tRNA isoacceptors for aspartic acid, asparagine, histidine, and tyrosine are modified in the anticodon wobble position with the deazaguanine analogue queuine. Queuine modification is defective in many tumors and transformed cell lines, and the extent of hypomodification correlates with staging and outcome in numerous human tumors. The molecular role of queuine modification in normal cells and the mechanisms of queuine hypomodification in tumors are unknown. We have characterized nontransformed C3H10T1/2 murine fibroblasts (C3H) and their ras-transfected counterparts (RasC4) with respect to the causes and effects of queuine hypomodification. RasC4 cells are hypomodified for queuine compared with C3H cells, despite increase tRNA-guanine ribosyltansferase activity. Excess exogenous queuine can cause repletion of tRNA queuine levels in RasC4 cells. Queuine modification of both C3H and RasC4 cells can be decreased by treatment with 7-methylguanine. This treatment does not affect growth in monolayer culture but enhances anchorage-independent growth of RasC4 cells greatly. These cell lines may be useful systems for the study of queuine function in normal cells and the causes and consequences of hypomodification for queuine in tumors.


Industrial minerals in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan are vital to both economical and industrial development and this is true as far as the estimation of the reserves is carried out appropriately. The aim of this study was to geostatistically investigate the clay spatial behavior and geological reserve in Qa' Al-Azraq area in north east Jordan through known seventy four random drilled boreholes. Quantification of spatial arrangement or dependence was investigated through defining the best variogram model using optimal unbiased geostatistical tools of ArcGIS-Geostatistical Analyst, and MINEX. Clay thickness kriged map indicates a central concentration distribution of clay. Variations in kriged map tones comply with the major local fault systems allocated at the center of the study area forming pond structure bounded by the four faults. Two east-west cross sections were implemented using MINEX software. They provide visual maps for clay thickness distribution along the impurities of diatomite and interburden layers of silt, sand and gypsum. Clay reserves estimated using Inverse Distance Method (IDM) and Ordinary Kriging Method (OKM) were 6.1 and 5.94 Billion Cubic Meter respectively. The results of this study indicate that the area is a promising future target for economic investment in the local raw materials.


BACKGROUND
Long-acting beta-agonists and inhaled corticosteroids have both been recommended in guidelines for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Their co-administration in a combined inhaler is intended to facilitate adherence to medication regimens, and to improve efficacy.

OBJECTIVES
To assess the efficacy of combined inhaled corticosteroid and long-acting beta-agonist preparations, compared to placebo or the individual components, in the treatment of adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

SEARCH STRATEGY
We searched the Cochrane Airways Group chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) trials register. Date of last search April 2004.

SELECTION CRITERIA
Studies were included if they were randomised and double-blind. Studies could compare a combined inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting beta-agonist preparation with either component preparation or placebo.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two reviewers independently assessed trial quality and extracted data. The primary outcome was exacerbations.

MAIN RESULTS
Six randomised trials with 4118 participants were included. Two different combination preparations (fluticasone/salmeterol and budesonide/formoterol) were used. Combination treatment was more effective than placebo for mean exacerbation rates, quality of life and lung function. No trials were found comparing the combination of drugs in a single inhaler with the same drugs both given in separate inhalers. Exacerbations: Fluticasone/salmeterol did not significantly reduce exacerbations compared with either of its component treatments in one large study. There was no significant difference when budesonide/formoterol was compared with budesonide. Budesonide/formoterol was more effective than formoterol in reducing exacerbations (Rate ratio: 0.78 [0.68 to 0.90], two studies). A pooled analysis of both combination therapies indicated that exacerbations were less frequent when compared with either placebo or long-acting beta-agonist (versus placebo Rate ratio: 0.76 [0.68, 0.84], three studies, versus beta-agonist, Rate ratio: 0.85 [0.77, 0.95], three studies), but not when compared with steroid. The clinical impact of this effect depends on the frequency of exacerbations experienced by patients. One full exacerbation was prevented for every two to four years of treatment in the type of patients included in the trials. Quality of Life: There were conflicting findings in quality of life and symptoms when fluticasone/salmeterol was compared with inhaled steroids alone (three studies). There was no significant difference between fluticasone/salmeterol and long-acting beta-agonist in quality of life scores (three studies). Budesonide/formoterol improved symptoms when compared with budesonide but not with formoterol. There were conflicting findings in quality of life scores when budesonide/formoterol was compared with component inhaled corticosteroid or beta-agonist. These may be accounted for by different study design. Lung Function: Treatment with either combination led to small, significant differences in lung function compared with component steroid medication. Fluticasone/salmeterol led to small improvements in FEV1 compared with salmeterol, but budesonide/formoterol treatment did not increase FEV1 significantly when compared with formoterol.

REVIEWERS' CONCLUSIONS
Compared with placebo, combination therapy led to clinically meaningful differences in quality of life, symptoms and exacerbations. However, there were conflicting results when the different combination therapies were compared with the mono-components alone. In order to draw firmer conclusions about the effects of combination therapy in a single inhaler more data are necessary, including the assessment of the comparative effects with separate administration of the two drugs in double-dummy trials.


Today's businesses depend on technology for creating and managing records and information. Our records management frameworks must shift to embrace technology along with traditional record formats. ARMA International's Generally Accepted Recordkeeping Principles® and Information Governance Maturity Model guide professionals in engineering this shift, and incorporate regular benchmarking and auditing of key processes. Programs can demonstrate compliance and achieve efficiencies through using these tools.


Potent new drugs and new insight into how HIV infects cells mark a turning point in the battle against HIV

W hat a difference a year can make. Just 12 months ago, AIDS was considered a death sentence, and those seeking to treat it seldom uttered the words "AIDS" and "hope" in the same sentence. Today, those terms have become inextricably linked in the minds and hearts of researchers and patients alike. And while the new optimism must be tempered with numerous caveats, the past year has ushered in a series of stunning breakthroughs, both in AIDS treatment and in basic research on HIV, the virus that causes the disease.

On the therapeutic side, new drugs called protease inhibitors—the fruits of years of work by armies of pharmaceutical company scientists—can now dramatically reduce HIV levels in the blood when taken with other antiviral compounds. At the same time, natural weapons in the immune system's defenses, polypeptide molecules called chemokines, have been unveiled as potent foes of HIV. To enter cells, the virus must bind to cell surface proteins that normally serve as receptors for the chemokines—and people born with defective receptors are immune to HIV infection. This work offers new insight into the pathogenesis of the disease and may one day blossom into new treatments or even vaccines (see p. [2005][1]).

And so although AIDS remains a scourge of our era, especially in the developing world, 1996 marks a turning point in the frustrating 15-year battle against the disease, because both protease inhibitors and chemokines have a profound ability to block HIV replication. On the premise that any enemies of HIV are friends to humanity, we honor these twin discoveries as the 1996 Breakthrough of the Year.

These breakthroughs are the payoff of more than a decade of painstaking research into the life cycle of the AIDS virus. To wreak its deadly havoc, HIV must first attach to a target cell and inject its genetic material, in the form of RNA, into the cell cytoplasm. The viral RNA is transcribed into DNA via an enzyme called reverse transcriptase and then integrated into the cell's chromosomes, thus hijacking the cell's genetic machinery to make new viral RNA and proteins. But before these proteins can be assembled into new progeny viruses, they must first be clipped to their proper sizes by an enzyme called a protease.

Until this year, the only way to interrupt this process was to inhibit reverse transcriptase, as AZT and similar drugs do. But over time HIV learns to dodge this single bullet, developing resistance to the drugs. What was needed was a molecule that struck at another phase of the viral life cycle.

Enter the protease inhibitors, which jam the active site of the protease. But a number of hurdles had to be overcome to bring these drugs to market. Once the detailed three-dimensional structure of the protease was identified, scientists pored over drug-design computer programs for years before creating compounds which could be taken orally with few side effects and yet were still powerful enough to block the enzymatic site. Finally, in December 1995, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first protease inhibitor for therapeutic use, saquinavir; two others, ritonavir and indinavir, quickly followed in March 1996. Studies have shown that in a majority of subjects, a protease inhibitor taken as a "triple therapy" cocktail with two inhibitors of reverse transcriptase can reduce blood concentrations of HIV to undetectable levels. This is indeed a major victory—one almost undreamt of a few years ago—because another study this year showed that patients with a lower "viral load" progress to AIDS much more slowly.

![Figure][2]

Open, sesame.
HIV uses chemokine receptors like CXCR4 to enter T cells.

Illustration: K. SUTLIFF

Just when the protease inhibitors were transforming the AIDS clinical world, the chemokines—small proteins involved in inflammatory responses—rocketed from relative obscurity to fame among basic researchers, as scientists grappling with two seemingly unrelated riddles of HIV infection converged on these molecules. The first line of research sought to explain how a small number of HIV-infected people could harbor the virus for years without getting sick. A team at the University of California, San Francisco, suggested that the so-called CD8 white blood cells in many of these patients produced a factor that could suppress HIV replication, but they couldn't isolate the substance.

The second mystery involved how HIV infects cells. Researchers had known for more than a decade that the virus must bind to a particular cell surface protein, called CD4, before it can enter target cells. But CD4 alone was not sufficient for entry, and dozens of labs had been engaged in a frustrating hunt for a second receptor.

On 15 December 1995, just 9 days after the FDA approved the first protease inhibitor, a paper by researchers from the U.S. National Cancer Institute and the San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Milan, Italy, claimed to identify the mysterious anti-HIV factor. The elusive molecule, the team said, was actually three related chemokines that worked in concert to suppress the virus. The news flashed across the AIDS research landscape like a flare lighting the night sky, because several chemokine receptors had recently been identified, although no one had connected them to HIV. Now it became clear that the two riddles might be linked: One of the chemokine receptors could be the long-sought second receptor for HIV, and the chemokines themselves might suppress the virus by blocking the binding site.

The results sent AIDS researchers chasing after chemokines and their receptors, and unleashed a flurry of new lab work. In a few months, this stampede turned into a roundup: During 2 weeks in June, five teams publishing in three journals branded a chemokine receptor called CCR5 as the co-receptor for HIV strains that predominate in early stages of infection, a finding that fits well with work by U.S. and Belgian teams showing that people with defective CCR5 receptors cannot be infected with HIV. What's more, just a few weeks earlier, researchers at the U.S. National Institutes of Health identified another protein they named fusin (now called CXCR4) as the co-receptor for HIV strains that appear to dominate during later stages of infection. And the molecule that naturally binds to CXCR4 also turned out to be a chemokine.

With these new insights, drug designers have once again shifted into high gear, and a number of laboratories and companies are scrambling to develop modified versions of chemokines that might block the receptors from viral attack—without triggering the panoply of inflammatory reactions that natural chemokines normally activate. Other options are therapies, including vaccines, that might spur chemokine-producing cells to pump out enough of these molecules to keep HIV at bay.

Despite the promise of the chemokines and the dramatic effects of the protease inhibitors, neither one can be considered the "magic bullet" that could vanquish HIV entirely. Indeed, it's an open question as to whether any drug could actually roust the virus from its many hiding places in the body. For example, the currently approved protease inhibitors cause mild to severe side effects and don't easily cross the blood-brain barrier, although that flaw could be corrected in new versions of these drugs.

But one problem that scientists alone cannot solve is the issue of access to the new therapies. The World Health Organization's statistics indicate that more than 90% of the 22.6 million HIV-infected people live in developing countries, and most of them lack access even to AZT, let alone the expensive triple therapy. Even in the United States, where the new therapies cost an estimated $12,000-plus per year, only a small minority of HIV-infected individuals currently receive them. So although researchers have added promising new weapons to the fight against AIDS, it's up to policy-makers to see that the fruits of these scientific labors are available to all.

ADDITIONAL READING

News Stories:

Special Report:

Research Papers:

Link:

 [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.274.5295.2005
 [2]: pending:yes


Climate change may affect temporal trends of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in Arctic wildlife. We studied how biological and climate variables influence temporal trends of selected POP groups in landlocked Arctic char muscle and in ringed seal blubber from West and East Greenland. The variables included fish length or animal age, sex, a stable nitrogen isotope, sea ice extent, air or seawater temperature, salinity and the Arctic Oscillation Index (AOI). Model selection for multiple regression showed that the most important predictors varied among POP groups, species and region. Decreasing time trends were found for all POP groups with the exception of hexachlorobenzene (HCB) concentration which remained stable in Arctic char and ringed seals from West Greenland. When retained in the most parsimonious model, the AOI was positively associated with POP concentrations for East Greenland seals, but negatively for West Greenland seals. Seawater temperature and sea ice extent were positively associated with POP concentrations. The effects of explanatory variables on the annual rates of change in POP concentrations were relatively minor relative to the decline caused by reduction in POP emissions following national and international regulations introduced since the 1970s.


This article introduces a new calibration method for machine vision measurement system--calibration method using concentric circles planar template. This method not only considering lens distortion and random errors introduced by the process of calibration, but also overcome limitation of strict demands for the standard parts' position and complexity in stereovision computation, it also capable of conduct calibration to the whole scene depth space, effectively improve the efficiency of calibration with its simple and high precision mean. A relatively high precision can be achieved by applying this new method to diameter measurement of cable line, which is suitable to conduct on-field industrial dimension measurement calibration.


Purpose: Diffusional kurtosis imaging (DKI) is an emerging technique that describes diffusion of water molecules in terms of deviation from Gaussian distribution. This study investigated correlations between DKI metrics and cognitive function in patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH). Materials and Methods: DKI was performed in 29 iNPH patients and 14 age-matched controls. Mini-mental state examination (MMSE), frontal assessment battery (FAB), and trail making test A (TMT-A) were used as cognitive measures. Tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) analyses were performed to investigate the between-group differences and correlations with the cognitive measures of the diffusion metrics, including mean kurtosis (MK), fractional anisotropy (FA), apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity (RD). Results: In iNPH patients, FA and MK identified positive correlations with cognitive function in similar regions, predominantly in the frontal lobes (P < 0.05, corrected for multiple comparisons). The frontoparietal subcortical white matter showed significant correlations with FAB and TMT-A across more extensive areas in MK analyses than in FA. ADC, AD, and RD analyses showed no significant correlations with MMSE and FAB, while negative correlation with TMT-A was observed in the limited portion of the frontal deep white matter. Conclusion: Both FA and MK correlated well with cognitive impairment in iNPH. The observed differences between FA and MK results suggest DKI may play a complementary role to conventional FA and ADC analyses, especially for evaluation of the subcortical white matter.


We consider the estimation the state of a discrete-time, linear stochastic system whose observation process consists of a finite set of known, linear measurement models with additive white noise. Unlike conventional data fusion and tracking problems, the correspondence between the measurements and the models is assumed to be unknown. In addition, some of the measurements may be false alarms which convey no information about the state of the system. The expectation maximisation (EM) algorithm is applied as a MAP estimator of the sequence of measurement-to-model associations, with state sequence estimates obtained through fixed-interval Kalman smoothing conditioned on the association sequence. Each pass uses a Viterbi algorithm to provide updated data association estimates. The new technique is called expectation maximisation data association and represents an optimal fusion of dynamic programming and Kalman smoothing for data association.


This timely and fascinating book illustrates how applied geography can contribute in a multitude of ways to assist policy processes, evaluate public programs, enhance business decisions, and contribute to formulating solutions for community-level problems.


We report the fabrication and characterization of photosensitive heterostructure device using pure and Cu doped ZnO nanorods on n-Si substrate using a low cost hydrothermal technique. Special techniques like Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy and Proton Induced X-ray emission (PIXE) were used to confirm the doping of Cu in ZnO nanorods. The PIXE measurements confirm the absence of any foreign element in parts per million level, except pure Cu doping in ZnO. The compressive stress in (002) peak develops after Cu doping is indicating the successful substitution of Cu ions into Zn lattice sites. The I-V measurement of 5% Cu doped ZnO device shows five orders of magnitude increase in current flow compared to 1% Cu doping. Under ultraviolet (UV) light exposure further enhancement of the photocurrent in the devices has been observed, which demonstrates the capability of Cu doped ZnO nanorods as a potential UV photodetector. Copyright © 2017 VBRI Press.


The challenge for EU member states is to ensure the timely evolution of DNOs to their future, more active roles, which are necessary to make low-carbon societies a reality. While the corresponding regulatory actions will largely depend on the context and characteristics of the distribution networks within each member state, it is clear that incentivizing innovation should be key in this endeavor. Equally critical is defining the roles of potential future players and technologies in the provision of flexibility (e.g., consumers, aggregators, and storage) to prevent new business models being hindered by regulatory barriers. This transition of DNOs to DSOs in the next few years will certainly bring exciting new regulatory environments where the envisioned smart grids are likely to finally emerge.


We consider the recent formulation of the Algorithmic Lovász Local Lemma [1], [2] for finding objects that avoid "bad features", or "flaws". It extends the Moser-Tardos resampling algorithm [3] to more general discrete spaces. At each step the method picks a flaw present in the current state and "resamples" it using a "resampling oracle" provided by the user. However, it is less flexible than the Moser-Tardos method since [1], [2] require a specific flaw selection rule, whereas [3] allows an arbitrary rule (and thus can potentially be implemented more efficiently). We formulate a new "commutativity" condition, and prove that it is sufficient for an arbitrary rule to work. It also enables an efficient parallelization under an additional assumption. We then show that existing resampling oracles for perfect matchings and permutations do satisfy this condition. Finally, we generalize the precondition in [2] (in the case of symmetric potential causality graphs). This unifies special cases that previously were treated separately.


In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the use of fault analysis techniques in unmanned marine vehicles (UMVs) owing to their significant impact on marine operations. This study presents a novel approach to the diagnosis of unbalanced load (blades damage) faults in an electric thruster motor in UMV propulsion systems based on orthogonal fuzzy neighbourhood discriminative analysis for feature dimensionality reduction. The diagnosis approach is based on the use of discrete wavelet transforms as a feature extraction tool and the optimal number of mother wavelet function and levels of resolution by analysing the vibration and current signals. As a result of analysis and comparisons, the Deubechies 12 (db12) wavelet and level 8 were chosen. A dynamic recurrent neural network was chosen for fault classification and level of fault severity prediction was implemented. Four faulty conditions were analysed under laboratory conditions and these were recreated by damaging the blades of a motor. The results obtained from the simulation demonstrate the effectiveness and reliability of the proposed methodology in classifying the different faults with greater speed and accuracy compared to existing methods.


Recent changes of government in Australia and Japan, and a pending one in the United States, signifies a historical crossroads in these three allies' security politics in the Asia-Pacific region. In recent years, all three countries have tended to rationalize their strategic collaboration on the need to build innovative and competitive-oriented "strategic geometries" as a means to counter China's growing power and to meet new types of threats in the region. Yet the Australian Government under John Howard simultaneously pursued a hedging strategy, exploiting its growing economic relationship with China while strengthening its diplomatic and strategic profile with the United States. Despite Tokyo's own substantial economic relationship with Beijing, recent Japanese leaders were unable to pursue the same type of "dual track" strategy to the same extent as Howard. With Kevin Rudd's election as the new Australian Prime Minister and Yasuo Fukuda's ascent to power in Japan, prospects for Australia and Japan to cultivate more independent politico-security ties with Beijing have strengthened. If so, the evolving regional security postures of both these US allies may compel the United States to reassess its own traditional skepticism towards multilateral security groupings in the region.


Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) develop when unborn children are exposed to alcohol prenatally. As a result of this exposure, children with FASD exhibit a range of social, behavioural, cognitive and even physical deficits that can impede their life-long development. These deficits can be influenced by maltreatment and the instability resulting from being placed into out-of-home care, and/or multiple foster-care placement breakdowns. The aim of this article is to increase awareness amongst child welfare professionals of how prenatal alcohol exposure impacts on children's social development. Social deficits include problems with social cognition and social information processing, which result in issues in social problem solving, processing social cues, social judgement, and developing and maintaining relationships. These deficits leave children with a FASD vulnerable to victimisation, exploitation, peer pressure and, as a result, interaction with the criminal justice system. Deficits are life-long and become more pronounced with age, although early detection and intervention appears to improve social skills deficits. Such interventions need to be explored further as they could potentially mitigate some of these deficits by capitalising on the neuroplasticity of a child's developing brain and pave a more positive trajectory for these children's future.


This research is conducted in karst area, which is particularly enclosed by
Bribin Underground River Catchment, Gunungkidul Regency. The objectives of this
study are: (1) to understand spatial and temporal variation of flow characteristic as
well as Diffuse Flow Proportion (PAD) of Bribin River; (2) to assess
hydrogeochemistry and to recognize the relationship between hydrogeochemistry
and flow characteristics of Bribin River, and (3) to define water agressivity of Bribin
River with respect to carbonate mineral and to express the components of Karst
Dynamic System (KDS) one-year behavior.
To define flow characteristic and PAD, three water level data loggers are
installed within upper, lower and the leakage point along Bribin River continued by
discharge measurement with the purpose of attaining stage-discharge rating curve.
Afterwards, PAD is defined by conducting digital filtering baseflow separation
approach after calculation of diffuse, fissure, and conduit recession constant. Next,
to figure out hydrogeochemical condition, 120 sample of karst water are analyzed
including rain, underground-river, and drip water. After that, scatter plots between
hydrogeochemical parameters are conducted to achieve the correlation between
PAD and hydrogeochemistry as well as to figure out hydrogeochemical processes to
occur. Subsequently, Saturation Indices analysis with respect to calcite mineral and
KDS components correlation is carried out to define karst water agressivity and its
manners along flowpath of Bribin River.
The research's result demonstrates that there is spatial and temporal
differentiation of flow characteristics along Bribin River attributable to the
comportment of karst aquifer toward discharging its diffuse, fissure, or conduit flow
components, which consequence to the dissimilarity of PAD distribution along
Bribin River. Accordingly, PAD characteristics result to dry season
hydrogeochemical condition of Bribin River. However, wet season
hydrogeochemical condition is more influenced by means of dilution by
precipitation process within flood events, which exaggerates CO2 content of water.
Generally, the upper-stream cave tend to more aggressive in dissolving limestone,
contrast to down-steam cave that be inclined to precipitate carbonate mineral as a
result of their differentiation of cavities configuration. In addition, down-stream
cave is characterized by open system cavities, subsequent to the CO2 discharge to
preserve dissolution process.


Replication protocols are complex and it is difficult to compare their consistency properties. To this effect, we propose a formalism where a replica executes actions subject to constraints in its local view or multilog. Schedules are selected non-deterministically from the set of sound schedules. This set grows with the number of actions and shrinks as the number of constraints increases. If the size of the set is one, the site has converged; if the size becomes zero, the site has detected an unrecoverable conflict. If every site runs the same schedule, they are consistent. We formalise this intuitive concept of consistency in four different ways, which generalise classical consistency criteria and which expose different aspects of consistency protocols. We prove them equivalent. We provide the first formal definition of consistency for partially replicated data. In general, achieving consistency entails global consensus; we exhibit sufficient conditions for deciding locally and derive a new decentralised protocol. In a separate technical report we prove the consistency of some published consistency protocols; this underscores the deep commonalities between them.


Bioluminescence, positron emission tomography (PET), and fluorescence modalities are currently available for noninvasive imaging in vivo, each with its own merits. To exploit the combined strengths of each and facilitate multimodality imaging, we engineered a dual-reporter construct in which firefly luciferase (FLuc) and a 12–amino acid nonstructural linker were fused in frame to the N-terminus of a mutant herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (mNLS-SR39TK) kinetically enhanced for positron emission tomography (PET). Furthermore, a triple-reporter construct was developed in which monster green fluorescent protein (MGFP), a recently available enhanced fluorescent protein, was introduced into the fusion vector downstream of an internal ribosome entry site (IRES) to allow analysis by fluorescence microscopy or flow cytometry without compromising the specific activities of the upstream fusion components. FLuc bioluminescence was measured with a cooled charge-coupled device camera and mNLS-SR39TK activity by 9-[4-[18F]fluoro-3-(hydroxymethyl) butyl guanine (18F-FHBG) microPET or 3H-penciclovir net accumulation. Importantly, HeLa cells transiently transfected with the FLuc-mNLS-SR39TK-IRES-MGFP triple reporter retained the same specific activities of the FLuc-mNLS-SR39TK heteroenzyme and the individual unfused enzymes with no change in protein half-lives. The presence of the IRES-MGFP modestly decreased upstream heteroprotein expression. In living mice, somatic gene transfer of a ubiquitin promoter-driven FLuc-mNLS-SR39TK-IRES-MGFP plasmid showed a > 1,000-fold increase in liver photon flux and a > 2-fold increase in liver retention of 18F-FHBG by microPET compared with mice treated with control plasmid. Multifocal hepatocellular fluorescence was readily observed by standard confocal microscopy. This second-generation triple reporter incorporating enhanced components enables bioluminescence, PET, and fluorescence imaging of cells and living animals.


Critically ill patients are a heterogeneous group with diverse comorbidities and physiological derangements. The management of pain in the critically ill population is emerging as a standard of care in the intensive care unit (ICU). Pain control of critically ill patients in the ICU presents numerous challenges to intensivists. Inconsistencies in pain assessment, analgesic prescription and variation in monitoring sedation and analgesia result in suboptimal pain management. Inadequate pain control can have deleterious effects on several organ systems in critically ill patients. Therefore, it becomes incumbent on physicians and nurses caring for these patients to carefully evaluate their practice on pain management and adopt an optimal pain management strategy that includes a reduction in noxious stimuli, adequate analgesia and promoting education regarding sedation and analgesia to the ICU staff. Mechanistic approaches and multimodal analgesic techniques have been clearly demonstrated to be the most effective pain management strategy to improve outcomes. For example, recent evidence suggests that the use of short acting analgesics and analgesic adjuncts for sedation is superior to hypnotic based sedation in intubated patients. This review will address analgesia in the ICU, including opioid therapy, adjuncts, regional anaesthesia and non-pharmacological options that can provide a multimodal approach to treating pain.


A rising incidence of syphilis and lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) underscores the importance of recognizing these sexually transmitted infections (STI) in routine anocolonic biopsies. To increase awareness of their morphologic manifestations, we undertook a clinicopathologic study of our experience: syphilis (7 patients, 7 specimens), LGV (2 patients, 4 specimens), and syphilis/LGV (1 patient, 3 specimens). The diagnoses of all study specimens were confirmed with pertinent clinical studies. All study patients were human immunodeficiency virus positive, and all 9 with available history were men who have sex with men. The majority presented with bleeding (9), pain (6), and tenesmus (4). Ulcerations were the most common endoscopic abnormality (7), whereas mass lesions were confined to the syphilis group (4). None of the initial impressions included LGV, and syphilis was prospectively suggested only by pathologists (6 of 8) without the knowledge of clinical information and on the basis of morphology. Alternative impressions included condyloma acuminatum (3), inflammatory bowel disease (3), and malignancy (2), among others. All study specimens shared the following histologic core features: an intense lymphohistiocytic infiltrate with prominent plasma cells and lymphoid aggregates, only mild to moderate acute inflammation, minimal basal plasmacytosis and crypt distortion, and only rare granulomas and Paneth cell metaplasia. The spirochetes were focally demonstrated on a Treponema pallidum immunohistochemical stain (1) but not on silver stains (3). All patients with available follow-up data showed resolution of symptoms and imaging abnormalities after STI therapy (6). In summary, we report a unique pattern of STI proctocolitis consistently identified in patients with serologically confirmed syphilis and/or LGV infection; pertinent STI therapy leads to resolution of clinical abnormalities. This histologic pattern is important to recognize for timely treatment, for prevention of onward STI transmission, and to avoid the diagnostic pitfalls of inflammatory bowel disease or malignancy.


A facile route for the preparation of core cross-linked polymeric micelles via self-complementary multiple hydrogen bonds was developed. Double hydrophilic block copolymers of poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PEG-b-PNIPAm), with 2-ureido-4[1H]-pyrimidinone (UPy) functionality throughout PNIPAm block, were synthesized via reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer polymerization. It was found that the strong dimerization of the self-complementary quadruple hydrogen-bonding UPy groups could induce non-covalent intermolecular bonding between the copolymer chains and serve as core cross-linking of the formed micelles. The stability and thermo-responsive properties of the obtained micelles with varying UPy side-group content were investigated by dynamic light scattering, atomic force microscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy. The PNIPAm core of the cross-linked micelles exhibits reversible thermo-responsive swelling/shrinking behavior, as evident from the hydrodynamic diameter changes detected during cyclic heating-cooling tests. The thermo-responsive loading and release of pyrene molecules (as a model hydrophobic drug) demonstrate a potential application of the synthesized core cross-linked micelles in controlled drug delivery. The results indicate that multiple hydrogen-bonding interactions between UPy moieties can be maintained in a hydrophilic aqueous environment, which provides a convenient approach to stabilize the micellar structures and maintain responsive behaviors of double hydrophilic block copolymers by core cross-linking. This work provides new insights into designing stable and stimuli-responsive polymer micelles with a wide range of applications in drug delivery, diagnosis and sensing.


OBJECTIVE
Although studies have demonstrated suboptimal preventive care in RA patients, performance of primary lipid screening (i.e., testing before cardiovascular disease [CVD], CVD risk equivalents, or hyperlipidemia is evident) has not been systematically examined. The purpose of this study was to examine associations between primary lipid screening and visits to primary care providers (PCPs) and rheumatologists among a national sample of older RA patients.

METHODS
This retrospective cohort study examined a 5% Medicare sample that included 3,298 RA patients without baseline CVD, diabetes mellitus, or hyperlipidemia, who were considered eligible for primary lipid screening during the years 2004-2006. The outcome was probability of lipid screening by the relative frequency of primary care and rheumatology visits, or seeing a PCP at least once each year.

RESULTS
Primary lipid screening was performed in only 45% of RA patients. Overall, 65% of patients received both primary and rheumatology care, and 50% saw a rheumatologist as often as a PCP. Any primary care predicted more lipid screening than lone rheumatology care (26% [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 21-32]). As long as a PCP was involved, performance of lipid screening was similar regardless of the balance between primary and rheumatology visits (44-48% [95% CI 41-51]). Not seeing a PCP at least annually decreased screening by 22% (adjusted risk ratio 0.78 [95% CI 0.71-0.84]).

CONCLUSION
Primary lipid screening was performed in fewer than half of eligible RA patients, highlighting a key target for CVD risk reduction efforts. Annual visits to a PCP improved lipid screening, although performance remained poor (51%). Half of RA patients saw their rheumatologist as often or more often than they saw a PCP, illustrating the need to study optimal partnerships between PCPs and rheumatologists for screening patients for CVD risks.


We investigate repeated win-lose coordination games and analyse when and how rational players can guarantee eventual coordination in such games. Our study involves both the setting with a protocol shared in advance as well as the scenario without an agreed protocol. In both cases, we focus on the case without any communication amongst the players once the particular game to be played has been revealed to them. We identify classes of coordination games in which coordination cannot be guaranteed in a single round, but can eventually be achieved in several rounds by following suitable coordination protocols. In particular, we study coordination using protocols invariant under structural symmetries of games under some natural assumptions, such as: priority hierarchies amongst players, different patience thresholds, use of focal groups, and gradual coordination by contact.


Objective: To analyze the clinical distribution and drug resistance of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from patients in a certain hospital and provide a basis for the rational use of antibiotics in the clinical treatment for the infection of Klebsiella pneumoniae . Methods: 1,192 strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from clinical specimens from 2012 to 2016 were collected. The strains were identified by VITEK-2 Compact Microbiological Identification System, and the corresponding results of the antimicrobial susceptibility test were interpreted in accordance with the standards recommended by Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). Results: 1,192 strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae were mainly isolated from sputum (65.6%), and most of them were from Respiratory Medicine Department and Medical Intensive Care Unit of Respiratory Medicine Department (MICU), accounting for 41.4%. Out of 1,192 strains, 448 strains were detected to produce extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs), accounting for 37.6%. In addition, the detection rates of ESBL-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae for 5 consecutive years showed an increasing trend year by year, and they were higher than the national average values published by China Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System (CARSS) in the corresponding period. The drug resistance rate of ESBL-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae was significantly higher than that of non ESBL-producing strains. Conclusions: The infection caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae mainly occurs in the lower respiratory tract, and the drug resistance rates of Klebsiella pneumoniae to antibiotics in the drug susceptibility spectrum are maintained at a high level. Therefore, the rational selection of antibiotics for the clinical treatment of lower respiratory tract infection caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae  must be based on the production of ESBLs and the results of antimicrobial susceptibility test.


This chapter deals with the study of the elaboration of a stable suspension of TiO2 nanoparticles and their incorporation by electrophoretic deposition into pores of anodized 5754 aluminum alloy. The as-synthesized TiO2 nanopowder was characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and infrared spectroscopy. During this work, transmission electronic microscopy (TEM) analysis showed that the resulting particles had a narrow size distribution with crystallite size of about 15 nm. The zeta potential and stability of TiO2 nanoparticles dispersed with poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) in aqueous solution were also measured. Porous anodic film was elaborated in phosphoric acid electrolyte and then filled by TiO2 particles using electrophoresis method. Furthermore, the effect of PAA content and pH on the suspension stability has been investigated. It was also demonstrated that buffered suspension by adding glycine avoids gelating phenomena which inhibits the insertion of nanoparticles inside the pores of anodic film. It was noted also that the electric field already applied greatly influences the electrophoretic deposition process (EPD). FEG-SEM observations showed that larger (125 nm diameter) and linear pores of 6 μm in length are successfully filled in 5 min. Finally, the composite anodic film tribological behavior was studied and the obtained results revealed that the insertion of the TiO2 nanoparticles into the pores of the anodic film improves its tribological properties.


Calf is a newborn humpback whale, venturing into an exciting marine world while being nurtured and cared for by his mother. Join them as they travel along the east coast of Australia, meeting marine creatures. See the challenges Calf and Whale face as they head down into the icy waters of Antarctica, and marvel at these amazing ocean giants.

The Voyage of Whale and Calf explores humpback whale migration – plunge below the surface to learn more about the lives of these magnificent marine mammals!

Reading level varies from child to child, but we recommend this book for ages 6 to 9.


Effective monitoring of water quality is critical for water safety. In particular, online monitoring based on modeling is useful in several applications such as process assessment, hazardous event detection or common fault diagnostics in the water processes. Soft sensors have lately established themselves as a good alternative for different tasks of process control such as the acquisition of critical process variables and process monitoring. In this paper, we introduce a dynamic method for predicting turbidity in drinking water. The goals of the work were to construct a dynamic real-time data-driven model to predict the turbidity in treated water and to find the most significant variables affecting turbidity. Both linear and non-linear regression methods are used in modeling. Our results show that the static linear or non-linear model ( r = 0.40 and r = 0.52, respectively) is not able to follow the changes in turbidity, whereas the dynamic method can produce a reasonable estimate for turbidity ( r = 0.75 for the dynamic linear and r = 0.86 for the dynamic non-linear model). In conclusion, the data analysis procedure seems to provide an efficient means of modeling the water treatment process online and of defining the most affecting variables.


Deconvolution is usually regarded as one of the so called ill-posed problems of applied mathematics if no constraints on the unknowns can be assumed. In this paper, we discuss the idea of well-deened statistical models being a counterpart of the notion of well-posedness. We show that constraints on the unknowns such as non-negativity and sparsity can help a great deal to get over the inherent ill-posedness in deconvolution. This is illustrated by a parametric decon-volution method based on the spike-convolution model. Not only does this knowledge, together with the choice of the measure of goodness of t, help people think about data (models), it also determines the way people compute with data (algorithms). This view is illustrated by taking a fresh look at two familiar deconvolvers: the widely-used Jansson method, and another one which is to minimize the Kullback-Leibler distance between observations and tted values. In the latter case, we point out that a counterpart of the EM algorithm exists for the problem of minimizing the Kullback-Leibler distance in the context of deconvolution. We compare the performance of these deconvolvers using data simulated from a spike-convolution model and DNA sequencing data.


Captive lesser mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus) were observed to avert their heads during face-to-face encounters. Based on evidence obtained from other vertebrate species, predominantly among the Primates, it was assumed that the facing orientation and direction of gaze of an adversary was the provocative agent eliciting gaze aversion by mouse lemurs. A more precise examination of the perceptual determinants of gaze aversion employed models presenting various combinations of eyelike concentric circles. Presented side-by-side in paired comparisons, it was predicted that a model presenting two horizontally placed concentric circles, which schematically resemble two facing eyes, would elicit less visual inspection, i.e., more visual avoidance, than models presenting less physiognomic arrangements of concentric circles. Using a special model-viewing apparatus, Experiment I examined the gaze behavior of 28 mouse lemurs in their peak activity period to determine the response-eliciting effectiveness of 5 models varying in the number of concentric circles. Experiment 2 examined 50 lemurs, some of which were in seasonally and artificially induced torpor. Three models differing in the spatial orientation of two concentric circles were investigated in an attempt to control for contour complexity. Both the bout frequency and duration of model fixation were measured using head orientation as the response criterion. The following results were obtained: 1. For the over-all paired comparisons in both experiments, the model presenting two horizontally positioned concentric circles was the only model which elicited significantly fewer bouts of longer fixation. 2. Because of a lack of homogeneity in model fixation, due to intense fear in some lemurs, the lemurs were separated into homogeneous subgroups using statistical criteria in the first experiment and behavioral criteria in the second. Only the largest subgroups comprising relatively calm mouse lemurs exhibited differential model fixation at a significant level. In both experiments, these particular subgroups looked significantly less at the critical model exhibiting two schematic facing eyes than at any of the other models. In conjunction with observations of dyadic interactions among mouse lemurs, the experimental findings suggest the following: 1. Two schematic facing eyes viewed out of context with a predator or conspecific are a provocative source of stimulation eliciting less visual inspection which could be considered analogous to bouts of gaze aversion observed among interacting lemurs. 2. In concordance with laboratory observations of attenuated gaze aversion by frightened mouse lemurs, the more fear-motivated lemurs in the present experiments exhibited reduced differential model inspection. The affinity between these findings implies, perhaps, that fear-motivation increases the tendency to engage in less selective investigative gazing as the animal shifts into a protective behavior mode. This as well as any other functional interpretation of the role of gaze behavior during agonistic encounters, however, awaits further experimental support.


This study presents a new design of compact transimpedance amplifier (TIA) for optical communication applications. By adopting the regulated common gate (RCG) topology, the proposed amplifier is designed and synthesised based on a third-order elliptic filter approach. Implemented in 0.13 μm complementary metal oxide semiconductor technology, the post layout simulation results provide 50 dB Ω of direct current gain, 15 GHz of bandwidth, 20 pA/√Hz as an input referred noise current performance. The proposed RCG TIA occupies a 19 × 36 μm
 2
 while consuming 5.34 mW under 1.2 V supply voltage, only.


This physico-chemical study of soil is based on various parameters like PH conductivity total carbon Available
Nitrogen Available Phosphorus (P2O5) and Available Potassium (K2O). This study lead us to the conclusion of the
nutrient's quantity of soil of Lunawada Taluka, Dist : Panchmahal Gujarat. Results show that Lunawada taluka
have medium & high potassium content. The fertility index for potassium for Lunawada taluka is 1.23 to 6.4. This
information will help farmers to decided the problems related to soil nutrients amount of Fertilizers to be added to
soil to make the production economic


The most used algorithm in active noise control (ANC) applications is the filtered-x least mean square (FxLMS). For large scale systems with multiple inputs and outputs the computational demand of the FxLMS is rising rapidly. Conventional solutions, running on digital signal processors (DSPs), have limitations in parallel computing. In this work a parameterizable multiple input-multiple output (MIMO) feedback FxLMS architecture for field-programmable gate array (FPGA) platforms is presented that can easily be optimized for high-performance or resource efficient computation. The implementation is validated in a real-time practical application using an active headrest with 2x2 channels. The noise reduction is evaluated over various configurations with increasing performance and the respective synthesis results are presented. Here the noise reduction does benefit from the additional computational performance gains. An additional configuration with llxll channels and filter lengths of 2049 at a sample rate of 40 kHz is shown as a benchmark on high-end FPGAs.


JOPPPAH Interview with Dr. William Hurlbut ABSTRACT: This interview is based on Dr. William Hurlbut's presentation at the APPPAH Congress held in San Francisco, CA in December, 2003. Dr. Hurlbut's presentation of scientific data and ethical issues surrounding reproductive technologies, particularly the topic of Cloning for Biomedical Research (CBR) was profound and moving. To quote from his closing remarks, "At this critical moment before we can go forward, we must recover some of the awe and wonder that is often absent in the practice of our science and even our ethical philosophy; we must pause in the rush of our progress to reconsider the full majesty of human life." In order to share some of the wisdom dispensed in his presentation and bring us up to date, JOPPPAH is proud to present Dr. Hurlbut's response to our questions. KEY WORDS: cloning, CBR, biomedical research, regenerative medicine, reproductive technology, human development. JOPPPAH: Dr. Hurlbut, thank you for taking the time to respond to our questions. Could you first tell us about your work with the President's Council on Bioethics? Dr. Hurlbut: There are eighteen of us, from a variety of backgrounds ranging from science and medicine to social policy and law. The President appointed us to address the complex human and moral issues that are arising with advances in biotechnology. He asked us to help serve as the conscience of the country, to engage and educate the public and to advise him and the nation on issues of policy. I consider it a great privilege and honor to serve my country in this way and I find it the most challenging and fascinating thing I've ever done. JOPPPAH: Narrowing this to ethical issues in reproductive technology, could you give us an update on the current status of such technology? Dr. Hurlbut: The whole realm of reproduction is crucial because it is at once of central human significance and a gateway technology for both advances in biomedical science and possible interventions in human life. On the positive front Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) means that many couples have avoided the heartache of an empty cradle. But, at the same time, advances in ART have continuously pushed the borders of our ethical intuitions and challenged us to think more clearly about the moral standing of developing life, the meaning of natural relationships, and the rightful role of choice in genetic screening (and perhaps one day in genetic enhancement). As we gain instrumental control over the production of gametes and the generation of life in the laboratory we face many strange and unfamiliar options. Studies with mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells suggest we may one day be able to generate oocytes in a laboratory from either females or males; scientists have joined cells from two embryos together to form an entirely new 'tetra-parental' embryo (with the idea that this might one day help protect against transmission of genetic diseases) and, of course, human cloning opens prospects for a conceptual shift from procreation to manufacture. But more centrally, we are seeing, as with new eyes, the wonders of our early development-the fantastic symphony of process that unfolds in the formation of each human person. JOPPPAH: Focusing now on the primary topic in your presentation, cloning for biomedical research, you discussed the four-year moratorium on such research that the Council recommended. Can you give us some background on this recommendation and the current status? Dr. Hurlbut: We made that recommendation and only last winter did scientists successfully accomplish even the first most tentative success in cloning human embryos. And even then the project was swamped in ethical controversy over how the researchers managed to procure 242 human oocytes (including implications that lab assistants were donors). We made our recommendation so that our society could calm down, slow down and give more thorough and thoughtful analysis to this complex moral dilemma. …


Cryogenic multilayer insulation (MLI) systems provide both conductive and radiative thermal insulation performance. The use of radiation shields with low conductivity spacers in between are required. By varying the distance and types of the spacers between the radiation shields, the relative radiation and conduction heat transfers can be manipulated. However, in most systems, there is a fixed thickness or volume allocated to the insulation. To understand how various combinations of different multilayer insulation (MLI) systems work together and to further validate thermal models of hybrid MLI systems, test data are needed. The MLI systems include combinations of Load-Bearing MLI (LB-MLI) and traditional MLI (tMLI). To further simulate the space launch vehicle case wherein both ambient pressure and vacuum environments are addressed, different cold-side thermal insulation substrates were included for select tests. The basic hybrid construction consists of some number of layers of LB-MLI on the cold side of the insulation system followed by layers of tMLI on the warm side of the system. The advantages of LB-MLI on the cold side of the insulation blanket are that its low layer density (0.5 - 0.6 layer/mm) is better suited for lower temperature applications and is a structural component to support heat interception shields that may be placed within the blanket. The advantage of tMLI systems on the warm side is that radiation is more dominant than conduction at warmer temperatures, so that a higher layer density is desired (2 - 3 layer/mm) and less effort need be put into minimizing conduction heat transfer. Liquid nitrogen boiloff test data using a cylindrical calorimeter are presented along with analysis for spacecraft tank applications.


After describing the challenges, myths, exclusions and opportunities of urban regeneration, this article explores the potential interface between faith-based action and different forms of urban regeneration. Focusing on different South African cities, it considers how faith-based action could participate in regenerative urban work. Faith-based action will refer to the varied responses of churches and faith-based organisations to urban challenges and transitions. It interrogates whether faith-based action only represents many similar approaches that address urban problems superficially without mediating long-term, systemic change, or whether it indeed contributes to urban transformation in the sense of radical inclusivity and socio-structural spatial justice. Finally, it considers socio-theological sources that could potentially ground urban faith-based action theologically – such as an urban spirituality, an understanding of regeneration as integral liberation and mobilising socio-spiritual capital – whilst making a distinctive contribution to the processes of socially inclusive urban regeneration.


For controlling high-dimensional robots, most stochastic optimal control algorithms use approximations of the system dynamics and of the cost function (e.g., using linearizations and Taylor expansions). These approximations are typically only locally correct, which might cause instabilities in the greedy policy updates, lead to oscillations or the algorithms diverge. To overcome these drawbacks, we add a regularization term to the cost function that punishes large policy update steps in the trajectory optimization procedure. We applied this concept to the Approximate Inference Control method (AICO), where the resulting algorithm guarantees convergence for uninformative initial solutions without complex hand-tuning of learning rates. We evaluated our new algorithm on two simulated robotic platforms. A robot arm with five joints was used for reaching multiple targets while keeping the roll angle constant. On the humanoid robot Nao, we show how complex skills like reaching and balancing can be inferred from desired center of gravity or end effector coordinates.


With the development of science and technology, Control Theory has been updating and progressing constantly. Motion Control Technology is continually going into all fields and in which it is pushed forward rapidly. It is playing a more and more important role and has found an increasingly wide utilization in the textile production. This paper expounds Motion Control Theory and its application, as well as some living examples of the application of Motion Control Technology to the textile production.


This paper applies an agnostic structural vector autoregression (SVAR) approach to study the response of four Andean economies (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru) to international shocks. More specifically, we look at the response of gross domestic product, the real exchange rate, fiscal and trade balances, and inflation to global demand, commodity price, monetary and financial shocks. Our results confirm that the Andean region is highly exposed to changes in external conditions, and especially to global demand fluctuations associated with declines in commodity prices. However, despite the similarities that characterize these countries in terms of their income level or their export specialization, we find substantial heterogeneity in the effects of the shocks, which we attribute to differences in the shock-absorbing capacity of their macroeconomic frameworks. This result underlies the need to put in place external buffers to fully exploit the benefits of a greater presence in international markets, be it in the form of exchange rate flexibility, international reserves, or fiscal and monetary space to act countercyclically.


Introduction Chronic diseases were studied to cause lifelong disability, but no focus was made to find out whether disabled by other causes were predisposed to develop chronic diseases due to their disability. The objective of this study was to explore the association between physical disability and the chances of developing non-communicable diseases (NCD). Methodology A retrospective cohort study done in the year 2008 in South Kerala, India. The physically disabled were identified from a baseline health survey done in 2005–2006 which identified 283 households with disability. A total of 125 individuals having physical disability for more than 5 years were compared with 125 age and sex matched individuals with no disability selected from the neighbourhoods. Data were collected using WHO STEPS questionnaire for NCD surveillance and disability was assessed using Indian HAQ version (Health Assessment Questionnaire). Bivariate and multivariate analyses were done. Results NCD risk factor prevalence among disabled was higher for hypertension (43.2%), alcohol use (12%), tobacco use (20.8%), Obesity (33.6%) and lack of physical activity (89.6%). Significant difference from the comparison group were found only for Hypertension with a RR of 1.32 (1.04–1.6) and lack of physical activity 5.01 (2.54–9.8). After logistic regression analysis, the physically disabled were found to have NCD risk factors such as lack of physical activity [OR 3.94, 95% CI (1.9 to 8.18)] and hypertension [OR 1.76, 95% CI (1 to 3.13)]. Conclusion Hypertension screening for the physically disabled could help in early identification and treatment. Disabled friendly initiatives for promoting physical activity should be a part of NCD prevention interventions.


vol. 7 (1942) pp. 146-156. This paper describes a system of punctuation which is particularly suited to the develop ment of Church's formulation of the simple theory of types (V 114) and which is an exten sion of a system introduced by Curry (II 90). The power of a point (group of dots) in Curry's system depends in part on the operator to which it is attached, the operators being classified according to the strength which each lends to an attached point. In the present system besides such a classification each class contains a sub-class of "handicapped" oper ators whose points require an extra dot to bring them up to scratch. The classification of operators and the choice of those to be handicapped is made for Church's system in such a manner that the abbreviated formulas are simple to write and easy to interpret. Besides the description, with examples, of this particular system there is an excellent discussion of the general theory of bracketing. various sciences. with requirements which a symbolism must meet in order to overcome the competition offered by the modes of expression and analysis at present employed in these fields, with the means for popular exposition of the subject, and with the characteristics of fields in which use is most


The prevalence of diagnosed diabetes in adults in the United States, currently at 23.1 million people, has tripled in the past two decades (1). In addition, an estimated 84 million adults have prediabetes, putting them at increased risk of type 2 diabetes, heart attack, and stroke; only 1 in 10 know they have it (2). If interventions to slow the increase in and ultimately reduce the number of new cases of diabetes are not widely implemented, projections estimate that one in three adults in the United States could have diabetes by 2050 (3).

Diabetes remains a leading cause of blindness, kidney failure, and lower-limb amputation, increasing these risks to 6–10 times that of people without diabetes (2). It also increases risks of macrovascular conditions such as heart attack and stroke by 60–80% (2). Fortunately, rates of heart attack, stroke, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) death have recently declined for many people with diabetes, but this has led to an exposure to and diversification of other outcomes, including increasingly diverse causes of death (4). Although CVD remains the leading cause of death for people with diabetes, its proportion has declined from half of all such deaths ∼20 years ago to one-third of all deaths today. As a result, other causes, including influenza, pneumonia, septicemia, and chronic liver disease, now make up a greater proportion of the deaths of people with diabetes (4). Furthermore, diabetes doubles the risk of physical disability; adults with diabetes who are ≥50 years of age lose independence 6–7 years before their peers without diabetes (5).

Diabetes is the costliest of the 155 most common diseases in the country, at $327 billion in 2017, including $237 billion in direct medical costs and $90 billion in indirect costs (e.g., reduced productivity and absenteeism)—an increase of 60% from 2007 …


ABSTRACT In this article I highlight the political work of Nicaraguan migrants living in the informal settlement of La Carpio in San José, Costa Rica, as they negotiate rights in the form of urban services. Nicaraguans in La Carpio have organized politically since 1993 to self-instal, demand, and negotiate services such as potable water and electricity. In the process, they successfully compel local authorities to allocate these services and grant them an implicit recognition of their right to remain and live a decent life, regardless of their status. These migrant struggles to improve urban life, the political subjectification they engender, and the mechanisms for rights-claiming that they open, show a different articulation of citizenship and political agency largely absent in the literature on migrants, refugees, and noncitizens, shaped in global North contexts: the predominance of urban informality as a means for migrants to negotiate with institutions of power the allocation of substantive rights. Moreover, in the absence of direct engagement with and challenge to the national migration regime, Nicaraguan migrants are able to weave the fabric upon which their own continuous practice of citizenship rests through their quotidian, informal interactions with state servicing authorities in La Carpio.


The objective of the present study was to investigate the relationship between loneliness, self-esteem, self-efficacy, and gender among United Arab Emirates college students. The respondents were 495 college students from Al Ain University of Science and Technology. The sample was stratified by sex. Among the respondents, 59% were female students and 41% were male students. The mean age of the sample was 21.8 years ranging from 18 to 36. Loneliness was measured by Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale (Version 3) (Russell, 1996), while self-esteem was measured by Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965). General Self-efficacy Scale (Jerusalem and Schwarzer, 1979) measured self-efficacy. The findings of the study showed that females reported higher loneliness compared to their males counter mates. Lower self-esteem and lower self-efficacy were associated with high levels of loneliness. However, self-esteem emerged as the most significant predictor of loneliness accounting for 22.9% of the variance, self-efficacy and gender each accounted for an additional 6.5% of the variance in loneliness. All three predictors explained 29.4% (R = .543) of total variance. Loneliness has been associated with various negative emotions and behaviors. Therefore, it is of great value to explore the predictors of loneliness and find effective ways to reduce lonely feelings among college students.


Background Interventions to reduce alcohol use typically include several elements, such as information on the risks of alcohol consumption, planning for sensible drinking, and training of protective behavioral strategies. However, the effectiveness of these individual intervention elements within comprehensive programs has not been addressed so far, but it could provide valuable insights for the development of future interventions. Just-in-time interventions provided via mobile devices are intended to help people make healthy decisions in the moment and thus could influence health behavior. Objective The aim of this study was to test the proximal effects of a mobile phone–delivered, just-in-time planning intervention to reduce alcohol use in adolescents who reported recent binge drinking. The efficacy of this individual intervention element was tested within a comprehensive intervention program to reduce problem drinking in adolescents. Methods The study had an AB/BA crossover design, in which participants were randomly allocated to (1) a group receiving the planning intervention (A) in period 1 and assessment only (B) in period 2 or (2) a group receiving assessment only (B) in period 1 and the planning intervention (A) in period 2. The planning intervention included a text message to choose one of two predetermined if-then plans to practice sensible drinking with friends or when going out and a prompt to visualize the chosen plan. There was a washout period of at least 1 week between period 1 and period 2. Results Out of 633 program participants who recently binge drank, 136 (21.5%) were receptive in both periods of time and provided data on the proximal outcome, which was the number of alcoholic drinks consumed with friends or when going out. After the planning intervention, the number of alcoholic drinks consumed was approximately one standard drink lower compared with the finding without the intervention (P=.01). Conclusions A mobile phone–delivered, just-in-time, if-then planning intervention to practice sensible drinking with friends or when going out is effective in reducing alcohol consumption among adolescents who report recent binge drinking. Based on the relatively low percentage of participants with self-reported receptivity for the planning intervention, measures to increase the population impact of similar planning interventions should be implemented and tested in future trials. Trial Registration ISRCTN Registry ISRCTN52150713; http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN52150713


Background: B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP, nesiritide) has anti-fibrotic, anti-hypertrophic, anti-inflammatory, vasodilating, lusitropic and aldosterone-inhibiting properties but conventional doses of BNP cause hypotension, limiting its use in heart failure. Objective: To determine whether infusion of low-dose BNP within 24 h of successful reperfusion for anterior acute myocardial infarction (AMI) would prevent adverse left ventricular (LV) remodelling and suppress aldosterone. Methods: A translational proof-of-concept study was carried out to determine tolerability and biological activity of intravenous BNP at 0.003 and 0.006 μg/kg/min, without bolus started within 24 h of successful reperfusion for anterior AMI. 24 patients with first anterior wall ST elevation AMI and successful revascularisation were randomly assigned to receive 0.003 (n = 12) or 0.006 (n = 12) μg/kg/min of IV BNP for 72 h in addition to standard care during hospitalisation for anterior AMI. Results: Baseline characteristics, drugs and peak cardiac biomarkers for myocardial damage were similar between both groups. Infusion of BNP at 0.006 μg/kg/min resulted in greater biological activity than infusion at 0.003 μg/kg/min as measured by higher mean (SEM) plasma cGMP levels (8.6 (1) vs 5.5 (1) pmol/ml, p<0.05) and suppression of plasma aldosterone (8.0 (2) to 4.6 (1) ng/dl, p<0.05), which was not seen in the 0.003 μg/kg/min group. LV ejection fraction (LVEF) improved significantly from baseline to 1 month (40 (4)% to 54 (5)%, p<0.05) in the 0.006 group but not in the 0.003 group. Infusion of BNP at 0.006 μg/kg/min was associated with a decrease of LV end-systolic volume index (61 (9) to 43 (8) ml/m2, p<0.05) at 1 month, which was not seen in the 0.003 group. No drug-related serious adverse events occurred in either group. Conclusions: 72 h infusion of low BNP at the time of anterior AMI is well tolerated and biologically active. Patients treated with low-dose BNP had improved LVEF and smaller LV end-systolic volume at 1 month.


Do digitally mediated weak-tie appeals to engage in connective action have the same effect everywhere? This study argues that the effect of weak-tie action appeals is contingent on citizenship norms and corresponding social network dynamics such that citizens in countries with higher levels of engaged norms are more likely to be motivated to endorse protest posts than those in countries with lower levels of engaged norms. To demonstrate this, I draw on an original cross-national survey experiment, the results of which show that digitally mediated weak-tie appeals to engage in protest have a more strongly positive effect on motivation to endorse the appeal among Koreans than Japanese respondents. Furthermore, the impact of weak-tie appeals exhibits considerable sensitivity to social network heterogeneity among Japanese respondents. The results of this study suggest that, although technology may in principle empower horizontal networks of citizens, its effect is contingent on norms of political behavior.


The supersonic molecular beam (SMB) ablation and penetration processes in the HL-1M tokamak experiments are studied. The cluster formation and dissolution, SMB adiabatic expansion, shielding and cooling effect are all taken into account. An optimized numerical model is applied in the analysis and shown to be in good agreement with the experimental observations. The possibility of fueling large tokamak plasmas with SMB injection is explored.


We discuss a class of copula-based ordered probit models with endogenous switching. Such models can be useful for the analysis of self-selection in subjective well-being equations in general, and job satisfaction in particular, where assignment of regressors may be endogenous rather than random, resulting from individual maximization of well-being. In an application to public and private sector job satisfaction, and using data on male workers from the German Socio-Economic Panel for 2004, and using two alternative copula functions for dependence, we find consistent evidence for endogenous sector selection.


Backround/Aim. Adolescence is the period of greatest risk of starting to use substances: cigarette smoking, alcohol and illicit drugs. In the first decade of this millennium sub- stance use among adolescents has increased. The aim of this study was to explore the prevalence of substances use among adolescents and its correlation with social and demographic factors. Methods. The study was conducted among adolescents in Novi Sad during 2010-2011 and in- cluded 594 conveniently selected adolescents (275 male and 319 female), aged 15-19 years. A special questionnaire was used and statistical analysis performed in SPSS17. The cor- relation between parameters was evaluated by the Pearson correlation method and frequency differences were analysed using �∑ 2 test and starting level was p < 0.05. Results. The prevalence of substance use was statistically higher in males. Cigarettes were smoked daily by 21.45% males and 15.67% females (p < 0.01), alcohol was consumed by 81.6% males and 69.11% females (p < 0.001) and illicit drugs were used by 13.65% males and 8.30% females (p < 0.05). There was a positive correlation between smoking cigarettes and alcohol consumption, but negative between smoking cigarettes and the use of illicit drugs (p < 0.01). The prevalence of sub- stance use was statistically higher among adolescents with poor achievement in school (p < 0.01), who lived in a bro- ken home (illicit drugs p < 0.01) and who had more pocket money (cigarette smoking p < 0.01, and alcohol consump- tion p < 0.5). Conclusion. Stable family, lower amount of pocket money weekly and good school performance are protective factors in prevention of substances use among adolescents.


AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
To explore the perspectives of nursing directors in mental health in Queensland, Australia, regarding the skills and attributes of graduates of comprehensive nursing programme to provide an industry perspective and thus augment knowledge from theoretical and professional dimensions.

BACKGROUND
There is a worldwide shortage of appropriately qualified nurses with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to work effectively in mental health services. Within Australia, this has been well documented since the introduction of comprehensive nursing education. The underrepresentation of mental health content in undergraduate curricula has been identified as the primary reason for nursing graduates not being adequately prepared for practice in this field. To date, this issue has primarily been addressed from the perspective of university academics, with the voice of industry relatively silent in the published literature.

DESIGN
Qualitative exploratory.

METHOD
In-depth telephone interviews with Director of Nursing (Mental Health) in Queensland, Australia.

RESULTS
The concerns of participants were expressed in six main themes: (1) foundational knowledge of mental health and disorders, (2) recovery-oriented skills, (3) physical as well as mental health skills, (4) therapeutic strategies, (5) resilience and self-development and (6) advanced knowledge and skills.

CONCLUSIONS
The education of comprehensive nursing education needs to be reviewed as a matter of priority to ensure graduates with the attributes required to provide high-quality care for consumers of mental health services.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE
A skilled and knowledgeable workforce is an essential component of high-quality mental health services. Research highlighting the current deficits and issues is therefore of the highest priority.


Most studies on Chang-Rae Lee's A Gesture Life heavily focus on questions relating to the diaspora's Asian-American citizenship and cultural assimilation. However, not many critics have examined the geography of the Imperial Japanese Army Camp in Southeast Asia, particularly in Burma, where the tropical environment is significantly represented in Lee's novel. This paper discusses Andrew Thacker's idea of literary geography in the novel in order to engage with historical dynamism and the brutality of World War II through the plight of 'comfort women'. The novel portrays Doc Hata, a retired Japanese-American medical supplier, whose past experience as a paramedic officer in Burma haunts a problematic relationship in present-day America with his adopted, fallen daughter. The representation of the infirmary, the comfort house, and the clearing epitomises the savagery of the army camp in connection with Doc Hata's identity crisis. I argue that Lee's memory of war challenges and resists forms of political ideology and its proprietors that dehumanise the victims. This reveals shame, guilt, and loss, as represented by the savagery in the local landscape, which in turn is embedded in the global historical significance of World War II.


Each week, the Dutch Postcode Lottery (PCL) randomly selects a postal code, and distributes cash and a new BMW to lottery participants in that code. We study the effects of these shocks on lottery winners and their neighbors. Consistent with the life-cycle hypothesis, the effects on winners' consumption are largely confined to cars and other durables. Consistent with the theory of in-kind transfers, the vast majority of BMW winners liquidate their BMWs. We do, however, detect substantial social effects of lottery winnings: PCL nonparticipants who live next door to winners have significantly higher levels of car consumption than other nonparticipants.


The internationalization of business is the subject of an extensive theoretical literature as well as a growing number of historical studies. Historians have paid relatively little attention to the development of multinationals in the service sector, and studies about international publishing are especially scarce. This article discusses the early internationalization of two Dutch publishing firms, Kluwer (now Wolters Kluwer) and Elsevier (now Reed Elsevier) and confronts these case histories with the evolutionary theory of internationalization. The Dutch cases underline the important role of experience, knowledge and learning as well as of the national context in which companies develop. They also show that these factors allow for very different trajectories of internationalization within the same branch of business and the same country.


Spinal cord injury (SCI) and other neurological disorders involve complex biological and functional changes. Well- characterized preclinical models provide a powerful tool for understanding mechanisms of disease; however managing information produced by experimental models represents a significant challenge for translating findings across research projects and presents a substantial hurdle for translation of novel therapies to humans. In the present work we demonstrate a novel 'syndromic' information-processing approach for capitalizing on heterogeneous data from diverse preclinical models of SCI to discover translational outcomes for therapeutic testing. We first built a large, detailed repository of preclinical outcome data from 10 years of basic research on cervical SCI in rats, and then applied multivariate pattern detection techniques to extract features that are conserved across different injury models. We then applied this translational knowledge to derive a data-driven multivariate metric that provides a common 'ruler' for comparisons of outcomes across different types of injury (NYU/MASCIS weight drop injuries, Infinite Horizons (IH) injuries, and hemisection injuries). The findings revealed that each individual endpoint provides a different view of the SCI syndrome, and that considering any single outcome measure in isolation provides a misleading, incomplete view of the SCI syndrome. This limitation was overcome by taking a novel multivariate integrative approach for leveraging complex data from preclinical models of neurological disease to identify therapies that target multiple outcomes. We suggest that applying this syndromic approach provides a roadmap for translating therapies for SCI and other complex neurological diseases.


We develop a language model using probabilistic context-free grammars (PCFGs) that is "pseudo context-sensitive" in that the probability that a nonterminal N expands using a rule r depends on N's parent. We give the equations for estimating the necessary probabilities using a variant of the inside-outside algorithm. We give experimental results showing that, beginning with a high-performance PCFG, one can develop a pseudo PCSG that yields significant performance gains. Analysis shows that the benefits from the context-sensitive statistics are localized, suggesting that we can use them to extend the original PCFG. Experimental results confirm that this is both feasible and the resulting grammar retains the performance gains. This implies that our scheme may be useful as a novel method for PCFG induction.


—Measurement of network data received from or transmitted over the public Internet has yielded a myriad of insights towards improving the security and privacy of deployed services. Yet, the collection and analysis of this data necessarily involves the processing of data that could impact human subjects, and anonymization often destroys the very phenomena under study. As a result, Internet measurement faces the unique challenge of studying data from human subjects who could not conceivably consent to its collection, and yet the measurement community has tacitly concluded that such measurement is beneficial and even necessary for its positive impacts. We are thus at an impasse: academics and practitioners routinely collect and analyze sensitive user data, and yet there exists no cohesive set of ethical norms for the community that justifies these studies. In this work, we examine the ethical considerations of Internet traffic measurement and analysis, analyzing the ethical considerations and remediations in prior works and general trends in the community. We further analyze ethical expectations in calls-for-papers, finding a general lack of cohesion across venues. Through our analysis and recommendations, we hope to inform future studies and venue expectations towards maintaining positive impact while respecting and protecting end users.


Introduction: BCR-ABL plays a key role in the pathogenesis of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and 30% of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Imatinib mesylate is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) specific for the abl tyrosine kinase. While imatinib results in high remission rates, Philadelphia-chromosome positive (Ph+) ALL responds poorly compared with CML, and relapse is common. While second generation TKIs can overcome certain mutations, others such as T315I render resistance to all available TKIs. Therefore, there is a critical need for novel pharmacologic therapies for Ph+ ALL. Heat Shock Protein 90 (HSP90) is a molecular chaperone that facilitates folding and promotes stability of client proteins, including BCR-ABL, and its expression is increased in leukemic cells. HSP90 inhibitors have been shown in solid tumors as well as in CML to be effective at inducing apoptosis and inhibiting growth of cells in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. Withanolides, including the steroidal-lactone Withaferin A (WA), that have been isolated from the Solanaceae plant family have been shown to downregulate HSP90 activity. Our hypothesis is that novel Solanaceae-derived withanolides will inhibit Ph+ ALL cell proliferation through down-regulation of BCR-ABL activity and may represent a novel therapeutic strategy for this difficult disease. Methods: We investigated novel withanolides X001 and X003, isolated from the Physalis plant, as well as WA for anti-leukemic effects in Ph+ ALL cells. Cell proliferation was analyzed using MTS assay and Trypan Blue exclusion, and apoptosis and cell cycle modulation were examined using flow cytometry. Modulation of BCR-ABL and downstream effector proteins was analyzed using western blot. Syngery between withanolides and TKIs was evaluated using MTS viability to calculate combination indices. Results: All Solanaceae-derived withanolides tested selectively inhibited growth and proliferation of Ph+ ALL cells in vitro after 72 hr treatment with IC50 values ranging from 35–350 nM. After 48 hr treatment with each withanolide, Ph+ ALL cells showed 55–65% apoptosis at 2–3× IC50 concentrations (p 50% downregulation of phospho-BCR-ABL protein levels and confirmed apoptosis with caspase-3 activation and PARP cleavage. Finally, novel withanolides X001 and X003 showed strong synergy with imatinib mesylate at all concentration combinations tested, with combination indicies (CI) of .511 and .136, respectively, while WA only showed synergy at select few concentration combinations with CI > 1. Conclusion: Novel Solanaceae-derived withanolides X001 and X003 demonstrate potent anti-leukemic effects against Ph+ ALL cells in vitro through down-regulation of BCR-ABL activity with resulting induction of apoptosis and cell-cycle shift. These drugs have excellent synergy with imatinib and represent a novel therapeutic strategy for further translational applications to determine their clinical potential in patients with Ph+ ALL. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2011 Nov 12-16; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2011;10(11 Suppl):Abstract nr B164.


We solve a model reference adaptive control problem for a class of linear  $ 2 \times 2$ hyperbolic partial differential equations (PDEs) with uncertain system parameters subject to harmonic disturbances, from a single boundary measurement anticollocated with the actuation. This is done by transforming the system into a canonical form, from which filters are designed so that the states can be expressed as linear combinations of the filters and uncertain parameters, a representation facilitating for the design of adaptive laws. A stabilizing controller is then combined with the adaptive laws to make the measured signal asymptotically track the output of a reference model. The reference model is taken as a simple transport PDE. Moreover, pointwise boundedness of all variables in the closed loop is proved, provided the reference signal is bounded. The theory is demonstrated in a simulation.


Agave tequilana Weber (Rigidae, Agavaceae), blue agave, is a native Mexican plant that has been associated with tequila since the 17th century. The tequila industry has matured over time and now has a geographical indication (Denominación de Origen; DOT). The tequila industry has grown substantially in the last 15 years (19.82% annual increase between 1995 and 2008), resulting in an increase in agave production and associated residue (leaves) and bagasse that can be used for second‐generation biofuels. At a time when the biofuel industry is undergoing unprecedented changes, with diversified demand and predictions of increased competitiveness, this paper presents a review of agave landraces that have been affected by tequila production but may be beneficial for a biofuel industry. Conventional botanical studies have revealed domestication syndromes in races related to blue agave ('azul listado', 'sigüín' and 'pata de mula') specifically for production of fructans in the plant core as would be expected in mezcal agaves (including those used for tequila). Some others, such as the 'moraleño' and 'bermejo' cultivars (Sisalanae) show domestication syndrome only in the fibers, while others, such as 'chato,'A. americana L. subtilis (Americanae) show domestication syndrome in fructans and fibers and 'zopilote,'A. rhodacantha (Rigidae) a relatively low domestication syndrome. No specimens of the cultivars named 'mano larga', 'mano anchaque' and 'cucharo' were found in the Tequila Region of Origin (Western Mexico). The genetic resources from landraces ignored by the tequila industry may be valuable for both ethanol production and conservation.


The cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) germplasm, Auburn 634 and others derived from this source, contain resistance genes that effectively inhibit reproduction of root knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita [Kofoid and White] Chitwood, race 3). Although infective root knot nematode juveniles penetrate the resistant cotton lines in numbers similar to susceptible lines, nematode development is arrested in the resistant lines soon after infection. Analyses of root proteins via one- and twodimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) revealed a relatively abundant 14 kilodalton (kDa) polypeptide that was differentially expressed in resistant isoline 81-249 at 8 d after inoculation. Dissection of nematodes from equivalent root samples and their analysis separate from the root tissue showed that the 14 kDa was a plant protein. Expression of the 14 kDa protein in infected roots of 81-249 was localized to the nematodeinduced galls. Digestion of the polypeptide with cyanogen bromide (CNBr) yielded two major fragments of 9 and 4 kDa from which partial amino acid sequences were obtained. Comparison of these partial sequences with gene databases did not reveal strong homologies with other sequences. Thus, the 14 kDa protein may represent the product of a novel, root knot nematode-inducible plant gene whose expression is temporally correlated with the resistance response to root knot nematode.


1. A method is described that enables the electrical responses of motor axons isolated from the leg nerve of the crab Carcinus to be studied close to or at the site of imposed electrical currents, while this area is continuously bathed by physiological solution.

2. The three classes of repetitive responses originally described by Hodgkin (1948) have occurred during the present work and additional features of these responses have been described.

3. The results support Hodgkin's original thesis that the development of the spike generating mechanisms determine the response frequency during a repetitive response, but a progressive lengthening of the relative refractory period occurs during this response and is considered to be the agency that causes the gradual slowing down of the response frequency, i.e. the adaption.

4. The processes of membrane restoration (repolarization and recovery) have been shown to be sensitive to applied currents; anodal current hastening and cathodal current slowing it. These phenomena provide a basis for interpreting the change in the duration of the relative refractory period observed during the repetitive response.

5. The differences between the form of the repetitive response in the crab axon and the predictions of the Hodgkin-Huxley equations is discussed and it seems likely that the rapid recovery of the membrane resistance during the repolarization phase of the crab axon action potential underlies this difference.


An analysis of primary documentary sources indexed by Library, Information Science and Technology Abstracts (LISTA) and Library and Information Science Abstracts (LISA) indicates that LISTA indexed 519 and LISA indexed 327 primary documentary sources. These sources mainly are scholarly or academic journals, magazines and trade journals. As proportion of total documentary sources, the share of scholarly journals indexed by LISA was more than LISTA. However, in absolute terms the journals indexed by LISTA were more than LISA. LISTA indexed scholarly journals from 37 countries and LISA indexed scholarly journals from 38 countries. LISA mainly emphasized indexing of scholarly periodicals as compared to LISTA, which also emphasized to index magazines. Of the total 646 scholarly titles indexed by LISTA and LISA, 131 titles were common to both databases. Maximum titles indexed by both the databases were published from USA and UK. Most of these journals were published by commercial publishers. Taylor and Francis Ltd contributed highest number of journals to both the databases.


The concept that the positive inotropic effect of cardiac glycosides is dependent on the contractile state of the myocardium was tested. Isolated left atria of rabbits, when driven electrically at 15, 30, 60 and 120/min (at 30, 33, or 37°C), responded to ouabain (I μ/ml) in proportion to the number of contractions and not to the time of exposure or frequency of drive. Contraction-related effects were proportional to concentration of ouabain, acetylstrophanthidin, and digoxin. A contraction-related effect of ouabain was observed in anesthetized dogs with surgical A-V block, ventricular electrical drive and right ventricular contractile force recording. Quiescent rabbit atria exposed to ouabain for 30 min at 30°C and then washed in ouabain-free medium, showed minimal positive inotropic effect when stimulation was resumed. Toxic concentration of ouabain (5 μg/ml) in contact with quiescent atria for 30 min and then washed out, on resumption of stimulation had an immediate positive intropic (but no toxic) effect which diminished progressively, in contrast to the rapid development of toxic effects (ectopic contractions and contracture) in atria exposed to this dose of auabain during repetitive contractions. It is concluded that a major part of the positive intropic effect of cardiac glycosides is contraction dependent.


We are presenting a feature based mapping procedure applied on data reduction to the relevant information used for autonomous navigation. The proceeding is based on the evaluation of the environment using a SICK LD laser scanner. We assume that laser scanners have the advantage of producing reliable data with well understood characteristics for map generation. By implementing evolutive algorithms we process data into lines representing edges of the surrounding objects and create a simplified representation of the environment (feature based). Because of the dynamic generation and evolution of the map, during the movement of the autonomous vehicle we are considering of merging and fitting the data by applying a shape correlation. The goal of our project defines the capability of a fully autonomous vehicle to safely drive through the environment until reaching the standard parking lots and complete autonomous parking procedures.


Feature selection is a well-known pre-processing technique, commonly used with high-dimensional datasets. Its main goal is to discard useless or redundant variables, reducing the dimensionality of the input space, in order to increase the performance and interpretability of models. In this work we introduce the ANN-RFE, a new technique for feature selection that combines the accurate and time-efficient RFE method with the strong discrimination capabilities of ANN ensembles. In particular, we discuss two feature importance metrics that can be used with ANN-RFE: the shuffling and dE metrics. We evaluate the new method using an artificial example and five real-world wide datasets, including gene-expression data. Our results suggest that both metrics have equivalent capabilities for the selection of informative variables. ANNRFE seems to produce overall results that are equivalent to previous efficient methods, but can be more accurate on particular datasets.