proceeds bilaterally to the northeast and southwest.

 [1]: /embed/inline-graphic-1.gif


OBJECTIVE
To examine the strength of the association between different measures of health-related quality of life (HRQOL), disability, pain, and well-being in children with chronic arthritis. To evaluate whether HRQOL scores vary as a function of disability status beyond chance. To assess the quality of the parent proxy report for HRQOL as compared with disability, pain, and well-being.

METHODS
Measures of HRQOL (visual analog scale [VAS] of health, Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory [PedsQL], Juvenile Arthritis Quality of Life Questionnaire (JAQQ), and modified standard gamble technique [SG]), disability (Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire), VAS of pain, and VAS of well-being (VAS-well) were completed by the parents (n = 119) and patients > or =8 years (SG: > or =12 years).

RESULTS
HRQOL was highest when measured by the SG, whose utilities were no more than weakly correlated with any of the other outcomes. The values of all other HRQOL measures were at least moderately correlated with each other and with the VAS-well. Irrespective of the measure used, disability was associated with significantly decreased HRQOL. There was fair to good agreement and moderate consistency of the HRQOL ratings (SG: fair consistency) between patients and parents with marked differences between health domains.

CONCLUSION
HRQOL measured by the PedsQL, JAQQ, and VAS are moderately to highly correlated with each other in children with chronic arthritis. The children's HRQOL significantly decreases with increasing disability. Despite more pronounced differences for some health domains, parents are moderate to good proxy reporters of HRQOL, disability, and well-being of children with chronic arthritis.


Abstract Is an MBA the solution for you? Do physician executives need to have a business degree to compete in today's competitive marketplace? What are clients looking for when they make hiring decisions? The answers may surprise you. This column is an attempt to dispel myths about physician executives and the MBA degree. Clients want to attract and hire physician executives who possess sometimes intangible skills--with or without the MBA credential. These intangible skills include the ability to educate other physicians to the new health care realities, a sales orientation emphasizing effective communication that focuses on patients and payers as customers, comfort with ambiguity, flexibility, and tact and sensitivity in negotiations.


The effects of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) on weanling piglets after mixing stress were investigated and the underlying molecular mechanism was analyzed. Sixty weaning piglets were randomly assigned to either the control group (weaning and mixing with a 3 : 3 sex ratio) or the GABA supplement group (30 mg GABA/kg body weight/day + weaning and mixing with a 3 : 3 sex ratio). Aggressive behaviours have been recorded for 2 days and the number of lesions for 3 days. The diarrhea rate on day 6 post-weaning and mixing was analyzed. Serum biochemical indicators, antioxidant variables, jejunum villus morphology and mRNA levels of stress-related neuropeptide genes of the hippocampus were investigated. The GABA addition decreased serum adrenocorticotropic hormone concentrations (P < 0.05), aggressive behaviours of weaned piglets 5 h after mixing (P < 0.05), lesion scores over the entire 3-day period (P < 0.01) and diarrhea rate (P < 0.01) and improved jejunum villus integrity. Serum neuropeptide Y (NPY) concentration (P < 0.05) and total superoxide dismutase activity (P < 0.01) were increased in the GABA supplement group, whereas serum malondialdehyde concentration had a decreasing tendency (0.05 < P < 0.1), and glutathione peroxidase activity had an increasing tendency (0.05 < P < 0.1). The GABA treatment group had increased mRNA levels of NPY (P < 0.05) and peptide YY (PYY) (P < 0.05) in the hippocampus, which may contribute to insights into the regulatory mechanism of GABA in weaning and mixing stress. The addition of GABA is beneficial to reduce weaning and mixing stress in piglets, and NPY and PYY may mediate the process.


Several polyribonucleotides are currently in clinical trials for the treatment of cancer or viral diseases. The present report in mice demonstrates that polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid and poly-L-lysine which has been stabilized in carboxymethylcellulose (poly (ICLC) as well as polyadenosinic-polyuridylic acid (poly AU), both potently augment natural killer (NK) activity in the liver, which is often a target organ for the formation of metastases during the progression of human cancer. Following the administration of poly ICLC (10 micrograms/mouse), greater NK activity as measured by lytic units (LU), was observed in the liver (445 LU) than in blood (63 LU) or spleen (20 LU). The high level of NK activity in the liver was in contrast to the low levels observed in untreated mice, and was maintained for at least 9 days post injection. NK activity in the blood and spleen returned to normal levels by day 6. Similar results were obtained with poly AU except that approximately 10-fold more poly AU (100 micrograms/mouse) was required to induce optimal augmentation of NK activity. Further studies demonstrated that the increase in liver-associated NK activity induced by poly ICLC was associated with a 10- to 20-fold increase in liver-associated leukocytes, termed nonparenchymal cells (NPC). Fractionation of the NPC on discontinuous density gradients of Percoll demonstrated that the NK activity mediated by NPC was associated with cells morphologically characterized as large granular lymphocytes (LGL). Further studies demonstrated that the repeated administration of poly ICLC resulted in significantly higher levels of liver-associated NK activity and total liver-associated LGL as compared to a single injection.


Eukaryotes express at least three nuclear DNA-dependent RNA polymerases (Pols) responsible for synthesizing all RNA required by the cell. Despite sharing structural homology, they have functionally diverged to suit their distinct cellular roles. Although the Pols have been studied extensively, direct comparison of their enzymatic properties is difficult because studies are often conducted under disparate experimental conditions and techniques. Here, we directly compare and reveal functional differences between Saccharomyces cerevisiae Pols I and II using a series of quantitative in vitro transcription assays. We find that Pol I single-nucleotide and multinucleotide addition rate constants are faster than those of Pol II. Pol I elongation complexes are less stable than Pol II elongation complexes, and Pol I is more error prone than Pol II. Collectively, these data show that the enzymatic properties of the Pols have diverged over the course of evolution, optimizing these enzymes for their unique cellular responsibilities.


This thesis investigates the synthesis of gold(III) pincer complexes and their functionalisation and reactivity with sulfur based ligands. The first chapter gives a brief introduction to gold chemistry, focusing on C^N^C gold(III) pincer complexes. The synthesis of these complexes and their subsequent functionalisation is described, emphasising their impact on our understanding of gold(III) chemistry.

Chapter Two investigates the synthesis of a series of C^N^C gold(III) thiolate complexes. These complexes are photoluminescent and show either red or green emission. The emission properties are investigated in the solid state and solution. Analysis of crystal polymorphs with different emission properties show the potential for intermolecular interactions to affect the emission pathway. We identify two separate emission pathways resulting in the different emissions observed.

Chapter Three explores the potential mechanisms of reductive elimination from C^N^C gold(III) complexes. Two different methodologies have been developed that trigger either C–S or C–C bond formation from a series of gold(III) complexes (chloride, thiolate, aryl and alkyl). The investigations are extended to further gold(III) heteroatom species and their reactivity is compared.

Chapter Four investigates reactions of gold(III) complexes with two different transmetallating agents: organozinc halides and silyl boronic acids. Use of these transmetallating agents, to the best of our knowledge, is unexplored with gold(III) systems. Zinc aryl halides transmetallate Au–Cl and Au–S bonds affording gold(III) aryls in one step under mild conditions. The use of a silyl boronic acid in the transmetallation of Au–O bonds produces a gold(III) silyl complex.

Chapter Five investigates the synthesis and anticancer properties of a series of C^N^C gold(III) NHC complexes. We investigate the potential influence of systemic alterations to both the pincer system and NHC upon the anticancer properties and DNA intercalation. In addition, the reactivity of these complexes with thiols is probed.