Background: Incorporation of nanoparticles with antibacterial properties plays an essential role in the success of endodontic therapy. Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the antimicrobial efficacy of zinc oxide (ZnO)-based sealer incorporated with fluorinated graphene and ZnO nanoparticles against Enterococcus faecalis. Subjects and Methods: Sixty human extracted mandibular premolars with single canal were selected. After biomechanical preparation of all teeth and inoculation with E. faecalis, teeth were divided into three groups according to the type of the tested sealer, Group 1: Teeth were obturated with ZnO-based sealer only, Group 2: Teeth were obturated using sealer incorporated with fluorinated graphene, and Group 3: Teeth were obturated using sealer incorporated with ZnO nanoparticles. Each group was subdivided into two subgroups according to the timing of filling removal and culture sample. Subgroup A: Obturation removal and culture sample were taken after 1 week. Subgroup B: Obturation removal and culture sample were taken after 3 weeks. The number of colonies forming units was counted to assess the effect against E. faecalis. Data were recorded, tabulated, and statistically analyzed using the Kruskal–Wallis test was applied to find significance among the groups (1, 2, and 3). The Mann–Whitney U-test was applied to find significance between the groups. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was applied to find significance between two-time intervals (24 h to 1 week, 24 h to 2 weeks) in each group. P < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: After 3 weeks from obturation, fluorinated graphene had a better antibacterial effect and there was a significant difference between the three tested groups. Conclusion: After 1- and 3-weeks samples after obturation fluorinated graphene had a better antibacterial effect and there was a significant difference between the three tested groups.


Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified an abundance of genetic loci associated with complex traits and diseases. In contrast, in-depth characterization of an individual genetic signal is rarely available. Here, we focus on the genetic variant rs2168518 in 15q24.1 previously associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), but only with suggestive evidence. In a two-step procedure, we initially conducted a series of association analyses to further delineate the association of rs2168518 with AMD but also with other complex phenotypes by using large independent datasets from the International AMD Genomics Consortium (IAMDGC) and the UK Biobank. We then performed a functional annotation with reference to gene expression regulation based on data from the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project and RegulomeDB. Association analysis revealed a gender-specific association with male AMD patients and an association predominantly with choroidal neovascularization. Further, the AMD association colocalizes with an association signal of several blood pressure-related phenotypes and with the gene expression regulation of CYP1A1, a member of the cytochrome P450 superfamily of monooxygenases. Functional annotation revealed altered transcription factor (TF) binding sites for gender-specific TFs, including SOX9 and SRY. In conclusion, the pleiotropic 15q24.1 association signal suggests a shared mechanism between blood pressure regulation and choroidal neovascularization with a potential involvement of CYP1A1.


Graph analytics, which explores the relationships among interconnected entities, is becoming increasingly important due to its broad applicability, from machine learning to social sciences. However, due to the irregular data access patterns in graph computations, one major challenge for graph processing systems is performance. The algorithms, softwares, and hardwares that have been tailored for mainstream parallel applications are generally not effective for massive, sparse graphs from the real-world problems, due to their complex and irregular structures. To address the performance issues in large-scale graph analytics, we leverage the exceptional random access performance of the emerging Hybrid Memory Cube (HMC) combined with the flexibility and efficiency of modern FPGAs. In particular, we develop a collaborative software/hardware technique to perform a level-synchronized Breadth First Search (BFS) on a FPGA-HMC platform. From the software perspective, we develop an architecture-aware graph clustering algorithm that exploits the FPGA-HMC platform»s capability to improve data locality and memory access efficiency. From the hardware perspective, we further improve the FPGA-HMC graph processor architecture by designing a memory request merging unit to take advantage of the increased data locality resulting from graph clustering. We evaluate the performance of our BFS implementation using the AC-510 development kit from Micron and achieve $2.8 \times$ average performance improvement compared to the latest FPGA-HMC based graph processing system over a set of benchmarks from a wide range of applications.


Since the announcement of the Open-Door policy in 1978, a plethora of reform initiatives have been introduced into the Chinese construction sector, calling upon the contributors to the construction process to adopt new ways of conducting business. This is especially true for contracting firms. However, the processes by means of which contracting firms organise themselves in response to a rapidly changing operating environment is notably neglected in the existing literature. The current research aims to address this imbalance by adopting a sensemaking perspective. Contracting firms are viewed not as quasi-fixed entities but rather as organising processes through which managers continuously make sense of a changing operating environment. Therefore, the task of organising is seen to be synonymous with sensemaking, which comprises a combination of continuously interactive discursive and material practices. The primary research interest lies in accessing managers' sensemaking processes. Of particular importance are the ways in which managers appropriate the changing environment within which they operate and how this influences their socially constructed roles.
Three case studies of state-owned contracting firms in the Chongqing City region are presented as a means of illustrating the ways in which managers make sense of the ongoing processes of marketization. Diverse voices are accessed through semi-structured interviews and documentary analysis. It is concluded that managers' sensemaking practices take place at the nexus between contracting firms and the broader operating environment. Informed by their past experiences, managers are seen to continuously establish their own personalised mental maps for the purposes of navigating through the changing environment. Managers from the same firm produce diverse, even contradictory, interpretations of the same event as they continuously respond to 'reality in flight'. Chinese managers are seen to selectively mobilise a mixture of market-based terminologies together with remnants of quasi-military terminology for the purposes of legitimizing their actions. Policy initiatives, such as 'bid and tender', 'project management', 'firm', 'government' and 'PPP' are found to be particularly relevant to Chinese managers. It is contended that managers in state-owned firms retain a partial self-identity as 'cadres of the party' while at the same time reluctantly absorbing the notion of being an 'employee'. It has further been demonstrated that construction activities have been subject to an ongoing process of projectification. However, despite the introduction of quasi-contractual relationships between market-based entities, the long tradition of guanxi and the dominant role of government are not easy to overcome. It is concluded that the processes of marketization in the Chinese construction sector are continuously shaped and re-shaped by the sensemaking practices of senior managers.


Background : Recent studies have raised the issue of an increased incidence of polycystic ovaries (PCO) and menstrual disturbances in women with epilepsy treated with valproate (VPA). It seems that antiepileptic drugs, especially valproate, may have a functional role in altering the endocrine system of child-bearing women with epilepsy. We conducted this study to investigate the association of VPA and ovarian structural/menstrual disorders in epileptic women. Methods : In this cross-sectional study, we compared a total of 64 epileptic patients, aged 16-45 years, 32 of whom had been taking VPA alone and 32 were on other antiepileptic drugs for a minimum duration of six months. Ovarian sonography was performed and body mass index (BMI) calculated for all subjects. We also recorded the presence of menstrual disturbances in both groups. Results : Fifteen (46%) of the VPA subjects had PCO compared to 7 (21.9%) of the other group. In the VPA group, four (12.5%) had oligomenorrhea, one (3.1%) amenorrhea and 13 (40.6%) had irregular menstrual cycles. However, from the other group, two (6.3%) subjects had oligomenorrhea and seven (21.9%) had irregular menstrual cycles; amenorrhea was not present in the non-VPA treated patients. Mean BMI was 22.5 kg/m 2 among the VPA subjects and 20.1 kg/m 2 in the non-VPA subjects. Conclusions: This study supports the association of PCO and high BMI with VPA treatment. The frequency of menstrual disturbances did not differ significantly between the two groups.


Most musicians strive to create performances that are both technically correct and musically expressive. They make specific changes to their performance to bring out the music's expressive potential. Researchers have attempted to identify these particular changes in order to better understand how expressive performances are created. This is an important undertaking because understanding how expressive performances are created, communicated, learned, and experienced, gives musicians and music teachers knowledge they can use to enhance their performing and teaching with regard to artistry. This study investigates a teaching strategy for enhancing aspects of individual vocal expressive performance (e.g. dynamics, timing, and so on). There is an increasing amount of empirical research targeting specific components of the complicated and "ill-structured domain" (Spiro, Feltovich, Jacobson, & Coulson, 1995) that is expressive performance (EP). Comprehensive reviews by De Poli (2004), Gabrielsson (1999, 2003), Goebl, Dixon, De Poli, Friberg, Bresin, & Widmer (2008), Juslin and Laukka (2004), Juslin and Sloboda (2001), and Widmer and Goebl (2004) highlight approaches researchers have taken in investigating EP. These approaches include the communication of emotion in music performance, statistical analysis of expressive performances, computational modeling of EP, strategies for teaching EP, and factors that inhibit individual EP. Communication of emotion in EP Regarding the communication of emotion in musical performance, Juslin (1999) found that listener's perceptions of emotional expression in music change when cues (e.g. tempo, dynamics, timing, and articulation) are altered. In a psychological approach to investigating communication of emotion in music, Gabrielsson (2002) found that emotional perception (perceiving emotional expression in music but not necessarily being influenced by that emotion) and emotional induction (having an emotional response to hearing emotions in music) are affected by musical, personal, and situational factors. Other psychological research focuses on understanding the connection between hearing music, and emotional perceptions or responses (Gabrielsson & Juslin, 1996; Gabrielsson & Lindstrom, 2001; Juslin & Sloboda, 2001). Statistical analysis of EP Research in statistical analysis of expressive performance attempts to identify and explore discrete components of EP such as expressive timings and dynamics, or to identify the expressive ways that expert performances vary from one to the next. Data usually come from audio recordings of expert performances (Cook, 2007; Repp, 1992) or from computer-controlled acoustic pianos or other measurement devices (Bresin & Battel, 2000; Repp, 1995). This line of research is helpful in understanding the exact changes musicians make to their performance, and provides performers with concrete suggestions for enhancing their own EP. Computational modeling of EP EP has also been studied through a method known as computational modeling. Ramirez, Hazan, Maestre, and Serra (2008) explain that, "In these approaches, humans are responsible for devising a theory or a mathematical model that captures different aspects of musical EP" (p. 38). Also known as kinematic models, computational models typically propose a correlation between the laws of physical motion, and timing in music performance (Friberg, Sundberg, & Fryden, 2000; Honing, 2003; Sundberg, 2000). Widmer and Goebl's (2004) review of computational models places special emphasis on four prominent models: (a) the structure-level model of timing and dynamics (Todd, 1985, 1992), (b) the rule-based performance model (Friberg, 1991; Friberg & Sundberg, 1987; Sundberg, Friberg, & Fryden, 1989), (c) the mathematical model of musical structure and expression (Mazolla, 2002; Mazzola & Goller, 2002), and (d) machine learning models (Widmer, 2002; Widmer & Tobudic, 2003). …


This paper presents a method for model checking programs for programmable logic controllers (PLCs) using the counterexample-guided abstraction refinement (CEGAR) approach. The technique is tailored to this specific hardware platform by accounting for the cyclic scanning mode that is symptomatic to PLCs. In particular, the hard-ware model poses the need for on-the-fly abstraction refinement in order to guarantee a deterministic control flow. It also allows to treat refinement phases triggered by input and global variables differently, leading to a more effective implementation. The effectiveness of this approach is shown in a case study, which highlights the verification process for function blocks that implement a specification provided by the industrial consortium PLCopen.


Phytoplankton diversity has been traditionally studied on the basis of descriptive taxonomic and morphological features by using microscopic methods which have their limitations when it comes to very small organisms. The introduction of molecular markers has elucidated many examples of cryptic diversity and demonstrated a high molecular biodiversity within all plankton size-classes. However, insights into the biodiversity of nanoplankton communities are still very limited. The recent discovery of the genus Azadinium with its isolated taxonomic position within the Dinoflagellates has demonstrated the need for further deep examinations of nanoplankton size fractions (2-20 μm). Among the three known Azadinium species, A. spinosum is a toxigenic representative producing azaspiracids. Not much is known of the potential diversity within the new genus, but many different azaspiracid forms have been identified. Hence it is of particular interest to investigate whether A.spinosum is the only toxic species or whether there exist other toxic or nontoxic ones. Within this study we established a 454-amplicon sequencing method to analyze large ribosomal subunit (LSU) D1/D2 rDNA region in order to study biodiversity of the micro- and nanoplankton fraction. In this high throughput approach on the basis of pyrosequencing LSU fragments amplified via PCR are sequenced. We could show for the first time that 454-sequencing works on board a research vessel. Regional differences in the biodiversity and differences between the micro- and nanoplankton communities were observed. We showed that the dinoflagellates and diatoms were the dominant groups within the two size fractions at the time and place of sampling. Azadinium species were only observed in low abundance at the sample sites/time but not at all in the Faroe Islands. In total four potential new Azadinium species, defined as operational taxonomic units (OTUs), were identified on the basis of maximum likelihood phylogenies. The combination of the deep sequencing approach (454 amplicon pyrosequencing) and a powerful molecular marker such as the LSU D1/D2 rDNA region showed a new possibility to investigate biodiversity even online in the field. The existence of the new four Azadinium OTUs has to be further confirmed with living isolates or by visualization of fixed cell within a samples using fluorescence in situ hybridization with OTUs/species specific probes. In future studies, the connection of metatranscriptomic and molecular biodiversity analysis will advance our understanding of the genetic diversity, metabolic function and the ecology and evolution within the plankton community.


The metabolic engineering of pathways has been used extensively to produce molecules of interest on an industrial scale. Methods like gene regulation or substrate channeling helped to improve the desired product yield. Cell-free systems are used to overcome the weaknesses of engineered strains. One of the challenges in a cell-free system is selecting the optimized enzyme concentration for optimal yield. Here, a machine learning approach is used to select the enzyme concentration for the upper part of glycolysis. The artificial neural network approach (ANN) is known to be inefficient in extrapolating predictions outside the box: high predicted values will bump into a sort of "glass ceiling". In order to explore this "glass ceiling" space, we developed a new methodology named glass ceiling ANN (GC-ANN). Principal component analysis (PCA) and data classification methods are used to derive a rule for a high flux, and ANN to predict the flux through the pathway using the input data of 121 balances of four enzymes in the upper part of glycolysis. The outcomes of this study are i. in silico selection of optimum enzyme concentrations for a maximum flux through the pathway and ii. experimental in vitro validation of the "out-of-the-box" fluxes predicted using this new approach. Surprisingly, flux improvements of up to 63% were obtained. Gratifyingly, these improvements are coupled with a cost decrease of up to 25% for the assay.


Upon exposure of human red blood cells to hypertonic sucrose, the fluorescence of the potentiometric indicator 3,3'- dipropylthiadicarbocyanine iodide, denoted diS-C3(5), displays a biphasic time course indicating the rapid development of an inside- positive transmembrane voltage, followed by a slow DIDS (4,4'- diisothiocyano-2,2'-disulfonic acid stilbene)-sensitive decline of the voltage. In addition to monitoring membrane potential, proton (or hydroxide) fluxes were measured by a pH stat method, cell volume was monitored by light scattering, and cell electrolytes were measured directly when red cells were shrunken either with hypertonic NaCl or sucrose. Shrinkage by sucrose induced an initial proton efflux (or OH- influx) of 5.5 mu eq/g Hb.min and a Cl shift of 21-31 mu eq/g Hb in 15 min. Upon shrinkage with hypertonic NaCl, the cells are initially close to Donnan equilibrium and exhibit no detectable shift of Cl or protons. Experiments with the carbonic anhydrase inhibitor ethoxzolamide demonstrate that for red cell suspensions exposed to air and shrunken with sucrose, proton fluxes mediated by the Jacobs-Stewart cycle contribute to dissipation of the increased outward Cl concentration gradient. With maximally inhibitory concentrations of ethoxzolamide, a residual proton efflux of 2 mu eq/g Hb.min is insensitive to manipulation of the membrane potential with valinomycin, but is completely inhibited by DIDS. The ethoxzolamide-insensitive apparent proton efflux may be driven against the electrochemical gradient, and is thus consistent with HCl cotransport (or Cl/OH exchange). The data are consistent with predictions of equations describing nonideal osmotic and ionic equilibria of human red blood cells. Thus osmotic equilibration after shrinkage of human red blood cells by hypertonic sucrose occurs in two time-resolved steps: rapid equilibration of water followed by slower equilibration of chloride and protons (or hydroxide). Under our experimental conditions, about two-thirds of the osmotically induced apparent proton efflux is mediated by the Jacobs- Stewart cycle, with the remainder being consistent with mediation via DIDS-sensitive HCl cotransport (or Cl/OH exchange).


BACKGROUND: There has been a surge in clinical trials studying the safety and efficacy of mesenchymal stem cells for the treatment of perianal Crohn's disease. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this work was to systematically review the literature to determine safety and efficacy of mesenchymal stem cells for the treatment of refractory perianal Crohn's disease. DATA SOURCES: Sources included PubMed, Cochrane Library Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Embase. STUDY SELECTION: Studies that reported safety and/or efficacy of mesenchymal stem cells for the treatment of perianal Crohn's disease were included. Two independent assessors reviewed eligible articles. INTERVENTION: The study intervention was delivery of mesenchymal stem cells to treat perianal Crohn's disease. MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES: Safety and efficacy of mesenchymal stem cells used to treat perianal Crohn's disease were measured. RESULTS: Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the systematic review. Three trials with a comparison arm were included in the meta-analysis. There were no significant increases in adverse events (OR = 1.07 (95% CI, 0.61–1.89); p = 0.81) or serious adverse events (OR = 0.53 (95% CI, 0.28–0.98); p = 0.04) in patients treated with mesenchymal stem cells. Mesenchymal stem cells were associated with improved healing as compared with control subjects at primary end points of 6 to 24 weeks (OR = 3.06 (95% CI, 1.05–8.90); p = 0.04) and 24 to 52 weeks (OR = 2.37 (95% CI, 0.90–6.25); p = 0.08). LIMITATIONS: The study was limited by its multiple centers and heterogeneity in the study inclusion criteria, mesenchymal stem cell origin, dose and frequency of delivery, use of scaffolding, and definition and time point of fistula healing. CONCLUSIONS: Although there have been only 3 trials conducted with control arms, existing data demonstrate improved efficacy and no increase in adverse or serious adverse events with mesenchymal stem cells as compared with control subjects for the treatment of perianal Crohn's disease.


The movement of electrostatically actuated microbridges is measured by sensing the field of a permanent magnet, deposited and patterned on top of the microbridge, with a spin valve magnetic sensor fabricated beside the bridge at the level of the substrate. The spin valve sensor is sensitive to the position of the magnet and thus to the position of the bridge. The thin-film microbridges are fabricated using thin-film technology and surface micromachining at low temperatures (/spl les/100/spl deg/C) on glass substrates. The bridges are electrostatically actuated by applying a voltage between the bridges and a gate counter electrode placed beneath them. The deflection of the bridge is at the same time characterized optically by focusing a laser on the structure and monitoring the position of the reflected beam with a photodetector. A comparison of the bridge position sensing using the optical and magnetic methods is made. The absolute movement of the structures is measured with a precision close to 0.1 /spl Aring/ using the integrated magnetic sensor. The deflection of the electrostatically actuated structures is studied as a function of the applied gate voltage and length of the bridges. The experimental results show qualitative agreement with an electromechanical model.


A single-chip silicon condenser microphone with a sandwich diaphragm and an electroplating perforated copper backplate has been developed. The sandwich diaphragm is designed to have a slight tensile stress. The backplate is made using copper electroplating technology and perforated with circular holes. Perforated circular holes on backplate are laid out as hexagon to adjust air-gap damping between diaphragm and backplate to critical damping to enlarge frequency bandwidth of microphone. Fabrication is simple enough and only needs five photolithography marsks. Measurements show the open-circuit with 9V bias voltage reaches 5.45mv/Pa in 1KHz, pull-in voltage is 14V, and the flat frequency response within 3Db is from 100Hz to 20KHz. The performances of microphone meet the requirement of industrial use. Thereby, it has promising prospect for industrial and commercial field.


New isolated petrosals from the Itaborai beds of Brazil (late Palaeocene or early Eocene) are here described and referred to the early diverging litoptern Miguelsoria parayirunhor, based on phylogenetic, size, and abundance arguments. Both the external and internal anatomy of these specimens were investigated, which for the first time document many details of the auditory region of a Palaeogene litoptern. Our cladistic analysis, which included our new observations, failed to recover a monophyletic Litopterna but did not exclude it. A constrained analysis for the monophyly of this order showed that several features such as a (sub)quadrangular and anteroposteriorly elongated tensor tympani fossa and a large notch in the vicinity of the external opening of the cochlear canaliculus may constitute synapomorphies for Litopterna. The evolution of several other auditory characters amongst Litopterna is discussed and the relative dimensions of the inner ear and surrounding petrosal in the group were also investigated. This allowed detection of negative allometry of the bony labyrinth within the petrosal, which was confirmed by measurements and regression analysis across a larger sample of placental mammals. This scaling effect probably has an important influence on several characters of the bony labyrinth and petrosal, amongst which are the length of the vestibular aqueduct and cochlear canaliculus. It demonstrates that many aspects of the morphological variation of the bony labyrinth need to be thoroughly investigated before being incorporated into phylogenetic analyses.  © 2015 The Linnean Society of London


Reasonable expectation of privacy has become the touchstone for determining invasion of privacy and search and seizure claims in common law countries. In the covert surveillance case of Kinloch v HM Advocate [2012] UKSC 62, [2013] 2 AC 93, Lord Hope invoked reasoning premised on the diminished privacy individuals can expect in public places. But by focusing solely on the actions of the individual, this enquiry fails to query the measures taken by the state itself. It can be contrasted to the case of Paton v Poole Borough Council IPT/09/01/C, 29 July 2010, where the Investigatory Powers Tribunal readily found that the Council's own conduct in spying on the Paton family clearly interfered with their right to respect for their private and family life in a manner that was unnecessary, unlawful, and unreasonable.


Solar cells can strongly benefit from optical strategies capable of providing the desired broadband absorption of sunlight and consequent high conversion efficiency. While many diffractive light-trapping structures prove high absorption enhancements, their industrial application rather depends on simplicity concerning the integration to the solar cell concept and the process technology. Here, we show how simple grating lines can perform as well as advanced light-trapping designs. We use a shallow and periodic grating as the basic element of a quasi-random structure, which is highly suitable for industrial mass production. Its checkerboard arrangement breaks the mirror symmetry and is shown, for instance, to enhance the bulk current of a 1 µm slab of crystalline silicon by 125%. We explain its excellent performance by drawing a direct link between a structure's Fourier series and the implied photocurrent, derived from a large and diverse set of structures. Our design rule thus meets all relevant aspects of light-trapping for solar cells, clearing the way for simple, practical, and yet outstanding diffractive structures, with a potential impact beyond photonic applications.


Non-coding RNAs (sRNA) play an important role in bacterial adaptation and virulence. The identification of the most complete set of targets for these regulatory RNAs is key to fully identifying the perimeter of its function(s). ABSTRACT Non-coding RNAs (sRNA) play a key role in controlling gene expression in bacteria, typically by base-pairing with ribosome binding sites to block translation. The modification of ribosome traffic along the mRNA generally affects its stability. However, a few cases have been described in bacteria where sRNAs can affect translation without a major impact on mRNA stability. To identify new sRNA targets in Bacillus subtilis potentially belonging to this class of mRNAs, we used pulsed-SILAC (stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture) to label newly synthesized proteins after short expression of the RoxS sRNA, the best characterized sRNA in this bacterium. RoxS sRNA was previously shown to interfere with the expression of genes involved in central metabolism, permitting control of the NAD+/NADH ratio in B. subtilis. In this study, we confirmed most of the known targets of RoxS, showing the efficiency of the method. We further expanded the number of mRNA targets encoding enzymes of the TCA cycle and identified new targets. One of these is YcsA, a tartrate dehydrogenase that uses NAD+ as co-factor, in excellent agreement with the proposed role of RoxS in management of NAD+/NADH ratio in Firmicutes. IMPORTANCE Non-coding RNAs (sRNA) play an important role in bacterial adaptation and virulence. The identification of the most complete set of targets for these regulatory RNAs is key to fully identifying the perimeter of its function(s). Most sRNAs modify both the translation (directly) and mRNA stability (indirectly) of their targets. However, sRNAs can also influence the translation efficiency of the target primarily, with little or no impact on mRNA stability. The characterization of these targets is challenging. We describe here the application of the pulsed SILAC method to identify such targets and obtain the most complete list of targets for a defined sRNA.


Information on papillomavirus DNA replication has primarily derived from studies with bovine papillomavirus type 1 (BPV-1). Our knowledge of DNA replication of the human papillomaviruses (HPVs) is quite limited, in part because of the lack of a cell culture system capable of supporting the stable replication of HPV DNA. This study demonstrates that the full-length genomic DNAs of HPV types 11 and 18 (HPV-11 and HPV-18), but not HPV-16, are able to replicate transiently after transfection into several different human squamous cell carcinoma cell lines. This system was used to identify the viral cis and trans elements required for DNA replication. The viral origins of replication were localized to a region of the viral long control region. Like BPV-1, E1 and E2 were the only viral factors required in trans for the replication of plasmids containing the origin. Cotransfection of a plasmid expressing the E1 open reading frame (ORF) from HPV-11 with a plasmid that expresses the E2 ORF from HPV-6, HPV-11, HPV-16, or HPV-18 supported the replication of plasmid DNAs containing the origin regions of HPV-11, HPV-16, or HPV-18, indicating that there are functions shared among the corresponding E1 and E2 proteins and origins of these viruses. Although HPV-16 genomic DNA did not replicate by itself under experimental conditions that supported the replication of HPV-11 and HPV-18 genomic DNAs, expression of the HPV-16 early region functions from a strong heterologous promoter supported the replication of a cotransfected plasmid containing the HPV-16 origin of replication. This finding suggests that the inability of the HPV-16 genomic DNA to replicate transiently in the cell lines tested was most likely due to insufficient expression of the viral E1 and/or E2 genes required for DNA replication.


INTRODUCTION
Every year, 112.5 million blood donations are collected globally with half of these done in the high income countries where only 19% of the world's population lives. In Cameroon, 400,000 bags of blood are needed yearly for the treatment of patients in hospitals with the deficit in voluntary blood donations being in the neighbourhood of about 350,000 bags. To manage the supply and use of blood worldwide, the World Health Organisation (WHO) placed pertinent recommendations for blood safety and clinical use. We found some studies in Cameroon which assessed part of the clinical practice in blood transfusion specifically blood transfusion indications but documentation is scarce on a complete assessment of blood transfusion clinical practice. The greatest prevalence of blood transfusions in Cameroon is in children, yet the appropriateness of the practice has been scarcely assessed.
OBJECTIVES
In this hospital based study, we had as aim to describe and assess the pattern of blood transfusion practice in children with international recommendations.
MATERIALS AND METHOD
We carried out a descriptive cross sectional study in a Paediatric tertiary hospital. A pretested designed data collection tool was used and every child less than 20 years of age prescribed a transfusion at the hospital was recruited. The transfusions were observed by the investigator up to the end of transfusions and records taken. Data was also collected from medical records, blood request forms, blood tubes and monitoring sheets. The transfusions were timed from their indication up to the end of process. The data collected was entered on CS-Pro 7.1 and analysed on SPSS version 20.0. Cut off statistical significance was set at 0.1.
RESULTS
During the study, 197 transfusions were observed with a predominance of males at 67% and of age group >1year-5years at 35.5%. The average number of transfusions per patient was 1.2. Severe malaria and cancer were the main diagnosis among those transfused at 36.5% and 18.3% respectively. The most frequent indication stated on blood request form was severe anaemia (80.7 %) with no mention of Hb value or any other statement to justify transfusion. The relevant pre-transfusion blood value was recorded in 93.9% of the medical records. Cardiac failure was assessed in 77.2 % of medical records. At least two vital signs were taken before transfusion in 81.7% of patients. Post-transfusion evaluation was hardly ever done immediately transfusion ended (5.1%). Delay of initiation from indication time was at an average of 9.8 hours. There were 52.8% of transfusions which exceeded 4 hours. Transfusion Transmissible Infections (TTIs) were found in 1% of blood bags retested at hospital. The volume of blood discarded was 32903ml equivalent to over 65 blood bags of 500ml. Transfusion indications were appropriate in 70.1% of patients though they were hardly ever clearly stated on blood request forms. The type of blood product demanded was always appropriate and the volume demanded appropriate in 69.5% of patients. Blood request forms were never appropriate and pre-transfusion blood sample was appropriately labelled in 2.1%. The conformity check at hospital was nearly always done appropriately at 98%. The monitoring was never done appropriately and medical record was appropriately filled for just 1 (0.5%) transfusion. For the cases where there was an adverse transfusion reaction, there was 80% appropriateness in management.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Our blood transfusion clinical practice still leaves much to be expected as there is still very low appropriateness in many aspects. Though transfusion indications seem to have improved, there are still suboptimal. Blood wastage in Cameroon is still very high and monitoring of transfusions is always inappropriate.
We recommend that the national guidelines be revised to meet up with international recommendations. Health personnel should be trained regularly to meet up with international standards. There is also the need to review blood transfusion practice regularly and if medical records are appropriately filled, this could even be done retrospectively. We recommend, given the presence of TTIs in blood bags retested, that studies be carried out on a larger scale to better explore this finding.


The study was designed to elicit some basic information on the effect of different pressing and scalding treatments applied to the curd with special reference to the standardization of Maras cheese. For each experiment six different samples (IA, IB, IC, IIA, IIB, IIC) were used. The samples were manufactured experimentally by applying three different scalding treatments, 70 ± 1 oC/5 min. (A) , 75 ± 1 oC/5 min. (B) and 80 ± 1 oC/5 min (C), to each of two curds pressed for 1 h by 1:5 kg (I) and 1.5:5 kg (II) weights of milk used. All experimental samples were examined microbiologically, chemically and physically on the first, 15th, 30th, 60th and 90th adys of the ripening period in addition to the assessment of the sensorial characteristics of 30, 60 and 90-day-old experimental samples. During the ripening period no regular changes were found in the fat, moisture, ash, salt content and acidity, pH and aw values of the samples, although moisture content increased by 1-4% at the end of ripening. It was determined that sample IB in group I had a high aw value and the difference between IA and IB was significant at p < 0.05. Aerobic mesophilic and Lactobacillus microorganisms decreased in number at different rates toward the end of the ripening period, although the decrease was not considerable in the colony count of aerobic mesophilic microorganisms after the 30th day of ripening. Sample IA had the maximum total sensorial score on the 30th and 90th days of the ripening period and IB on the 60th day. It is concluded that pressing and scalding treatments applied to the curds slightly affected the chemical and physical characteristics and that treatments by pressing for 1 h by 1:5 weight of milk used and of scalding at 70 ± 1 oC for 5 min will give better sensorial quality characteristics, particularly with regard to appearance.


In Australia, the federal government, employers, and accrediting bodies, such as Engineers Australia, are calling for more clearly defined program outcomes or exit standards for engineering programs. Engineering Schools are therefore under increasing pressure to more clearly define what graduates from four or five year engineering programs should know and be able to do.
This paper describes a simple, but elegant stakeholder process that can be used to define the capabilities of a graduate who could claim in-depth technical competence in their discipline. The Defining Your Discipline (DYD) Process may be used by educational institutions and industry organisations to develop practitioner-authenticated sets of graduate capabilities for their discipline. Environmental engineering was the test case for this new process.
At the heart of the DYD process is the definition of tasks, in this case the tasks which a graduate from a program should be able to do in their first two or three years after graduation. Stakeholders are given a set of large sticky notes on which they are asked to write, on each note, one task that they would expect a recent graduate to be able to perform in their company. For academics, this is an imaginary task, while for industry representatives, who usually have considerable experience in supervising young graduates, it is more authentic as they know the sorts of tasks that a recent graduate should be able to complete. After about 20-30 minutes, most participants come to a stop. They can't think of any more tasks. Sometimes, it is helpful for them to talk to people around them for more ideas. This might last another 10-15 minutes.
So, within 40-50 minutes participants are ready for the next stage, which is to cluster the tasks into meaningful groups. This takes another 20-30 minutes. There is usually quite a bit of discussion about the names of the clusters, and when negotiating the cluster into which an individual task belongs.
The outcomes for environmental engineering are shown in Figure 1. In this case, the clusters are shown along the right hand side of the cube (investigation, modelling & analysis, integrated design, assessment of impact, environmental planning, audit etc. The other two faces of the cube represent technical domains (water, soils, etc) and generic skills (teamwork, communication, etc). The paper demonstrates an efficient process for determining the graduate outcomes for an engineering degree. The same process is also being tested on non-engineering programs. The process is efficient in terms of stakeholder time, taking about one and a half hours to collect 100-200 tasks to be accomplished by a young graduate, depending on the attendance. The participants categorise these tasks into clusters and these can then be synthesised with the results from other workshops.


This research employs both quantitative and qualitative approaches in investigating the drivers
and barriers of different types of innovations in the British and Omani small and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs). It follows the existing British Surveys on SMEs and develops a new dataset
for the Omani SMEs. Although the Omani data sample is currently small, the framework can be
used for future studies to establish larger data samples. An important contribution of this study
is the design of the research that allows the findings relating to innovation among British SMES
to be used to draw implications for innovation among Omani SMEs.
This research also contributes to the literature as it fills the gap of limited empirical studies that
compare both the drivers and barriers of different types of innovation in SMEs, in a developed
and a developing economy, in a single thesis. Investigating both the determinants and deterrents
of innovation in SMEs is important to have a full understanding and insights on how to enhance
SMEs' ability to innovate and respond to disruptions and challenges. Unlike all the previous
studies, this study separates services innovation from product innovation, to make it clear that
product innovation means goods innovation, and investigates the effect of different variables on
product and service innovations separately.
This thesis asks the following four questions. What are the key specific firm characteristics that
impact innovation outcomes in the British and the Omani SMEs? What are the key firm
behavioural elements that matter for the British and the Omani SMEs in deciding on whether to
innovate or not? What are the key specific business environment factors that influence the choice
of innovation in the British and the Omani SMEs? What are the barriers that may prevent the
British and the Omani SMEs from innovating and how to overcome them?
The first three questions are raised to understand the relationship of the firm characteristics, firm
behaviour and the business environment with the innovation of products, services, processes and
marketing methods at SMEs level in the UK and Oman. The fourth question is raised to identify
the barriers to innovation in the British and Omani SMEs and propose suggestions to overcome
them.
This research analyses three datasets, the Cambridge Centre for Business Research (CBR) SME
Dataset 1997, the Department for Business Innovation & Skills (BIS) Dataset 2015 and the online
Omani SMEs Survey 2018. These are used to test the products, services, operational processes,
organisational or managerial processes, and marketing methods models at the firm level. It also
uses the datasets to find out the barriers to innovation in the British and Omani SMEs.
It employs three estimators: the probit, the logit, and the multi-variate probit to have a clear view
of the effect of firm characteristics, firm behaviour and business environment factors on different
types of innovation in the British and the Omani SMEs. For the Omani sample, the investigated
direct relationship between the explanatory variables and the innovation outcomes showed quite
sizable variables are insignificant. These are exports, family-owned businesses, firm age,
executive founders, access to new exports markets, access to external finance, access to ICT,
access to skilled labour and unskilled labour markets out of twenty-five tested explanatory
variables. However, when additional tests were carried out, it is found that an indirect
relationship between the explanatory variables and the innovation outcomes exist through the
firm behaviour and business environment factors.
The British SMEs in the 1990s primarily innovated their products, followed by their processes
and services. The marketing methods innovation was the least practised type of innovation by
the British SMEs during that period. This finding reflects the British economy in the 1990s, as it
was highly industrialised and starting to move towards a knowledge-based economy. Later, the
British SMEs in the 2010s shifted their focus as they became more processes and services
innovation-oriented, followed by marketing methods innovation. Product innovation is the least
practised kind of innovation in the meantime. This finding also reflects the transfer of the British
economy to the crypto- economy that requires innovative process solutions to protect privacy,
sensitive information and wealth.
The situation with the Omani SMEs now is somewhere between the British SMEs in the 1990s
and the British SMEs in the 2010s. This finding reflects the Omani economy's diversification
initiatives aiming to leapfrog from a natural resources-based economy to a knowledge-based
economy. The Omani SMEs are mostly service-oriented, followed by marketing methods and
incremental product innovations. The processes innovations are the least practised among the
different types of innovations at the firm level.
The results show that two common and key firm characteristics drive innovation in the British
and the Omani SMEs: the 'firm size' and the 'updated equipment & high technology.' The 'firm
age' matters for innovation with the British SMEs in and after the 1990s. There are also two
common and key firm behaviour elements: the 'R&D' and the 'capacity for expansion.' The
3
presence of competition, access to local business networks, access to external R&D and
government support are the four common and key business environment factors that drive
innovation at the firm level.
The results also show that the common and key barriers to innovation in the British and the
Omani SMEs are the bureaucratic hurdles of laws and regulations, the rigidities in organisational
culture, the financial constraints and lack of proper finance vehicles devoted for innovation
purposes. They may be prevented internally by adopting the culture of innovation, starting with
the executive founders or both female and male entrepreneurs who may play a significant role in
inspiring the team to innovate. The external barriers may be reduced by activating the wellharmonised entrepreneurship ecosystem that aims for economic transformation through
innovative solutions.
This research uses cross-sectional datasets; hence there is an issue of causality and endogeneity
which is difficult to be treated given that 5 innovation models are investigated with 25
explanatory variables. It would be useful to investigate the innovation model using panel data in
future research. The panel dataset will enable the researcher to perform binary choice models for
panel data such as the pooled estimation, the random effect, and the fixed effects. Also, it will
enable the researcher to see the changes that happened in the SMEs over multiple years. Besides,
this research did not cover the sectoral analysis as the models were already exhausted enough
with explanatory variables. Therefore, it will be interesting to do an in-depth sectoral analysis
with fewer explanatory variables in the model. Moreover, it will be interesting to perform clusters
analysis to evaluate the behaviour and performance of the SMEs in each cluster.


This research is aimed at analyzing the legal aspects of state enterprise reform in the People's Republic of China. It attempts not only to explain relevant laws and regulations in the context of China's complex economic, social and political environments, but also to reveal the basic nature and the practice of these laws and regulations. Since the late 1970s, considerable efforts have been made by the Chinese authorities to use formal laws and regulations to adjust different and often conflicting interests emerging in the course of the programme of reforms, and, in particular, to reshape and protect the rights and interests of state enterprises. Among the most noteworthy of the efforts at state enterprise reform are the official conferment of legal personality and management rights to state enterprises, the establishment of a director responsibility system, the adoption of a bankruptcy law, and employment of the contracting system for settling the government -- enterprise relationship. These attempts have had some effect, and state enterprises have gained the capacity to act as independent legal entities. Furthermore, state enterprises, in some places and from time to time, have come to possess a certain degree of autonomy which was impossible prior to the reforms. Nevertheless, these efforts have not been as effective and authoritative as they were designed and expected to be. Many enacted laws and regulations have not been followed in practice. Indeed, in many respects, they are readily undermined or even completely disregarded. The relevant laws and regulations are strongly policy-oriented. Being the mere embodiment of state policies, they can be easily undermined as a result of policy changes. The ineffective application of many laws and regulations is due less to the defects in their legal and technical provisions than to the ambiguity and uncertainty of the policies underlying state enterprise reform.


It is our pleasure to offer the reader this special issue of the Annals of Eye Science that focuses on bioengineered cornea. Corneal disease is referred as one of the leading causes of blindness, only secondary to cataract in overall importance. The majority of corneal blind patients could potentially have their sight restored through corneal transplantation, whereas the barrier to the performance of corneal transplantation in many counties is the limited tissue availability.


Abstract. As an ubiquitous product of the oxidation of many volatile organic compounds (VOCs), formaldehyde (HCHO) plays a key role as a short-lived and reactive intermediate in the atmospheric photo-oxidation pathways leading to the formation of tropospheric ozone and secondary organic aerosols. In this study, HCHO profiles have been successfully retrieved from ground-based Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) solar spectra and UV-visible Multi-AXis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) scans recorded during the July 2010–December 2012 time period at the Jungfraujoch station (Swiss Alps, 46.5° N, 8.0° E, 3580 m a.s.l.). Analysis of the retrieved products has revealed different vertical sensitivity between both remote sensing techniques. Furthermore, HCHO amounts simulated by two state-of-the-art chemical transport models (CTMs), GEOS-Chem and IMAGES v2, have been compared to FTIR total columns and MAX-DOAS 3.6–8 km partial columns, accounting for the respective vertical resolution of each ground-based instrument. Using the CTM outputs as the intermediate, FTIR and MAX-DOAS retrievals have shown consistent seasonal modulations of HCHO throughout the investigated period, characterized by summertime maximum and wintertime minimum. Such comparisons have also highlighted that FTIR and MAX-DOAS provide complementary products for the HCHO retrieval above the Jungfraujoch station. Finally, tests have revealed that the updated IR parameters from the HITRAN 2012 database have a cumulative effect and significantly decrease the retrieved HCHO columns with respect to the use of the HITRAN 2008 compilation.


Introduces a new surface representation for recognizing curved objects. The authors approach begins by representing an object by a discrete mesh of points built from range data or from a geometric model of the object. The mesh is computed from the data by deforming a standard shaped mesh, for example, an ellipsoid, until it fits the surface of the object. The authors define local regularity constraints that the mesh must satisfy. The authors then define a canonical mapping between the mesh describing the object and a standard spherical mesh. A surface curvature index that is pose-invariant is stored at every node of the mesh. The authors use this object representation for recognition by comparing the spherical model of a reference object with the model extracted from a new observed scene. The authors show how the similarity between reference model and observed data can be evaluated and they show how the pose of the reference object in the observed scene can be easily computed using this representation. The authors present results on real range images which show that this approach to modelling and recognizing 3D objects has three main advantages: (1) it is applicable to complex curved surfaces that cannot be handled by conventional techniques; (2) it reduces the recognition problem to the computation of similarity between spherical distributions; in particular, the recognition algorithm does not require any combinatorial search; and (3) even though it is based on a spherical mapping, the approach can handle occlusions and partial views. >


Securing communications is an increasingly challenging problem. While communication channels can be secured using strong ciphers, attackers who gain access to the channel can still perform certain types of attacks. One way to mitigate such attacks is to verify the integrity of exchanging messages between two parties or more. While there are robust integrity check mechanisms currently, these lack variety and very few are based on machine learning. This paper presents a methodology for performing an integrity check inspired by recent advances in neural cryptography. We provide formal, mathematical functions and an optimization problem for training an adversarial neural cryptography architecture. The proposed neural architectures can adequately solve the problem. In our experiments, a receiver can verify if incoming messages are authentic or altered with an accuracy greater than 99%. This work expands the repertoire of integrity checking methodologies, provides a unique perspective based on neural networks, and facilitates data security and privacy.


This thesis will focus on contempt of court law under the English Legal system and in particular, on potentially prejudicial or impeding publications and their effect on the ability to have a fair trial. As Lord Diplock remarked: 'Trial by newspaper or, as it should be more compendiously expressed today, trial by the media, is not to be permitted in this country'. It will be assessed, primarily focusing on Article 6 and Article 10, as to whether the current system can be said to be compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights and Strasbourg's jurisprudence. It will be questioned whether, even if such compatibility is found; whether contempt law is continuing to fulfil its underlying purposes. Consequently, it will look at the potential for reform in this area; and will consider whether the most likely and satisfactory mechanism for change would arise in the form of abolition, new parliamentary legislation and/or via the Courts using s.2, s.3 and s.6 of the Human Rights Act to reshape the current laws.


Article Details: Received: 2020-09-22 | Accepted: 2020-11-27 | Available online: 2021-01-31 https://doi.org/10.15414/afz.2021.24.mi-prap.5-10 Abstract This research was conducted on 147 cows of purebred Montbeliarde dairy cattle during their first to seventh lactation. On average, each dairy cow provided 161 values on live weight during lactation via the automatic milking system (AMS). The average live weight of a dairy cow of said herd was 699.94 kg, the daily milk yield was 33.67 kg on average and the average day of lactation (DIM) was 111.75. This research discovered a statistically significant decrease of live weight in dairy cattle before the 60th day of lactation in every observed lactation. On the contrary, the changes in live weight in the last 60 days of standardized lactation proved to be inconclusive. Between days 60 and 240 of the lactation, an increase of live weight of varying intensities was observed, mainly in cows who had undergone less lactation cycles in the past. Similarly, the research has proven an impact of the number of lactation cycles the cow has undergone in the past on the live weight of the cow during the first, second and third lactation (645.21 kg, 700.35 kg and 752.10 kg respectively). On the contrary, there was no conclusive difference in live weight between the third and more lactation cycles. The results have also shown that the changes in live weight during lactation were significantly different in first-calf heifers, as opposed to cows after more lactation cycles, similarly to the differences in milk yield. Keywords:  Montbeliarde, dairy, body weight, lactation, cow References ALAWNEH, J. I. et al. (2011). Automatic recording of daily walkover liveweight of dairy cattle at pasture in the first 100 days in milk. Journal of Dairy Science , 94, 4431–4440. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2010-4002 CHLADEK, G., KUCERA, J. (2000). An analysis of some factors affecting the milk production of cows sired by Montbeliarde sires in the Czech Republic. Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis , 48(3), 21–26. CHLADEK, G. et al. (2001). The effect of Montbeliarde sires on the populations of Montbeliarde and Czech Spotted cows in the Czech Republic. Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis , 49(4), 7–12. GRUBER, L. et al. (2018). Body weight prediction using body size measurements in Fleckvieh, Holstein, and Brown Swiss dairy cows in lactation and dry periods. Archives Animal Breeding , 61, 413–424. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/aab-61-413-2018 KOPEC, T. et al. (2013). The effect of the calving season on the Wood's model parameters and characteristics of the lactation curve in Czech Fleckvieh cows. Archives Animal Breeding , 56, 808–815. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7482/0003-9438-56-080 LEDINEK, M. et al. (2019). Analysis of lactating cows in commercial Austrian dairy farms: diet composition, and influence of genotype, parity and stage of lactation on nutrient intake, body weight and body condition score. Italian Journal of Animal Science , 18, 202–214. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1828051X.2018.1504632 MLYNEK, K., GLOWINSKA, B. (2020). The relationship of body condition and chewing time with body weight, the level of plasma cocaine and amphetamine regulated transcript, leptin and energy metabolites in cows until reaching the lactation peak. Acta Veterinaria Brno , 89, 31–38. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2754/avb202089010031 PORTES, J. V. et al. (2020). Evaluation of body weight and hip height in Nellore cows in a tropical environment. Livestock Science , 233. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.livsci.2020.103953 PSZCZOLA, M. et al. (2018). Short communication: Improving repeatability of cows' body weight recorded by an automated milking system. Livestock Science , 214, 149–152. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.livsci.2018.04.016 SOYEURT, H. et al. (2019). Contribution of Milk Mid-Infrared Spectrum to Improve the Accuracy of Test-Day Body Weight Predicted from Stage, Lactation Number, Month of Test and Milk Yield. Livestock Science , 227, 82–89. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.livsci.2019.07.007 TOSHNIWAL, J. K. et al. (2008). Heritability of Electronically Recorded Daily Body Weight and Correlations with Yield, Dry Matter Intake, and Body Condition Score. Journal of Dairy Science , 91, 3201–3210. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2007-0627


The study of cover cracking pattern can provide scientific basis for the durability assessment and maintanence of concrete structures. In this paper, corrosion induced cover cracking pattern was investigated by accelerated corrosion test. The cover thickness c, bar diameter d and bar spacing s were considered in the test. Test results showed that the cracking pattern of cover concrete mainly included four typies, that is longitudinal cracks including wedge and vertical, parallel cracks, spalling and delamination. When the bar spacing was small enough, the delamination of cover concrete occurred which had nothing to do with the ratio c/d. When c/d≤1, the corrosion of side bar mainly induced the vertical cracks and the corrosion of corner bar induced both vertical and wedge cracks. While c/d>1, the corrosion of corner bar mainly induced wedge cracks.


Purpose – The main purpose of this paper is to investigate and analyze the web contents, and navigational strengths of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) library websites using standard evaluation criteria followed globally and to give suitable suggestions for improving/upgrading their library websites. Design/methodology/approach – Survey of 18 IIT library websites in India based on a 100-items checklist. The IIT library websites were checked and evaluated during August 2019 and again verified between the periods of 10 September – 25 September 2019. Findings – It is found that all the 18 IIT library websites do not fulfill all the criteria developed for the study, where 3 (16.7%) IIT library websites scored less than 50 items out of 100-items checklist. Two features, namely, "Library Website accessible in both English and Hindi language" and "Library organizational chart" was not found on any IIT library websites. Research limitations/implications – This study includes all IITs in India which have separate library website. IITs with a dedicated library web page that contains a very few libraries related information is excluded from this study. Originality/value – The findings of this paper will be useful in improving/upgrading library websites of any academic institution.


Surface and groundwater contamination with fecal pathogens is a public health concern especially in low-income settings where these sources are used untreated. We modeled observed Cryptosporidium and Giardia contamination in community ponds (n = 94; 79% contaminated), deep tubewells (DTWs) (n = 107; 17%), and shallow tubewells (STWs) (n = 96; 19%) during the 2012 and 2013 monsoon seasons (June–August) in 60 villages in Puri District, India to understand sources and processes of contamination. Detection of Cryptosporidium and/or Giardia in a tubewell was positively associated with damage to the well pad for DTWs, the amount of human loading into pour-flush latrine pits nearby (≤15 m) for STWs, and the village literacy rate (for Giardia in STWs). Pond concentration levels were positively associated with the number of people practicing open defecation within 50 m and the sheep population for Cryptosporidium, and with the village illiteracy rate for Giardia. Recent rainfall increased the risk of Cryptosporidium in STWs (an extreme event) and ponds (any), while increasing seasonal rainfall decreased the risk of Giardia in STWs and ponds. Full latrine coverage in this setting is expected to marginally reduce pond Cryptosporidium contamination (16%) while increasing local groundwater protozoal contamination (87–306%), with the largest increases predicted for Cryptosporidium in STWs.


Workflows are increasingly used to manage and share scientific
computations and methods. Workflow tools can be used to design,
validate, execute and visualize scientific workflows and their
execution results. Other tools manage workflow libraries or mine
their contents. There has been a lot of recent work on workflow
system integration as well as common workflow interlinguas, but
the interoperability among workflow systems remains a challenge.
Ideally, these tools would form a workflow ecosystem such that it
should be possible to create a workflow with a tool, execute it
with another, visualize it with another, and use yet another tool to
mine a repository of such workflows or their executions. In this
paper, we describe our approach to create a workflow ecosystem
through the use of standard models for provenance (OPM and
W3C PROV) and extensions (P-PLAN and OPMW) to represent
workflows. The ecosystem integrates different workflow tools
with diverse functions (workflow generation, execution,
browsing, mining, and visualization) created by a variety of
research groups. This is, to our knowledge, the first time that such
a variety of workflow systems and functions are integrated.


Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes as Laser Metal Deposition (LMD) addresses various benefits such as the build-up of complex shaped parts, the possibility of functional integration, reduced lead times or the use of difficult machinable materials compared to conventional manufacturing possibilities. Beside mentioned advantages, the use of more than one material in a component strongly increases the field of applications. Similar to structures in nature, multi-material arrangements can be realized by (I) sharp intersections from one material to the other (e. g. in the case of a thin corrosion protection), (II) graded structures enabling smoother material transitions (e. g. dissimilar materials joined together without defects), (III) composite structures with enclosed particles in a matrix material as well as by (IV) in-situ alloying of different material compositions. Due to varying material properties (e.g. thermo-physical, mechanical, optical), the combination of materials often requires a detailed investigation of occurring process phenomena and well-chosen modifications of the process regimes. Within this paper, (a) the right material feeding as well as powder interaction between various materials in Laser Metal Deposition, (b) the suitable selection of laser wavelengths for different materials, (c) process window adjustments by means of additional sensor equipment, (d) limitations of material combinations as well as (e) results and material characterization of multi-material parts are discussed. Phenomena are discussed by means of exemplary industrial applications, e.g. from the jet engine or medical business.


The first course on thermodynamics (FTC), as taught in most mechanical engineering disciplines, typically follows a standard topical progression: properties of substances, first law concepts of closed systems, first law concepts of open systems, second law concepts, and cycles. Students often struggle with some concepts in courses that follow such a presentation. First, introduction of second law concepts late in the course leaves less time for students to apply second law concepts; student understanding of such likely suffers. Second, the flow of material goes from "specific" (closed system analysis) to "general" (open system analysis), which delays opportunities for students to use assumptions to develop simplified models that can be analyzed. Third, disconnects between entropy and energy prevent students from recognizing the "value" or quality of energy and why energy has different "forms" (e.g., thermal, mechanical, and chemical). This paper describes a course redesign with the following objective: improve student knowledge and application of entropy and second law concepts, and the role second law concepts have on energy conversion, by integrating second law concepts and entropy throughout the course. The redesigned course was first taught in Fall 2012 and has been taught three times. In addition to describing the course redesign, the paper uses a newly designed concept inventory to assess conceptual growth of students in the redesigned course. The concept inventory reveals that students in the redesigned FTC capture some second law concepts better than students in the conventional FTC; these concepts mostly include those related to exergy (the availability of energy to do useful work). On average, however, students in the redesigned FTC score about the same on the second law concept inventory as those students in the conventional FTC.


A Paramecium cell has a stereotypically patterned surface, with regularly arranged cilia, dense-core secretory vesicles and subplasmalemmal calcium stores. Less strikingly, there is also a patterning of molecules; for instance, some ion channels are restricted to certain regions of the cell surface. This design may explain very effective and selective responses, such as that to Ca(2+) upon stimulation. It enables the cell to respond to a Ca(2+) signal precisely secretion (exocytosis) or by changing its ciliary activity. These responses depend on the location and/or type of signal, even though these two target structures co-exist side-by-side, and normally only limited overlap occurs between the different functions. Furthermore, the patterning of exocytotic sites and the possibility of synchronous exocytosis induction in the sub-second time range have considerably facilitated analyses, and thus led to new concepts of exocytotic membrane fusion. It has been possible to dissect complicated events like overlapping Ca(2+) fluxes produced from external sources and from internal stores. Since molecular genetic approaches have become available for Paramecium, many different gene products have been identified only some of which are known from "higher" eukaryotes. Although a variety of basic cellular functions are briefly addressed to demonstrate the uniqueness of this unicellular organism, this article focuses on exocytosis regulation.


In this research, we examined temporal variations in soil water content (θ), infiltration patterns, and potential recharge at three sites with different mountain block positions in a semiarid Mediterranean climate in Baja California, Mexico: two located on opposing aspects (south- (SFS) and north-facing slopes (NFS)) and one located in a flat valley. At each site, we measured daily θ between 0.1 and 1 m depths from May 2014 to September 2016 in four hydrological seasons: wet season (winter), dry season (summer) and two transition seasons. The temporal evolution of θ and soil water storage (SWS) shows a strong variability that is associated mainly with high precipitation (P) pulses and soil profile depth at hillslope sites. Results shows that during high-intensity P events sites with opposing aspects reveal an increase of θ at the soil–bedrock interface suggesting lateral subsurface fluxes, while vertical soil infiltration decreases noticeably, signifying the production of surface runoff. We found that the dry soil conditions are reset annually at hillslope sites, and water is not available until the next wet season. Potential recharge occurred only in the winter season with P events greater than 50 mm/month at the SFS site and greater than 120 mm/month at the NFS site, indicating that soil depth and lack of vegetation cover play a critical role in the transport water towards the soil–bedrock interface. We also calculate that, on average, around 9.5% (~34.5 mm) of the accumulated precipitation may contribute to the recharge of the aquifer at the hillslope sites. Information about θ in a mountain block is essential for describing the dynamics and movement of water into the thin soil profile and its relation to potential groundwater recharge.


Abstract Sleep disturbance negatively affects sexual function. Sleep problem and sexual dysfunction are common in methadone-maintained patients; however, their association is understudied in this patient population. This study examined the association between sleep quality and sexual satisfaction in Chinese patients receiving methadone maintenance treatment (MMT). This was a cross-sectional study. A total of 480 MMT patients who had sex with their sex partners within 1 month before the survey were recruited from 3 MMT clinics in Wuhan, China. Sexual satisfaction was assessed with a single question, and sociodemographic and clinical data were collected with a standardized questionnaire. Sleep quality was assessed with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Multiple ordinary logistic regression was used to control for potential confounders that may bias the sleep-sexual satisfaction relationship. Sexual satisfaction scores were significantly higher in poor sleepers than normal sleepers (3.2 ± 0.9 vs. 2.8 ± 1.0, t = 4.297, P < .001). After controlling for potential confounders, results of the multiple regression analysis reveal that poor sleep quality was still significantly and independently associated with low sexual satisfaction (odd ratio = 1.58, P = .009). Poor sleep quality is significantly associated with low sexual satisfaction of methadone-maintained patients. Improving sleep quality might improve sexual satisfaction of patients receiving MMT.


The aim of the talk is to present the methodology used to reorganise the PACTOLS thesaurus of Frantiq, launched within the framework of the MASA consortium. PACTOLS is a multilingual and open repository about archaeology from Prehistory to the present and for Classics. It is organized into six micro-thesaurus at the root of its name (Peuples, Anthroponymes,Chronologie, Toponymes, Oeuvres, Lieux, Sujets). The goal is to turn it into a tool interoperable with information systems beyond its original documentary purpose, and usable by archaeologists as a repository for managing scientific data. During the talk, we will describe the choice of tools, the organisation of work within the steering group and the collaborations with specialists for the upgrading and development of the vocabulary while showing the strengths and limitations of some experiments. Above allit will show how the introduction of the conceptual categories of the BackBone Thesaurus of DARIAH, modelled on the CIDOC-CRM ontology, through a progressive deconstruction/reconstruction process, eventually had an impact on all micro thesauri and questioned the organisation of knowledge so far proposed.


When the wind power electricity system working above the rated wind speed, the disturbed wind speed can lead to the output ripple easily, which causes a significant negative influence on the stability of the power grid. In order to over-come this disadvantage, this paper discusses the mixed H 2 = H 1 pitch angle control design problem for the nonlinear wind turbine generator system, where the turbulence is regarded as the disturbance input. Especially, the global exact linearization and the pole placement techniques are also applied to guarantee the desired control performance and expected dynamic characteristics in the situation of a large-scale variety of the system operation points. The simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed method.


Abstract— Electrical uncoupling of cardiac myocytes during ischemia is delayed by ischemic preconditioning. This presumably adaptive response may limit development of arrhythmia substrates. To elucidate responsible mechanisms, we studied isolated, perfused rat hearts subjected to a standard preconditioning protocol of 3 cycles of 3 minutes of global no-flow ischemia each followed by 5 minutes of reperfusion before a 30-minute interval of ischemia. Changes in coupling were monitored by measuring whole-tissue resistance. Changes in phosphorylation and subcellular distribution of connexin43 (Cx43) were defined by quantitative immunoblotting and confocal microscopy. Preconditioning caused a 34% decrease in the maximal rate of uncoupling and delayed the time to plateau in uncoupling. Dephosphorylation of Cx43, known to occur during uncoupling induced by ischemia, was dramatically decreased in preconditioned hearts. Translocation of Cx43 from gap junctions to the cytosol, also known to occur during ischemia, was reduced by >5-fold in preconditioned hearts. The KATP channel blockers glybenclamide and 5-hydroxydecanoate prevented these effects in preconditioned hearts, whereas the KATP channel agonist diazoxide mimicked these effects in nonpreconditioned hearts. Intracellular translocation of Cx43 was blocked, but Cx43 dephosphorylation was not blocked during ischemia in preconditioned hearts treated with the PKC inhibitors chelerythrine and calphostin C. Uncoupling during ischemia was accelerated by PKC and KATP channel inhibition. Thus, delayed uncoupling in preconditioned hearts is likely related to diminished dephosphorylation and intracellular redistribution of Cx43 during prolonged ischemia. Both of these effects are regulated by activation of KATP channels, whereas PKC plays a role in internalization of Cx43.


: Textile weaving art has been in practice before the advent of the Europeans and its importance to society cannot be undermined. This paper revisited the local weaving in Nigerian tertiary institutions with a focus on the views of textile erudites in Enugu State. The study adopted a descriptive research design. In order to elicit appropriate responses; structured questionnaire was used by the researcher - "Erudites View of the State of Local Weaving in Nigerian Education" (EVSLWNE). The questionnaire comprised two sections. Section A sought for demographic data of respondents. Section B has two sub-sections. Subsection 1 comprised ten statements considered as challenges to local weaving in Nigerian tertiary institutions. Subsection 2 contained ten statements that were considered as major factors that mar effective teaching and learning of local weaving in Nigerian institutions. The respondents indicated the level of agreement or disagreement with each of the statements in each section on a five-point scale: Strongly Agree ('AS,), Agree (A), Disagree (D), Strongly Disagree (SD), Undecided (UND). Data were presented in frequency tables. The research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation, the results of the findings revealed a deficit of modern and local looms, pitiable conditions of existing local looms due to lack of maintenance, and insufficient man power among others. The educational implications of the findings were discussed and appropriate recommendations were made.


Abstract : When a boundary layer develops over a bed that is hydrodynamically rough at a length scale or scales larger than the grain size ( a macrorough bed), as is usually the case where bed forms are present, it is necessary to distinguish among total boundary shear stress and its components, form drag and spatially averaged skin friction. It is known that the mean-velocity field reflects the composite boundary shear stress. Above about one roughness height above the tops of the roughness elements, the velocity does not vary horizontally. Its vertical profile is semilogarithmic and scales with the total friction velocity u*t and total roughness length z ot. This region is here called the integrated logarithmic layer (ILL). Below the ILL the velocity varies horizontally in response to the irregular boundary; this region is called the surface layer. In the first of two sets of experiments reported here, skin-friction measurements were made with an array of flush-mounted hot films at four points on the stoss slope of one of a field of two-dimensional immobile current ripples. In the second set of experiments, the skin-friction vector field was measured around isolated hemispheres, with model sedimentary tails one and four obstacle heights along and without tails.


The paper analyses directive utterances and their context of emergence in family conversations. Parent-child verbal exchanges including directives have been extracted from video-recordings of four families (2 parents, 2 siblings age between 8-13) observed in their homes. Directive utterances are described on the basis of their components and formats, showing the effects of Summons and Negative qualifiers and detailing the characteristics and interactional import of Preliminary Questions, Coercive Requests and Norm Reminders. A distinction is drawn between directives oriented to control and those oriented to the scaffolding of joint activities, the first typically using a question format and the second the imperative format. Finally, distinct forms of participation of mother and father to directive sequences are discussed.


The three dimensional phases of the operative procedure can either be extremely traumatic, or a pleasant experience. The ophthalmic nurse can help to control which type of experience it will be for the pediatric patient.


Influence of using two oxide layers in the both sides of active layer with different position and aperture size on Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) performance is analyzed showing effects on the output power, single mode operation and threshold current. In addition, for improving speed we use ion implant area along with thick oxide layer to minimize parasitic elements. As the result, the proposed design exhibits much better stability of the fundamental mode over a wider current range, much higher output power, lower threshold current, than the conventional one with a high frequency response.


Using the kinematic wave theory, a dimensionless expression is obtained, and solved numerically in order to estimate the lag time for diverging surfaces. The findings show that the dimensionless lag time, which is the ratio of lag time for diverging surface to that of plane surface, ranges from 1 to 0.5 depending on the degree of divergence and friction formula used. The results can be used easily and reliably for all ranges of the geometric parameter for urban and rural catchments.


In this study we evaluate and compare the performance of our load balancing technique on irregular P2P systems embedded in two regular topologies: 1) Hypercube and 2) TreeP. Hypercube is one of the most studied interconnection topologies and exhibits powerful interconnection features, while TreeP is Tree-based P2P network architecture and is based on a tessellation of a 1-D space. The load balancing technique employed is a two step strategy. In the first phase, it maps any irregular network topology to a regular one. In the second phase the load is balanced among the nodes using PSLB algorithm. In this paper we study and compare the performance of this two-step strategy on hypercube and TreeP topologies. This strategy is proven to be efficient and does not introduce a considerable overhead as shown in the experimental results.


The failure rate for the translation of drugs from animal testing to human treatments remains at over 92%, where it has been for the past few decades. The majority of these failures are due to unexpected toxicity — that is, safety issues revealed in human trials that were not apparent in animal tests — or lack of efficacy. However, the use of more innovative tools, such as organs-on-chips, in the preclinical pipeline for drug testing, has revealed that these tools are more able to predict unexpected safety events prior to clinical trials and so can be used for this, as well as for efficacy testing. Here, we review several disease areas, and consider how the use of animal models has failed to offer effective new treatments. We also make some suggestions as to how the more human-relevant new approach methodologies might be applied to address this.


ABSTRACT Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive individuals can be superinfected with different virus strains. Individuals who control an initial HIV infection are therefore still at risk for subsequent infection with divergent viruses, but the barriers to such superinfection remain unclear. Here we tested long-term nonprogressors' (LTNPs') susceptibility to superinfection using Indian rhesus macaques that express the major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) allele Mamu-B*17, which is associated with control of the pathogenic AIDS virus SIVmac239. The Mamu-B*17-restricted CD8+ T cell repertoire is focused almost entirely on 5 epitopes. We engineered a series of SIVmac239 variants bearing mutations in 3, 4, or all 5 of these epitopes and used them to serially challenge 2 Mamu-B*17-positive LTNPs. None of the escape variants caused breakthrough replication in LTNPs, although they readily infected Mamu-B*17-negative naive macaques. In vitro competing coculture assays and examination of viral evolution in hosts lacking Mamu-B*17 suggested that the mutant viruses had negligible defects in replicative fitness. Both LTNPs maintained robust immune responses, including simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-specific CD8+ and CD4+ T cells and neutralizing antibodies. Our results suggest that escape mutations in epitopes bound by "protective" MHC-I molecules may not be sufficient to establish superinfection in LTNPs.


HISTORY AND CLINICAL FINDINGS
A 55-year-old female patient reported left-sided chest pain at rest as well as during exercise, which recurred during the last three years before admission. Cardiovascular risk factors included hypercholesterolemia and smoking. The physical examination of the patient was unremarkable.

INVESTIGATIONS
The ECG at rest showed T-wave inversions in leads I, aVL, V3-V6 and ergometric exercise testing resulted in angina pectoris and descending ST-segments in leads V3-V6. Stress thallium 201 scintigraphy demonstrated a reversible perfusion deficit of the the anterior wall at peak exercise. The left ventricular angiogram and echocardiogram revealed normal end-diastolic dimensions and regular systolic contractions without signs of left ventricular hypertrophy. Selective coronary arteriography excluded hemodynamically relevant stenosis of the coronary arteries. A coronary artery fistula originating from a large, ectatic first diagonal branch with drainage into the left ventricle was observed.

TREATMENT AND COURSE
Because the patient rejected interventional therapy she was treated conservatively and follow-up investigations 3 and 4 years after arteriography revealed unchanged clinical symptomatology.

CONCLUSION
In this case a "coronary steal" phenomenon caused by the coronary fistula induced myocardial ischemia. Therefore if present congenital coronary anomalies have to be considered in patients with chest pain and normal coronary angiogram.


textabstractVenous and arterial thromboses are major causes of morbidity and mortality. Venous thrombosis
is the result of pathological occlusive clot formation in the veins. It occurs mainly in
the deep veins of the leg (deep vein thrombosis), from which parts of the clot frequently
embolize to the lungs (pulmonary embolism). Less than 5% of all venous thromboses occur
at other sites (e.g. arm or cerebral veins). Rarely occurring, but often life-threathening
venous thrombosis is splanchnic vein thrombosis, including hepatic vein thrombosis, Budd
Chiari syndrome (BCS) and portal vein thrombosis (PVT). Venous thrombosis often occurs
spontaneously, but it also frequently accompanies medical and surgical conditions, both
in the community and the hospital. Many risk factors for venous thrombosis are known,
most of them related either to immobilization or to hypercoagulability [1]. The symptoms
of venous thrombosis are non-specific, and therefore the clinical diagnosis is difficult and
requires objective testing by imaging. Major complications of thrombosis include a disabling
post-thrombotic syndrome and death due to fatal pulmonary embolism. Treatment
with anticoagulants should be prompt and adequate.
Arterial thrombosis is the formation of a thrombus within an artery. Most arterial
thrombi are superimposed on disrupted atherosclerotic plaque because plaque rupture
exposes thrombogenic material in the plaque core to the blood, and is therefore referred
to as atherothrombosis.


Objectives: To evaluate the cost utility of cochlear implantation (CI) for severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) among children from rural settings in P.R. China (China). Research Design: A cost-utility analysis (CUA) was undertaken using data generated from a single-center substudy of the CochlearTM Pediatric Implanted Recipient Observational Study (Cochlear P-IROS). The data were projected over a 20-year time horizon using a decision tree model. Setting: The Chinese healthcare payer and patient perspectives were adopted. Intervention: Unilateral CI of children with a severe-to-profound SNHL compared with their preimplantation state of no treatment or amplification with hearing aids ("no CI" status). Main Outcome Measure/s: Incremental costs per quality adjusted life year (QALY) gained. Results: The mean total discounted cost of unilateral CI was CNY 252,506 (37,876 USD), compared with CNY 29,005 (4,351 USD) for the no CI status from the healthcare payer plus patient perspective. A total discounted benefit of 8.9 QALYs was estimated for CI recipients compared with 6.7 QALYs for the no CI status. From the healthcare payer plus patient perspective, incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) for unilateral CI compared with no CI was CNY 100,561 (15,084 USD) per QALY. The healthcare payer perspective yielded an ICER of CNY 40,929 (6,139 USD) per QALY. Both ICERs fell within one to three times China's gross domestic product per capita (GDP, 2011–2015), considered "cost-effective" by World Health Organization (WHO) standards. Conclusions: Treatment with unilateral CI is a cost-effective hearing solution for children with severe to profound SNHL in rural China. Increased access to mainstream education and greater opportunities for employment, are potential downstream benefits of CI that may yield further societal and economic benefits. CI may be considered favorably for broader inclusion in medical insurance schemes across China.


This Article offers a contemporary examination of traditional public health objectives to address social problems not amenable to individual resolution. Taking the tradition a step further, it defines a "public health right" that may justify certain government actions that otherwise appear to impair individual rights. For example, lawmakers are considering whether current regulations on prescription drugs should be loosened to allow terminally ill patients to access drugs before they have been tested and approved for the general public. This Article concludes that expanding access to experimental drugs would violate the public health right to scientific knowledge and new drug development. The choice of a few patients to avail themselves of untested drugs depletes the "commons" of biomedical research. The Article concludes by briefly testing the public health right against other contemporary laws intended to promote public health and welfare, finding some but not all justified. Table of


The seed bank dynamics of the three co-occurring obligate-seeder (i.e. fire-sensitive) Proteaceae species, Banksia ericifolia, Banksia marginata and Petrophile pulchella, were examined at sites of varying time since the most recent fire (i.e. plant age) in the Sydney region. Significant variation among species was found in the number of cones produced, the position of the cones within the canopy, the percentage of barren cones produced (Banksia species only), the number of follicles/bracts produced per cone, and the number of seeds lost/released due to spontaneous fruit rupture. Thus, three different regeneration strategies were observed, highlighting the variation in reproductive strategies of co-occurring Proteaceae species. Ultimately, B. marginata potentially accumulated a seed bank of ∼3000 seeds per plant after 20 years, with ∼1500 seeds per plant for P. pulchella and ∼500 for B. ericifolia. Based on these data, B. marginata and B. ericifolia require a minimum fire-free period of 8–10 years, with 7–8 years for P. pulchella, to allow for an adequate seed bank to accumulate and thus ensure local persistence of these species in fire-prone habitats.


Experiments on real time control of magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) instabilities using injection of electron cyclotron waves (ECW) are being performed with a control system based on only three real time key items: an equilibrium estimator based on a statistical regression, a MHD instability marker (SVDH) using a three-dimensional array of pick-up coils and a fast ECW launcher able to poloidally steer the EC absorption volume with dρ/dt = 0.1/30 ms maximum radial speed. The MHD instability, usually a tearing mode with poloidal mode number m and toroidal mode number n such that m/n = 2/1 or 3/2 is deliberately induced either by neon gas injection or by a density ramp hitting the density limit. No diagnostics providing the radial localization of the instabilities have been used. The sensitivity of the used MHD marker allows to close the control loop solely on the effect of the actuator's action with little elaboration. The nature of the instability triggering mechanism in these plasma prevents that the stabilization lasts longer than the ECW pulse. However when the ECW power is switched on, the instability amplitude shows a marked sensitivity to the position of the absorption volume with an increase or decrease of its growth rate. Moreover the suppression of the dominant mode by ECRH performed at high plasma density even at relatively low power level facilitates the development of a secondary mode. This minimized set of control tools aim to explore some of the difficulties which can be expected in a fusion reactor where reduced diagnostic capabilities and reduced actuator flexibility can be expected.


Reducing citizens' fear of crime is a salient policy topic in Western
societies. For the measurement of fear of crime, variations of a single
item measure (Is there any area near where you live that is, within a
mile where you would be afraid to walk alone at night?) have been
used in hundreds of surveys for half a century. Despite a long and on-
going discussion on the doubtful usefulness of this standard indicator,
no estimate for the reliability of this item is available. Using panel data
from the British Household Panel Survey in combination with the UK
Household Longitudinal Survey, reliability and stability of the stan-
dard fear of crime indicator are estimated using quasi-Markov simplex
models for the rst time. The model shows estimated reliabilities of
about .67 for the standard indicator. This result is compared with re-
sults for other single item measures using the same data set. Finally,
comparisons with reliability recommendations and recent reviews of
survey measures are reported.


Whole-cell voltage-clamp recording techniques were used to investigate the blockade of voltage-dependent K+ channels by phencyclidine (PCP) in cultured rat hippocampal neurons. All recordings were carried out in the presence of tetrodotoxin (1–2 microM) to eliminate Na+ currents. Step depolarization from a holding potential of -40 mV activated a slowly rising, minimally inactivating K+ current (IK). PCP (0.5–1000 microM) caused a reduction in the maximum conductance of IK [IC50(+30 mV), 22 microM] without altering its voltage dependency. The PCP block of IK diminished at depolarized potentials. Analysis according to the scheme of Woodhull (1973) suggested that block occurs via binding to an acceptor site (presumably within the channel pore) that senses 40–50% of the transmembrane electrostatic field. PCP had no effect on the kinetic properties of IK and the block failed to show use dependency, suggesting that PCP may bind to the IK channel via a hydrophobic mechanism not requiring open channels. For comparison, we also investigated the effect of PCP on the transient K+ current, IA, activated by step depolarization following a 200 msec prepulse to -90 mV (20 mM tetraethylammonium was present in the bathing solution to reduce IK). In contrast to the potent blocking action of PCP on IK, the drug only affected IA at high concentrations [IC50(+30 mV), 224 microM]. At concentrations causing substantial block (300–500 microM), PCP produced an acceleration in the IA inactivation rate, and, for brief (5–6 msec) depolarizing steps, the suppression of IA was use dependent. These observations suggest that PCP block of IA requires open channels. PCP reduced inward current responses induced by the excitatory amino acid agonist N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) at substantially lower concentrations than those required for its effects on K+ channels [IC50(-60 mV), 0.45 microM]. The PCP-like dioxadrol stereoisomer dexoxadrol (10 microM) blocked NMDA-evoked inward current responses, while its behaviorally inactive enantiomer levoxadrol did not. Dexoxadrol and levoxadrol also blocked IK in a stereoselective fashion (IC50's, 73 and 260 microM, respectively), whereas the sigma ligands (+)- and (-)-SKF 10,047 and (+)-3-[3-hydroxyphenyl]-N-(1- propyl)piperidine [(+)-3-PPP] had little effect on the current (IC50's, greater than 300–500 microM). We conclude that PCP causes a selective, voltage-dependent block of IK in hippocampal neurons via a PCP- and not a sigma-type acceptor site.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


Sulfogalactosylglycerolipid (SGG) is the main glycolipid in male mammalian germ cells, which is selectively and highly expressed in mammalian testes and helps form the lipid bilayer of cell membrane. In the process of spermatogenesis, SGG is involved in the meiosis of spermiocytes. Either deficiency or accumulation of SGG will lead to male infertility. SGG homeostasis in the testis is the premise of normal spermatogenesis. In the process of sperm-zona binding, SGG becomes a component of lipid raft and provides a platform for signal transduction. The SGG binding protein plays a role in sperm-egg recognition and membrane fusion. SGG has a great research value and application prospect in male reproduction.