The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-specific protein trans-activator of transcription (Tat) can contribute to the dysfunction of brain endothelial cells and HIV trafficking into the brain by disrupting tight junction (TJ) integrity at the blood–brain barrier (BBB) level. Specific TJ proteins, such as zonula occludens (ZO) proteins, localize not only at the cell–cell borders but are also present in the nuclei. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the mechanisms and significance of Tat-induced nuclear localization of ZO-1. Treatment of a brain endothelial cell line (hCMEC/D3 cells) with Tat resulted in a decrease in total levels of ZO-1 but significantly upregulated ZO-1 protein expression in the nuclei. In addition, exposure to Tat stimulated Rho signaling and induced phosphorylation and activity of transcription factor cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB), binding sites that have been identified in the proximal region of the ZO-1 promoter. Interestingly, inhibition of the Rho cascade protected against Tat-induced upregulation of ZO-1 in the nuclei and activation of CREB. Depletion of CREB by infection of cells with specific shRNA lentiviral particles attenuated both Tat-induced Rho signaling and nuclear targeting of ZO-1. A decrease in CREB levels also attenuated Tat-induced endothelial and BBB hyperpermeability as well as transendothelial migration of monocytic cells. The role of CREB in Tat-mediated alterations of ZO-1 was confirmed in brain microvessels in mice with CREB shRNA lentiviral particles injected into the cerebral circulation. The present results indicate the crucial role of Rho signaling and CREB in modulation of nuclear localization of ZO-1 and maintaining the integrity of endothelial monolayers.


The DNA replication checkpoint is required to maintain the integrity of the genome, inhibiting mitosis until S phase has been successfully completed. The checkpoint preventing premature mitosis in Schizosaccharomyces pombe relies on phosphorylation of the tyrosine-15 residue on cdc2p to prevent its activation and hence mitosis. The cdc18 gene is essential for both generating the DNA replication checkpoint and the initiation of S phase, thus providing a key role for the overall control and coordination of the cell cycle. We show that the C terminus of the protein is capable of both initiating DNA replication and the checkpoint function of cdc18p. The C terminus of cdc18p acts upstream of the DNA replication checkpoint genes rad1, rad3, rad9, rad17, hus1 and cut5 and requires the wee1p/mik1p tyrosine kinases to block mitosis. The N terminus of cdc18p can also block mitosis but does so in the absence of the DNA replication checkpoint genes and the wee1p/mik1p kinases therefore acting downstream of these genes. Because the N terminus of cdc18p associates with cdc2p in vivo, we suggest that by binding the cdc2p/cdc13p mitotic kinase directly, it exerts an effect independently of the normal checkpoint control, probably in an unphysiological manner.


Talking about God can not be separated from the activity of human thought. Activity is the heart of metaphysics. Searching religious authenticity tends to lead to a leap in harsh encounter with other religions. This interfaith encounter harsh posed a dilemma. Why? Because on the one hand religion is the peacemaker, but on the other hand it's has of encouraging conflict and even violence. Understanding God is not quite done only by understanding the religion dogma, but to understand God rationally it is needed. It is true that humans understand the world according to his own ego, but it is not simultaneously affirm that God is only a projection of the human mind. Humans understand things outside of himself because no awareness of it. On this side of metaphysics finds itself. Analogical approach allows humans to approach and express God metaphysically. Human clearly can not express the reality of the divine in human language, but with the human intellect is able to reflect something about the relationship with God. Analogy allows humans to enter the metaphysical discussion about God. People who are at this point should come to the understanding that God is the Same One More From My mind, The Impossible is defined, the Supreme Mystery, and infinitely far above any human thoughts.


Fashion Show activities in the city of Samarinda are quite often held, both single events and filler events. The development of clothing in the city of samarinda is currently still developing with the fashion show event that is often held in the city of samarinda as well as the existence of a vocational school in the field of Clothing and Fashion Agency. How to plan a Fashion Center with the concept of Eco-Tech Architecture focus on the principles of the Civic Symbolic. The purpose of this research is to create a Fashion Center in the city of samarinda to support the interests and talents of the people in the field of Fashion with the concept of Eco-Tech architecture focusing on the principles of Civic Symbolis. The method used to achieve goals and objectives consists of primary data and secondary data. The results of the discussion in this study are that the Fashion Center planning using Eco-Tech architectural concepts is focused on the Civic Symbolic principle by adopting a form of dayak shield which is emphasized on the building facade as a point entrance. Analysis of the size of the room with a total area of m², KDH, KDB, with a total of 26 rooms, for the main hall of the exhibition hall and modeling classrooms, site analysis was selected on Jalan M. Yamin, Kelurahan Gunung Kelua. The concept of composition uses axial, the concept of landscape uses formations from fashion. Keyword : Planning, Fashion Center, Eco-Tech


Laboratory animal models are important tools for the identification of avirulent herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) strains which have potential for use in humans as vaccine strains or gene therapy vectors. We have studied an HSV-1 17+ variant, 1716, that has a deletion in the gamma 34.5 gene and which replicates poorly in the footpads of mice and is unable to grow in the mouse central nervous system or dorsal root ganglia (DRG) of the peripheral nervous system following peripheral inoculation. However, 1716 is known to be capable of establishing latent infections in the DRG of mice. Here we show that 1716 is avirulent after ocular infection and has low virulence after intracranial inoculation in SCID mice. Since SCID mice are much more sensitive to HSV-1 infection than immunocompetent mice, our results clearly demonstrate the drastically reduced virulence of the variant 1716 and provide additional support for the hypothesis that this variant would be avirulent in humans.


The integration of digital aerial photogrammetry and Light Detetion And Ranging (LiDAR) is an inevitable trend in Surveying and Mapping field. We calculate the external orientation elements of images which identical with LiDAR coordinate to realize automatic high precision registration between aerial images and LiDAR data. There are two ways to calculate orientation elements. One is single image spatial resection using image matching 3D points that registered to LiDAR. The other one is Position and Orientation System (POS) data supported aerotriangulation. The high precision registration points are selected as Ground Control Points (GCPs) instead of measuring GCPs manually during aerotriangulation. The registration experiments indicate that the method which registering aerial images and LiDAR points has a great advantage in higher automation and precision compare with manual registration.


To explore an efficient strategy for further development of anticancer fluoroquinolone candidates derived from ciprofloxacin, a heterocyclic ring as the bioisosteric replacement of C3 carboxyl group led to a key intermediate, oxadiazole thiol (5), which was further modified to the bis-oxadiazole methylsulfides (7a-7h) and the corresponding dimethylpiperazinium iodides (8a-8h), respectively. Structures were characterized by elemental analysis and spectra data, and their anticancer activities in vitro against CHO, HL60 and L1210 cancer cells were also evaluated by MTT assay. The preliminary results show that piperazinium compounds (8) possess more potent activity than that of corresponding free bases (7).


present, and perchance his future-not so much as an individual as in his relationships to society. To the imaginative-and the unimaginative have no business with this text whatever-one need cite only a few of the chapter headings: "The Rise of the City," "The Ties that Bind," "Slavery," "The Tributary Peoples," "The Fate of the Primitives," to suggest fields of fascination. The analogies drawn between ant societies and human social groups are too close to leave one with a feeling of comfort, much less with a feeling of ascendant superiority. True, indeed, the solutions to their problems effected by the ant society may at times conflict with our ideal procedures, but all too often our own formula is hardy consonant with a boasted intelligence, as those who witness the events of A.D. 1939 may be aware. But despite lapses from grace, one can not but admire the wholly logical manner in which these diminutive beings solve their problems for the good of the group as a whole. It becomes impossible to avoid a suspicion that there must be some fraction of the human brain-power that never becomes fatigued; that mankind, in becoming lords of creation, has somehow neglected to create for himself and his neighbor anything approaching a just and stable society. It is embarrassing to discover that some fifty million years ago the ants so outdistanced us as to attain the stage of the racketeer-and to find a solution. Biologist, student of society, layman, or the reader avid for the latest "Crime of the Month" mystery can do worse than turn these pages.


Anxiety disorders are frequently reported by women diagnosed with eating disorders (EDs). Although this association is long established and rather frequent, the role of anxiety in the onset and maintenance of eating disorders still has to be better under‐ stood. By doing so, engagement in treatment and efficacy of the interventions used will be improved. Thus, the present book chapter aims at investigating anxiety comorbidity in women diagnosed with an ED. First, the prevalence rates of anxiety disorders (AD) in ED samples and similarities and differences between both disorders are presented. Then, the chronology of onset of both disorders and possible explanations of their mechanisms of association are discussed. Finally, treatment considerations are covered.


The NESTA iDiscover workshops, targeted young people aged between 14 and 17 aimed to motivate individual expression, stimulate interaction and enhance social skills and provide experiential learning of design and manufacturing through the making of individualised designs using a mix of materials and basic electronics.
The workshops took the form of a one-day events for 12-15 participants, with two facilitators, to ensure high facilitator-to-participant ratio, depending on the booked attendance.
Participating in the workshops supported the following outcomes: enhanced social skills, familiarity with design and manufacture, self-confidence and an ability to work in a team as well as individually.


Background: Determination of correct working length is one of the keys to success in endodontic therapy. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of various methods to determine working length of root canal. Materials and Methods: Tactile method was assessed using digital radiography and compared with electronic method using apex locator. A total sample of 30 single rooted young permanent teeth the (mandibular first premolars) with matured apices were selected for the study. Access cavity preparation was carried out. Working length was measured by tactile method using digital radiography and electronic method using apex locator with no 15 K file. Actual working length was established by grinding of cementum and dentine from the root apex and was observed under stereomicroscope. Data was collected and statistical analysis was carried out with the help of SPSS-15. Results: The results of this study showed that there was a significant difference between tactile method assessed by digital radiography and electronic method using apex locator. Conclusion: Apex locator was found to be more reliable and accurate when compared with the actual length.


Objective To examine the long-term impact of early treatment initiation of interferon beta-1b (IFNB1b, Betaferon/Betaseron) in patients with a first event suggestive of multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods In the original placebo-controlled phase of BENEFIT, patients were randomised to IFNB1b 250 μg or placebo subcutaneously every other day. After 2 years or diagnosis of clinically definite MS (CDMS), all patients were offered open-label IFNB1b treatment for a maximum duration of 5 years. Thereafter, patients were enrolled in an observational extension study for up to 8.7 years. Results Of the initial 468 patients, 284 (60.7%; IFNB1b: 178 (61.0% of the original arm), placebo: 106 (60.2% of original arm)) were enrolled in the extension study. 94.2% of patients were receiving IFNB1b. Patients originally randomised to IFNB1b had a reduced risk of developing CDMS by 32.2% over the 8-year observation period (HR 0.678; 95% CI 0.525 to 0.875; p=0.0030), a longer median time to CDMS by 1345 days (95% CI 389 to 2301), and a lower annualised relapse rate (0.196 (95% CI 0.176 to 0.218) versus 0.255 (95% CI 0.226 to 0.287), p=0.0012), with differences mainly emerging in the first year of the study. Cognitive outcomes remained higher in the early treated patients. EDSS remained low over time with a median of 1.5 in both arms. Conclusions These 8-year results provide further evidence supporting early initiation of treatment with IFNB1b in patients with a first event suggestive of MS.


Copy number variants (CNVs) are a recently recognized class of human germ line polymorphisms and are associated with a variety of human diseases, including cancer. Because of the strong genetic influence on prostate cancer, we sought to identify functionally active CNVs associated with susceptibility of this cancer type. We queried low-frequency biallelic CNVs from 1,903 men of Caucasian origin enrolled in the Tyrol Prostate Specific Antigen Screening Cohort and discovered two CNVs strongly associated with prostate cancer risk. The first risk locus (P = 7.7 × 10−4, odds ratio = 2.78) maps to 15q21.3 and overlaps a noncoding enhancer element that contains multiple activator protein 1 (AP-1) transcription factor binding sites. Chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C) data suggested direct cis-interactions with distant genes. The second risk locus (P = 2.6 × 10−3, odds ratio = 4.8) maps to the α-1,3-mannosyl-glycoprotein 4-β-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase C (MGAT4C) gene on 12q21.31. In vitro cell-line assays found this gene to significantly modulate cell proliferation and migration in both benign and cancer prostate cells. Furthermore, MGAT4C was significantly overexpressed in metastatic versus localized prostate cancer. These two risk associations were replicated in an independent PSA-screened cohort of 800 men (15q21.3, combined P = 0.006; 12q21.31, combined P = 0.026). These findings establish noncoding and coding germ line CNVs as significant risk factors for prostate cancer susceptibility and implicate their role in disease development and progression.


In this research we have proposed IOT based advanced Online examination using Raspberry pi for Alarm system and border security. With the event of recent education, considering the defect of current online exam system, a replacement projection of online exam system primarily based on Raspberry pi IOT is projected, and also the key implementation techniques and ways also are represented. Internet of Things (IOT) has provided a promising chance to make powerful Examination systems and applications by leverage the growing omnipresence of wireless, RFID mobile and detector devices. a large vary of IOT applications are developed in recent years. In a shot to grasp the event of IOT in on-line examination, here we tend to propose this analysis of IOT, IOT key facultative technologies, major IOT applications in on-line examination and identifies analysis trends and challenges. Here we tend to introduce all the examiner details square measure holds on within the server. Then if somebody needs to starts on-line examination, 1st they ought to apply face recognition (in Open CV based) technique. as a result of it slow unwanted person conjointly enter to Wright the examination, thus this can be the simplest thanks to known any culprits square measure found or not. Then examination enter to Wright the exam, here conjointly I am apply some security. Currently a day's already queries square measure hold on within the on-line or any paper written copy.


In this paper, we recognize Indian Sign Language using gyroscope and accelerometer. The gestures are collected using gyroscope and accelerometer, which is fitted on both the arms of the signer. Gyroscope captures the arm and hand rotation gestures accurately and the accelerometer measures gestures related to vibrations. The obtained gestures are evaluated based on amplitude levels as approved gestures and unapproved gestures.The gesture with high accuracy is extracted from the approved gestures by means of feature extraction technique, where we fix the scale using prior initial values. Min-max scaling method is used in the extraction technique. A particular feature is selected and the selected feature from the dataset is subjected to improved K – means algorithm where clusters are formed. Based on this cluster a classifier is implemented which uses the distance probability technique and thereby the accuracy of the selected feature is found. The algorithm based on inertial sensors produces an accuracy of 96.55% for alphabets and 76.8% for sub words the static gestures are recognized effectively by the hand orientation and improved k-means classifier than the continuous gestures


We have fabricated nanoporous alumina surfaces by means of anodization in oxalic acid in different conditions and used them as the substrates for the growth of cells from a human osteoblast-like cell line. The rough nanoporous alumina substrates have been compared both with smooth standard Petri dishes used as the control and with commercial substrates of similar material. The viability of the cells has been assessed at different culture times of 4, 11, 18, and 25 days in vitro. It turned out that the porous side of the galvanostatically fabricated alumina performed similar to the control and better than the commercial porous alumina, whereas the potentiostatically fabricated porous alumina performed better than all the other substrates at all times, and in particular at the two shortest time periods of 4 and 11 days in vitro. The best performance of the substrates is associated with intermediate surface roughness and feature spacing.


The steel industry is facing two difficult and urgent tasks to reduce CO2 emissions and to use low-grade iron resources effectively. The utilization of an iron ore–carbon composite is one of the promising methods to solve the former. The latter is concerning to goethite ores such as Australian Marra Mamba and pisolite ores, which contain high concentration of combined water. In this study, the effect of combined water on the reduction behavior of the iron ore–coal composites at elevating temperature was examined under inert gas flow.Below 1200 K, the reduction of iron oxide in Marra Mamba ore–coal and pisolite ore–coal composites proceeded faster than that in hematite ore–coal composite. It can be attributed to the larger specific surface area of the ores after decomposition of the combined water. Metallic iron also formed at lower temperature in the composites containing Marra Mamba and pisolite ores. The generation rate of CO gas from these composites showed the maximum value at approximately 1170 K; however, that from the hematite-coal composite gave no peak, because formed metallic iron could act as a catalyst for the gasification of carbon. These results indicate that the reduction of ores with high combined water concentration can proceed at lower temperature. Above 1373 K, however, the reduction rate of these ores in the composite significantly decreased due to a drastic decrease in the specific surface area of the ores and the formation of slag.


We study the Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) interaction between two contact magnetic impurities placed on bilayer graphene (BLG). We compute the interaction mediated by the carriers of the pristine and biased BLG as well as the conduction electrons of the doped system. The results are obtained from the linear-response expression for the susceptibility written in terms of the integral over lattice Green's functions. For the unbiased system, we obtain some analytical expressions in terms of the Meijer $G$ functions, which consist of the product of two oscillatory terms: one coming from the interference between the two Dirac points and the second coming from the Fermi momentum. In particular, for the undoped BLG, the system exhibits the RKKY interaction commensurate with its bipartite nature as expected from the particle-hole symmetry of the system. Furthermore, we explore a beating pattern of oscillations of the RKKY interaction in a highly doped BLG system within the four-band continuum model. Besides, we discuss the discrepancy between the short-range RKKY interaction calculated from the two-band model and that obtained from the four-band continuum model. The final results for the applied gate voltage are obtained numerically and are fitted with the functional forms based on the results for the unbiased case. In this case, we show that the long-range behavior is scaled with a momentum that depends on Fermi energy and gate voltage, allowing the possibility of tuning of the RKKY interaction by gate voltage.


Cerebral venous thrombosis in various clinical conditions, such as congenital heart disease (CHD) and hyper-coagulable states, have been recognized previously. However, dural sinus thrombosis in a pediatric patient with Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APLS) after the repair of a ventricular septal defect (VSD) has not been reported yet. A child who underwent an operation for the surgical repair of VSD under cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) developed a stroke after the procedure. A cranial computer tomography (CT) scan of the patient showed dural sinus thrombosis and severe cerebral edema. APLS and CPB were thought to be the only risk factors of dural sinus thrombosis. This observation warrants attention and screening should be taken into consideration in patients with APLS who carry a higher risk for dural sinus thrombosis after CPB.


Physical properties of polycrystalline CeCrGe3 and LaCrGe3 have been investigated by x-ray absorption spectroscopy, magnetic susceptibility χ(T), isothermal magnetization M(H), electrical resistivity ρ(T), specific heat C(T) and thermoelectric power S(T) measurements. These compounds are found to crystallize in the hexagonal perovskite structure (space group P63/mmc), as previously reported. The ρ(T), χ(T) and C(T) data confirm the bulk ferromagnetic ordering of itinerant Cr moments in LaCrGe3 and CeCrGe3 with TC = 90 K and 70 K respectively. In addition, a weak anomaly is also observed near 3 K in the C(T) data of CeCrGe3. The T dependences of ρ and finite values of Sommerfeld coefficient γ obtained from the specific heat measurements confirm that both the compounds are of metallic character. Further, the T dependence of ρ of CeCrGe3 reflects a Kondo lattice behavior. An enhanced γ of 130 mJ mol−1 K−2 together with the Kondo lattice behavior inferred from the ρ(T) establish CeCrGe3 as a moderate heavy fermion compound with a quasi-particle mass renormalization factor of ∼45.


OBJECTIVE
Several studies have indicated that consumption of oat bran lowers blood cholesterol and this effect has been attributed specifically to oat bran's soluble fiber (beta-glucan). This study was designed to test this hypothesis.

DESIGN
The purified fibre (oat gum, 80% beta-glucan) was isolated, and agglomerated in the presence of maltodextrin to facilitate dispersion in a drink. Subjects consumed the oat gum (2.9 g beta-glucan), or maltodextrin placebo, twice daily for 4 weeks, in a randomized, cross-over design with a 3 week wash-out between phases. Consumption was equivalent to a daily dose of about 70 g of oat bran.

SETTING
The study was with free-living individuals.

SUBJECTS
Twenty hypercholesterolemic male and female adults entered, and 19 completed, the study.

INTERVENTIONS
Blood lipids from fasting individuals were measured weekly throughout the study. Diet was monitored using 3 day food diaries.

RESULTS
There were no significant changes (P > 0.05) in blood lipids during the placebo phase. Mean initial total cholesterol (6.76 +/- 0.13 mmol/l) and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (4.59 +/- 0.14 mmol/l) levels fell throughout the oat gum phase, and at week 4 each was reduced 9% relative to initial values (P = 0.0004 and 0.005 respectively). When oat gum was discontinued, total and LDL cholesterol returned to initial levels. There were no significant changes in high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. Triglyceride levels also remained unchanged except for a singular decrease at week 4 of the oat gum phase relative to the initial value, but not compared to the placebo value. The lowered mean total and LDL cholesterol levels occurred in the absence of any dietary changes.

CONCLUSIONS
The main component of the soluble fibre of oats, beta-glucan, significantly reduced the total and LDL cholesterol levels of hypercholesterolemic adults without changing HDL cholesterol.


TNFα signaling and cytokine levels play a crucial role in cervical immunity and the host response to infections. We investigated the role of liganded and unliganded glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in IL-6 and IL-8 gene regulation in response to TNFα in the End1/E6E7 immortalized human endocervical epithelial cell line. In the absence of glucocorticoids, both decreasing GR protein levels by an siRNA strategy and results with the GR antagonist RU486 suggest a role for the unliganded GR in reduction of TNFα-induced IL-6 and IL-8 mRNA levels in End1/E6E7 cells. Moreover, GR-dependent repression of endogenous IL-6 mRNA as well as a minimal IL-6 promoter-reporter gene is also demonstrated in COS-1 cells in the absence of GR ligand, suggesting a transcriptional mechanism that is not cell-specific. TNFα induced recruitment of both the unliganded GR and GR-interacting protein type 1 (GRIP-1) to the IL-6 promoter. This, together with GRIP-1 overexpression studies, suggests a function for GRIP-1 as a GR co-repressor in this context. TNFα was shown to induce phosphorylation of the unliganded human GR at Ser-226 but not Ser-211, unlike dexamethasone, which induced hyperphosphorylation at both serine residues. Ser-226 is shown to be required for the ligand-independent GR-mediated repression of IL-6 in response to TNFα. Taken together, these results support a model whereby the unliganded GR attenuates TNFα-stimulated IL-6 transcription by a mechanism involving selective phosphorylation and recruitment of the unliganded GR and GRIP-1 to the IL-6 promoter. These findings suggest the presence of a novel autoregulatory mechanism that may prevent overproduction of IL-6 in the endocervix, possibly protecting against negative effects of excessive inflammation.


The aim of this paper is to analyze the evolution of the size distribution of young firms within some selected industries, trying to assess the empirical implications of different models of industry dynamics: the model of passive learning (Jovanovic 1982), the model of active learning (Ericson and Pakes, 1995), and the evolutionary model (Audretsch, 1995). We use a non-parametric technique, the Kernel density estimator, applied to a data set from the Italian National Institute for Social Security (INPS), consisting in 12 cohorts of new manufacturing firms followed for 6 years. Since the patterns of convergence to the limit distribution are different between industries, we conclude that the model of passive learning is consistent with some of them, the active exploration model with others, the evolutionary model with all of them.


Purpose: Nurse managers' behaviors and job satisfaction are commonly addressed in the literature; however, registered nurse perceptions of nurse manager behaviors provide a unique perspective that may inform future strategies designed to enhance RN job satisfaction. The purpose of this study was to assess the perceptions of registered nurses that were explored through focus groups to learn the behaviors of nurse managers that most influence registered nurse's job satisfaction. Methods: Five focus groups were conducted through semi-structured interviews of a total of 28 RNs to provide data that were coded through qualitative content analysis for themes. Findings: The findings provide nurse managers with data related to the perceptions of RNs and the behaviors of managers that influence job satisfaction. In relation to the focus group's discussions, a disconnection was identified between the perceptions of the RNs regarding their actual work issues and the nurse manager's role on the hospital unit. There were five themes that emerged in the category of RNs perceived disconnect between work issues and the manager's role. The daily role, manager meeting time, visibility of nurse managers, no longer a nurse, and RN preferences for the nurse manager role. Conclusion: Findings support past research in relation to the perceptions of RNs wanting to be respected, included in communication, and the need to feel cared for by nurse managers to have higher levels of job satisfaction. This study provided findings important to staff nurses, nurse managers and administration. There is a need for administrator support for nurse manager's ability to spend more time on the unit with RNs to attend to direct care provider relationships and team building through communication with staff is a recommended approach for decreasing the disconnect between RNs and nurse managers.


Considerable evidence supports the association between language learning difficulties and behaviour in young children and this is likely to be particularly true of children raised in social disadvantage. Less is known about the way that different aspects of language, specifically pragmatics, interact with behaviour. This study examines the extent to which pragmatic language skills mediate the relationship between structural language skills and parent report of behaviour. It was carried out with 138 community ascertained monolingual English speaking primary school children raised in an area of marked social disadvantage. We found that pragmatic skills substantially mediate the relationship between language and behaviour in this group of children. Further analyses suggest that the mediational relationship holds for hyperactivity, peer related problems and overall impact score but not for emotional problems, conduct problems or pro-social behaviour. Pragmatic language skills underpin the relationship between language and behaviour in low SES (socio-economic status) children. This is specifically true for children exhibited signs of hyperactivity, peer problems and the perceived impact that these may have on the classroom teacher, parents and other children. These findings need to be replicated in both comparable and different populations but, if the relationship holds, it is likely to have considerable implications for the development of valid and effective interventions in this area. Furthermore they may lead to a more differentiated approach to behavioural difficulties.


The resource allocation models for the evolution of a mixed production of cleistogamous and chasmogamous flowers were tested in four natural populations of Impatiens noli-tangere L. When we incorporated the estimated parameter values into our basic model, under the assumption that the environmental conditions did not change through the reproductive season, the model predicted the obligate chasmogamy in all four populations. However, including the fluctuation of the fertility of chasmogamous flowers in the model, the seasonal switching of chasmogamous and cleistogamous flower production becomes an evolutionary stable strategy, which explains the reproductive behavior of the individuals in two populations. Only after the relationship between the geitonogamy of chasmogamous flowers and the number of chasmogamous flower production was considered in the model did the simultaneous production of both of the dimorphic flowers become an evolutionary stable strategy. Further, the complete model clarifies the reproductive behavior of the individuals in the other two populations.


In Tanzania, the National AIDS Control Program with the support of Non-Government Organizations is scaling-up Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) services to peripheral (rural) health facilities. The aim of scaling-up is to improve availability, access and adherence to ART by all HIV-infected population. HIV-infected persons in peripheral (rural) areas are at increased risk for several medical co-morbidities including tuberculosis, bacterial and parasitic infections. As ART is successfully made universally available, non-AIDS co-morbidities caused by helminths and malaria will emerge as leading problems that will complicate care, adherence to ART and retention. These challenges can be improved by comprehensive and multidisciplinary management strategies. In addition a range of interventions such as counselling, use of treatment assistants and integrated health services delivery need to be enhanced to improve adherence and treatment of co-morbidities. However, concerns are raised regarding proper HIV/AIDS management in the peripheral (rural) settings which focuses on clinical monitoring and treatment of opportunistic infections. Clinical monitoring is based on WHO clinical stages and CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts. Clinicians in the peripheral (rural) settings faces challenges in accessing CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts, HIV and AIDS clinical features not corresponding with WHO clinical stages, co-infections and co-morbidity. The aim of the work reported in this thesis was to conduct research to investigate effects of concurrent parasites infections and challenges of HIV/AIDS case management on peripheral (rural) patients in order to contribute information towards better care for HIV/AIDS patients in Tanzania. The studies were conducted at Tumbi Hospital and Chalinze Health Centre in Tanzania between April 2008 and June 2009. The research consisted of three sub-studies carried out consecutively utilizing different study designs and populations. The first study examined the effects of parasite co-infection on CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts, WHO clinical staging and haemoglobin. In addition, the study attempted to develop a simplified clinical staging by utilizing local experiences HIV/AIDS clinical manifestation. Adult patients registering for the first time at HIV-clinic were clinically examined for malaria parasites and helminths. CD4 counts and haemoglobin were also analyzed. Patients were initiated on treatments according to their respective diagnosis and followed up for six months. At 6 months, clinical procedures were performed similar to first contact assessment. The second study utilized a case-control design to elucidate factors associated with non-adherence to ART. Adult patients attending care and treatment at the study clinics and being on ART for at least three months were studied. Patients with ART adherence of less than 95%; and those with more than 95% were defined as cases and controls respectively. The third study was an observation study which documented experiences and lessons generated in the process of implementing ART services at Chalinze health centre. Clinical procedures were evaluated and document review was carried out to solicit patients' characteristics and enrolment rates.


Solute leaching at the field scale can show considerable variability because of variations in the hydraulic properties of the soil. A simple mechanistic-stochastic model for predicting solute transport on this scale during intermittent flood irrigation is described and a method of calibrating the model independent of any leaching measurements is presented. The model assumes that the pore water velocity varies horizontally across the field but is uniform in the vertical direction. Explicit expressions for chemical diffusion and hydrodynamic dispersion are not included in the model. Instead, horizontal variations in the velocity serve to disperse the solute when measured on a field wide basis. The model requires knowledge of the probability density function for the velocity and estimates of the function parameters. These parameters were estimated from variations in infiltration rates measured within 63 ring infiltrometers and from water retention data. Model simulations of Br − leaching agreed well with most measured data for both position of the tracer peak and the degree of solute spreading, indicating that at least under flood irrigation, variations in infiltration as controlled by soil hydraulic properties explain most of the observed variations in Br − leaching over a field


ISBD(CR):Intenrntiortal Stalldard Bibliographic Description for Serials apid Other Continuing Resources. Revised from tlre ISBD(S):Irrter~rrationAl Standard Bibliograplric Description for Serials. Recommended by the ISBD(S) Workillg Group. Approved by the Standing Committees of the IFL,4 Section on Cataloguing and the IFLA Section on Serial Publicatiolls. Miinchen: Saur, 2002 (UBCIM Publications : N.S., vol.24) ISBN 3-598-11599-7. EUR 68.00.


We have identified and analyzed 41 mutations in p53 in sporadic breast tumors from 136 unselected breast cancer patients and estimate that approximately 40% of such tumors contain p53 mutations. The frequency of G-T transversions and the incidence of guanosine muta tions in the nontranscribed strand of the pSÃŒgene were found to be higher than expected, and we suggest, therefore, that exogenous carcin ogens have an etiological role in sporadic breast cancers. Mutations were recorded in 44 codons of the p53 gene, with no obvious mutational hot-spots, although mutations at codons 175, 194, 273, and 280 ac counted for 25% of the changes. One germ-line mutation was found in 136 patients and so we conclude that constitutional mutation ofp53 may be an uncommon etiological factor in breast cancer.


The aim of the project was to compare the calibration capabilities for high valued capacitance (50 μF) and its losses at MIKES-HUT (Finland) and SP (Sweden). Comparison measurements were performed using 50 Hz alternating voltage of 10 V and 200 V. The results show that either capacitance bridge with lead compensation, or a voltage/current sampling system can be used for accurate determination of capacitance value and its loss angle in the microfarad range


Official guidelines do not consider bone marrow (BM) assessment mandatory in staging canine lymphoma unless blood cytopenias are present. The aim of this study was to find out if blood abnormalities can predict marrow involvement in canine large B-cell lymphoma. BM infiltration was assessed via flow cytometry. No difference was found between dogs without haematological abnormalities and dogs with at least one. However, the degree of infiltration was significantly higher in dogs with thrombocytopenia, leucocytosis or lymphocytosis and was negatively correlated to platelet count and positively to blood infiltration. Our results suggest that blood abnormalities are not always predictive of marrow involvement, even if thrombocytopenia, leucocytosis or lymphocytosis could suggest a higher infiltration. BM evaluation should therefore be included in routine staging in order not to miss infiltrated samples and to improve classification. However, its clinical relevance and prognostic value are still not defined and further studies are needed.


Particle trapping in nine different grassed swales was measured successfully with a standardised runoff event simulation procedure. The percentage of total suspended solids removed ranged from 79 to 98%. It was found that sedimentation processes, rather than grass filtration governed the overall particle trapping efficiency. The highest particle trapping efficiency was observed in the field swales with dense, fully developed turf. A high infiltration rate was beneficial for the particle trapping and an increased swale length made it possible for smaller particles to be captured. A densely vegetated, ten metre long swale, receiving a stormwater flow of 1.0 litres per second, may capture a majority of the waterborne particles with settling velocities larger than 0.1 metres per hour. A simple model of particle trapping efficiency in grassed swales was developed and tested. It was found that mean swale residence time could be used as a design parameter for particle removal in grassed swales. The suggested exponential relationship between mean swale residence time and particle settling velocity associated with a certain trapping efficiency is so far only valid for a limited range of swale designs and residence times.


Many powerful code optimization techniques rely on accurate information connecting the definitions and uses of values in a program. This information is difficult to produce for programs written with pointer-based languages such as C. For values in memory locations, accurate information is difficult to obtain at call sites and pointer-based memory operations. Most compilers conservatively assume that call sites and pointer-based operations may access any memory location. This greatly weakens the effectiveness of many optimizations and leaves opportunities for improvement.
This dissertation examines how to implement an interprocedural pointer analyzer for C in order to provide more accurate information about which memory locations call sites and pointer-based memory operations may access. The key issues of pointer analysis versus alias analysis, modeling of call sites, modeling of the heap, and usage of interprocedural path information are discussed. Solutions given for the first two questions and various solutions for the last two questions were used to build pointer analyzers of varying power and complexity. All versions of the analyzer were tested over a suite of programs, and we demonstrate that pointer analysis for programs of about 30K lines can easily be done with the computational power of current machines. The resulting pointer-analyzed programs were tested, and we show that their performance is better than non-analyzed programs. The data for each analyzers' performance and each analyzed programs' performance was used to look at the trade-offs among analysis time, analysis accuracy, and performance of the analyzed code. These results were also compared with interprocedural MOD/REF analysis. We also show that the analyzer can speed up the execution times of the rest our optimizer.
A new optimization, register promotion, that was specifically designed to use the information generated by pointer analysis was also developed. Register promotion moves a variable that normally resides in memory to a register for portions of the code in which it is safe to do so. Our experimental results for register promotion show that it is effective in reducing memory traffic.


We report the case of a 51-year-old man who underwent arterial myocardial revascularization with the use of bilateral radial arteries, 17 years after undergoing a right pneumonectomy. We used a fast-track anesthesia protocol for the procedure. There was no perioperative complication, and postoperative recovery was uneventful. The patient was discharged from the hospital 5 days after the operation.


REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY
Arabian horses have morphological, muscular and metabolic features designed for endurance races. Their gas exchange and gait variables were therefore measured during a field exercise test. This study presents original respiratory and locomotor data recorded in endurance horses under field conditions.

HYPOTHESIS AND OBJECTIVES
Respiratory gas exchange ratio (RER) of Arabian horses at the speed required to win endurance races (18 km/h for 120-160 km) are <1 and running economy (RE) is also low in order to maintain exercise intensity using aerobic metabolism for long intervals. The purpose of this study was to measure oxygen consumption and gait variables in Arabian endurance horses running in the field in order to estimate RER and RE.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Five Arabian horses trained for endurance racing were test ridden at increasing speeds on the field. Their speed was recorded and controlled by the rider using a GPS logger. Each horse was equipped with a portable respiratory gas analyser, which measured breath-by-breath respiratory variables and heart rate. The gait variables were recorded using tri-axial accelerometer data loggers and software for gait analysis. Descriptive statistics and linear regressions were used to analyse the speed related changes in each variable with P < 0.05 taken as significant.

RESULTS
At a canter speed corresponding to endurance race winning speed (18 km/h), horses presented a VO(2) = 42 ± 9 ml/min/kg bwt, RER = 0.96 ± 0.10 and RE (= VO(2) /speed) = 134 ± 27 l/km/kg bwt. Linear relationships were observed between speed and VO(2,) HR and gait variables. Significant correlations were observed between VO(2) and gait variables.

CONCLUSIONS AND POTENTIAL RELEVANCE
The RER of 0.96 at winning endurance speed indicates that Arabian horses mainly use aerobic metabolism based on lipid oxidation and that RER may also be related to a good coordination between running speed, respiratory and gait parameters.


Summary

1. An artificial glass substratum was incubated in the River Danube for a period of 28 days in order to detect the sequential colonization of microorganisms.

2. Light and fluorescent microscopy showed that microalgae and the picoalgal fraction on the slides increased rapidly over the first 2 weeks of colonization. Diatoms were numerically the most abundant component of the periphyton and their species richness and diversity increased rapidly in the early phase of colonization whereas diversity subsequently increased moderately.

3. Evenness of the diatom community was initially high, lower in the intermediate phase and again higher later on. Succession involving early, intermediate and late colonizer species was observed. Community composition during the first 5 days of colonization was very different from later stages whereas there were only minor changes subsequently.

4. Molecular community analysis by means of terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of PCR amplified 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA genes pointed to even larger differences between the composition of samples obtained early and late in the period.

5. The number of 18S rRNA and 16S rRNA terminal restriction fragments (T-RF-s) was variable over the colonization period and the fragment patterns of both the bacterial and eukaryotic portion of the microbial community were variable, with most T-RF-s unique to a single sample, suggesting a wide diversity and dynamic properties of periphytic organisms.


This paper analyzes the evolution of economic history in the last 65 years. It argues that economic history has followed a path that goes from the strictly use of standard economics applied to economic past (i.e. cliometrics), to a general formal reflection of social history based on more flexible tools (i.e. cliodynamics). While cliometrics was a paradigm based on neoclassical theory and econometric methods, cliodynamics is a research agenda founded in non-neoclassical theoretical frameworks and quantitative methods not based on statistical inference. In that sense, the paper supports the idea that economic history has maintained its relevance in economics literature, despite the decay of particular traditions in the field.


Protein aggregation is being found to be associated with an increasing number of human diseases. Aggregation can lead to a loss of function (lack of active protein) or to a toxic gain of function (cytotoxicity associated with protein aggregates). Although potentially harmful, protein sequences predisposed to aggregation seem to be ubiquitous in all kingdoms of life, which suggests an evolutionary advantage to having such segments in polypeptide sequences. In fact, aggregation-prone segments are essential for protein folding and for mediating certain protein-protein interactions. Moreover, cells use protein aggregates for a wide range of functions. Against this background, life has adapted to tolerate the presence of potentially dangerous aggregation-prone sequences by constraining and counteracting the aggregation process. In the present review, we summarize the current knowledge of the advantages associated with aggregation-prone stretches in proteomes and the strategies that cellular systems have developed to control the aggregation process.


FFT is used in Modern high speed signal processing application. In aforementioned technologies that tends to operate in various operational modes. To implement FFT obviously it not only needs to meet high throughput demand and also it needed to scalable cater selectable N point FFT. Our contribution to this paper is two-fold of our existing method, as proposes for the split radix using Multipath Delay Commutator (MDC) algorithm has the least complex design and less multiplications comparing to radix-2 algorithm. So that it can able to reduce power consumption and area than our existing work. The implementation of power efficient hardware of split radix FFT (SRFFT) is built up by pruning excessive computation. Leveraging this potential, a new architecture of a configurable SRFFT processor is first developed so that unnecessary computations, which yield zeros at the output, are pruned. Simulations show that maximum power saving of around 20% is achieved. The proposed algorithm consists of mixed radix butterflies, whose structure is more regular. It has the conjugate-pair version, which requires less memory.


Aim: Amino acids levels are changed upon glutamine administration, but the impact of glutamine administration on plasma amino acid levels in type 2 diabetes patients remains unclear.
Methods: A placebo controlled, randomized trial was performed with type 2 diabetic patients who consumed 2 supplements containing glutamine (10 g/3 times a day) or placebo (1 g/3 times a day) every day for 6 consecutive weeks. Blood samples were obtained just before initiation of study and again after the patients had received the study supplements.
Results: Dietary supplementation with glutamine didn't affect concentrations of plasma amino acid apart from for threonine. Plasma threonine concentration in intervention group was low at week 6 compared with placebo (glutamine group=111.19 ± 38.60 μmol/l, placebo group=135.30 ± 47.42 μmol/l; P=0.02).
Conclusion: In type 2 diabetes patients, oral glutamine supplementation resulted in a decreased level of threonine.


Wavelet Packet Modulation (WPM) is a novel multicarrier modulation (MCM) technique and a promising alternative to the well established OFDM. However a few key research questions remain to be addressed before WPM can become practically viable. One of them is their sensitivity and vulnerability to time synchronization errors. This is particularly interesting because WPM symbols overlap in the time domain. In this paper we investigate the BER performance degradation of WPM systems in the presence of timing offset and compare it with OFDM. Several well known wavelets such as Daubechies, Symlets, Coiflets, discrete Meyer and biorthogonal wavelets are selected and studied. The result of this research show how these wavelet based systems cope with time synchronization errors and how their performances compare with OFDM.


Estradiol-17 beta (E2) was assayed on plasma samples with an enzyme immunoassay kit and results were compared with values obtained from a specific radioimmunoassay. An overall and specimen-dependent underestimation is found, confirmed by cold E2 recovery experiments. Such a kit is not entirely reliable in ovulation induction monitoring, specially for definition of hCG administration timing.


Fast and cheaper next generation sequencing technologies will generate unprecedentedly massive and highly-dimensional genomic and epigenomic variation data. In the near future, a routine part of medical record will include the sequenced genomes. A fundamental question is how to efficiently extract genomic and epigenomic variants of clinical utility which will provide information for optimal wellness and interference strategies. Traditional paradigm for identifying variants of clinical validity is to test association of the variants. However, significantly associated genetic variants may or may not be usefulness for diagnosis and prognosis of diseases. Alternative to association studies for finding genetic variants of predictive utility is to systematically search variants that contain sufficient information for phenotype prediction. To achieve this, we introduce concepts of sufficient dimension reduction and coordinate hypothesis which project the original high dimensional data to very low dimensional space while preserving all information on response phenotypes. We then formulate clinically significant genetic variant discovery problem into sparse SDR problem and develop algorithms that can select significant genetic variants from up to or even ten millions of predictors with the aid of dividing SDR for whole genome into a number of subSDR problems defined for genomic regions. The sparse SDR is in turn formulated as sparse optimal scoring problem, but with penalty which can remove row vectors from the basis matrix. To speed up computation, we develop the modified alternating direction method for multipliers to solve the sparse optimal scoring problem which can easily be implemented in parallel. To illustrate its application, the proposed method is applied to simulation data and the NHLBI's Exome Sequencing Project dataset


The objective of this study was to determine the effect of a price reduction on salad bar purchases in a corporate cafeteria. We reduced the price of salad bar purchases by 50% during March 2012 and analyzed sales data by month for February through June 2012. We also conducted an anonymous survey. Salad bar sales by weight more than tripled during the price reduction and returned to baseline afterward. Survey respondents reported that the high price of salad relative to other choices is a barrier to purchases. Policies that make the price of salads equal to other choices in cafeterias may significantly increase healthful food consumption.


Importance
Until now, most studies on cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) incidence rates concerned only the first cSCC per patient. Given the increase in incidence rates and the frequent occurrence of subsequent cSCCs per patient, population-based data on the incidence rates of both first and multiple cSCCs are needed.

Objectives
To calculate annual age-standardized incidence rates for histopathologically confirmed first and multiple cSCCs per patient and to estimate future cSCC incidence rates up to 2027.

Design, Setting, and Participants
A nationwide population-based epidemiologic cohort study used cancer registry data on 145 618 patients with a first histopathologically confirmed cSCC diagnosed between January 1, 1989, and December 31, 2017, from the Netherlands Cancer Registry and all patients with multiple cSCCs diagnosed in 2017.

Main Outcomes and Measures
Age-standardized incidence rates for cSCC-standardized to the European Standard Population 2013 and United States Standard Population 2000-were calculated per sex, age group, body site, and disease stage. A regression model with positive slope was fitted to estimate cSCC incidence rates up to 2027.

Results
A total of 145 618 patients in the Dutch population (84 572 male patients [58.1%]; mean [SD] age, 74.5 [11.5] years) received a diagnosis of a first cSCC between 1989 and 2017. Based on incident data, European Standardized Rates (ESRs) increased substantially, with the highest increase found among female patients from 2002 to 2017, at 8.2% (95% CI, 7.6%-8.8%) per year. The ESRs for first cSCC per patient in 2017 were 107.6 per 100 000 person-years (PY) for male patients, an increase from 40.0 per 100 000 PY in 1989, and 68.7 per 100 000 PY for female patients, an increase from 13.9 per 100 000 PY in 1989, which corresponds with a US Standardized Rate of 71.4 per 100 000 PY in 2017 for men and 46.4 per 100 000 PY in 2017 for women. Considering multiple cSCCs per patient, ESRs increased by 58.4% for men (from 107.6 per 100 000 PY to 170.4 per 100 000 PY) and 34.8% for women (from 68.7 per 100 000 PY to 92.6 per 100 000 PY). Estimation of ESRs for the next decade show a further increase of 23.0% for male patients (ESR up to 132.4 per 100 000 PY [95% prediction interval, 125.8-139.0 per 100 000 PY]) and 29.4% for female patients (ESR up to 88.9 per 100 000 PY [95% prediction interval, 84.3-93.5 per 100 000 PY]).

Conclusions and Relevance
This nationwide epidemiologic cohort study suggests that incidence rates of cSCC keep increasing, especially among female patients, and that the occurrence of multiple cSCCs per patient significantly adds to the current and future burden on dermatologic health care. Revision of skin cancer policies are needed to halt this increasing trend.


In this study, joining characteristics of dissimilar Ti and Cu metals have been investigated, when using both an Ag-based eutectic alloy as a filler and an Ag layer present on Ti base metal as a diffusion barrier. The observed microstructures were classified into three characteristic types, depending on the presence of a Ag layer at the Ti interface, e.g. first, the sample retaining thick continuous intermetallic layers, e.g. Ti2Cu, TiCu, Ti3Cu4, Ti2Cu3, and TiCu4 by a significant dissolution of the Ti atoms into the molten filler, in the absence of a Ag coating layer onto the Ti base metal, second, the sample with relatively thin Ti-Cu intermetallic layers by the reduced reaction of Ti with Cu due to a prominent decrease in the Ti dissolution, owing to the role of the Ag coating layer as a diffusion barrier, and finally, the sample without any brittle Ti-Cu intermetallics in the joint by a complete suppression of both the dissolution of the Ti atoms and its reaction with the Cu elements in the molten filler due to the presence of a Ag layer.


Nitric oxide produced by inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS2) has been implicated in the pathophysiology of chronic myocardial remodeling and failure. We tested the role of NOS2 in left ventricular (LV) remodeling early (1 month) and late (4 months) after myocardial infarction (MI) in mice lacking NOS2. MI size measured 7 days, 1 month, and 4 months after MI was the same in NOS2 knockout (KO) and wild-type (WT) mice. The LV end-diastolic pressure-volume relationship measured by the isovolumic Langendorff technique showed a progressive rightward shift from 1 to 4 months after MI in WT mice. LV developed pressure measured over a range of LV volumes was reduced at 1 and 4 months after MI in WT mice (P <0.05 and P <0.01 versus shams, respectively). In KO mice, the rightward shift was similar to that in WT mice at 1 and 4 months after MI, as was peak LV developed pressure at 1 month after MI. In contrast, at 4 months after MI, peak LV developed pressure in KO mice was higher than in WT mice (P <0.05 versus WT) and similar to that in sham-operated mice. At 1 month after MI, the frequency of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL)–positive myocytes in the remote myocardium was increased to a similar extent in WT and KO mice. At 4 months after MI, the frequency of apoptotic myocytes was increased in WT mice but not in KO mice (P <0.05 versus WT). Improved contractile function and reduced apoptosis were associated with reduced mortality rate in KO mice at 4 months after MI. Thus, NOS2 does not play an important role in determining infarct size or early LV remodeling during the first month after MI. In contrast, during late (ie, 4 months after MI) remodeling, NOS2 in remote myocardium contributes to decreased contractile function, increased myocyte apoptosis in remote myocardium, and reduced survival.


This Article reviews some of the factors that have diminished the appeal of merit selection for judges. It examines why merit selection has never been an entirely successful answer for reformers looking for nonpartisan solutions. It advocates addressing other aspects of the judicial office to promote judicial independence. It concludes by suggesting that there be an educational credential for becoming a judge. Such a solution, it is argued, would offer legitimacy to judicial aspirants and would provide independent, accountable, impartial, and well-trained judges regardless of selected method.


Although the image recognition has been a research topic for many years, many researchers still have a keen interest in it. In some papers, however, there is a tendency to compare models only on one or two datasets, either because of time restraints or because the model is tailored to a specific task. Accordingly, it is hard to understand how well a certain model generalizes across image recognition field. In this paper, we compare four neural networks on MNIST dataset with different division. Among of them, three are Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), Deep Residual Network (ResNet) and Dense Convolutional Network (DenseNet) respectively, and the other is our improvement on CNN baseline through introducing Capsule Network (CapsNet) to image recognition area. We show that the previous models despite do a quite good job in this area, our retrofitting can be applied to get a better performance. The result obtained by CapsNet is an accuracy rate of 99.75\%, and it is the best result published so far. Another inspiring result is that CapsNet only needs a small amount of data to get the excellent performance. Finally, we will apply CapsNet's ability to generalize in other image recognition field in the future.


The management of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has undergone a major revolution in diagnosis and treatment over the past few years. The detection of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation has enable advanced NSCLC to be treated with EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKls). However, most patients treated with first- or second-generation EGFR-TKls inevitably develop acquired resistance and disease progression.
Objectives
This study was conducted to determine the incidence of T790M mutation as an acquired resistance mechanism in patients with advanced EGFR-mutant NSCLC who have developed disease progression while on first- or second-generation EGFR-TKI therapy, and the clinical characteristics of such patients while being treated at the University of Malaya Medical Centre. This study also aimed to compare the clinical characteristic of patients with acquired T790M mutation, causing resistance to first-line EGFR-TK I treatment, with that of patients who develop resistance to first-line EGFR-TKI treatment not due to acquired T790M mutation.
Methods:
This retrospective observational study evaluated EGFR-mutant advanced NSCLC patients on EGFR-TKI therapy who have developed disease progression during the period from 1st August 2015 to 211d August 20 17 at University of Malaya Medical Centre. Patients with disease progression according to Jackman's criteria underwent liquid and/or tissue re-biopsy to detect the secondary T790M mutation in exon 20 of the EGFR gene.
Results:
The data from a total of 68 patients who met the study inclusion criteria were analysed. Six patients underwent only liquid biopsy 36 patient underwent tissue re-biopsy and 15 underwent liquid biopsy and 11 tissue re-biopsy. Out of the 68 patients studied, T790M mutation was detected in 35 patients (51.4° o). T790M mutation was detected in the plasma of I 0 patients in tissue re- biopsy specimens of 20 patients and in both the plasma and tissue re-biopsy specimens of 5 patients. From the total of 68 patients, 57 (84.0%) were treated with first-generation EGFR-TKI and II were treated with second generation EGFR-TKI. Patients treated with first-generation EGFR-TKI were less likely to develop T790M mutation compared to those treated with second-generation EGFRTKI (52.6% vs 45.5%, p=0.9 15). The duration of first-line EGFR-TKI treatment was numerically longer in those patients who acquired T790M mutation (l 3.8 months) compared to those who did not (II. I months) (p =0.21). A higher proportion of patients who did not acquire T790M mutation had a better ECOG performance status of 0-1 (60.6%) at the time of disease progression compared to those who developed progression due to acquired T790M mutation (28.6%) (p=0.028).
Conclusions:
T790M mutation was identified as the acquired resistance mechanism causing first-line EGFR-TKI treatment failure in 51.4% of our patients. There was no difference in the clinical and treatment characteristics between patients with or without acquired T790M mutation as the cause of resistance to first-line EGFR-TKI treatment. At the time of disease progression, compared to patients with acquired T790l\1 mutation a significantly higher proportion of patients who did not h:\\ c acquired T790M mutation had a better ECOG performance status. The duration of first-line EGFR-TKI treatment was longer in those patients who acquired T790M mutation compared to those who did not.


Abstract. The effect of plantations on mean annual streamflow is well understood and, there are robust methods available for assessing the impact. Plantations also affect streamflow regime, leading to reductions in low flow and increased number of zero-flow days. Understanding changes in streamflow regime following plantation expansion is important for developing water resources and environmental flow strategy. This study evaluated the impacts of plantations on streamflow regime from 15 catchments in Australia. The selected catchments range in size from 0.6 to 1136 km2 and represent different climatic conditions and management practices. The catchments have at least 20 yr and in most cases 35 yr of continuous daily streamflow data and well documented plantation records. Catchments with perennial streamflow in the pre-treatment periods showed relatively uniform reductions in most flows after plantation expansions, whereas catchments with ephemeral streamflow showed more dramatic reductions in low flows, leading to an increased number of zero-flow days. The Forest Cover Flow Change (FCFC) model was tested using the data from the selected catchments and comparison of predicted and observed flow duration curves showed that 14 of the 15 catchments have coefficients of efficiency greater than 0.8. The results indicate that the model is capable of predicting plantation impacts on streamflow regime.


Preparation of a Colloid Solution of Au/Silica Core-Shell Nanoparticles Surface-Modified with Cellulose and its X-ray Imaging Properties
Objective: The aim of this paper is to describe the preparation of a colloid solution of Au nanoparticles that are coated with silica and simultaneously surface modified with carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) (Au/SiO2/CMC) and to investigate the X-ray imaging of mice using the colloid solution.
Methods: The reduction of Au ions (III) with sodium citrate produced Au nanoparticles, and amino groups were introduced on the surface of the Au nanoparticles by using (3-aminopropyl)-trimethoxysilane. The Au nanoparticles with amino groups were silica coated by a sol-gel process using tetraethylorthosilicate, (3-aminopropyl)- triethoxysilane, water and sodium hydroxide in ethanol (Au/SiO2- NH2). After concentrating the as-prepared Au/SiO2-NH2 particle colloid solution by centrifugation, CMC was immobilized on the Au/ SiO2-NH2 particle surface with the addition of CMC to the Au/SiO2- NH2 particle colloid solution.
Results: The Au/SiO2/CMC particles, with a size of 67.4 ± 5.4 nm containing a core of a single Au nanoparticle with a size of 17.9 ± 1.3 nm, were produced using the preparation conditions adopted in the present work. A computed tomography (CT) value that was as high as 344 ± 12 Hounsfield units (HU) was recorded for the Au/SiO2/CMC particle colloid solution with an Au concentration of 0.043 M. Its converted value was calculated by dividing the Au concentration into the recorded CT value and was 8.0×103 HU/M. This value was larger than that of Iopamiron 300, a commercial X-ray contrast agent. The Au/SiO2/CMC particle colloid solution was injected into the tail vein of a mouse and could be used to image the tissues.
Conclusion: The Au/SiO2/CMC particle colloid solution obtained in the present work was successfully used for X-ray imaging.


Energy used to overcome unwanted friction is causing millions of tons of CO2 emission per year. In passenger cars, for example, about a third of the entire fuel consumption is spent to overcome friction [1]. Since the early 1990 s it is realized that one potential way to reduce frictional losses is the improvement of the surface topography of sliding surfaces by micro-texturing. The aim of micro-texturing is either to increase or to decrease friction. Communicating textures, like channel so crossed channels are reported to do both, increase or decrease friction, depending on the tribological conditions. Furthermore, for noncommunicating textures like dimples the effect to reduce friction is reported, especially under hydrodynamic lubrication conditions. When filler materials like carbon, graphite, glass fibres are added in the PTFE, a composite is formed which improves mechanical & thermal properties of that composite. It increases hardness and wear resistance, while the coefficient of friction is slightly affected and remains low. In this survey, we study various papers in which various methods & experiments were carried out for calculating friction & wear resistance of various compositions of polymers. So it is easy to understand properties & behaviour of polymers under various test conditions.


: A number of authors assumed a compression syndrome of the radial nerve or its branches to be responsible for the heterogenous classified picture of radiohumeral epicondylopathy. Various structural and functional stenoses have been discussed as possible causes. We performed electromyographies on the extensor muscles, subdividing from the radial epicondyle and found significant (p < 0.05) changes in 27/51 patients regarding latency, velocity of neural conduction and rate of polyphasic potentials. Especially affected were the extensor carpi radialis brevis and extensor digitorum muscle. These findings were confirmed by torque measurements and histologic observations from both muscular and tendon biopsies. In summary, we believe the model of a neurogenous origin of radio-humeral epicondylopathy to be an appropriate explanation.


Preface. 1. Introduction:. Challenges to Aesthetic Empiricism. Methodological Interlude: The 'Pragmatic Constraint' on the Ontology of Art. Aesthetic Empiricism and the Philosophy of Art. 2. Aesthetic Empiricism:. Indirect Arguments Against Aesthetic Empiricism. 3. The Fine Structure of the Focus of Appreciation:. The Structure of the Focus of Appreciation. 4. The Artwork as Performance: An Argument from Artistic Intentions:. Overview. The Bearing of Provenance on Work and Focus. Artistic Intentions and the Ontology of Art. Interpretation and Intention. A Role for Actual Intentions. Ontological Implications. Conclusions. 5. Provenance, Modality, and the Identity of the Artwork:. Preliminaries. 6. Artwork, Action, and Performance. 7. Art as Performance:. Elaborating the Performance Theory. Structure and Focus. Heuristics and the Individuation of Artworks. Work--Constitution and Modality on the Performance Theory. Performances, Actions, and Doings. 8. Revisionism and Modernism Revisited. 9. Performance as Art. 10. Defining 'Art' as Performance, and the Values of Art:. Notes Towards a Definition of 'Art'. The Values of Art. Conclusions: The Case Against Contextualism. References. Index


Distance and online education are becoming increasingly common in the current era. Along with many purely online and distance education universities, many conventional universities are also offering programs through distance education. Students studying in distance education programs have a different environment, culture, study habits, and other factors that may influence them and their motivation level. This study compares academic motivation levels between conventional and distance education students studying in a Turkish university program. Data were collected from 218 students through the Academic Motivation Scale. Independent T-test and Chi-square tests were used to analyze the data with the help of the SPSS program. The results show that the academic motivation level of the students in a conventional program is statistically significantly higher than those studying through a distance program. Moreover, while there were differences based on all three demographical variables (age, gender, and grade), statistically significant differences were found only based on age and grade. The study suggests that there is a need to add motivational materials and strategies for distance education students. This especially becomes important for those conventional education students who have been forced to learn through distance/ online education during Covid-19.


Student access to arts education, and the quality of such instruction in the nation's public schools, continue to be of concern to policymakers, educators, and families. Specifically, research has focused on the questions: To what extent do students receive instruction in the arts? Under what conditions is the instruction provided? The passing of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was a significant move by the Senate, as they had not considered K-12 public education legislation on the Senate floor since 2001. Under this federal law, the arts are included as part of a "well-rounded education" requiring that the arts have equal billing with reading, math, science, and other disciplines in K-12 public education. This designation is an acknowledgement of the relevance of the arts in a complete education and means that the arts may be an eligible expenditure of funds for federal education programs (Davidson, B., Kahn, G., & Fitzsimons, I., 2015, p. 2). This research contributes to the discussion of public K-12 arts education funding and programming in the era of the ESSA.


In this article, I examine a corpus of texts that address the 1973 war; these texts cover the period from 1981 to 2011, marking the beginning and end of Hosni Mubarak's rule. Utilizing Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), I explore how Mubarak's regime employed the war to legitimize its power and defend its policies by deploying longstanding culturally-embedded 'macro themes'. These macro themes refer to the war as an overwhelming and undisputed 'Egyptian victory' and, more significantly, they portray Mubarak himself as 'war personified/war personalized'. The analysis of linguistic and extra-linguistic features in al-Ahram newspaper (the mouthpiece of the state), among other media texts on the war, show how the discursive construction was made consistent, coherent and resonant in a managed context that characterized the political and media landscapes. Depending on unique access to those who produced, edited and even censored the texts under analysis, this method unravels a complex set of cultural messages and conventions about the war, and fills a lacuna in the literature by offering insight into the deliberate and well-coordinated process of shaping and reshaping a specific discourse for a specific purpose.


The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has prioritized efforts to increase diversity in the biomedical research workforce. NIH-funded institutional career development awards may serve as one mechanism to facilitate these efforts. In 2013, the Duke University KL2 program, an internal career development program funded by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, set a goal to increase the number of investigators from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups (UREGs) to ≥ 50% of KL2 awardees. From 2013 to 2019, 133 KL2 applications were received, 38% from UREG investigators. Of the 21 scholars selected, 10 (47.6%) were UREG investigators; all were Black/African American. This represents a threefold increase in the proportion of UREG applications and a sixfold increase in the proportion of UREG KL2 scholars compared with Duke's previous KL2 cycles (2003-2012), during which only 13% of applicants and 8.3% of funded scholars were UREGs. Of the 12 KL2 scholars (7 UREG) who completed the program, 5 have received NIH funding as principal investigators of an external K award or R01, and 4 of them are UREG investigators; this constitutes a post-KL2 NIH funding success rate of 57% (4/7) for UREG scholars. Achieving this programmatic priority was facilitated by institutional support, clear communication of goals to increase the proportion of UREG KL2 awardees, and intentional strategies to identify and support applicants. Strategies included targeted outreach to UREG investigators, partnerships with other institutional entities, structured assistance for investigators with preparing their applications, and a KL2 program structure addressing common barriers to success for UREG investigators, such as lack of consistent mentorship, protected research time, and peer support. The authors' experience suggests that KL2 and other internal career development programs may represent a scalable, national strategy to increase diversity in the biomedical research workforce.


In response to the public's concerns about animal welfare in swine husbandry, the pig (Sus scrofa domesticus) sector introduced improved measures to focus on single rather than multiple dimensions of animal welfare concerns without accounting for their impact on public attitudes. These measures failed to improve attitudes to pig husbandry. The present study uses a more comprehensive approach by evaluating animal welfare measures in terms of their effect on animal welfare, farm income and public attitudes. Four measures were defined for each of the following societal aspects of sow husbandry: piglet mortality; tail biting and the indoor housing of gestating sows. A simulation model was developed to estimate the effects of the measures and Data Envelopment Analysis used to compare measures in terms of their effects on animal welfare, farm income and public attitudes. Only piglet mortality measures were found to have a positive effect on farm income but they showed a relatively low effect on animal welfare and public attitudes. The most efficient measure was that which included straw provision, daylight and increased group sizes for gestating sows. The level of improvement of a measure on animal welfare did not necessarily equate to the same level of improvement in public attitudes or decrease in farm income.


In order to realize the reusability and flexibility of the information system and to easily integrate it with other systems, a service-oriented modeling method is mainly studied based on IBM-SOMA methodology together with UML, object-oriented method and component technologies. The method's lifecycle consists of requirement analysis, service-oriented analysis, and service-oriented design. The activities of each phase are illustrated by the following example: the development of an e-commerce platform to provide the guidelines and references to the new development of service-based system.


Abstract Throughout the life span, exposure to chronic stress such as child maltreatment is thought to contribute to future dysfunction of the stress response system (SRS) through the process of adaptive calibration. Dysfunction of the SRS is associated with numerous health and behavior problems, so it is important to understand under what conditions and what time frame adaptive calibration occurs. The present study tested for adaptive calibration of the SRS in a sample of maltreated (n = 303) and nonmaltreated (n = 151) youth during the important developmental period of adolescence. Data were used from Waves 2, 3, and 4 of a larger study of the consequences of maltreatment on health and well-being. At each time point, participants underwent the Trier Social Stress Test for Children and provided a baseline and four poststressor saliva samples to measure cortisol reactivity. Adaptive calibration was tested by performing a latent profile analysis using the five samples of salivary cortisol provided at each time point, and testing whether maltreatment status predicted the likelihood of profile membership at Time 2, Time 3, and Time 4. Three cortisol profiles emerged from the data at each time point (blunted, moderate, and elevated), and results indicated that maltreated youth were more likely than nonmaltreated youth to present with the blunted cortisol profile compared to the moderate and elevated profiles at Time 2 and Time 3, even after controlling for recent exposure to violence and trauma. At Time 4, there was no longer a difference in profile membership between maltreated and nonmaltreated youth, suggesting adaptive calibration may be a lengthy process requiring a period of years to become evident. Overall, the findings provide support for adaptive calibration and offer insight into the conditions under which adaptive calibration occurs.


An attempt has been made to investigate feasibility of thixoextrusion for AZ31 Mg wrought alloy through simple partial remelting. Microstructural evolution of AZ31 Mg wrought alloy for thixoextrusion was investigated as functions of isothermal holding temperature and time in the partially remelted semisolid state. The interesting point of this study was that the thixotropic structures of AZ31 Mg wrought alloy without additional pretreatment could be obtained through simple partial remelting. The uniform average grain size and liquid fraction according to the isothermal holding time were very important for the thixoextrusion. Because, it is must be considered on actual extrusion time. The liquid fraction was increased with increasing isothermal holding temperature and time. But, the liquid fraction was almost uniform after 10 min. The average grain size was decreased with increasing isothermal holding temperature. On the other hand, as the holding time increased, the average grain sizes were uniform at 615 and 622. This phenomenon is very useful for thixoextrusion in terms of process control such as actual extrusion time.


Biotechnology
Microbes are wizards at making structurally intricate and bioactive molecules, but their products are usually only made in small quantities for local consumption. Zhou et al. demonstrate how thoughtful design and a bit of tinkering can lead to much greater yields of oxygenated taxanes, a precursor of the antitumor drug paclitaxel. First they split the job between a bacterium and a yeast. Second, they switched the fuel for these microbial factories from glucose (which the yeast turned into ethanol, which sedated the bacteria) to xylose (which the bacteria consumed and turned into acetate, which fed the yeast).

Nat. Biotechnol. 33 , 10.1038/nbt.3095 (2015).


Background: Surgery and anesthesia are essential parts of global healthcare. Surgical intervention has been largely beneficial but remains associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The increasing complexity of surgical interventions has made providers more prone to avoidable errors. The World Health Organization Surgical Safety Checklist (WHO SSC) was disseminated worldwide with the aim of reducing perioperative morbidity and mortality. Objective: There is a paucity of data to assess awareness and use of WHO SSC in low- and middle-income countries. The aim of this study is to evaluate the knowledge and use of WHO SSC by Nigerian anesthetists. Methodology: A structured self-reporting questionnaire was distributed to Nigerian physician anesthetists. One hundred and twenty-two questionnaires were distributed with 102 completed reflecting a response rate of 83.6%. Results: Awareness of the WHO SSC was reported by 93.1% of the respondents. Routine use of the checklist was reported by 62.7% of the respondents mostly in the teaching hospitals compared with the general hospitals and comprehensive health centers (86.2%, 23.3% and 14.3%, P = 0.0001). The respondents who had a perception that WHO SSC does not prevent errors were the least likely to use it (odds ratio: 0.08, P = 0.0117). Conclusion: This study identified a high level of awareness and use of the WHO SSC by physician anesthetists in Nigeria. However, its use is mostly use of The WHO SSC list by Nigerian anesthetists in teaching hospitals.


I study the diffuse flux of electron antineutrinos from stellar collapses with direct black hole formation (failed supernovae). This flux is more energetic than that from successful supernovae, and therefore it might contribute substantially to the total diffuse flux above realistic detection thresholds. The total flux might be considerably higher than previously thought, and approach the sensitivity of Super-Kamiokande. For more conservative values of the parameters, the flux from failed supernovae dominates for antineutrino energies above 30-45 MeV, with potential to give an observable spectral distortion at megaton detectors.


This paper aims to explore the cultural foundations of polite speech and analyze its usage and practice in modern Chinese. A language mirrors the culture it is associated with. Grounded in the Chinese tradition and the teachings of Confucianism, the emphasis on rites, propriety and humility led to the development of polite language from the early imperial time. Because of the absence of related syntactic features, Chinese linguistic politeness is predominantly manifested on the lexical level. A rich array of decorous terms and expressions has been evolved accordingly to express courtesy or respect either verbally or in formal writing. In general, the lexicon of politeness can be classified into four major categories, namely, honorifics, humble language, courteous speech, and euphemisms.


Forty five (45) samples of local poultry feed ingredients were collected from three different depots in Kaduna metropolis, Northwestern, Nigeria. Feed raw materials, such as Fish Meal (FM), Soya Beans Meal (SBM), Groundnut Cake (GNC), Palm kernel Cake (PKC) and Brewer Dried Grain (BDG) were sampled at the depots. These were subjected to mycological examination. Four genera of fungi isolated were Aspergillus, Rhizopus, Mucor and Penicillium. The highest mycoflora count (19.3 x 10 3 ) was obtained from Add-more feeds depot, followed by Al-Mahmud Feeds depot (10.0 x 10 3 ), while the least counts of (5.7 x 10 3 ) were from Feed xtra depot. Rhizopus sp was more predominant of all the species. The difference in the mould counts from the different depots was found to be as a result of differences in their storage and processing methods.


There is a close relationship between grammatical description and language typology. I illustrate this relationship by looking at the impact of translational descriptions on our knowledge of noun phrase syntax and word morphology in Kiswahili. For example, one Bantu tradition describes locative nouns as prepositional nouns or adverbs and their phrases as PPs. The descriptions arise because the nouns translate as prepositions or adverbs or prepositional phrases in l.o.ds. Another tradition takes the view that Kiswahili locative nouns are not really nouns but forms of nouns. I conclude that language description ought to reflect not only the teacher's knowledge of the mechanics of linguistic science but also the typology of the l.u.d.


This textbook, now in its second edition, provides a broad introduction to both continuous and discrete dynamical systems, the theory of which is motivated by examples from a wide range of disciplines. It emphasizes applications and simulation utilizing MATLAB®, Simulink®, the Image Processing Toolbox® and the Symbolic Math toolbox®, including MuPAD. Features new to the second edition include · sections on series solutions of ordinary differential equations, perturbation methods, normal forms, Grobner bases, and chaos synchronization; · chapters on image processing and binary oscillator computing; · hundreds of new illustrations, examples, and exercises with solutions; and · over eighty up-to-date MATLAB program files and Simulink model files available online. These files were voted MATLAB Central Pick of the Week in July 2013. The hands-on approach of Dynamical Systems with Applications using MATLAB, Second Edition, has minimal prerequisites, only requiring familiarity with ordinary differential equations. It will appeal to advanced undergraduate and graduate students, applied mathematicians, engineers, and researchers in a broad range of disciplines such as population dynamics, biology, chemistry, computing, economics, nonlinear optics, neural networks, and physics.


In recent years, considerable progress has been achieved in deciphering the cellular and network functions of GABAergic transmission in the intact developing brain. First, in vivo studies in non-mammalian and mammalian species confirmed the long-held assumption that GABA acts as a mainly depolarizing neurotransmitter at early developmental stages. At the same time, GABAergic transmission was shown to spatiotemporally constrain spontaneous cortical activity, whereas firm evidence for GABAergic excitation in vivo is currently missing. Second, there is a growing body of evidence indicating that depolarizing GABA may contribute to the activity-dependent refinement of neural circuits. Third, alterations in GABA actions have been causally linked to developmental brain disorders and identified as potential targets of timed prophylactic interventions. In this article, we review these major recent findings and argue that both depolarizing and inhibitory GABA actions may be crucial for physiological brain maturation.


The morpho-histology in relation to food and feeding habits of the intestine in the fry, fingerling and adult of Cirrhinus mrigala (Hamilton), a freshwater major carp, has been described. The intestine has been observed to be shortest in the fry (carnivorous) and longest in the adults (herbivorous) with intermediate values in the fingerlings (omnivorous). The mucosal folds of the intestine have also been observed to be adapted according to the nature of the dietary prevailing in the different life history stages. The food appears to have a marked influence on the morpho-histology of the villi and the number of mucous cells/unit area of the fry, fingerling and adult. The sub-mucosa, muscularis and tunica propria are characteristic in the fry, fingerling and adult.


With the explosion of machine learning at the edge, there's a major need for privacy-preserving machine learning for edge devices. As the number of devices in homes and other private spaces increases, we can expect to see more malicious actors exploiting the inherent recording capabilities in these systems to harm people. This paper proposes that machine learning is not the problem, but rather a solution, which along with the use of a secure enclave, offers a pragmatic approach to preserving privacy. With a simple programming framework, we show how machine learning application developers can be as productive as usual, while still keeping user data private. We demonstrate our implementation for privacypreserving machine learning on an embedded system, the Nordic NRF5340 PDK with Arm Cotex-M-33, using a relatively large model for person-detection.


Based on a representative sample of Stockholm school-children born in 1943, the association between the height at 10 years of age and the selection to higher and lower education at the same age was examined for upper and lower social groups defined by the father's occupational status. The hypothesis that there is a link between height and change of social position even among children was examined. Upwardly mobile boys (lower class boys selected for higher education) were taller than those staying in their social position. Downwardly mobile boys (higher class boys selected only for elementary education) were smaller than those remaining in their social position. The same tendency was found for girls — although not statistically significant.


supplement to SDD. In: san Saene HKF, Stoutenbeek Cl', Lawin P, Ledingham IM, eds. Infection control by selective decontamination. Berlin: Springcr Verlag, 1989:102-8. 7 Svdow hi, Burchardi T, Fraatz T, et al. Prevention of nocosomial pneumonia in mechanically ventilated patients in a respiratory intensive care unit. Intensive Care Med 1988;14:S3 10. 8 Kerver AJH, Rommes JH, Mevissen-Verhage EAE, et al. Prevention of colonisation and infection in critically ill patients: a prospective randomised study. Crit Care Med 1988;16: 1087-93.


Thiol terminated pentaalkynylbenzene (PA) units were synthesized for coating on gold nanoparticles (GNPs) in order to obtain materials with a combination of the properties of GNPs and discotic nematogens. The PA unit with the longest terminal alkyl spacer was found to exhibit a discotic nematic (ND) mesophase at room temperature which was preserved even after coating them on GNPs. The effect of GNPs on the orientational order parameter and the dielectric properties of the ND mesophase have been investigated from various physical measurements. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of a room-temperature discotic nematic liquid crystal made of gold nanoparticles.


Sustained hypertension is an important consequence of obstructive sleep apnea. An animal model of the hypoxemia associated with sleep apnea, chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH), produces increased sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) and sustained increases in blood pressure. Many mechanisms have been implicated in the hypertension associated with CIH, including the role of ΔFosB within the median preoptic nucleus (MnPO). Also, the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) has been associated with CIH hypertension. We conducted experiments to determine the possible association of FosB/ΔFosB with a RAS component, angiotensin-converting enzyme 1 (ACE1), within the MnPO following 7 days of CIH. Retrograde tract tracing from the paraventricular nucleus (PVN), a downstream region of the MnPO, was used to establish a potential pathway for FosB/ΔFosB activation of MnPO ACE1 neurons. After CIH, ACE1 cells with FosB/ΔFosB expression increased colocalization with a retrograde tracer that was injected unilaterally within the PVN. Also, Western blot examination showed ACE1 protein expression increasing within the MnPO following CIH. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays demonstrated an increase in FosB/ΔFosB association with the ACE1 gene within the MnPO following CIH. FosB/ΔFosB may transcriptionally target ACE1 within the MnPO following CIH to affect the downstream PVN region, which may influence SNA and blood pressure.


Thermoelectric materials are a promising class of
direct energy conversion materials, usually consisting of highly
doped semiconductors. The key to maximizing their thermal to
electrical energy conversion lies in optimizing three inter-related
material properties, thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity,
and Seebeck coefficient. All three properties are affected by the
carrier concentration of the thermoelectric material. In practice,
tedious trial-and-error testing is needed to determine the optimal
carrier concentration for the maximum figure-of-merit, ZT. Theory
and computer simulations of thermoelectric properties can aid the
determination of new thermoelectric materials, but several
challenges remain. The bandgap is a key piece of bandstructure
information, but is difficult to determine for heavily doped
thermoelectric materials. Under heavy doping conditions, the
effective mass and bandgap both change due to the formation of
Urbach band tails and other defect states within the bandgap.
Furthermore, bandgaps of heavily doped materials are difficult to
observe optically, due to significant amounts of carriers in
defects states within the bandgap. Conventional optical measurement
techniques relying on transmittance change require extremely thin
samples, on the order of microns for thermoelectrics. Photoacoustic
spectroscopy is used in this work to optically probe the
thermoelectric bandgap, without the need to produce thin samples.
Photoacoustic spectroscopy allows simultaneous measurements of the
thermal conductivity and optical absorption coefficient. In this
work, a relative measurement is devised to reduce the need to
carefully control experimental parameters such as light input and
microphone gain. Semiconductor theory is discussed to account for
the band-filling effects, and a method is proposed to extrapolate
the true electronic bandgap from the Burstein-Moss shift of the
absorption edge due to heavily doping.


Those who commit gross human rights violations have historically not been held accountable for their actions. That is no longer the case. The modern trend is to prosecute individuals who commit human rights atrocities. As the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has stated, international law has evolved from an "old era of impunity" to a "new age of accountability." Most international scholars would support this trend. However, the prospect of criminal prosecution may cause human rights violators to to be more reluctant to give up power and agree to any peaceful resolution of a conflict. This article makes the case that a one size fits all approach which mandates criminal accountability in each and every instance in which human rights have been violated may actually make it more difficult in some situations to achieve peace. Therefore, a more flexible approach is required. This article suggests that in some circumstances, the international community should be able to forgo prosecutions if the U.N Security Council determines that the prospect of criminal prosecution may hinder the peaceful resolution of a conflict. This article proposes that the Security Council be given the authority to grant amnesty to human rights violators if it decides that is what is necessary in order to restore international peace and security.