Toarcian and Aalenian deposits from south west of the Middle Atlas named "Couches du Seloum", were classically considered as a "border facies" of the Middle Atlas trough, which was extensively developed in the northern part of the folded Middle Atlas. Both studies realized on the border of the Bekrit-Timahdite syncline and the Iguer Awragh-Afennourir syncline, allow to specify the stratigraphy, the spatial distribution of deposits and to reconsider the paleogeographic organization of this "border" in the integral context of the northern Middle Atlas trough during the Toarcian and the lower Bajocian interval. A lithostratigraphic succession of the "Couches du Selloum" raised in the western part of Bekrit-Timahdite syncline shows the superposition of three units. Unit 1 is made of clay, reddish and gray marl, locally gypseous, assigned to the lower Toarcian. Unit 2 is essentially composed of a subnodular calcareous series, which consists of discontinuous, wavy and upward-thickening beds. The upper offshore is the most frequent environment. It is mainly made of crinoidal calcarenites, yielding some ammonites and brachiopods rich levels. The Middle Toarcian (Bifrons zone and Gradata zone) was identified in the lower part of this unit. Most of the upper Toarcian zones were distinguished (Speciosum zone, Meneghinii zone and Aalensis zone), they are represented in the upper part by brachiopods (Stroudithyris) and ammonites (Hammatoceras, Dumortieria and Catulloceras) rich set. On several lateral sections, the uppermost part of these pseudo nodular limestones is dated from Opalinum zone (levels with Leioceras and Tmetoceras). Unit 3 shows several facies: bioclastic calcarenites arranged in decimetrics beds, showing cross stratifications; microsparitic limestones in thick beds with silexites. The macrofauna is scarce, often represented by some crinoidal and mollusks fragments; some Zoophycos appear in the top bed of the set. The following deposits illustrate the evolution from the shoreface to the upper offshore. This unit is overlain by a sedimentary discontinuity, materialized by a boring surface, some pockets of accumulations with belemnites and a cover of ferruginous nodules. Ammonites drowned on the discontinuity surface or in the basis of the first interbedded marls which overlies this surface sign the Aalenian-Bajocian transition (top of the Concavum zone and the basis of Discites zone). Immediately above we found some index fauna of the Laeviuscula zone. The series overlaying the "Couches du Selloum" comprises thinning up alternations of limestone/marl, passing progressively to the "Marnes de Boulmane" Formation. Lateral variations and interpretations; SW to NE variations: The thickness and facies variations observed in the Bekrit-Timahdite syncline (C1 to C9), denote the existence of marine intervals generally more dilated, with some marly deposits developed towards the SW; on the contrary towards the NE, series are exclusively calcareous, reduced in thickness, and often condensed in their upper part. The same evolution is observed between the deposits of the Iguer Awragh syncline to the SW and those of Afennourir in the NE [Benshili et al., 1999]. SE to NW variations: Some observations realized in a Toarcian-Aalenian outcrop recently discovered in the sector of Outghalline (C11), shows that an uplifted area separates the marly basin of Bekrit from the Iguer Awragh one. Such variations denote a partition of the Toarcian Selloum basin, located in south west of the Middle Atlas trough, into several entities which are regrouped under the denomination of "Blocks of Selloum"; two NE-SW trending notably subsiding gutters are recognized, the Iguer Awragh-Afennourir and the Bekrit-Timahdite, separated by a shoal (ridge of Ijadrane). Paleogeographic framework of the SW border of the Middle Atlas trough: A synthesis of the geometry of the "Blocks of Selloum" and some paleogeographic and structural features of the NW border of the Middle Atlas trough, as they appear in a recent synthesis [Benshili, 1989; Elmi et al., 1989; Benshili et Elmi, 1994; Charriere, 1990; Fedan, 1993; Laadila, 1996; Sabaoui, 1998; El Arabi et al., 1999], is shown in 3 episodes from Toarcian to Aalenian. The southwestern part of the Middle Atlas studied here, does not appear in any case as a coastal area surrounding the Middle Atlas trough, but like a gulf occupied by marine deposits which is isolated from the Middle Atlas trough by the shoal areas called the "Haut-fond de Boulmane". In the Middle Atlas trough, the sequences prograde in a NE direction and show blocks tilting generally towards the same direction. On the other hand, in the "Blocks of Selloum" the tilting acts toward the SW, against the direction of the global Tethyan polarity.


Whether in an up or down market, the North American Petroleum Exposition (NAPE) continues to be the only place that brings together the upstream oil and gas industry with the intent to "get business done." As the United States continues to find stability in the ever-changing operating environment, the industry faces new opportunities, challenges, and risks. With this in mind, oil and gas professionals from around the country will gather in the Mile High City when NAPE will host its third annual Denver NAPE in December. The Denver, Colorado, expo offers exhibitors and attendees a marketplace for networking and deal making in a setting more intimate than NAPE's Houston-based expos, while still bringing together the people and players who have firsthand knowledge of the opportunities and prospects throughout the area.


Around three quarters of global resource consumption takes place in urban settlements, with corresponding adverse environmental consequences. According to population forecasts this situation will be exacerbated during the coming years. It is therefore imperative that we understand how to design less resource intensive urban settlements. To this end we have developed a new methodology for optimising the layout and form of buildings for their exploitation of available solar radiation, using an evolutionary algorithm. In this way a considerably more exhaustive search of the parameter space is facilitated than what is possible with manual trial and error which has been favoured in past studies.


: The relationship between cyclin D1 ( CCND1 ) rs9344 G . A polymorphism and colorectal cancer (CRC) risk is still ambiguous. To obtain a precise estimation of the relationship, we performed an extensive meta-analysis based on the eligible studies. Crude odds ratios with their 95% confidence intervals were harnessed to determine the strength of correlation between CCND1 rs9344 G . A polymorphism and CRC risk under the allele, the homozygote, the dominant, and the recessive genetic models, respectively (28 studies with 5,784 CRC cases and 7,858 controls). Our results indicated evidence of the association between CCND1 rs9344 G . A polymorphism and the increased risk of CRC in four genetic models: A vs G, AA vs GG, AA + GA vs GG, and AA vs GA + GG. In a stratified analysis by cancer type of CRC, there was an increased risk of sporadic CRC found in three genetic models: A vs G, AA vs GG, and AA + GA vs GG. In a stratified analysis by ethnicity, there was an increased CRC risk found among Asians in allele comparison genetic models, as well as Caucasians in two genetic models: AA + GA vs GG and A vs T. In summary, this meta-analysis demonstrates that CCND1 rs9344 G . A polymorphism may be a risk factor for CRC.


Scott's novels used to be seen as mixing regret for "the old days," when Scotland was an independent country, and "satisfaction at the peace, prosperity and progress which he felt had been assured by the Union."(1) This account has provided a useful way of thinking about the novels, but in some respects it is too simple. For while Scott was officially committed to the principle of Union, there is ample evidence of his dissatisfaction with some of its consequences. The Union left Scotland vulnerable to interfering reforms from London, such as the attempts to reform the Scottish legal system in 1807, and to abolish the small Scottish banknote in 1826 (both of which Scott opposed, fearful that Scotland might be left "tabula rasa for doctrines of bold innovation").(2) And it accelerated the economic transformation that threatened to undermine the traditional social fabric of Scotland.(3) Such developments alarmed and angered Scott, although he saw little scope for active resistance. His response to this dilemma has been described as "an ideology of noisy inaction.(4) The Heart of Mid-Lothian explores an alternative response, a passive resistance that involves evasion, concealment, a refusal to speak. This is also an aspect of Scott's own narrative technique, and offers a partial solution to the problem of representing Scottish feelings of alienation in a novel written for a polite British audience. COVENANTING TRADITION In The Heart of Mid-Lothian Scott's concern with resistance is focused most consistently by his representation of a family of Cameronian Covenanters. The choice of subject needs to be seen in relation to received views of Covenanting tradition, a tradition in which resistance to state authority had an important place. The Covenant, first instituted in the Reformation, was a solemn agreement binding individual Scots together as a nation, and binding them to God. It was renewed in 1638, and during the English civil war the Solemn League and Covenant was established (1643), committing both England and Scotland to establishing Presbyterianism as their national form of worship. When Charles II imposed episcopacy on the Kirk in 1662, a period of Covenanter defiance and government repression followed. In response to James II's attempts to crush the remnant of Covenanters, Richard Cameron and his followers declared war on the government in the "Sanquhar declaration." The history of these events was vigorously contested. In the hands of Whig historians, such as Defoe, Wodrow, and Cook, it offered dramatic examples of legitimate resistance to the oppressive, persecuting authority of a corrupt church and state in pre-Revolution Scotland, and of heroic martyrdom.(5) For Tory historians it offered examples of the dangers and absurdities of enthusiasm. The Tories were apt to deny that any Presbyterians were persecuted on matters of conscience. They portrayed the resisting Covenanters as a "Handful of desperate Ruffians" who "rendered themselves obnoxious to the Laws by repeated Murders, Robberies, and open Rebellions."(6) As Colin Kidd notes, Episcopalians exploited the Cameronians' claim to be the remnant of the true Kirk, suggesting that the Presbyterians of the established Kirk "were hypocritical Cameronians manques."(7) Were the Covenanters to be celebrated as martyrs or condemned as half-crazed rebels and traitors? The issue was not simply a matter of distant history. Covenanting tradition was still venerated in the Scottish lowlands in the late eighteenth century, and in the early decades of the nineteenth. The two synods of the divided Secession church both sought to maintain the principles of the covenanted Church of Scotland. In the 1790s their adherents were thought to number between 100,000 and 150,000--perhaps 10 per cent of the Scottish population. They were spied on as potential Jacobins by the government, and according to John Brims "sent at least three ministers as delegates to the Scottish radical reformers" national conventions. …


This paper describes the characteristics of manufacturing establishments in Britain over the period 1980 to 1996, paying particular attention to differences between establishments of different ownership nationalities. The findings suggest that establishments that are always foreign-owned have significantly higher labour productivity than those that remain under domestic ownership. In addition, labour productivity improves faster over time and faster with age in foreign-owned establishments. The difference in labour productivity is matched by an equivalent difference in levels of investment per employee. Establishments that change ownership nationality do not seem to experience very large changes in labour productivity levels. The proportion of skilled workers in the workplace, and wages for both skilled and operative workers are higher in foreign-owned establishments than domestic-owned, in line with differences in labour productivity.


SIR,-The limitations inherent in conducting controlled trials of methods of providing health services, which we refer to in our paper, mean that we have no information on the criteria which were used to transfer a selected group of patients from medical units during the acute phase of rehabilitation. But we have been able to examine the results of standard clinical tests which were designed to predict outcome following acute stroke, and which will form the subject of a future publication. No difference was found in the pattern of neurological impairment present in the transferred group compared with those patients remaining in medical units throughout. Therefore it may not be surprising that there was no difference in outcome between the two groups. Transferring stroke patients from medical units for further rehabilitation appears to be a common practice in Britain, and on the basis of our results these transfers should be arranged earlier rather than later if the full benefits of intensive therapy are to be realised. But, as Dr Powell correctly infers, conclusive evidence to support this statement can come only from further randomised controlled trials. W M GARRAWAY A J AKHTAR R J PRESCOTT L HOCKEY


This public overview summarizes the analysis of electromagnetic characterization techniques for nanostructured materials done by the consortium during the whole project duration. The text is written primarily for a wide audience of non-specialists and includes an introduction which explains the main concepts of complex electromagnetic materials. Experts in electromagnetic characterization of nanostructures can find more details in Deliverables D1.1.1-1.1.5 or use this document as a guide to original literature listed in the reference list at the end of this document.


Abstract Background: Colonization with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) can cause endogenously derived infections and be a source of transmission to other people. Neither colonization time of asymptomatic MRSA colonization nor the effect of treatment aiming at MRSA eradication in children has been thoroughly investigated. Methods: Two hundred ninety-three children <18 years in the mandatory follow-up program for MRSA-carriers in Malmö, Sweden were evaluated. Samples from the throat, nares, perineum and skin lesions from each child were screened for MRSA with a PCR-based broth enrichment method. PVL presence and spa-type were evaluated in a majority of cases. The sampling was repeated approximately every 6 month after initial detection. When three consecutive sets of negative samples during at least a 6-month period were obtained, the MRSA was considered permanently eradicated. MRSA eradication treatment given, on clinical grounds during follow-up, was noted. Results: One year after detection 62% of the untreated children were still MRSA positive and after 2 years 28%. MRSA throat colonization and having MRSA positive household contacts significantly prolonged the observed colonization time. Topical MRSA eradication treatment was successful in 36% of cases and in 65% if systemic antibiotics were added. Presence of PVL correlated with shorter observed colonization time in the older age group and with increased eradication success among throat carriers. Conclusion: MRSA throat colonization and having MRSA positive household contacts prolongs the time of MRSA colonization in children. Systemic antibiotics enhance the effect of MRSA eradication treatment.


One of the challenges of rural poverty reduction in Latin America is to enhance non-farm economic activity, diversify employment, and foster enterprise activity. Although poverty has decreased over the last decade in Honduras, it continues to be pervasive, particularly in rural areas in the southern and western areas, including the Copan Valley, where the devastating economic impacts of Hurricane Mitch linger. This area contains the Copan Park, one of the most informative and impressive Mayan ruins in Central America with a large quantity of excellently preserved stone sculptures and hieroglyphic texts. This site is an important element in the patrimony of Honduras and the Government is seeking to preserve it for future generations, while increasing the number of tourists to promote sustainable economic development. During 2000-2002, a small, innovative, and successful program was carried out in Copan with support from the IDA-financed Profuturo Project, to help increase employment opportunities and promote research and dissemination of knowledge concerning the world of the Maya. The implementation of this program provides many lessons for development initiatives in areas of tourism growth and rural poverty, particularly among indigenous communities. In coordination with local initiatives and Government support, this program has helped to foster a new perspective on the role that parks such as Copancan play in regional and local development, poverty reduction, and environmental management.


This project represents an attempt to examine and evaluate
the educational impact of media studies on the formative
years of schooling. Some of the skills, strategies and
procedures students must adopt in engaging with this subject
are examined in assessing the possible role it can play in
the cognitive and creative development of primary aged
students.

Chapter One provides an overview of current debates
concerning the social, cultural and psychological
implications of different media. This discussion explores in
particular the cognitively-relevant characteristics of visual media and their growing significance as conveyors of meaning within the cultural domain. The centrality of the image within modern communication systems has prompted many
theorists and educationalists to consider the possibilities
for broader models of discourse which would inform our
educational provisions from the earliest levels. This
discussion is taken up again in Chapter Two where some of the initiatives and experiments in media studies programmes from neighbouring European countries are examined. These
programmes, while disparate, share a common emphasis on
language in its composite sense (i.e. as composed of words,
images and sounds) and stress the need to forge links between the school experience and subcultural experiences of young children.

Chapter Three addresses current theories of child development and learning exploring possible continuities and connections between the more recent theories and the pedagogical fundamentals of media studies classes. Of particular relevance in this discussion are emerging perspectives which question many of the existing principles and assumptions which underly our educational provisions at this level. Current policy and actual classroom practice in the Irish context are also examined in attempting to determine both the theoretical and practical implications of introducing media studies onto the primary curriculum.

Chapters Four and Five consist of a case study which attempts to test and evaluate some of the developing assumptions concerning the cognitive, creative and analytical skills which are enabled through a media pedagogy. Data recorded during a series of media studies classes provides a resource from which to generate inferences and interpretations of the kinds of learning strategies and intellectual skills students appear to be adopting.


Law does not operate in a vacuum in neatly delineated areas of law yet it is taught like this on many law degrees. Whilst this method of teaching can provide knowledge of legal rules and the specific skills to meticulously research, interpret and apply the law, it does not usually highlight how messy the law can be and the detrimental impact it can have upon people's lives. The vocational stage of training for solicitors does go some way to providing an idea of practising the law, however real life experience does not form any requirement. The only real life experiential learning for prospective solicitors is spent during time on a training contract often based in a legal firm under the supervision of a solicitor and away from any educational establishment


Abstract Candida vaginitis is the second most common vaginal infection which is treatable by azole. Overconsumption of azole is associated with resistance to drug and treatment failure. Studies conducted in laboratory conditions confirm the anti-fungal effects of Artemisia plant. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of vaginal Artemisia cream and clotrimazole on vaginal candidiasis infection. This is a clinical triple-blind trial that was performed on 72 non-pregnant women referred to Mashhad health centers in 2012-2017. After confirmation of Candida infection, the research units were randomly allocated into two groups: Artemisia and clotrimazole vaginal cream recipients treated for 7 nights. After the treatment, the data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 24). The results of the study showed that the mean reduction in the score of signs and symptoms of vaginal Candida infection was 7.4 ± 4. 1 and 7.6 ± 3.8 in the Artemisia and clotrimazole group, respectively. Wilcoxon test showed that improvement in both groups treated by Artemisia and clotrimazole was significantly higher than before treatment (p < 0.001). There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding the improvement of symptoms (p > 0.05). Acta facultatis medicae Naissensis 2018; 35(4):299-310 The present study showed that Artemisia vaginal cream and clotrimazole cream both improved the symptoms related to vaginal Candida infection. In addition, the therapeutic effect of the two drugs was not statistically significant in comparison with each other. Therefore, it can be used as an alternative treatment for vaginal candidiasis.


We present full phase stabilization of an amplified Yb:fiber femtosecond frequency comb using an intracavity electro-optic modulator and an acousto-optic modulator. These transducers provide high servo bandwidths of 580 kHz and 250 kHz for f(rep) and f(ceo), producing a robust and low phase noise fiber frequency comb. The comb was self-referenced with an f-2f interferometer and phase locked to an ultrastable optical reference used for the JILA Sr optical clock at 698 nm, exhibiting 0.21 rad and 0.47 rad of integrated phase errors (over 1 mHz-1 MHz), respectively. Alternatively, the comb was locked to two optical references at 698 nm and 1064 nm, obtaining 0.43 rad and 0.14 rad of integrated phase errors, respectively.


Hydroxyapatite (HA) coatings are widely used to improve the biocompatibility of titanium substrates. The main problem concerning these coatings is related with the bad adhesion characteristic of the ceramic/metal interface. A TiO2 interlayer can be used to improve the adhesion of the coating; however the TiO2 is a bioinert material. Then, a solution can be the use of a mixture of HA-TiO2 (60% wt HA- 40% wt TiO2) powder has been sprayed by using High Velocity Oxy-Fuel (DJH-2700) for different spraying distances. The adhesion of the coatings has been mechanically tested and the values have been compared with the values obtained for coatings that have been immersed in simulated body fluid solution (SBF) after 24 and 120 hours. The crystallinity degree of the HA plays an important role on it for the dissolution affecting the behaviour of the interface at the same time it is also important osteoclastic resorption and carbonate apatite precipitation.


This paper explores the early diversification of Paris haute couture firms through the lens of the wholesale clothing line of the house of Jean Patou. In 1929, Jean Patou founded a separate division under the name "Jane Paris." He aimed to better reach his American buyers, therefore complementing the strategies of Americanization for his haute couture house. The case of Jane Paris allows us to examine how Paris couturiers developed their own ready-to-wear in a context of increased international competition and economic difficulties for the traditional haute couture model. That the Jane Paris experiment only lasted for a few months while the house of Jean Patou flourished suggests that the strategy to diversify succeeded in beauty and accessories, rather than in clothing.


A set of tiny (T) and huge (H) anchor circles and a set of small (S) and large (L) intermediate circles were used. Trials with TT, HH, TH, and HT pairs were immediately and unexpectedly followed by single trials with SS, LL, SL, or LS pairs. In addition, the anchor and intermediate sets were interchanged. Subjects took longer to decide that unexpected SL and LS pairs were different, and they made no errors to unexpected SS and LL pairs. In contrast, subjects took less time to decide that unexpected SS and LL pairs were the same, and they frequently made errors to unexpected SL and LS pairs. Nonetheless, subjects' responses to the unexpected pairs of anchor circles were not similarly affected. Decision-criterion explanations can probably be discounted. Instead, the findings accord with earlier research suggesting that memory involving anchor stimuli increases the perceived similarity of intermediate and/or relatively similar stimuli. However, the present findings strongly suggest that memory altered the quality of sensory information at a perceptual level. This memorial influence seemingly occurred within about 400 msec. In one study, a set of large and huge circles replaced the small and large set, and similar results were found. This study relates to theories of anchor effects. Language: en


As a result of various industry regulations service providers such as websites and app developers are required to explain the ways in which they process the personal data of service users. These "privacy disclosures", which aim to inform users and empower them to control their privacy, take several forms. Among these forms are the privacy policy, the cookie notice and, on smart phones, the app permission request. The interaction problems with these different types of disclosure are relatively well understood – habituation, inattention and cognitive biases undermine the extent to which user consent is truly informed. User understanding of the actual content of these disclosures, and their feelings toward it, are less well understood, though. In this paper we report on a mixed-methods study that explored these three types of privacy disclosure and compare their relative merits as a starting point for the development more meaningful consent interactions. We identify four key findings – heterogeneity of user perceptions and attitudes to privacy disclosures, limited ability of users to infer data processing outputs and risks based on technical explanations of particular practices, suggestions of a naive model of "cost justification" rather cost-benefit analysis by users, and the possibility that consent interactions are valuable in themselves as a means to improve user perceptions of a service.


AIM
To study the baculovirus/mammalian cell system for efficient expression of functional large hepatitis delta antigen (L-HDAg).

METHODS
A recombinant baculovirus expressing histidine-tagged L-HDAg (L-HDAgH) was constructed to transduce baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells by a simplified transduction protocol.

RESULTS
The recombinant baculovirus transduced BHK cells with efficiencies higher than 90% as determined by flow cytometry. The expression level was significantly higher than that obtained by plasmid transfection and was further enhanced 3-fold to around 19 pg/cell by the addition of 10 mmol/L sodium butyrate. Importantly, the expressed L-HDAgH was localized to the cell nucleus and correctly isoprenylated as determined by immunofluorescence labeling and confocal microscopy. Moreover, L-HDAgH interacted with hepatitis B surface antigen to form virus-like particles.

CONCLUSION
The fusion with histidine tags as well as overexpression of L-HDAgH in the baculovirus-transduced BHK cells does not impair the biological functions. Taken together, the baculovirus/mammalian cell system offers an attractive alternative for high level expression of L-HDAgH or other proteins that require extensive post-translational modifications.


Background: One of the postulated mechanism for cardioprotective potential of isoflavones is their ability to exert antioxidant action. However, various reports give conflicting results in this area. Aim: The present study was conducted with an objective to probe into the cardioprotective mechanism of isoflavones by evaluating their antioxidant potential in oophorectomized women. Materials and Methods: This was a randomized, double-blind, parallel, placebo controlled study. A total of 43 women were randomized to receive 75 mg/day isoflavones tablet or placebo for 12 weeks. Red blood cell antioxidant parameters including lipid peroxidation, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) were determined at baseline and at the end of the study. Results: After 12 weeks of administration of isoflavones, there was no statistically significant difference in lipid peroxidation (P value for isoflavones: 0.37; for placebo: 0.37), catalase (P value for isoflavones: 0.35; for placebo: 0.84), SOD (P value for isoflavones: 0.41; for placebo: 0.28) and GSH-Px (P value for isoflavones: 0.92; for placebo: 0.29). There was no statistically significant difference in the proportion of patients experiencing adverse events in the two groups (P -1.00). Conclusion: The study strengthens the concept that the cardioprotective mechanism of isoflavones might be due to some other reason apart from the antioxidant pathway.


MOS devices have become smaller and smaller as the integrated circuit technology advances. A thorough understanding of the device characteristics of these small-size devices is important. In this paper, three small-geometry effects; namely, short-channel effect (SCE), narrow-width effect (NWE), and minimum-size effect (MSE) (which combines SCE and NWE together) are discussed. The variations of threshold voltage, mobility, and drain current are illustrated for minimum-size devices. The threshold voltage decreases as channel length decreases but increases as device width decreases. Carrier mobility also decreases as the device size becomes small. Simple device models of minimum-size devices are proposed for threshold voltage and carrier mobility. Experimental results of threshold voltage, mobility, and drain current are compared with the calculated results.


Background Worldwide, an estimated 10% of school-aged children were overweight or obese in 2004. Intervention studies reveal promising obesity prevention strategies but there are gaps in published research on childhood diet and associated obesity risk. Small associations between dietary patterns and adverse changes in fat mass during mid-childhood, found in European cohorts, indicate that longitudinal studies are a useful way to investigate dietary risk factors for future obesity. This systematic review identifies childhood and adolescent cohorts with a minimum follow up of 2 years, to address the research question: To what extent do dietary factors during childhood or adolescence influence future indicators of overweight or obesity? Methods The PRISMA-P 2015 statement guided protocol development. A PICO (Patients, Interventions, Comparators, Outcomes) framework was used to generate search terms, (Children or Adolescents) and (Diet or Nutrition or Food intake or Diet quality) and (Body composition or Height and Weight). Ovid Medline, Embase, Cochrane CENTRAL, Web of Science and Scopus were searched for articles published from January 1990, with no limit on language. Records were included if: a full article, available in English AND a cohort study or trial with an untreated control arm AND over half of participants were healthy children/adolescents aged from 8 to 19 years at baseline AND whole diet was measured by diet diary, 24 hour dietary recall or food frequency questionnaire and reported as partial or total intake of foods and drink AND adiposity outcomes (measured at least 2 years after diet) were reported. Data from included studies will be extracted into Excel and imported into Stata for meta-analysis of individual dietary factors where appropriate. Internal validity will be assessed using the NICE quality appraisal checklist. Results Literature searches initially identified 11,604 records. After removing duplicates and irrelevant titles 3,431 records remained to screen on title and abstract. 390 potentially relevant records were screened in duplicate on full-text. After the third review, 57 papers were included, from 33 studies (24 observational, 9 intervention). Sixteen studies are from North America, eight from Northern Europe and six from Australasia. Over half the papers report a follow-up of five years or less and sample sizes range from 100 to over 6,500 participants. Dietary factors identified include sweetened drinks, energy dense foods, fruit and vegetables, dairy foods and breakfast frequency. Conclusion High quality cohorts exist from which the influence of dietary factors on childhood/adolescent obesity can be assessed.


The performance of a molecular motor, characterized by its power output and energy efficiency, is investigated in the motor design space spanned by the stepping rate function and the motor-track interaction potential. Analytic results and simulations show that a gating mechanism that restricts forward stepping in a narrow window in configuration space is needed for generating high power at physiologically relevant loads. By deriving general thermodynamics laws for nonequilibrium motors, we find that the maximum torque (force) at stall is less than its theoretical limit for any realistic motor-track interactions due to speed fluctuations. Our study reveals a tradeoff for the motor-track interaction: while a strong interaction generates a high power output for forward steps, it also leads to a higher probability of wasteful spontaneous back steps. Our analysis and simulations show that this tradeoff sets a fundamental limit to the maximum motor efficiency in the presence of spontaneous back steps, i.e., loose-coupling. Balancing this tradeoff leads to an optimal design of the motor-track interaction for achieving a maximum efficiency close to 1 for realistic motors that are not perfectly coupled with the energy source. Comparison with existing data and suggestions for future experiments are discussed.


The protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) IA-2 and phogrin (IA-2beta) are major autoantigens in type 1 diabetes that possess common serological epitopes in their COOH termini. The epitopes recognized by the T-cells that cause the disease, however, remain to be defined. Eight phogrin-specific T-cell clones were generated from NOD mice, and their epitopes were mapped. The mapping was performed initially with recombinant gluthathione S-transferase-phogrin COOH deletion constructs and ultimately with overlapping synthetic peptides. Two dominant epitopes were identified: one (aa 629-649) immediately adjacent to the transmembrane domain (aa 604-628) and the second (aa 755-777) lying in the NH(2)-terminal region of the conserved PTP domain. T-cells that are specific to either of these peptides and that could destroy islet tissue in vivo though spontaneous T-cell proliferative responses were observed in prediabetic female NOD splenocytes only to the aa 755-777 epitope. In NOD female mice immunized with the epitope peptide, intramolecular determinant spreading occurred from the aa 629-649 epitope to the aa 755-777 epitope but not in the opposite direction. We concluded that the initial T-cell response to phogrin is restricted to a small number of dominant peptides and that it subsequently spreads to other regions of the molecule, including those containing the major humoral epitopes that are highly conserved between IA-2 and phogrin.


Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common type of primary bone cancer. Even with advances in early diagnosis and aggressive treatment, the overall prognosis for OS remains to be further elevated. Lycorine was an isoquinoline alkaloid mainly existed in the bulb of lyco salvia miltiorrhiza and was shown to inhibit several types of cancer. In the present study, we investigated the anti-OS activity of lycorine and the possible underlying mechanism. We found that lycorine inhibited cell proliferation of human OS cells while had lower cytotoxcity against normal cells, and triggered cell cycle arrest at the G1/S transition. Moreover, we validated that lycorine promoted apoptosis via death receptor pathway and mitochondrial pathway, suppressed migration and invasion by reversing epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) and suppressing the degradation of extracellular matrix (ECM) in vitro. In addition, orthotopic implantation model of 143B OS cells further confirmed that lycorine suppressed OS growth and lung metastasis in vivo. Mechanically, lycorine reduced the protein level of β-catenin and its' downstream molecule c-Myc. Furthermore, lycorine also decreased the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and AKT. Together, our results reveal that lycorine may inhibit tumor growth of OS cells possibly through suppressing Wnt/β-catenin, ERK1/2 and PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.


IN FEBRUARY 1912 Chinese around Australia celebrated the founding of the new Chinese republic following the downfall of the Qing dynasty. In Perth, a chartered steamer flying the republican flag took a group of more than 300 on a river excursion to Applecross. In Townsville, a day of celebrations began with fireworks and flag-raising, followed by a picnic lunch and foot-races at Cluden. Adelaide's Chinese drove out to the hills, where they lunched, competed in sports races and listened to tunes played by a Chinese string band. The streets of Melbourne's Chinatown were festooned with flags and electric lights, and a large picnic was held on the bay in Aspendale. In Sydney, a picnic at Clontarf was enjoyed by more than 3000 of the city's Chinese residents and their European friends; amid the eating and drinking, community leaders gave speeches rejoicing in the possibilities of the new China.


Metrics of foraging by herbivorous reef fishes have been shown to vary across space and time, and among species. However, little work has explicitly assessed how fish use space within their foraging ranges, or characterised relative foraging mobility in response to habitat condition. This knowledge is fundamental to understanding the functional impact of reef herbivores, and how spatially explicit functional roles may be modified by future reef degradation. In this study, we assessed the influence of among-site variation in habitat condition, competition and potential predation risk on the short-term foraging range of 2 species of parrotfish, Scarus niger and S. frenatus, on mid-shelf reefs of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Foraging ranges were evaluated using 3 metrics: (1) inter-foray distance and the (2) area and (3) shape of the short-term foraging range. The primary predictor of these metrics of foraging behaviour was coral cover. Inter-foray distance decreased with increasing coral cover for both S. niger and S. frenatus, and foraging ranges became more circular with increasing coral cover. Competitor abundance was a secondary driver of foraging behaviour, whereas potential predation had no detectable effect. This research provides a fine-scale understanding of how habitat condition and competition among herbivores shapes the spatial scales at which herbivores interact with their environment in the short term, and at which they perform functions essential for coral reef resilience. Critically, the study suggests that predicted changes in coral cover are likely to alter the way reef herbivores forage, and will shape the extent to which they can compensate for declining habitat condition through changes in their feeding behaviour.


The non-competitive NMDA antagonist ketamine, given to schizophrenic individuals in subanesthetic doses, produced a short-lived, discrete activation of their psychotic symptoms, which had striking similarities to symptoms of their usual psychotic episodes. To further study this psychotomimetic property of ketamine, we administered 0.3 mg kg−1 of the drug to schizophrenic individuals during a [15O] water cerebral blood flow study. Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was measured using H215O and positron emission tomography (PET) before and after ketamine administration to identify regions of flow change. rCBF was increased in anterior cingulate cortex and was reduced in the hippocampus and primary visual cortex (lingual and fusiform gyri). These data encourage further consideration of altered glutamatergic transmission in schizophrenic and PCP-induced psychoses.


Risk portfolio on modern finance has become increasingly technical, requiring the use of sophisticated mathematical tools in both research and practice. Since companies cannot insure themselves completely against risk, as human incompetence in predicting the future precisely that written in Al-Quran surah Luqman verse 34, they have to manage it to yield an optimal portfolio. The objective here is to minimize the variance among all portfolios, or alternatively, to maximize expected return among all portfolios that has at least a certain expected return. Furthermore, this study focuses on optimizing risk portfolio so called Markowitz MVO (Mean-Variance Optimization). Some theoretical frameworks for analysis are arithmetic mean, geometric mean, variance, covariance, linear programming, and quadratic programming. Moreover, finding a minimum variance portfolio produces a convex quadratic programming, that is minimizing the objective function with constraints ≥ and = . The outcome of this research is the solution of optimal risk portofolio in some investments that could be finished smoothly using MATLAB R2007b software together with its graphic analysis.


The thesis is mainly concerned with experimental studies of the heating effects of eddy
currents. Sinusoidal and non-sinusoidal eddy current heating losses in non-magnetic
conducting discs and spheres, subjected to a uniform field, are studied both theoretically
and experimentally.
The theory uses two different methods to calculate the power dissipation in the objects,
and it employs Fourler series for the non-sinusoidal case. Some approximations for the
losses at low frequency have been derived.
The experimental study has three main sections. The first deals with the generation of
uniform field for inducing eddy currents. Square Helmholtz coils have been designed,
constructed and calibrated for this purpose. The second part is concerned with the
measurement of the heat generated by eddy currents. A differential thermometer, using
two matched therrnistors in a Blumlein bridge circuit, has been designed, built and
calibrated. Operating close to balance, with a phase sensitive detector, the thermometer
detects differences of 10-5 degrees C. In the third part, the experiment arranged for the
eddy current heating measurements is described. The measured and the calculated results
are compared, and the agreement was found to be about 2%.
In foil wound inductors excited by alternating current, eddy currents together with
proximity effect cause a redistribution of the current density across the width of the
inductors. The current flow is increased along the edges of the foil and decreased along the
centre portion. A thermal demonstration of this phenomenon, which is known as width
effect, is described and studied by using the differential thermometer.


The budget is an expression of political rather than economic priorities. We confirm this proposition for a group of new and potential members of the European Union, finding that politics dominates. The contemporary practice of democracy can increase budget deficits through not only ideological preferences but also more fragmented government coalitions and higher voter participation. Long-term structural forces, triggered by societal divisions and representative electoral rules, have more ambiguous implications but also appear to increase budget pressures, as others have also found. However, our most robust, and hopeful, finding is that budget institutions-mechanisms and rules of the budget process-that create checks and balances have significant value even when the politics is representative but undisciplined, and when long-term structural forces are unfavorable.


The group key management is for a group manager to maintain a consistent group key for a dynamic group of members through a broadcast channel. In this paper we propose a group key management scheme based on a meta proxy re-encryption (PRE) scheme. In particular, we propose an RSA-based PRE scheme with special properties. It is the first RSA-based PRE scheme for group key management and has the desired properties of uni-directionality and multi-hop. In our group key management scheme, each group member holds just one secret auxiliary key and logN public auxiliary keys. The size of rekey messages for each group key update remains O(logN). Additionally, our scheme has some distinct features. Firstly, the size of the key update history is a constant O(N) no matter how many times of group key updates occur. Secondly, the computation time of computing the newest group key from the key update history is always O(logN) no matter how many group key updates are missed. This feature provides a practical solution for group key update when members go offline from time to time. Finally, the proposed scheme is immune to the collusion attack of other members.


Sialadenitis occurs with greatest frequency in the parotid glands because infection and inflammation arise easily from the oral cavity. Since patients often experience severe swelling and pain during inflammation, the distribution of sensory nerves in these ducts may have clinical significance. We used antibodies to the known neuropeptide substance P and to tyrosine hydroxylase - a marker of adrenergic fibres - to observe their distribution and gain insight on their functional role in adult human parotid duct. After excising the parotid duct along with the gland, specimens were divided into three regions: the tract adjacent to the parotid gland, the route along the anterior surface of the masseter, and the area where the duct penetrates the buccinator muscle and opens into the oral cavity. Specimens were prepared and examined under a fluorescence microscope following immunostaining. Substance P positivity was observed in all three regions of the duct, whereas tyrosine hydroxylase was distributed mainly in the vascular walls and surrounding areas. The distribution of substance P candidates this molecule to assist in tissue defense in conjunction with the blood and lymph vessels of this area. Tyrosine hydroxylase in the blood vessel wall likely contributes to regulation of blood flow in concert with substance P positive nerves surrounding the blood vessels.


The purpose of this paper is to address the issue of the implementation of global and local brands in Latin America by drawing on contingency theory to develop and test hypotheses relating to how product category characteristics affect the success of global and local brands in the region. Hypotheses are tested using data obtained from top brands rankings reported in five Latin American markets (Argentina, Brazil, the Caribbean and Central America, Chile and Mexico). The study design considers estimating a logistic regression on a binomial dependent variable measuring whether 475 top brands are global or local brands, with product category characteristics as independent variables. Results reveal that product categories related to subscriptions, local tastes, high-tech, and global citizenship do have an impact on the success of global and local brands in Latin America.


From battlefields, boxcars, and forgotten warehouses to notorious prison camps like Andersonville and Elmira, prisoners seemed to be everywhere during the American Civil War. Yet there is much we do not know about the soldiers and civilians whose very lives were in the hands of their enemies. Living by Inches is the first book to examine how imprisoned men in the Civil War perceived captivity through the basic building blocks of human experience--their five senses. From the first whiffs of a prison warehouse to the taste of cornbread and the feeling of lice, captivity assaulted prisoners' perceptions of their environments and themselves. Evan A. Kutzler demonstrates that the sensory experience of imprisonment produced an inner struggle for men who sought to preserve their bodies, their minds, and their sense of self as distinct from the fundamentally uncivilized and filthy environments surrounding them. From the mundane to the horrific, these men survived the daily experiences of captivity by adjusting to their circumstances, even if these transformations worried prisoners about what type of men they were becoming.


We develop a theoretical model and derive conditions under which firms with market power try to influence the setting of quality standards and describe the political equilibrium. We show that in political equilibrium the positive association only holds for a restricted set of initial values of the firm's market share, if the government ascribes a positive value to consumer welfare. We test our hypothesis using Tunisian data for the years 2002-2010. In our main results, we find a higher incidence of SPS measures in sectors where firms connected to former president Ben Ali have a higher share in imports. However, this association only holds for sectors with high tariffs. For low tariff sectors, we find that Ben Ali firms are associated with more TBTs. A higher concentration of market power in itself does not lead to higher standards, leading us to the conclusion that political power is essential.


The Cutter Incident. How America's First Polio Vaccine Led to the Growing Vaccine Crisis. By Paul A. Offit. Yale University Press, New Haven, CT, 2005. 250 pp. $27.50. ISBN 0-300-10864-8. The author discusses the production of Salk vaccine at Cutter Laboratories, the tragic effects of the inadvertent injection of 200,000 people with live virulent polio virus, the subsequent legal proceedings, and the shadow those have cast on the development of new vaccines.


Idiopathic ventricular tachycardia is not a single clinical entity. Several electrophysiological mechanisms are responsible for at least two typical electrocardiographical pictures. The tachycardia with right bundle branch block morphology and inferior axis is the most common type and originates in the right ventricular outflow tract. It has to be differentiated from right ventricular dysplasia, and also from tachycardia in association with mitral valve prolapse. It is responsive to calcium antagonists, and can be treated with radiofrequency ablation. The other tachycardia (left bundle branch block morphology and right axis) originates in the posterior left ventricular septum and has typically sharp potentials preceding the ventricular electrogram in the site where ablation is successful. Both types can be associated with different types of cardiomyopathy, and therefore further investigation might be useful.


Changes in both retail and wholesale infant formula prices can affect the ability of WIC to supply infant formula to participants. This paper constructs a joint relationship that links national wholesale and retail infant formula prices to economic and policy variables. This joint framework provides a richer interpretation of current issues and questions associated with these markets than frameworks intent on explaining either retail or wholesale prices alone. We show how this framework can be implemented empirically, and demonstrate how it can be used to obtain empirical estimates of retail and wholesale price flexibilities with respect to rebates, and with respect to changes in WIC participation. Both have implications for cost containment.


In this paper, a novel reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS)-assisted multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) symbiotic radio (SR) system is proposed, in which an RIS, operating as a secondary transmitter (STx), sends messages to a multi-antenna secondary receiver (SRx) by using cognitive backscattering communication, and simultaneously, it enhances the primary transmission from a multi-antenna primary transmitter (PTx) to a multi-antenna primary receiver (PRx) by intelligently reconfiguring the wireless environment. We are interested in the joint design of active transmit beamformer at the PTx and passive reflecting beamformer at the STx to minimize the total transmit power at the PTx, subject to the signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) constraint for the secondary transmission and the rate constraint for the primary transmission. Due to the non-convexity of the formulated problem, we decouple the original problem into a series of subproblems using the alternating optimization method and then iteratively solve them. The convergence performance and computational complexity of the proposed algorithm are analyzed. Furthermore, we develop a low-complexity algorithm to design the reflecting beamformer by solving a backscatter link enhancement problem through the semi-definite relaxation (SDR) technique. Then, theoretical analysis is performed to reveal the insights of the proposed system. Finally, simulation results are presented to validate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms and the superiority of the proposed system.


It is now a common practice to use local magnetic parameters such as magnetic decay index for explaining solar eruptions from active regions, but there can be an alternative view that the global properties of the source region should be counted as a more important factor. We discuss this issue based on Solar Dynamics Observatory observations of the three successive eruptions within 1.5 hr from the NOAA active region 11444 and the magnetic parameters calculated using the nonlinear force-free field model. Two violent eruptions occurred in the regions with relatively high magnetic twist number (0.5–1.5) and high decay index (0.9–1.1) at the nominal height of the filament (12″) and otherwise a mild eruption occurred, which supports the local-parameter paradigm. Our main point is that the time sequence of the eruptions did not go with these parameters. It is argued that an additional factor, in the form of stabilizing force, should operate to determine the onset of the first eruption and temporal behaviors of subsequent eruptions. As supporting evidence, we report that the heating and fast plasma flow continuing for a timescale of an hour was the direct cause for the first eruption and that the unidirectional propagation of the disturbance determined the timing of subsequent eruptions. Both of these factors are associated with the overall magnetic structure rather than local magnetic properties of the active region.


A model for the spread of an infection is analyzed for different population structures. The interactions within the population are described by small world networks, ranging from ordered lattices to random graphs. For the more ordered systems, there is a fluctuating endemic state of low infection. At a finite value of the disorder of the network, we find a transition to self-sustained oscillations in the size of the infected subpopulation.


After 10 years of life, the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) is under pressure because of the moat between expectations and achievements by Macau's local government and the spectrum of autonomy conquered through the leverage of the political arrangement. An arrangement opened by the bilateral negotiations between Portugal and the PRC that led to the signature of the Joint Declaration between the Government of Portugal and the Government of the PRC's concerning to the Question of Macao. A set of mutual obligations ratified in the letter and spirit of Macau Basic Law (MBL). The so-called "second system" has increasingly become under scrutiny as a new Law of State Security (Lei de Bases da Seguranca Interna) made its way and was quickly approved by the local Legislative Assmbly, albeit the reservations that rise in the legal community, in the pro-democracy camp and also among many expatriates. This law has beed seen as a Trojan Horse for the mainland interference and control of the MSAR, turning the exercise of the fundamental human rights and liberties uncertain.


The medical equipment industry, once a source of American trade strength, is now showing a deficit in U.S.-Japan sales. While trade barriers and exchange rates have adversely affected American medical equipment sales in Japan, they are not the complete or even the primary explanations underlying trade patterns. What is interesting about this sector is that American sales of medical equipment have been increasing in Japan. The deficit has occurred because American purchases of Japanese goods have risen even faster. It is important that this innovative industrial sector improve sales in Japan. This article discusses the unique features of Japanese public policies toward the regulation and sale of medical equipment and analyzes successful corporate strategies for increasing sales in Japan.


The present data book is another one in the series of publications, dedicated to different aspects of scientific development in the Russian Federation. It begins with tables, where together with the main science and technology indicators there are data concerning the main innovative activities. The publication presents statistics on R&D organisations, R&D personnel and funding as well as its material and technical facilities. In some sections you may find information about intellectual property, technology commercialisation and usage, international comparisons data. The data book includes the information of the Federal State Statistics Service, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, the Federal Servicefor Intellectual Property, the CIS Interstate Statistical Committee, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the European Commission, Eurostat, UNESCO, the World Intellectual Property Organisation, as well as results of methodological and analytical studies conducted by HSE Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge.


Study of the foundations, research methods, practices, theoretical approaches to qualitative research. These methods and approaches include ethnography, literary theory, rhetorical analysis, discourse analysis, gender and race theories, phenomenology, sem


Walking speed is an important determinant of energy expenditure. We present the use of Gaussian Process-based Regression (GPR), a non-linear, non-parametric regression framework to estimate walking speed using data obtained from a single on-body sensor worn on the right hip. We compare the performance of GPR with Bayesian Linear Regression (BLR) and Least Squares Regression (LSR) in estimating treadmill walking speeds. We also examine whether using gyroscopes to augment accelerometry data can improve prediction accuracy. GPR shows a lower average RMS prediction error when compared to BLR and LSR across all subjects. Per subject, GPR has significantly lower RMS prediction error than LSR and BLR (p≪0.05) with increasing training data. The addition of tri-axial gyroscopes as inputs reduces RMS prediction error (p≪0.05 per subject) when compared to using only acclerometers. We also study the effect of using treadmill walking data to predict overground walking speeds and that of combining data from more than one person to predict overground walking speed. A strong linear correlation exists (rX,Y = .8861) between overground walking speeds predicted from treadmill data and ground truth walking speed measured. Combining treadmill data from multiple subjects with similar height characteristics improved the prediction capability of GPR for overground walking speeds as measured by correllation between ground truth and GP-predicted values (rX,Y = .8204 with combined data).


This paper will attempt to study the effects & performance of three queuing techniques (First In First Out Queuing, Priority Queuing, Weighted Fair Queuing) with VOIP application in WiMAX through OPNET 14.5 simulator. In recent years VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is one of the most modern and interesting technology. This work inspects the execution of VOIP traffic characteristics over WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access). Applications like web browsing (HTTP), email and FTP are very careless or insensitive towards any kind of delay in transmission of information while VOIP technology is very delicate and sensitive towards delay, packet losses and jitter. For this reason three different queuing methods are put into operation to manage, regulate, arrange and also to prioritizing the packets in buffers before their transmission. Here FIFO, PQ and WFQ queuing are implemented with the help of OPNET simulator and various parameters like jitter, mean opinion score, packet delay variation and packet end to end delay are studied. After this analysis and evaluation we can pick the best and right queuing scheme. In this document we are also investigating that how performance of various queuing schemes are affected with different numbers of nodes.


OBJECTIVES To highlight the risk factors for the occurrence of this complication in order to achieve an early diagnosis. METHODS Retrospective descriptive study in which the medical records of patients diagnosed with enterocolitis and who have previously undergone surgery for Hirschsprung's disease in a tertiary hospital from 1994 to 2013, inclusive (N=29), were reviewed. Epidemiological, surgical and clinical data from two groups of patients: Group A (6 patients with ECPD) and Group B (23 patients without ECPD) were compared. Enterocolitis episode data in the Group A were studied too. RESULTS The incidence of an episode of ECPD was 20.6% and the incidence of two episodes of ECPD was 33.3%. The onset occurred at 12.17 months (SD 13.04) after pull-through procedure. The incidence was higher in patients operated at a younger age [10 months in Group A [6-16] versus 14 months in the group B (1-153)] and in those patients with the longest segment resected [23.20 cm in group A (DS 10,52) versus 19.20 cm in group B (DS 6.92)]. No patient with a discharge colostomy before pull-through surgery showed this complication. It must be highlighted the highest incidence in patients undergone by Swenson's technique (25%) compared to other surgical techniques (Georgeson (15.80%), Soave (0%)). CONCLUSION Just the length of the resected segment and the patient's age at the time of the pull-through procedure appear to influence the outcome. It is considered advisable to be extremely vigilant in children operated at an early age and subjected to extensive intestinal resection for an early diagnosis and establishment of a treatment to avoid high morbidity.


A stabilized formulation of disodium glutathione disulfide (GSSG; oxidized glutathione) and cisplatin (1000:1) with potential chemoprotective and immunomodulating activities. Mimicking endogenous GSSG, glutathione disulfide NOV-002 acts as a competitive substrate for gamma-glutamyl-transpeptidase (GGT), which may result in the S-glutathionylation of proteins, predominantly actin, a redox stress on endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and ER stress-induced apoptosis; S-glutathionylation may be stimulated by reactive oxygen species (ROS) liberated by a glutathione disulfide NOV-002-induced increase in GGT activity. Glutathione disulfide NOV-002 may also induce phosphorylation of proteins such as ERK and p38, two kinases that play critical regulatory roles in cell proliferation and apoptosis. The cisplatin component of this agent does not provide an effective therapeutic concentration of cisplatin in vivo.


Liz Rasmussen Consultant Editor Adrian M Ashurst, RGN, DMS Training Manager, Cambian Healthcare Commercial Manager Chloe Moffat Classified Sales Manager Rachel McElhinney Senior Classified Sales Executive Joe Ackah Production Manager Jon Redmayne Production Assistant Larry Oakes Associate Publisher Tracy Cowan Publisher Anthony Kerr Commercial Director Tom Pollard Publishing Director Matthew Cianfarani Managing Director Ben Allen EDitoriAl BoArD Julie Heathcote Alzheimer's Society approved trainer in reminiscence therapy Chia Swee Hong Lecturer in Occupational Therapy, University of East Anglia, Norwich Nick Johnson Chief Executive, Social Care Association, Surrey Des Kelly, oBE National Director, National Care Forum, Coventry linda Nazarko, oBE, FrCN Nuse Consultant, Ealing PCT, London Pauline Newson Senior Lecturer, (Nursing), University Campus Suffolk Helen rollin Business Manager, Anchor Trust Julie Swann Independent Occupational Therapist Sheila Scott Chief Executive, National Care Association, London Julie Vickerman Clinical Specialist Occupational therapist Continence Service, Chorley & South Ribble District General Hospital


Handmade mulberry paper was coated with flame retardants reagent: ammonium sulphate, at the various concentrations. The properties of mulberry paper, i.e. rate of water absorption, rate of flammability, flash point and mechanical properties expressed as Young's modulus were studied. Mulberry paper coated with sulphate-based compound was not flammable and the rate of water absorption was decreased, while the elasticity was increased.


Objective:
 Conventional treatment of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) has been systemic heparinization. A small percentage of CVST present with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). We retrospectively evaluated the efficacy and safety of anticoagulation in consecutive patients with SAH due to CSVT.

 Materials and Methods:
 A retrospective review of our stroke database from November, 1994 to August, 2010 identified 21 consecutive patients who had presented with SAH secondary to CVST. CVST was documented through angiography, venous angioTC or venous phase angioresonance. CVST was documented through CT scan or lumbar puncture when image was equivocal. Diagnosis was performed by a neurologist and confirmed by neuorradiologists. Patient histories were reviewed to collect data on presentation, presence of venous infarction or hemorrhagic transformation, affected sinus, treatment with anticoagulation, follow up, and functional outcome.

 Results:
 21 patients were included for analysis. The mean patient age was 39years (20-83). Sixty-seven percent of patients were female. The initial symptom was thunderclap headache in 11 patients (52%), acute progressive headache in 9 patients (43%) and seizures in 1 patient (5%). 15 patients (71.4%) were treated with anticoagulants. 10 patients (48%) were treated with low molecular weight heparin, 5 patients (24%) with non fractioned heparin. All these patients continued treatment with oral anticoagulation. 3 patients (14.3% received treatment with antiplatelet agents. 3 patients (14%) received no treatment. No patients developed intracaranial or extracranial hemorrhagic complications after initial treatment. One patient died due to cerebral edema. All other patients had good functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale<2) regardless of treatment.

 Conclusion:
 Treatment with anticoagulant drug appear to be safe in the setting of CVST related HSA. Outcome appears to be good in most patients. Our study is not powered to detect the efficacy of treatment in these patients.


The influence of the initial stretching of a simply supported plate strip containing a rectangular hole with rounded-off corners on the stress concentration around the hole caused by the bending of the strip under the action of uniformly distributed normal forces on the plane of its upper face is studied within the framework of the three-dimensional theory of elasticity under a plane-strain state. The mathematical formulation of the corresponding boundary value problems is presented. For the solution to these problems the finite element method is employed and for this purpose the validity of the constructed functional is proven. The material of the plate strip is selected as linear elastic, homogeneous and orthotropic. The numerical results are presented for the composite consisting of two alternating layers made from isotropic linear elastic materials.


The properties of all-optical phase-coherent frequency division by 3, based on a self-phase-locked continuous-wave (cw) optical parametric oscillator (OPO), are investigated theoretically and experimentally. The frequency to be divided is provided by a diode laser master-oscillator power-amplifier system operated at a wavelength of 812 nm and used as the pump source of the OPO. Optical self-phase-locking of the OPO signal and idler waves is achieved by mutual injection locking of the signal wave and the intracavity frequency-doubled idler wave. The OPO process and the second-harmonic generation of the idler wave are simultaneously phase matched through quasi-phase-matching using two periodically poled sections of different period manufactured within the same LiNbO3 crystal. An optical self-phase-locking range of up to 1 MHz is experimentally observed. The phase coherence of frequency division by three is measured via the phase stability of an interference pattern formed by the input and output waves of the OPO. The fractional frequency instability of the divider is measured to be smaller than 7.6×10-14 for a measurement time of 10 s (resolution limited). The self-phase-locking characteristics of the cw OPO are theoretically investigated by analytically solving the coupled field equations in the steady-state regime. For the experimental parameters of the OPO, the calculations predict a locking range of 1.3 MHz and a fractional frequency instability of 1.6×10-15, in good agreement with the experimental results.


Electronic nose gas recognizer is a kind of instrument simulating biological olfactory function for gas detection, which is widely applied in underground construction, aerospace, medical treatment and other fields. The sensing mechanism of the wireless sensor is complex. The wireless sensor array can realize the cross-response of the mixed gas, as well as data acquisition, processing and transmission by wireless transmission. This study applies the wireless sensor array to the electronic nose gas recognition technology, and conducts detection and recognition of three kinds of volatile gas, as well as analyzes the transient response of four wireless sensors and the transient response of wireless sensor array. It is found that the transient response curves are related to the characteristics and sample properties of wireless sensors, but not directly related to sample components. The whole transient response process includes four processes, namely steady state, rising process, maximum response and falling process. The response curve change of wireless sensor array to engine oil volatile gas is similar to that of diesel oil, but the conductance value is smaller than that of diesel oil gas response curve.


Double patterning technology (DPT) has recently gained much attention and is viewed as the most promising solution for the sub-32-nm node process. DPT decomposes a layout into two masks and applies double exposure patterning to increase the pitch size and thus printability. This paper proposes the first mask-sharing methodology for DPT, which can share masks among different designs, to reduce the number of costly masks for double patterning. The design methodology consists of two tasks: template-mask design and template-mask-aware routing. A graph matching-based algorithm is developed to design a flexible template mask that tries to accommodate as many design patterns as possible. We also present a template-mask-aware routing (TMR) algorithm, focusing on DPT-related issues to generate routing solutions that satisfy the constraints induced from double patterning and template masks. Experimental results show that our designed template mask is mask-saving, and our TMR can achieve conflict-free routing with 100% routability and save at least two masks for each circuit with reasonable wirelength and runtime overheads.


BACKGROUND
Swallowing problems are frequently seen in older adults, especially in individuals with cognitive impairment (CI). The brain plays a crucial role in both cognition and swallowing. Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data, researchers identified regions associated with swallowing. However, it is not yet fully elucidated which factors influence the swallowing performance in older adults.

OBJECTIVES
The current study investigated which factors, such as cognitive function, neuroanatomical factors (e.g., the cortical thickness and volume of specific brain regions) and demographical factors are associated with swallowing performance in older adults. Secondly, it was investigated whether there is a difference in neuroanatomical factors between individuals with and without CI.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
In total, 15 CI individuals (73.1 ± 9.1 years; 46.7% male) and 48 non-CI controls (69.0 ± 5.1 years; 29.2% male) were included. The repetitive saliva swallowing test (RSST) was performed, and an MRI scan was acquired from the participants.

RESULTS
Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that the cortical thickness of the right supramarginal gyrus and female gender were positively associated, and a higher age was negatively associated with the RSST in older adults (p < .05). CI was not significantly associated with swallowing performance. Furthermore, it was found that the cortical volume differs more frequently between CI and non-CI than the cortical thickness.

CONCLUSION
A thinner cortex of the right supramarginal gyrus and being an older female are associated with poorer swallowing performance. Secondly, cortical volume was more often found to differ between CI and non-CI individuals than cortical thickness.


Objective. Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection is becoming a chronic disease in 60-85% of individuals and is a cause of hepatic cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The objective of this study was to report the seroprevalence of HCV infection in a probabilistic sample of the Mexican population. Material and Methods. This study is based on information obtained from the National Health Survey conducted in 2000. A total of 21 271 sera randomly selected for anti-HCV and RNA of HCV was studied. It was performed at the National Institute of Public Health in 2005. Results. Seroprevalence of HCV antibodies was 1.4% (IC95% 1.1%-1.6%), of which 35.7% had active infection. Risk factors for infection were using heroine (RM= 9.8, IC: 2.1-41.4), being separated from his/her spouse (RM= 2.6, IC: 1.1-5.9), being a widower (RM= 2.2, IC: 1.1-4.3) and living in the northern states in the country (RM= 1.9, IC: 1.1-3.2). Conclusion. Results from this study indicate that HCV is an emerging public health problem in Mexico. Risk factors indicate that the main route of transmission is through transfusion of blood products (previous to 1996) and the second route is through usage of intravenous drugs and sexual practices.


Virtues define how we behave when no one else is watching; accordingly, they serve as a bedrock for professional self-regulation, particularly at the level of the individual physician. From the time of William Osler through the end of the 20th century, physician virtue was viewed as an important safeguard for patients and research participants. However, the Institute of Medicine, Association of American Medical Colleges, and other policy groups—relying on social science data indicating that ethical decisions often result from unconscious and biased processes, particularly in the face of financial conflicts of interest—have increasingly rejected physician virtue as an important safeguard for patients. The authors argue that virtue is still needed in medicine—at least as a supplement to regulatory solutions (such as mandatory disclosures). For example, although rarely treated as a reportable conflict of interest, standard fee-for-service medicine can present motives to prioritize self-interest or institutional interests over patient interests. Because conflicts of interest broadly construed are ubiquitous, physician self-regulation (or professional virtue) is still needed. Therefore, the authors explore three strategies that physicians can adopt to minimize the influence of self-serving biases when making medical business ethics decisions. They further argue that humility must serve as a crowning virtue—not a meek humility but, rather, a courageous willingness to recognize one's own limitations and one's need to use "compensating strategies," such as time-outs and consultation with more objective others, when making decisions in the face of conflicting interests.


Summary. To clarify the lineage involvement of haemopoietic progenitor cells in idiopathic myelofibrosis (MF), simultaneous analysis of morphology and chromosomes were performed on single colonies from a 70‐year‐old Japanese woman with typical presentation of MF. The cytogenetic analysis of unstimu‐lated peripheral blood cells revealed three cell lines 47.XX, −6, +9, +der(6)t (1;6)(lqter→1q21::6p21→6qter), 46,XX, −6, +der(6) and 46.XX. Of 91 metaphases examined, the numbers of each cell line were 43, 41 and 7, respectively. Blood mononuclear cells were plated at 2 × 103 or 1 × 104/ml in methylcellulose medium containing phytohaemagglutinin‐stimulated leucocyte conditioned medium and erythropoietin. On days 10,12 and 14 of culture, 47 individual colonies were lifted and served for morphological and cytogenetic examination. Morphological examination revealed that the colonies contained neutrophils (n), macrophages (m), basophils (b), erythrocytes (E) and megakaryocytes (M). Twenty‐two of the 47 colonies had analysable metaphases, yielding totally 158 metaphases. Twelve colonies contained three or more metaphases. Eight colonies (3bE, IE, 2b, InEM, IbEM) were of the abnormal cell line 46,XX, − 6, + der(6), and four colonies (2E, IbE, ImE) were of the karyotypically normal cell line 46,XX. The other abnormal cell line 47.XX, −6, +9, +der(6) was not detected in any of the metaphases obtained from single colonies. These results provided direct evidence that the pluripotent stem cells were involved in MF.


Building houses in inundation areas is always a risk, since absolute flood protection is impossible. Where settlements already exist, flood damage must be kept as small as possible. Suitable means are precautionary measures such as elevated building configuration or flood adapted use. However, data about the effects of such measures are rare, and consequently, the efficiency of different precautionary measures is unclear. To improve the knowledge about efficient precautionary measures, approximately 1200 private households, which were affected by the 2002 flood at the river Elbe and its tributaries, were interviewed about the flood damage of their buildings and contents as well as about their precautionary measures. The affected households had little flood experience, i.e. only 15% had experienced a flood before. 59% of the households stated that they did not know, that they live in a flood prone area. Thus, people were not well prepared, e.g. just 11% had used and furnished their house in a flood adapted way and only 6% had a flood adapted building structure. Building precautionary measures are mainly effective in areas with frequent small floods. But also during the extreme flood event in 2002 building measures reduced the flood loss. From the six different building precautionary measures under study, flood adapted use and adapted interior fitting were the most effective ones. They reduced the damage ratio for buildings by 46% and 53%, respectively. The damage ratio for contents was reduced by 48% due to flood adapted use and by 53% due to flood adapted interior fitting. The 2002 flood motivated a relatively large number of people to implement private precautionary measures, but still much more could be done. Hence, to further reduce flood losses, people's motivation to invest in precaution should be improved. More information campaigns and financial incentives should be issued to encourage precautionary measures.


The effects of space-invariant blurring in the frequency plane of a coherent optical correlator on the system's performance are considered. The correlator performance criteria used include loss in output correlation peak amplitude, output signal-to-noise ratio, and variation in the probability of a false alarm for a fixed probability of detection. A statistical approach is used to derive general expressions for the mean m and variance var of the output correlation. Expressions for the three correlator performance criteria are then obtained in terms of m and var. When these results are applied to several specific cases, we find that the performance of a correlator can be described and controlled by a new parameter, the space-blur bandwidth product.


A longstanding debate concerns whether functional responses are best described by prey-dependent versus ratio-dependent models. Theory suggests that ratio dependence can explain many food web patterns left unexplained by simple prey-dependent models. However, for logistical reasons, ratio dependence and predator dependence more generally have seen infrequent empirical evaluation and then only so in specialist predators, which are rare in nature. Here we develop an approach to simultaneously estimate the prey-specific attack rates and predator-specific interference rates of predators interacting with arbitrary numbers of prey and predator species. We apply the approach to field surveys and two field experiments involving two intertidal whelks and their full suite of potential prey. Our study provides strong evidence for the presence of weak predator dependence that is closer to being prey dependent than ratio dependent over manipulated and natural ranges of species abundances. It also indicates how, for generalist predators, even the qualitative nature of predator dependence can be prey-specific. Author contributions CW contributed to method development, KC and IS performed the caging experiment, and MN conceived of the study, carried out the fieldwork and analyses, and wrote the manuscript.


Background:  Zinc acts as growth protector for neoplastic cells and its deficiency was contributed to carcinogenesis.  However, the determinations of serum zinc in acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) prediction and prognosis requires more investigations.  Objective:  To evaluate and compare serum zinc in ALL patients and healthy controls and to correlate the serum zinc levels with hematological prognostic markers.   Materials and methods:  the study was conducted in Khartoum state-Sudan during the period from December 2013 to September 2014, it involved a case group of ALL patients (N=100) matched for age and gender with a control group (N=100). Serum copper and zinc levels and full blood count were investigated.   Results:  The ALL patients showed lower levels of Zn 0.73 ± 0.18 mg/dl compared to controls 1.01 ± 0.25 mg/dl [P = 0.003]. The serum Zn levels were inversely correlated with total white cell (-0.804, P < 0.0001) and blast counts (-0.935, P < 0.0001)  Conclusion:  These findings ALL associated with lower serum zinc levels and higher serum copper levels. The determination of serum zinc and copper could be used as ALL prognostic markers. KEYWORDS :  Acute lymphoblastic leukemia, zinc, carcinogenesis.


It would be useful to measure the minute surface roughness of the carotid arterial wall to detect the early stage of atherosclerosis. In conventional ultrasonography, the axial resolution of a B-mode image depends on the ultrasonic wavelength of 150 µm at 10 MHz because a B-mode image is constructed using the amplitude of the radio-frequency (RF) echo. Therefore, the surface roughness caused by atherosclerosis in an early stage cannot be measured using a conventional B-mode image obtained by ultrasonography because the roughness is 10–20 µm. We have realized accurate transcutaneous estimation of such a minute surface profile using the lateral motion of the carotid arterial wall, which is estimated by block matching of received ultrasonic signals. However, the width of the region where the surface profile is estimated depends on the magnitude of the lateral displacement of the carotid arterial wall (i.e., if the lateral displacement of the arterial wall is 1 mm, the surface profile is estimated in a region of 1 mm in width). In this study, the width was increased by combining surface profiles estimated using several ultrasonic beams. In the present study, we first measured a fine wire, whose diameter was 13 µm, using ultrasonic equipment to obtain an ultrasonic beam profile for determination of the optimal kernel size for block matching based on the correlation between RF echoes. Second, we estimated the lateral displacement and surface profile of a phantom, which had a saw tooth profile on its surface, and compared the surface profile measured by ultrasound with that measured by a laser profilometer. Finally, we estimated the lateral displacement and surface roughness of the carotid arterial wall of three healthy subjects (24-, 23-, and 23-year-old males) using the proposed method.


The fluidization characteristics of fine particles i.e. Geldart–C and A particles are studied in a cylindrical fluidized column. The effects of different system parameters (viz. static bed height, particle density, size of particle, speed of promoter and superficial velocity of the fluidizing medium) on bed dynamics are analyzed. CFD simulation is carried out for the hydrodynamic behaviour of fine powders. The values of these bed dynamics obtained through CFD simulation are compared against the respective experimental values. The comparison results show very good agreement between the experimental and simulated results thereby indicating the possibility of smooth or proper fluidization for fine particles. Thus these findings will be helpful in designing a good fluidized bed reactor for fine particle system can optimize the processes very well.


SIR,-There can be no doubt that the British trial (30 January, p 313) has made a great contribution to research into the effect of aspirin on the frequency of primary infarction and stroke. Both the extent and the duration of this study deserve peer recognition, and these results, acknowledged the world over, are of great scientific interest. In contrast to the results obtained by the British research group, those produced by the American group clearly show a significant reduction in the rate of infarction in doctors who took aspirin, a result which ultimately led to the premature termination of the study. ' An attempt to explain these discrepancies reveals fundamental differences in the way in which these two major studies were carried out. The American study featured not only a considerably larger number of volunteers but also a true control group which took placebos according to a double blind study design. The British control group was merely recommended to avoid taking aspirin. Furthermore, during the six year study about 12% of the British control group changed over to the group taking aspirin, while 30% of the aspirin group stopped taking it. Also, part of the aspirin group transferred to a different formulation during the study and reduced the dose from 500 to 300 mg, thus destroying the comparability of the two groups. Moreover, the results of the study were projected arbitrarily on to a reference value of 10 000 man years. It is at this point, if not sooner, that we must question the binding nature of a scientific study protocol. What is the claim to validity ofa scientific study which is carried out according to criteria that change so frequently? The authors themselves are apparently aware of the shortcomings of their study and in their discussion readily refer to their American colleagues, whose results they consider more significant. They observe that an unbiased and qualified evaluation ofthe side effects can be carried out only on the basis of a placebo group. Why did the British research group pass up the opportunity of gaining such important results? It is regrettable that the necessary further scientific analysis of the range of activity of aspirin in the primary prevention of infarction should be endangered so easily by a study protocol which is equivocal to say the least. This is all the more tragic if we consider the pioneering character of this British study in the discussion surrounding the use of aspirin in the primary prophylaxis of myocardial infarction.


Risk communication is physical and mental conditions that underlie the management of information in  facing risks of a disaster. This study is aimed to describe risk communication strategies conducted by a community  in Mount Merapi, a disaster-prone area. The study will also analyze the framing that underlies the community's  resistance towards government relocation policy. This research is expected to contribute to the development of  appropriate risk communication strategies in disasters management, for both government and local communities.  This Research uses qualitative methods and strengthen by quantitative data with purposive sampling. This study  states that there are four framing elements underlying the peoples resistance. First, the relocation policy is  considered to be disregardful of the peoples rights for proper settlement. Second, the justification of the matter  is the government unjustness. Third, is more of a moral reason underlying the peoples resistance towards the  policy which is an effort to retaining personal welfare and sustaining homeland. The  fourth framing element, are recommendations for action, the people have decided to  stay inthe village and improve preparedness and economic self-reliance. The decision to survive living in a  disaster prone area is increasingly raising the peoples awareness of the importance of risk communicationin  facing the threats of possible disasters. Keywords : disaster, relocation, framing, risk communication


In Spain, there is a general tendency to conceal the prognosis from a terminally ill patient. We conducted grounded-theory-based, phenomenologi-cal, qualitative research on this using a final sample of 42 in-depth interviews with doctors and nurses from different fields. We found that most health professionals believe that although patients don't ask questions, they know what is happening to them. Many professionals feel bad when communicating bad news. In hospitals, doctors take responsibility for doing so. The attitudes of professionals are influenced by their sense of responsibility and commitment to the principle of patient autonomy, as well as to the level of their agreement with the cultural context. The tacit agreement of silence makes communication impossible: the patient does not ask questions, the health professional does not want to be interrogated, and family members don't talk about the disease and want health professionals to follow their example. This situation is detrimental to patients and their families and leads to suffering, low levels of satisfaction, and feelings of guilt and helplessness. Health care professionals must acquire the means and the skills for communicating bad news.


To overcome the difficulty of preparing the stoichiometric single phase calcium phosphate materials, ultrasonic spray pyrolysis was used to fabricate various calcium phosphates. Effect of the initial Ca/P ratios and pyrolysis temperature were investigated in preparation of single phase materials. Also thermal stability of the obtained powders was estimated with the heat treatment in the air. Crystallinity of the powders was analyzed using XRD and FT-IR. The HAp and β-TCP powders with single phase could be obtained from their stoichiometric Ca/P ratios of 1.50 and 1.67, respectively. These single phase powders with good crystallinity and stoichiometry were stable with respect to heat treatment up to 1000oC. The particle size of these powders would be controlled by the concentration of starting solution.


Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa) infection is a major cause of airway inflammation in immunocompromised and cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Mitogen-activated protein (MAP) and tyrosine kinases are integral to inflammatory responses and are therefore potential targets for novel anti-inflammatory therapies. We have determined the involvement of specific kinases in Pa-induced inflammation. The effects of kinase inhibitors against p38MAPK, MEK 1/2, JNK 1/2, Syk or c-Src, a combination of a p38MAPK with Syk inhibitor, or a novel narrow spectrum kinase inhibitor (NSKI), were evaluated against the release of the proinflammatory cytokine/chemokine, IL-6 and CXCL8 from BEAS-2B and CFBE41o- epithelial cells by Pa. Effects of a Syk inhibitor against phosphorylation of the MAPKs were also evaluated. IL-6 and CXCL8 release by Pa were significantly inhibited by p38MAPK and Syk inhibitors (p<0.05). Phosphorylation of HSP27, but not ERK or JNK, was significantly inhibited by Syk kinase inhibition. A combination of p38MAPK and Syk inhibitors showed synergy against IL-6 and CXCL8 induction and an NSKI completely inhibited IL-6 and CXCL8 at low concentrations. Pa-induced inflammation is dependent on p38MAPK primarily, and Syk partially, which is upstream of p38MAPK. The NSKI suggests that inhibiting specific combinations of kinases is a potent potential therapy for Pa-induced inflammation.


Developing effective techniques for the cryopreservation of human adipose-derived adult stem cells (ASCs) could increase the usefulness of these cells in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. To this end, we investigated the post-freeze/thaw viability and apoptotic behavior of Passage 1 (P1) adult stem cells (ASCs) in 11 different media: (i) the traditional media containing Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) with 80% fetal calf serum (FCS) and 10% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), (ii) DMEM with 80% human serum (HS) and 10% DMSO, (iii) DMEM with 1% methyl cellulose (MC) and 10% of either HS or FCS or DMSO, and (iv) DMEM with 0%, 2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, or 10% DMSO. Approximately 1 mL (10(6) cells/mL) of P1 ASCs were frozen overnight in a -80 degrees C freezer and stored in liquid nitrogen for 2 weeks before being rapidly thawed in a 37 degrees C water bath (1-2 min of agitation), resuspended in culture media, and seeded in separate wells of a 6-well plate for a 24-h incubation period at 37 degrees C. After 24 h, the thawed samples were analyzed by bright-field microscopy and flow cytometry. The results suggest that the absence of DMSO (and the presence of MC) significantly increases the fraction of apoptotic and/or necrotic ASCs. However, the percentage of viable cells obtained with 2% DMSO and DMEM was comparable with that obtained in freezing media with 10% DMSO and 80% serum (HS or FCS), that is, approximately 84% +/- 5% and approximately 84% +/- 8%, respectively. Adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation behavior of the frozen thawed cells was also assessed using histochemical staining. Our results suggest that post-thaw ASC viability, adipogenic and osteogenic differentiability can be maintained even when they are frozen in the absence of serum but with a minimal concentration of 2% DMSO in DMEM.


Interaction between two surfaces in relative motion can give rise to energy dissipation and hence sliding friction. A significant portion of the energy is dissipated through the creation of non-equilibrium phonons. Recent advances in material synthesis have made the production of specific single layer honeycomb structures and their multilayer phases, such as graphene, graphane, fluorographene, MoS2 and WO2. When coated to the moving surfaces, the attractive interaction between these layers is normally very weak and becomes repulsive at large separation under loading force. Providing a rigorous quantum mechanical treatment for the 3D sliding motion under a constant loading force within Prandtl-Tomlinson model, we derive the critical stiffness required to avoid stick-slip motion. Also these nanostructures acquire low critical stiffness even under high loading force due to their charged surfaces repelling each other. The intrinsic stiffness of these materials exceeds critical stiffness and thereby the materials avoid stick-slip regime and attain nearly dissipationless continuous sliding. Remarkably, layered WO2 a much better performance as compared to others and promises a potential superlubricant nanocoating. The absence of mechanical instabilities leading to conservative lateral forces is also confirmed directly by the simulations of sliding layers. Graphene coated metal surfaces also attain superlubricity and hence nearly frictionless sliding through a charge exchange mechanism with metal surface.


In 2012 and 2013, the metal composition of early gold objects from 10 sites in Cambodia, Vietnam and Indonesia were analyzed by Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry as part of a cooperation-project between the KAAK/DAI and the Curt-Engelhorn-Center for Archaeometry Mannheim. The basis of this project is a spectacular gold collection which was excavated between 2008 and 2011 in 32 of 76 burials at Prohear in Southeastern Cambodia. By their variety and the well documented burial context combined with archaeometrical data, the Prohear collection can be considered as a benchmark of early gold in Southeast Asia, both from the typological point of view and for the discussion of early exploited deposits and trade networks in this region. The results give such important suggestions for the archaeological interpretation of the early gold's origin and the beginning of the goldsmith craft that we want to expand the sample series in the future completed by the analyzing of deposit samples in this region.