This report describes the results of mineralogical and surface area analysis completed on the 'fine matrix' (<425 μm material) of a suite of tills from England. The work was carried out as part of the ongoing BGS project, 'Physical Properties and behaviour of UK rocks and soils' under the Land Use and Development Science Theme.
The first part of the report gives a summary of previous BGS mineralogical studies of till deposits. A summary of analytical methods employed (X-ray diffraction analysis and surface area determinations) is then provided and the results discussed with reference to their likely effect on the engineering performance.
Analyses indicate that the till samples are 'fine matrix'-rich and typically composed of location-dependant varying proportions of quartz, calcite and phyllosilicates/clay minerals together with a range of minor-trace constituents.
Given their typically 'fine-matrix'-dominated nature, the geotechnical behaviour of the till samples examined is likely to be influenced by both the proportion of phyllosilicates/clay minerals present and their composition and can be indicated by the surface area measurements. This being the case, the tills from Thetford (BHs 2 and 5) and Milton Keynes would be expected to show the most problematic engineering behaviour.
Although the mineralogy of till deposits are typically thought to be derived from several sources, mineral and clay mineral assemblages suggest that the tills in this study are predominantly derived from underlying lithologies. Tills from various locations in Norfolk other than Thetford appear to be principally derived from the Norwich and Red Crag formations with some input from the Upper Chalk whilst the more carbonate-rich Thetford tills appear to have a greater Upper Chalk input.
The mineralogically distinct Lancashire tills suggest Permo-Triassic sources, probably the Mercia Mudstone Group while the Milton Keynes tills indicate that the underlying Jurassic limestones and mudstones probably produced their sediment supply.


This study is based on the understanding that there is a high turn over of francophone beginning teachers being hired every year at the Conseil Scolaire Francophone (CSF) of British Columbia. There is a need to retain francophone beginning teachers in British Columbia after their first years of teaching. This study explores the factors that appear to have an effect on the retention of francophone beginning teachers working for the CSF of British Columbia. A quantitative survey was conducted among francophone beginning teachers, with two years or less of experience teaching for the CSF, to determine the factors that contributed to the their successes and obstacles during their first years of teaching, and, consequently influenced their decision to stay or leave the CSF. The survey combined with a literature review on induction programs and teacher retention, found that francophone beginning teachers related various induction programs offered by the CSF to their job satisfaction. The study found several factors linked to the uniqueness of the cultural situation of the CSF. The study also found that the factors influencing the decision of beginning teachers to leave the CSF were linked to family, high cost of living in British Columbia and the unique challenges of teaching for the CSF. The study concludes that in order to retain a higher number of beginning teachers every year, the CSF has to distribute its leadership in the schools in order to offer local induction programs that are sustainable. Recommendations for the distribution of support and resources for beginning teachers by the CSF and its school leaders are offered.


James Swinburne lived to be over one hundred years of age, the third Fellow of the Royal Society to do this. The first was Sir Moses Haim Montefiore who was born in Leghorn on 24 October 1784 and died in this country on 28 July 1885, having settled here as a young man. He was elected into the Society on 16 June 1836. He is still well remembered as an outstanding philanthropist and a fearless defender of his fellow Jews all over the world. The second was Henry Nicholas Ridley the botanist who died in 1956. One other Fellow who died a few days before his hundredth birthday might well be mentioned; he was Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle, Secretary of the Académie des Sciences and later President of that body. Fie was born on 11 February 1657 and died on 9 January 1757. Family, Early Life and Background The Swinburne family is an ancient one as a glance at Burke's Peerage will show; they are essentially Northumbrian. The baronetcy dates from 1660. John Swinburne, father of the first Baronet, was promised a baronetcy by Charles I but the patent of creation never passed the seal. He died in 1652, eight years before the Restoration, His son, also John Swinburne, was created a Baronet in 1660 and is called in the patent 'Virum patrimonio censu et morum probitate spectabilem'. Swinburne on his father's side was descended from Flotspur, of whom he dryly remarks in his personal record 'was a lively member of society but not noticeably scientific'. One of Swinburne's ancestors (Sir John Swinburne, Bart.) was a Fellow of the Society elected 26 February 1818. Like so many of his contemporaries of the period he was an ardent antiquarian and F.S.A. Humphry Davy was his proposer for the Society. He founded the Antiquarian Society of Newcastle upon Tyne, closely modelled on the L.S.A., and during his lifetime maintained the most friendly intercourse between the two Societies. He, like our Swinburne, lived to a great age, dying a few weeks short of his entry into his hundredth year.


This paper undertakes an investigation of agricultural public investments in Mozambique, drawing on insights from qualitative field interviews conducted in Mozambique, secondary data analysis and examination of the existing empirical literature, and by situating these insights within a political economy conceptual framework. We explore the driving factors behind the amount and allocation of public funds to agriculture, and behind the differential attention that various types of public investments receive in the process of making decisions on resource allocation. Agricultural public investments are more likely to be made that have two key features: higher attributability to politicians and donors of the output of public spending, and a shorter lag time between expenditures incurred and outputs produced. Evidence on geographical targeting of agricultural public funds corresponds more closely with theories suggesting that resources are used to sway communities opposed to the ruling party, rather than to reward political supporters. Examination of the effect of actors' and organisations' incentives and constraints on resource allocation in agriculture points to the importance of not treating "government," "the ruling party" and other institutions as monolithic bodies; the paper instead highlights how differentiated interests within seemingly coherent institutions drive what gets public expenditure attention in the agricultural sector.


Background and purpose: Melatonin is a neurohormone with important physiologic and pharmacologic role in human body especially in circadian rhythm .In recent years, some progress has been achieved to show its role in regulating in prevention of cancer especially breast and colon cancer. According to this background and as there was not any precise cellular research about the role of melatonin in gastric cancer in which this study this study has been aimed. Materials and methods: In this study, we used MTT assay procedure. Also, we have provided AGS and MKN-45 cell line from national cell bank, Institute Pasteur of Iran. The cells were cultured in RPMI medium in 5% CO2, 37 0 C in 96 wells culture plate and then were incubated with melatonin and cisplatin (as positive control) for 48 hr. in 5 different concentrations. The proliferation index as cell viability was achieved and compared with controls groups with ELISA concerning Formazan crystal color absorbance between 450-690 nm. Results: Our results showed that melatonin in 12.5-200 µM has significant anti-proliferative effects in AGS cells and in 50-200 µM in MKN-45 compared with control and these results were in parallel with the effects of cisplatin. Conclusion: According to our data, we have shown that melatonin in a dose -dependent manner has antiproliferative effect in gastric adenocarcinoma cells and this effect in AGS cells was more potent than MKN-45 but more studies are needed to find the kind of receptors and the interacellular signaling pathways.


1. There are a number of models describing population structure, many of which have the capacity to incorporate spatial habitat effects. One such model is the source-sink model, that describes a system where some habitats have a natality that is higher than mortality (source) and others have a mortality that exceeds natality (sink). A source can be maintained in the absence of migration, whereas a sink will go extinct. 2. However, the interaction between population dynamics and habitat quality is complex, and concerns have been raised about the validity of published empirical studies addressing source-sink dynamics. In particular, some of these studies fail to provide data on survival, a significant component in disentangling a sink from a low quality source. Moreover, failing to account for a density-dependent increase in mortality, or decrease in fecundity, can result in a territory being falsely assigned as a sink, when in fact, this density-dependent suppression only decreases the population size to a lower level, hence indicating a 'pseudo-sink'. 3. In this study, we investigate a long-term data set for key components of territory-specific demography (mortality and reproduction) and their relationship to habitat characteristics in the territorial, group-living Siberian jay (Perisoreus infaustus). We also assess territory-specific population growth rates (r), to test whether spatial population dynamics are consistent with the ideas of source-sink dynamics. 4. Although average mortality did not differ between sexes, habitat-specific mortality did. Female mortality was higher in older forests, a pattern not observed in males. Male mortality only increased with an increasing amount of open areas. Moreover, reproductive success was higher further away from human settlement, indicating a strong effect of human-associated nest predators. 5. Averaged over all years, 76% of the territories were sources. These territories generally consisted of less open areas, and were located further away from human settlement. 6. The source-sink model provides a tool for modelling demography in distinct habitat patches of different quality, which can aid in identifying key habitats within the landscape, and thus, reduce the risk of implementing unsound management decisions.


Background: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is an autologous preparation which contains a large amount of platelets concentrated into a small volume of plasma. PRP provides various growth factors which aid in quick wound healing. It is used as an adjuvant therapy for acne scars. Thus, in this prospective study, the efficacy of PRP as single modality of treatment for acne scars was evaluated. Methods: Thirty patients of Grade 2 and 3 acne scars according to the Goodman and Baron's qualitative acne scar grading system and Fitzpatrick Skin Type IV and V received six sittings of PRP at an interval of 1 month and followed up for 3 months after the completion of six sittings. Patients were assessed for the improvement in the scar grade, 1 month after the last sitting. Pre- and post-treatment comparative photographs and patient's and physician's satisfaction score were used to assess the results. Results: All the types of scars showed response in terms of reduction in size. Rolling scars responded better to PRP as compared to boxcar and ice pick scars. Estimation of improvement with Goodman and Baron's global qualitative acne scarring system showed that out of 30 patients with Grade 2 and 3 acne scars, 50% showed improvement in terms of acne scar grading at the end of the treatment. Among 25 patients with Grade 3 scars, 15 patients (60%) showed improvement by one grade. Adverse effects were mild being limited to transient pain, erythema, edema, and hyperpigmentation. Conclusion: The current study introduces autologous PRP as a cost-effective, well-tolerated office procedure in the treatment of acne scars without serious side effects. Further studies are needed to be carried out to compare the results of this present study.


Abstract The aim of this study was evaluate the biomechanical behaviour of prostheses screwed into conventional (0° angulation) and pre-angled experimental (8, 12 and 20°) external hexagon implants (13 × 4 mm) by photoelastic analysis. Eight casts were made in photoelastic resin. Casts were divided into groups of single crowns or three combined elements. Each unit was positioned in a circular polariscope. By using a universal testing machine, 100 N loads were applied in the axial and oblique (45°) directions to fixed points on the occlusal surfaces of the crowns. Generated stresses were recorded photographically and analysed qualitatively in a graphics program. In single-element prostheses, the number of high-stress fringes increased with increasing implant angle. However, in three-element prostheses, there was no difference in the stress distribution with implant angle, except for the 12° implant that had a higher degree of stress. For the other groups pre-angulation of the implant increases the concentration and intensity of stresses for single prosthesis and has similar stress distribution in three-element fixed prostheses.


The present work demonstrates a simple and elegant strategy by which synthetically simple porphyrins are grafted on solid polymer support to generate porphyrin pairs held together by strong coulombic forces. Metalloporphyrins of tetra(4-pyridyl)porphyrins (MTPyP) were reacted with chloromethylated polystyrene (PS) beads to get covalently bound monocationic porphyrins on the polymer support (PS–MTPyP+). These were then converted to their tetracationic species (PS–MTMe3PyP4+) by exhaustive quaternisation, using CH3I. These polymer-grafted cationic porphyrins were made to react with tetraanionic p-sulphonated phenylporphyrins (MTPPS4-) in aqueous conditions. Analysis showed that the PS–MTMe3PyP4+ take up MTPPS4- in exactly 1:1 stoichiometry to form strongly bound (ionically) porphyrin pairs. A variety of homo- and hetero-porphyrin pairs involving central metal ions like Mn, Co, Cu, Zn and Ag and also free-base porphyrins are generated by this strategy.


Synthesis of high quality epitaxial LaMnO3 and (La,Sr)MnO3 films on large areas is highly desirable. Recently, we have deposited LaMnO3 and (La,Sr)MnO3 films on the MgO (001) and LaAlO3 (001) substrates using RF magnetron sputtering. Highly epitaxial quality thin films have been successfully obtained at 750 °C by manipulating processing parameters as characterized by X-ray diffraction, electron diffraction and HRTEM. The epitaxial LaMnO3 and (La,Sr)MnO3 thin films have either a tetragonal or orthorhombic crystal structure depending on the film (target) composition and substrate type. The (La,Sr)MnO3 films were found to have an orthorhombic crystal structure when deposited on LaAlO3 substrate and a tetragonal structure when deposited on MgO substrate; whereas LaMnO3 films have a tetragonal structure when deposited on LaAlO3 substrate and an orthorhombic crystal structure when deposited on MgO substrate. The orthorhombic structures of the (La,Sr)MnO3 film on LaAlO3 and LaMnO3 on MgO are oriented with their c-axis on the film plane. Magnetic studies show that the epitaxial films have higher phase transition temperature than the corresponding bulk material and to those obtained using pulse laser deposition. Successful synthesis of highly epitaxial quality films by RF magnetron sputtering over a larger area can result in reduced cost for fabricating and processing epitaxial thin films.


In the last two decades, increased interest in sustainable agricultural practices has seen the growing development and use of commercial microbial inoculants for increasing crop productivity and resource use efficiency. Microbial inoculants mainly include free-living bacteria, fungi and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). The aim of the current experiment was to assess the effect of two commercial inoculants containing AMF alone or AMF in combination with plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPR) on yield components and quality of artichoke (Cynara cardunculus subsp. scolymus (L.) Hegi). The micropropagated plants of Romanesco globe artichoke cultivar 'C3' were inoculated at transplanting with a commercial inoculum containing 700 spores g-1 of Rhizophagus intraradices and 700 spores g-1 of Funneliformis mossae at a dose of 2 kg ha-1, whereas another part of the plants was inoculated with a commercial inoculum containing 132 spores g−1 of Rhizophagus intraradices and 2×109 CFU g-1 of beneficial bacteria (Azospirillum brasilense, Azotobacter chroococcum, Bacillus megaterium, and Pseudomonas fluorescens). The highest yield was recorded in both inoculation treatments, whereas the highest number of buds per plant and fresh weight of globe artichoke were recorded in plants inoculated with AMF and AMF+PGPR, respectively. The P concentration in artichoke head was higher by 17.4% in both inoculation treatments compared to the control. When averaged over the microbial inoculants, higher lipophilic antioxidant activity and total phenolic content were observed in the internal than in the external bracts. The highest nitrate concentration was recorded in plants treated with AMF (774 mg kg-1). Both microbial inoculants did not affect the hydrophilic antioxidant activity (0.63 mmol ascorbic ac. eq. 100 g-1 f.w.) and total phenolic content (626.2 mg gallic acid eq. 100 g-1 d.w.). Overall, inoculation of AMF or dual inoculation AMF and PGPR could be considered an effective and sustainable tool to improve yield components with less pronounced positive effects on quality of artichoke.


We consider non-monotone DR-submodular function maximization, where DR-submodularity (diminishing return submodularity) is an extension of submodularity for functions over the integer lattice based on the concept of the diminishing return property. Maximizing non-monotone DR-submodular functions has many applications in machine learning that cannot be captured by submodular set functions. In this paper, we present a 1/(2+ε)-approximation algorithm with a running time of roughly O(n/ε log2 B), where n is the size of the ground set, B is the maximum value of a coordinate, and ε > 0 is a parameter. The approximation ratio is almost tight and the dependency of running time on B is exponentially smaller than the naive greedy algorithm. Experiments on synthetic and real-world datasets demonstrate that our algorithm outputs almost the best solution compared to other baseline algorithms, whereas its running time is several orders of magnitude faster.


The environmental protection concerns and legislation are pushing companies to redesign and plan their activities in an environmental friendly manner. This will probably be done by constraining companies to emit less than a given amount of carbon dioxide per product that is being produced and transported. In addition, some companies may volunteer to reduce their carbon footprint. Consequently, companies will face new constraints that force them to reduce carbon emissions while still minimizing production and transportation costs. Transportation is at the heart of logistics activities and is one of the leading sources of greenhouse gas emissions. The emitted carbon dioxide through transportation activities is accounting for almost 80% of the total greenhouse gas emissions. The need to implement Just-In-Time (JIT) strategy for transporting small batch sizes seems to beagainst environmental concerns. The JIT principles favor small and frequent deliveries by many small rush transports with multiple regional warehouses. Although several attempts have been made to analyze green supply chain networks, little attention has been paid to develop JIT distribution models in carbon constrained environment. Incorporation of environmental objectives and constraints with JIT distribution will generate new problems resulting in new combinatorial optimization models. In addition, these objectives and constraints will add to the model complexities. Both areas require to be investigated. In this research, a bi-objective carbon-capped logistic model was developed for a JIT distribution that takes into account different carbon emission constraints. The objectives include minimization of total costs and carbon cap. Since the studied problem is Non-deterministic Polynomial-time Hard (NP-Hard), a nondominated sorting genetic algorithm-II (NSGA-II) was employed to solve the problem. For validation and verification of the obtained results, non-dominated ranking genetic algorithm (NRGA) was applied. Then, Taguchi approach was employed to tune the parameters of both algorithms; their performances were then compared in terms of some multi-objective performance measures. For further improvements of NSGA-II, a modified firefly algorithm as local searcher was applied. Seven problems with different sizes of small, medium, and large were designed in order to simulate the different cases. The findings have significant implications for the understanding of how varying carbon cap could significantly affect total logistics costs and total carbon emission. More specifically, the results also demonstrated devising policies that enable companies to decide when and how to fulfill the required carbon cap could let firms fulfill these caps at significantly lower costs with lower carbon emission. In addition to these findings, the performance of the proposed solution methodology demonstrated higher efficiency particularly in terms of less CPU time usage by 6.62% and higher quality of obtained solutions by 5.14% on average for different sizes of the problem as compared to the classical NSGA-II.


The functional and thermodynamic characteristics of the ubiquinol- cytochrome (Cyt) c oxidoreductase in a Cyt b/c,-enriched fraction (defined S-1) isolated from Jerusalem artichoke mitochondria (JAM) (Helianthus tuberosus), have been analyzed. Fraction S-1, obtained through deoxy- cholate-KCI fractionation procedure, contained one Cyt of c type (formally cl with Em7.0 of +240 millivolts), two b type Cyt with Em7.. values of +100 and -25 millivolts, ferredoxin-like centers presumably linked to succinic- and NADH-dehydrogenases, and a Rieske-type iron sulfur center (gy = 1.89). The ubiquinol-dependent Cyt c reduction by fraction S-I showed sensitivity to antimycin A, myxothiazol, and n-2-hepthyl-1-hydroxyquinoline N-oxide with I50 of 12 nanomolar, 30 nanomolar, and 0.1 micromblar, respectively. Oxidation-induced extra b type reduction, a widespread phenomenon of bacterial and mitochondrial respiratory systems, has also been observed in both intact mitochondria and S-1 fraction. The data seem to blur previous experiments in which both spectral and functional differences between higher plant and mammalian mitochondria have been underlined.


It is the purpose of this paper to discuss fractures about the elbow joint in children and to give a brief outline of the various types of fractures, their relative frequency and the method of treatment for each type. Fractures involving the elbow joint in children are relatively common. In studying the files of the Campbell Clinic, we have found that 713 of these fractures have been treated by members of the staff in patients 12 years of age or under. These do not include the fractures treated in the service of the John Gaston (City) Hospital. Fractures involving the elbow joint in children will be discussed in the order of their frequency: supracondylar fractures, condylar fractures, fractures of the neck of the radius, Monteggia fractures, fractures of the olecranon and T-condylar fractures of the lower end of the humerus (table 1). Supracondylar fractures are undoubtedly more common than these


There is a current need for the localized delivery of antibiotics in order to treat implant based infections. In this study, the efficacy of hydroxyapatite (HA) gels, HA cements, and silica gels in the delivery of vancomycin have been investigated and compared. Vancomycin release was monitored at set time points using a UV/VIS spectrophotometer (288 nm). The activity of the vancomycin released from the cements and gels was assessed using an agar diffusion test with Staphylococcus aureus. Vancomycin was released rapidly from both HA matrices, and the silica gel in the first day of the experiment, but the release rate was slowed considerably after 3 days for the HA gels. Following ten days of aging, 70% of the vancomycin remained in the HA gel matrix and the quantity released from the gel was shown to retain its effectiveness against Staphylococcus aureus.


There is significant evidence that the global problem of microbial resistance to antibiotics has reached the dental community both in our practices and our family lives. This paper will present a global overview of microbial resistance, discuss how this problem directly affects the dental community, and show what we can do to change the situation, both as concerned citizens and as dental health care practitioners.


Abstract Observational studies of plant spatial patterns are common, but are often criticized for lacking a temporal component and for their inability to disentangle the effect of multiple community-structuring processes on plant spatial patterns. We addressed these criticisms in an observational study of Great Basin shrub-steppe communities that have been converted to a managed grazing system of planted crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum [L.] Gaertn.) stands. We hypothesized that intraspecific interference and livestock grazing were important community-structuring processes that would leave unique spatiotemporal signatures. We used a survey-grade global positioning system to quantify crested wheatgrass spatial patterns along a chronosequence of stands that differed only in time since planting (9–57 yr), as well as in a 57-yr-old grazing exclosure to examine pattern formation in the absence of grazing. Three replicate survey plots were established in each stand, and a total of 6 197 grasses were marked with a spatial error of ≤ 2 cm. The data were analyzed using L-statistics in program R, and hypothesis testing was conducted using Monte Carlo simulation procedures. We detected fine-scale regularity, frequently considered a sign of interference via resource competition, in all stands including the exclosure. Coarser-scale aggregation, which we attributed to the effects of prolonged grazing disturbance, was only detected in the oldest grazed stand. Our results suggest that interference acts over finer spatial and temporal scales than grazing in structuring these stands, reinforcing the importance of interference in semiarid communities. Analysis of exclosure data suggests that, in the absence of grazing, crested wheatgrass stands organize into a statistically regular pattern when primarily influenced by interference. In the presence of prolonged grazing, crested wheatgrass stands become more heterogeneous over time, likely a result of seedling mortality via disturbance by cattle.


The U.S. Constitution, by taking away the power of the states to issue paper money, removed a major source of flexibility in state public finance. In their search for new sources of revenue and fiscal flexibility, the states discovered that the banks they chartered could fill the gap. Investment earnings and tax revenues derived from banks soon became major elements of state public finance. We discuss the nature of these early business-government relationships and provide the first systematic assessment of their relative importance in state finance.


This Working Paper [WP] supports WP-17-015.
Toward Handling Uncertainty in Prognostic Scenarios: Advanced Learning from the Past
by Żebrowski, Jonas & Jarnicka (2017). Their WP (ZJJ WP hereafter) constitutes the main report summarizing the outcome of a one-year project (bearing the same title) under the Earth Systems Sciences [ESS] Research Program of the Austrian Academy of Sciences [OeAW].
The WP focuses on systems with memory, typical in Earth system sciences. Memory allows referring to how strongly a system's past can influence its near-term future (paraphrased credibility of expectations about a system's future behavior in the ZJJ WP) by virtue of its persistence. We consider memory an intrinsic property of the system, retrospective in nature; and persistence a consequential (observable) feature of memory, prospective in nature. We delineate the system's near-term future by means of (what we call) its explainable outreach [EO].
This approach to determine the EO of a system complements the approach taken in the ZJJ WP. The WP makes use of a simple synthetic data (time) series example—our control—which we equip, step by step, with realistic physical features such as memory and noise, while exploring the system's persistence and deriving its EO. The prime intention of the WP is to better understand memory and persistence and to consolidate our systems thinking. Therefore, during this explorative state, systemic insight is valued more than mathematical rigor. The example is geared to making the concept of EOs applicable. However, we discuss how consequential it is, where it underperforms, and the questions it provokes. From our example we conclude that memory allows defining a system's explainable outreach, above and beyond the numerical set up given here. It seems that, even if we know only the temporal extent of memory, a system's EO can be determined. This is promising because it appears possible to determine the temporal extent of memory in the presence of great noise, not exactly but approximately. However, even with complete knowledge of how memory evolves over time, we are confronted with the challenge of reconstructing best-fit regressions that separate memory and noise—a challenge that we leave for the future.


Summary: Following the discoveries that the divalent cation ionophore A23187 and the divalent cation chelating agent EDTA can be used to synchronize yeast cell division, a study has been undertaken of the possible use of other chelating agents and antibiotics which interact with divalent cations in controlling cell division in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. All the agents studied (five chelators and two antibiotics) arrested cell division in growing cultures of this yeast, but only sodium pyrophosphate and citrate induced synchrony of cell division. Novobiocin produced a transient inhibition of cell division, treated cells exhibiting "endogenous recovery" in the continued presence of the antibiotic. The results obtained are discussed in relation to the hypothesis that the concentration of intracellular Mg2+ regulates cell division.


Large-volume room-temperature superheated droplet detectors are being constructed for measuring very weakly interacting radiation fields, such as those produced by Cold Dark Matter particles (CDM particles, or Weakly Interacting Massive Particles: WIMPS), and various versions of Control and Data Acquisition systems (CDAQ) have been developed for such detectors. Large active mass droplet detectors are modular, their sensitivity is strongly temperature dependent and their operation requires measurements and control functions which are unique to this particular detection medium. We present the CDAQ systems developed for the PICASSO project for different levels of operation. Other types of applications of such detectors are also being investigated and appear promising.


This paper presents a harmonic study on a newly developed solid-state fault current limiter. Using this device, the supply voltage sag is reduced when a short-circuit fault occurs on a cable feeder in the downstream network, hence improving the power quality. The device will eventually isolate the faulted part from the healthy network. Harmonics caused by the fault current limiter are analysed and a method is proposed to prevent undesirable harmonic interactions. Analytical and experimental results are compared with existing regulations. It is verified that, with precautions, the operation of the solid-state fault current limiter will not cause problems to either the supply network or the loads.


A new, rapid and very sensitive electrochemical method for the determination of a new pesticide clothianidin in tap and river water was developed. The electrochemical reduction and determination of clothianidin have been carried out at a hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE) in various aqueous solutions in the pH range of 2–10 by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and cathodic stripping square wave voltammetry (SW CSV). The best results were obtained for the clothianidin determination by SW CSV method in 0.04 mol l–1 Britton Robinson buffer at pH 8.1. Various conditions of the procedure were checked. Elaborated electroanalytical procedure enable clothianidin determination in the concentration range of 2.0 × 10–8–9.9 × 10–7 mol l–1. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were obtained as 2.00 × 10–9 and 2.36 × 10–8 mol l–1, respectively. Precision and accuracy of the developed method were checked by recovery studies in spiked tap and river water. The voltammetric determination has been validated using HPLC with UV detection.


The Oral Health Impact Profile applied to Periodontal Disease (OHIP-14-PD) shows good metric properties and great potential for its application in research and clinical practice.To evaluate OHIP-14-PD capability to detect associations with sociodemographic variables, to verify whether the OHIP-14-PD can differentiate between a General Population Sample (GPS) and a Dental Clinic Sample (DCS), and to establish whether there are interaction effects between the two samples and sociodemographic variables.The OHIP-14-PD was applied to two non-probability samples of 249 dental patients and 256 general adult population from Monterrey, Mexico. A validation study was done with a non-experimental cross-sectional design.Occupation and age were related to OHIP-14-PD, although this last variable was redundant with the first one. In the GPS, the subjective socioeconomic status had a negative correlation with the OHIP-14-PD, but not in the DCS. The marital status showed significant association in DCS and significant interaction with the samples. Being married acted as a risk factor in the DCS, but as a protective factor in the GPS. Sex and education level were independent of the OHIP-14-PD. The expectation of discriminant validity of the OHIP-14-PD between the two samples was confirmed.We conclude that the OHIP-14-PD presented evidence of discriminant validity. Its relation to sociodemographic variables was limited, being more related to occupation and marital status.


Abstract Vibrational spectra for chiral isomers of the neuropeptide Dermorphin are measured and analyzed in different solvents using FT-IR, Raman spectroscopy and computational means. This is in order to understand the effect that different solvents have on the corresponding spectra of peptides with chiral (L,D) amino-acid isomers. The D-Alanine form of particularly Dermorphin is many times more potent than the L-Alanine form, which we attribute predominantly to the influence of the solvents. The solvents investigated are H2O/D2O, DMSO and chloroform. They were chosen due to their varied polarity. The study is an experimental complement to the theoretical studies of the structure of Dermorphin and its docking to the µ (mu)-Receptor. The conclusions about the restrictions of the conformational space and the dynamical degrees of freedom are being assessed by vibrational spectroscopy. The main results derived from the experimental spectra of Dermorphin L/D-Alanine in various solvents, is the pronounced difference between the chiral forms, especially seen in the water solvent due to the strong polarity shift resulting from mutating the second position of the peptide from an L- to a D-Alanine.


Postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder prevalence varies from 0.8 to 5.6%, and its development is linked to several obstetrical, social, psychiatric and subjective distress factors. The objective of the study was to measure its prevalence in the Moroccan population and identify the related factors. We conducted a descriptive study of 302 women. We found a prevalence of 28.57% of postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder. The related factors were being single, history of psychiatric treatment or depression or anxiety disorder, prenatal depression or anxiety, previous fear of childbirth or previous traumatic event. No correlation was found between obstetrical and subjective distress factors and postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder. The results contrasted with those found in western countries. It showed the importance of cultural factors and social aspects in the appearance of such a disorder. It also showed the importance of detecting this disorder in post natal visits.


We analyze the standardizability of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) in the near-infrared (NIR) by investigating the correlation between observed peak NIR (YJH) absolute magnitude and postmaximum B-band decline rate [Δm15(B)]. A sample of 27 low-redshift SNe Ia with well-observed NIR light curves observed by the Carnegie Supernova Project (CSP) between 2004 and 2007 is used. All 27 objects have premaximum coverage in optical bands, with a subset of 13 having premaximum NIR observations as well; coverage of the other 14 begins shortly after NIR maximum brightness. We describe the methods used to derive light-curve parameters (absolute peak magnitudes and decline rates) from both spline- and template-fitting procedures, and we confirm prior findings that fitting templates to SNe Ia light curves in the NIR is problematic due to the diversity of postmaximum behavior of objects that are characterized by similar Δm15(B) values, especially at high decline rates. Nevertheless, we show that NIR light curves can be reasonably fit with a template, especially if the observations begin within 5 days after NIR maximum. SNe Ia appear to be better "standardizable candles" in the NIR bands than in the optical bands. For the subset of 13 objects in our data set that excludes the highly reddened and fast-declining SNe Ia and includes only those objects for which NIR observations began prior to 5 days after maximum light, we find modest (1.7σ) evidence for a peak-luminosity versus decline-rate relation in Y, and stronger evidence (2.8σ) in J and H. Using RV values differing from the canonical value (RV = 3.1) is shown to have little effect on the results. A Hubble diagram is presented for the NIR bands and the B band. The resulting scatter for the combined NIR bands is 0.13 mag, while the B band produces a scatter of 0.22 mag. Finally, we find evidence for a bimodal distribution in the NIR absolute magnitudes of fast-declining SNe Ia [Δm15(B) > 1.7]. These data suggest that applying a correction to SNe Ia peak luminosities for decline rate is likely to be beneficial in the J and H bands to make SNe Ia more precise distance indicators, but of only marginal importance in the Y band.


Hydroxyl radical (.OH) formation by neutrophils in vitro requires exogenous iron. Two recent studies [Britigan, Rosen, Thompson, Chai & Cohen (1986) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 17026-17032; Winterbourn (1987) J. Clin. Invest. 78, 545-550] both reported that neutrophil degranulation could potentially inhibit the formation of .OH, but differed in their conclusions as to the responsible factor, myeloperoxidase (MPO) or lactoferrin (LF). By using a previously developed spin-trapping system which allows specific on-line detection of superoxide anion (O2-) and .OH production, the impact of MPO and LF release on neutrophil .OH production was compared. When iron-diethylenetriaminepenta-acetic acid-supplemented neutrophils were stimulated with phorbol myristate acetate or opsonized zymosan, .OH formation occurred, but terminated prematurely in spite of continued O2- generation. Inhibition of MPO by azide increased the magnitude, but not the duration, of .OH formation. No azide effect was noted when MPO-deficient neutrophils were used. Anti-LF antibody increased both the magnitude and duration of .OH generation. Pretreatment of neutrophils with cytochalasin B to prevent phagosome formation did not alter the relative impact of azide or anti-LF on neutrophil .OH production. An effect of azide or anti-LF on spin-trapped-adduct stability was eliminated as a confounding factor. These data indicate that neutrophils possess two mechanisms for limiting .OH production. Implications for neutrophil-derived oxidant damage are discussed.


The first two parts of this series have reviewed (1) the use of computers in vote tallying, and (2) present trends for use of computers in the U. S. Legislature. We have identified opportunities for you to become personally involved, and have identified responsibilities for the computer profession. We conclude this series with a proposed new use of computers in the representative process.


This study explores ambidextrous practices and distinctive leadership styles in interorganizational settings of two German medium sized IT service providers. We draw on the theory of routines-as-practices and on the organizational ambidexterity literature to analyze organizational practices aiming at both potential for change (exploration) and stability (exploitation). We identify two distinct modes of contextual ambidexterity, whereby one capability is used to improve the other, i.e. 'exploration for exploitation', an orientation towards continually improving the quality of the service delivery, and 'exploration through exploitation', an approach of project-driven learning. We highlight and classify a multi-layered repertoire of ambidextrous routines across the three levels of analysis: leadership, project team, and client relations. Our findings illustrate elaborate management repertoires of interventions with respect to culture, structures, policies or practices, which are aligned with the ecosystem within which both companies are operating.


The analysis of the investigation of air incidents indicates among the main causes (about 80%) the crew's failures in interpersonal communications, in decision-making and in the exercise of leadership, rather than of shortcomings in training, low experience or high workload. The worst incidents in aviation history have, in fact, affected for an apparent paradox crews of long and proven experience. Errors as trivial as dangerous, such as the forgetfulness of the removal of the cart in the landing phase, are quite recurring and have led the specialists to develop interesting studies that have as an object man in his Psycho-physical integrity and interactions with the machines and the external environment. These studies are important not only for an operator in the field of aviation (pilot, designer, maintainer, air traffic controller) but affecting many business and professional sectors. In fact, there are no isolated cases of the neglect of gauze or pliers within the body of patients undergoing surgery or domestic accidents due to minor distractions that have led to disastrous events. These studies analyzing the errors in the incidents highlighted the importance of the human factor understood as that discipline which "deals with the application of the knowledge related to how the human being sees, feels, thinks and physically acts in Design and use of tools and machines, with the aim of protecting their health and integrity ". The principle of the human factor can therefore be applied to the design of simple objects, for example a pen, and to complex systems such as the design and management of a nuclear power plant. It is interesting the definition of human factor that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) provides: "Human factors have as an object of study the people, while they carry out their tasks, their insertion into the working environment understood in the physical and interpersonal sense, their relationship to the tools of work and the procedures to follow. "The aim of this research is to pursue safety and efficiency. It is therefore a subject that collects a series of principles and studies related to the field of psychology, neuropsychology, ergonomics, engineering and cognitive science that aims to increase the productivity and performance of operators, aiming at the same time reducing errors, drawbacks and accidents. This article is an attempt to introduce the basic principles of cognitive and psychological sciences that apply to the human factor, dealing with processes through which information is selected, processed, stored, recovered from memory, reworked and used.


Increasingly, enterprise computing applications have been shifted from the proprietary computing platforms, such as distributed computing environments and applications coded in C or Fortran, to the web-based Internet computing platforms, such as web client/server computing applications coded in Java. It is vitally important to investigate and understand these changes and choose the proper computing architectures and technologies for the specific application needs in industries in order to become successful. In this research, we have developed several client/server computing projects with a variety of multi-tiered architectures and Java technologies to explore the development and performance issues. The Java technologies such as applets, servlets, JDBC, JSP, and EJB were implemented in different environments to study the issues of system and programming requirements, scalability, reliability, interface design, and efficiency. The guidelines resulting from our research will be valuable in designing enterprise computing using Java technologies for industry applications.


Clustered organizations are becoming a common trend in the design of VLIW architectures. In this work we propose a novel modulo scheduling approach for such architectures. The proposed technique performs the cluster assignment and the instruction scheduling in a single pass, which is shown to be more effective than doing first the assignment and later the scheduling. We also show that loop unrolling significantly enhances the performance of the proposed scheduler especially when the communication channel among clusters is the main performance bottleneck. By selectively unrolling some loops, we can obtain the best performance with the minimum increase in code size. Performance evaluation for the SPECfp95 shows that the clustered architecture achieves about the same IPC (Instructions Per Cycle) as a unified architecture with the same resources. Moreover when the cycle time is taken into account, a 4-cluster configurations is 3.6 times faster than the unified architecture.


Abstract Hypervariable polymorphic patterns were detected using wild-type M13 DNA as a probe in genomic DNAs of very different organisms ranging from procaryotes and lower eucaryotes to upper plants and animals, including human beings. Due to somatic stability of highly polymorphic patterns and their discrete inheritance, individual-specific restriction pattern analysis ("DNA fingerprinting") with this test probe was found to be useful in applied human genetics, in particular, for identifying paternity and maternity, and mapping of human genomes. The data obtained also demonstrate some possibilities of the DNA fingerprinting technology in genetics and selection of agricultural plants and animals, such as variety analysis, classification and registration of individual inbred lines and strains, as well as identification of bacterial strains.


Abstract. The thermal And near infrared sensor for carbon observations Fourier transform spectrometer (TANSO-FTS) on board the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) applies the normal nadir mode above the land ("land data") and sun glint mode over the ocean ("ocean data") to provide global distributions of column-averaged dry-air mole fractions of CO2 and CH4, or XCO2 and XCH4. Several algorithms have been developed to obtain highly accurate greenhouse gas concentrations from TANSO-FTS/GOSAT spectra. So far, all the retrieval algorithms have been validated with the measurements from ground-based Fourier transform spectrometers from the Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON), but limited to the land data. In this paper, the ocean data of the SRPR, SRFP (the proxy and full-physics versions 2.3.5 of SRON/KIT's RemoTeC algorithm), NIES (National Institute for Environmental Studies operational algorithm version 02.21) and ACOS (NASA's Atmospheric CO2 Observations from Space version 3.5) are compared with FTIR measurements from five TCCON sites and nearby GOSAT land data. For XCO2, both land and ocean data of NIES, SRFP and ACOS show good agreement with TCCON measurements. Averaged over all TCCON sites, the relative biases of ocean data and land data are −0.33 and −0.13 % for NIES, 0.03 and 0.04 % for SRFP, 0.06 and −0.03 % for ACOS, respectively. The relative scatter ranges between 0.31 and 0.49 %. For XCH4, the relative bias of ocean data is even less than that of the land data for the NIES (0.02 vs. −0.35 %), SRFP (0.04 vs. 0.20 %) and SRPR (−0.02 vs. 0.06 %) algorithms. Compared to the results for XCO2, the XCH4 retrievals show larger relative scatter (0.65–0.81 %).


This paper examines the flexibility debate with reference to an empirical study conducted in the retail banking sector in Britain and France. The first part of this paper discusses the theoretical context within which this research was conducted and argues that the dichotomous categories formulated in previous debates are too simplistic to explain the diversity of employer rationales for developing flexibility. The second half examines the use of functional flexibility, temporary work, subcontracting and part-time work on the basis of evidence collected from the case studies in each country. The paper concludes that in order to examine employers' strategies and the comparative organization of work a wider perspective is required which not only takes account of business needs and developments, such as product market competition and new technology, but which also looks at the social and regulatory factors which affect the terms in which different labour arrangements can be used by employers in different countries.


Abstract DNA processing enzymes, such as DNA polymerases and endonucleases, have found many applications in biotechnology, molecular diagnostics, and synthetic biology, among others. The development of enzymes with controllable activity, such as hot-start or light-activatable versions, has boosted their applications and improved the sensitivity and specificity of the existing ones. However, current approaches to produce controllable enzymes are experimentally demanding to develop and case-specific. Here, we introduce a simple and general method to design light-start DNA processing enzymes. In order to prove its versatility, we applied our method to three DNA polymerases commonly used in biotechnology, including the Phi29 (mesophilic), Taq, and Pfu polymerases, and one restriction enzyme. Light-start enzymes showed suppressed polymerase, exonuclease, and endonuclease activity until they were re-activated by an UV pulse. Finally, we applied our enzymes to common molecular biology assays and showed comparable performance to commercial hot-start enzymes.


In this study, the effects of the plant growth regulator trinexapac-ethyl (TE) combined with different sowing densities on field-grown rice (Oryza sativa L.) plant length, lodging, and grain yield were evaluated over 2 growing seasons. Two different rice cultivars (Karadeniz and Osmancik-97), 3 different sowing densities (400, 500, and 600 seeds m-2), and 4 different doses of TE (0, 100, 200, and 300 g ai ha-1) were compared. The experiments were designed in a randomized block design in factorial ordering with 3 replicates. An increase in sowing density led to an increase of lodging, but it did not have a significant impact on plant length and grain yield. There was a significant correlation between lodging and plant length. A sowing density of 500 seeds m-2 is the optimum value among all sowing densities, and the highest yield was obtained from Osmancik-97 among all the cultivars. Irrespective of genotype and sowing density, treatments with 100 and 200, but not 300, g TE ai ha-1 increased rice yield. All doses of TE reduced lodging and plant length. By regression analyses, the optimal TE dose was predicted to be 170 g ha-1.


The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) was drafted to be far more than a technocratic exercise. The NLRA's policies do play the role - or should play the role - of any legislative policy: providing guidance in interpreting and applying the law. However, the important social, justice, and economic values expressed in - and underpinning - the NLRA's policies found in sections 1, 2(3), 7, and 13 means the policies also provide a means for transforming the fundamental values of this country. My book, Taking Back the Workers' Law, presents a comprehensive program for using the NLRA's policies - and its values - as part of a litigation strategy to restore its power to promote worker collective action. But, more important, it emphasizes that enforcing the law is but one part of a broader educational and litigation strategy to create a more just and democratic society. In other words, Taking Back the Workers' Law is more than a manual for smart litigation. Its basic premise is that unions cannot survive - and certainly cannot thrive - in a country whose core values are inhospitable to the essence of what unions as worker representatives are and do. Taking Back the Workers' Law urges taking a fresh look at the NLRA, seeing it as the Workers' Law with a potential for reinvigorating the labor movement and saving the soul of this country. That potential springs from the NLRA's policies - not as a list of simple statements of purpose, but, rather, as mapping to values of industrial and social democracy, solidarity, social and economic justice, fair wages and working conditions, equality, and industrial and social peace. The NLRA itself and its policies embody values that were intended to, and still can, transform our workplaces and our society.


This worksheet and all related files are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, version 1.0. To view a copy of this license, visit The terms and conditions of this license allow for free copying, distribution, and/or modification of all licensed works by the general public. Resources and methods for learning about these subjects (list a few here, in preparation for your research): 1


There is accumulating evidence in favour of the hypothesis that herring migrations are influenced by social learning. The "adopted-migrant hypothesis" postulates that recruit spawning herring learn migration patterns by schooling with older individuals. However, this learning can be interrupted if the stock is unstable or if there are lack of overlap between recruits and the adult stock. There have been five reported changes in the location of the wintering area of Norwegian spring spawning (NSS) herring during the last 50 years. These changes co-occur with the recruitment of relatively strong year classes to the spawning stock. Simulations of schools containing naive and experienced fish have shown that when abundant enough, naive individuals repel guidance from a minority of experienced individuals. This process is referred to as numerical domination. We argue that numerical domination obstruct social learning from adults to recruits and plays a key role in establishing new wintering areas in NSS herring.


This paper presents results from an experiment on the effects of recommended retail prices on consumer and retailer behaviour. We present evidence that recommended retail prices, despite their non†binding nature, influence consumers' willingness to pay by setting a reference point. At a given price, consumers buy more the higher the recommended retail price is, and their demand drops at prices above the recommended retail price, even when it is entirely uninformative about the value of the product. Retailers in this study are subject to similar anchoring effects, but they do not anticipate consumers' behaviour well and are thus not able to exploit their behavioural biases.


: Beyond the Global System for Mobile Communications , the advent of the Internet and its related infrastructures in the recent times have accounted for the significant shifts and restructuring in the manner that business is transacted across the universe . A sizeable percentage of commercial activities is already being carried out electronically. However, considered from a different perspective, the growth in internet has been presenting some disturbing challenge to the tax authorities" traditional approaches to both direct and indirect taxation globally. For instance, e-commerce business model has several tax implications such as disintermediation, increased magnitude of cross-border transactions and digitization of information - to mention a few. These characteristics of e-commerce make it difficult to identify the source and destination of transactions. Consequently, they create opportunities for high-level tax avoidance schemes and the resultant tax losses. These intrinsic challenges of e-commerce taxation explain the much debate and discussions that have taken the center-stage among stakeholders on how to regulate the internet while preserving the interests of all. This debate on the full implications of e-commerce for tax revenues is yet to be settled this paper seeks to explore the development of internet taxation and the related issues globally with particlar emphasis on Nigeria. The study observes that issues such as tax loss and tax evasion are significant just as the challenges like uncertainty and double taxation make the parties of e-commerce reluctant and affect the development of e-commerce negatively. As is the case with many other developing nations, Nigeria is gradually embracing e-commerce.


As hospitals continue to face problems with nursing shortages and difficulty in retaining experienced nurses, they are forced to examine the environment of nursing practice to determine how that environment can be improved. At Henry Ford Hospital, a planning process is underway to establish a more truly professional practice environment for nursing. This professional practice environment is based on a group practice model for inpatient nursing. The group practice model offers the potential for greater clinical and administrative autonomy and collaborative practice with physicians, but may require significant changes in internal budgeting and accounting systems. Several different inpatient group practice models and their implications are discussed.


Stability issues of linear Takagi-Sugeno (TS) fuzzy models (1985, 1992) are investigated. We first propose a systematic way of searching for a common matrix, which, in turn, is related to stability for N subsystems that are under a pairwise commutative assumption. The robustness issue under uncertainty in each subsystem is then considered. We then show that the pairwise commutative assumption can, in fact, be relaxed by a similar approach as that for uncertainty. The result is applicable to a rather broad class of TS models, which are nonHurwitz and/or nonpairwise commutative.


Mechanisms governing stress-induced hematopoietic progenitor cell mobilization are not fully deciphered. We report that during granulocyte colony-stimulating factor-induced mobilization c-Met expression and signaling are up-regulated on immature bone marrow progenitors. Interestingly, stromal cell-derived factor 1/CXC chemokine receptor-4 signaling induced hepatocyte growth factor production and c-Met activation. We found that c-Met inhibition reduced mobilization of both immature progenitors and the more primitive Sca-1(+)/c-Kit(+)/Lin(-) cells and interfered with their enhanced chemotactic migration to stromal cell-derived factor 1. c-Met activation resulted in cellular accumulation of reactive oxygen species by mammalian target of rapamycin inhibition of Forkhead Box, subclass O3a. Blockage of mammalian target of rapamycin inhibition or reactive oxygen species signaling impaired c-Met-mediated mobilization. Our data show dynamic c-Met expression and function in the bone marrow and show that enhanced c-Met signaling is crucial to facilitate stress-induced mobilization of progenitor cells as part of host defense and repair mechanisms.


The boom in short-term rentals in Spain, over the last decade, has put the phenomenon at the center of public debate and has led many municipalities to consider the need to organize or limit them. This article analyzes, through the eyes of jurisprudence, the experiences accumulated in recent years through tourism legislation, local regulation and urban planning. The analysis of the different regulatory instruments, and particularly the examples of Barcelona and Bilbao, allows us to draw some useful conclusions and at the same time propose optimal regulatory solutions to address this phenomenon, making the «right to the city» or the «right to housing» compatible with the freedom to provide services.


Although recent data show that coronary stenting reduces procedural complications and late restenosis, major concern has been expressed about the greater hospital cost associated with the use of this device as compared to conventional coronary angioplasty. Since length of hospital stay after surgical procedures is a major determinant of resource use, the identification of variables associated with an excessively long hospital stay after intracoronary stent placement may have important practical consequences. The purpose of this study was to assess factors responsible for the occurrence of in-hospital complications and prolonged hospital stay after coronary stenting in 939 consecutive patients enrolled in the Registro Impianto Stent Endocoronarico (RISE Study Group). Consecutive patients undergoing coronary stent implantation at 16 medical centers in Italy were prospectively enrolled in the Registry. Clinical data, qualitative and quantitative angiographic findings were obtained from data collected in case report forms at each investigator site. Major ischemic complications were considered death, Q-wave myocardial infarction, emergency bypass surgery and emergency repeat angioplasty. The study group consisted of 939 patients (781 men, 158 women with a mean age of 59 years) in whom 1392 stents were implanted in 1006 lesions and expanded at a maximal inflation pressure of 14.7 +/- 3 atmospheres. The great majority of patients (92%) received only antiplatelet drugs after coronary stenting. During hospitalization, there were 45 major ischemic complications in 39 patients (4.2%): 13 events were related to acute or subacute thrombosis (1.4%). On multivariate logistic regression analysis, the following factors were predictive of in-hospital complications: increasing age (OR 2.19, 95% CI 1.18-4.07), unplanned stenting (OR 3.46, 95% CI 1.65-7.23) and maximal inflation pressure (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.75-0.93). Mean hospital stay after stent implantation was 4.1 +/- 4.4 days and was related, by multivariate regression analysis, to female sex (p = 0.0001), prior bypass surgery (p = 0.03), non-elective stenting (p = 0.0001), use of anticoagulation (p = 0.0001) and development of major ischemic complications (p = 0.0001). This Registry shows that in an unselected population of patients undergoing coronary stenting, major ischemic complications occur at a relatively low rate (4.2%) and thrombotic events can be kept at 1.4%, despite the omission of anticoagulation in the great majority of patients. Length of hospital stay was affected by the occurrence of major ischemic complications, unplanned stenting, use of anticoagulation, female sex and prior bypass surgery. Accumulating experience, further reduction in complications and complete omission of anticoagulation may decrease length of hospital stay, thus reducing the use of resources after coronary stenting.


Charmonium production studies in hadronic collisions are a powerful tool for improving our understanding of quantum chronodynamics (QCD), the theory of the strong interaction. The production of the charm-quark pair can be described within perturbative QCD, whereas the evolution of this pair into a colorless bound state involves soft scale processes. In addition, multiplicity dependent studies of charmonia in both proton-proton (pp) and proton-lead (p– Pb) collisions can shed light on the role of multiple parton interactions (MPI) for heavy-quark production. Furthermore, charmonia in small systems are fundamental to understand the properties of the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) created in heavy-ion collisions. Potential initial-state effects can be constrained using results in p–Pb, while reference measurements in pp collisions offer a basis for the vacuum production at the same center-of-mass energy. The ALICE detector has unique capabilities at the LHC for measuring quarkonia down to zero transverse momentum. Measurements are carried out at both central and forward rapidity, in the dielectron and dimuon decay channel, respectively. In this contribution an overview of the latest results of charmonium production in pp and p–Pb collisions at several centre-of-mass energies will be presented.


A pressure-based multi-block computational method is developed for solving the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations in general eurvilinear grid systems. The scheme is based on the semi-implicit type flow solver with the staggered grid. Issues concerning the mass and momentum flux treatments at the discontinuous grid intexface are addressed. Systematic numerical experiments for different interface treatments involving (i) straightforward interpolation, (ii) globally conservative scheme, and (iii) locally conservative scheme have been conducted. It is demonstrated that mass conservation has to be maintained locally, at the grid interface, with accuracy compatible with that of the scheme used in interior domain. Direct interpolation or globally conservative interface treatment of mass flux can not yield solutions with desirable accuracy.


A multistep synthesis of 4-amino-3-methyl-6-phenyl-l,2,4-triazin-5-one (Metamitron) from inexpensive phenylglyoxylonitrile and chromatographic systems to accurately monitor each step have been developed. Details of the synthetic steps are as follows:

1. Hydrolysis of phenylglyoxylonitrile to phenylglyoxylic acid amide.
2. The in situ methanolysis of this amide to phenylglyoxylic acid methyl ester.
3. The conversion of this ester to its 2-acetylhydrazone by reaction with acetylhydrazine.
4. The reaction of this 2-acetylhydrazone with hydrazine monohydrate to form phenylglyoxylic acid hydrazide 2-acetylhydrazone.
5. The cyclisation of this hydrazide derivative to 4-amino-3-methyl-6- phenyl-1,2,4-triazin-5-one (Metamitron).

During the synthetic process it was shown that
phenylglyoxylic acid methyl ester 2-acetylhydrazone and phenylglyoxylic acid hydrazide 2-acetylhydrazone were present as isomers (E- and Z-) and that isomerisation of the E-isomer of the hydrazide derivative about the carbon-nitrogen double bond must take place prior to cyclisation to Metamitron.

A series of HPLC methods was developed to accurately
monitor each stage of the synthesis. This involved the isolation and identification of the isomers of the hydrazone and hydrazide in a high state of purity. These systems enabled the identification and quantitation of each of the components and isomers present in the reaction mixtures and the identification and quantitation of impurities present in the final product (Metamitron).


Open Set Recognition (OSR) has been an emerging topic. Besides recognizing predefined classes, the system needs to reject the unknowns. Prototype learning is a potential manner to handle the problem, as its ability to improve intra-class compactness of representations is much needed in discrimination between the known and the unknowns. In this work, we propose a novel Prototype Mining And Learning (PMAL) framework. It has a prototype mining mechanism before the phase of optimizing embedding space, explicitly considering two crucial properties, namely high-quality and diversity of the prototype set. Concretely, a set of high-quality candidates are firstly extracted from training samples based on data uncertainty learning, avoiding the interference from unexpected noise. Considering the multifarious appearance of objects even in a single category, a diversity-based strategy for prototype set filtering is proposed. Accordingly, the embedding space can be better optimized to discriminate therein the predefined classes and between known and unknowns. Extensive experiments verify the two good characteristics (i.e., high-quality and diversity) embraced in prototype mining, and show the remarkable performance of the proposed framework compared to state-of-the-arts.


In both pedigree linkage studies and in population-based association studies there has been much interest in the use of modern dense genetic marker data to infer segments of gene identity by descent (ibd) among individuals not known to be related, to increase power and resolution in localizing genes affecting complex traits. In this article, we present a hidden Markov model (HMM) for ibd among a set of chromosomes and describe methods and software for inference of ibd among the four chromosomes of pairs of individuals, using either phased (haplotypic) or unphased (genotypic) data. The model allows for missing data and typing error, but does not model linkage disequilibrium (LD), because fitting an accurate LD model requires large samples from well-studied populations. However, LD remains a major confounding factor, since LD is itself a reflection of coancestry at the population level. To study the impact of LD, we have developed a novel simulation approach to generate realistic dense marker data for the same set of markers but at varying levels of LD. Using this approach, we present results of a study of the impact of LD on the sensitivity and specificity of our HMM model in estimating segments of ibd among sets of four chromosomes and between genotype pairs. We show that, despite not incorporating LD, our model has been quite successful in detecting segments as small as 106 bp (1 Mpb); we present also comparisons with fastIBD which uses an LD model in estimating ibd.


The oxidation of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) by advanced oxidation processes in water was investigated. The degradation of BTEX by UV-185 and UV-254 nm in conjunction with H₂O₂ was studied. It was observed that the recommended H₂0₂ concentration to degrade 100 mgTOC/L of BTEX was 250 mg/L and 300 mg/L for UV-185 and UV-254 nm, respectively. In addition, it was observed that using the lamps in series did not have any advantages in the TOC removal of BTEX. Under acidic condition, pH 3, UV-185/H₂O₂ removed 10% more than UV-254/H₂O₂. At the recommended H₂O₂ concentration, 90% of BTEX mineralization was occurred with UV-185 nm/HO₂ under acidic condition of pH 3. It was observed that 21-32% BOD/TOC ratio of BTEX was decreased with an increase in residence time (within 140 min) in the photoreactor.


The aims of this study were to explore pharmacists' perception towards the contributing factors for the existence of unregistered drugs in the market, the reasons for the public to select the unregistered drugs, to determine the association between the awareness of general retailers and the offences as well as to develop and validate a knowledge tool towards registered drugs and to identify the association with the knowledge of the public and sociodemographics. This study used the action research concept. Three types of participants were involved; pharmacist, public and general retailers and the setting around Klang Valley area. Two different semi-guided and faceto- face interviewed and purposive selection criteria were used to explore the pharmacist (n=16) and public (n=21) perception. The retrospective data (n=1441) from inspection report in Selangor was used to determine the association of awareness and offences amongst general retailers. The instrument constructed by analysing the specific literature in the area of registered drugs information in Malaysia. Then the involvement of expert panel (n=10) expertise to validate the content and public (n=10) for the reproducibility. Then, followed by the pilot test (n=T00), and continued with a final survey (n=466) by using a convenient sample. The reproducibility obtained via the intraclass correlation coefficient by using the test-retest method. Internal consistency assessed using Cronbach's alpha and construct validity used exploratory factor analysis. The thematic content analysis for both of the perceptions identified pharmacists' perception (25 themes) and publics' perception (7 themes). The majority of the pharmacists believed that low health literacy is one of the primary reasons of the contributing factors for the existence of unregistered drugs. Moreover, the majority of the public believed that the reason they select the unregistered drugs is because of the familiarity of the products and appearance of the packaging. Instead, a majority of the public who did not select the unregistered drugs believed the absence of certain characteristics of the packaging and the authorised sticker. In total, only 32.9% of general retailers were aware of registered drugs and 67.1% general retailers were not aware of registered drugs. The result showed there was an insignificant association (p=0.226) between awareness and offences. The final version of the questionnaire had 12 questions which divided into five areas of information that needed for educating the consumer on registered drugs. This questionnaire had a clarity index of 8.78 ± 0.51. The intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.96, and Cronbach's alpha, 0.866. Factor analysis revealed five factors associated with the knowledge areas. The final survey conducted and the final scores compared with the socio-demographic participants showed that age, race, the level of education and occupation significantly associated with levels of knowledge except for gender (p=0.485). This study has found that by exploring and investigating pharmacist, public and general retailers regarding these issues give a convergent answer that the main contributor of the unregistered drugs is the low level of knowledge and awareness towards registered and unregistered drugs. Thus enhancement of consumers' knowledge is one of the leading solutions that government can improve in the future.


In this paper, a Japanese dialectologist Takesi Sibata (1918-2007) is focused to describe what the transmission of Dutch-Flemish dialectology to Japan resulted in. Sibata is the founder and promoter of Japanese sociolinguistics. His encounter with a Belgian father and linguist Willem A. Grootaers led to the emergence and development of modern linguistic geography in Japan. Sibata was involved in many surveys including epoch-making surveys and established methods and theory of linguistic geography. His approach is not only scientific but also humanistic.


Acoustic beamforming array design methods are typically suited for circular and rectangular areas. A comparison of three array design methods is presented in this paper over irregular shaped areas, including L-shapes and arches. Partial-logarithmic spiral arrays that possess their geometric center either at the origin of the array area or the centroid of the irregular shaped area are compared against randomized array designs based on maximum sidelobe level (MSL) parameters and arrays generated using a recently published array design method named the adaptive array reduction method (AARM). In the AARM, a large array is reduced to a smaller array by seeking the removed microphone that possesses the minimum value of the MSL, the main lobe width (MLW), and a lobe distortion term. The AARM is also tested in two practical cases against a partial spiral array design used at the NASA Langley low-turbulence pressure tunnel and a hypothetical rectangular wall case. In both cases, the AARM showed superior performance to the logarithmic spiral arrays in all cases based on MSL and MLW criteria. Of the three methods compared, the AARM best utilizes the full potential array aperture of an irregular area and therefore produces the best MSL, MLW, and lobe distortion values.


This paper introduces an alternative to context-free grammars called regular right part (RRP) grammars, which resemble PASCAL syntax diagrams. Formally, RRP grammars have production right parts, which are nondeterministic finite state machines (FSMs), and, as a special case, regular expression, since these can be converted to FSMs. RRP grammars describe the syntax of programming languages more concisely and more understandably than is possible with CF grammars. Also introduced is a class of parsers, RRP LR(m, k) parsers, which includes the CF LR(k) parsers and provides the same advantages. Informally, an RRP LR(m, k) parser can determine the right end of each handle by considering at most k symbols to the right of the handle and the left end, after the right end has been found, by considering at most m symbols to the left of the handle. A mechanism for determining the left end is required because there is no bound on the length of the handle.


Multi-environment trials (MET) are crucial steps in plant breeding programs that aim increasing crop productivity to ensure global food security. The analysis of MET data requires the combination of several approaches including data manipulation, visualization, and modeling. As new methods are proposed, analyzing MET data correctly and completely remains a challenge, often intractable with existing tools. Here we describe the metan R package, a collection of functions that implement a workflow-based approach to (a) check, manipulate and summarise typical MET data; (b) analyze individual environments using both fixed and mixed-effect models; (c) compute parametric and non-parametric stability statistics; (c) implement biometrical models widely used in MET analysis; and (d) plot typical MET data quickly. In this paper, we present a summary of the functions implemented in metan and how they integrate into a workflow to explore and analyze MET data. We guide the user along a gentle learning curve and show how adding only a few commands or options at a time, powerfull analyzes can be implemented. metan offers a flexible, intuitive, and richly documented working environment with tools that will facilitate the implementation of a complete analysis of MET data sets.


The global gene expression analysis of cancer and healthy tissues typically results in large numbers of genes that are significantly altered in cancer. Such data, however, has been difficult to interpret due to the high level of variation of gene lists across laboratories and the small sample sizes used in individual studies. In this investigation, we compiled microarray data obtained from the same platform family from 84 laboratories, resulting in a database containing 1,043 healthy tissue samples and 4,900 cancer samples for 13 different tissue types. The primary cancers considered included adrenal gland, brain, breast, cervix, colon, kidney, liver, lung, ovary, pancreas, prostate and skin tissues. We normalized the data together and analyzed subsets for the discovery of genes involved in normal to cancer transformation. Our integrated significance analysis of microarrays approach produced top 400 gene lists for each of the 13 cancer types. These lists were highly statistically enriched with genes already associated with cancer in research publications excluding microarray studies (p < 1.31 E ‐ 12). The genes MTIM and RRM2 appeared in nine and TOP2A in eight lists of significantly altered genes in cancer. In total, there were 132 genes present in at least four gene lists, 11 of which were not previously associated with cancer. The list contains 17 metal ions and 15 adenyl ribonucleotide binding proteins, six kinases and six transcription factors. Our results point to the value of integrating microarray data in the study of combination drug therapies targeting metastasis.


This paper studies the role of reference-dependent preferences in explaining several anomalies related to lottery-like assets. Recent studies find that lottery-like assets significantly underperform non-lottery-like assets, probably due to investors' unconditional preference for lottery-like assets. The preference for lottery-like assets is usually attributed to investors' overweighting of small probability events, a feature of prospect theory. We document that lottery-related anomalies are significant only among stocks in which investors have lost money. Among stocks in which investors have profited, evidence for lottery-related anomalies is either very weak or even reversed. We consider several potential explanations for these empirical findings and we provide support for the reference-dependent preference under which investors are averse to losses and prefer lottery-like assets following prior losses as such assets offer a better chance to recover losses. Our findings are robust to five different measures of the lottery feature of stocks and provide a unified framework to understand lottery-related anomalies that are associated with these measures in the literature. Our findings are particularly interesting and important from a practitioner's perspective. Compared to the vanilla long-short trading strategy based on lottery-like assets, a refined strategy that focuses only on the subset of stocks with prior capital losses yields a significantly larger alpha both economically and statistically. Figure 1 compares the monthly Fama-French three-factor alphas of these two strategies for the five lottery-related measures considered in the paper – maximum daily returns (Maxret), predicted jackpot probability (Jackpotp), expected skewness (Skewexp), failure probability (Deathp), and bankruptcy probability (Oscorep). Taking Maxret as an example, a refined strategy that long low-Maxret stocks and short high-Maxret stocks among the stocks with prior losses generates a monthly alpha of 1.76%. This is an increase of over 200% in investment performance relative to an alpha of 0.52% in a plain long-short strategy. Finally, our results are robust to different subsamples, such as the exclusion of highly illiquid stocks, low price stocks, or NASDAQ stocks. This alleviates the concern about the high transaction costs related to trading such stocks and it suggests that our findings can be implemented in practice.


Background: The COVID-19 pandemic rapidly strained healthcare systems worldwide. The reference standard for diagnosis is a positive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test, but results are not immediate and sensibility is variable. Aim: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of lung ultrasound compared to chest X-ray for COVID-19 pneumonia. Design and Setting: A retrospective analysis of symptomatic patients admitted into one primary care centre in Spain between March and September 2020. Method: Patients' chest X-rays and lung ultrasounds were categorized as normal or pathologic. RT-PCR confirmed COVID-19 infection. Pathologic lung ultrasound images were further categorized as showing either local or diffuse interstitial disease. McNemar and Fisher tests were used to compare diagnostic accuracy. Results: Most of the 212 patients presented fever at admission, either as a standalone symptom (37.74% of patients) or together with others (72.17% of patients). The positive predictive value of the lung ultrasound was 90% for the diffuse interstitial pattern and 46.92% for local pattern. The lung ultrasound had a significantly higher sensitivity (82.75%) (p < 0.001), but lower specificity (71%) than the chest X-ray (54.02% and 86%, respectively) (p = 0.008) for identifying interstitial lung disease. Moreover, sensitivity of the lung ultrasound for severe interstitial disease was 100%, and was significantly higher than the chest X-ray (58.33%) (p = 0.002). Conclusion: The lung ultrasound is more accurate than the chest X-ray for identifying patients with COVID-19 pneumonia and it is especially useful for those presenting diffuse interstitial disease.


Background and Hypothesis: Our group previously demonstrated that reductions in the functional expression of voltage-dependent K+ (Kv) channels contribute to impaired metabolic control of coronary blood flow in the setting of obesity. This study tested the hypothesis that obesity diminishes the contribution of Kv channels to coronary vasodilation in response to hypoxemia.
Experimental Design or Project Methods: Control lean (n = 7) and obese (n = 5) swine were anesthetized and the heart exposed via left lateral thoracotomy. Coronary blood flow was measured in response to hypoxemia, before and after inhibition of Kv channels by 4-aminopyridine (4-AP; 0.3 mg/kg, iv), by a flow probe placed about the left anterior descending coronary artery. Hypoxemia was induced by progressive increases in the amount of nitrogen introduced into the ventilator. Arterial blood samples were obtained at each reduction in arterial oxygenation via a catheter placed in the femoral artery.
Results: Blood pressure decreased from ~88 ± 5 mmHg to ~68 ± 6 mmHg (P = 0.01) as arterial PO2 was reduced below 50 mmHg in both lean and obese swine (P = 0.51). In lean swine, coronary flow progressively increased from ~0.6 to >3.0 ml/min/g as arterial PO2 was reduced. This response was decreased by ~40% in obese swine and by ~30% in lean swine treated with 4-AP. Administration of 4AP had no effect on coronary flow in obese swine.
Conclusion and Potential Impact: These data support that Kv channels contribute to increases in coronary flow in response to hypoxemia in lean swine and that reductions in Kv channel function contribute to impaired hypoxic coronary vasodilation in obese swine. We propose that therapeutic targeting of obesity associated pathways (angiotensin-aldosterone system) known to influence K+ channel expression could improve coronary microvascular function and cardiovascular outcomes in subjects with obesity. Supported by R01 HL136386; T35 HL 110854.


Rat insulinoma cells, which grow in culture and secrete insulin, were used to study the mechanism of stimulation of insulin release by glucagon. The parent cell line (RIN-m) and a clone that secretes high levels of insulin (5F) had been shown to possess specific receptors for glucagon. Glucagon (1 μM) stimulated a rapid increase in cyclic adenosine 3'5'-monophosphate (cAMP) that was followed by an increase in insulin secretion in both cell lines. The concentration of glucagon necessary for half-maximal stimulation of cAMP was 50 μM in parent and approximately 0.5 μM in 5F, whereas the concentration required to inhibit binding by 50% was 0.5 nM and 30 nM, respectively. In 5F, the dose-response relationships for cAMP and insulin secretion were superimposable. The glucagon effects on insulin secretion and cAMP did not require either glucose or amino acids in the incubation media. No refractoriness to glucagon stimulation of cAMP or insulin was noted. It may be concluded that (1) there are significant differences between glucagon binding and glucagon responses in parent cells and clone 5F, (2) there are glucagon receptors that are not coupled to adenylate cyclase, and (3) cAMP mediates glucagon-stimulated insulin release.


Typical development in mites begins with the retraction of the epidermis from the cuticle. It is accompanied by a decrease in size and a change in shape. Atypical development also begins with a moult. But it is distinguished by regrowth, a change in shape, and an extra moult. Each moult is unique in that the epidermis divides into an outer and an inner layer. The outer layer adheres to the old cuticle. Its cells are provisionally regarded as being the source of the moulting enzymes. The inner layer retracts and persists as the true epidermis. The components of mite cuticle, according to histochemical tests, resemble those of insect cuticle. The formation of a provisional cuticle during atypical development produces the condition generally recognized as a pupal state. The moult of this provisional cuticle is primarily aimed towards synchronizing cuticle deposition with muscle development. Integration of the intermediary connecting processes, the fibrillae, with both the muscle ends and the cuticle is thus made possible.


The Agulhas Bioregion of southern South Africa supports a unique octocoral fauna that is entirely endemic to the region. Recent molecular phylogenetic studies indicate that this endemism extends to deeper taxonomic levels than had previously been recognized, and that most of these endemic species belong to genera and families that are also endemic to South Africa. Here we revise the taxonomy of soft corals (subordinal group Alcyoniina) that were previously assigned to the cosmopolitan families Alcyoniidae, Nephtheidae and Nidaliidae, describing three new families endemic to South Africa, along with four new genera and four new species. We reassign the endemic genera Acrophytum, Pieterfaurea and Lampophyton to Acrophytidae n. fam, and describe a new species of Lampophyton, L. spinatum n. sp. The endemic species Protodendron bruuni is reassigned to a new, monotypic genus, Corymbophyton bruuni n. comb., and family, Corymbophytidae n. fam. The endemic genus Leptophyton is placed in a third new family, Leptophytidae n. fam., along with three new genera that are established for species previously assigned to Alcyonium: Circularius wilsoni n. comb., Porphyrophyton distinctum n. comb., and Tenerodus fallax n. comb. In addition, we describe new species of Leptophyton, L. fustis n. sp.; Tenerodus, T. pollex n. gen. n. sp.; and Alcyonium, A. dolium n. sp.; reassign Protodendron verseveldti to Tenerodus verseveldti n. comb.; and reassign the endemic genus Dimorphophyton to family Paralcyoniidae. Although molecular phylogenetic analyses unite Acrophytidae, Corymbophytidae and Leptophytidae within a well-supported monophyletic group, both morphological and molecular distinctions support maintaining them as three separate families. These revisions increase the number of endemic species of shallow-water soft corals known from the Agulhas Bioregion to 40, and the number of endemic genera to 13.


The following article examines some of the initial experiences of Member States with the Integrated Territorial Investment (ITI) tool. It draws from examples of ITI in Belgium (Limburg) and Finland (Six Cities) which are already in advanced stages of planning. The article highlights the versatility of ITI as an implementation tool for integrated territorial approaches but also considers key challenges in relation to administrative and institutional capacity, territorial competiveness, limited scale of resource allocations, and ambiguities in relation to implementation requirements.


Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are commonly ingested via meat and are produced from high-temperature cooking of meat. Some of these PAHs have potential roles in carcinogenesis of colorectal cancer (CRC). We aimed to investigate PAH concentrations in eight types of commonly consumed ready-to-eat meat samples and their potential effects on gene expressions related to CRC. Extraction and clean-up of meat samples were performed using QuEChERS method, and PAHs were detected using GC-MS. Nine different PAHs were found in meat samples. Interestingly, roast turkey contained the highest total PAH content, followed by salami meat. Hams of varying levels of smokedness showed a proportional increase of phenanthrene (PHEN), anthracene (ANTH), and fluorene (FLU). Triple-smoked ham samples showed significantly higher levels of these PAHs compared to single-smoked ham. These three PAHs plus benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), being detected in three meat samples, were chosen as treatments to investigate in vitro gene expression changes in human colon cells. After PAH treatment, total RNA was extracted and rtPCR was performed, investigating gene expression related to CRC. B[a]P decreased mRNA expression of TP53. In addition, at high concentrations, B[a]P significantly increased KRAS expression. Treatments with 1 µM PHEN, 25 µM, and 10 µM FLU significantly increased KRAS mRNA expression in vitro, implying the potential basis for PAH-induced colorectal carcinogenesis. Opposingly, the ANTH treatment led to increased TP53 and APC expression and decreased KRAS expression, suggesting an anti-carcinogenic effect. To conclude, PAHs are common in ready-to-eat meat samples and are capable of significantly modifying the expression of key genes related to CRC.


Background Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1 degrades type I collagen of the extracellular matrix and also activates protease activated receptor (PAR)-1 to induce angiogenesis. The aims of this study were to evaluate microvessel density (MVD) and the expression of PAR-1 and MMP-1 in oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) specimens with different patterns of invasion (POI) and to evaluate their association with clinical outcomes. Methods Seventy-four surgically obtained oral SCC samples were classified by POI according to hematoxylin-eosin staining. MVD and the localization and intensity of PAR-1 and MMP-1 expression were detected by immunohistochemistry. Results Of the 74 oral SCC samples, 18, 5, 34, and 17 showed type I, II, III, and IV POI, respectively. MVD and expression levels of MMP-1 and PAR-1 differed between POI types I–II and POI types III–IV. Patients with low tumor expression of MMP-1 and PAR-1 and low MVD had a longer survival time than those with high tumor expression of MMP-1 and PAR-1. Moreover, the survival time of patients with POI types III–IV was shorter than that of patients with POI types I–II. Conclusion POI combined with expression levels of MMP-1 and PAR-1 may be a valuable tool for assessing the clinical prognosis of patients with oral SCC.


Due to the changed economic environment, the rush to implementing packet switches with switching capacities above 1 Tb/s, which had proceeded at a frantic pace for some years, has slowed down considerably. Most service providers do not foresee the deployment of switches and routers with gigantic capacities in the near future. The immediate interest does now rarely go beyond the subterabit range, with a sweet spot between 120-640 Gb/s, where the emphasis is on feature-rich systems that enable the convergence of legacy services with new emerging data services. Although the current focus is on smaller switches, it is still relevant to understand their evolution path to multiterabit capacities. The scalability issues are also critical to reduce complexity and simplify implementation, in order to push the limits of what can be achieved in the switches within current economic and market constraints. We analyze the current state of the art of practical large packet switches and routers, and discuss the issues affecting their scalability. Our approach is pragmatic, with most of our attention devoted to three major scalability aspects: implementation, support of quality of service, and multicasting. After a general discussion of these issues, we show their impact on the most popular switch architectures.


Heat-shock proteins (HSPs) are evolutionarily conserved proteins with important cellular homeostasis functions during harmful conditions, including inflammation. Some HSPs are secreted extracellularly and act on distant cells by down-regulating inflammation and increasing cellular stress defence mechanisms. HSP90α has been postulated to signal fatigue in chronic inflammation. We investigated whether HSP90α is associated with fatigue in patients with Crohn's disease. Fifty-three patients with newly diagnosed Crohn's disease were included in a cross-sectional study. Data on demographics and disease distribution were obtained. Fatigue was measured by the fatigue visual analogue scale (fVAS). Disease activity was assessed by the Simple Endoscopic Score for Crohn's disease and Harvey Bradshaw Index. C-reactive protein, faecal calprotectin and HSP90α were also measured. The median fVAS score was 52 mm, indicating significant fatigue. HSP90α scores correlated significantly with fVAS (r = 0.31, P = 0.03). In a multivariate regression model, HSP90α was the only significant contributor to fVAS scores (β = 0.31, P = 0.03). When patients were dichotomised into groups with high and low HSP90α concentrations, significantly higher fVAS scores were demonstrated in the group with high HSP90α (M = 62.4, confidence interval 53.0–71.8 vs. 43.3, 31.6–55.0; P = 0.01). Thus, HSP90α may contribute to fatigue generation and/or modulation in patients with Crohn's disease.