Distracted driving of a motor vehicle increases a driver's susceptibility to crash involvement. Such driving in the vicinity of highway–rail grade crossings (HRGCs) is especially perilous because the distracted driver may not be aware of the presence of an approaching train. Train-involved motor vehicle crashes invariably cause more severe injuries and greater property damage than other motor vehicle crashes. Because distracted driving at HRGCs is somewhat underresearched, the objectives of this research were to (a) investigate the occurrence of distracted motor vehicle driving at HRGCs, (b) identify characteristics of those distracted motorists, and (c) ascertain empirically factors associated with distracted driving at HRGCs. Data were collected with video recordings at six HRGCs in Nebraska and were statistically analyzed. Results showed that about one-third of drivers observed at HRGCs were distracted. The presence of intersecting roads near the crossings increased distracted driving. Drivers of multiunit trucks at HRGCs were less often distracted than other drivers at HRGCs. The presence of front-seat passengers in vehicles significantly contributed to driver distraction. Findings from the research support the need for driver education about distracted driving at HRGCs. Enforcement of distracted driving laws at HRGCs as well as strengthening of existing laws may also reduce instances of distracted driving at HRGCs.


The NCI Clearinghouse for Environmental Carcinogens acts as an advisory body to the Carcinogenesis Testing Program of that Institute. It consists of 30 members, from academic institutions, labour organizations, consumer groups and industry. They are divided into three groups: the Chemical Selection group establishes priorities for compounds to be tested; the Experimental Design group decides on the test procedures and parameters to be used; and the Data Evaluation/Risk Assessment group review data from completed tests, for deficiencies in experimental design or conduct, the nature of the lesions produced and the statistical analysis of the results, and gives a critical opinion of the test.


The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between skeletal muscle fiber type composition and the maximum number of repetitions performed during submaximal resistance exercise. Twelve young men performed a maximum repetitions test at 85% of 1 repetition maximum (1RM) in the leg press, which was repeated after 1 week. Seven days after the second 85% 1RM test, they performed a maximum repetitions test at 70% of 1RM in the leg press. This test, at 70% 1RM, was repeated 7 days later. One week before the initiation of the testing sessions, a biopsy sample was obtained from the vastus lateralis muscle and analyzed for fiber type distribution, fiber cross-sectional area, and capillary density (capillaries·mm−2). A low and nonsignificant relationship was found between the fiber type distribution or percent fiber type area and the number of repetitions performed at either 70% or 85% 1RM. Moreover, the number of repetitions performed at 70% or 85% of 1RM was not related significantly with 1RM strength. In contrast, the number of repetitions performed at 70% 1RM was significantly correlated with the number of capillaries per mm2 of muscle cross-sectional area (r = 0.70; p = 0.01). These results suggest that fiber type composition is not the major biological variable regulating the number of repetitions performed in submaximal resistance exercise. Rather, it seems that submaximal strength performance depends on muscle capillary density, which is linked with the endurance capacity of the muscle tissue.


This paper studies the second-order coding rates for memoryless channels with a state sequence known non-causally at the encoder. In the case of finite alphabets, an achievability result is obtained using constant-composition random coding, and by using a small fraction of the block to transmit the empirical distribution of the state sequence. For error probabilities less than 0.5, it is shown that the second-order rate improves on an existing one based on independent and identically distributed random coding. In the Gaussian case (dirty paper coding) with an almost-sure power constraint, an achievability result is obtained using random coding over the surface of a sphere, and using a small fraction of the block to transmit a quantized description of the state power. It is shown that the second-order asymptotics are identical to the single-user Gaussian channel of the same input power without a state.


Background: The marginal adaptation has a key role in the success and longevity of the fixed dental restoration, which is affected by the impression and the fabrication techniques .The objective of this in vitro study was to evaluate and compare the marginal fitness of lithium disilicate crowns using two different digital impression techniques (direct and indirect techniques) and two different fabrication techniques (CAD/CAM and Press techniques). Materials and Methods: Thirty two sound upper first premolar teeth of comparable size extracted for orthodontic reason were selected in this study .Standardized preparation of all teeth samples were carried out with modified dental surveyor to receive all ceramic crown restoration with 1 mm deep chamfer finishing line, 4 mm axial length and 6 degree convergence angle. Half of the teeth were duplicated and poured in type IV dental stone to have sixteen dies and then these dies and the remaining teeth divided in to two groups according to the type of digital impression techniques (n=16) as follow: Group A: Indirect digital impression technique scanned by inEos X5 camera; Group B: Direct digital impression technique scanned by CEREC AC Omnicam camera. Each group was subdivided according to the technique of fabrication into two subgroups (n=8): Press technique using IPS e-max press (A1, B1); CAD/CAM technique using IPS e-max CAD (A2, B2).Marginal gaps were evaluated on the prepared teeth at four defined points on each aspect using digital microscope at a magnification of (280X). One way ANOVA and LSD tests were used to identify and localize the source of difference among the groups. Results: The results showed that indirect digital impression with IPS e-max CAD/CAM group A2 revealed the poorest marginal integrity with (55.93 μm ± 3.300). Group B2 and group A1 were next in line with(44.49 μm ± 6.840 and 37.74 μm± 5.433) respectively, while in the first group of restorations, the result of 29.9 μm ± 5.534 obtained with direct digital impression with pressable ceramic was clearly better. Conclusions: All the tested digital impression techniques showed clinically acceptable accuracy and intraoral scanning with pressable ceramic significantly enhanced the marginal fit


We revisit a public key scheme presented by Shamir in [16] (and simultaneously by Naccache in [12]) and examine its applicability for general-purpose RFID tags in the supply chain. Using a combination of new and established space-saving methods, we present WIPR a fulledged public key identi cation scheme which is secure yet highly e cient. 1024-bit WIPR ts completely (including RAM) into 5705 gate equivalents and has a mean current consumption of 10.88μA. The main novelty in our implementation is the replacement of the long pseudorandom sequence, originally stored on EEPROM in [16], by a reversible stream cipher using less than 300 bits of RAM. We show how our scheme can be extended to o er tag-to-reader and reader-to-tag authentication and how it can be t into the existing RFID supply chain infrastructure.


Iron oxide exhibits fascinating physical properties especially in the nanometer range, not only from the standpoint of basic science, but also for a variety of engineering, particularly biomedical applications. For instance, Fe3O4 behaves as superparamagnetic as the particle size is reduced to a few nanometers in the single-domain region depending on the type of the material. The superparamagnetism is an important property for biomedical applications such as magnetic hyperthermia therapy of cancer. In this review article, we report on some of the most recent experimental and theoretical studies on magnetic heating mechanisms under an alternating (AC) magnetic field. The heating mechanisms are interpreted based on Néel and Brownian relaxations, and hysteresis loss. We also report on the recently discovered photoluminescence of Fe3O4 and explain the emission mechanisms in terms of the electronic band structures. Both optical and magnetic properties are correlated to the materials parameters of particle size, distribution, and physical confinement. By adjusting these parameters, both optical and magnetic properties are optimized. An important motivation to study iron oxide is due to its high potential in biomedical applications. Iron oxide nanoparticles can be used for MRI/optical multimodal imaging as well as the therapeutic mediator in cancer treatment. Both magnetic hyperthermia and photothermal effect has been utilized to kill cancer cells and inhibit tumor growth. Once the iron oxide nanoparticles are up taken by the tumor with sufficient concentration, greater localization provides enhanced effects over disseminated delivery while simultaneously requiring less therapeutic mass to elicit an equal response. Multi-modality provides highly beneficial co-localization. For magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles the co-localization of diagnostics and therapeutics is achieved through magnetic based imaging and local hyperthermia generation through magnetic field or photon application. Here, Fe3O4 nanoparticles are shown to provide excellent conjugation bases for entrapment of therapeutic molecules, fluorescent agents, and targeting ligands; enhancement of solid tumor treatment is achieved through co-application of local hyperthermia with chemotherapeutic agents.


We have demonstrated a new optical microscopy technique for imaging microvasculature without any labeling. With a very sensitive two-color excited state absorption (ESA) measurement method, we demonstrated that oxy-hemoglobin and deoxy-hemoglobin show distinct excited state dynamics. Since this is a collinear measurement, we can readily apply it to the microscopic study of biological tissue. We have already demonstrated in vivo imaging of blood vessels in the nude mouse ear. Here we optimized the excitation and detection pulse train toward longer wavelengths, where tissue scatters less and greater penetration depth can be obtained. More importantly, we are able to separate arterioles from venules by employing different pump and probe wavelength combinations. This provides a powerful method to image blood vessels and their oxygenation level at the same time with micrometer resolution.


The objective of this article is to explain the process of the development of and to assess the Mexican food-based dietary and physical activity guidelines (FBDGs). The FBDGs were developed by an intersectoral and interdisciplinary committee of 11 national experts with input from 11 external advisors. The sectors represented were research and academic institutions, the Ministry of Health, and a nongovernmental organization. The evidence-based process included the following: literature reviews of local, national, and international evidence; review of dietary patterns of the Mexican population; key national and international recommendations; and review of FBDGs and visual icons from other countries. The guidelines' report follows the life-course socioecological model rooted in a deep understanding of the epidemiology and underlying causes of malnutrition in Mexico. The guidelines are summarized in 10 pretested main recommendations that include, and go beyond, simply promoting the consumption of a healthy and varied diet that includes fresh fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains and staying within caloric needs and staying active. The guidelines strongly emphasize healthy cooking habits, enjoyable meals with family and friends, drinking water, and avoiding the consumption of sweetened beverages, grain-based desserts, and highly processed foods. Detailed guidelines specific to different groups (on the basis of age and physiologic status) are also included. An innovative aspect of the Mexican FBDGs is the inclusion of dietary guidance of children <2 y of age. Future editions of these guidelines should consider removing their emphasis on dietary cholesterol and total dietary fat and placing more attention on the substitution of saturated and trans fats with healthy oils. The process of national agenda setting, policy articulation, and implementation of the Mexican FBDGs in the context of addressing the national obesity epidemic deserves to be initiated and formally assessed through the lens of evidence-based, public nutrition complex adaptive systems.


The primary focus of this thesis is the design and synthesis of novel polyoxometalate clusters by using reactive secondary building units (SBUs) and assembling them in the presence of cations which can direct the formation of new polyoxometalate (POM) architectures. Using lacunary POM species as the SBU with electrophilic linking atoms has proved to be an effective strategy for the formation of higher nuclearity clusters as well as infinite supramolecular network materials.

 A new reaction system has been developed where lacunary dinuclear transition metal sandwich compounds are formed, ({P2W15}2M2 where M is a transition metal ion), with tetrabutylammonium (TBA) cations from alkali salt precursors of the {P2W15} POM. Normally the tetranuclear sandwich is favoured, ({P2W15}2M4), but by using a combination of bulky TBA cations to stabilise the cluster and protons to balance the charge a family of more reactive dinuclear transition metal sandwiches has been formed. Importantly, this experimental technique serves as a reliable high yielding method for exchanging alkali metal cations for TBA which allows them to be solubilised in less polar solvent.

 By utilising our knowledge of the reaction forming conditions for tungsten and molybdenum based clusters, carbamate ligands have been used along with hydrothermal reaction conditions to generate two new polyoxoniobate clusters. These clusters both contain pentagonal {M5(M)} units hitherto only seen in tungstate and molybdate systems where they can be combined to form large spherical assemblies such as the Keplerate. One of these compounds, {Nb27} is the largest isopolyoxoniobate reported to date and the second, {Nb31}, is larger but contains a coordinated carbonate ligand, making it a heteropolyoxoniobate.

 By reaction of the superlacuanry cyclic heteropolyanion {P8W48} with cobalt a series of network materials have been synthesised. The empirical formulae of these networks are very similar but the arrangement of the atoms in the crystal lattice is very different. These reactions show that in POM chemistry small differences in reaction conditions can have a marked effect on the products which are made. By dehydration and subsequent rehydration these compounds undergo a three phase single-crystal to single-crystal transformation with a remarkable 30 % volume change. This single-crystal transformation has the largest volume change for any purely inorganic material and this volume change is comparable to the largest transformations seen in metal organic framework (MOF) compounds. The structural changes occur through the breaking and reforming of the bonds linking the Co(II) ions to the clusters and the removal of coordinated water and subsequent bonding of the cobalt ions to POM ligands.

 All of these reactions utilise positively charged species to direct the formation of new anionic POM clusters.


Does evidence help politicians make informed decisions even if it is at odds with their prior beliefs? And does providing more evidence increase the likelihood that politicians will be enlightened by the information? Based on the literature on motivated political reasoning and the theory about affective tipping points, this article hypothesizes that politicians tend to reject evidence that contradicts their prior attitudes, but that increasing the amount of evidence will reduce the impact of prior attitudes and strengthen their ability to interpret the information correctly. These hypotheses are examined using randomized survey experiments with responses from 954 Danish politicians, and results from this sample are compared to responses from similar survey experiments with Danish citizens. The experimental findings strongly support the hypothesis that politicians are biased by prior attitudes when interpreting information. However, in contrast to expectations, the findings show that the impact of prior attitudes increases when more evidence is provided.


Benthic food webs are very important as they provide food for higher trophic levels. However, during the last century North Sea benthos has been affected by different types of increasing anthropogenic pressures, such as fishing, windfarms and sand extraction. Studies concerning human activity consequences, especially the trawling effects on benthos, have shown changes in its abundance, biomass and production over various spatial and temporal scales. For fish, a decline in trophic level due to overfishing has been underlined both worldwide and for the North Sea. In general, the effects of human pressures on benthic communities are well understood and some studies have already highlighted that benthic trophic interactions can be regarded as being resilient by opportunistic feeding, i.e. most species being generalists, and trophic redundancy. However, there is still little detailed knowledge on benthic food web structure and trophic interactions of different habitats and communities.
In this study, we investigated the trophic levels and food webs of the macroinvertebrates and demersal fish in two different North Sea benthic communities based on stable isotope analysis (13C /12C and 15N/14N ratios). The samples were collected from the Bathyporeia-Tellina and Central North Sea communities in the German Bight. For the first time, the food webs of these two communities were analyzed, by comparing trophic parameters, such as carbon sources, trophic levels and feeding types. Similarities and differences in the trophic structure between the two communities are discussed against the background of natural conditions and anthropogenic disturbances. Thus our results provide valuable knowledge and a sound scientific baseline for understanding trophic functioning in the context of marine management and sustainable use of marine resources.


Using the LSMS panel data collected by the World Bank in Albania from 2002 to 2004, this paper focuses on the determinants and financial implication of remittances sent by family members and adult children living abroad. Our econometric analysis draws on random and fixed effects discrete choice models. We find that the proportion of households receiving remittances is large. These transfers are negatively correlated with both the donor's and the recipient's level of education. Finally, remittances have a positive impact on economic indicators like satisfaction with current situation, adequateness of food consumption and number of affordable expenditures. Classification JEL: I32, 015


Learning sophisticated feature interactions behind user behaviors is critical in maximizing CTR for recommender systems. Despite great progress, existing methods have a strong bias towards low- or high-order interactions, or rely on expertise feature engineering. In this paper, we show that it is possible to derive an end-to-end learning model that emphasizes both low- and high-order feature interactions. The proposed framework, DeepFM, combines the power of factorization machines for recommendation and deep learning for feature learning in a new neural network architecture. Compared to the latest Wide & Deep model from Google, DeepFM has a shared raw feature input to both its "wide" and "deep" components, with no need of feature engineering besides raw features. DeepFM, as a general learning framework, can incorporate various network architectures in its deep component. In this paper, we study two instances of DeepFM where its "deep" component is DNN and PNN respectively, for which we denote as DeepFM-D and DeepFM-P. Comprehensive experiments are conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of DeepFM-D and DeepFM-P over the existing models for CTR prediction, on both benchmark data and commercial data. We conduct online A/B test in Huawei App Market, which reveals that DeepFM-D leads to more than 10% improvement of click-through rate in the production environment, compared to a well-engineered LR model. We also covered related practice in deploying our framework in Huawei App Market.


Abstract To identify how contextual usage frequency and lexical frequency interact when controlling for traditional linguistic constraints, this study analyzes the effect of frequency on (ING), taking into account a word's frequent context of occurrence. The data consist of 13,167 tokens of (ING) from interviews with 132 speakers conducted in Raleigh, North Carolina. Results from mixed-effect logistic regression show a strong effect of frequency on the realization of (ING), and this effect interacts with phonological context of occurrence. Frequent occurrence in environments that favor -in amplify the effect of lexical frequency; conversely, frequent occurrence in environments that favor –ing dampen the effect of overall frequency. Frequency also interacts with year of birth, showing an entrenchment of high-frequency words, lagging behind the community change toward the –ing variant in apparent time. Overall, these findings support the usage-based position of frequency effects as the result of a dynamic interplay between context of use and cognitive systems.


BackgroundObesity is widely recognized as a major health concern and a leading cause of preventable death. The correlation between obesity and breast cancer has been thoroughly described by several authors. Bariatric surgery is often associated with redundant abdominal tissue, often leading patients to consider body-contouring procedures. Autologous tissue breast reconstruction using the deep inferior epigastric artery perforator (DIEP) flap has advantages because it is tissue that is normally discarded during postbariatric body contouring. MethodsWe conducted a retrospective chart review of 18 DIEP flaps performed by the senior author in 9 patients for breast reconstruction between February 2008 and May 2013. All patients underwent mastectomies. All patients underwent bariatric surgery preceding breast reconstruction. Breast reconstruction was performed immediately in 13 cases and delayed in 5 cases. ResultsMean age of the study population was 44.6 years (range, 41–57 years). The mean maximum body mass index of the patients was 44 (range, 37.6–52.1), and the mean current body mass index at the time of the reconstruction was 30.7 (range, 24.3–38.1). No intraoperative complications were reported. No fascia or muscle was taken during flap dissection. Mean operative time was 632 minutes (range, from 480 to 750 minutes). Average hospital stay was 4 days. No partial or total flap loss was reported. There were no postoperative hernias or bulges at the abdominal donor site. ConclusionsThis series represents the largest group of patients undergoing DIEP flap breast reconstruction after bariatric surgery. In the hands of experienced microsurgeons, breast reconstruction with the DIEP flap in postbariatric patients represents a low-risk option with high satisfaction.


Butternut squash (Cucurbita moschata) plants are susceptible to defoliation and plant population (stand) reduction by insect, disease, temperature extremes, water, hail, or other mechanical damage. The timing of such losses may have variable effects on fi nal fruit quality and yield. The objectives of these studies were 1) to determine the infl uence of the degree and timing of defoliation and stand reduction on the marketable yield of winter squash; 2) to determine yield compensation after stand reduction and defoliation; and 3) to explore effects of defoliation on fruit total carotenoid content. Experiments were conducted over 2 years in New York and Pennsylvania to explore these objectives. Marketable yields consistently improved with increasing plant population. If population losses occurred while plants were in the rapid vegetative growth phase, the remaining plants responded by increasing fruit number and weight per plant. Plant losses later in the season during fruit enlargement, however, did not elicit the same magnitude of response. Defoliation of 66% leaf area reduced marketable yields, and effects were most severe under high plant populations. Competition among plants restricted compensation. Moderate defoliation (33%) reduced yield in only one of three studies. This level of defoliation also increased the percentage of medium [1.0 to 1.5 kg (2.20 to 3.31 lb)] and large [1.5 to 2.0 kg (4.41 lb)] fruit and decreased the number of jumbo fruit (>2.0 kg). Total carotenoid concentration in mature fruit was unaffected by the defoliation or population treatments. Thus, butternut squash compensated for up to 33% leaf area loss at any time during the season. While the crop could compensate, under some conditions, for up to 50% plant losses, fi nal plant population was more important than the growth stage of damage or defoliation for effects on crop yield.


As societies have become ever more complex, coupled with the increased power of the media, electoral campaigns have become a key focus of political communication research. In this important new book, an international team of experts critically examines issues of democratic representation in three culturally diverse nations whose governments are elected under systems of proportional representation - New Zealand, Germany, and Italy. The authors examine the power plays at work in the development and implementation of proportional representation in their respective countries and they consider the ways in which the electoral system has impacted election campaign strategies. The final chapter by Douglas Kellner (George F. Kellner Philosophy of Education Chair, Social Sciences and Comparative Education, UCLA) relates the issue to contemporary politics in the United States by using the 2000 U.S. presidential election to investigate the ways in which democracy is served, and disserved, by the electoral system.


Contrary to the criticism that mysterious, unaccountable black-box software systems threaten to make the logic of critical decisions inscrutable, we argue that algorithms are fundamentally understandable pieces of technology. Software systems are designed to interact with the world in a controlled way and built or operated for a specific purpose, subject to choices and assumptions. Traditional power structures can and do turn systems into opaque black boxes, but technologies can always be understood at a higher level, intensionally in terms of their designs and operational goals and extensionally in terms of their inputs, outputs and outcomes. The mechanisms of a system's operation can always be examined and explained, but a focus on machinery obscures the key issue of power dynamics. While structural inscrutability frustrates users and oversight entities, system creators and operators always determine that the technologies they deploy are fit for certain uses, making no system wholly inscrutable. We investigate the contours of inscrutability and opacity, the way they arise from power dynamics surrounding software systems, and the value of proposed remedies from disparate disciplines, especially computer ethics and privacy by design. We conclude that policy should not accede to the idea that some systems are of necessity inscrutable. Effective governance of algorithms comes from demanding rigorous science and engineering in system design, operation and evaluation to make systems verifiably trustworthy. Rather than seeking explanations for each behaviour of a computer system, policies should formalize and make known the assumptions, choices, and adequacy determinations associated with a system. This article is part of the theme issue 'Governing artificial intelligence: ethical, legal, and technical opportunities and challenges'.


Thirty-three obscure intracranial lesions were located using the Steiner-Lindquist microsurgical stereotaxic guide and then surgically resected. Seventeen of the lesions were located in the parietal region, six in the frontal region, three in the parietooccipital region, three in the temporoparietal region, one in the thalamic region, one in the centrum semiovale, one in the brainstem, and one in the third ventricle. Twenty-three lesions were in subcortical or cortical locations. In 28 cases, the lesion was totally removed, while in 5 the lesion was subtotally resected. Pathological examinations confirmed glial tumor in eight patients, metastasis in seven, meningioma in two, cavernous angioma in eight, arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in four, hematoma in two, dysembryoblastic neuroepithelial tumor in one, and septum pellucidum cyst in one. Two patients developed transient complications postsurgery. Mean lesion size was 23 +/- 0.97 mm. The hospitalization period ranged from 1 to 6 days (mean 3.4 +/- 1.3 days). Surgeries were performed under general anesthesia, or under local anesthesia with the patient awake. The Steiner-Lindquist microsurgical stereotaxic guide is useful for pinpointing small lesions, especially those in the subcortical and deep areas. Knowing the precise location of the lesion facilitates removal through a small craniotomy incision. This minimally invasive procedure reduces the number of postoperative neurological complications, and also cuts costs by shortening the hospital stay.


Objectives Danggui Shaoyao powder (DSS), a Chinese herbal compound, has been used in China with established therapeutic efficacy in patients with diabetic nephropathy (DN). The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible mechanism of DSS improving DN. Methods Wistar rats with streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes were used for evaluation of the effect of treatment with DSS on DN. Rats were randomly divided into three groups: control, diabetic and diabetic+DSS. Blood glucose, serum creatinine (Cr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydroxyproline (Hyp) were measured in kidney tissue. Glomerular morphology was observed by light microscopy. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot were employed to determine the proteins levels of TGF-β1 and type IV collagen. Results Compared with the control group, Cr, BUN, MDA and Hyp levels in DN rats were significantly increased but were significantly decreased by treatment with DSS. While SOD activity in renal tissue was decreased, DSS can increase SOD activity. The renal pathological changes in the DSS treatment group were ameliorated. Furthermore, the DSS decreased the expression of TGF-β1 and collagen IV protein. Conclusions These results demonstrate that DSS can ameliorate STZ-induced experimental DN. The mechanism may be related to modulating the expression of collagen IV and TGF-β1 protein. Acknowledgments This research is supported by a project grant from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 81603527), Science and Technology Project of Henan Province (Grant No. 162102310466), Key Scientific Research Projects of Henan Province Colleges and Universities (Grant No. 16A360010) and Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Scientific and Technological Innovation Talent Support Program (Grant No. 2015XCXRC05).


Automated discovery and composition of Web services and the representation of service semantics required to automate these tasks are active research areas that play a large role in current work on service oriented architectures. In this paper, we investigate the feasibility of service composition powered by a consistency-based approach for candidate selection during composition. The modeling restraints imposed by the existing proposals for candidate selection often result in undesired implications in the form of unintuitive candidates during composition. We formulate a consistency-based candidate selection procedure, which uses specifications based on classical software engineering notations (UML and OCL), and use the selection procedure within a configuration based web service composition setting. The consistency-based matchmaking technique is robust in handling overspecified profiles, assumes a closed world by default and provides provisions to include 'nonexistence' semantics in addition to the standard formalisms. Finally, we formulate service composition as a constraint satisfaction problem (CSP) and provide a CSP based algorithm which uses the consistency-based semantic matchmaking scheme while enabling interactive operation.


The new mix ligand complexes of Cr(III), Mn(II), Fe(III), Co(II), Ni(II), or Cu(II) with 2-hydroxybenzaldehyde, and oxalic acid were synthesized and characterized by FT-IR, and Uv-Vis spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and flame atomic absorption techniques as well as magnetic susceptibility, and conductivity measurements. The antibacterial activity of the mix ligand metal complexes was studied against two types of pathogenic bacteria micro-organisms (Escherichia coli) and (Staphylococcus aureus). Furthermore, the antifungal activity against two fungi micro-organisms (Candida albicans) and (Aspergillus flavus) was studied too. The work also includes a theoretical treatment of the formed complexes in the gas phase; this was done using the (hyperchem-8) program for the molecular mechanics and semi-empirical calculations. The heat of formation (ΔHf○), binding energy (ΔEb), and total energy (ΔET) of the ligand and its complexes were calculated using (PM3) method at 298 K○. PM3 was used to evaluate the bond length, vibrational spectra, and electronic spectra of the mix ligand metal complexes, also the experimental values were compared. The theoretical results agree with those found experimentally.


Background: There is a high incidence of hand and wrist injuries in athletes participating in collegiate sports, but there is little information published characterizing them. Purpose: To characterize hand and wrist injuries in collegiate athletes using a large national database. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional analysis was designed using data from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Injury Surveillance Program database to identify hand and wrist injuries (exclusive of any radial or ulnar fractures) in male and female collegiate athletes participating in NCAA Division I, II, and III sports from 2004 to 2015. Descriptive analyses were performed on stratified data to examine the associations between these injuries and sport, event type, and sex. Results: Men's ice hockey (8.25 per 10,000 athlete-exposures [AEs]) and women's ice hockey (8.21 per 10,000 AEs) had the highest rate of hand and wrist injuries in all exposures. In every sport except women's gymnastics (P = .107), injuries were more commonly sustained during competition rather than during practice. Ligamentous injury to the phalynx was the most commonly sustained injury overall (1.416 per 10,000 AEs), and a metacarpal fracture was the most commonly sustained hand or wrist fracture (0.507 per 10,000 AEs). Injuries sustained during men's wrestling (14.08 days) and women's gymnastics (10.39 days) incurred the most time lost from sport. Surgery for hand and wrist injuries was most commonly required for men's football (0.413 per 10,000 AEs) and women's field hockey (0.404 per 10,000 AEs). Conclusion: Hand and wrist injuries were common among collegiate athletes. Male athletes experienced injuries with more frequency and severity. Injuries occurred more commonly during competition. While the majority of injuries were minor and did not require surgery, certain sports conferred a much higher risk of significant injuries requiring a surgical intervention.


Learning robotic grasps from visual observations is a promising yet challenging task. Recent research shows its great potential by preparing and learning from large-scale synthetic datasets. For the popular, 6 degree-of-freedom (6-DOF) grasp setting of parallel-jaw gripper, most of existing methods take the strategy of heuristically sampling grasp candidates and then evaluating them using learned scoring functions. This strategy is limited in terms of the conflict between sampling efficiency and coverage of optimal grasps. To this end, we propose in this work a novel, end-to-end \emph{Grasp Proposal Network (GPNet)}, to predict a diverse set of 6-DOF grasps for an unseen object observed from a single and unknown camera view. GPNet builds on a key design of grasp proposal module that defines \emph{anchors of grasp centers} at discrete but regular 3D grid corners, which is flexible to support either more precise or more diverse grasp predictions. To test GPNet, we contribute a synthetic dataset of 6-DOF object grasps; evaluation is conducted using rule-based criteria, simulation test, and real test. Comparative results show the advantage of our methods over existing ones. Notably, GPNet gains better simulation results via the specified coverage, which helps achieve a ready translation in real test. We will make our dataset publicly available.


Large amounts of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and furans (PCDD/F), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and polychlorinated benzenes (PCBz) were formed by de novo synthesis using model ashes. The de novo synthesis was affected by SO2 and H2O. Knowledge of congener pattern and homologue profiles of PCDD/F, PCB and PCBz is help for elaborating the mechanism of formation and influence of the toxic compounds formed by de novo synthesis. By the help of the component analysis (CA) the best correlated congeners are effectively detected. Various good correlated pairs between PCDD/F, PCB and PCBz have been elaborated by using linear regression between the 15 samples. It was found that a good correlation between PCBz and PCDF.


A doubly mutant ama-1(m118m526) gene results in an RNA polymerase (Rpo) II that is unusually resistant to alpha-amanitin. Rpo II activity in isolated Caenorhabditis elegans cell nuclei is inhibited 50% by alpha-amanitin at a concentration of 150 micrograms/ml, making this enzyme 150 times more resistant to the toxin than Rpo II from the singly mutant allele, ama-1(m118), 20,000 times more resistant than the wild-type Rpo II, and about six times more resistant to amanitin than is Rpo III. It was determined that the SL1 spliced leader precursor is transcribed by Rpo II, and this transcript was used to measure Rpo II activity. The Rpo II activity is unstable in vitro, and the mutant strain has a temperature-sensitive sterile phenotype. The highly resistant double mutant was selected among four million progeny of the mutagenized ama-1(m118) parent by its ability to grow and reproduce in 200 micrograms/ml amanitin in the presence of a permeabilizing agent, Triton X-100.


Abstract: The present work deals with voltage differencing current conveyor and its application in analog circuit design. There have been several major developments in the area of analog circuits which have taken place during the past four decades. There is a bulk of material available about the various active blocks developed past Current Conveyors.Among various modern active building blocks, Voltage Differencing Current Conveyor(VDCC), is emerging as quite flexible and versatile building block for analog circuitdesign. In this paper an attempt has been made to highlight the realization of the VDCC active block using MOSFETs and a VDCC based biquad filterusing three active blocks has also been realized. This VDCC based voltage mode biquad filter gives low-pass, band-pass and notch outputs. The workability of the circuit is supported by PSPICE simulations using TSMC 0.18μm parameters.


Estimating the feed intake of grazing herbivores is critical for determining their nutrition, overall productivity and utilization of grassland resources. A 17-day indoor feeding experiment was conducted to evaluate the potential use of Medicago sativa as a natural supplement for estimating the total feed intake of sheep. A total of 16 sheep were randomly assigned to four diets (four sheep per diet) containing a known amount of M. sativa together with up to seven forages common to typical steppes. The diets were: diet 1, M. sativa + Leymus chinensis + Puccinellia distans; diet 2, species in diet 1 + Phragmites australis; diet 3, species in diet 2 + Chenopodium album + Elymus sibiricus; and diet 4, species in diet 3 + Artemisia scoparia + Artemisia tanacetifolia. After faecal marker concentrations were corrected by individual sheep recovery, treatment mean recovery or overall recovery, the proportions of M. sativa and other dietary forages were estimated from a combination of alkanes and long-chain alcohols using a least-square procedure. Total intake was the ratio of the known intake of M. sativa to its estimated dietary proportion. Each dietary component intake was obtained using total intake and the corresponding dietary proportions. The estimated values were compared with actual values to assess the estimation accuracy. The results showed that M. sativa exhibited a distinguishable marker pattern in comparison to the other dietary forage species. The accuracy of the dietary composition estimates was significantly (P < 0.001) affected by both diet diversity and the faecal recovery method. The proportion of M. sativa and total intake across all diets could be accurately estimated using the individual sheep or the treatment mean recovery methods. The largest differences between the estimated and observed total intake were 2.6 g and 19.2 g, respectively, representing only 0.4% and 2.6% of the total intake. However, they were significantly (P < 0.05) biased for most diets when using the overall recovery method. Due to the difficulty in obtaining individual sheep recovery under field conditions, treatment mean recovery is recommended. This study suggests that M. sativa, a natural roughage instead of a labelled concentrate, can be utilized as a dietary supplement to accurately estimate the total feed intake of sheep indoors and further indicates that it has potential to be used in steppe grassland of northern China, where the marker patterns of M. sativa differ markedly from commonly occurring plant species.


Throughout the Critical Sea Test (CST) experiments, a large body of quality surface scattering data was accumulated which was collected over a broad range of sea states using both explosive (SUS) charges (impulsive sources) and transmitting arrays (waveform sources). Simultaneously, an extensive suite of environmental measurements was also made, providing a unique data set with which to examine how the surface scattering strength changes with various environmental parameters. Historically wind speed has been the environmental descriptor of choice, but while this is the dominating factor, wind speed alone was found to be inadequate to fully describe all the observations. Other important environmental descriptors will be discussed, and some of their effects on surface scattering at both very high and very low sea states will be demonstrated. The latest empirical surface scattering strength algorithm based on all the CST SUS measurements will also be described, and the effect of current findings on future mo...


Purpose

The purpose of this study is to measure the interaction between media sentiment and the Bitcoin price. Because some researchers argued that the Bitcoin value is also determined by perception of users and investors, this paper examines how.

Design/methodology/approach

The database of relative news articles as well as blog posts has been collected for the purpose of this research. Hence, each article has been given a sentiment score depending on the negative and positive words used in the article.

Findings

This paper has identified that interaction between media sentiment and the Bitcoin price exists, and that there is a tendency for investors to overreact on news in a short period of time.

Originality/value

While sentiment analysis of Twitter posts as a predictor of the Bitcoin price has been conducted in the past, this research does not have any analog because psycho-semantic dictionaries have not been applied earlier in the Bitcoin research.


In An Inconvenient Fact: Private Equity Returns and the Billionaire Factory, from the December 2020 issue of The Journal of Investing, author Ludovic Phalippou (of the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford) challenges the perception that private equity (PE) provides institutional investors with higher returns that justify its higher fees. PE is not available to the general public—and since PE investments are not continuously traded, there are no publicly available measures of PE rates of return. Therefore, PE firms use internal rate of return (IRR) as their primary advertised performance measure. However, a more appropriate measure of PE performance is based on a net present value (NPV) calculation, such as the public market equivalent (PME). Using this performance measure, Phalippou shows that US PE has produced about the same net-of-fees returns as the most common US stock indexes since 2006. Meanwhile, a small number of PE managers have become billionaires by receiving incentive fees based on absolute performance, not performance relative to any benchmark. The author questions who really benefits from PE investing, explains why pension funds and universities continue to embrace it, and offers suggestions to make PE investing more sustainable. TOPICS: Private equity, statistical methods, performance measurement


Technological developments have led to exposure to various substances that are harmful to the environment and public health, including heavy metals. In the environment, these grades of metals are usually diverse mixtures shown to cause physiological, biochemical and neurological dysfunctions in humans and laboratory animals. Cadmium, Lead, and mercury have been envisaged to exhibit their hepatotoxic effects by oxidative induction damage and synthesis of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The current work evaluated the protective activity of aqueous leaf extract of Costus afer (ALECA)) on liver damage arsing from exposure to trace metal mixture (TMM): cadmium chloride (CdCl2), lead chloride (PbCl2), and mercury chloride (HgCl2). Five groups of weight matched Sprague Dawley rats were treated for 90 days. Metal mixture and deionized water were used to treat the 2 groups of rats whereas the other 3 groups were treated with various doses of the ALECA through oral gavage alongside the metal mixture. Hepatic function parameters, oxidative biomarkers, inflammatory cytokines, Morphological changes and trace metals (concentrations were monitored in the liver). TMM treatment resulted in significant increase in ALT, AST, ALP, bilirubin, IL-6, MDA, but decreased albumin, total protein, IL-10, SOD, CAT and GSH levels. TMM also caused some morphological changes and increased the heavy metal (Pb, Cd and Hg) concentrations in the liver. The leaf extract gave a reasonable protective effect on the hepatotoxicity caused by trace metal mixture - through the mechanisms of metal chelation, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant although this depends on the dosage to the rats. ALECA may be beneficial in the management of liver toxicity.


Glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK-3beta) can participate in the induction of apoptosis or, alternatively, provide a survival signal that minimizes cellular injury. We previously demonstrated that the multikinase inhibitor sorafenib induces apoptosis in melanoma cell lines. In this report, we show that sorafenib activates GSK-3beta in multiple subcellular compartments and that this activation undermines the lethality of the drug. Pharmacologic inhibition and/or down-modulation of the kinase enhances sorafenib-induced apoptosis as determined by propidium iodide staining and by assessing the mitochondrial release of apoptosis-inducing factor and Smac/DIABLO. Conversely, the forced expression of a constitutively active form of the enzyme (GSK-3beta(S9A)) protects the cells from the apoptotic effects of the drug. This protective effect is associated with a marked increase in basal levels of Bcl-2, Bcl-x(L), and survivin and a diminution in the degree to which these anti-apoptotic proteins are down-modulated by sorafenib exposure. Sorafenib down-modulates the pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family member Noxa in cells with high constitutive GSK-3beta activity. Pharmacologic inhibition of GSK-3beta prevents the disappearance of Noxa induced by sorafenib and enhances the down-modulation of Mcl-1. Down-modulation of Noxa largely eliminates the enhancing effect of GSK-3 inhibition on sorafenib-induced apoptosis. These data provide a strong rationale for the use of GSK-3beta inhibitors as adjuncts to sorafenib treatment and suggest that preservation of Noxa may contribute to their efficacy.


Inbred mouse strains, living in simple laboratory environments far removed from nature, have been shown to vary consistently in their immune response. However, wildlife populations are typically outbreeding and face a multiplicity of challenges, parasitological and otherwise. In this study we seek evidence of consistent difference in immunological profile amongst individuals in the wild. We apply a novel method in this context, using longitudinal (repeated capture) data from natural populations of field voles, Microtus agrestis, on a range of life history and infection metrics, and on gene expression levels. We focus on three immune genes, IFN-γ, Gata3, and IL-10, representing respectively the Th1, Th2 and regulatory elements of the immune response. Our results show that there was clear evidence of consistent differences between individuals in their typical level of expression of at least one immune gene, and at most all three immune genes, after other measured sources of variation had been taken into account. Furthermore, individuals that responded to changing circumstances by increasing expression levels of Gata3 had a correlated increase in expression levels of IFN-γ. Our work stresses the importance of acknowledging immunological variation amongst individuals in studies of parasitological and infectious disease risk in wildlife populations.


We present Doppler images of both components of the eclipsing binary system ER Vul, based on the spectra obtained in 2004 November, 2006 September and 2008 November. The least-squares deconvolution technique is used for enhancing the signal-to-noise ratios of the observed profiles. The new surface images reveal that both stars of ER Vul show strong starspot activities and the starspots appear at various latitudes. The surface maps of 2006 and 2008 both show the presence of large high-latitude starspots on each component of ER Vul. We find no obvious phase shift of the active regions during our observations. The longitude distributions of starspots are non-uniform on both stars. At low-to-mid latitudes, the active regions are almost exclusively found in the hemisphere facing the other star. However, we find no pronounced concentration of spots at the sub-stellar points.


An emerging approach for the activation of the nitrogen molecule is the light‐driven splitting of the N‐N bond . Less than ten examples for complexes capable of N 2 photoactivation are currently known, and the underlying photophysical and photochemical processes after light absorption are largely unresolved. All complexes have a central [M(μ‐η 1 :η 1 ‐N 2 )M] unit with symmetric ligand spheres around the metals. For several of these complexes, small modifications of the ligand sphere result in thermal rather than photochemical activity. Herein, we analyse the electronic structures and computed UV‐vis spectra of four complexes: two thermally and two photochemically active complexes, each either involving Mo or W. The analysis of electronic structures and spectra is based on the molecular orbitals, difference densities and the charge‐transfer numbers provided by TheoDORE. We find that the spectra of the photochemically active complexes contain excitations with more ligand‐to‐metal charge‐transfer character and higher intensity, providing a plausible explanation for light‐induced nitrogen splitting.


In light of increasing concerns about the efficacy of environmental governance (EG) to address the global sustainability challenges of the Anthropocene era, more integrative, transversal, and far-reaching approaches, referred to here as sustainability governance (SG), are gaining ground both in governance praxis and in research. Empirical and methodological challenges emerge from this conceptual analytical cleavage between EG and SG. Through a combination of bibliometric and network analysis, the objective of this article is to explore the structure and trends in the field of EG/SG research in Chile, internationally regarded as the posterchild of Latin-American EG/SG, and derive empirical insights to feed the analytical distinction between EG and SG that informs global debates about ways forward towards an effective governance in the Anthropocene. Our results show that scientific research on EG/SG has experienced a significant increase since the 1990s. We find that while the topical range of the field is broad, including water governance, biodiversity conservation, environmental institutions, climate change and energy issues, and environmental conflicts and justice, key cross-cutting socio-economic and cultural dynamics underpinning the prevalent, yet fundamentally unsustainable, ways of life and economic model are virtually absent from the field, against their growing presence in diagnoses of "sustained unsustainability".


This study has aimed to offer an insight into the current gap within academic literature by surveying consumers in Scotland by analysing gender, age and household income. This research has focussed on a survey of residents from North Ayrshire, which is a low socio-economic area in rural Scotland. A questionnaire was developed and collected from 64 people (32 males and 32 females). The purpose of the questionnaire was primarily to identify the consumers who may be directly affected by a sugar tax, then question them on their attitudes, values and beliefs concerning the SDIL. The results of the survey provide an insight into the potential effects of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) but it is unclear whether it will have any significant impact on obesity levels within Scotland. This study has implications for policy makers, the soft drinks industry and the academic arena as it demonstrates that differing levels of awareness, different values and beliefs between different socio-demographic groups that have the potential to impact upon policies that are attempting to change consumer behaviour as with the UK SDIL.


Various disorders cause hyperammonemia during childhood. Among them are those caused by inherited defects in urea synthesis and related metabolic pathways. These disorders can be grouped into two types: disorders of the enzymes that comprise the urea cycle, and disorders of the transporters or metabolites of the amino acids related to the urea cycle. Principal clinical features of these disorders are caused by elevated levels of blood ammonium. Additional disease-specific symptoms are related to the particular metabolic defect. These specific clinical manifestations are often due to an excess or lack of specific amino acids. Treatment of urea cycle disorders and related metabolic diseases consists of nutritional restriction of proteins, administration of specific amino acids, and use of alternative pathways for discarding excess nitrogen. Although combinations of these treatments are extensively employed, the prognosis of severe cases remains unsatisfactory. Liver transplantation is one alternative for which a better prognosis is reported. J. Nutr. 134: 1605S–1609S, 2004.


In transport and storage of hydrogen the risks are mainly seen in its volatile nature, its ability to form explosive mixtures with air and the harsh conditions (high pressure or low temperature) for efficient storage. The concept of Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers (LOHC) offers a technology to overcome the above mentioned threats. The present submission describes the basics of the LOHC technology. It contains a comparison of a selection of common LOHC materials with a view on physical properties. The advantages of a low viscosity at low temperatures and a high flash point are expressed. LOHCs are also discussed as a concept to import large amounts of energy/hydrogen. A closer look is taken on the environmental and safety aspects of hydrogen storage in LOHCs since here the main differences to pressurized and cryo storage of hydrogen can be found. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the principles of the LOHC technology, the different LOHC materials and their risks and opportunities, and an impression of a large scale scenario on the basis of the LOHC technology.


The specificity of the ultrastructural myocardial abnormalities in hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) is undetermined. We undertook a quantitative study using myocardial biopsy specimens from the subaortic area in a patient with classical HOCM and compared them with hypertrophic left ventricular myocardium from a patient suffering from rheumatic valve disease. Myofibrillar disarray and side-to-side junctions were chosen as strictly quantifiable features. The former was seen as representing intracellular disorganization; the latter was seen as criterion for intercellular disorganization. The results showed that there is no preference for these abnormalities to occur in HOCM. Indeed, intracellular abnormalities more frequently occurred in the hypertrophic myocardium the patient without HOCM. Neither intracellular nor intercellular features can be regarded as specific for HOCM, even in a quantitative sense.


Advances in nuclear medicine depend on chelating ligands that form highly stable and kinetically inert complexes with relevant radiometal ions for use in diagnosis or therapy. A new potentially decadentate ligand, H5decaox, was synthesised to incorporate two 8-hydroxyquinoline moieties on either end of a diethylenetriamine backbone decorated with three carboxylic acids, one at each N atom of the backbone. Metal complexation was assessed using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HR-MS) with In3+, Zr4+ and La3+. Solution thermodynamic studies provided the stepwise protonation constants and metal formation constants, indicating a high affinity for both In3+ and Zr4+ (pIn = 32.3 and pZr = 34.7), and density functional theory (DFT) calculations provided insight into the coordination environments with either metal ion. Concentration dependent radiolabeling experiments with [111In]InCl3 and [89Zr]ZrCl4 showed promise as quantitative radiolabeling (>95%) occurred at micromolar concentrations, under mild, near-physiological conditions of pH 7 and room temperature for 30 minutes. Serum stability of both radiometal complexes was investigated and the [111In]In(decaox) complex remained 91% intact after 24 hours while the [89Zr]Zr(decaox) complex was 86% intact over the same time, comparable to other chelating ligands previously assessed with the same methods. The high radiolabeling yields, limited serum protein transchelation and structural insight of the [89Zr]Zr(decaox) complex suggest a promising fit between the oxinate-containing ligand and the Zr4+ ion, setting the stage for further investigations with a functionalised version of the chelator for its potential in PET imaging.


The contribution of the gut microbiota to health and disease is becoming ever more apparent in the last number of years, due to developments in DNA sequencing technology and more well-defined cultivation techniques. This has resulted in the identification of health-promoting bacteria. Until recently, prebiotics, non-digestible food substrates which are selectively utilised by beneficial bacteria, were employed with a view to increasing the growth of well-established health promoting bacteria, namely Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. However, other beneficial bacteria recently revealed may also be targeted to enhance their growth as they establish themselves as the next generation of health-promoting microbes. These include anaerobes such as Akkermansia muciniphila, Faecalibacterium prausnitziiand Eubacterium rectale. Identification of growth substrates/bioactives through the analysis of genome sequence data can aid in elucidating which substrates may best enhance the growth of these microbes which are often difficult to grow.
 The phenotypic microbial trait analyser, Traitar, can predict 67 phenotypes based on the genome sequence inputted. Some of these traits include substrates that could potentially be utilised by the bacteria. Another tool, CarveMe, which has been created with the aim of making metabolic modelling more user-friendly, was also used with the same genomes. A select number of substrates identified in both tools have been chosen to be evaluated in vitroin order to establish the accuracy of these predictive tools as well as giving an indication as to how these beneficial microbes can be modulated through dietary components.


Bone tissue has a unique architecture necessitating laborious characterization at various scales. Since the extracellular matrix (ECM) exists in a solid phase, traditional histology reduces the mineral content of ECM to obtain high-resolution 3d micrographs and is operator dependent in terms of analysis. Other imaging techniques such as microCT (μCT), are limited by the spatial resolution of the μCT scanner and provide minimal cellular correlation. The vascularization inside the bone (Haversian system) appears to exist in continually remodeling patterns with bone turnover, making it difficult to numerically assess the Haversian canal architecture. Our novel technique proposes the 3D characterization of bone tissue, by using light microscopy and MATLAB®, to acquire microscopic 3D images of bone vasculature with enhanced spatial resolution. Briefly, the right femurs of eight rats were sectioned in cross sectional slices of 1 mm thickness. The slices were exposed to a Villanueva osteochrome stain protocol followed by sequential dehydration, poly methyl-methacrylate infiltration, and polymerization. Using a combination of a novel, automated focus-adjusting system in conjunction with light microscopy, we obtained 100 sequential discrete images at 1μm steps along the z-stack at 100x in-plane magnification. The images were processed using MATLAB® software, obtaining a 3D representation of the Haversian system. From these 3D images we quantified Haversian number, and vessel parameters, including surface, volume, channel thickness and porosity ratio to tissue volume. Data analysis shows differences in the Haversian thickness in the three regions studied, showing that the overall vessel volume remains relatively conserved, but the Haversian architecture changes further away from the proximal region. Due to optical microscope limitations, this technique only can measure samples up to 100 microns in depth. This protocol can potentially be used to obtain 3D architectural quantification of other tissues by modifying staining protocols.


The Institute of Paper Science and Technology is a unique organization whose charitable, educational, and scientific purpose evolves from the singular relationship between the Institute and the pulp and paper industry which has existed since 1929. The purpose of the Institute is fulfilled through three missions, which are: · to provide high quality students with a multidisciplinary graduate educational experience which is of the highest standard of excellence recognized by the national academic community and which enables them to perform to their maximum potential in a society with a technological base; and · to sustain an international position of leadership in dynamic scientific research which is participated in by both students and faculty and which is focused on areas of significance to the pulp and paper industry; and · to contribute to the economic and technical well-being of the nation through innovative educational, informational, and technical services.The Institute of Paper Science and Technology (IPST) has provided a high standard of professional service and has put forth its best efforts within the time and funds available for this project. The information and conclusions are advisory and are intended only for internal use by any company who may receive this report. Each company must decide for itself the best approach to solving any problems it may have and how, or whether, this reported informa.tion should be considered in its approach. IPST does not recommend particular products, procedures, materials, or service. These are included only in the interest of completeness within a laboratory context and budgetary constraint. Actual products, procedures, materials, and services used may differ and are peculiar to the operations of each company. In no event shall IPST or its employees and agents have any obligation or liability for damages including, but not limited to, consequential damages arising out of or in connection with any company's use of or inability to use the reported information. IPST provides no warranty or guaranty of results. The Institute of Paper Science and Technology assures equal opportunity to all qualified persons without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, or Vietnam era veterans status in the admission to, participation in, treatment of, or employment in the programs and activities which the Institute operates. Summary Sentence' Impacts of clonal forestry and genetic engineering on the pulp and paper industries. Executive Summary: Fiber supply needs can be met by clonal propagation and …


Our research compared the comfort of two different types of soft contact lens materials; Hioxifilcon B and Hefilcon A. Both materials are considered low water content materials and are non-ionic (Group 1 materials). Hioxifilcon B is a newer material than Hefilcon A, with a water content of 49% compared to that of 45% in Hefilcon A. It has been reported to resist dehydration more than other hydrogel lenses, and therefore we hypothesized that it would be the more comfortable material. We had 13 subjects who received a lens ofHefilcon A for one eye and a lens ofHioxifilcon B for the other eye which they were to wear at the same time for two weeks. They completed a survey on the comfort of the lenses after one week of wear and then again after the second week of wear. Along with comfort, the water content ofthe lenses was also measured after one week of wear and again after two weeks of wear. Results showed that Hioxifilcon B did dehydrate less than Hefilcon A (dehydration of 4.11% compared to 5.95%); however there was no significant difference in the comfort ofthe two lenses among the subjects.


To obtain basic information about doubled haploid plants in Citrus, in the present study, we investigated the morphological characteristics in doubled haploid induced by colchicine-treated axillary shoot buds of a haploid plant from 'Banpeiyu' pummelo [C. maxima (Burm.) Merr.]. We also evaluated the reproductive potential of the doubled haploid as a male or a female parent by crossing with some diploids. In term of the results, this doubled haploid had significantly large leaf, flower and fruit compared with those of the original haploid plant. Moreover, the doubled haploid showed higher pollen fertility (84.1% stainability and 32.9% pollen germination rate) and a larger number of seeds (47.2 developed seeds per open-pollinated fruit) than the haploid. In the reciprocal crosses between the doubled haploid and some diploids, many developed seeds were obtained. These seeds germinated normally and developed into diploid seedlings. These results show that the doubled haploid will be valuable for genetic analysis and possibly for planned breeding.


It is increasingly recognized that facilitative interactions can shape communities. One of the mechanisms through which facilitation may operate is when one species facilitates the colonization of another through the exchange of shared symbionts. Lichens are symbiotic associations composed of a mycobiont (lichenised-fungus) and one or two photobionts (algae or cyanobacteria). Different lichen species may have overlapping specificity for photobionts, creating the possibility that facilitation drives lichen community assembly. To investigate whether facilitation occurs in lichens, we combined an observational study (a) with a manipulative field experiment (b). For (a), we quantified the effect of local patch conditions, facilitation and the size of the surrounding metapopulation on colonizations of an epixylic lichen species (Cladonia botrytes) in an area of managed boreal forest. This was done by twice surveying lichens on 293 stumps, located in stands of three age classes. For (b), we treated unoccupied surfaces of 56 cut stumps with algal mixtures of an Asterochloris photobiont and recorded C. botrytes colonizations over three years. In (a), colonization rates of C. botrytes increased with increasing abundance of other lichen species with specificity for Asterochloris photobionts, consistent with an effect of facilitation. However, in the field experiment (b), colonizations of the focal species did not provide support for facilitation. We conclude that our study provides limited support for facilitation in green-algal lichens, underscoring the importance of combining observational studies with experiments when studying species interactions.


Rosmarinic acid (RA) has been used as an anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, and anti-cancer agent. Although RA has also been shown to exert an anti-metastatic effect, the mechanism of this effect has not been reported to be associated with AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). The aim of this study was to elucidate whether RA could inhibit the metastatic properties of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells via the phosphorylation of AMPK. RA inhibited the proliferation of CRC cells through the induction of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. In several metastatic phenotypes of CRC cells, RA regulated epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) through the upregulation of an epithelial marker, E-cadherin, and the downregulation of the mesenchymal markers, N-cadherin, snail, twist, vimentin, and slug. Invasion and migration of CRC cells were inhibited and expressions of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 were decreased by RA treatment. Adhesion and adhesion molecules such as ICAM-1 and integrin β1 expressions were also reduced by RA treatment. In particular, the effects of RA on EMT and MMPs expressions were due to the activation of AMPK. Moreover, RA inhibited lung metastasis of CRC cells by activating AMPK in mouse model. Collectively, these results proved that RA could be potential therapeutic agent against metastasis of CRC.


Objectives To report the self-assessed views of a cohort of medical graduates about the impact of having (or wanting to have) children on their specialty choice and the extent to which their employer was supportive of doctors with children. Setting United Kingdom (UK). Participants UK medical graduates of 2002 surveyed by post and email in 2014. Results The response rate was 64.2% (2057/3205). Most respondents were living with a spouse or partner (86%) and, of these, 49% had a medical spouse. Having children, or wanting to have children, had influenced specialty choice for 47% of respondents; for 56% of doctors with children and 29% of doctors without children; for 59% of women and 28% of men; and for 78% of general practitioners compared with 27% of hospital doctors and 18% of surgeons. 42% of respondents regarded the National Health Service as a family-friendly employer, and 64% regarded their specialty as family-friendly. More general practitioners (78%) than doctors in hospital specialties (56%) regarded their specialty as family-friendly, while only 32% of surgeons did so. Of those who had taken maternity/paternity/adoption leave, 49% rated the level of support they had received in doing so as excellent/good, 32% said it was acceptable and 18% said the support had been poor/very poor. Conclusions Having children is a major influence when considering specialty choice for many doctors, especially women and general practitioners. Surgeons are least influenced in their career choice by the prospect of parenthood. Almost half of doctors in hospital specialties regard their specialty as family-friendly.


A strip across the Crest Mountains and High-Fractured Plateau of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge has been surveyed systematically between latitudes 45 and 46° N. Continuous bathymetric, magnetic and gravimetric data have been obtained. Seismic refraction experiments have revealed a complex structure lineated parallel to the axis of the Ridge. Seismic reflexion studies have revealed a picture of the sediment cover, and have shown the possible existence of block faulting of the underlying rocks, with faults alined both parallel and at right angles to the axis of the Ridge. The major rock types found in 46 dredge stations can be grouped as follows: (1) Ubiquitous basalts and tuffs (ranging from theoleiites to alkali basalts, with a few ferro-basalts and high-Al basalts). Basalts rich in resorbed high-calcic plagioclase xenocrysts are common; these occur both on the slopes of shield volcanoes and in the deepest hole of the Median Valley. A nearby fault scarp yielded coarse-grained gabbros. (2) Serpentinized mafic and ultramafic rocks are not restricted to elongated, presumably blockfaulted seamounts, but are also common on the slopes of what had been interpreted on morphological grounds as shield volcanoes; they are absent, however, on the Median alley floor and its immediate scarp slopes. The pre-serpentinization rock types include dunites, harzburgites, gabbros, troctolitic gabbros and amphibolitic peridotites showing crude cumulate textures. (3) The lower parts of the steep inner walls of the Median Valley have yielded metabasalts and metadiabases showing alteration within the greenschist facies of etamorphism, whilst still retaining original igneous characteristics. (4) Restricted to the fault scarps of elongated seamounts further removed from the Median Valley are higher grade metamorphic rocks of the almandine amphibolite facies of metamorphism. These rocks have lost all igneous textures and exhibit a strong gneissic fabric. (5) Three localities yielded dioritic rocks in association with serpentinized ultramafics. The diorites vary in character from hornblende-rich quartz diorites to more siliceous, almost hornblende-free trondhjemites. The latter show considerable albitization. The whole suite of rocks shows great affinities with similar suites found as late stage intrusives in alpine-type ultramafic complexes. About 23% of the specimens collected included gneissic, granitic and sedimentary rock types of erratic origin, ice rafted into the area in the Pleistocene. A study of their distribution indicates that there are no erratics in the Median Valley, that they are scarce on the mountain ranges immediately flanking the Valley, but beyond these areas they are abundant and are randomly distributed over the whole area. Such a distribution may be a result of ocean-floor spreading, indicating that the Median Valley is younger than the last ice age, or that extrusions subsequent to the last ice age have engulfed any erratics present in the Median Valley. The thickness of manganese coating on extrusive rocks and their K/Ar and fission track ages increase systematically with distance on either side of the axis of the M.A.R., strongly supporting the ocean-floor spreading hypothesis. The ages and coatings both show a marked change in their rate of increase beyond a distance of 50 to 60 km on either side of the axis. The position at which this occurs coincides with the thickening in these areas of sediments found in the inter-volcanic valleys, and the morphological changes between the Crest Mountains and the High-Fractured Plateau. The combined data strongly suggest that there was either a quiescent period sometime in the Pliocene during which ocean-floor spreading was inactive, or that the rate of spreading had accelerated during the Pliocene from less than 1 cm a -1 to a computed 2.5 cm a -1 in Pleistocene times.


Much of the research on self-regulation has investigated the influence of school settings. However, fewer studies have concentrated on the home environment and its influence on student's academic behaviour in school. The present research investigates the influence of mothers' parenting styles on students' self-regulated learning behaviours in schools. The research included 351 primary students (11 and 12 years-old) and their mothers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The research was conducted using a crosssectional survey design in which mothers were asked to complete a Parenting Styles Questionnaire (Robinson, Mandleco, Olsen & Hart, 1995) and their children completed a modified form of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (Pintrich, Smith, Garcia & McKeachie, 1991). Results differ from what had been reported in the literature. We find that Saudi mothers tend to be authoritative rather than authoritarian (cf. Dwairy et al. 2006; Achoui, 2003). We find that authoritative styles are significantly and positively related to students' self-efficacy, cognitive and metacognitive strategy use, and study and time management, whereas permissive styles are significantly but negatively correlated to self-efficacy and metacognitive self-regulation. Authoritarian styles have a small negative influence on time and study management and a small positive influence on help seeking, both effects being marginally significant.


A semiregular tree is a tree where all non-pendant vertices have the same degree. Among all semiregular trees with fixed order and degree, a graph with minimal (adjacency / Laplacian) spectral radius is a caterpillar. Counter examples show that the result cannot be generalized to the class of trees with a given (non-constant) degree sequence.


Organic and inorganic molecules/atoms located at different lattice positions in hybrid perovskite films play various roles in crystallization and carrier transport for perovskite films. For efficient and stable solar devices, high quality crystals and the proper dispersion of organic/inorganic species are required. In a preferably mixed perovskite system (a blend of MA, FA, I, Br, etc.), however, the effects of inorganic/organic ratios on the performances and electrical properties of perovskite solar cells have not been fully understood. Here, we present perovskite solar cells with self-doped organic and inorganic components to investigate in detail their effect on crystallization and electrical properties. The organic component enhances the conductivity and reduces the hysteresis, while the inorganic component promotes crystal growth. A critical composition is beneficial to perovskite crystallization, with larger crystals and a pinhole-free morphology, and the corresponding device achieved a high efficiency over 19.14% (0.16 cm2, mask area) and 16.2% at an area of 1.21 cm2. Thus, evaluation of the organic/inorganic variation effects provides an understanding of self-doping in mixed perovskites and is beneficial to pursue high-performance perovskite devices.


Objective: Three-dimensional (3-D) morphological changes in the maxilla of patients with cleft lip and palate (CLP) have been recorded, mainly using twodimensional cast analyses. Although these seem to be insufficient, no standardized 3-D method has been developed until now. In this study, accuracy, precision, and validity of a newly developed 3-D digital computer-aided procedure to visualize and metrically analyze the growth of the edentulous maxilla of infants with CLP have been evaluated. Patients: The method was applied to 10 infants with complete unilateral CLP. Interventions: Consecutive casts of the maxilla (1 week and 3, 6, and 12 months) of each patient were optically measured with a 3-D laser scanner. Following digitizing, the casts were computer reconstructed, aligned, and superimposed using specialized computer software. The distances between the surfaces were measured. Additionally, the surfaces were segmented perpendicular to the alveolar crest, the reference points being C1, C19, C2, C29, and I. The volumes of the resulting segments were determined and compared with one another. Results: The newly developed analysis enables a visualization of the extent and direction of morphological changes in the maxilla of infants with CLP. With this method it is possible to quantify these changes of the volume of defined alveolar segments. Conclusions: The 3-D analysis developed is an ideal tool for the examination of 3-D morphological changes in the edentulous maxilla of patients with CLP. The results will serve as the starting point for a longitudinal study on the efficacy of different methods, not only of presurgical infant orthopedics but also of surgical procedures.


This article makes a bold statement in the field of Translation Studies and diverges from previous literary criticism on Chinese poetry. It begins with the statement that translation provides us with detailed information about the original, which enhance the act of reading. On the basis of the findings of a comparative analysis between different translations of Yang Lian's work the paper then proceeds to explore the functional significance of some linguistic devices for the coherence of poetic texts. In particular, it focuses on the use of personal pronouns, finding that in almost all Yang Lian's early poems (from 1979 to 1989) the personal is present through the first personal pronoun I; while in the poems after 1989 the persona pronoun I is less frequent, being substituted by the pronoun of self-address you, or being simply absent. Elaborating on these findings, the paper examines the varieties and possibilities offered by Yang Lian's poetry: from the early notion of a single identity of the self as a constant poetic voice, to the notion of subjectivity as something which is constantly relational, interactive, context-based. The results are quite striking, pointing at some correspondence between geography and creative process. However, the article argues that this correspondence is not easily classified as exile subjectivity, but is a more complex psychological displacement to be added to the physical one.


firstname.lastname@example.com Abstract Five Lactobacillus plantarum strains (which were previously isolated from Turkish pastırma), were evaluated for the possibilities of using in the food industry. Antimicrobial properties, metabolic activities, exopolysaccharide production and antibiotic resistance were investigated. Ot was also assessed probiotics features such as adhesion ability, survival in simulated gastric environment and acid tolerance analysis. Antimicrobial activity was characterized based on effects of several enzymes, different temperature and pH. All strains showed remarkable antimicrobial activity and antimicrobial substances were found resistant to enzymes, high temperature and low pH. Metabolic activities and exopolysaccharide production of the strains were found relatively weak. Determinate to antibiotic susceptibility patterns 14 different antibiotics used and strains were found reliable in terms of transferable resistance genes except for erythromycin. All strains showed resistance to acidic condition and gastric environment. However, adhesion ability of strains was found relatively low. All findings showed that, these strains potential candidate for use in food industry especially as natural food preservatives because of antimicrobial activity capacity and one strain (S2) have remarkable potential to use as starter cultures or


Multilevel programing and charge transport characteristics of intrinsic SiOx-based resistive switching memory are investigated using TaN/SiOx/n++Si (MIS) and TiW/SiOx/TiW (MIM) device structures. Current transport characteristics of high- and low-resistance states (HRS and LRS) are studied in both device structures during multilevel operation. Analysis of device thermal response demonstrates that the effective electron energy barrier is strongly dependent on the resistance of the programed state, with estimates of 0.1 eV in the LRS and 0.6 eV in the HRS. Linear data fitting and conductance analyses indicate Poole-Frenkel emission or hopping conductance in the low-voltage region, whereas Fowler-Nordheim (F-N) or trap-assisted tunneling (TAT) is indicated at moderate voltage. Characterizations using hopping transport lead to hopping distance estimates of ∼1 nm in the LRS for both device structures. Relative permittivity values (er) were extracted using the Poole-Frenkel formulism and estimates of local filament temperature, where er values were ∼80 in the LRS and ∼4 in the HRS, suggesting a strongly polarized medium in the LRS. The onset of F-N tunneling or TAT corresponds to an observed "overshoot" in the I-V response with an estimated threshold of 1.6 ± 0.2 V, in good agreement with reported electro-luminescence results for LRS devices. Resistive switching is discussed in terms of electrochemical reactions between common SiO2 defects, and specific defect energy levels are assigned to the dominant transitions in the I-V response. The overshoot response in the LRS is consistent with TAT through either the Eγ' oxygen vacancy or the hydrogen bridge defect, both of which are reported to have an effective bandgap of 1.7 eV. The SET threshold at ∼2.5 V is modeled as hydrogen release from the (Si-H)2 defect to generate the hydrogen bridge, and the RESET transition is modeled as an electrochemical reaction that re-forms (SiH)2. The results provide further insights into charge transport and help identify potential switching mechanisms in SiOx-based unipolar resistive switching memory.


Barrett's esophagus is known to be a premalignant condition being one of the most dangerous complications of gastroesophageal reflux disease. Well-timed revealing of intestinal metaplasia and dysplasia gives the opportunity of adequate treatment and as a result prophylaxis of esophageal adenocarcinoma. The endoscopic method is leading in diagnostics of Barrett's esophagus. This article presents the comparative analyses of chromoendoscopy, narrow-band imaging and confocal laser endomicroscopy in diagnosis of the type of metaplasia in Barrett's esophagus.


We first present some clinical research results involving rhythmic facilitation and motor control. We then discuss synchronization strategies for sensorimotor coupling pertaining to rhythmic entrainment mechanisms; followed by trajectory cuing and optimization models as they relate to rhythmic entrainment and movement control; and, finally, the outlook for applications that may help rehabilitate motor function. Our interest in the study of the connections between rhythm, time, and the control of movement was stimulated from three directions: (a) the study of high-level motor control in musicians and the effect of rhythmic cues on muscle activity in cello performance; (b) the evidence that auditory rhythmic patterns exert a strong magnet effect on the timing of motor responses; and (c) the clinical observation that music-therapy techniques that were originally designed for socio-emotional needs elicited motor responses in neurologically impaired patients that were not readily accessible by other therapies.


We describe an approach to computing upper bounds on the lengths of solutions to reachability problems in transition systems. It is based on a decomposition of state-variable dependency graphs (causal graphs). Our approach is able to find practical upper bounds in a number of planning benchmarks. Computing the bounds is computationally cheap in practice, and in a number of benchmarks our algorithm runs in polynomial time in the number of actions and propositional variables that characterize the problem.


Atacora mountain is a particular ecosystem of West Africa where soil degradation occurs. The present study assessed the impacts of physical soil degradation on vegetation in the Beninese portion of this mountain chain. Phytosociological surveys were carried out along line transects from plain to summit within 22 plots of 30 m x 30 m. Based on indicators of physical soil degradation each plot was classified into one soil degradation class (Light, Moderate, High or Extreme). Impacts on plant diversity were assessed by comparing the floristic composition of soil degradation classes with the index of similarity of Jaccard. Variations between soil degradation classes of species richness, species chorological types, species life forms and species dispersal were also tested using a discriminant analysis combined with ANOVA. The Multi-Response Permutation Procedures analysis was used to pairwise compare the soil degradation classes based on the cover data of the species lists. All soil degradation classes were dissimilar, depending on the floristic composition. Discriminant analysis and ANOVA performed on biodiversity indicators had shown that species richness, and the number of regional species, phanerophytes and sarcochory decreased along the increasing degradation gradient in contrast to the number of species with wide distribution, therophytes and sclerochory. With regard to vegetation structure, the results had shown that only moderately and highly degraded soils presented the similar vegetation type. Physical soil degradation induced modification of floristic composition, phytodiversity loss and modification of vegetation structure. These results showed that the soil degradation gradient corresponds to a vegetation disturbance gradient.


Abstract. This study has developed an experiential exhibition system of scientific cultural heritage through interactive projection mapping. A bronze mirror with fine linear design was selected as an exhibition subject considering the intuitiveness and responsiveness of research and development results. First, three-dimensional (3D) scanning was performed to construct a digital database of the original forms, and computer graphics-based 3D modeling was also performed to build exhibition materials and 3D printed objects. Furthermore, objective scenarios were created based on a traditional science experience, understanding the present bronze mirror, and processes of restoring the corroded original bronze mirror through modern conservation science. The technique selected to implement the scientific content of bronze mirror as media art in this study is interactive projection mapping. Moreover, a large 3D printing of bronze mirror was installed at the center of the exhibition space to allow users and all viewers to concurrently engage in scientific cultural heritage content. Simultaneous projection mapping on the front and rear of the printed bronze mirror model enhanced 3D effects and the immersion of the content. To construct an interactive space connecting the virtual and reality, ore, mold, bronze mirror replicas, 3D printing outputs, and cultural products used in the process of producing bronze mirrors were exhibited to make the exhibit more intuitive for visitors. This interactive projection mapping-based scientific and cultural exhibition of the bronze mirror is an experiential exhibition system which combines traditional science, modern conservation science, and future exhibition technology.


s-A kinetic model was developed for generation and utilization of the transmembrane electro chemical proton gradient in primary photosynthetic processes in chloroplasts. The model gives a detailed description of the catalytic cycles in photosysterns J and II, the cytochrome b,:t"cornplcx, ATP synthesis, and passive leakage of H+, K+, and CI- through the thylakoid membrane. Account is taken of the dependence of the electron transport rate on the transmembrane potential. The model was tested for consistency with the experimental data on the fast phase of chlorophyll fluorescence induction under different light intensities (high to low). The composition of the fluorescence response was analyzed for each illumination level.


Performance and efficiency of running modern Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) are heavily bounded by data movement. To mitigate the data movement bottlenecks, recent DNN inference accelerator designs widely adopt aggressive compression techniques and sparse-skipping mechanisms. These mechanisms avoid transferring or computing with zero-valued weights or activations to save time and energy. However, such sparse-skipping logic involves large input buffers and irregular data access patterns, thus precluding many energy-efficient data reuse opportunities and dataflows. In this work, we propose Cascading Structured Pruning (CSP), a technique that preserves significantly more data reuse opportunities for higher energy efficiency while maintaining comparable performance relative to recent sparse architectures such as SparTen. CSP includes the following two components: At algorithm level, CSP-A induces a predictable sparsity pattern that allows for low-overhead compression of weight data and sequential access to both activation and weight data. At architecture level, CSP-H leverages CSP-A's induced sparsity pattern with a novel dataflow to access unique activation data only once, thus removing the demand for large input buffers. Each CSP-H processing element (PE) employs a novel accumulation buffer design and a counter-based sparse-skipping mechanism to support the dataflow with minimum controller overhead. We verify our approach on several representative models. Our simulated results show that CSP achieves on average 15× energy efficiency improvement over SparTen with comparable or superior speedup under most evaluations.


Environmental Context. In well-oxygenated water and sediments, nearly all arsenic is present as arsenate (AsO43−). As arsenate is a phosphate (PO43−) analogue, organisms living in arsenate-rich environments must acquire the nutrient phosphorus yet avoid arsenic toxicity. Organisms take in and transform arsenic compounds by many means. Three major modes of arsenic biotransformation have been found to occur in the environment—redox transformation between arsenate and arsenite (AsO2−), the reduction and methylation of arsenic, and the biosynthesis of organoarsenic compounds such as arsenobetaine. These biotransformations lead to biogeochemical cycling of arsenic compounds and bioconcentration of arsenic in aquatic organisms and thence into the food web. Abstract. The paper reports the whole-tissue total arsenic concentrations and water-soluble arsenic species in eight common coastal Australian polychaete species. Laboratory experiments showed the period of depuration did not significantly alter the whole-tissue total arsenic concentrations in the two estuarine polychaete species tested. Significant differences were found between the whole-tissue total arsenic concentrations of the eight polychaete species (mean arsenic concentrations ranged from 18 to 101 µg g−1 dry mass). Total arsenic concentrations in polychaete species, grouped on the basis of a combination of their feeding guild and habitat type, were also significantly different with a significant interaction between these factors indicating that both factors simultaneously influence arsenic concentration in polychaetes. A large number of polychaete species contained similar arsenic species with high proportions of arsenobetaine (AB; 57–88%) and relatively low proportions of As3+, As5+, methyarsonic acid, dimethylarsinic acid, arsenocholine, trimethylarsoniopropionate, and tetramethylarsonium ion (not detected to 12%). All polychaete species contained arsenoribosides (5–30%). This study identified two Australian polychaete species with particularly unusual whole-tissue water-soluble arsenic species proportions: Australonuphis parateres contained a very high proportion of trimethylarsoniopropionate (~33%), while Notomastus estuarius had a very low proportion of arsenobetaine (9%) and high proportions of As3+ (~30%), As5+ (~8%), arsenoribosides (30%), and an unknown anionic arsenic species (~4%). Most polychaetes accumulate arsenobetaine, except deposit feeders inhabiting estuarine mud habitats. Thus most polychaetes, which are prey for higher organisms, are a source of arsenobetaine in benthic food webs. Deposit feeders inhabiting estuarine muddy substrates contain appreciable quantities of inorganic arsenic and arsenoribosides that may be metabolized to different end products in higher organisms.


Our current knowledge on the key molecular mechanisms and cognate signaling transduction, by the δ -endotoxin-mediated mosquitoticidal effects, associated with exposure to Bacillus thuringiensis ( Bt ) and  Bacillus sphaericus ( Bs ), is limited. Moreover, this observed mosquitocidal activity that is related to program cell death is largely unknown. Therefore, in an attempt to answer this question, the current study was primarily sought to provide evidence as to the molecular mechanism of mortality in Bt/B s infected Aedes caspius mosquito larvae. Thus, the impact of Bt and Bs treatment on the expression of some selected apoptosis related caspase genes in A. caspius mosquito larvae was investigated, via quantitative reverse-transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR). Mosquito larvae were collected from natural water niches. Larvae were grown to adult stage and were subsequently identified as A. caspius at Natural History Museum, London, UK. Remarkably, light and transmission electron microscopy studies of the midgut epithelial tissues revealed that both Bt and Bs brought about significant histopathological effects. Moreover, this treatment resulted in severe destruction at the sub-cellular organelle level for the mitochondria. Interestingly, qRT-PCR studies revealed that the treatment of A. caspius mosquito larvae with both Bt and Bs caused a significant up-regulation in the transcription level of all caspase genes under study, namely: CASPS17 , CASPS18 , CASPS19, CASPS20 and CASPS21 . The results are discussed in the light of our current understanding of the signaling transduction pathway of apoptosis in insects and mosquitoes and the putative role of caspases gene expression in response to the treatment of A. caspius mosquito larvae with larvicidal bacteria. Keywords: Aedes caspius, Bacillus thuringenesis, Bacillus sphaericus , apoptosis, caspase, larvicidal bacteria