Zerumbone (ZER) is a natural crystalline phytochemical compound that isolated from Zingiber zerumbet (L.) Smith in 1956. In this investigation, the anticancer properties of ZER were evaluated for the first time on cancer cells of T-acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Jurkat cells; using 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and microscopic investigation (fluorescent microscope and scanning electron microscope). The results showed that ZER has cytotoxic effect against Jurkat cells in time dependent manner (24, 48 and 72 h) with an IC50 of 11.87±0.17 μg/mL, 8.59±0.48 μg/mL and 5.39±0.43 μg/mL respectively. Comparatively, doxorubicin (positive control) imposed an inhibitory effect on Jurkat cells with an IC50 of 1.51±0.07 μg/mL after 72 h incubation. Simultaneously, we revealed that the inhibitory effect of ZER on leukaemic cells growth was due to induction of apoptosis as evidenced by microscopic investigation. The current finding suggested that ZER with its unique chemical structure and versatile pharmacological activities might be helpful for improving the usefulness of anticancer agents in the therapy of leukemia.


Previous studies from this laboratory have demonstrated that vasopressin stimulates K, Mg, Ca, Cl, and Na reabsorption by the thick ascending limb of Henle's loop (TALH) of the rat kidney. Micropuncture of superficial nephrons and clearance experiments were performed to determine whether desensitization of the TALH to vasopressin may be demonstrated in vivo and whether such desensitization is specific for the effects of vasopressin (i.e., homologous) or also alters the response to the other hormones acting on the same pool of adenylate cyclase in this nephron segment. Brattleboro rats, with hereditary hypothalamic diabetes insipidus (DI), were given i.m. injections of 1-desamino-8-D-arginine-vasopressin (des-1-amino-[DArg8]VP (herein designated dDAVP); 2 micrograms/day) for 3 days. The effects of maximal physiological doses of arginine-8-vasopressin ([Arg8]VP (herein designated AVP); 20 pg/min per 100 g of body weight) were studied 2 days after the cessation of treatment, when the animals had returned to DI. The K, Mg, Ca, and, to a lesser extent, Cl and Na concentrations in the fluid leaving the TALH of superficial nephrons were higher in dDAVP-treated than in untreated rats given similar amounts of AVP during the experiments. A 50-60% desensitization of the TALH to AVP was still apparent 2 days after stopping the dDAVP injections. Desensitization is homologous, as judged from normal responses to physiological doses of glucagon and calcitonin, two hormones acting on the same cyclase pool as AVP in the rat TALH. The AVP-dependent increase of urine osmolality, however, indicated that its effects on the permeability to water of the collecting duct were scarcely affected in dDAVP-treated rats. It is concluded that (i) AVP induces homologous desensitization in the rat TALH and (ii) the TALH can be markedly desensitized to AVP when the collecting duct response to this hormone is poorly affected or even fully maintained.


Abstract The objectives were to assess the effects of dietary Sweet Bran (Cargill Corn Milling, Blair, NE) on performance and feeding behavior of feedlot steers and determine if terminal implant pen sorting affects performance, feeding behavior, and liver abscess (LA) rate. Two hundred sixteen Angus-cross steers (253 ± 18 kg) were stratified by body weight (BW) to 36 pens. From d 0 to 60, diets contained 40% Sweet Bran (SWBR) or 25% modified distiller's grains and 15% dry rolled corn (MOD; n = 18 pens/treatment). On d 60, steers began transition within treatments to finishing diets containing 25% Sweet Bran or 25% modified distiller's grains (MDGS). On d 111, half of the pens for each dietary treatment were re-stratified by BW to pens (SORT) while the other half were returned to original pens (NOSORT; n = 9 pens/treatment). Steer BW and pen dry matter intake (DMI) were recorded monthly. Rate of feed disappearance was determined on d 5/6, 53/54, 104/105, and 117/118. Pen was the experimental unit for all analyses. The model included the fixed effect of diet for all pre-sort analyses; post-sort analyses included the fixed effects of diet, sort, and the interaction and the random effects of pen and the interaction of diet and pen. On d 60, SWBR had greater BW than MOD (P = 0.05), and SWBR had a greater average daily gain (ADG) from d 0 to 60 (P = 0.05). Though there were no differences after d 28, SWBR had greater DMI d 0 to 28 (P = 0.05). From d 60 to 88, SWBR tended to have lesser ADG than MOD (P = 0.09). Post-sort (d 111 to 196), SWBR tended to have lesser ADG than MOD (P = 0.06), and SORT had a greater rate of feed disappearance than NOSORT (d 117/118; P = 0.01); there were no differences on other dates (Diet: P ≥ 0.38). For final BW, there was a tendency for MOD to be greater than SWBR, and SORT tended to be greater than NOSORT (Diet: P = 0.06; Sort: P = 0.10). Pre- and post-sort ruminal pH had no treatment by day differences (P ≥ 0.77). LA incidence averaged 25%, though rate was not affected by diet, sorting, or the interaction (P ≥ 0.16). Overall, there were no dietary differences in feed disappearance rates, though SORT steers had greater rate of feed disappearance than NOSORT steers on d 117/118. Nominal differences in feeding behavior were noted and including Sweet Bran in the diet was beneficial in the growing period as cattle adjusted to the feedlot.


The persistent circulation of influenza A(H7N9) virus within poultry markets and human society leads to sporadic epidemics of influenza infections. Severe pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) caused by the virus lead to high morbidity and mortality rates in patients. Hyper induction of pro-inflammatory cytokines, which is known as "cytokine storm", is closely related to the process of viral infection. However, systemic analyses of H7N9 induced cytokine storm and its relationship with disease progress need further illuminated. In our study we collected 75 samples from 24 clinically confirmed H7N9-infected patients at different time points after hospitalization. Those samples were divided into three groups, which were mild, severe and fatal groups, according to disease severity and final outcome. Human cytokine antibody array was performed to demonstrate the dynamic profile of 80 cytokines and chemokines. By comparison among different prognosis groups and time series, we provide a more comprehensive insight into the hypercytokinemia caused by H7N9 influenza virus infection. Different dynamic changes of cytokines/chemokines were observed in H7N9 infected patients with different severity. Further, 33 cytokines or chemokines were found to be correlated with disease development and 11 of them were identified as potential therapeutic targets. Immuno-modulate the cytokine levels of IL-8, IL-10, BLC, MIP-3a, MCP-1, HGF, OPG, OPN, ENA-78, MDC and TGF-β 3 are supposed to be beneficial in curing H7N9 infected patients. Apart from the identification of 35 independent predictors for H7N9 prognosis, we further established a real-time prediction model with multi-cytokine factors for the first time based on maximal relevance minimal redundancy method, and this model was proved to be powerful in predicting whether the H7N9 infection was severe or fatal. It exhibited promising application in prognosing the outcome of a H7N9 infected patients and thus help doctors take effective treatment strategies accordingly.


Introduction This study concerns the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and eating behaviours in working populations. Much research exists on this topic in a community setting, however more research is needed in a workplace setting to help inform the targeting of interventions to improve employee health. Methods The study was conducted in 2014 using a single self-report anonymous questionnaire. The variables of interest in this study were age, gender and number of dependents, three measures of SES (education, income and job type), Body Mass Index (BMI), and diet. Two items, 'how often do you eat past the point of feeling full?' and 'to what extent does the cost of food influence what you buy?' were introduced into the survey in response to a literature review. Hierarchical linear regression analyses were conducted to examine the variance in eating behaviours. Result A 20% response rate was achieved with 6206 responses. All three SES variables, in addition to age, number of dependents and BMI accounted for 9% of the variance in the cost of food influencing purchase behaviours; age, gender and BMI explained 7% of the variance in eating past the point of feeling full; gender, BMI and all SES variables explained 1% of the adjusted variance in vegetable consumption; age, gender and BMI explained 2% of the variance in fruit consumption and age, gender, BMI, education and salary band explained 5% of the variance in consumption of a healthy well-balanced diet. Discussion The findings demonstrate the importance of socioeconomic status in eating behaviours and suggest that demographics also play a significant role in influencing employee eating behaviours. This raises interesting questions as to the feasibility of targeting healthy eating interventions at work on the basis age or BMI.


Excerpt] In 2002 only a small number of Chinese home care workers represented by 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East (UHE) were involved in their union. Language, unfamiliarity with unions in the United States, and, in some cases, undocumented immigration status inhibited participation in the life of the union by the growing number of Chinese home care workers. Despite these obstacles in 2007 perhaps the most active segment of the 60,000 home care workers in 1199SEIU now comes from the approximately 10,000 Chinese home care workers. Today, Chinese home care workers are consistently overrepresented at union (not just home care) rallies and demonstrations and have helped organize several home care agencies, bringing significant numbers of additional Chinese workers into the union. Currently the Chinese home care workers are organizing retirees and expanding their involvement in the political life of their communities. Chinese home care workers have extended their activism into political participation in their communities and in the union's political program. Eighty to ninety percent of Chinese home care workers, who earn between $7 and $10 per hour and who cannot count on regular work contribute between $5 and $10 per month on top of their union dues to the union's political action committee, maybe the highest percentage in the union. What makes this turnaround particularly significant is the role education and training played in the organizing. In 2003, 1199, assisted by Cornell University labor educators, launched a series of two-day training sessions for home care union activists facilitated in Cantonese and Mandarin. Chinese home care activists trained as facilitators by 1199 led the training. To date the two-day activist training has been given thirteen times for over 700 Chinese home care workers who give up precious days to complete the training. Each new training session is eagerly awaited, and each new class has a waiting list of participants ready before it starts. Of those who have completed the activist training over 100 have attended additional training to become union delegates (stewards). This article will describe how the Chinese Activist Training was conceived, designed and presented.


Acetic acid bacteria are known for their ability to oxidize ethanol to acetic acid. This study investigated to identify dominant strain acetic acid bacteria involving in fermented juice of mango and capable to produce Vinegar, total of 4 bacteria (CRSBAN-BVA1, CRSBAN-BVK1, CRSBAN-BVK2, CRSBAN-BVI1) bacteria strains were preselected ¶for the analyses. The strains were examined with biochemical, physiological and phenotypical methods such as Gram die, catalase and oxidase test, ethanol oxidation to acetic acid, and over to CO2 and H2O and also metabolism of carbohydrate was tested, for their affiliation to the genera of acetic acid bacteria. Subsequently, genotypic identification was conducted by sequencing the gene coding for 16S rRNA of one targeted strain and phylogenetic analysis was realized throughout 16S rRNA sequences. The results showed that one of the isolated strain (CRSBAN-BVA1) present 99. 90% of similarity in the sequence 16S rRNA region with Acetobacter tropicalis. It demonstrated that bacterial diversity in the mango vinegar is dominated by A. tropicalis. Therefore this strain is potentially useful for its utilization as a starter in vinegar production.

 Key words: Fermented juice, acetic acid bacteria, 16S rRNA gene sequence, Acetobacter tropicalis.


Diarrhea is one of the leading causes of death among children less than five years of age around the world accounting for about two million child deaths annually. One of the recent strategies made to minimize the diarrhea associated mortality in children involves the use of oral zinc in diarrhea management. The inadequacy of dietary zinc uptake is exacerbated by the net loss of zinc during diarrhea. Zinc is enlisted in WHO essential drug list under medicine for diarrhea where it is indicated in acute diarrhea as an adjunct to oral rehydration salts. Zinc is usually well tolerated. It is necessary to explore public health applications, using zinc either as a preventive measure in children or therapeutically for diarrhea. Key words: Diarrhea, Dehydration, Mortality, Nepal, Zinc.


Grade value is a crucial parameter for the mineral industry. Investigation of grade value of mineral resources provides the optimum benefit. In this study, an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) and artificial neural network (ANN) model were applied for the prediction of grade values. The spatial coordinates X, Y, and Z of the study area along with bore hole geochemical data were used as input variables in the model. In order to illustrate the applicability and capability of these methods, the western part of Turkey, between the latitudes 38°01 45 N and 38°09 52 N and between the longitudes 31°23 20 E and 31°32 52 E was chosen as the case study area. Measured grades of barite samples were obtained from 47 boreholes using the chemical analysis method. The performance of these models in training and testing sets were evaluated and compared with the observations. The results indicate that the ANFIS model is better than the ANN model and can successfully provide high accuracy and reliability for grade estimation.


Long‐term changes and trends in the series of monthly, seasonal and annual precipitation totals of 97 stations in Turkey were analysed by considering their spatial and temporal characteristics. Secular trends in precipitation series were examined with the Mann–Kendall rank correlation test for the general period 1930–2002, whereas spatial variabilities of, and relationships between, the precipitation series at 86 of these stations were investigated by the principal component analysis (PCA) for the period 1953–2002 when the length of data is at its best for the stations subjected to the PCA. Major findings of the paper can be summarized as follows: (1) First principal component (PC1) generally describes climatology of the precipitation totals in Turkey that is closely governed by the large‐scale and/or synoptic scale atmospheric features (i.e. surface and upper air pressure and wind systems). (2) In winter, it is very likely that the greater PC1 loadings over the western and south‐western parts of Turkey characterized mainly with the Mediterranean rainfall regimes indicate influence of the large‐scale atmospheric circulation and associated weather patterns. However, smaller PC1 loadings over the north‐eastern and eastern parts of Turkey are very likely related to the influence of the northerly mid‐latitude cyclones, and the northerly and easterly circulations linked with the Eastern Europe and the Siberian originated high pressures on spatial variations of winter precipitation. (3) As for the long‐term temporal variability, it was detected that there is an apparent decreasing trend in the winter precipitation totals of Turkey, whereas a general increasing trend is dominant in the precipitation totals of spring, summer and autumn seasons. (4) Observed decreasing trends are the strongest over the Mediterranean and the Mediterranean Transition rainfall regime regions. (5) Strong decreasing trends are also mostly found in winter months of the year, while apparent increasing trends show up at some stations in the months of April, August and October. Copyright © 2008 Royal Meteorological Society


Furnace annealing and lamp annealing of aluminum implanted layers in 4H silicon carbide (SiC) were investigated with respect to surface degradation and electrical parameters. A sheet resistance of about 20kW/ı was obtained for an aluminum implantation dose of 1.2×1015cm-2 and annealing in the furnace at 1700°C for 30min. For the same implantation dose, lamp annealing at 1770°C for 5min resulted in a three times higher sheet resistance of 60kW/ı. The surface roughness was best for the lamp system and stayed below 1nm for Al doses lower than 1×1015cm-2.


Thirty-eight patients with parkinsonism were reviewed after fracture of the hip. The 12-month mortality rate was the same as in other patients with hip fractures but without parkinsonism. However, the morbidity was higher-with loss of independent existence, loss of ambulation and an increased risk of dislocation of the endoprosthesis.


We introduce Adam, an algorithm for first-order gradient-based optimization of stochastic objective functions, based on adaptive estimates of lower-order moments. The method is straightforward to implement, is computationally efficient, has little memory requirements, is invariant to diagonal rescaling of the gradients, and is well suited for problems that are large in terms of data and/or parameters. The method is also appropriate for non-stationary objectives and problems with very noisy and/or sparse gradients. The hyper-parameters have intuitive interpretations and typically require little tuning. Some connections to related algorithms, on which Adam was inspired, are discussed. We also analyze the theoretical convergence properties of the algorithm and provide a regret bound on the convergence rate that is comparable to the best known results under the online convex optimization framework. Empirical results demonstrate that Adam works well in practice and compares favorably to other stochastic optimization methods. Finally, we discuss AdaMax, a variant of Adam based on the infinity norm.


We agree that it is difficult to lay down hard-and-fast rules on isolation, but some of the recommendations are hard to understand. Mumps and herpes zoster are regarded as examples of the more communicable diseases, and " an especially good case would need to be made for the retention in a general hospital of patients with these diseases." Sonne dysentery, on the other hand, is put in a less infectious category and patients may be nursed in a " side-room, cubicle, or isolation ward." There must be a few years indeed in which a fever hospital physician does not have to deal with the consequences of the spread of Sonne dysentery in a general or children's hospital. We regard the recommendation for the isolation of Sonne dysentery patients as unsound and dangerous, and find it impossible to reconcile it with the recommendations for patients suffering from salmonella infections, which are, correctly, put in the more communicable diseases category. We agree that two days' treatment with penicillin will render patients with meningococcal meningitis free from infection, but we feel that this recommendation implies that penicillin is the best drug with which to treat the disease, which it is not. We do not agree that similar treatment of patients suffering from scarlet-fever will necessarily eradicate the haemolytic streptococcus from their throats. The authors go to the trouble of indicating some of the diseases in which notification is required by law," but why not make the list complete ? Anthrax, tuberculous meningitis, and whooping-cough are all notifiable diseases and should also be awarded a star along with the others on the list.-We are, etc.,


Compared with hip replacement, internal fixation in the treatment of the elderly femoral neck fracture, especially the application of cannulated screws, is minimally invasive, easy to operate and economical. In recent years, it becomes the research focus in the field of orthopedic clinical research. However, configuration of cannulated screws is still controversial. Most clinicians believe that three cannulated screws being placed in parallel in an inverted triangle configuration is better than that in a triangular configuration in biomechanics and clinical effect. Nonparallel strong oblique nailing technique allows the screws to share more weight to reduce postoperative complications, so that it is more suitable for elderly patients with osteoporosis. However, the related complications of internal fixation such as nonunion, femoral neck shortening and other problems are still the focus of domestic and foreign scholars. Issues about how to control the indication of internal fixation surgery, understand related factors of the complications, and prevent complications are required to be further explored.


This work deals with the treatment of wood surfaces by diffuse coplanar surface barrier discharge (DCSBD) generated at atmospheric pressure. The effect of the distance of the sample from the electrode surface and the composition of the working gas in the chamber was studied. Norway spruce (Picea abies) wood, both unmodified and thermally modified, was chosen as the investigated material. The change in the surface free energy (SFE) of the wood surface was investigated by contact angles measurements. Chemical and structural changes were studied using infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Activation at a 0.15 mm gap from the electrode led in all cases to an increase in the SFE. The largest change in SFE components was recorded for wood thermally modified to 200 °C. At a 1 mm gap from the electrode increase of SFE occurred only when oxygen (O2) and argon (Ar) were used as working gas. Treatment in air and nitrogen (N2) resulted in an anomalous reduction of SFE. With the growing temperature of thermal modification, this hydrophobization effect became less pronounced. The results point out the importance of precise position control during the DCSBD mediated plasma treatment. A slight reduction of SFE on thermally modified spruce was achieved also by short term ultra-violet (UV) light exposure, generated by DCSBD.


There is something called the "incumbency advantage" in biomedical research: established laboratories have an advantage over newer laboratories when it comes to securing research funding. There are several interrelated factors that contribute to this phenomenon. First, research proposals are usually based on a considerable amount of preliminary data, which means that younger scientists have more difficulties putting competitive proposals together, even when these contain brilliant ideas [1], [2]. Second, the complexity and length of grant application guidelines and criteria can work against scientists who do not have enough expertise with application procedures, or assistants who can help them [2]. Third, the review committees that evaluate research proposals often seem to be biased in favor of established scientists with a solid track record. Indeed, there is evidence that review processes favor the "insiders and the familiar" over the "unknown", even without intentional bias (see "Further Reading"). Fourth, consensus biases toward mainstream and orthodox ideas/approaches again favor the large and well‐established laboratories over small and newly established ones [1], [2]. While "seasoned investigators are inclined to stick to the tried‐and‐true formulas for success" [1], young investigators are more likely to test new ideas/approaches. Fifth, large research programs can also be favored simply by "inertia" biases, especially given their "financial dependency" [1].

The incumbency advantage therefore creates an unfair situation for young investigators. It is not only a matter of equal opportunities, but it also decreases the overall efficiency of the system in several ways. First, many innovative research projects by young PIs remain unfunded. This is a problem, because newly established laboratories often have innovative ideas. Second, the incumbency advantage leads to "over‐funding" of some laboratories, and there is evidence of a negative correlation between funding and laboratory …


Introduction: We have investigated the seismicity of two planetary bodies. The observed deep seismicity of the Moon is triggered by external forcing and shows a spatial distribution, which was not expected during the planning of the APOLLO missions. We show the influence of the station network on the uncertainty of the resulting quake locations. A model of the expected seismicity of Mars has been developed as a tool for the planning of upcoming seismological experiments. Based on this model, we conducted simulations of the data return that can be expected from ExoMars, depending on the choice of the landing site. Moonquakes: More than 30 years ago, after a station life time of up to 8 years (A12), the Apollo passive seismic experiment was shut down. It resulted in the detection of more than 12000 seismic events. The majority of events listed in the Lunar Seismic Event Catalog has been recognized as representing clusters of tidally triggered quakes in the deep lunar interior [1]. However, the spatial distribution of these clusters still poses some questions, the most important of which is: Why does the lunar far side appear to be almost aseismic?
Even a simple analysis of network geometry, in terms of the azimuthal gap as first-order proxy to expected location accuracy, clearly shows that the Apollo network has suboptimal location capabilities on the largest part of the Moon's surface. An assessment of the error boundaries of the locations is necessary to test if the far side aseismicity is an artifact.
We have re-analyzed the arrival time data of [1] using a new, non-linear adaptive grid scheme that does not search for the best-fitting hypocenter , but maps the entire volume of possible hypocenters which reproduce the observed seismic arrival times within given uncertainties (globally assumed to be ±10s, since individual estimates are not available). The seismic velocity model of [2] is used to compute theoretical arrival times. All 121 clusters with three or more arrivals were processed, and location uncertainty volumes described. For 15 previously unlocated clusters, a location volume could be found. A total of 112 out of 121 clusters are compatible with a focal depth of 930-960km. The narrowest depth range that is compatible with all processed clusters reaches from 465km to 1305km. Only 69 clusters are definitely located on the near side. The other 52 clusters may as well be situated on the far side, and most of these 52 have more than two thirds of the location volume there. Marsquakes: The cumulative seismic moment available per year for the production of marsquakes is estimated from the thermal contraction of the seismogenic lithosphere as described by [3], but with new and competing sets of parameters, based on a recent modeling of Mars' thermal evolution [4]. The models differ in cooling rate, seismogenic thickness, shear modulus and other parameters. We obtain cumulative moments between 3.4x1016 Nm (WEAK models) and 4.8x1018 Nm (STRONG models) per Julian year. An amount of about 20-30 quakes with a seismic moment release that exceeds 1.3x1015 Nm (Mw=4) can be expected per year.
We assume that the martian seismicity occurs in the shallow regions of the crust only – pressure inside Mars is too large to allow for events in a relative depth comparable to that of the Moon. The spatial distribution of epicenters is connected to the visible traces of tectonic faults on the surface of Mars. These are thought to be weak zones of the crust, and will therefore fail first under elastic stress. Using a reasonabl size-frequency distribution, the estimated moment budget and the spatial distribution of faults, we can simulate earthquake catalogs and use them as input for a statistical evaluation of detection rates of a seismometer of given sensitivity and placed at a given landing site.
In the case of installing more than one lander, the layout of the network would need consideration of detection thresholds as well as location accuracy. For a single instrument, like in the ExoMars GEP, it is more important to detect as many quakes as possible. The site should therefore be chosen such that the instrument is closest to the centers of activity and the least number of events is shadowed by the core or too far away to be detected, although some events beyond the core shadow boundary are required to determine the core structure. To achieve this, we present maps of statistical properties of the fault distribution with respect to all points of the martian surface, in order to quantify the suitability of each point of the surface as seismometer site. References: [1] Nakamura, Y. (2005) J. Geophys. Res., vol. 110, doi:10.1029/2004JE002332 [2] Nakamura, Y. (1983) J. Geophys. Res., vol. 88, No. B1, 677-686 : [3] Solomon S.C. et al. (1991), LPI Tech Rep. #91-0 [4] Schumacher S. and Breuer D. (2006), J. Geophys. Res., vol 111, E2, doi:10.1029/2005JE002429.


Dietary vitamin A and its derivatives, retinoids, regulate cardiac growth and development. To delineate mechanisms involved in retinoid-mediated control of cardiac gene expression, the regulatory effects of the retinoid X receptor α (RXRα) on atrial naturietic factor (ANF) gene transcription was investigated. The transcriptional activity of an ANF promoter-reporter in rat neonatal ventricular myocytes was repressed by RXRα in the presence of 9-cis-RA and by the constitutively active mutant RXRαF318A indicating that liganded RXR confers the regulatory effect. The RXRα-mediated repression mapped to the proximal 147 bp of the rat ANF promoter, a region lacking a consensus retinoid response element but containing several known cardiogenic cis elements including a well characterized GATA response element. Glutathione S-transferase "pull-down" assays revealed that RXRα interacts directly with GATA-4, in a ligand-independent manner, via the DNA binding domain of RXRα and the second zinc finger of GATA-4. Liganded RXRα repressed the activity of a heterologous promoter-reporter construct containing GATA-response element recognition sites in cardiac myocytes but not in several other cell types, suggesting that additional cardiac-enriched factors participate in the repression complex. Co-transfection of liganded RXRα and the known cardiac-enriched GATA-4 repressor, FOG-2, resulted in additive repression of GATA-4 activity in ventricular myocytes. In addition, RXRα was found to bind FOG-2, in a 9-cis-RA-dependent manner. These data reveal a novel mechanism by which retinoids regulate cardiogenic gene expression through direct interaction with GATA-4 and its co-repressor, FOG-2.


The lncRNA NEAT1 plays a vital role in mitochondrial function and antiviral response. We have previously identified NEAT1 as dysregulated lncRNAs and found an inverse correlation with interferon alpha-inducible protein 27 (IFI27) expression associated with developing dengue severity. However, the role of NEAT1 in dengue virus (DV) infection remains elusive. Here, we undertook a study to evaluate the functional consequences of NEAT1 and IFI27 modulation on antiviral response and viral replication in dengue infection. We observed that the knockdown of NEAT1 augmented IFI27 expression and antiviral response via the RIG-I pathway. Increased antiviral response leads to a decrease in dengue viral replication. Further study suggested that the knockdown of IFI27 augmented expression of the activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3), a negative regulator of antiviral response, and increased dengue virus replication suggesting an important role played by IFI27 in mediating antiviral response. RNA sequencing study confirmed several mitochondrial genes significantly altered upon knockdown of NEAT1 in DV-infected cells. We further verified the effect of NEAT1 knockdown on mitochondrial functions. We observed a reduced level of phospho-DRP1(S616) expression along with elongated mitochondria in DV2-infected cells. Further, NEAT1 knockdown or ectopic expression of IFI27 increased mitochondrial ROS production and cell death via activation of caspase 3. Our study points to the crucial role of NEAT1 and IFI27 in mediating antiviral response and mitochondrial dysfunction in dengue infection.


Administrative administration is an organizational subsystem, in this case the school organization. Its main activity is taking care of all forms of school administration, from correspondence to inventory of goods. When viewed from the above understanding, the administration does not only involve correspondence activities but also involves all material information and information in the form of documents. Administration is important because administration can help and facilitate other subsystems such as student affairs, curriculum, personnel administration, and others. In this case there is a term called an assistive mechanism meaning that school administration activities can be used to help the leader (Principal) in making decisions, so as to facilitate and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the administrative process, with the required data. If the administration of the administration runs well, the activities related to learning and learning objectives can run well too. For this reason, administrative staff who are professional and competent in their fields are needed.


Pseudomonas aeruginosa is common gram negative rod – shaped bacterium, a species of considerable medical importance, P. aeruginosa is prototypical "multi drug resistant (MDR) Pathogen" that is recognised for its ubiquity, its intrinsically advanced antibiotic resistance mechanisms, and its associatation with serious illnesses – especially nosocomial infection such as ventilator – associated pneumonia and various sepsis syndromes. This study was conducted from March 2014 to July 2014, the patients were males and females. Total samples of 613 patients, selected from burns wards and general surgery wards, the samples were sending to teaching laboratories from the same hospital. The present study showed that the prevalence of sensitivity revealed that amikacin had the highest sensitivity (89,6%), followed by cefotaxime (66.2%), the optimal aminoglycosides in combination therapy with B-lactams was amikacin, followed by tobramycin and gentamycin, highest sensitivity rate showed that (95.2%) was found in the combination of amikacin with imipenem and piperacillin, (71.4%) were amikacin combination with cefotaxime ,(85.7%) were gentamycin with piperacillin , (71.4%) were gentamycin with cefotaxime, (95.2%) were  tobramycin with piperacillin,(76.2%)were tobramycin with carbenicillin, resistance of bacterials associated with reduced aminoglycoside accumulation the current study indicated that pseudomonas aeruginosa  was the most prevalent in burns and general surgery infection, these infections generally require treatment with a combination of antimicrobials inoder to achieve a greater baetericidal effect and reduce the levels of resistance .


Objectives: Airports in the U.S. have gradually been transitioning to automated flight systems. These systems generate new flight paths over populated areas. While they can improve flight efficiency, the increased noise associated with these novel flight patterns potentially pose serious health threats to the overflown communities. In this case study, we estimated the monetary benefits relative to health losses associated with one significant change in flight patterns at LaGuardia Airport, year-round use of "TNNIS Climb", which happened in 2012 as a result of flight automation in New York City. Prior to that, the use of the TNNIS Climb was limited to the U.S. Open tennis matches. Methods: We developed a decision-analytic model using Markov health states to compare the costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) gained associated with the limited use of TNNIS (old status quo) and the year-round use of TNNIS (current status quo). The TNNIS Climb increases airplane noise to above 60 decibels (dB) over some of the most densely populated areas of the city. We used this increased exposure to noise as the basis for estimating ground-level health using data from sound monitors. The total costs (including both direct and indirect costs), QALYs, and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) were estimated for the limited versus the year-round use of the TNNIS Climb. Results: The incremental lifetime costs and QALYs per person exposed to noise associated with the limited versus the year-round use of TNNIS was $11,288, and 1.13, respectively. Therefore, the limited use of TNNIS had an ICER of $10,006/QALY gained relative to the year-round of TNNIS. Our analyses were robust to changes in assumptions and data inputs. Conclusions: Despite increases in efficiency, flight automation systems without a careful assessment of noise might generate flight paths over densely populated areas and cause serious health conditions for the overflown communities.


This article presents national data on a social-indicator-type measure of access to medical care, prior to and after the introduction of Medicare and Medicaid in the United States. The analyses confirm that the access of the poor, especially those with a regular source of medical care did improve, relative to the non-poor, between 1963 and 1970. Access for middle-class and low-income persons with no usual doctor and the high-income with a regular family physician declined considerably over this period, however. One explanation of these findings proffered is that after Medicare and Medicaid were introduced, providers may have begun to ration the number of visits by the "well-to-do" to accommodate the influx of low-income patients with newly acquired purchasing power and a backlog of unmet need. Many poor with no previously established source of care continued to experience barriers to entry. Much more sophisticated analyses are required to test this and other propositions suggested here, however.


An in-wheel motor, as a key part of an in-wheel driving system, needs to satisfy strict restrictions on thermal balance for increasingly high-power density in limited space and weight. Therefore, a new in-wheel motor with an innovative water-cooling system for one newly developed electric vehicle was developed. Based on the mechanical structure of the motor, all potential water-cooling layouts were first designed with consideration of mechanical strength and manufacturability. A thermal conjugate simulation model of the developed in-wheel motor was then built, and its thermally fluid–solid interactions were investigated in this study. All potential water-path layouts of the motor were compared regarding the cooling effect and fluid resistance, which impact the performance of the motor. Fluid flow velocity and fluid state, determined by the water-path layout, significantly impact the cooling effect of the motor. The well-designed water-cooling system significantly reduces the motor's temperature at a low cost on required coolant-driven pressure which benefits the efficiency of the developed motor. A prototype of the developed motor with the optimal water-path layout was built and tested on the test rig. The developed motor provides outstanding thermal performance.


According to Schnitker, Mandel, Hirst and their associates, approximately half of the dissecting aneurysms in women under 40 years of age are associated with pregnancy. This significant relationship between dissecting aneurysm and pregnancy has been discussed by considering hemodynamic stress and also the hormonal changes of pregnancy. In this report, we describe five patients with dissecting aneurysm during pregnancy or the puerperium, review the literature and discuss the influence of pregnancy on the pathogenesis of this disease.


The defect states due to the Si dangling-bonds at the Si(100)/SiO 2 interface is investigated by employing the first-principles method based on the density functional theory. Two prototypes of the defects at the interface are considered. One exists on one end of a Si-Si dimer. On the other hand, the other exists on an edge of a Si-O-Si bridge. The electronic structures for these systems were calculated to investigate the interface states. For the former, two defect states strongly localizing on the silicon dangling bond at the interface appear in the band gap. The latter defect also generates two defect states. But the upper level is in the conduction band, while the lower level is in the band gap. It is also shown that the interface states completely disappear by introducing a H atom into the interface and terminating the dangling bonds. Our results suggest the silicon dangling-bond on a Si-Si dimer with no adjacent O atoms as a candidate for the P b1 center.


A sustainable solvent extraction process for purification of indium has been developed from a chloride aqueous feed solution using the ionic liquids Cyphos® IL 101 and Aliquat® 336. The high affinity of indium(III) for the ionic liquid phase gave extraction percentages above 95% over the HCl concentration range from 0.5 to 12 M. Attention was paid to the loading capacity of the ionic liquid phase and the kinetics of the extraction process. An extraction mechanism was proposed based on the relationship between the viscosity of the ionic liquid phase and the loading with indium(III) ions. Even for loadings as high as 100 g L−1, equilibrium was reached within 10 min. Due to the very high distribution ratio for indium(III), stripping of indium(III) from the ionic liquid phase was very difficult with water or acid solutions. However, indium could conveniently be recovered as In(OH)3 by precipitation stripping with a NaOH solution. Precipitation stripping has the advantage that no ionic liquid components are lost to the aqueous phase and that the ionic liquid is regenerated for direct re-use. The extraction of some metal ions that are commonly found as impurities in industrial indium process solutions, i.e. cadmium(II), copper(II), iron(III), manganese(II), nickel(II), tin(IV) and zinc(II), has been investigated. The distribution ratios for the different metal ions show that indium(III) can be purified efficiently by a combination of extraction, scrubbing and stripping stages. This new ionic liquid process avoids the use of volatile organic solvents.


0.8 wt.% silicon-containing hydroxyapatite (Si-HA) thin films of thickness 600 nm have been successfully developed using a magnetron co-sputtering technique, through careful selection and control of the processing conditions. These films were immersed in simulated body fluid (SBF) to investigate the nucleation and growth of an apatite layer on their surfaces. A newly-formed apatite layer with similar characteristics to that of the biological bone apatite, was observed after 4 days of immersion in SBF. X-ray diffraction and infrared analyses confirmed this layer to be calciumdeficient micro-crystalline carbonate HA. These results demonstrated that the novel Si-HA films were highly bioactive and the time frame required for apatite formation was reduced by approximately 76 % (from 17 days to 4 days).


The strategy of this paper is to draw attention to the influence of narrative and group
identities to the current conflicts of the Great Lakes Region. It argues that past
memories, passed over to the present generation through community narratives, have
contributed to the current crisis. Narratives have been a driving force in forming
solidarity and at the same time in excluding and exterminating others. Narrative groups
have further consolidated allies and distinguished enemies, in this way broadening the
crisis in the region. The paper concludes by asserting that particular narratives remain
dangerous in the Great Lakes Region, unless they are reconstructed in recognition of
others narratives. Mtafiti Mwafrika Vol. 10 2003: pp 1-59


The noticeable expansion of the wind turbine industry in the UK has been encouraged by the government, which announced a range of incentives to meet the increased demand for wind turbine technologies, as a contribution to the effects against climate change. The UK is embracing the challenge of preventing 0.8 million tonnes of pollution through deploying approximately 806MW of small and medium turbines by 2023. Consequently, appropriate maintenance strategies to lengthen the life of turbine elements, including main shaft, bearings, gearbox and generator should be considered. Bearings tend to be one of the most common defective elements. Defects may occur for many reasons including contamination, lubrication problems and excessive operational conditions; thus, failure can take several forms and could arise in any part of the bearing elements. These factors are not included in the basic rating life (L10) – calculation proposed by ISO281. Thus determining the life of the bearing is challenging.
A thorough literature review was conducted to investigate the research field including, common failures that occur in micro-scale wind turbine elements such as: bearings, generator, brake and main shaft. This was followed by mutual condition monitoring techniques that are currently used to detect failures. Lastly, intelligent methods that can be incorporated to enhance the performance of the machinery were highlighted.
Illustrations of hardware and software developments were covered in the next chapter, including all the equipment used to construct the test bench throughout this research and all the sensors and controllers that were interfaced to develop the IHMS.
The system then underwent preliminary verification, and finally several tests including bearing system failure and bearing life, were conducted to be studied graphically. Conclusions were drawn from this work, and future directions considered.
This thesis presents a prototype of an Intelligent Health Management System (IHMS) for micro-scale wind turbine bearings. This development addresses various issues in determining bearing life, detecting failure in the machinery. It proposes the use of an intelligent analysis approach that integrates information from key sensors to monitor bearing life. The IHMS was evaluated using a test apparatus developed by the author.


Strong ecological selection on a genetic locus can maintain allele frequency differences between populations in different environments, even in the face of hybridization. When alleles at divergent loci come into tight linkage disequilibria, selection acts on them as a unit and can significantly reduce gene flow. For populations interbreeding across a hybrid zone, linkage disequilibria between loci can force clines to share the same slopes and centers. However, strong ecological selection can push clines away from the others, reducing linkage disequilibria and weakening the barrier to gene flow. We looked for this 'cline uncoupling' effect in a hybrid zone between stream resident and anadromous sticklebacks at two genes known to be under divergent natural selection (Eda and ATP1a1) and five morphological traits that repeatedly evolve in freshwater stickleback. We used 10 anonymous SNPs to characterize the shape of the zone. We found that the clines at Eda, ATP1a1, and four morphological traits were concordant and coincident, suggesting that direct selection on each is outweighed by the indirect selection generated by linkage disequilibria. Interestingly, the cline for pectoral fin length was much steeper and displaced 200m downstream, and two anonymous SNPs also had steep clines.


Petrus Josephus Wilhelmus Debije (Peter Debye) was bom on 24 March 1884 at Maastricht in the Limburg province of the Netherlands, a town bearing witness to much in the history and culture of at least three of Europe's present national groups. Some other notable physical scientists who share the same birthday are Georg Bauer Agricola (O.S. 1494: De re metallica), Joseph Priestley (1733), Josef Stefan (1835), and Adolf Butenandt (1903), another Nobel prizewinner in Chemistry. Debye died at Ithaca, the city where Cornell University is located in upper New York State, on 2 November 1966. In the three years that have since elapsed, a number of brief obituary notices have appeared: these and an earlier article by the writer have been used in preparing the following account. The sequence is essentially chronological with the subdivisions indicating Debye's academic location. Early years The burgomaster of Maastricht has made available a genealogy which is essentially complete to the fourth generation. One of the eight great-greatgrandfathers is given as Joannes Debeij, born in 1752, the great-grandfather (1783-1854) being Pieter Eoduryk Debije. The whole family tree is firmly planted in Maastricht: three of the scientist's grandparents were born in and died at Maastricht, as did his parents. They were all also Roman Catholics. His parents, Joannes Wilhelmus Debije (1859-1937) and Maria Anna Barbara Ruemkens (1859-1940) were married on 23 May 1883, his father's twenty-fourth birthday. Records describe his father as a smith or foreman (smid: Werkmeister) in a metal-ware manufacturer's (J. G. Lambriex) at Maastricht which made items (including tinned-ware) for general use, from gates to kettles: he was well respected by his fellow-workmen and by the other citizens of Maastricht.


Skeletal growth abnormalities, including diminished linear growth and osteoporosis, are well recognized in children with severe cerebral palsy (CP). The purpose of this study was to examine skeletal bone age, another aspect of skeletal growth, in this severely handicapped population. The study consisted of two parts, each assessing skeletal maturation but using different methods on different cohorts of children with CP: 133 hand–wrist radiographs were scored using the Fels method and 241 pelvis radiographs were scored using the Oxford method. The Oxford method has not been validated against contemporary normal children; therefore, 114 recently obtained pelvis radiographs of otherwise normal children being evaluated for trauma were included as controls. On average, there was not a statistically significant difference between the chronological age of the child with CP and the skeletal age based on hand–wrist x-rays. Similarly, average pelvic skeletal maturity scores did not differ between the CP children and age-matched contemporary controls. While averages did not differ, wide individual variation was noted in the CP cohorts, with a high prevalence of both delayed and advanced skeletal maturity. Of note, pelvic maturity scores in the contemporary controls significantly differed from those reported in the original Oxford series from over 50 years ago.


Unsupervised Deep Learning for Medical Image Analysis is increasingly gaining attention, since it relieves from the need for annotating training data. Recently, deep generative models and representation learning have lead to new, exciting ways for unsupervised detection and delineation of biomarkers in medical images, such as lesions in brain MR. Yet, Supervised Deep Learning methods usually still perform better in these tasks, due to an optimization for explicit objectives. We aim to combine the advantages of both worlds into a novel framework for learning from both labeled & unlabeled data, and validate our method on the challenging task of White Matter lesion segmentation in brain MR images. The proposed framework relies on modeling normality with deep representation learning for Unsupervised Anomaly Detection, which in turn provides optimization targets for training a supervised segmentation model from unlabeled data. In our experiments we successfully use the method in a Semi-supervised setting for tackling domain shift, a well known problem in MR image analysis, showing dramatically improved generalization. Additionally, our experiments reveal that in a completely Unsupervised setting, the proposed pipeline even outperforms the Deep Learning driven anomaly detection that provides the optimization targets.


The purpose of this study is to assess seismic hazards in the 57 administration districts of the Chianan area (Chiayi County, Chiayi City, and Tainan City), Taiwan, in the form of ShakeMaps, as well as to estimate potential human fatalities from scenario earthquakes on the three type I active faults in this area. The resultant ShakeMap patterns of maximum ground motion show two regions with high modified Mercalli intensity (MMI; greater than IX). One is in the Chiayi area around Minsyong, Dalin, and Meishan due to presence of the Meishan fault and large site amplification factors. The other is in the Tainan area around Jiali, Madou, Siaying, Syuejia, Jiangjyun, and Yanshuei. The projected probabilities in 10, 30, and 50 yr periods with seismic intensity exceeding MMI VIII in these areas are greater than 45%, 80%, and 95%, respectively. Furthermore, from the distribution of probabilities, high values of greater than 95% over a 10 yr period with seismic intensity corresponding to Central Weather Bureau intensity V and MMI VI are found in central and northern Chiayi and northern Tainan. Finally, from estimation of potential human fatalities for scenario earthquakes on three active faults in Chianan area, it is noted that potential fatalities increase rapidly for people above age 45. Total fatalities reach high peaks in two age groups, ages 60–64 and 75–79, respectively, from scenario earthquakes on the Meishan and Chukou faults. On the other hand, total fatalities peak at ages 55–64 in the case of Hsinhua fault; this is probably because more people in this age group live in the nearby densely populated urban areas (>5000  persons/km2) such as the Yongkang District. We urge the local and central governments to pay special attention to seismic‐hazard mitigation in this urbanized area, with its large number of old buildings.

Online Material: Maps of probabilities of exceeding Central Weather Bureau intensity (CWBI) V, VI, and VII and modified Mercalli intensity (MMI) VI and VII of ground shaking over 10, 30, and 50 yr periods.


Background Occurrence of second hematologic malignancies in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is well known, but development of secondary solid tumors has not been well documented. Isolated case reports indicate that CLL patients may have a predisposition to develop solid tumors. There is not enough literature available to support this hypothesis. We here intend to study the incidence of secondary solid tumors in CLL patients with regard to their treatment and immunoglobulin levels. Methods We reviewed the medical records of 323 CLL patients over the last 20 years at Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Kansas City. Broadly, the patients were divided into two groups, the group that received chemotherapy for CLL (74/323) versus the group that did not receive treatment (249/323), and their median immunoglobulin levels were also documented. Patients who developed secondary hematologic malignancies were excluded from this study. Results The overall incidence of solid tumors was found to be 14.8% (48/323). In the chemotherapy-treated CLL, the incidence of solid tumors was 18% (14/74) compared with 13.6% (34/249) in the nontherapeutic group (p value .12). The most common malignancies noted were gastrointestinal malignancies, genitourinary tumors, and skin cancers, including melanomas. Interestingly, CLL patients who developed secondary solid tumors had a higher median IgG levels (1,010 g/L) when compared with those who did not develop secondary tumors (738 g/L, p value Conclusion Our study shows that there is a higher overall incidence of secondary solid tumors in patients with CLL when compared with the incidence in the general population. There is no significant increase in the incidence of therapy-related solid tumors in CLL patients. Upward drift in immunoglobulin levels should raise a suspicion for diagnosis of secondary solid tumors in patients with CLL. More studies are warranted to confirm this finding.


Dislocations alter perfect crystalline order and produce anisotropic broadening of the X-ray diffraction profiles, which is described by the dislocation contrast factor. Owing to the lack of suitable mathematical tools to deal with dislocations in crystals of any symmetry, contrast factors are so far only known for a few slip systems in high-symmetry phases and little detail is given in the literature on the calculation procedure. In the present paper a general approach is presented for the calculation of contrast factors for any dislocation configuration and any lattice symmetry. The new procedure is illustrated with practical examples of hexagonal metals and some low-symmetry mineral phases.


The urban drainage model requires spatial data and catchment discretization because of the complexity of system. Using integration of Geometric Information System (GIS) technology and urban storm water models, the performance of urban drainage system can be analysed.[1] Especially in coastal area, the main problem of urban drainage is overloaded capacity because of rapid urbanization and coastal floods caused by storm surges and wave action superimposed on high water levels generated during the cycle of tides. Land use change, watershed area as settlements area, clogged drainage pipe/channel, the changing of imperviousness of land cover also contributes to large volume of surface runoff. Moreover, the developments can change land cover in urban area and increasing rainfall runoff. One of the solutions for coastal urban drainage is by using polder system for flood control. The purpose of this paper is to illustrated how GIS can model the catchment discretization and MIKE URBAN-SWMM (Storm Water Management Model) can analyse water balance based on the rainfall return period of 25, 50 and 100 years. The research shows evaluation result of the polder performance including inundation depth and pump performance by linking GIS between storm water models. The case study is analysing the Pluit polder in Jakarta-Indonesia, which is connected to the Indonesia Central Bank compartment. Based on the model, this polder system can reduce flooding in Indonesia Central Bank Compartment up to 50%, however the inundation is still occurred.


This study compared fundamental movement skills (FMS) in children from schools on the lower and upper levels of socioeconomic status. Data were collected from 228 schoolchildren across five schools in Ireland. There were 147 children from schools of social disadvantage (Mage
 = 7.67 [SD = 0.62] years; 55% boys) and 81 children from schools considered in the normal range for socioeconomic development (Mage
 = 7.34 [SD = 0.26] years; 56% boys). FMS were assessed using the Test of Gross Motor Development–2. Mixed models were used to estimate differences in FMS, while controlling for the nested structure of the data and for sex, age, body mass index, and class size. There was a substantial sex×school interaction, with girls from schools of social disadvantage exhibiting greater object-control skills proficiency than their counterparts in schools on the upper tertiles of socioeconomic development (standardized effect size = 0.66 [±95% confidence limits, ±0.50]; p = .02). The suggestion that children from social disadvantage are delayed in FMS is unsupported in this cohort. Differences in the structure of physical education and types of sports undertaken by children in schools of social disadvantage in Ireland are considered as explanations for this departure from previous studies.


Electronic commerce is more impersonal, anonymous and automated than traditional person-to-person commerce, and as such, typically lacks human warmth and sociability. This paper explores how human warmth and sociability can be integrated through the Web interface to positively impact consumer attitudes towards online shopping. An empirical study was undertaken to investigate the impact of various levels of socially-rich text and picture design elements on the perception of online social presence and its subsequent effect on antecedents of Website attitude. Higher levels of social presence are shown to positively impact the perceived usefulness, trust and enjoyment of shopping Websites, leading to more favourable consumer attitudes. Implications of these finding for practitioners and future research are outlined.


In sub-Saharan Africa, because of its incredible demographic growth and the inappropriate development policies adopted during the first decades of the post-colonial period, each year millions of young people enter the labour market without finding the necessary job, the number of poor and chronically hungry increases, the rural areas, where the majority of the population live, are lacking in fundamental services and infrastructure, and agricultural productive technologies are still so primitive as to seriously compromise the struggle against climate change and food security in the region. This gives rise to a double need. On the one hand, the need to enact development policies for this part of Africa widely based on agricultural modernization and the strengthening of the familyfarm. On the other hand, the need to this end for organized and long-lasting commitment at the design and financing levels by international organizations and western economies, especially by Europe.


The estimation of biomass of tropical forests has continually been refined over the past decade, as the methodologies and the technology available for such estimation improved. Consequently, the uncertainty associated with estimates of carbon flux to the atmosphere from changes in land use has declined. In this paper, we review the efforts, primarily within our group, to refine the process of estimating forest biomass across the tropics. Initial estimates of global biomass resulted from the synthesis of ecological studies on small experimental plots. These studies did not sample from the larger population of interest and were conducted in relatively undisturbed locations, so that extrapolations tended to yield overestimates. Later, forest inventories were used to estimate biomass which resulted in better estimates because large sampling units were used. A large effort ensued to maximize the information extraction and reliability from forest inventory data. However, geographic specificity of the estimate was usually limited to national or large subnational unit. This shortcoming led to the use of geographic information systems (GIS) to increase the spatial specificity and to extrapolate inventory information to areas that have not been assessed. We use GIS to assess biomass in Peninsular Malaysia, a country with very good inventories and maps, and in Continental South/Southeast Asia, a region with very sparse inventory information. In the later case, GIS is used to model forest biomass using a suite of map layers that most influence biomass.


Diatoms are so important in ocean food-webs that any human induced changes in their abundance could have major effects on the ecology of our seas. The large chain-forming diatom Biddulphia biddulphiana greatly increases in abundance as pCO2 increases along natural seawater CO2 gradients in the north Pacific Ocean. In areas with reference levels of pCO2, it was hard to find, but as seawater carbon dioxide levels rose, it replaced seaweeds and became the main habitat-forming species on the seabed. This diatom algal turf supported a marine invertebrate community that was much less diverse and completely differed from the benthic communities found at present-day levels of pCO2. Seawater CO2 enrichment stimulated the growth and photosynthetic efficiency of benthic diatoms, but reduced the abundance of calcified grazers such as gastropods and sea urchins. These observations suggest that ocean acidification will shift photic zone community composition so that coastal food-web structure and ecosystem function are homogenised, simplified, and more strongly affected by seasonal algal blooms.


The existence of extended emission (EE) is an intriguing property of short-duration gamma-ray bursts, because the nature of the EE is still unclear. It might be a rising X-ray afterglow, or it could be a manifestation of the prolonged activity of a central engine. We consider short-duration gamma-ray bursts, emphasizing the common properties of both short bursts and short bursts with EE. Assuming that the EE with broad dynamic range is a common property of short bursts, we propose a two jet model which can describe both short main episode of hard spectra emission, specific for short bursts, and softer spectra EE by different off axis position of observer. The model involves a short-duration jet, which is powered by heating due to annihilation, and a long-lived Blandford–Znajek jet with a significantly narrow opening angle. Our proposed model is a plausible mechanism for short-duration burst energization. It can explain short bursts both with and without EE within a single class of progenitor.


The low metallicities of dwarf irregular galaxies (dIrr) greatly influence the formation and structure of molecular clouds. These clouds, which consist primarily of H2, are typically traced by CO, but low-metallicity galaxies are found to have little CO despite ongoing star formation. In order to probe the conditions necessary for CO core formation in dwarf galaxies, we have used the catalog of Rubio et al. for CO cores in WLM, a Local Group dwarf with an oxygen abundance that is 13% of solar. Here we aim to characterize the galactic environments in which these 57 CO cores formed. We grouped the cores together based on proximity to each other and strong FUV emission, examining properties of the star-forming region enveloping the cores and the surrounding environment where the cores formed. We find that high H i surface density does not necessarily correspond to higher total CO mass, but regions with higher CO mass have higher H i surface densities. We also find the cores in star-forming regions spanning a wide range of ages show no correlation between age and CO core mass, suggesting that the small size of the cores is not due to fragmentation of the clouds with age. The presence of CO cores in a variety of different local environments, along with the similar properties between star-forming regions with and without CO cores, leads us to conclude that there are no obvious environmental characteristics that drive the formation of these CO cores.


To clinically evaluate the effectiveness of Nite White 10% carbamide peroxide with amorphous calcium phosphate, potassium nitrate and fluoride over a 6-month follow-up period. Nite White was applied nightly for 14 days, according to the manufacturer's instructions. The color of teeth 11 and 21 of twenty one subjects was measured with a spectrophotometer (L*; a*; b*). Subjects were instructed to take note of any tooth sensitivity and gingival irritation. For all three components (L*, a* and b*) statistical significant differences (p<0.05) in the values between base-line (pre-bleaching) and; after treatment, after 1-month, after 3-months as well as after 6-months were found (Wilcoxon Signed Rank Sum Test). Significant differences were also found amongst the ΔE*ab (0-14days) values and; ΔE*ab (0-1 month), ΔE*ab (0-3 months) and ΔE*ab (0-6 months). However, no significant differences were found between pairs of ΔE*ab (0-1 month), ΔE*ab (0-3 months) and ΔE*ab (0-6months). The decrease in ΔE*ab was the highest after 1 month (~30%). The highest decrease in L* was about 58% after 1 month. Over the 14-day treatment period tooth sensitivity was 24.5%. Conclusions: Nite White ACP demonstrated significant tooth-whitening (unit increase = 5.29) with a low tooth sensitivity (25%) probably due to the presence of amorphous calcium phosphate, potassium nitrate, and fluoride. The whitening effect decreased the most after one month and then maintained well even after a 6 month period (units 3.89). Clinical implications The product is a good tooth whitener with a color increase of about 5 units accompanied with a low sensitivity.


The role of communication design in social innovation for sustainability is the central subject of this thesis. This significant yet under-explored area is the focus of study through practice-led design research. Two current paradigms underpin this study. First, the definition of communication design as an expanded practice that goes beyond visual communication to include communicating through interaction and experiences, as a practice that facilitates complex social exchange and constructs meaning in the world, whether by expert or non-expert designers. Second, the recent discussion in the area of design for sustainability focusing on the ???qualities??? displayed by initiatives of social-environmental purpose. These qualities are perceivable and cultivated through the interaction and experience of those who take part. The conjunction of these two paradigms locate the following research questions: What are the distinct roles of communication design practice in social innovation for sustainability? How can communication design practice expand on the social and relational nature of these initiatives? How might the qualities of sustainability be cultivated through the process and products of communication design? These questions were pursued through practice-led research in the sub-context of sustainable food initiatives as an established and growing area of social innovation. The methodology applied was iterative and collaborative, working with 17 sustainable food initiatives. Through a series of 6 workshops a practical tool was developed and tested to support these initiatives to co-create communication design that amplifies their qualities that characterise the sustainability of their activities, using their existing assets. The research contributes to the discipline of communication design and the field of social innovation for sustainability, with a new tool and context for collaborative practice titled communications assembly.


In the current pandemic, both self-regulated health-protective behavior and government-imposed regulations are needed for successful outbreak mitigation. Going forward, researchers and decision-makers must therefore understand the factors contributing to individuals' engagement in health-protective behavior, and their support for government regulations. Integrating knowledge from the literatures on self-control and cooperation, we explore an informed selection of potential predictors of individuals' health-protective behaviors as well as their support for government regulations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Aiming for a conceptual replication in two European countries, we collected data in Switzerland (N = 352) and the UK before (N = 212) and during lockdown (n = 132) and conducted supervised machine learning for variable selection, followed by OLS regression, cross-sectionally and, in the UK sample, across time. Results showed that personal importance of outbreak mitigation and beliefs surrounding others' cooperation are associated with both health-protective behavior and support for government regulations. Further, Swiss participants high in trait self-control engaged in health-protective behavior more often. Interestingly, perceived risk, age, and political orientation consistently displayed nonsignificant weak to zero associations with both health-protective behavior and support. Together, these findings highlight the contribution of self-control theories in explaining COVID-19-relevant outcomes, and underscore the importance of contextualizing self-control within the cooperative social context.


Background: The efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in the treatment of depression has been assessed in a number of acute treatment trials during the last 10 years. Little is known about the long-term impact of the treatment on the disorder and its effectiveness when applied for repeated relapses of depression over time. Method: Nineteen patients who had previously responded to rTMS in clinical trials received treatment with rTMS for a total of 30 episodes of depressive relapse. Results: Approximately 10 months elapsed between treatment episodes. The majority of patients achieved a significant improvement in each treatment course with significant improvements achieved in patients treated with both low-frequency right-sided rTMS and high-frequency left-sided rTMS. Conclusions: The study suggests that rTMS may have value in the treatment of episodes of depressive relapse with little reduction in efficacy over time.


On 11, 22 and 24 March 2011, the Competition Appeal Tribunal ("CAT") handed down a series of judgments relating to appeals against the level of fines imposed by the Office of Fair Trading ("OFT")…


We present deep BVI observations of the core of M35 and a nearby comparison field obtained at the WIYN 3.5 m telescope under excellent seeing conditions. These observations probe to V > 26 and display the lower main sequence in BV and VI CMDs down to V = 23.3 and 24.6, respectively. At these faint magnitudes the background Galactic field stars are far more numerous than the cluster stars, yet by using a smoothing technique and CMD density distribution subtraction we are able to recover the cluster fiducial main sequence and luminosity function to V = 24.6. We find the location of the M35 main sequence in these CMDs to be consistent with earlier work on other open clusters, specifically NGC 188, 2420, and 2477. We compare these open cluster fiducial sequences with stellar models by Baraffe et al., Siess et al., Girardi et al., and Yi et al. and find that the models are too blue in both B-V and V-I for stars less massive than ∼0.4 M⊙. At least part of the problem appears to be underestimated opacity in the bluer bandpasses, with the amount of missing opacity increasing toward the blue. M35 contains stars to the limit of the extracted main sequence, at M ≈ 0.10–0.15 M⊙, suggesting that M35 may harbor a large number of brown dwarfs, which should be easy targets for sensitive near-IR instrumentation on 8–10 m telescopes. We also identify a new candidate white dwarf (WD) in M35 at V = 21.36 ± 0.01. Depending on which WD models are used in interpreting this cluster candidate, it is either a very high mass WD (1.05 ± 0.05 M⊙), somewhat older (0.19–0.26 Gyr, 3–4 σ) than our best isochrone age (150 Myr), or it is a modestly massive WD (0.67–0.78 M⊙) that is much too old (0.42–0.83 Gyr) to belong to the cluster. Follow-up spectroscopy is required to resolve this issue.


Abstract : Proper doctrine for close support of American ground forces by airpower has been a tumultuous issue since the first days of combat aircraft. Air and ground leaders struggled with interservice rivalry, parochialism, employment paradigms, and technological roadblocks while seeking the optimum balance of missions given the unique speed, range, and flexibility of aircraft. Neither ground force concepts of airpower as self-defense and extended organic artillery, nor air force theories focused on command of the air and strategic attack fit the middle ground of close air support (CAS), leaving a doctrinal void prior to American combat in World War II. This thesis focuses on the critical period from September 1939 through the doctrinal and practical crucible of North Africa, which eventually produced a resoundingly successful system. Theoretical and practical changes in organization and command, airpower roles, and the tactical air control system are examined, with sub-area focus on cooperation and communications technology. Upon examination, discerning leadership, able to transcend earlier compromises and failures, emerges as the essential element for CAS success during the war. While many airpower concepts proved valid, air-ground cooperation through liaison proved indispensable, a lesson repeated even today.


Summary: Substances which stimulate the formation of akinetes (spores) in Cylindrospermum licheniforme Kutz. are secreted into a phosphate-free sporulation medium by filaments of that cyanobacterium. One such substance, purified from the centrifugal supernatant fluid of sporulating cultures, initiated sporulation in a phosphate-containing culture medium. Certain amino acids, particularly tryptophan, and calcium glucuronate also strongly stimulated sporulation. Acetylene and ethylene were inhibitory. No significant effect of cyclic nucleotides was observed. The addition of 12.5 to 15 % (v/v) H2 stimulated sporulation in air or under CO2/O2/Ar (0.1:19.9:80, by vol.) by up to 2.5-fold, but did not significantly affect the reduction of acetylene by intact filaments. Thus, the stimulation of sporulation by hydrogen was not mediated by an effect on the fixation of nitrogen. Hydrogen uptake in a cell-free suspension derived from whole filaments was detected manometrically, with phenazine methosulphate as electron acceptor, at a rate of 5.8 μmol H2 (mg chlorophyll a)−1 h−1. The uptake hydrogenase activity derived from isolated heterocysts accounted for 84 × 2 % of the uptake hydrogenase activity from whole filaments, whereas no activity was detected in a fraction derived from the vegetative cells.
The formation of the pattern consisting of spores contiguous with heterocysts may be controlled by either, or a combination of, (i) a sporulation-stimulatory substance, if that substance is synthesized solely in heterocysts, or (ii) some substance the concentration of which may be controlled by hydrogen assimilated by heterocysts.


Finite element simulation is an efficient method for studying factors affecting weld-induced residual stress distributions. In this paper, a validated three-dimensional finite element model consisting of sequentially coupled thermal and structural analyses was developed. Three possible symmetrical welding sequences, i.e. one-welder, two-welder and four-welder sequence, which were perceived to generate the least distortion in actual welding circumstances, were proposed and their influences on the residual stress fields in a thick-walled tee joint were investigated. Appropriate conclusions and recommendations regarding welding sequences are presented.


Indonesia is a tsunami prone area, having been hit by 6 events within the last 6 years: The Christmas tsunami 26 December 2004 in Aceh (earthquake Mw 9.2) as the biggest in this decade, Nias 28 March 2005 (earthquake Mw 8.7), South Java 17 July 2006 (earthquake Mw 7.7), Bengkulu 12 September 2007 (earthquake Mw 7.7 8.4), Toli-toli Northern Sulawesi 17 November 2008 (earthquake Mw 7.6) and Manokwari Papua 4 January 2009 (earthquake Mw 7.3 7.6). Many scientists (in Indonesia and from other countries) have been working on investigating, simulating and analysing those events using numerical tsunami modelling tools, which are available as open-source/free-ware or even commercial-ware. Many numerical methods have been applied and are represented in these codes (Finite Difference, Finite Element, and Finite Volume). Gridding methods such as structured and unstructured non-adaptive have been applied.Since 11 November 2008, Indonesia has a sophisticated tsunami early warning system (Ina-TEWS) based on pre-computed simulation results for the database. An unstructured finite element based code developed at Alfred Wegener Institute (TsunAWI) as the official (operational) GITEWS tsunami model and an extended version of TUNAMI (finite difference) model as the contribution by Institut Teknologi Bandung are employed for this purpose as well as for creating hazard maps. Even though both tsunami models have been well tested and validated, they are still having some efficiency problems. TsunAWI suffers from high computational costs, while TUNAMI cannot be easily refined arbitrarily.To overcome those problems, we conduct further development in unstructured finite element tsunami modeling using adaptive mesh refinement. Similarly to TsunAWI, the new TsunaFLASH code uses unstructured finite elements with conforming (P1) and non-conforming (P1nc) elements. The objective of developing TsunaFLASH is to improve computational efficiency by avoiding unnecessary calculations and saving computer memory. amatos (Adaptive Mesh generator for ATmosphere and Ocean Simulation) by Behrens et al. (2006) is employed for generating adaptive triangular meshes.In addition to the numerical development, the acquisition of detailed high-resolution bathymetry and topography is a pre-requisite for obtaining accurate and reliable modeling results. This presentation will show: A short introduction of the GITEWS achievements and its role in Ina-TEWS, unstructured finite element tsunami modeling and recent developments using adaptive methods, and some problems which arise during its applications in/for Indonesia and potentially other Indian Ocean rim countries.Keywords: adaptive mesh refinement, unstructured mesh, finite element, tsunami modeling,TsunAWI, TsunaFLASH, amatos, Ina-TEWS, GITEWS


A seawater Sr isotopic excursion toward lower values across the Cenomanian/Turonian boundary has been interpreted to indicate an episode of mantle plume volcanism that might have ultimately triggered Oceanic Anoxic Event (OAE) 2. However, the standard Sr isotope curve is not definitive enough to confirm the exact coincidence of the onset of the 87 Sr/ 86 Sr excursion and the genesis of OAE 2, as revealed by the black shale deposition or positive δ 13 C excursion. New high-precision 87 Sr/ 86 Sr data from Upper Cretaceous chalks in a diagenetically well-constrained Pacific deep-sea section (Deep Sea Drilling Project Site 463), in conjunction with δ 13 C stratigraphy and revised planktonic foraminiferal zonation, show that the onset of the 87 Sr/ 86 Sr shift might have predated OAE 2, presumably by >0.6 m.y. Our results point to the possibility that the massive volcanism and associated Cenomanian–Turonian global change might have preconditioned the climatic and oceanic regimes for OAE 2, but not have actually triggered the event.


The advance of medicine depends on the union of clinical art with high technology science. Sophisticated investigative methods improve clinical awareness and ability, but doctors and nurses must know how to interpret the results produced by the instruments they use. They must be aware of the limitations and possibilities of error. Uncritical reliance on values obtained by machines can be dangerous.1

Over 100 hundred years ago Anstie commented on the value of the sphygmograph but warned that it should be "used in conjunction with the strictest and most diligent observance of other means of clinical research."2 Thirty years ago Godber wrote, "Though mechanical aids and measuring devices extend the capacity of the doctors to serve the patient, they do not replace him. They are the adjuncts to the human relationship between doctor and nurse and patient; they cannot replace the art."3

A good example of the clinically inexperienced being dependent on high technology is provided by the Swan-Ganz catheter for measuring intracardiac pressures in critically ill patients. Certainly echocardiography gives more information about the mitral valve and ventricular function than …


Death assumes many faces in Macbeth, but the variety of corpses and ghosts which tyrannise the play's protagonist signals problems larger than one man's ruthlessness or paranoia. Contemporary ballads often feature similar ontological confusion about where and how life ends, sometimes imagining the dead with the same sense of their vital non-being, moral authority, cunning magic, and important place in the community. Like Macbeth, these ballads also powerfully theorise the way offical power reconfigures social space, reconstructing neighborhoods as places of surveillance and households as sites of neglect, streets as settings where poverty spreads, and families as traps where new life gets put out. In fastening their gaze upon dead bodies which subvert rot and defy decay, Macbeth and contemporary ballads picture the collective social body as something that sprawls and suffers and moves but does not grow, something that the state keeps alive but also near death.


The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of preseating prior to cementation on the amount of cement excess at the crown-abutment margin and to analyze the associated tensile force after cementation. Preseating of the crown on an abutment analog was evaluated. Ten implant copings were cemented with temporary cement on ten straight implant abutments. The amount of cement excess at the crown margins was measured by weight. Axial tensile force was measured 24 hours after the cementation. Results were statistically analyzed using ANOVA (p= 0.05). Preseating of the crown had a significant effect on the amount of cement excess at the crown margin (p<0.05), without lowering the tensile strength values significantly. When cementing crowns on implant abutments with temporary cement a preseating protocol might be advisable in order to reduce the amount of cement excess at the crown margin.


Real options analysis and value of information are related tools that help in guiding staged action in the face of quantifiable risk and uncertainty. Many types of projects involve early investments in the hopes of receiving later payoffs. Classes of projects such as R&D and new product development have received considerable attention in this regard. This article provides an overview of the concepts and literature of real options analysis and its connection to the value of information and decision analysis, and how these relate to such future growth opportunities.

R&D and new product development functions can utilize real options analysis/value of information by understanding factors that influence the value of such growth opportunities for the firm and the organizational capabilities required to realize those opportunities. We illustrate this with one set of factors and capabilities associated with a standard R&D project.

We define an innovation option as an opportunity for a firm to realize the commercial potential of a new technology by translating it into a novel product or service. During the course of development, information regarding the technical and market feasibility of a project is revealed. The firm can utilize the accumulated information regarding the potential net benefits of a project before committing partially or completely irreversible resources to commercialize the technology. In its most simple form, innovation projects should be viewed as a sequence of two decisions: a decision to gather information regarding the project's prospects (experimentation stage), followed by a decision to commercialize the project (implementation stage).

A basic two-stage model illustrates how a firm can maximize the value of its innovation efforts by investing in projects that match its organizational capabilities. First, we identify characteristics that determine the potential option value of an innovation project. We then turn our attention to the firm's capabilities that permit it to exploit high option value opportunities. We specifically investigate a firm's learning capability and abandonment capability. We find that an appropriate fit between project and the firm's characteristics will permit the firm to effectively appropriate the option value associated with its innovation opportunities. We contend that firms that are endowed with projects that tend to have high potential option value can improve their innovation processes by investing in the firm's capabilities that allow them to exploit their opportunities. On the other hand, firms that are endowed with projects that have low potential option value may be better off shedding potentially expensive, but relatively valueless, capabilities. Firms that recognize real options can analyze them, and then focus their efforts on adding value by managing their capabilities to exploit those options.

Keywords:

RD
new product development;
learning capability;
abandonment capability


Vertigo, tinnitus and hearing impairment constitute the cardinal symptoms in Meniere'sdisease. This inner ear disorder, the aetiology of which is not fully understood, may causeconsiderable distress to the individual. Previous psychological research regardingMeniere's disease has mainly focused on general personality traits. The aim of the presentwork was to make a systematic investigation of psychological factors in relation tosymptoms in Meniere's disease. The theoretical frame was health psychology.In study I, it was found that perceived discomfort from Meniere's disease correlated with dysphoria, anxiety, insomnia and lack of concentration. A majority of the participants reported an awareness of premonitory symptoms of vertigo attacks, and of associations among environmental, emotional and activity factors and attacks. In study II, subjective correlates of vertigo attacks were further explored, and situational and somatic factors were found to correlate with perceived disease progression. Study III showed that dysphoria and 'confidence in balance' in everyday activities were related to perceived discomfort from vertigo. In study IV, same-day associations between perceived symptoms and stress were found, but individual differences were observed. No evidence was obtained that stress occurring in the preceding days will increase symptoms in Meniere's disease. In study V, cognitive stress produced at a Stroop test caused less body sway as measured on a stabilometer compared with body sway after a resting session. In study VI, it was found that ways of coping with stressful events correlated with perceived functional handicap from dizziness in Meniere's disease. 'Anxiety sensitivity' also correlated with perceived handicap from dizziness.From the results it is suggested that psychological factors are important in Meniere's disease and that there are individual differences in such factors in relation to symptoms. It is recommended that more attention should be devoted to psychological factors related to symptoms in order to minimise fear and uncertainty and to enhance the predictability of symptoms and the possibility of coping with this disease.


Many studies have reported the presence of soil respiration hot spots, which are areas of extremely high soil respiration, but little is known about their causes. Because previous studies implied that they were caused by macrofauna, we conducted a field survey in a Malaysian lowland rainforest to examine whether increased soil respiration was induced by the activities of macrofauna such as termites, ants and earthworms. Soil respiration was measured in a grid system of 10 m intervals in a 1 ha plot. We measured soil respiration again three or four days after the first measurement to examine the spatiotemporal change in hot spots. After the second measurement, we excavated soil to a depth of 20 cm at the five points showing the highest soil respiration rates (hot spots) and their neighboring points as controls and visually searched for macrofauna. The average soil respiration for two measurements did not differ significantly (8.21 and 7.93 μmol CO2 m s, respectively). Four hot spots were revealed in each of the two measurements, but only one appeared in both measurements. Several ants (100-500 individuals, Lophomyrmex sp.) were observed in soil under soil respiration chamber areas at one hot spot and one control point, respectively. This suggests that the hot spots in the study site were not located near active nests or intensively active areas of macrofauna, and it is possible that the hot spots may represent the points of mass CO2flux transport events.


Based on a sample of 234 IT consulting and services professionals from various cultural backgrounds, this study investigates whether Edward T. Hall's concept of culture can explain cultural differences in email communication. Although a vast array of intercultural research employs Hall's concept in various communication settings, few take into account the computer-mediated communication technologies that now play an integral role in the operations of international companies. Our results show that cultural differences in email are present and can be explained by Hall's dimensions of context, time, and space orientation. In particular, cultural background has a significant impact on the preference for formalness, promptness, preciseness, task-relatedness, and relationship-relatedness in email communication. Implications for managers as well as future studies are derived.


To the Editor. —Sulmasy et al 1 are to be applauded for attempting to demonstrate the usefulness of clinical ethics instruction. Unfortunately, while their intent is commendable, their findings do not meet the proposed objective or support the conclusion drawn. Their study has two main problems. First, the authors state that the study is a "1-year randomized, controlled trial." Calling the study "controlled," however, presumes that the connection between the content of the instruction and the increase in "concurrent care concerns" (CCCs) is both causal and primary. The authors provide no justification for this presumption. Furthermore, other connections are possible. Attending regular meetings with fellow house officers and discussing (traditionally) nonmedical issues may create a comradeship that promotes open discussion of a wide range of issues. If so, it would be the kind of dialogue between house officers that leads to the increase in CCCs addressed; the clinical ethics instruction


Modified conditions are reported for successful continuous bone marrow cultures with stem cell self-renewal and granulocyte-macrophage differentiation. Cells cultured over several weeks were found to be identical to freshly isolated bone marrow cells. Polymorphic neutrophils derived from cultures and primary bone marrow neutrophils both showed C3 AND IgG receptors and both actively phagocytosed foreign particles. Cultured and normal CFU-c were identical, both in their dose responsiveness to CFS and in their sedimentation rate characteristics.


Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major public health problem with host-directed therapeutics offering potential as novel treatment strategies. However, their successful development still requires a comprehensive understanding of how Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) infection impacts immune responses. To address this challenge, we applied standardised immunomonitoring tools to compare TB antigen, BCG and IL-1β induced immune responses between individuals with latent M.tb infection (LTBI) and active TB disease, at diagnosis and after cure. This revealed distinct responses between TB and LTBI groups at transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic levels. At baseline, we identified pregnane steroids and the PPARγ pathway as new immune-metabolic drivers of elevated plasma IL-1ra in TB. We also observed dysregulated induced IL-1 responses after BCG stimulation in TB patients. Elevated IL-1 antagonist responses were explained by upstream differences in TNF responses, while for IL-1 agonists it was due to downstream differences in granzyme mediated cleavage. Finally, the immune response to IL-1β driven signalling was also dramatically perturbed in TB disease but was completely restored after successful antibiotic treatment. This systems immunology approach improves our knowledge of how immune responses are altered during TB disease, and may support design of improved diagnostic, prophylactic and therapeutic tools.


Current IEEE 802.11ad millimeter-wave consumer devices use phased antenna arrays with a fixed set of pre-defined beam patterns. Such an approach has the advantage of being very low complexity and easy to implement. However, custom beam patterns adapted to the current channel can provide much better performance than generic pre-defined patterns. In this demo, we show how to measure channel state information and modify beam patterns on the TP-Link Talon AD7200 router operating in the 60 GHz band. This allows to generate custom beam patterns with arbitrary shape, as well as beam patterns that maximize the signal strength of a link given the current channel. Our demo allows users to select custom beam patterns and visualizes the beam pattern in use. It is also possible to compare the custom patterns to the pre-defined beam patterns of the router and measure the performance in terms of throughput and signal strength.


Fractal analysis of an image is a mathematical approach to generate surface related features from an image or image tile that can be applied to image segmentation and to object recognition. In undersea target countermeasures, the targets of interest can appear as anomalies in a variety of contexts, visually different textures on the seafloor. In this paper, we evaluate the use of fractal dimension as a primary feature and related characteristics as secondary features to be extracted from synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) imagery for the purpose of target detection. We develop three separate methods for computing fractal dimension. Tiles with targets are compared to others from the same background textures without targets. The different fractal dimension feature methods are tested with respect to how well they can be used to detect targets vs. false alarms within the same contexts. These features are evaluated for utility using a set of image tiles extracted from a SAS data set generated by the U.S. Navy in conjunction with the Office of Naval Research. We find that all three methods perform well in the classification task, with a fractional Brownian motion model performing the best among the individual methods. We also find that the secondary features are just as useful, if not more so, in classifying false alarms vs. targets. The best classification accuracy overall, in our experimentation, is found when the features from all three methods are combined into a single feature vector.