Surgical infections are one of the most common types of infections encountered in a hospital. Staphylococcus aureus is the most common pathogen associated with this infection. These infections are resilient and difficult to eradicate, as the bacteria form biofilm, a community of bacteria held together by an extracellular matrix. Compared to bacteria that are planktonic, bacteria in a biofilm are more resistant to antibiotics. The mechanism behind how bacteria develop this resistance and establish a chronic infection is unknown. We demonstrate that mazEF, a toxin-antitoxin gene, inhibits biofilm formation and promotes biofilm antibiotic tolerance which allows S. aureus to transition from an acute to chronic infection that cannot be eradicated with antibiotics but is less virulent. This gene not only makes the bacteria more tolerant to antibiotics but makes the bacteria more tolerant to the host. ABSTRACT Staphylococcus aureus is the major organism responsible for surgical implant infections. Antimicrobial treatment of these infections often fails, leading to expensive surgical intervention and increased risk of mortality to the patient. The challenge in treating these infections is associated with the high tolerance of S. aureus biofilm to antibiotics. MazEF, a toxin-antitoxin system, is thought to be an important regulator of this phenotype, but its physiological function in S. aureus is controversial. Here, we examined the role of MazEF in developing chronic infections by comparing growth and antibiotic tolerance phenotypes in three S. aureus strains to their corresponding strains with disruption of mazF expression. Strains lacking mazF production showed increased biofilm growth and decreased biofilm antibiotic tolerance. Deletion of icaADBC in the mazF::Tn background suppressed the growth phenotype observed with mazF-disrupted strains, suggesting the phenotype was ica dependent. We confirmed these phenotypes in our murine animal model. Loss of mazF resulted in increased bacterial burden and decreased survival rate of mice compared to its wild-type strain demonstrating that loss of the mazF gene caused an increase in S. aureus virulence. Although lack of mazF gene expression increased S. aureus virulence, it was more susceptible to antibiotics in vivo. Combined, the ability of mazF to inhibit biofilm formation and promote biofilm antibiotic tolerance plays a critical role in transitioning from an acute to chronic infection that is difficult to eradicate with antibiotics alone. IMPORTANCE Surgical infections are one of the most common types of infections encountered in a hospital. Staphylococcus aureus is the most common pathogen associated with this infection. These infections are resilient and difficult to eradicate, as the bacteria form biofilm, a community of bacteria held together by an extracellular matrix. Compared to bacteria that are planktonic, bacteria in a biofilm are more resistant to antibiotics. The mechanism behind how bacteria develop this resistance and establish a chronic infection is unknown. We demonstrate that mazEF, a toxin-antitoxin gene, inhibits biofilm formation and promotes biofilm antibiotic tolerance which allows S. aureus to transition from an acute to chronic infection that cannot be eradicated with antibiotics but is less virulent. This gene not only makes the bacteria more tolerant to antibiotics but makes the bacteria more tolerant to the host.


: Climatic warming in Russia presents a real hazard to population health. The authors consider effects of warming on prevalence of a range of infectious and parasitic diseases and stress that nowadays the most sufficient evedence has been obtained for West Nil fever and Crimea fever. Long-term dynamic stationary observations are necessary to obtain sufficient data on other infectious diseses. In cities abnormally high temperatures cause elevation of cardiovascular mortality, including myocardial infarction mortality, as well as growth of drowning and suicide rate.


Light beams carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) have led to stunning applications in various fields from quantum information to microscopy. We examine OAM from the recently observed high-harmonic generation (HHG) in semiconductor crystals. HHG from solids could be a valuable approach for integrated high-flux short-wavelength coherent light sources. First, we verify the transfer and conservation of the OAM in the strong-field regime of interaction from the generation laser to the harmonics. Secondly, we create OAM beams by etching a spiral zone structure directly at the surface of a zinc oxide crystal. Such diffractive optics act on the generated harmonics and produces focused optical vortices with sub-micrometric size.


This paper highlighted the clinical strategies for implementing minimum intervention dentistry (MID) in dental practice and in dental education in resource challenged practice environments (developing economies). The objectives of each of the 4 phases of minimum intervention treatment plan (MI Identify, MI Prevent, MI Restore and MI Recall) were highlighted and three levels of caries risk (Low risk, High risk and Super high risk) were adopted with the appropriate targeted preventive non restorative treatments. Three evaluation rating scales were introduced (early recall evaluation rating scale, caries control evaluation rating scale and oral health outcome evaluation rating scale) for monitoring the success or failure of counselling, the targeted preventive (non-surgical) treatments and the oral health outcome. Practitioners and academics in resource challenged practice environments should embrace MID with open minds, its goal is maximum preservation of healthy oral tissues with oral health promotion and targeted preventive non- surgical treatments as its cornerstones. Furthermore, MID is mercury free and will safeguard our environment from mercury pollution for the benefit of future generations.
Keywords: Minimum intervention dentistry, mercury free dentistry, dental practice, dental education, resource challenged practice environments


Abstract Consider a projective limit G of finite groups Gn. Fix a compatible family δn of coactions of the Gn on a C*-algebra A. From this data we obtain a coaction δ of G on A. We show that the coaction crossed product of A by δ is isomorphic to a direct limit of the coaction crossed products of A by the δn. If A=C*(Λ) for some k-graph Λ, and if the coactions δn correspond to skew-products of Λ, then we can say more. We prove that the coaction crossed product of C*(Λ) by δ may be realized as a full corner of the C*-algebra of a (k+1)-graph. We then explore connections with Yeend's topological higher-rank graphs and their C*-algebras.


The purpose of the study is to examine pedagogue's awareness of environment, interactions and working methods in the work of multilingual children. The study can give us knowledge about the work that is in the process of multilingual children. The study may also give us an idea of how cooperation takes place between preschool teachers and the native language teachers in the work of multilingual children. The study has given us a deeper knowledge of the interaction between native language educators, children and preschool teachers. The importance of the preschool teacher´s skills and awareness for the children´s language development and the cooperation between preschool teachers, native language teachers and children are also important to this study. Therefore it is important to see how the interaction contributes to multilingual children´s development in preschool. In this study we have also received native language teachers and preschool teacher´s perspective why the native language is important for bilingual children. The research method we chose for our study was the qualitative method. The qualitative method indicated how researchers can obtain the raw data. Four preschool teachers and three native language educators were interviewed (Denscombe, 2009). The result revealed that the cooperation between pedagogues, pedagogues working methods and its conditions played a role in how the two parties were working along with multilingual children. The result also presented that preschool teachers and native language teachers both strive to have a good cooperation with each other. In our study, we assumed Vygotsky's sociocultural theory which involves educators should use communication and collaboration to help bilingual children develop their language.


: The authors set out to answer the question (a) whether there are stress conditions in the life histories of Nigerian diabetic patients and (b) whether diabetic patients have complaints which have psychiatric significance. With regard to the first question, important biographic data of 54 diabetics were elicited. A constellation of significant stressful life situations was found among the diabetics such as early loss of father, being first borns, born of polygamous parents, being themselves polygamous, being the children of the first wives, and producing many children without having the adequate professions to yield the necessary financial resources to train them. Loneliness was not seen as part of these stressful life situation since almost all of them were married. With regard to the second question, the Enugu Somatization Scale was administered to the above mentioned diabetics (n = 54). It was found that about 37% of the diabetics have somatic symptoms which are indicative of psychiatric disturbance.


SUMMARY:  A 57‐year‐old man was admitted to hospital because of motor aphasia on 16 September 2000. He had an approximate 2‐year history of haemodialysis treatment, since April 1997, and had received a cadaveric renal transplantation in July 1999. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a mass with ringed enhancement in the left temporal‐parietal lobe. Primary central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma (diffuse large B cell type) was diagnosed based on an open brain tumour biopsy. Epstein–Barr virus early RNA (EBER) in situ hybridization showed positive signals in the nuclei of the CNS lymphoma cells. A dose reduction of immunosuppressant and three series of high‐dose methotrexate (MTX) therapy with leucovorine rescue followed by irradiation (whole brain irradiation, 30 Gy; partial brain tumour irradiation, 20 Gy) were carried out for his primary CNS lymphoma. The patient is currently in good condition (September 2004) with no enlargement of the lymphoma, as examined by MRI every 3 months, and preserved renal function.


Objective: To determine whether the presence of in vitro penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae increases the risk of clinical failure in children hospitalised with severe pneumonia and treated with penicillin/ampicillin. Design: Multicentre, prospective, observational study. Setting: 12 tertiary-care centres in three countries in Latin America. Patients: 240 children aged 3–59 months, hospitalised with severe pneumonia and known in vitro susceptibility of S pneumoniae. Intervention: Patients were treated with intravenous penicillin/ampicillin after collection of blood and, when possible, pleural fluid for culture. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) test was used to determine penicillin susceptibility of the pneumococcal strains isolated. Children were continuously monitored until discharge. Main outcome measures: The primary outcome was treatment failure (using clinical criteria). Results: Overall treatment failure was 21%. After allowing for different potential confounders, there was no evidence of association between treatment failure and in vitro resistance of S pneumoniae to penicillin according to the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI)/National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS) interpretative standards (adjRR = 1.03; 95%CI: 0.49–1.90 for resistant S pneumoniae). Conclusions: Intravenous penicillin/ampicillin remains the drug of choice for treating penicillin-resistant pneumococcal pneumonia in areas where the MIC does not exceed 2 μg/ml.


This communication describes the fabrication of three-dimensional structures of organic polymers using principles of design inspired by protein folding. The structures consist of rigid polyhedral components with dimensions of a few millimeters ("microdomains"), representing alpha-helical and beta-sheet secondary structures, connected with flexible linkers representing loops or turns. These structures were fabricated from polyurethane using photolithographic and soft lithographic techniques. The surfaces of the microdomains were patterned into hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions, and a hydrophobic photocurable liquid (serving both as lubricant and adhesive) was selectively precipitated onto the hydrophobic areas. The unfolded structures were suspended in water and agitated by tumbling. Self-assembly occurred through coalescence of the thin films of hydrophobic liquid, and was caused by minimization of the free energy of the interface between the liquid adhesive and the water. The self-assembled structures were locked in place by curing the adhesive with UV light. These results demonstrate the use of concepts abstracted from the study of proteins-including attractive hydrophobic interactions, shape complementarity, and conformational constraint-in the self-assembly of complex, three-dimensional structures on the millimeter scale.


Inflammation and oxidative stress play main roles in neurodegeneration. Interestingly, different natural compounds may be able to exert neuroprotective actions against inflammation and oxidative stress, protecting from neuronal cell loss. Among these natural sources, Cannabis sativa represents a reservoir of compounds exerting beneficial properties, including cannabigerol (CBG), whose antioxidant properties have already been demonstrated in macrophages. Here, we aimed to evaluate the ability of CBG to protect NSC-34 motor neurons against the toxicity induced from the medium of LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Using MTT assay, we observed that CBG pre-treatment was able to reduce the loss of cell viability induced by the medium of LPS-stimulated macrophages in NSC-34 cells. Indeed, CBG pre-treatment inhibited apoptosis, as shown by the reduction of caspase 3 activation and Bax expression, while Bcl-2 levels increased. Furthermore, CBG pre-treatment counteracted not only inflammation, as demonstrated by the reduction of IL-1β, TNF-α, IFN-γ and PPARγ protein levels assessed by immunocytochemistry, but also oxidative stress in NSC-34 cells treated with the medium of LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7. Indeed, immunocytochemistry showed that CBG pre-treatment reduced nitrotyrosine, SOD1 and iNOS protein levels and restored Nrf-2 levels. All together, these results indicated the neuroprotective effects of CBG, that may be a potential treatment against neuroinflammation and oxidative stress.


Nicotinamide (NA) prevents macrophage- and interleukin-1 (IL-1)-mediated β-cell damage in vitro as well as diabetes development in animal models of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). IL-1 β-mediated inhibition of insulin release and damage to β-cells are associated with intracellular production of nitric oxide (NO) radicals. Therefore, we studied whether NA prevented IL-1 β-induced islet NO production, measured as nitrite release from isolated rat islets, and, if so, whether this action was associated with prevention of IL-1 β-mediated inhibition of insulin release. NA dose- and time-dependently inhibited and delayed IL-1 β-induced islet NO production. Light microscopy detected that 25 mM of NA protected against IL-1 β-induced islet damage. Five to 50 mM of NA dose-dependently reduced inhibition of accumulated islet insulin release induced by 150 pg/ml of IL-1 β. NA was not able to reverse the reduced ability of IL-1 β-treated islets to respond to an acute glucose challenge. NO or nitrite did not interact directly with NA, because NA did not reduce sodium nitroprusside-generated nitrite. No-synthase inhibition with L-arginine depletion abolished NO production but only partially reduced IL-1 β-induced inhibition of accumulated insulin release. Complete inhibition of IL-1 β effects could not be obtained by adding L-arginine analogues to L-arginine-depleted medium, indicating that an NO-independent action of IL-1 β on islet insulin release may exist. These results suggest a novel mechanism for NA-mediated protection of IL-1–induced P-cell damage via an inhibitory effect of NA on the formation of NO.


The green crab (Carcinus maenas) population was investigated in a coastal lagoon (Santo André) located on the southwest coast of Portugal. This study assessed the spatial-temporal variability of green crab abundance in the lagoon and its relationship with environmental variables. Experimental fishing was used to collect data on abundance, size structure and other demographic characteristics. Sampling was conducted monthly in 2019 at five sites, using fyke nets. From a total of 15063 individuals collected, 3898 were analysed. The highest catches were obtained in winter and at sites closer to the sea. The population was male-biased (58.70% of males and 41.30% of females), with an average carapace width of 48.81 mm for males and 40.79 mm for females. Ovigerous females were most abundant in December and January, and 50% were sexually mature at 45.11 mm. Based on data from the experimental fishing and fishermen's logbooks, the estimated annual catch of green crab ranged from 1873 to 3354 kg/ha, confirming the potential value of its fishery in the lagoon. This resource can be exploited for multiple purposes, including its meat or shell waste, thus contributing to the circular economy. Considering that green crab is a bycatch of the eel fishery, fishing regulations need to be modified to safeguard the stocks of both species.


Since 2004, when the Constitutional Affairs Select Committee suggested greater transparency was required in the family courts, much time has been expended debating the merits of opening up the family courts. The law has been amended to permit accredited media representatives to attend Children Act 1989 proceedings.

In Children Act proceedings, where children and families risk permanent separation, there are strong arguments for greater transparency of judicial decision-making. However, the children involved in these proceedings are also afforded rights to privacy by the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

In Children Act proceedings, which are either instituted by adult family members or by the state, children do not choose to become involved in court proceedings. There are particularly strong reasons for protecting children's privacy. Where consultations have sought children's views, children have expressed concern about media attendance at court and resulting interference with their privacy.

This article considers the tensions between openness and privacy in Children Act proceedings. It discusses the current legal provisions. In light of suggestions that many children are unaware of the possibility of the media attending proceedings concerning them or are otherwise unable to object to such attendance, it explores how children participate in court proceedings relating to them. It concludes that the real issue is not how children object to interferences into their private lives, but how we afford transparency without interfering with privacy at all.


1. The sensitivity of isolated tail artery strips from adult spontaneously hypertensive (SH) and normotensive rats to endogenously released and exogenously applied noradrenaline was compared. Release or displacement of endogenous noradrenaline was obtained with electrical stimulation, tyramine, elevated potassium and potassium-free solution. Isometric contractile responses were measured before and after acute denervation with 6-hydroxydopamine or before and after treatment with phentolamine. 2. The sensitivity to exogenous noradrenaline of innervated arterial strips was similar for SH and normotensive rats. Acute denervation produced a significant shift to the left in the concentration-response curve to noradrenaline only in SH rat arterial strips. 3. Contractile responses to electrical stimulation and tyramine were similar in both groups before denervation. Contractile responses to potassium-free solution were greater in SH than in normotensive arterial strips. After denervation the SH and normotensive vessels responded similarly to these interventions. Contractile responses to elevated potassium were similar in both groups before and after treatment with phentolamine. 4. The results suggest that the sensitivity of vascular smooth muscle cells to noradrenaline is greater in denervated arterial strips from SH rats than in those from normotensive rats. Under most experimental conditions, the junctional concentration of noradrenaline released or displaced from the adrenergic nerve endings is less in arterial strips from SH than in those from normotensive rats. Apparently, the adrenergic neuroeffector nerve terminals in hypertensive blood vessels can modulate the junctional concentration of noradrenaline so that the contractile response to this agent is similar to that in normotensive blood vessels.


Background: Research into prevalence and public health importance of easily-culturable and inhalable indicator microbial flora of unused toiletrolls had not been previously reported in Nigeria. This study therefore, aims at determining physical characteristics and microbial profiles of unused toilet rolls, and their public health importance.
Methods: Using microbial cultural methods and standard phenotypic taxonomic tools, 200 easily-culturable bacterial strains, randomly isolated from 371 unused Nigerian toilet-rolls obtained from 10 states, in a threeyear period: year 1 [n = 111]; year 2 [n = 59] and year 3 [n = 30] were identified. Antibiotic susceptibility profiles of the isolated bacterial strains were determined by agar disc-diffusion method.
Results: Most of the unused toilet rolls had pH of 7–8; significantly high microbial loads and high concentrations of paper dusts. Isolated indicator microbial flora included Bacillus, Citrobacter, Clostridium, Corynebacterium, Escherichia, Enterobacter, Klebsiella, Micrococcus, Morganella, Proteus, Pseudomonas, Salmonella, Shigella, Micrococcus, Staphylococcus, Aspergillus, Botyriodiplodia, Candida, Cephalospora, Curvularia, Fusarium, Malbranchea, Neurospora, Penicillium and Scopulariopsis species, some of which were toxigenic. Most-prevalent microbial species were Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, E. coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, Staph. aureus, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus niger, Botyriodiplodia, Candida and Penicillium chrysogenum species. Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial flora, which were maximally sensitive to undiluted disinfectants, exhibited varying antibiotic resistance profiles, with significant resistance to amoxicillin, augmentin (90.0-100%), cotrimoxazole (40.0-90.0%) and tetracycline (33.3-90.0%).
Conclusions: This first reported study, highlighted prevalence of inhalable paper dusts, some toxin-producing fungi, and multiple antibiotic-resistant indicator bacteria of clinical importance in unused contaminated toilet rolls, which without adequate process control have harmful domestic and occupational health implications.


The Holy See has been actively involved in international relations since its very beginnings. Today, its role in the formation of international human rights instruments is seen by many as "symbolic," based largely on its concerns as a universal moral witness to humanity.In this paper, I contend that the Holy See's role in promoting human rights in international affairs is not solely symbolic; rather, its diplomacy is based more on pragmatic considerations of promoting its conceptions of the universal common good and the fundamental right to life than is currently recognized. By examining the Beijing and Cairo Conferences, and especially the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, it is clear that the Holy See makes important distinctions between "hard" and "soft" law and is willing to engage in compromise, not merely acting in a symbolic role.


Determination radon concentrations in dwelling in South of Kalimantan Province by using a passive method had been conducted. South Kalimantan is a province in Indonesia and also known as a coal mining area which has the potential for internal exposure of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) to the human. The research area divided into several sections called grid. Each grid represents a 60 km × 60 km area that installed passive radon monitoring 10 population. Passive radon monitors installed in the dwelling with exposures time approximately 3-4 months and then radon monitors were collected and brought to the laboratory for processing and then read the track to calculate the radon concentrations. The data concentrations of radon in the dwelling and GPS location as an input to the make a map of radon concentration by using MapInfo Software v.10.5. The results of the analysis of the concentration of radon in the dwelling of South Kalimantan in the ranged 3.1 ± 0.2 Bq m-3 up to 94.0 ± 6.7 Bq m-3. The result was lower than the reference level radon set by UNSCEAR was 300 Bq m-3. These data are useful in the development plans and regional development, as well as the basis for health policy analysis due to radon in Indonesia. Furthermore, these data will be the contribution of Indonesia in the international world through UNSCEAR, IAEA and WHO. The data obtained as an input in making a map of the concentration of radon in houses of Kalimantan Selatan as part of the map of the concentration of radon in Indonesia.


The hydroxyl radical (OH) is one of the most important oxidants in the atmosphere, as it is involved in many reactions that affect regional air quality and global climate change. Because of its high reactivity, measurements of OH radical concentrations in the atmosphere are difficult, and often require careful calibrations that rely on the production of a known concentration of OH at atmospheric pressure. The Indiana University OH instrument, based on the Fluorescence Assay by Gas Expansion technique (FAGE), has been calibrated in the laboratory using two different approaches: the production of OH from the UV-photolysis of water-vapor, and the steady-state production of OH from the reaction of ozone with alkenes. The former technique relies on two different actinometric methods to measure the product of the lamp flux at 184.9-nm and the photolysis time. This quantity derived from N 2 O actinometry was found to be 1.5 times higher than that derived from O 2 actinome-try. The water photolysis and ozone-alkene techniques are shown to agree within their experimental uncertainties (respectively 17% and 44%), although the sensitivities derived from the ozone-alkene technique were systematically lower by 40% than those derived from the water-vapor UV-pho-tolysis technique using O 2 actinometry. The agreement between the two different methods improves the confidence of the water-vapor photolysis method as an accurate calibration technique for HO x instruments. Because several aspects of the mechanism of the gas phase ozonolysis of alkenes are still uncertain, this technique should be used with caution to calibrate OH instruments.


The core goal of this thesis project is to formalize the complex system that exists naturally in a formal classroom environment. The three factors that are considered in this study are the roles of the student, the roles of the teacher, and the respective environments from which these members arise and how these act as determinants of curriculum development and design. At the curricular scale, educational practices should be treated as a complex system composed of various inherently connected concepts and exchanges of ideas and ways of knowing. This synthesis of previous work and ongoing research efforts employs a network theory mediated analysis to investigate the affordances of curriculum and, in particular, its alignment with student learning processes. Via the utilization of various lenses of network theory, connected curriculum design, and modern learning curve theory, this body of research generates the postulate that education is inherently a complex system at various scales and stages of the learning process. Therefore, the task of a proper educator lies in elucidating these connections and helping students make their own connections. A network theoretic perspective of the precalculus curriculum proves to be helpful in identifying and motivating key features of the subject as they appear in course texts. Of these, hubs and time-series developments of relevant computed metrics have been particularly useful in mapping the alignment between the preset goals of the precalculus course, as identified in previous literature and execution of taxonomic principles. At the same time, this analysis has also been valuable in identifying the trajectory of the textbook curricula to adequately prepare precalculus students for success in calculus and beyond. Highly successful texts retain inherent commonalities, including the display of a power law with respect to frequency distribution of connected topics ( = 0.05). The most well-connected topics (hubs) are regarded as necessary markers of classroom discourse, and the extent to which they are considered in taxonomical goals is measured with respect to the empirical distributions of both the intended curriculum and enacted curriculum. Moreover, the implications of this work seek to assist in the optimization of the complex system synthesizing various feedback-based designs within educator roles, student response, and the interactions between the two as they pertain to various stages of the curriculum development process. This allows both students and educators alike to personalize learning through standardized exhaustive procedure and provide an equity-based environment conducive towards 'meaning making' or assigning new meaning from the foundation of old ideas. The results of this study aim to not only provide a deeper understanding of how intended and enacted curriculums interact with each other, but also considers to what extent the components of an andragogical system can be refined via the magnitude of their presence in both course materials and feedback provided directly by active participants in the learning environment.


Author(s): Krumholz, MR; Thompson, TA; Ostriker, EC; Martin, CL | Abstract: © 2017 The Authors. Winds arising from galaxies, star clusters, and active galactic nuclei are crucial players in star and galaxy formation, but it has proven remarkably difficult to use observations of them to determine physical properties of interest, particularly mass fluxes. Much of the difficulty stems from a lack of a theory that links a physically realistic model for winds' density, velocity and covering factors to calculations of light emission and absorption. In this paper we provide such a model. We consider a wind launched from a turbulent region with a range of column densities, derive the differential acceleration of gas as a function of column density, and use this result to compute winds' absorption profiles, emission profiles and emission intensity maps in both optically thin and optically thick species. The model is sufficiently simple that all required computations can be done analytically up to straightforward numerical integrals, rendering it suitable for the problem of deriving physical parameters by fitting models to observed data. We show that our model produces realistic absorption and emission profiles for some example cases, and argue that the most promising methods of deducing mass fluxes are based on combinations of absorption lines of different optical depths, or on combining absorption with measurements of molecular line emission. In the second paper in this series, we expand on these ideas by introducing a set of observational diagnostics that are significantly more robust than those commonly in use, and that can be used to obtain improved estimates of wind properties.


The fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) has been applied to many purposes for civil engineering structures not only for new structures but also for strengthening of the deteriorated structures. Many researches have been done as an effort to apply the FRP materials for strengthening, particularly due to an increase on load requirement, a change of use or due to a degradation problem or some design/construction defects. However, widely application is still questionable until a fundamental understanding of bonding behavior is clearly available. This paper is mainly focused on the study of the debonding behavior of FRP sheet patched on the tensile fiber of concrete beam. A series of GFRP sheet reinforced concrete beams with various length and width of GFRP sheet was prepared. For the purpose of purely investigation on the GFRP sheet as reinforcement, all beams were not reinforced by steel bars. The beams were loaded under four points bending test. Results indicated that debonding of GFRP sheet started on the flexural cracks and it was propagated to the sheet end.


Although acute renal failure developing due to malignancies is a frequent condition, malignant renal infiltration is rarely observed among these causes. Among all malignant diseases, the hematolymphoid malignancies are the most prone to renal infiltration. Other types involved in cases with lymphoma are glomerulopathies, including immune-complex glomerular diseases such as minimal change disease, membranous glomerulonephritis, membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. We present herein the rare case of a 22-year-old male with both membranous glomerulonephritis and CD20 (+) lymphoid infiltration related to Hodgkin's lymphoma in the renal interstitial tissue, as detected on biopsy. The patient was treated with adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine protocol after pulse corticosteroid treatment, and a dramatic improvement in renal function was observed after 2 days of treatment. In this article, an exceptional renal involvement of Hodgkin's lymphoma is discussed in light of the related literature.


In the last 20 years, per capita food production in the sub-Saharan Africa has been declining, and this trend is likely to continue into the 21st century. However, production of root crops particularly, cassava, has been increasing faster than the population growth rate. In some countries such as Nigeria and Ghana, cassava production has doubled in 10 years. Cassava in Africa is used mainly for direct food consumption by householders. However, there is a new trend to use cassava as a raw material for the formal food industry (fast food, snacks, and bread) and for other industries (animal feed, starch, chemical, and pharmaceutical). A pilot project to disseminate the production of high quality cassava flour for the baking industry has revealed that farmers participating in such projects experience significant income increase and are motivated to try new technologies. There is need to identify technologies that meet the resource-poor farmer or processor conditions while producing the quality products required by the consumer at a price they are prepared to pay. Such technologies will enable cassava to play a major role in the development of the rural areas where cassava is grown. This study will present scenarios for the use of cassava as a commodity for the poverty alleviation and empowerment of the rural areas in cassava-growing countries in Africa.


Globalization plays an important role in our society. There is a need to be connected and have the ability to reach any place in the world, for this purpose different networks or systems had been created such as Internet, transportation and communication systems, the power grid, social networks etc., which can be classified as complex networks and each of them is specialized in a need. These networks should have a high resilience against possible failures in any of its nodes. That can occur either randomly or because of planned attacks. Against this failures, the network should be able to redirect their flow through other nodes that are still operative. Recent studies have considered models for node cascade failures that lead to a network collapse as it has happened recently in real life networks like Twitter, Facebook, the global router network and the European electrical network. In this TFG we analyse the behaviour of different networks properties (random, small-world, scale-free, modular, geometrical, etc.) when they are confronted to node cascade failures. We study which network invariants and parameters affect the process. We have performed simulations and analysed the results by using the Python's package "NetworkX", which allows the creation, manipulation and analysis of complex networks. To perform the analysis we have compared the obtained behaviours according to the network structure and the nodes' functions. Afterwards, we have used the data from a real-life network like the USA air transport network and we have compared it with the behaviour of the generated networks. By this, the research shows us that what makes a network to collapse is mainly its structure instead of its centrality, and to reduce the network collapsing risk it is necessary that all nodes are well-connected among them at a local level.


An inherent difficulty in sensor-data-driven fault detection is that the detection performance could be drastically reduced under sensor degradation (e.g., drift and noise). Complementary to traditional model-based techniques for fault detection, this paper proposes symbolic dynamic filtering by optimally partitioning the time series data of sensor observation. The objective here is to mask the effects of sensor noise level variation and magnify the system fault signatures. In this regard, the concepts of feature extraction and pattern classification are used for fault detection in aircraft gas turbine engines. The proposed methodology of data-driven fault detection is tested and validated on the Commercial Modular Aero-Propulsion System Simulation (C-MAPSS ) test-bed developed by NASA for noisy (i.e., increased variance) sensor signals.


The paper presents a methodology for simulating the static and dynamic performance of integrated circuits in the presence of electro-thermal interactions on the integrated circuit die. The technique is based on the coupling of a finite element method (FEM) program with a circuit simulator. In contrast to other known simulator couplings a time step algorithm is used, Its implementation in simulation tools is described. The thermal modeling of the die/package structure and the extended modeling of the electronic circuit is discussed. Simulation results which indicate the capabilities of the methodology for electro-thermal simulation are compared to experimental results.


Subtentorial subdural empyema is a rare form of intracranial suppuration. We present two cases treated at our department within the last 11 years. The common source was an ear infection. Both patients presented with headache, fever, vomiting and stiff neck. Only one patient had disturbed consciousness. Both patients received aggressive antibiotic therapy. The first patient was treated with suboccipital craniectomy and evacuation of pus collection, while the second patient was treated conservatively with antibiotics and ventriculoperitoneal shunt for his associated supratentorial hydrocephalus. Both blood cultures and empyema collection were sterile. Neuroimaging with computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging permitted accurate diagnosis and localization of the purulent collections. At follow up of 11 years for the first case and 10 months for the second, both patients had complete neurological recovery except for right mild sixth nerve palsy in the patient with conservative treatment.


Background and purpose — The prevalence of chronic renal disease (CRD) is rising worldwide. Patients with CRD are more likely to have associated medical problems and are at greater risk of postoperative morbidity and mortality. We evaluated patient characteristics and risk of early revision, surgical site infection (SSI), thromboembolic events, mortality, and re-admission of patients with CRD undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA). We hypothesized that this patient population would have higher rates of complications. Patients and methods — We conducted a retrospective analysis of data that had been prospectively collected by a Total Joint Replacement Registry. All primary TKAs performed from 2005 through 2010 were included. 41,852 primary TKA cases were evaluated, of which 2,686 (6.4%) TKA procedures had been performed in CRD patients. Patient characteristics, comorbidities, and general health status were evaluated. Cox proportional hazard regressions and logistic regressions were used to evaluate the association of CRD with outcomes while adjusting for confounding variables. Results — The mean age of the CRD cohort was 67 years and approximately two-thirds of the patients were female. The median follow-up time was 2.1 years. Compared to TKA patients without CRD the CRD patients were older, had poorer general health, and had a higher prevalence of comorbidities. They had a higher incidence of deep SSI (0.9% vs. 0.7%), superficial SSI (0.5% vs. 0.3%), deep vein thrombosis (0.6% vs. 0.4%), any-time mortality (4.7% vs. 2.4%), 90-day mortality (0.4% vs. 0.2%), and 90-day re-admission (10% vs. 6.0%) than patients without CRD. However, after adjustment for confounding variables, CRD patients were at 1.9 times (95% CI: 1.1–3.5) increased risk of superficial SSI, 1.3 times (CI: 1.1–1.6) increased risk of re-admission within 90 days, and 1.5 times (CI: 1.2–1.8) increased risk of mortality at any point after the procedure. The risks of all other complications were not statistically significantly different in patients with CRD compared to patients without CRD. Conclusions — CRD patients undergoing TKA have more comorbidities and a higher risk for superficial SSI, 90-day re-admission, and any-time mortality.


1. Removal of both lobes of the pituitary gland, or of the anterior lobe ( i.e. pars anterior and pars tuberalis) alone lead to a 22 per cent. fall in the potassium content of the serum. 2. Subsequent regeneration of the pars tuberalis has no effect on the lowered serum potassium level. 3. It is suggested that the pars anterior is the main constituent of the pituitary controlling, directly or indirectly, the potassium content of the serum.


A common problem in agricultural credit markets in developing countries is the coexistence of a competitive market equilibrium interest rate and credit rationing. The literature typically explains the existence of credit rationing in competitive credit markets using adverse selection and moral hazard. Unfortunately these analyses are not consistent with the empirical reality that developing countries deal with in terms of subsidized credit, especially in the agricultural sector. This paper presents an alternative explanation for credit rationing in the agricultural sector in developing countries based on the fact that the requested loans are usually for small amounts, with many farmers making applications. As a result, the costs of operation increase with the number of loans given, so that inefficiencies in credit allocation occur when national development banks are present. It is shown that credit rationing can be reduced if shutting-down the national development bank is a feasible policy. Two other cases show that a national development bank is welfare-improving if an incentive compatible contract is used.


The algebra of functions on κ-Minkowski noncommutative space-time is studied as algebra of operators on Hilbert spaces. The representations of this algebra are constructed and classified. This new approach leads to a natural construction of integration in κ-Minkowski space-time in terms of the usual trace of operators.


In response to the changing demands of the U.S. healthcare system and the needs of the nursing profession, the Institute of Medicine, in collaboration with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, spearheaded a two-year initiative to develop recommendations for the future of nursing.1 Discussions of these recommendations within nursing education led to the development of innovative curricula aimed at educating nurses to not only lead change, but also be socially responsible citizens. One educational model that has been developed is academic service-learning, a particular form of experiential education characterized by mutually beneficial campus-community partnerships that emphasize "learning 'with' the community as distinct from learning 'in' the community." This article describes one Catholic university's approach to enhancing nursing curricula by using service-learning pedagogy grounded in Jesuit values to better prepare nursing leaders for healthcare in the twenty-first century. The servicelearning experiences that resulted from this initiative provided opportunities to build collaborative relationships in the community, addressed health concerns identified by members of high-needs urban communities, and engaged students in critical reflection focusing on urban challenges and health disparities. The findings suggest that by incorporating the Jesuit values of cura personalis, reflective practice, and social justice into service-learning opportunities, undergraduate nursing students develop skills to be socially responsible nursing leaders and, at the same time, learn to work collaboratively with communities to address their health needs.


The Story of Jesus has inspired the pen of the learned and the tongue of the eloquent. But it is best told in childlike language. The wonderful spectacle needs no human coloring. Its glory surpasses the art of men. It shines brightest in its own luster. In these pages no effort is made toward artificial embellishment. The plain story, as told by one who is moved by a deep sense of the infinite proportions of the subject, has been put into the language of the young. In its simplicity not only does it speak to the hearts of the young, but it meets the desire expressed by us all in the familiar song-"Tell me the story simply, as to a little child." May it be received in the same simplicity and purity of faith.


The Caledonides are a major orogenic belt that stretches from the Arctic, through Scandinavia, East Greenland, Britain and Ireland into the Atlantic coast of North America. Following the break-up of Rodinia, the Caledonides formed in the Palaeozoic by the drifting of various continents and their eventual aggregation in the Silurian and Devonian. The orogen subsequently fragmented during the opening of the Atlantic Ocean. This volume brings together 25 papers presenting the results of modern research that investigates the orogenic processes and the provenance of specific components of the belt. The contributions reflect different lines of research, linking traditional field studies with modern analytical techniques. In addition three overview papers summarize the main features of the belts in Scandinavia, Svalbard, East Greenland, Britain and Ireland, highlighting the advances made since the last major synthesis of the Scandinavian Caledonides 30 years ago, and discussing important open questions.


Introduction: To study the role of CT scan chest and fiber optic bronchoscopy in evaluating patients with hemoptysis and normal chest radiograph. Materials and Method: 50 patients over the age of 15 years having hemoptysis with normal chest X ray in a government teaching hospital in Andhra Pradesh were taken as study subjects. They were evaluated using FOB and CT thorax. Other investigations were done when necessary. Results: The mean age of the study population was 44.5 ± 13.5 years with age ranging from 20yrs to 80yrs. Of them 28(56%) were males and 22 (44%) females. Out of 50 such patients, a definitive diagnosis could be established in 33 patients (66%) with commonest being tuberculosis (12/50, 24%), followed by acute bronchitis (11/50, 22%), bronchiectasis (7/50, 14%), aspergilloma (2/50, 4%), malignancy (1/50,2%). CT scan is more efficacious in establishing a diagnosis of bronchiectasis than bronchoscopy (P < 0.05) while bronchoscopy is more sensitive in making a diagnosis of bronchitis than CT scan (P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between CT scan and bronchoscopy (P > 0.05) in diagnosing PTB in patients with hemoptysis and normal CXR. CT scan solely diagnosed 30% cases with bronchoscopic findings being normal. While FOB solely diagnosed 28% cases with CT features being normal. In 8% cases both modalities established the diagnosis. Conclusions: Overall, there was no statistically significant difference (P > 0.05) between CT scan and bronchoscopy in diagnosing the underlying cause of hemoptysis. Therefore, CT scan and bronchoscopy are equally important and complementary to each other in establishing diagnosis in a patient with hemoptysis and normal chest radiograph.


We use a Generalized Additive Model (GAM) to provide the first winter sea ice concentration record from two cores located within the southwest Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean. To compliment the application of GAM, a time series analysis on satellite records of sea ice concentration data was used to extend the standard 13.25 year time series used for paleoceanography. After comparing GAM sea ice estimates with previously published paleo sea ice data we then focus on a new paleo winter sea ice record for marine sediment core E27-23 (59°37.1'S, 155°14.3'E), allowing us to provide a more comprehensive view of winter sea ice dynamics for the southwest Pacific Ocean. The paleo winter sea ice concentration estimates provide the first suggestion that winter sea ice within the southwestern Pacific might have expanded during the Antarctic Cold Reversal. Throughout the Holocene, core E27-23 documents millennial scale variability in paleo winter sea ice coverage within the southwest Pacific. Holocene winter sea ice expansion may have resulted from the Laurentide Ice Sheet deglaciation, increased intensity of the westerly winds, as well as a northern migration of the Subtropical and/or Sub-Antarctic Fronts. Brief consideration is given to the development of a paleo summer sea ice proxy. We conclude that there is no evidence that summer sea ice ever existed at core sites SO136-111 and E27-23 over the last 220 and 52,000 years, respectively.


The comparative study of the antimicrobial effect of ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin on the in vitro kinetic models of the pathogen growth showed that ciprofloxacin was more active against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The post-antibiotic effect depended of the drug concentration and period of the pathogen content with ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin. With respect to the both pathogens, the post-antibiotic effect of ciprofloxacin was more pronounced.


The addition of 50 μM exogenous putrescine to Swiss 3T3 cells during serum stimulation resulted in a sixfold increase in intracellular putrescine content and prevented the rise in ornithine decarboxylase activity normally seen in response to serum. SV3T3 cells had putrescine levels ten times higher than those in the 3T3 cells. When SV3T3 cells were exposed to 50 μM putrescine, the intracellular content increased less than twofold. Despite the high levels of intracellular putrescine, ornithine decarboxylase was stimulated by addition of serum to SV3T3 cells. These results indicate that the system by which ornithine decarboxylase activity is regulated by its product is much less sensitive in the transformed SV3T3 cells. The ability of the 3T3 cells to take up putrescine changed with changes in the growth state, increasing when growth was stimulated by serum. These changes were manifested by changes in the maximum rate of transport (Vmax) rather than the Km. The increased transport rate was prevented when protein synthesis was inhibited by cycloheximide. The uptake of putrescine by SV3T3 cells did not change significantly under any of the conditions tested and the activity of this system in the SV3T3 cells was less than that of the 3T3 cells during exponential growth. This distinguishes the putrescine uptake system from those for amino acid uptake and suggests that the activity of the system may be regulated coordinately with the need for polyamines for cell growth. Finally, cadaverine (1,5‐diaminopentane), a diamine not usually present in fibroblasts, was taken up much more slowly than putrescine and uptake was not saturable under the conditions tested. The slower uptake may account for the lesser ability of cadaverine to reduce ornithine decarboxylase activity in the 3T3 cells.


Assessment of brain-damaged subjects presenting with dissociated repetition deficits after selective injury to either the left dorsal or ventral auditory pathways can provide further insight on their respective roles in verbal repetition. We evaluated repetition performance and its neural correlates using multimodal imaging (anatomical MRI, DTI, fMRI, and18FDG-PET) in a female patient with transcortical motor aphasia (TCMA) and in a male patient with conduction aphasia (CA) who had small contiguous but non-overlapping left perisylvian infarctions. Repetition in the TCMA patient was fully preserved except for a mild impairment in nonwords and digits, whereas the CA patient had impaired repetition of nonwords, digits and word triplet lists. Sentence repetition was impaired, but he repeated novel sentences significantly better than clichés. The TCMA patient had tissue damage and reduced metabolism in the left sensorimotor cortex and insula. DTI showed damage to the left temporo-frontal and parieto-frontal segments of the arcuate fasciculus (AF) and part of the left ventral stream together with well-developed right dorsal and ventral streams, as has been reported in more than one-third of females. The CA patient had tissue damage and reduced metabolic activity in the left temporoparietal cortex with additional metabolic decrements in the left frontal lobe. DTI showed damage to the left temporo-parietal and temporo-frontal segments of the AF, but the ventral stream was spared. The direct segment of the AF in the right hemisphere was also absent with only vestigial remains of the other dorsal subcomponents present, as is often found in males. fMRI during word and nonword repetition revealed bilateral perisylvian activation in the TCMA patient suggesting recruitment of spared segments of the left dorsal stream and right dorsal stream with propagation of signals to temporal lobe structures suggesting a compensatory reallocation of resources via the ventral streams. The CA patient showed a greater activation of these cortical areas than the TCMA patient, but these changes did not result in normal performance. Repetition of word triplet lists activated bilateral perisylvian cortices in both patients, but activation in the CA patient with very poor performance was restricted to small frontal and posterior temporal foci bilaterally. These findings suggest that dissociated repetition deficits in our cases are probably reliant on flexible interactions between left dorsal stream (spared segments, short tracts remains) and left ventral stream and on gender-dimorphic architecture of the right dorsal stream.


In this paper, we propose a new fixed-lag maximum likelihood smoother with a finite impulse response (FIR) structure for discrete-time state-space models. This smoother is called a maximum likelihood FIR smoother (MLFS). The MLFS is linear with the most recent finite outputs and does not require a prior initial state information on a receding horizon. It is shown that the proposed MLFS possesses the unbiasedness property and the deadbeat property. Simulation study illustrates that the proposed MLFS is more robust against uncertainties and faster in convergence than the conventional fixed-lag Kalman smoother.


A 5F triple-lumen thermodilution catheter was evaluated in a canine vena cava model to determine whether this catheter and the thermodilution technique provide valid in vivo determinations of blood flow. Our ultimate goal is to develop methods for studying limb blood flow in humans. Seven dogs were studied. Blood flow was provided and regulated by a calibrated roller pump. Flow rate determinations by thermodilution were made over a range of 0.5 to 5.01 1/minute. Excellent correlation (r = 0.98, r2 = 0.96, P less than 0.01) was found between actual flow and flow measured by thermodilution. The mean (+/- SD) coefficient of variation for the thermodilution method was 9.97 +/- 5.72 per cent over the flow range tested. The coefficient of variation tended to be higher at low flow rates. The thermodilution technique with this catheter provides valid in vivo determinations of blood flow through large vessels. This technology can be rationally applied to the study of limb blood flow in humans.


We collected anophelines every second week for one year from randomly selected houses in southwestern Ethiopia by using Centers for Disease Control (CDC) light traps, pyrethrum spray catches, and artificial pit shelter constructions to detect circumsporozoite proteins and estimate entomologic inoculation rates (EIRs). Of 3,678 Anopheles arabiensis tested for circumsporozoite proteins, 11 were positive for Plasmodium falciparum and three for P. vivax. The estimated annual P. falciparum EIR of An. arabiensis was 17.1 infectious bites per person per year (95% confidence interval = 7.03–34.6) based on CDC light traps and 0.1 infectious bites per person per year based on pyrethrum spray catches. The P. falciparum EIRs from CDC light traps varied from 0 infectious bites per person per year (in 60% of houses) to 73.2 infectious bites per person per year in the house nearest the breeding sites. Risk of exposure to infectious bites was higher in wet months than dry months, with a peak in April (9.6 infectious bites per person per month), the period of highest mosquito density.


Circulatory failure following cardiac arrest (CA) requires catecholamine support and occasionally veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (vaECMO). VaECMO-generated blood flow is continuous and retrograde, increasing ventricular stroke work. Our aim was to assess the benefit of a device generating a pulsatile vaECMO flow synchronized with the heart rhythm lowering systolic vaECMO output on the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and pulmonary capillary pressure (Pcap) after CA. This experimental randomized study in pigs compared standard nonpulsatile vaECMO (control) with pulsatile synchronized vaECMO (study) group using a pulsatility-generating device. After sedation and intubation, ventricular fibrillation was induced by pacing. After 10-min ventricular fibrillation, cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed for 20 min then vaECMO, defibrillation and 0.15 µg/kg/min intravenous epinephrine infusion were initiated. Hemodynamics, Pcap, LVEF by echocardiography and angiography were measured at baseline and every 30 min after the vaECMO start until vaECMO and epinephrine were stopped (at 120 min), and 30 min later. Baseline hemodynamics did not differ between groups; 120 min after vaECMO initiation, LVEF by echocardiography and angiography was significantly higher in the study than control group 55 ± 19% versus 34 ± 13% (P = 0.042), 50 ± 16% versus 33 ± 12% (P = 0.043), respectively. Pcap decreased from baseline by 4.2 ± 8.6 mm Hg in the study group but increased by 5.6 ± 5.9 mm Hg in the control group (P = 0.043). Thirty minutes later, LVEF remained higher in the study group 44 ± 7% versus 26 ± 11% (P = 0.008) while Pcap did not differ. A synchronized pulsatile device decreasing systolic output from vaECMO improved LVEF and Pcap in a pig model of CA and resuscitation.


The current paradigm shift in computing has placed mobile computation at the centre of focus. Users are now even more connected; demanding everything everywhere services. These services, such as social networking and media, benefit from the availability of context information seamlessly gathered and shared; providing customized and user-centric experiences. The distribution of context information no longer conforms to the paradigms of the existing Internet with regards to heterogeneity, connectivity and availability. This mandates new approaches towards its organization and provisioning in support of dependent applications and services.In response to these developments, the work summarized in this thesis addresses the fundamental problem of presenting context information in organized models as relevant subsets of global information. In approaching this problem, I introduced a distributed collection of context objects that can be arranged into simple relevant subsets called context schemata and presented to applications and services in supporting the realization of context based user experiences. Acknowledging the dynamic behaviour inherent of the real world interactions, I introduced an algorithm for measuring the proximities and similarities among these context objects, providing a metric through which to achieve organization. Additionally, I provided a means of ranking heterogeneous and distributed sensors in response to real time interaction between users and their digital ecosystem. Ranking provides an additional metric with which to achieve organization or identifying important and reputable information sources. The work I present here, additionally details my approach to realizing this complete behaviour an a distributed overlay, exploiting its properties for distribution, persistence and messaging. The overlay is also utilized for the provisioning of the supporting context information.Improvements in the ability to discover and attach new context information sources is fundamental to the ability to continually maintain expressions of context, derived from heterogeneous and disparate sources. By being able to create relevant subsets of organized data related to the requirements of applications and services in an end-point, infrastructures are realized for connecting and supporting the increasingly large numbers of users and their sources of information. Coupled with the distribution, these infrastructures realize improvements with regards to the effort required to achieve the same results. The culmination of the work presented in this thesis is an effort to enable seamless context-centric solutions on a future Internet of Things and thus constituting an adequate solution to the challenges raised above.


Protein kinase activity was determined in subcellular fractions of rat testis interstitial tissue after incubation of the intact tissue with LH (luteinizing hormone) in vitro. Various factors that might have changed the activity of this enzyme during preparation of the fractions before assay were also investigated. The following results were obtained. 1. LH and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (a phosphodiesterase inhibitor) added together during incubation of the interstitial tissue caused a twofold increase in the protein kinase activity in the total tissue homogenate and subcellular fractions (12000g X 5 min pellet and 105000g X 60 min supernatant and pellet). 2. A decrease of approx. 40% in the total amount of protein kinase recovered in the soluble fraction (105000g supernatant) occurred in tissue incubated with LH and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine when compared with the controls. No change in total activity was found in the other fractions. 3. LH and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine caused an increase in cyclic AMP concentration in the soluble fraction (from 30 +/- 6 to 450 +/- 40 pmol/mg of protein, means +/- S.E.M., n = 4), but there was little or no increase in the particulate fractions [from 9 +/- 1 to 13 +/- 3 pmol/mg of protein (n = 3) and from 6 +/- 2 to 23 +/- 11 pmol/mg of protein (n = 3) in the 12000g and 105000g pellets respectively]. 4 Addition of 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine alone had little effect on protein kinase activity or cyclic AMP concentrations. 5. Little or no protein kinase activity could be demonstrated in subcellular particulate fractions unless Triton X-100 was added; the effect of this detergent was shown to be at least partly due to the inhibition of adenosine triphosphatase activity. 6. In the presence of Triton X-100 approx. 57% of the total protein kinase activity in the homogenate was found in the 105000g supernatant compared with 11% in the 105000g pellet and 32% in the 12000g pellet. 7. In contrast with adipose-tissue protein kinase [Corbin et al. (1973) J. Biol. Chem. 248, 1813-1821] the relative amounts of cyclic AMP-dependent and -dependent enzyme were not affected by dilution of the interstitial-tissue fractions. NaCl (0.5 M) decreased the estimated total amount of protein kinase activity.


OBJECTIVES
As the number of people with disabilities is increasing and their needs for care are varied, the continuum and comprehensiveness of their rehabilitative care are getting more important. This study was performed to understand the utilization of rehabilitation services and requirements of care among the people with severe disabilities in Korea.

METHODS
We interviewed 578 disabled persons who had severe extremity and cerebral impairment in the urban and rural areas of Korea. The questionnaire included questions on their general characteristics, the type of disability, their physical function (ADL, IADL), their use of rehabilitation services after discharge and their requirements for rehabilitation care.

RESULTS
Only 12.6% of people with disability in the community continuously used the available medical rehabilitation care. The associated factors for utilization of rehabilitation services were pain and admission for rehabilitative treatment in the acute phase. There was a great need for rehabilitation services in community and this varied according to gender, the socio-economic status, the functional status and the geographic region. The gap between utilization and need for rehabilitation services was largest in the economic support. The gap of primary health care was larger in the rural area than in the urban area.

CONCLUSIONS
The needs for rehabilitation service were diverse according to the individual functional status, the regional characteristics and other general characteristics of people with disability. Strategies should be considered to eliminate the barriers to obtain rehabilitation services for the people with disability in the community.


Preparations containing saw palmetto berries are used in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). There are many products on the market, and relatively little is known about their chemical variability and specifically the composition and quality of different saw palmetto products notwithstanding that in 2000, an international consultation paper from the major urological associations from the five continents on treatments for BPH demanded further research on this topic. Here, we compare two analytical approaches and characterise 57 different saw palmetto products.


Little is known about the relationship between family firms and downsizing. This study aims to close this gap. The study distinguishes between family management and family ownership as two distinct dimensions of family firms and analyzes their respective influences on downsizing. The findings suggest that the extent of family ownership decreases the likelihood of deep job cuts, whereas family management has no impact. However, family management is found to moderate the relationship between firm profitability and the likelihood of downsizing. It is suggested that family owners care more about their reputation for social responsibility than do other owners, motivating them to avoid deep job cuts.


Background In this study, the authors investigate gender-specific effects of childhood socio-economic position (SEP) on adiposity and blood pressure at three time points in adulthood. Methods Mixed models were used to assess the association of childhood SEP with body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) at ages 36, 43 and 53 years in a British birth cohort. Results The adverse effect of lower childhood SEP on adiposity increased between ages 36 and 53 years in women (BMI: trend test: p ¼ 0.03) and remained stable in men, but the opposite was seen for SBP, where inequalities increased in men (p ¼ 0.01). Childhood SEP inequalities in DBP were stable with age in both men and women. Educational attainment mediated some but not all of the effects of childhood SEP on adiposity and SBP, and their rate of change; adult social class was a less important mediator.


Background: Aim: To determine awareness and perception of oral health services and their influence on the utilization of oral health services. Subjects and Methods: A total of 353 simple randomly selected pupils aged 11-20 years at Chifubu secondary school in Ndola participated in the study. Data was collected using structured close ended self administered questionnaire which inquired on socio-demographics, awareness and perception of oral health services. Data entry and analysis was done using SPSS version 16.0. The chi square test was used to test for associations where significance was assumed when p≤0.05. Results: Majority of respondents were aged 16 to 20 years (52.4%), 52.7% boys, and 51.8% were in grade 10 12. Most participants reported to have received some oral health information (81.6%) mainly from teachers but 86.7% were not aware of specific oral health procedures. The overall perception on oral health among those who agree was 58.6%, while 47% disagree on the overall perception on the utilization of dental services. The main reason for utilizing the service was pain and bleeding. The main reasons for not seeking care were that they never thought it was important (31.2%), distance (17.3%) and cost (15%). The utilization of services was associated with age p= 0.029. Overall awareness was associated with age p= 0.046 and grade p= 0.007. Students with a positive utilization on oral health tended to be younger (p<0.001) and in lower grades (p<0.001) Conclusion: The majority of respondents were not aware of the dental services. Therefore, awareness campaigns are required on available oral health services. Perception of oral health was not statistically different by age, sex and grade. Most respondents had never utilized oral health services.


Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM) cells present with increased expression of microRNA-206 (miRNA-206) and reduced expression of miRNA-9*. Predicted miRNA-206- and -9*-targeted genes include histone deacetylases (HDACs) and histone acetyl transferases (HATs), indicating that these miRNAs may play a role in regulating histone acetylation. We were able to demonstrate that primary WM cells are characterized by unbalanced expression of HDACs and HATs, responsible for decreased acetylated histone-H3 and -H4, and increased HDAC activity. We next examined whether miRNA-206 and -9* modulate the aberrant expression of HDAC and HATs in WM cells leading to increased transcriptional activity. We found that restoring miRNA-9* levels induced toxicity in WM cells, supported by down-modulation of HDAC4 and HDAC5 and up-regulation of acetyl-histone-H3 and -H4. These, together with inhibited HDAC activity, led to induction of apoptosis and autophagy in WM cells. To further confirm that miRNA-9*-dependent modulation of histone acetylation is responsible for induction of WM cytotoxicity, a novel class of HDAC inhibitor (LBH589) was used; we confirmed that inhibition of HDAC activity leads to toxicity in this disease. These findings confirm that histone-modifying genes and HDAC activity are deregulated in WM cells, partially driven by the aberrant expression of miRNA-206 and -9* in the tumor clone.


The growth in recent years of radio services and the increasing use of digitally encoded broadcast services which, due to their high compression rates, are highly susceptible to impulsive type interference caused by power system related effects has placed pressure on the radio frequency spectrum. Consequently, the impact of electromagnetic interference caused by high voltage equipment such as partial discharges and breaker operation transients is becoming more of an issue. This paper describes a system for the location of discharge sources based on the reception of impulsive radio frequency interference radiated from the vicinity of the site. The authors discuss its application to the location of discharge sources close to a domestic residence situated under a 132 kV overhead line.


Background Advance Care Planning (ACP) is an approach to achieving patient-centred decision making, which is a recognised mechanism for improving value, and improving a range of health outcomes. Whilst ACP has begun to gain momentum in New Zealand, there remains potential for further impact through systematic implementation. Aim To identify the key success factors and barriers to implementation of ACP and make recommendations on policy and strategic approaches to achieve sustainable implementation of ACP at scale. Methods A case study approach forms the principal method of inquiry. Four leading US organisations were selected based on; literature review; advice from key informants and selection criteria. Site visits, and in-depth interviews with a range of clinical and managerial staff were undertaken. Results The research is scheduled for completion in August 2015. Expected outcomes include the importance of a systems approach encompassing; public education and engagement; professional development; decision support aids; availability of appropriate service provision (palliative/hospice care); aligned policy and funding systems. A deliberate change management strategy to support these elements is anticipated to be a key factor for success. Discussion The recommendations from the research are expected to be of significance to a range of stakeholders. New Zealand has policy settings which recognise the importance of patient-centred care. Full realisation of the benefits has not been achieved to date. Conclusion Effective implementation of ACP on a national scale requires a systems approach, incorporating a range of key elements. Success is dependent on a deliberate change management strategy.


Organic friction modifiers (OFMs) are important additives in the lubrication of machines and especially of car engines where performance improvements are constantly sought-after. Together with zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDDP) antiwear additives, OFMs have a predominant impact on the tribological behaviour of the lubricant. In the current study, the influence of OFMs on the generation, tribological properties and chemistry of ZDDP tribofilms has been investigated by combining tribological experiments (MTM) with in situ film thickness measurements through optical interference imaging (SLIM), Alicona profilometry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. OFMs and antiwear additives have been found to competitively react/adsorb on the rubbing ferrous substrates in a tribological contact. The formation and removal (through wear) of tribofilms are dynamic processes which result from the simultaneous interaction of these two additives with the surface of the wear track. By carefully selecting the chemistry of OFMs, the formulator can achieve lubricants that generate ZDDP antiwear films of optimum thickness, morphology and friction according to the application-specific requirements.


The article presents a selected part of the research that was carried out in 2019 in Slovakia the aim of which was to assess feedback on the perception of the supervisory process in social protection entities as offered by the supervisor. The basic set consisted of supervisors in helping professions operating under Act No. 305/2005 Coll. They are specialists with a second degree education in the humanities or social sciences who have completed an accredited supervision course in the minimum range of 240 hours and have appropriate practice. 10.68 % of Slovak supervisors participated in the research. A probing research was used, which carried elements of quantitative strategies, but has not been moved to the area of verification, comparative or correlation investigation. The secondary benefit of this study is the depiction of the structure of supervisors in Slovakia and its longitudinal development. The primary method of collecting empirical data was a questionnaire created by the authors. More than 90.0 per cent of respondents stated a positive perception of the supervision provided by Social and Legal Protection (hereinafter SLP) employees. Among the dominant themes of supervision in the SLP were clearly "relational areas", reflection of workflow including case supervision and burnout. Our findings confirmed that active listening and its essence concentrates on an interview from a methodological point of view. According to our findings and assuming a reasonable degree of generalization, it can be stated that the supervision is primarily performed according to the established standards and codes of ethics.


Objectives: The objective of this present survey was to look into the attitudes of medical laboratory technology (MLT) graduates towards the internship training period of the MLT Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Faisal University. Material and Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was designed and distributed for this purpose. The study period was from December 1st 2002 – 31st December 2004. Two-hundred questionnaires were distributed to recent graduates, and 115 were returned completed. Results: All respondents agreed with the importance and necessity of the internship period, and felt it should not be reduced or eliminated. The most favorite laboratory where they liked to work was microbiology (70%). They all agreed that evaluation report with hospital staff and laboratory set up were vital in achieving the goals of the internship period. The majority stressed the significance of safety precautions and the application of theoretical knowledge before performing technical assignments. Conclusion: The respondents had very positive attitudes towards the internship-training period stressing its importance. The most favorite laboratory rotations were in rank order: Microbiology, Serology followed by Histotechnology, Hematology, Blood Banking and finally Clinical Chemistry. The majority of graduates had a very positive attitude also towards medical laboratory technology as a profession.


The fast multipole method (FMM) is an efficient method for evaluating matrix-vector products related to certain discretized kernel functions. The method involves an underlying FMM matrix given by a sequence of smaller matrices (called generators for convenience). Although there has been extensive work in designing and applying FMM techniques, the stability of the FMM and the stable FMM matrix factorization have rarely been studied. In this work, we propose techniques that lead to stable operations with FMM matrices. One key objective is to give stabilization strategies that can be used to provide low-rank approximations and translation relations in the FMM satisfying some stability requirements. The standard Taylor expansions used in FMMs yield basis generators susceptible to instability. Here, we introduce some scaling factors to control the relevant norms of the generators and give a rigorous analysis of the bounds of the entrywise magnitudes. The second objective is to use the one-dimensional case as an example to provide an intuitive construction of FMM matrices satisfying some stability conditions and then convert an FMM matrix into a hierarchically semiseparable (HSS) form that admits stable ULV-type factorizations. This bridges the gap between the FMM and stable FMM matrix factorizations. The HSS construction is done analytically and does not require expensive algebraic compression. Relevant stability studies are given, which show that the resulting matrix forms are suitable for stable operations. Note that the essential stabilization ideas are also applicable to higher dimensions. Extensive numerical tests are given to illustrate the reliability and accuracy.


The development of oral biofilms and the host response to biofilm bacteria and their toxins are important factors in the development of periodontal disease. An early component of the host response is the secretion of antimicrobial proteins and peptides (AMPs) by salivary glands, oral epithelial cells and neutrophils. Over 45 AMPs have been identified in the oral cavity. All are found in saliva and several are also present in gingival crevicular fluid. Of these, 13 are up regulated in periodontal disease while 11 are downregulated. However, the concentrations of most AMPs found in oral fluids are below the effective in vitro concentrations, suggesting that local concentrations must be higher for effect or that additional biological functions are important in the oral cavity. Thus, in addition to direct antibacterial activity (e.g. bactericidal activity, bacterial agglutination), AMPs may affect the course of periodontal disease by inactivating bacterial or host proteases (e.g. secretory leukoprotease inhibitor) or bind bacterial toxins, including lipopolysaccharides (e.g. LL-37). Several AMPs (e.g. defensins) also act as immune system alarmins, i.e. endogenous mediators that recruit and activate antigen-presenting cells to enhance innate and adaptive immune responses. The differential regulation of AMP expression in periodontal disease suggests that AMP panels, including up- and downregulated proteins, can be used in oral fluid diagnosis of periodontal disease and to monitor treatment outcome.


We determined the contribution of the Rho family of low molecular GTP-binding proteins to phorbol ester-induced contraction in swine pulmonary artery smooth muscle. In Ca2+-free medium containing 1 mM EGTA, 12-deoxyphorbol 13-isobutyrate (DPB, 1 μM), a protein kinase C (PKC) activator, elicited sustained contractions, which were not inhibited by treatment with verapamil, a voltagedependent Ca2+ channel antagonist, and Y27632, a Rho-associated kinase inhibitor. Immunoblot analysis showed three PKC isoforms (α, ε, and ζ) and two Rho GTPases (RhoA and Cdc42) in both cytosolic and the membrane fractions from quiescent strips. DPB (1 μM) significantly induced PKCα and ε to translocate from the cytosolic to the membrane fraction in Ca2+-free medium. DPB also elicited the translocation of Cdc42, but not RhoA to the membrane fraction. Similarly, in the experiment for measurement of Rho GTPase activity by pull-down assay, DPB (1 μM) significantly increased the activity of Cdc42 in Ca2+-free medium. Norepinephrine (NE, 10 μM) stimulated the redistribution of RhoA from the cytosolic to the membrane fraction in swine pulmonary artery smooth muscle. In contrast, NE did not alter the subcellular distributions of Cdc42 and the PKC isoforms. These results indicate that phorbol ester evokes PKC-mediated Ca2+-independent contraction via a Rho GTPase pathway, especially Cdc42, in smooth muscle from swine pulmonary arteries.


A 58-year-old female was admitted to our hospital with nausea, vomiting, and gait disturbance of 1 year duration. Postcontrast computed tomographic scans demonstrated enhanced lesions in the left cerebellopontine angle (CPA), the retrosellar region, the right parasellar region, and the left parietooccipital convexity. The left parieto-occipital tumor was totally removed in the first operation and the left CPA tumor was partially removed in the second. The histological diagnosis of both tumors was xanthogranuloma. She also had cutaneous lesions (subcutaneous nodules without tenderness) and an ureteral stenosis possibly due to the retroperitoneal involvement. A skin biopsy demonstrated infiltration of xanthoma cells and foamy cells in the dermis. A gallium scintigram demonstrated an abnormal uptake in the thoracic cavity, liver, and bones. From these findings, systemic Weber-Christian disease was diagnosed. Another unique aspect was that the serum IgE levels were increased during postoperative hospitalization. This suggests that abnormal immunological conditions are related to this disease and that intracranial xanthogranulomas are a manifestation of systemic Weber-Christian disease.


We analyze the relationships among liquidity costs, volume, and volatility in the Brazilian agricultural futures market, along with the role of market concentration. We estimate a structural three-equation IV–GMM model using data from Bolsa, Brasil, Balcao corn and live cattle contracts from March 2014 to February 2016. Results show a negative association between liquidity costs and volume and a positive association between liquidity costs and volatility. Market concentration impacts corn and live cattle differently. Concentration contributes to volume reduction for live cattle and to liquidity costs reduction for corn. Our findings shed light on the microstructure of emerging markets.


A group of phosphate-modified alumina materials with enhanced thermal stability was developed in this work. Using these oxides, supported Pd catalysts experienced much less deterioration after aging at 1050 °C for 10 h. The CO oxidation kinetic results showed that the phosphate additives did not change the intrinsic activity of the Pd catalytic centers and the larger population of sinter-resistant Pd species anchored on the phosphate-stabilized alumina was the direct reason behind this improved catalytic performance. Combining the analyses of NMR, IR, pyridine adsorption and DFT simulations, the phosphate adsorption and evolution behaviors on the alumina surface were explored at different phosphorus contents. The effective phosphate stabilizers prefer to coordinate with the surface coordinatively unsaturated –Al sites (CUS Al) and substitute the weakly adsorbed hydroxyls nearby. Such an interaction suppressed the phase transformation and grain growth of the alumina. Compared with the phosphate-free Pd catalyst, alumina with ∼5.0 μmol m−2 phosphorus additives is able to retain 1.9 times higher Pd dispersion after aging, resulting in much higher CO oxidation activity. Further increase of the phosphorus content induced the formation of long-chain polyphosphate and harmed the stability of Pd, bringing no more benefits to the performance of the catalysts.


WILLIAM BYRD FAMOUSLY RECORDED A SCATHING DESCRIPTION OF poor whites in 1728 while surveying the border between his native Virginia and neighboring North Carolina: "Surely there is no place in the world where the inhabitants live with less labour than in North Carolina. It approaches nearer to the description of Lubberland than any other, by the great felicity of the climate, the easiness of raising provisions, and the slothfulness of the people." Byrd compared these men to their Native American counterparts, as both groups supposedly "impose all the work upon the poor women." Indeed, while "wives rise out of their beds early in the morning" to work, their husbands "lie and snore, till the sun has run one third of his course." Once awake, "after stretching and yawning for half an hour, they light their pipes"; but if it is too cold when they finally "venture out into the open air.... they quickly return shivering into the chimney corner." Even in more temperate climes, "they stand leaning with both their arms upon the corn-field fence, and gravely consider whether they had best go and take a small heat at the hoe: but generally find reasons to put it off till another time." Byrd concluded, "Thus they loiter away their lives, like Solomon's sluggard, with their arms across, and at the winding up of the year scarcely have bread to eat." It was "a thorough aversion to labor that makes people file off to North Carolina, where plenty and a warm sun confirm them in their disposition to laziness for their whole lives." (1) Alabamian Daniel R. Hundley published a remarkably similar character assassination of poor whites 132 years later. "[W]ives and daughters spin and weave the wool or cotton," he wrote, while men pursue "idle habits--hunting, beef-shooting, gander-pulling, marble-playing, card-playing, and getting drunk." Laziness was "[t]he chief characteristic of Rag Tag and Bobtail," who wish "to live from hand to mouth; to get drunk, provided they can do so without having to trudge too far after their liquor; to shoot for beef; to hunt; to attend gander pullings; to vote at elections; to eat and to sleep; to lounge in the sunshine of a bright summer's day, and to bask in the warmth of a roaring wood fire, when summer days are over." These observations were made in very different contexts--colonial Carolina was barely more than a frontier settlement, while Alabama in 1860 was a flourishing, dynamic slave state--but the disdain with which both authors viewed their subjects was abundantly clear. From the lethargic and lackadaisical lifestyle, sustained by exploiting women, to the love of the warm sun and home fire, Hundley's poor white men were the descendants of those Byrd described. This group seemingly transcended time, ignoring the rules of historical evolution. "The instructive lessons of history convey no intelligence to such minds; the experience of the past serves not to guide their footsteps," Hundley declared. (2) The "poor white trash" stereotype is one of the most enduring in the history of the American South, and the sentiments of Byrd and Hundley have been echoed by many others from a wide variety of perspectives. An array of authors and polemicists in the nineteenth century, from abolitionists to travel writers, were followed by playwrights, novelists, and film directors in the twentieth, producing works that collectively reaffirmed the basic traits of laziness, illiteracy, and debauchery. Surprisingly, perhaps, southern historians have also encouraged this stereotype. In the first three-quarters of the twentieth century, they did not make the poor white lifestyle seem quite as carefree as did Byrd and Hundley, but scholars wrote with equal disdain. Ulrich B. Phillips's classic Life and Labor in the Old South (1929) was one of few works to recognize significant status differences within the nonslaveholding ranks in different parts of the South. "Sweeping statements are likely to be as false as they are facile," Phillips conceded, and he warned that poor whites and yeomen were "two classes often but erroneously confused. …


Lipase I (enzyme name LIPI or LPDL) (gene name LIPI [human] or Lipi
[mouse]) is a phospholipase which generates 2-acyl lysophosphatidic acid (LPA),
a lipid mediator required for maintaining homeostasis of diverse biological functions
and in activating cell surface recaptors. Bioinformatic methods were used to predict
the amino acid sequences, secondary and tertiary structures and gene locations
for LIPI genes and encoded proteins using data from several mammalian genome
projects. LIPI is located on human chromosome 21 and is distinct from other
phospholipase A1-like genes (LIPH and PS-PLA1). Mammalian LIPI genes contained
10 (human) or 11 (mouse) coding exons transcribed predominantly on the negative
DNA strand. Mammalian LIPI protein subunits shared 61% - 99% sequence
identities and exhibited sequence alignments and identities for key LIPI amino
acid residues as well as extensive conservation of predicted secondary and
tertiary structures with those previously reported for pancreatic lipase (PL),
with "N-signal peptide", "lipase" and "plat" structural domains. Comparative
studies of mammalian LIPI sequences with LIPH, PS-PLA1 and pancreatic lipase
(PL) confirmed predictions for LIPI N-terminal signal peptides (residues 1 - 15);
predominantly conserved mammalian LIPI N-glycosylation sites (63NNSL and
396NISS for human LIPI); active site "triad" residues (Ser159; Asp183; His253);
disulfide bond residues (238 - 251; 275 - 286; 289 - 297; 436 - 455); and a 12 residue "active site lid", which is shorter than
for other lipases examined. Phylogenetic analyses supported a hypothesis
that LIPI arose from a vertebrate LIPH gene duplication event within a
mammalian common ancestral genome. In addition, LIPI, LIPH and PL-PLA1 genes
were distinct from the vascular lipase (LIPG, LIPC and LPL) and pancreatic lipase
(PL) gene families.


While controversy surrounds skewness attributes of typical yield distributions, a better understanding is important for agricultural policy assessment and for crop insurance rate setting. Day (1965) conjectured that crop yield skewness declines with an increase in low levels of nitrogen use, but higher levels have no effect. In a theoretical model based on the law of the minimum (von Liebig) technology, we find conditions under which Day's conjecture applies. Employing four experimental plot datasets, we investigate the conjecture by introducing (a) a flexible Bayesian extension of the Just-Pope technology to incorporate skewness, and (b) a quantile-based measure of skewness shift. For corn yields, the Bayesian estimation provides strong evidence in favor of negative skewness at commercial nitrogen rates and for Day's conjecture. There was weaker evidence in favor of positively skewed cotton yield and little evidence in favor of the conjecture. The results are also confirmed by the quantile-based measure.


Gold nanoparticles are known for their remarkable optical properties; they exhibit localised surface plasmon resonance bands in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum. This has led to their use as luxury dyes for the colouring of wool fibres. Gold is associated with wealth and desire, and as such, gold nanoparticle-wool fibre composites may be fabricated into high-quality garments, apparel, textiles and carpets for international markets.  Novel proprietary approaches for the laboratory-scale synthesis of gold nanoparticle-wool fibre composites have previously been developed by Professor James Johnston and Dr Kerstin Lucas. The innovative nanotechnology utilises the affinity of gold for sulfur-containing cystine residues in wool fibres, to attract and bind the gold nanoparticles. One approach involves the absorption of gold ions by wool fibres and the nucleation of gold nanoparticles in-situ. In an alternative method, gold nanoparticle colloids are synthesised ex-situ, and are then used to colour wool fibres.  The reaction conditions of the in-situ and ex-situ approaches were optimised with respect to cost-effectiveness and scalability. The gold content of the in-situ composites was minimised, and the range of possible colours widened, via the use of heat and external reducing agents. In the ex-situ process, the formation and stability of the gold nanoparticle colloids was studied, and the reaction conditions of the synthesis were optimised. The rate of uptake of gold nanoparticles to wool was controlled by manipulating the pH, concentration, volume, and wool to liquor ratio of the gold colloids, and by introducing auxiliary agents into the dyeing reactions. A range of chemical treatments and alternative stabilising agents were investigated to improve the washfastness properties of ex-situ gold nanoparticle-wool fibre composites.  There are numerous size-controllable syntheses of gold nanoparticle colloids at the laboratory-scale. However, when the process is scaled-up, gold nanoparticle synthesis is no longer trivial. A barrel reactor with a high velocity mixer was utilised to achieve uniform mixing and heating in the synthesis of gold nanoparticle colloids of up to 90 L in volume. The ratios of gold to stabilising agents in the colloidal gold syntheses were optimised to result in more stable and reproducible gold colloids for subsequent dyeing reactions.  The uniform colouring of small quantities of wool is easily achieved in the laboratory, but preventing colour variation across a kilogram of wool is a significant challenge. Initial kilogram-scale dyeing reactions in static tank reactors resulted in unevenly coloured gold nanoparticle-wool fibre composites. To overcome this, conventional hank dyeing equipment was used to colour felted merino yarn, in collaboration with the wool dyeing industry. Modified hank dyeing procedures were recreated in the laboratory, and composites with remarkable colour uniformity were produced. Industrial package dyeing reactors were then used to colour fine merino yarn with gold nanoparticle colloids. The uptake of gold nanoparticles was controlled by manipulating the owrates, ow direction and amounts of auxiliary agents that were employed in the dyeing reactions.  Based upon the success of the industrial dyeing reactions, novel dyeing reactors were developed for the colouring of hanks of wool fibres and yarns in the laboratory. These reactors utilised rapid dye circulation and pressure to produce gold nanoparticle-wool fibre composites with remarkable colour uniformity. The composites were used to fabricate luxury apparel and carpets for international trade expositions.  The pathway from synthesis in the laboratory to pilot-scale production of gold nanoparticle-wool fibre composites is presented. The PhD research was an integral step in the successful commercialisation of this innovative nanotechnology, and will assist in scaling-up the synthesis of metal nanoparticle colloids and nanocomposites in the future.


Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma arising from multicentric Castleman disease is an aggressive disorder with short survival. In 2001 our 46-year old patient presented cervical lymphadenopathy. The third bioptic sample proved HHV8 positive Castleman disease in 2002. Chemoterapy (steroid, cyclophosphamide, CVP, interferon-α, thalidomide) and radiotherapy was given with themporary success. In 2009 compression of the respiratory tract needed mantle irradiation, and rapid progression developed, inguinal biopsy revealed DLBCL. R-CHOP was started, but the interim PET/CT showed no respons, thus therapy was changed to R-DHAP, autologous stem cell transplantation was planned. The stem cell collection was made after 2 cycles of chemotherapy. However, further progression could be detected which seemed to be chemoresistant (R-IGEV, R-ICE). Palliative irradiation was performed but serious myelosuppression was developed which led to febrile neutropenia with pneumonia and sepsis. Despite of targeted antibiotic treatment the infection caused our patient's death six months after the diagnosis of DLBCL. We would like to highlite the importance of the repetead biopsies if the behavior of a disease has changed and the rare disorders needed personalised treatment.