This resource is an alpha version of a French morphological dictionary which includes content and function words, encoded in a JSON Lines format text file. It contains correspondences between surface form and lexical forms of words followed by some standard grammatical features.


Dry-stone retaining walls can be found worldwide and constitute critical assets of the built heritage for many sloped territories, holding cultural and economic value. Their design currently follows empirical rules, though the first steps towards a static safety assessment have recently been proposed in the scientific and engineering literature. However, the seismic design of these structures still lacks research studies. Therefore, this work conducts discrete element simulations to assess their dynamic behaviour. First, the approach is validated through existing scaled-down shaking table experiments, and it is found that the numerical simulations are conservative (i.e., on the safe side). Next, full-scale dry-stone retaining walls are subjected to harmonic excitations as an idealisation of earthquakes. Finally, based on a simplified limit-equilibrium analytical tool, their seismic behaviour factor is estimated for the first time in the literature, which falls within the proposed values of the European standards (Eurocode 8). This will allow engineers to adopt a validated behaviour factor in practice to assess and design dry-stone retaining walls with a pseudo-static approach.


Governance of cyberpower from a military perspective are focused on the efforts to control and influence events occurring in cyberspace. For the Norwegian Defence, this means educating cyber engineers, responsible for governing cyberpower effects, beyond technical skills and competencies. To match the complexity of modern warfighting necessitates adaptive high-order thinking skills. Building on earlier cognitive engineering and human factors research in cyber defence this article suggests how Slow Education has the potential to improve cognitive performance among cyber cadets. Slow techniques were applied to 37 cyber cadets during a three-year bachelor programme at the Norwegian Defence Cyber Academy. The quantitative data for this study was gathered during a two-week Cyber Defence Exercise. Combining and applying a novel pedagogic method with psychological techniques suggests reflective pondering, self-regulation and metacognition as being associated with cognitive agility. This study helps develop and make metrics available that are suitable to evaluate human performance in cyber defence.


We examined periphyton along transects in five Everglades marshes and related compositional and functional aspects to phosphorus (P) gradients caused by enriched inflows. Results were compared to those of a P‐addition experiment in a pristine Everglades marsh. While the water total P (TP) concentration was not related to P load in the marshes or experiment, the concentration of TP in periphyton was strongly correlated with the distance from the P source. Increased P concentration in periphyton was associated with a loss of biomass, particularly of the calcifying mat‐forming matrix, regardless of the growth form of the periphyton (epiphytic, floating, or epilithic). Diatom species composition was also strongly related to P availability, but the TP optima of many species varied among marshes. Enriched periphyton communities were found 14 km downstream of P inputs to one marsh that has been receiving enhanced P loads for decades, where other studies using different biotic indicators show negligible change in the same marsh. Although recovery trajectories are unknown, periphyton indicators should serve as excellent metrics for the progression or amelioration of P‐related effects in the Everglades.


1. Removal of acetaldehyde and ethanol has been studied in perfused rat livers. 2. The maximum rate of ethanol oxidation was 2,umol/min per g of liver, which was less than the calculated capacity of the ethanol-oxidizing system. The lactate/pyruvate ratio of the medium increased with the rate of ethanol removal. At low ethanol concentrations most of the acetaldehyde formed was oxidized further, but at ethanol concentrations above 16mm about 60% of the acetaldehyde left the liver unmetabolized. 3. At lower concentrations the greater part ofadded acetaldehyde was oxidized, but above 5mM, 50-60% of that removed was recovered as ethanol. 4. When the reduction of acetaldehyde was blocked by pyrazole, removal was strongly diminished. There wasno effect on the lactate/pyruvate ratio during oxidation of low concentrations of acetaldehyde, even in the presence of pyrazole, but at higher concentrations a gradual increase occurred. 5. The results indicate that during ethanol oxidation the ethanol/acetaldehyde pair is not in redox equilibrium with the lactate/pyruvate pair. Ethanol oxidation was abolished by addition of acetaldehyde. Under these conditions the lactate/pyruvate ratio was 1.5-1.8 times the ethanol/ acetaldehyde ratio, indicating equilibration of the alcohol dehydrogenase and lactate dehydrogenase systems. 6. The results support the view that ultimately the rate of mitochondrial oxidation of NADH limits the removal of ethanol in the liver.


Identifying differences in a key social trait between two populations of the same species is important for understanding the evolution of sociality. Previous studies of new colonies in Exoneura bicolor, an Australian allodapine bee, have shown that there are high levels of kin cofounding in a montane population. The only study to examine intra-colony relatedness in a heathland population has found that new multifemale colonies are not formed by kin. In this study we used an experiment to investigate both cofounding behaviour and intra-colony relatedness in E. bicolor from a heathland population. Nest substrate was placed either 0.05 or 1 m distant from source nests in a novel environment. Although there were no differences in cofounding rate or intra-colony relatedness between the two treatments there was, overall, a high rate of cofounding: 53% of new nests were multifemale, approximately twice as high as found in previous field-based studies. Relatedness among cofoundresses was not only different from zero, r ± SE = 0.597 ± 0.097, but almost identical to that found in montane populations. A constraint, such as nest substrate distribution, is suggested as a proximate factor affecting the expression of cofounding behaviour in E. bicolor. The implication of such proximate constraints for inferring the phylogenetic origins of social behaviour is discussed.


The geometrical approach to multistress endurance is shown to be a powerful tool for evaluation and classification of electrical insulation materials. Even though its most interesting application is to double stress, this method is suitable for triple stress, where it gives guidance for rational and well-designed tests. Furthermore, this type of approach is very useful in making clearer the relationships between the various quantities involved in the multistress process. Experimental results are reported that are pertinent to models of XLPE (cross-linked polyethylene) insulated cables. These results appear particularly significant for illustrating the practical advantages of the geometrical approach.<<ETX>>


Deep learning has achieved tremendous success in numerous industrial applications. As training a good model often needs massive high-quality data and computation resources, the learned models often have significant business values. However, these valuable deep models are exposed to a huge risk of infringements. For example, if the attacker has the full information of one target model including the network structure and weights, the model can be easily finetuned on new datasets. Even if the attacker can only access the output of the target model, he/she can still train another similar surrogate model by generating a large scale of input-output training pairs. How to protect the intellectual property of deep models is a very important but seriously under-researched problem. There are a few recent attempts at classification network protection only.In this paper, we propose the first model watermarking framework for protecting image processing models. To achieve this goal, we leverage the spatial invisible watermarking mechanism. Specifically, given a black-box target model, a unified and invisible watermark is hidden into its outputs, which can be regarded as a special task-agnostic barrier. In this way, when the attacker trains one surrogate model by using the input-output pairs of the target model, the hidden watermark will be learned and extracted afterward. To enable watermarks from binary bits to high-resolution images, both traditional and deep spatial invisible watermarking mechanism are considered. Experiments demonstrate the robustness of the proposed watermarking mechanism, which can resist surrogate models learned with different network structures and objective functions. Besides deep models, the proposed method is also easy to be extended to protect data and traditional image processing algorithms.


Children and elderly represent segments for which education is extremely important. It is a known fact that they are major consumers of information, especially from television. New technologies like NetTV will facilitate the distribution of multimedia educational content. In the context of the European ITEA2 Guarantee project, we consider it as an opportunity to correlate the educational content with the information received from sensors.
The purpose of the educational animation is to educate the behavior. The system will offer multimedia educational content on specific behaviors: behave properly, socialize, rest frequently, check health, verify the merchandises expiration dates, get medication on time, be organized, do not forget to turn off appliances, etc. The content is also a form of communication between the children or elder and family or friends. Through animations, the family could educate and adjust behavior, show love and respect, could encourage communicating using new media channels, or could remember family moments, etc.
The educational content has an emotional target. We want to capture the attention and we want the animation to be effective. In order to educate the rest frequently behavior, the system will generate several animations each with a different emotional target. The system will deliver the animations to NetTV or other devices on a regular basis. If the feedback from the sensors is positive, the system will deliver educational animations with a moderate emotional target. If the feedback is negative, such as the elder is not resting enough, the animations will have a higher emotional target.
The paper will present an overview of the platform for delivering multimedia educational content in home environment, its role inside Guarantee architecture and how it could be integrated in future Ambient Intelligence solutions.


We study risk taking on behalf of others in an experiment on a large random sample. The decision makers in our experiment are facing high-powered incentives to increase the risk on behalf of others through hedged compensation contracts or with tournament incentives. Compared to a baseline condition without such incentives, we find that the decision makers respond strongly to these incentives that result in an increased risk exposure of others. However, we find that the increase in risk taking is mitigated by altruistic preferences and pro-social personality traits.


Geomatics is uniquely suited to the development, publication, and use of open textbooks. Here the concept of open textbooks will be introduced and the suitability of Geomatics will be examined. Geomatics (and GIS, GIScience, Cartography, Geodesy, etc.) have historic and archeological tendrils that stretch to some of the earliest artifacts related to human settlement. Furthermore, geomatics has been ever-present as humanity strove to improve, development, conquer, and acquire knowledge. This history and the dependence of modern geomatics on national interests means that the knowledge associated with teaching geomatics and related disciplines in primarily in the public domain and authors have relinquished restrictions related to copyright, intellectual property rules and laws, or other aspects of its use.


In the unconscioustransmission of destructive aggression from one generation to the next, anuncanny happening takes place. The present and the past become contemporaneous.The self that embodies an other's intentionality as though one were an objectbecomes the self-same subject that returns to oneself. This return to oneselfis a topographical regression where a present state of mind and a pasthappening converge. What happens nowshall have already happened. The return to oneself is also a structuraladaptation since the infusion of the mandated project of an anterior other isdriven by a change of function that acquires a secondary autonomy. Now thehitherto mandated project shall have become fixed, predictable and operates asif it were one's own. Repetition of endless returns begins to occur. The ideaof a pluperfect errand illuminates how ananterior other's secret is unconsciously stored and deferred. The secret isensconced in the subject's mental representation of the inside mother. Thatsecret is cloistered in a psychic retreat; a claustrum, a compartment withinthe mental representation of the inside mother where one may seek protectionand yet could potentially be endangered. The film can represent the pluperfecterrand. It is the work of psychoanalysis that must reconfigure the errandwithin the analytic setting and design an exit from the claustrum. Filmrepresentation and the work of psychoanalysis may now be complementary projectsthat respectively depict and overturn the received toxic mandate.


Generating natural-looking motion for virtual characters is a challenging research topic. It becomes even harder when adapting synthesized motion to interact with the environment. Current methods are tedious to use, computationally expensive and fail to capture natural looking features. These difficulties seem to suggest that artificial control techniques are inferior to their natural counterparts. Recent advances in biology research point to a new motor control principle: utilizing the natural dynamics. The interaction of body and environment forms some patterns, which work as primary elements for the motion repertoire: Motion Primitives. These elements serve as templates, tweaked by the neural system to satisfy environmental constraints or motion purposes. Complex motions are synthesized by connecting motion primitives together, just like connecting alphabets to form sentences. Based on such ideas, this thesis proposes a new dynamic motion synthesis method. A key contribution is the insight into dynamic reason behind motion primitives: template motions are stable and energy efficient. When synthesizing motions from templates, valuable properties like stability and efficiency should be perfectly preserved. The mathematical formalization of this idea is the Motor Invariant Theory and the preserved properties are motor invariant In the process of conceptualization, newmathematical tools are introduced to the research topic. The Invariant Theory, especially mathematical concepts of equivalence and symmetry, plays a crucial role. Motion adaptation is mathematically modelled as topological conjugacy: a transformation which maintains the topology and results in an analogous system. The Neural Oscillator and Symmetry Preserving Transformations are proposed for their computational efficiency. Even without reference motion data, this approach produces natural looking motion in real-time. Also the new motor invariant theory might shed light on the long time perception problem in biological research.


Incubation of the exocellular DD-carboxypeptidase/transpeptidase of Streptomyces R61 with phenylglyoxal resulted in a time-dependent decrease in the enzyme activity. This inactivation was demonstrated to be due to modification of the Arg-99 side chain. In consequence, the role of that residue was investigated by site-directed mutagenesis. Mutation of Arg-99 into leucine appeared to be highly detrimental to enzyme stability, reflecting a determining structural role for this residue. The conserved Arg-103 residue was also substituted by using site-directed mutagenesis. The modification to a serine residue yielded a stable enzyme, the catalytic properties of which were similar to those of the wild-type enzyme. Thus Arg-103, although strictly conserved or replaced by a lysine residue in most of the active-site penicillin-recognizing proteins, did not appear to fulfil any essential role in either the enzyme activity or structure.


In the mid-1990s, the policy debate within the WTO focused on whether regional trade agreements (RTAs) were building blocks or stumbling blocks for the WTO system, essentially questioning whether regionalism was appropriate at all from an economic policy perspective. Given the proliferation of RTAs since that time and the inability to roll back the clock, that policy debate has been replaced by a search for strengthened constraints on RTA activity that might ensure it complements the WTO system. Three major controversies within many existing RTAs are the exclusion of agriculture from coverage, complex and restrictive rules of origin, and varied treatment of the application of trade remedies. Despite some competing policy considerations, it is likely, on balance, that the WTO system would benefit if agriculture was required to be included in RTA coverage, if RTA rules of origin were simplified and liberalized, and if the controversy surrounding RTA treatment of trade remedies was cleared up. However, the search for constraints within the WTO system to achieve these results, either through the Doha negotiations or the dispute settlement system seems unlikely to succeed in the near future. Accordingly, enhanced and extended efforts by the US, either unilaterally or in conjunction with its RTA partners utilizing its negotiating leverage, may be a necessary supplement to efforts within the WTO in ensuring a more harmonious relationship between RTAs and the WTO system.


Four trigonal topology compounds with three diarylamines redox centers and dibenzofulvene as core bridge have been synthesized. Their radical cations exhibit appealing intramolecular electron transfer pathways between three redox centers, depending on their position on the core bridge. By changing such positions (on either 2,7- or 3,6-), and the length of the bridge, the control of the intramolecular electron transfer pathways was achieved through the electron self-exchange route. These processes were investigated by absorption spectroscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, and (time-dependent) density functional theory calculations. Hole mobility measurements were carried out as well, to correlate the intramolecular electron transfer with the hole-transporting ability for possible applications in optoelectronic devices.


Aquaporin‐4 (AQP4) is the most abundant aquaporin in the brain and it is widely accepted that this AQP is solely expressed by astrocytes and ependymal cells. AQP4 is particularly enriched in plasma membranes of ependymal cells and astrocyte membrane domains facing blood vessels and pia. AQP4 has gained much attraction due to its involvement in the physiopathology of brain edema, a major cause of death in humans. Consequently, it is of paramount importance to ascertain the phenotypic nature of AQP4 mRNA‐expressing cells in the CNS before attempting future clinical studies aimed at minimizing the development of brain edema. We have used intranigral injections of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a potent immunostimulant that causes disruption of the blood brain barrier, vasogenic edema, loss of reactive astrocytes and activation of microglial cells. These LPS‐induced features are ideal for testing the possibility that reactive microglial cells express AQP4 in the adult brain. We have studied AQP4 at the mRNA and protein level. We provide strong evidence that reactive microglial cells highly express AQP4 mRNA and protein in response to LPS injections.


We present the case report of a 32-year-old female suffering from severe low back pain because of local vertebral body destruction at L3/4 after migration of PDN-SOLO nucleus replacement. Removal of the dislocated implant via a posterior transforaminal approach was not possible. After posterior stabilisation the implant could be salvaged from the anterior direction, but stabilisation with a vertebral body replacement was necessary.


Theoretical efforts and small-scale experiments have given rise to the widespread belief that the fewer occurrences a species has or the more fragmented its distribution is, the more vulnerable that species should be to extinction. Lacking, however, are large-scale multi-species studies exploring the connection between rarity and local extinction risk. Here we present a landscape-level biogeographic test of this widely assumed linkage. Using a unique data set detailing the occurrence patterns of freshwater fishes of the Sonoran Desert (a gravely endangered fauna) we obtained for each of 25 species a measure of rarity that was independent of spatial scale. We found that fragmentation was consistently associated with elevated extinction risk, whereas the number of occurrences exerted a significant effect only if fragmentation had not already been accounted for. Specifically, desert fish species with the most fragmented historic distributions were nearly five times more likely to suffer local extirpations (since 1980) than were species with more continuous distributions. These findings underscore what a strong link exists between spatial distribution and vulnerability to extinction, clarifying that the link exists even at the landscape level and across an entire biogeographic fauna.


Ground penetrating radar (GPR) systems are increasinglybeing used for the detection and location of buried objectswithin the upper regions of the earth's surface. Numericalsimulation of such systems plays an important role in thedevelopment of GPR hardware and signal processingtechniques. This thesis is about analyzing resistor-loaded bow-tieantennas for GPR applications using the finite difference timedomain (FDTD) technique. First, the antenna is optimized to getbroadband properties and signal detection with low clutterlevel using a parametric study. In this study, it is describedhow the flare angle, length, and lump resistors of the antennashould be selected for the best performance. Moreover, theposition of transmitting and receiving antennas with respect toeach other and ground surface is also analyzed. Next, a realistic GPR simulation is performed on theoptimized antenna by including ground losses, dispersion,surface roughness and natural clutter like rocks and twigs. Theeffect of different ground conditions on target detection ispresented. Also the ability to detect metal and plastic pipesis investigated while describing the target signatures andtarget polarization characteristics.


Actuator is a kind of rotary mechanism whose power source is the hydraulic pressure oil, which demands that the ratio of torque to deadweight is big ,and efficiency is high ,and reliability is great. On the base of ball helical transmission, this paper puts forward a new type of actuator ,the advanced actuator, which possesses several advantages, such as the ratio of torque to deadweight is big , transmission efficiency is high , impact is minuteness, life span is long, reliability is great, satisfying the demands of an advanced aircraft. This paper mainly introduces the working principle of the new type of actuator, 3D parametric modeling technologies of key parts.


Are we cyborgs or humans? This question is at the heart of this investigation, and the implications of it are all around us. In Christian theology, humans are seen as uniquely made in the image of God (imago dei). This has been taken to mean various things, but broadly, it suggests an understanding of humans as somehow discrete from, and elevated above, other creatures in how they resemble God. Cyborgs mark a provocative attempt to challenge such notions, especially in the work of Donna Haraway, whose influential ?Cyborg Manifesto? (1991) elaborated a way of understanding cyborgs as figures for the way we live our lives not as discrete or elevated, but as deeply hybridised and involved in complex ways with technologies, as well as with other beings. Significantly, Haraway uses the cyborg to critique notions of the human rooted in theological anthropology and anthropogeny: the cyborg was not created in Eden. This assertion is the starting point of my investigation of cyborgs and humans in theological anthropology. Analysis of this position is broken down into three key concepts throughout the investigation that form the three main parts of the structure: (1) What is the significance of Eden, specifically as a point of origin? What ideas do we inherit from Genesis mythologies, and how do they influence our multitudinous understandings of not only humans, but also cyborgs, that range from the Terminator, to astronauts, to hospital patients? What does it mean to say that the cyborg cannot recognise Eden or even dream of the possibility of return?(2) If the cyborg was not created in Eden, then is it still to be considered as creaturely? How does this figure tessellate into, or challenge, notions of human nature and sin in the absence of an origin or teleology in a Garden? What commentaries of the human as created in God?s image can we compare this to, and how do all of these readings bear on how we see ourselves and technologies? (3) More constructively, given that the cyborg amalgamates the organic and the mechanic, and discusses hybridity, how might this be appropriated by theological anthropology? What does it mean to say that we are hybrids? From these questions, I reflect on tensions between the cyborg and the human, and make suggestions for a theological appropriation of the cyborg figure that takes heed of the emphasis on hybridity by applying it to notions of Eden and imago dei. The overarching aim is to decentre and destabilise the human, and to refigure it within its broader networks that are inclusive of other creatures, technologies, and God.


The literature highlights the difficulties that those supporting students with a specific learning difference (SpLD) in practice may have and calls for more education of practice mentors. As a result of concerns locally, nursing and midwifery students who have a SpLD were interviewed to recount their practice experiences. Short films were made from these stories which formed the basis for developing a learning resource to educate novice mentors and develop their skills to support and assess students with SpLDs appropriately. The learning resource was piloted and evaluated, to investigate the effect the learning resource had on novice mentors' knowledge about SpLDs and their attitudes, feelings and skills. The learning resource was delivered to 72 novice mentors on a mentorship preparation course. Sixty-one completed pre and post session questionnaires and participated in a world cafe exercise to evaluate the resource. The evaluation results indicated that the resource had a positive effect on novice mentors' knowledge, skills and attitudes towards students with a SpLD.


Alkaline hydrolysis of crude resin glycoside fraction of the seeds of Ipomoea muricata (L.) Jacq. (Convolvulaceae) yielded a new glycosidic acid, muricatic acid D; three known glycosidic acids, namely, muricatic acids A, B, and C; and three known organic acids, namely, isobutyric, 2S-methylbutyric, and 2S-methyl-3S-hydroxybutyric acid. Two new genuine resin glycosides with macrolactone structures (jalapins), muricatins X and XI, were also isolated from the fraction. Their structures were determined using spectroscopic data and chemical evidence.


Salt marshes are increasingly valued for their role in coastal defense. In particular, marsh plants slow the progression of waves, thereby decreasing wave heights, orbital velocities and associated energy. Practical application of these effects has driven substantial research estimating the effects of plants on waves. However, the effects of waves on plants remain understudied, especially regarding plant responses along a wave climate gradient. To begin to understand these responses, we collected aboveand belowground plant data and wave data from 60 sites across Mobile Bay, USA, and tributaries and evaluated plant responses along the range of assessed wave climate conditions. Plant responses among the dominant species, Juncus roemerianus and Spartina alterniflora, varied along the wave climate gradient. However, the basal diameter of shoots in both species declined linearly with increasing wave climate. While wave climate had no observable effect on other S. alterniflora parameters, the declining diameter of J. roemerianus shoots along the same gradient was commensurate with a decline in the percentage of live canopy shoots aboveground and an increase in root and rhizome biomass in the active rooting zone belowground. In contrast to previous studies, other responses including the height, biomass and density of aboveground shoots in both species were not related to wave climate. More broadly, these results demonstrate that plant features important for wave attenuation such as shoot diameter can change in response to varying wave conditions. These feedbacks should be incorporated to improve coastal modeling and successes of coastal conservation, restoration and enhancement projects.


sinus. Wounds that failed to heal after primary closure were then allowed to heal by secondary intention, and the outcome of these patients' treatment was not different from that of the patients in the secondary healing group except that their stay in hospital was shorter (table). We advocate day case excision and primary closure of uncomplicated natal cleft sinuses. The treatment results in less discomfort for patients, earlier return to work, and better use of health care resources in 74% of cases. The remaining 26% of patients will have a shorter stay in hospital and will otherwise not be different from patients given "standard" treatment of excision and healing by secondary intention.


Genomic evaluation has been based on a reference population comprising only daughter-proven bulls in most countries until recently. With more and more cows routinely genotyped, adding nonselectively genotyped cows to current bull reference population may improve the accuracy of genomic evaluation. Using approximately 20,000 cows genotyped within the framework of a German research project Kuh_L, we wished to quantify the impact of adding cows to the current EuroGenomics bull reference population on genomic prediction. Four types of reference population: only cows from the research project (Cows), the current EuroGenomics reference bulls (Bulls), a mixed of the bulls and cows from the project (Mixed) and a mixed of the bulls and all cows (Mixed_All), were compared in accuracy and bias of genomic prediction using phenotype and genotype data from April 2017 monthly genomic evaluation for German Holsteins. Analyzed traits included all routine national and MACE traits and novel health traits on claw health, udder health, reproduction diseases and metabolic disorders. Among all the four types of reference population, the scenario Cows had the lowest validation R 2 value due to the limited number of reference cows, this suggested a reference population composed of only cows being not yet accurate enough for routine genomic evaluation. We observed an increase in validation R 2 values for all the traits when the cows were added into the current bull reference population. No single trait was identified with a decrease in the accuracy of genomic prediction. For the novel traits accuracy of prediction was significantly lower than the regular ones, due to the much smaller size of reference population. The regression coefficient of validation bulls' deregressed EBV on their candidate GEBV showed that under the scenarios Bulls, Mixed and Mixed_All genomic prediction remained unbiased, having the cows included in the bull reference population. In summary, adding the non-selectively genotyped cows to the current EuroGenomics bull reference population increased the accuracy of genomic prediction for all the regular traits. No bias of genomic prediction was seen when the reference cows were observed to the current EuroGenomics bull reference population.


We demonstrate unusual features of the intracellular processing of endothelin-1 (ET-1) and its receptor ETA, the receptor subtype that mediates contraction of vascular smooth muscle cells. First, we show that in stably transfected CHO cells expressing ETA, binding of an ET-1 ligand induces rapid endocytosis of cell surface ETA. Receptor endocytosis was measured both by immunofluorescence and by radioiodinated antibodies specific for ETA. Second, we demonstrate that ET-1 remains intact for up to 2 h after endocytosis and, as judged by co-immunoprecipitation, internalized I-ET-1 remains bound to ETA receptors. We hypothesize that internalized ET-1, bound to ETA receptors, continues to activate a signal-transducing G protein, thus accounting for the prolonged period of contraction induced in smooth muscle cells by a single administration of ET-1.


BACKGROUND AND AIMS
Arbuscular mycorrhizal symbioses are important for nutrient acquisition in >80 % of terrestrial plants. Recently there have been major breakthroughs in understanding the signals that regulate colonization by the fungus, but the roles of the known plant hormones are still emerging. Here our understanding of the roles of abscisic acid, ethylene, auxin, strigolactones, salicylic acid and jasmonic acid is discussed, and the roles of gibberellins and brassinosteroids examined.

METHODS
Pea mutants deficient in gibberellins, DELLA proteins and brassinosteroids are used to determine whether fungal colonization is altered by the level of these hormones or signalling compounds. Expression of genes activated during mycorrhizal colonization is also monitored.

KEY RESULTS
Arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization of pea roots is substantially increased in gibberellin-deficient na-1 mutants compared with wild-type plants. This is reversed by application of GA3. Mutant la cry-s, which lacks gibberellin signalling DELLA proteins, shows reduced colonization. These changes were parallelled by changes in the expression of genes associated with mycorrhizal colonization. The brassinosteroid-deficient lkb mutant showed no change in colonization.

CONCLUSIONS
Biologically active gibberellins suppress arbuscule formation in pea roots, and DELLA proteins are essential for this response, indicating that this role occurs within the root cells.


Abstract The purpose of this study was to explore how reflective practice is experienced by occupational therapists. Thirty participants were purposefully sampled to explore reflective practice experiences using a critical reflection inquiry model as a theoretical framework. Grounded theory using a constant comparative analysis method was used to analyze interview data. Three categories emerged: triggers to reflection, depth of reflection, and actions taken. The frequency of statements compared across survey groups showed that participants with high reflection behaviors made more critical reflections, used steps of the EBP cycle, and took actions to correct practice. Results inform practice in three ways: (1) practitioner experiences were analyzed through the complete reflective practice construct, (2) findings indicated that greater depth of reflective thinking promotes EBP use and actions taken to correct practice, and (3) narrative content analysis was found to be a credible method of assessing reflection within practice narratives, suggesting it as useful for education and promoting continuing competency.


Objectives We aimed to describe the rate and determinants of carotid plaque progression and the onset of clinical cardiovascular disease (CVD) in a UK SLE cohort. Methods Female patients with SLE of white British ancestry were recruited from clinics in the North-West of England and had a baseline clinical and CVD risk assessment including measurement of carotid intima–media thickness (CIMT) and plaque using B-mode Doppler ultrasound. Patients were followed up (>3.5 years after baseline visit) and had a repeat carotid Doppler to assess progression of plaque and CIMT. Clinical CVD events between visits were also noted. Results Of 200 patients with a baseline scan, 124 (62%) patients had a second assessment at a median (IQR) of 5.8 (5.2–6.3) years follow-up. New plaque developed in 32 (26%) (4.5% per annum) patients and plaque progression was observed in 52 (41%) patients. Factors associated with plaque progression were older age (OR 1.13; 95%  CI 1.06 to 1.20), anticardiolipin (OR 3.36; 1.27 to 10.40) and anti-Ro (OR 0.31; 0.11 to 0.86) antibodies. CVD events occurred in 7.2% over 5.8 years compared with 1.0% predicted using the Framingham risk score (p<0.001). Higher triglycerides (OR 3.6; 1.23 to 10.56), cyclophosphamide exposure 'ever' (OR 16.7; 1.46 to 63.5) and baseline Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics damage index score (OR 9.62; 1.46 to 123) independently predicted future CVD events. Conclusion Accelerated atherosclerosis remains a major challenge in SLE disease management. A more comprehensive approach to CVD risk management taking into account disease factors such as severity and anticardiolipin antibody status may be necessary to improve CVD outcomes in this high-risk population.


In 2000, Breeden Electronics USA sold fewer RC1 units and more RC2 units than they had expected. Sales of RC2 units were to 18 mail-order companies that required special attention (more than required by the RC1 customers). This attention incurred unexpected costs. Marlene Baer, the controller, prepares an estimate of these unexpected costs, which shows that profit was below target. It is clear that serving the mail-order business has turned out to be very different from serving the garage-door manufacturer. The mail-order business (and probably some of the mail-order customers) drives activities (and, in turn, costs) in ways that are different from the garage-door business. Students must prepare revised cost estimates by product, estimate profitability by customer, and use their estimate to make recommendations to increase profitability. This is the third of a series of three cases that can be used to explore the evolution of cost systems. The main issues of the three cases are as follows: in the A case (UVA-C-2199), the company uses a traditional costing system. The main questions relate to breakeven analysis and the effect of inventory buildup on profit. The B case (UVA-C-2200) introduces the definition of activities, costing those activities, and computing product cost based on their use of the activities. The revised product costs are not dramatically different, but analyzing what causes the differences is important to discovering where ABC can provide valuable information. The C case takes place after the end of the year, when profits have been reduced by the need to take care of a growing and increasingly complex packing and shipping activity. The controller defines a new activity (order handling), computes the cost per order, and begins to revise the data on product profitability and to develop new data on customer profitability. Having discovered the high cost of handling each order, the controller now has good reason to work on activity-based management: making that process more efficient, and perhaps more customer friendly. The three cases can be used in three classes, or the A and B cases together in one class and the C case in a second class.


We prove a refinement of a recent characterization of infinite episturmian words via lexicographic orderings (Glen-Justin-Pirillo, 2007). This allows us to easily characterize the strict episturmian words that are "infinite Lyndon words", i.e., those that are lexicographically smaller than all of their proper suffixes. Another simple consequence is that a real number $\beta > 1$ is a so-called "self-episturmian number" if and only if the greedy $\beta$-expansion of 1 takes the form bS, where $b = \lfloor\beta\rfloor$ and S is a "strict epistandard sequence" on the alphabet {0,1,...,b}. F. Leve and G. Richomme recently characterized the non-quasiperiodic Sturmian words, proving that a Sturmian word is not quasiperiodic if and only if it is an infinite Lyndon word. With the aim of determining all of the non-quasiperiodic episturmian words, we first prove that an episturmian word is not quasiperiodic if it is directed by a "regular wavy word". This shows that there is a much wider class of episturmian words that are not quasiperiodic, besides those that are infinite Lyndon words. These results and others lead to a characterization of the (non)-quasiperiodic episturmian words with respect to their directive words. Moreover, we show that all epistandard words are quasiperiodic and completely describe all of their quasiperiods.


Physico-chemical equilibria that influence oxide powders' precipitation from an aqueous solution can be substantially altered when the process is carried out in a microemulsion system. To obtain nanosized MnFe2O4 and gain information about the physico-chemical characteristics of products, Mn2+ and Fe3+ metal ions were induced to precipitate in a toluene/water/sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate microemulsion system. Portions of the precipitated powder were differently treated, both in solution and in the solid state, and the role of restricted aqueous domains in the obtained materials was investigated. X-ray diffraction profile-fitting methods and chemical analysis were applied to characterize the powder particles. Samples obtained from the selected microemulsion were identified as nanosized mixed hydroxide compounds. A low metal content and a limited matter exchange among aqueous nanodroplets appear to inhibit hydroxide to oxide transformation inside the selected micellar system. A calcination process of precipitated powder was required to obtain a manganese ferrite compound.


Many plant species in temperate climate regions require vernalization over winter to initiate flowering. Flowering Locus C (FLC) and FLC-like genes are key regulators of vernalization requirement and growth habit in winter-annual and perennial Brassicaceae. In the biennial crop species Beta vulgaris ssp. vulgaris in the evolutionarily distant Caryophyllales clade of core eudicots growth habit and bolting time are controlled by the vernalization and photoperiod response gene BTC1 and the downstream BvFT1-BvFT2 module. B. vulgaris also contains a vernalization-responsive FLC homolog (BvFL1). Here, to further elucidate the regulation of vernalization response and growth habit in beet, we functionally characterized BvFL1 by RNAi and over-expression in transgenic plants. BvFL1 RNAi neither eliminated the requirement for vernalization of biennial beets nor had a major effect on bolting time after vernalization. Over-expression of BvFL1 resulted in a moderate late-bolting phenotype, with bolting after vernalization being delayed by approximately 1 week. By contrast, RNAi-induced down-regulation of the BvFT1-BvFT2 module led to a strong delay in bolting after vernalization by several weeks. The data demonstrate for the first time that an FLC homolog does not play a major role in the control of vernalization response in a dicot species outside the Brassicaceae.


Painter Miklos Barabas (1810–1898) is generally regarded as a highly prolific portraitist whose role in the cultural history of nineteenth-century Hungary is irrefutable, but whose art reflects a somewhat academic and outdated approach. However, as an artist who took a strong and continuous interest in perspective, optics, and photography, he was something of a pioneer in emerging ideas and approaches to the roles of art in an arguably somewhat peripheral part of Europe. Parallel to his substantial output of official depictions of people of influence, Barabas showed an intense curiosity in photography and alternative theories of perspective throughout his long career. In this article, I touch on a few examples of his interest in the question of perspective, which was relatively innovative for the time.


The results of an enquiry into the effects of pier width on local scour depth are presented. The results show that scour depth does not scale linearly with pier width unless there is more-or-less complete geometric similitude of pier, flow, and loose-bed particles--a condition that is rare. Geometric similitude is an important prerequisite to dynamic similitude in replicating local energy gradients for flow around piers. The implications for laboratory experiments on local scour and for design estimation of scour depth are discussed.


This report presents an extremely rare case of nasal septal abscess complicating acute sphenoiditis in a non-immunocompromised adult patient. A 56-year-old woman came to our emergency service with a 2 wk history of nasal obstruction, headache, and facial pain. A nontraumatic nasal septal abscess complicating acute isolated sphenoiditis was diagnosed. Under general anaesthesia, we drained the septal abscess and performed an endoscopic transnasal sphenoidotomy. Bacteriological cultures revealed viridans streptococci in the septal abscess and sphenoid cavity. We discuss the patient's diagnosis, possible complications, and treatment. There are limited reports in the literature on this subject. Our report emphasizes the need to determine whether an infection is associated with a non-traumatic nasal septal abscess. The incidence of severe complications is directly related to delays in diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, a prompt and correct diagnosis immediately followed by appropriate treatment is necessary.


PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES
To examine how routine laboratory biomarkers and clinical parameters available within medical records related to overall survival in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

DESIGN
Retrospective chart review.

SETTING
University-based cancer center in rural West Virginia.

SAMPLE
110 patients from the U.S. Appalachian region with a primary diagnosis of NSCLC at initial hospitalization.

METHODS
Electronic medical records were reviewed for one year after discharge or until death. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to compare survival curves for each prognostic factor. Cox proportional hazards model was used for multivariate analyses.

MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES
Total white blood cell, neutrophil, lymphocyte, and platelet counts; hemoglobin level; body mass index (BMI); performance status; and cancer stage.

FINDINGS
Low BMI (lower than 18.5 lb/in2), advanced cancer stage (IIIB or IV), and elevated neutrophil (higher than 8 x 103/mcl) and platelet (300-826 x 1012/L) counts were significant, independent prognostic factors for shorter survival time in NSCLC. BMI (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.15, 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.94, 4.9]) and neutrophil (HR = 2.93, 95% CI [1.53, 5.59]) and platelet (HR = 2.65, 95% CI [1.25, 5.62]) counts were overall prognostic predictors for patients with advanced NSCLC and remained in the multivariate survival model.

CONCLUSIONS
This study detected two known clinical parameters, cancer stage and nutritional status (i.e., BMI and neutrophil and platelet counts), as having independent prognostic significance for shorter survival in NSCLC. Research on survival in patients with NSCLC should include those identified laboratory biomarkers and clinical parameters for screening patients at risk for shorter survival time following hospitalization. Investigation of whether treatments tailored to address neutrophil and platelet counts and BMI can improve survival outcomes also is warranted.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING
Attention to common biomarkers recorded in patient charts (e.g., neutrophil and platelet counts) as well as BMI could allow nurses to identify patients at risk for low survival. Interventions should be identified and initiated. Longitudinal studies in clinical settings that follow the survival of patients with NSCLC are essential.


the usage of wireless Networks have almost become inevitable for the human community. From a simple point to point communication to extra-large-area covering networks, wireless communication is a significant part and parcel of technological progress that mankind has ever made. As the vast convention of wireless has increased than ever before, it also becomes the matter of concern of how to protect these networks from attacks and attackers and ensure the users safe and secured communication. It is worthwhile to note that the Right to the protect the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific production owned by an individual is one of the basics of Human rights declaration. Hence it is very much essential to implement and practice methods to secure wireless networks in a very strict manner so as to ensure confidentiality of the information transmitted and ensure people involved communication some absolutely reliable safety. The attempt to safeguard home wireless networks will greatly benefit mankind which not otherwise would be a huge loss to the entire human community. This Paper is an effort to throw light on the upcoming trends in securing wireless networks and the external threats to these networks. Possible future directions are also addressed towards the end.


This study aims to develop an integrated approach for mapping and monitoring land use/land cover (LULC) changes and to investigate the impacts of LULC changes and population growth on groundwater level and quality using Landsat images and hydrological information in a Geographic information system (GIS) environment. All Landsat images (1990, 2000, 2010, and 2018) were classified using a support vector machine (SVM) and spectral analysis mapper (SAM) classifiers. The result of validation metrics, including precision, recall, and F1, indicated that the SVM classier has a better performance than SAM. The obtained LULC maps have an overall accuracy of more than 90%. Each pair of enhanced LULC maps (1990–2000, 2000–2010, 2010–2018, and 1990–2018) were used as input data for an image difference algorithm to monitor LULC changes. Maps of change detection were then imported into a GIS environment and spatially correlated against the spatiotemporal maps of groundwater level and groundwater quality. The results also show that the approximate built-up area increased from 227.26 km2 (1.39%) to 869.77 km2 (7.41%), while vegetated areas (farmlands, parks and gardens) increased from about 76.70 km2 (0.65%) to 290.70 km2 (2.47%). The observed changes in LULC are highly linked to the depletion in groundwater level and quality across the study area from the Oman Mountains to the coastal areas.


Lipidomics is one of the fastest-growing areas of molecular profiling in medicine. While increasing amounts of lipidomics data are generated, tools for analyzing and interpreting these data are not equally widely available. We present the lipidomeR -- a tool specifically designed for systematic interpretation of large lipidome-wide studies. The lipidomeR binds together statistical analysis and high-dimensional visualization, providing a reproducible pipeline for rapid interpretation of the lipidome via integrative publication-ready figures. The lipidomeR package is available through the Comprehensive R Archive (CRAN). We demonstrate the lipidomeR with three studies from the Metabolomics Workbench repository, ranging from the human plasma reference material to breast tumor tissue and to the progression of non-alcoholic liver disease (NAFLD) in the liver. In these studies, lipidomeR reveals a diversity of lipidomic patterns, both, within and between the lipid classes as well as over the stages of progression of the diseases.


Summary Organized sarcomeric striations are an evolutionarily conserved hallmark of functional skeletal muscles. Here, we demonstrate that the Drosophila Abba protein, a member of the TRIM/RBCC superfamily, has a pivotal regulatory role in maintaining proper sarcomeric cytoarchitecture during development and muscle usage. abba mutant embryos initially form muscles, but F-actin and Myosin striations become progressively disrupted when the muscles undergo growth and endure increased contractile forces during larval development. Abnormal Myosin aggregates and myofiber atrophy are also notable in the abba mutants. The larval defects result in compromised muscle function, and hence important morphogenetic events do not occur properly during pupation, leading to lethality. Abba is localized at larval Z-discs, and genetic evidence indicates that abba interacts with &agr;-actinin, kettin/D-titin and mlp84B, genes that encode important Z-disc proteins for stable myofibrillar organization and optimal muscle function. RNAi experiments and ultrastructural analysis reveal that Abba has an additional crucial role in sarcomere maintenance in adult muscles. Abba is required to ensure the integrity and function of Z-discs and M-lines. Rescue experiments further show that Abba function is dependent upon its B-box/coiled-coil domain, NHL repeats and RING finger domain. The importance of these presumed protein–protein interactions and ubiquitin ligase-associated domains supports our hypothesis that Abba is needed for specific protein complex formation and stabilization at Z-discs and M-lines.


: This study aimed to determine the effects of Turkey-sourced pumpkin seed oil (PSO), administered orally to rats in different dosages, to research its anti-inflammatory effect in rat edema model, induced by carrageenan, based on different dosages, and to evaluate its effects comparatively with indomethacin. The study was conducted on 42 rats in total, divided into 7 groups (control, carr, PSO40, PSO100, PSO40+carr, PSO100+carr and indo+carr). In the study, doses of 40 and 100 mg/kg of PSO were found to significantly sup- press rat paw edema in time, and it was observed that this effect was more pronounced in the fourth hour. It was found that MDA and cytokine (TNF- α , IL-6, IL-1 β ) levels were inhibited, and GPX and SOD activities were enhanced in groups that received PSO and indo+carr groups. Histopathological examinations also support these findings. As a result of the study, the significant anti-inflammatory effect of Turkey-sourced PSO was attributed to the existence of unsaturated fatty acids and enriched phytochemical


Adobe Connect Pro was used as a virtual learning platform to replace surgery hours in a module titled Real Estate Finance and Investment. This research explores different aspects of this technology, how it was implemented in the above mentioned module, and the critical feedback we received from the students. The paper also analyses its potential in different academic context and to facilitate blended learning.


The history of financial research often reflects the history of the changing nature of financial data. Simply put, one has a difficult time analyzing questions requiring empirical data that does not exist. In the area of hedge funds, currently-available databases provide only monthly returns. Moreover, various providers of hedge fund index data follow very different methodologies in structuring hedge fund indices. This article examines four daily hedge fund return indices: MSCI, FTSE, Dow Jones, and HFRX, all based on investable hedge funds, and three monthly hedge fund return indices: CSFB Tremont, CISDM, and HFR, which comprise both investable and non-investable hedge funds. This study, based on standard statistical analysis, non-parametric analysis of the return distribution, and non-parametric regressions with respect to the S&P500 index, shows that key biases like fund selection, asset liquidity,data frequency, sample period, and index construction methodologies are responsible for different statistical properties of hedge fund indices.One key variable that highly affects the statistical properties of hedge fund index returns is the "investability" of hedge fund indices.


Surgical procedures performed using spinal anesthetic techniques present a special challenge to anesthesiologists, because patients are awake and are exposed to multiple anxiety provoking visual and auditory stimuli. Therefore, this study was carried out to define the effect of music on the level of cortisol, blood glucose and physiological variables in patients under spinal anesthesia. In this semi-experimental research, 90 men aging from 18-48 years with ASA (acetylsalicylic acid) class I, who underwent urological and abdominal surgery, were investigated. Patients were divided randomly into three groups of thirty subjects. Music group (headphone with music), Silence group (headphone without music) and the control group (without interference). The level of cortisol and blood sugar was measured half an hour before and after the operation. Moreover, the physiological indicators in each of these three groups were monitored and recorded from ten minutes before getting spinal anesthesia to ten minutes after the operation. The level of blood cortisol didn't have any increase in the music group after operation compared to the time before that. However, in the groups of silence and control this level had risen (p< 0.05). The level of blood glucose in music group had declined and in the other two groups it had increased. Our data showed that listening to music during surgery under regional anesthesia has effects on cortisol levels and some of the physiological variables. Therefore the researcher offers to be used music therapy as a complementary method in patients on the reduce anxiety.


With cybercrime on the rise, the healthcare environment has been listed as the top 5 of the most targeted industries for information security breaches. This is due to the current migration from physical to Electronic Health Records (EHR). The challenges of controlling the database costs also continue to escalate. As a result, measures such as Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies are commonly utilized to minimize costs and create convenience for hospital staff to use a device they are more comfortable with. However, BYOD can be used as a major entry point for gaining access to Health Information Systems (HIS) by cyber attackers/hackers despite the struggles of many hospitals to put in place effective mobile security policies. Several researches have been done to show on how to create effective mobile device BYOD strategies by using device management, data security, medical applications, information technology, education, policy, guidelines and a few others. But there is still a lack of literature about BYOD policy development in hospitals especially when it comes to Mobile Device Management (MDM), policy evaluation, and mobile device evaluation. To help address this issue, an MDM security metamodels has been proposed to help bridge this gap of knowledge between security professionals and shareholders within the healthcare environment. With awareness to the proposed solution, the elementary stage is to identify any existing MDM models that have been created for BYOD in healthcare and use the metamodel to represent some of the important existing concepts. Therefore, the context of this research paper aims to concentrate on improving existing BYOD security policies through the awareness of these existing MDM concepts that are represented through a metamodel syntax. This paper aims to discuss important MDM security concepts from various sources that have been used in healthcare, create a MDM security metamodel prototype called MDMSec ver 1.0 for the healthcare sector, using a selected metamodeling process, and lastly, to validate the prototype metamodel through two validation techniques.


Abstract Objectives The objective of this study has been to confirm the sex and the affinity of an individual buried in a well‐furnished warrior grave (Bj 581) in the Viking Age town of Birka, Sweden. Previously, based on the material and historical records, the male sex has been associated with the gender of the warrior and such was the case with Bj 581. An earlier osteological classification of the individual as female was considered controversial in a historical and archaeological context. A genomic confirmation of the biological sex of the individual was considered necessary to solve the issue. Materials and methods Genome‐wide sequence data was generated in order to confirm the biological sex, to support skeletal integrity, and to investigate the genetic relationship of the individual to ancient individuals as well as modern‐day groups. Additionally, a strontium isotope analysis was conducted to highlight the mobility of the individual. Results The genomic results revealed the lack of a Y‐chromosome and thus a female biological sex, and the mtDNA analyses support a single‐individual origin of sampled elements. The genetic affinity is close to present‐day North Europeans, and within Sweden to the southern and south‐central region. Nevertheless, the Sr values are not conclusive as to whether she was of local or nonlocal origin. Discussion The identification of a female Viking warrior provides a unique insight into the Viking society, social constructions, and exceptions to the norm in the Viking time‐period. The results call for caution against generalizations regarding social orders in past societies.


Purpose: The need for all providers to deliver basic palliative care has emerged as patients' needs outstrip the capacity of specialty palliative care. Many patients with complex illnesses have unmet needs and are seen in primary care more than other settings. We explore primary care providers' willingness and perceived capacity to provide basic palliative care, and their concerns and perceived barriers. Methods: We performed semistructured telephone interviews with 20 primary care providers about their perceptions of palliative care, including needs, practices, experiences, access, and what would be helpful for their practices to systematically provide basic palliative care. Results: We identified 3 major themes: (1) Participants recognize palliative needs in patients with complex problems. (2) They reactively respond to those needs using practice and community resources, believing that meeting those needs at a basic level is within the scope of primary care. (3) They can identify opportunities to improve the delivery of a basic palliative approach in primary care through practice change and redesign strategies used in enhanced primary care environments. Conclusions: Systematic attention along the multidimensional domains of basic palliative care might allow practices to address unmet needs in patients with complex illnesses by using existing practice improvement models, strategies, and prioritization.


Problem statement: With the escalating demand for mobile ad hoc network projects, major challenges to system planners and designers were addressing stability and reliability problems due to frequent change of network topology. Controlling an overhead, which means bandwidth utilization due to control packets, depends on the routing protocol, topology and data traffic. Limiting the network control overheads, of this highly dynamic and dense network to acceptable level, was closely linked to the function of increased link changes. The throughput of the network can be improved with dynamically limiting of the routing control overheads. Approach: We propose a improved AODV mechanism Fuzzy Velocity Biased-Adhoc on Demand Distance Vector (FVB-AODV) which dynamically modifies the AODV control overhead parameters based on the relative velocity between two communicating nodes. Conclusion/Recommendation: The proposed algorithm is able to achieve its objectives by increasing the throughput at high node mobility. Dynamically modifying the overheads improved the bandwidth utilization. The additional overheads on the node CPU however needs to be evaluated.


The phagocyte reduced NAD phosphate (NADPH) oxidase generates superoxide, the precursor to reactive oxygen species (ROS) that has both antimicrobial and immunoregulatory functions. Inactivating mutations in NADPH oxidase alleles cause chronic granulomatous disease (CGD), characterized by enhanced susceptibility to life-threatening microbial infections and inflammatory disorders; hypomorphic NADPH oxidase alleles are associated with autoimmunity. Impaired apoptotic cell (AC) clearance is implicated as an important contributing factor in chronic inflammation and autoimmunity, but the role of NADPH oxidase-derived ROS in this process is incompletely understood. Here, we demonstrate that phagocytosis of AC (efferocytosis) potently activated NADPH oxidase in mouse peritoneal exudate macrophages (PEMs). ROS generation was dependent on macrophage CD11b, Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), TLR4, and myeloid differentiation primary response 88 (MyD88), and was also regulated by phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate binding to the p40 phox oxidase subunit. Maturation of efferosomes containing apoptotic neutrophils was significantly delayed in CGD PEMs, including acidification and acquisition of proteolytic activity, and was associated with slower digestion of apoptotic neutrophil proteins. Treatment of wild-type macrophages with the vacuolar-type H+ ATPase inhibitor bafilomycin also delayed proteolysis within efferosomes, showing that luminal acidification was essential for efficient digestion of efferosome proteins. Finally, cross-presentation of AC-associated antigens by CGD PEMs to CD8 T cells was increased. These studies unravel a key role for the NADPH oxidase in the disposal of ACs by inflammatory macrophages. The oxidants generated promote efferosome maturation and acidification that facilitate the degradation of ingested ACs.


Usually oxygen cannot participate in the selective oxidation reaction of thioether to sulfoxide, which is attributed to its inactive feature. Although UV-light irradiation can activate O2, this process also results in UV-induced hole (hvb+) generation. This oxidative species and O2 can be consumed for the formation of free radical intermediates that leads to uncontrolled auto-oxidation products resulting in low selectivity. Current work aims to develop an approach for the aerobic oxidation of thioether to sulfoxide by exploring the synergy between triethylamine and mesoporous Co–N–TiO2 (nitrided @ 500 °C for 2 h) microspheres (with a large surface area: 124 m2 g−1); the oxidation is carried out via visible-light photoredox catalysis. Triethylamine, due to its electron donating ability, acts as a redox mediator. With a lower band gap and level of conduction band minimum (−0.605 V vs. NHE), the Co–N–TiO2 sample has the ability to be an efficient and selective catalyst. Excellent conversion from the selective oxidation of thioanisole (76.4%) under 12 h visible light irradiation is observed. It may be noted that Co doping into TiO2 alone does not aid in obtaining a good photocatalyst; in fact this sample shows the Moss–Burstein effect. We have also shown that the reported photocatalyst is applicable for the conversion of several other thioethers to sulfoxides; generally high conversion rates and selectivities are observed. The reaction mechanisms are studied using UV-visible absorption spectra and the oxidation–extraction photometry (OEP) method. This result is likely useful for further exploration of surface complex photocatalysts for many other aerobic oxidation reactions.


Background: Prostate cancer bone metastases are associated with high levels of MET expression, and both HGF, the only known ligand for MET, and VEGF appear to direct crosstalk between tumor cells, osteoblasts (OBs), and osteoclasts (OCs). Cabozantinib (cabo), a dual MET-VEGFR2 inhibitor, has shown clinical activity in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), where a complete or partial resolution of lesions on bone scans, reduced pain, and soft tissue tumor regression were observed in the majority of patients studied. Therefore, the preclinical effects of cabo were studied in the human CRPC bone xenograft model ARCaPM, which expresses both MET and the VEGF co-receptor neuropilin-1. In addition, the effects of cabo on the differentiation and activity of human OCs and mouse OBs were studied in vitro. Methods: ARCaPM cells were injected bilaterally into the tibiae of nude mice on Day 1, and on Day 31 animals received either cabo at 10 or 30 mg/kg (mpk) or vehicle once-daily for 7 weeks (wks). Animals (n=10 for each dose group) were sacrificed at the end of the treatment period and X-ray images of the tibiae were taken. Five representative tibiae per group were also scanned and analyzed by a Scanco 40 micro-CT instrument. In addition, one tibia from each mouse was fixed, decalcified and embedded for histology and histomorphometry analyzes. The OC culture system consisted of CD34+ cells derived from human bone marrow that were cultured on bovine bone slices in the presence of growth factors including M-CSF and RANK-L. The OB culture system used mouse KS483 cells that differentiate into OBs capable of forming mineralized bone nodules. Results: X-ray and micro-CT imaging of tibiae harvested after the 7 wk treatment period indicated that cabo treatment blocked both the osteoblastic and osteolytic progression of ARCaPM xenograft tumors in bone, with concomitant increases in bone mineral density. Histomorphometry data indicated that tumors were present in 70% (7/10) of the tibiae in the control group but only 30% (3/10) and 20% (2/10) in the 10 mpk and 30 mpk cabo groups, respectively. Consistent with its anti-tumor effect in the bone, cabo treatment decreased the ratio of tumor to tissue area and increased the bone area relative to the tissue area in the analyzed tibia sections compared to vehicle. Histological analyzes indicated an increase in the number of OBs and no change in the number of OCs along the trabecular bone perimeter of tibiae from cabo-treated animals relative to vehicle controls. In the in vitro studies, cabo treatment resulted in reduced OC differentiation in a dose dependent manner but did not affect the ability of mature OCs to resorb bone. In contrast, in the OB studies cabo treatment resulted in a biphasic effect inducing OB differentiation and bone forming activity at the lower doses while reducing these parameters at higher doses. Conclusions: Cabo treatment resulted in diverse effects on the differentiation and function of OBs and OCs in vitro, and blocked both osteoblastic and osteolytic progression of ARCaPM xenograft tumors in bone. These data demonstrate a substantial impact of cabo on tumor cells, OBs, and OCs consistent with the observed clinical results in patients with CRPC. Studies to characterize the molecular mechanisms underlying these effects are underway. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2011 Nov 12-16; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2011;10(11 Suppl):Abstract nr A233.


Proteins able to recognize inorganic surfaces are of paramount importance for living organisms. Mimicking nature, surface-recognizing proteins and peptides have also been man-made by combinatorial biochemistry. However, to date the recognition mechanisms remain elusive, and the underlying physicochemical principles are still unknown. Selectivity of gold-binding peptides (cysteine-free and rich in hydroxyl amino acids) is particularly puzzling, since the most relevant gold surface, Au(111), is known to be chemically inert and atomically flat. Using atomistic first-principle simulations we show that weak chemical interactions of dative-bond character confer to a prototype secondary structure (an antiparallel beta-sheet made of hydroxyl amino acids) and its hydration layer the capability of discriminating among gold surface sites. Our results highlight the unexpected role of hydration water in this process, suggesting that hydrophilic amino acids and their hydration shell cooperate to contribute to protein-gold surface recognition.


Abstract Dioxin, a prevalent environmental pollutant, is known to enhance replication of viruses in animals, but the mechanism is poorly understood. Here we report that dioxin triggers human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) gene expression, resulting in increased production of HIV in chronically infected promonocytic U1 cells. This effect of dioxin is mediated, in part, via activation of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB), a key cellular transcription factor that plays an important role in the induction of HIV genes and cytokine genes that regulate HIV-replication. Dioxin stimulated the production of tumor necrosis-α in U1 cells, and pentoxifylline, an inhibitor of TNF-α synthesis, inhibited dioxin induced HIV production and TNF-α. These studies provide a molecular and cellular basis for increased viral replication in cells exposed to dioxin.


Abstract. In this paper, the demand for real money M1, M2, and M3 is estimated for Austria over the time period 1965–96. The modelling takes place within the framework of a small vector autoregression. To estimate the demand for money, two-equation error-correction models are constructed, which contain the short-run dynamics and the long-run economic equilibrium. It is found that a stable money demand exists for all monetary aggregates. The long-run equilibrium of M1, after accounting for a structural break in 1979, can be characterised as a classical type of money demand, with no interest rate effects and an elasticity of one for real GDP. In the case of M2 and M3, we find a unit coefficient on income and a significantly negative influence of a long-term interest rate. The statistical properties of the estimated short-run money demand equations – considering in-sample and out-of-sample tests – are generally very good.


The objective of this study is to combine nanoparticle design and enteric coating technique to sustain the delivery of an acid-labile drug, lansoprazole (LPZ), in the treatment of acid reflux disorders. Lansoprazole-loaded Eudragit® RS100 nanoparticles (ERSNP-LPZ) as well as poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles (PLGANP-LPZ) were prepared using a solvent evaporation/extraction method. The effects of nanoparticle charge and permeation enhancers on lansoprazole uptake was assessed in Caco-2 cells. The confocal microscopic images revealed the successful localization of nanoparticles in the cytoplasm of Caco-2 cells. The cellular uptake of positively charged Eudragit nanoparticles was significantly higher than that of negatively charged PLGA nanoparticles, which were enhanced by sodium caprate via the transcellular pathway. Both types of nanoparticles exhibited sustained drug release behavior in vitro. The oral administration of enteric-coated capsules filled with nanoparticles sustained and prolonged the LPZ concentration up to 24 h in ulcer-induced Wistar rats, and 92.4% and 89.2% of gastric ulcers healed after a 7-day treatment with either EC-ERSNP1010-Na caprate or EC-PLGANP1005-Na caprate, respectively.


Objective: The goal of this study was to compare the microbiology of severe exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) requiring admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), in patients with pneumonia compared to those that did not have. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study that included patients with severe COPD exacerbation. We took microbiologic and serologic samples to study the etiology of the exacerbation and chest X-ray to see whether or not it had associated pneumonia. Results: Ninety-one patients were included in the study. 53/91 (58%) had pneumonia. The most prevalent bacteria isolated were H. influenzae (25.3%), Moraxella spp (22%), H. parainfluenza (14.3%), Serratia marcescens (13.2%), mixed flora (9.9%) and methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (9.9%). A statistically significant difference could not be demonstrated between the two groups. We detected 24.2% of bacterial resistance in both groups, the most frequent being AMPc (13 cases). Discussion: Bacterial pneumonia in COPD patients is higher in comparison with patients with acute exacerbation. Even though we did not find a significant difference in the microbiology of the groups with or without pneumonia, there are variables such as past smoking related to having pneumonia. Patients with pneumonia also had higher severity scores.


A pilot study to determine the seroprevalence of anti-HCV among children from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, was conducted using microparticle enzyme immunoassay. Serum samples were obtained randomly from children, aged between one to 16 years of age, admitted to the paediatric unit of University of Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur for various medical reasons. Of the 179 samples assayed, only one was positive, giving the prevalence rate of 0.6%. It is reasonable to conclude that the seroprevalence of anti-HCV among children from Kuala Lumpur is low, less than 1%.


The microbiological and metal analyses of water samples obtained from Awotunde fish pond and river in Ila-Orangun, Osun State, Nigeria were determined. The total bacterial and coliform counts were done using pour plating technique. Mineral was analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry techniques. The physicochemical parameters were done using standard methods. The total bacterial and coliform count of the water samples ranged 6.4 x 10 4 CFU/ml - 7.4 x 10 4 CFU/ml and 1.1 x 10 3 CFU/ml - 4.0 x 10 3 CFU/ml respectively. The values obtained for the physicochemical parameters ranged as follows: temperature (24 - 26) o C, HCO 3 (2.0 - 4.6), pH (6.0 - 7.2), alkalinity (40 - 100) mg/l, hardness (60 - 120) mg/l, conductivity (200 - 400)μS/cm, dissolved oxygen (1.1 - 2.0) mg/l, BOD (0.06 - 0.22) mg/l, chloride (28.4 - 106.4) mg/l, nitrite (4.0 - 188.0) mg/l, sulphate (14.0 - 640.0) mg/l, nitrate (0.0 - 90.0) mg/l and phosphate (1.6 - 83.2) mg/l. The mean values of the mineral contents of the water samples are as follows; potassium (94.4 mg/l), sodium (94.7 mg/l), magnesium (89.3 mg/l) and calcium (94.9 mg/l). The mean value obtained for the heavy metal concentrations are as follow; copper (0.1 mg/l), manganese (0.13 mg/l), nickel (2.09 mg/l), lead (0.03 mg/l) and iron (0.26 mg/l ). This shows that heavy metal concentrations were below critical limit according to the WHO standard. However, the microbial counts obtained portend the fact that the fish harvested from the pond might be a source of food poisoning if such fishes are not adequately cooked. Since the river serve as a source of water for domestic usage, an outbreak of water borne diseases could be imminent. Hence there must be a need for the Nigeria fish farmers to improve on their fish farming management which includes fish food preparation, environmental sanitation and monitoring the quality fish yield.


In this paper, ion-matrix sheaths inside infinitely long cylindrical bores with longitudinal grooves are studied analytically to optimize ion implantation, concerning a broad range of industrial products. The radius of the cylindrical target is assumed to be less than the sheath length to simulate realistic targets, such as barrels and muzzles. The potential profiles inside and outside the grooves are derived and the ion velocity components inside the grooves are estimated. Finally, suggestions for improving the implantation uniformity on the surfaces of such targets are stated.


Neurofibromatosis type 1 is the most common neurocutaneous syndrome, however neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) is extremely rare in childhood. It is inherited as autosomal dominant. Spontaneous mutation is detected in half of the cases and there is no family history. It is caused by a mutation of a tumor suppressor gene located on the chromosome 22. NF2 affected individuals also have a much higher rate of cancer. For the diagnosis, Manchester diagnostic criteria are used: Bilateral vestibular Schwannoma (VS) or family history of NF2 plus unilateral VS or any two of meningioma, glioma, neurofibroma, Schwannoma, posterior subcapsular lenticular opacities. We reported a case of NF2 presented with peripheral Schwannoma associated with scalp-located pilomatrixoma.


ABSTRACT Reading and discussing texts as a means for learning subject content are regular features within educational contexts. This paper presents an approach for intertextual content analysis (ICA) of such text-related discussions revealing what the participants make of the text. Thus, in contrast to many other approaches for analysing conversation that focus essentially on the interaction per se, ICA takes the text as its starting point. Drawing on the concept of text movability and systemic-functional cohesion analyses, the approach combines a reader's perspective and a text perspective to show the participants' reception of the text, and also what and how text content is brought into the conversation and how it is handled. In the paper, ICA is described with regard to its theoretical underpinnings, usage and utility. It is suggested that the approach provides educational researchers with an analytical tool that allows detailed ICAs of text-related classroom discussion. Findings may ultimately lead to pedagogical implications with a bearing on classroom practice.


The blue luminous events (BLEs) recorded by ISUAL (Imager of Sprites and Upper Atmospheric Lightning) radiate unambiguous middle ultraviolet to blue emissions (230–450 nm) but contain dim red emissions (623–754 nm). The BLE appears to be dot‐like on one ISUAL image with an integration time of 29 ms. A few BLEs develop upward into blue jets/starters or type II gigantic jets (GJs). The associated sferics of the BLEs in the extremely low frequency to very low frequency band and in the low‐frequency band exhibit similar patterns to the narrow bipolar events (NBEs) identified in the very low frequency and low‐frequency band. The ISUAL BLEs are conjectured to be the accompanied light emissions of the NBEs. Both upward and downward propagating current obtained from the associated sferics of the BLEs have been found. The source heights of the six BLEs related to negative NBEs are estimated in the range of 16.2–17.8 km. These six events are suggested to occur between the upper positive charge layer and the negative screen charge layer on the top of the normally electrified thunderstorm. The six blue starters, one blue jet, and one type II GJ are inferred to be positive upward discharges from their associated sferics in the extremely low frequency to very low frequency band. Based on the simultaneous radio and optical observations, a NBE is conjectured to be the initiation discharge with rapidly flowing current within the thunderstorm, while a blue jet/starter or a type II GJ is suggested to be the ensuing discharge with slowly varying current propagating upward from the thunderstorm.


Here's the first and best place to look for authoritative guidance on high-quality care of pregnant women, their fetuses, and their neonates. Jointly developed by the AAP and ACOG, the new 7th edition gives you a single place to look for the most recent recommendations on quality care of pregnant women, their fetuses, and their neonates. This unique resource addresses the full spectrum of perinatal medicine from both the obstetric and pediatric standpoint

Important new information includes:

- Proven policies, procedures, and best practices for community programs, community and regional hospitals, and medical centers

- Evidence-based recommendations for safe, effective diagnostic and therapeutic interventions in both maternal-fetal medicine and neonatology

- Recent developments in quality optimization; newborn care; interhospital coordination; antepartum care; postpartum care; obstetric complications; neonatal complications, and much more


Climate change and biological invasions, two of the hottest topics in ecology, both have ecological and societal implications, but they have developed on separate and parallel paths. Both are likely to have global impacts, yet researchers seldom explicitly consider their interaction. We argue that changes in atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) and subsequent climate change may facilitate biological invasions, both directly and indirectly, and that our research agenda to date has left us poorly prepared to predict the consequences for communities and ecosystems. Forecasting the impact of biological invaders or elevated CO2 is a challenge for ecologists, and it is therefore prudent and timely to investigate the greater challenge, namely predicting the combined effects of invaders and elevated CO2 on native ecological systems.


OBJECTIVE. The optimal treatment for Graves' disease in children is controversial. Antithyroid medications are often used initially, but many children eventually require alternative therapies. We evaluated predictors of remission after 2 years of antithyroid medication use. METHODS. We prospectively studied children who had Graves' disease and were treated with antithyroid medications. We compared children who achieved remission after 2 years with those who had persistent disease to determine which variables were associated with remission; multiple logistic regression and binary recursive partitioning analyses were used to evaluate interactions among predictive variables. RESULTS. Of 51 children who completed the study, 15 (29%) achieved remission. Children who achieved remission had lower thyroid hormone concentrations at presentation than those with persistent disease (free thyroxine: 6.17 3.10 vs 9.86 7.54 ng/dL; total triiodothyronine: 431 175 vs 561 225 ng/dL). Children who achieved remission were also more likely to be euthyroid within 3 months of initiating propylthiouracil (82% vs 29%). Binary recursive partitioning analysis identified rapid achievement of euthyroid status after initiation of propylthiouracil, lower initial triiodothyronine, and older age as significant predictors of remission. CONCLUSIONS. Thyroid hormone concentrations at diagnosis, age, and initial response to propylthiouracil can be used to stratify patients according to the likelihood of remission after 2 years of antithyroid medication use. These data provide a useful guide for clinical decision-making regarding Graves' disease in children.


Professional Plone 4 Development is written in a clear conversational easy-to-understand style. This book cuts short the preamble and gets straight to the point - building robust, content-rich web applications with Plone 4. Detailed real world examples are provided for each chapter. This book assumes that the reader is familiar with Plone from the point of view of an administrator or power user, has a basic understanding of web application development, and is comfortable with the Python programming language.


The prolonged use of MDMA or 'ecstasy' has been associated with a range of memory deficits in the past, including impairments in prospective memory (PM: remembering future activities or events). What is not clear is the extent to which ecstasy users' PM problems might be underpinned by more general central executive problems within memory (CE: a set of processes underpinning the organisation and flow of information within memory). The present study extended this research by comparing ecstasy users with non-users on an objective PM task after controlling for CE processes.

Methods
An existing-groups design was utilised, comparing a group of regular ecstasy users with a non-user group control group as the independent factor. Scores on the PM subscale of the Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (self-reported PM) and scores on the Cambridge Prospective Memory Test (CAMPROMPT: an objective measure of time- and event- based PM) constituted the PM dependent measures. Scores on the Dysexecutive Questionnaire (self-reported CE) and a Reverse Digit Span task (RDS: an objective CE task) constituted the CE dependent measures. Age, mood, and other drug use were also measured.

Results
After observing no between-group differences on age, mood, and other drug use (cigarettes, alcohol, cannabis), ecstasy users and non-users did not differ significantly on self-reported PM or CE. However, ecstasy users performed significantly worse on the CAMPROMPT and RDS than did the non-users. After controlling for RDS scores, the difference between users and non-users on CAMPROMPT disappeared.

Conclusion
The observation that difference between ecstasy users and non-users on the CAMPROMPT disappeared after controlling for CE performance on the RDS task suggests strongly that objective PM performance is underpinned by CE functions. The deficits on CAMPROMPT performance found in the ecstasy users must therefore have their origins in faulty CE processes. These findings will be discussed further at the conference.


Recent studies have pointed to the role of Krüpple-like factor 12 (KLF12) in cancer-associated processes, including cancer proliferation, apoptosis, and metastasis. However, the role of KLF12 in tumor immunity remains obscure. Here, we found that KLF12 expression was significantly higher in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells with higher programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression. Additionally, a positive correlation between KLF12 and PD-L1 was observed in clinical patient tumor tissues. By chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) analysis, KLF12 was identified to bind to the CACCC motif of the PD-L1 promoter. Overexpression of KLF12 promoted PD-L1 transcription, whereas silencing of KLF12 inhibited PD-L1 transcription. Furthermore, signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1)- and STAT3-triggered PD-L1 transcription was abolished in the absence of KLF12, and KLF12 knockdown weakened the binding of STAT1 and STAT3 to the PD-L1 promoter. Mechanistically, KLF12 physically interacted with P300, a histone acetyltransferase. In addition, KLF12 silencing reduced P300 binding to the PD-L1 promoter, which subsequently caused decreased acetylation of histone H3. PD-L1 transcription driven by KLF12 overexpression was eliminated by EP300 silencing. In immunocompetent mice, KLF12 knockout inhibited tumor growth and promoted infiltration of CD8+ T cells. However, this phenomenon was not observed in immunodeficient mice. Overall, this study reveals KLF12-mediated transcriptional regulation of PD-L1 in NSCLC; targeting KLF12 may be a potential therapeutic strategy for NSCLC.


Background Recanalization of arterial duct (AD) is rarely needed. Objective The aim of this study is to report our experience regarding the feasibility and eff ectiveness of arterial duct recanalization in three infants and review the relevant literature. Methods and results We report on three patients with decreased pulmonary blood fl ow after initial palliation. The fi rst patient had pulmonary atresia (PA) and an intact ventricular septum. He needed recanalization of the AD after pulmonary valve perforation and dilatation. The second patient had PA and ventricular septal defect (VSD). His AD originated from the left subclavian artery. He required AD recanalization after palliation with a central shunt and clipping of the duct. During intervention he developed a thrombus in the stent, which was treated successfully using thrombolytic treatment. The third patient had PA and VSD. The arterial duct originated from the left subclavian artery and was recanalized after spontaneous closure despite prostaglandin infusion. During the procedure the patient had severe desaturation and bradycardia requiring resuscitation for two minutes. All infants had successful arterial duct recanalization and stenting. Additionally, they were clinically stable during follow-up. Conclusion Arterial duct recanalization and stenting is a feasible and eff ective procedure in selected cases, and its risks are treatable. Long-term studies are required.


Habitat loss and fragmentation have a prominent role in determining the size of plant populations,
and can affect plant-pollinator interactions. It is hypothesized that in small plant populations the
ability to set seeds can be reduced due to limited pollination services, since individuals in small
populations can receive less quantity or quality of visits. In this study, I investigated the effect of
population size on plant reproductive success and insect visitation in 8 populations of two common
species in the island of Lesvos, Greece (Mediterranean Sea), Echium plantagineum and Ballota
acetabulosa, and of a rare perennial shrub endemic to north-central Italy, Ononis masquillierii.
All the three species depended on insect pollinators for sexual reproduction. For each species,
pollen limitation was present in all or nearly all populations, but the relationship between pollen
limitation and population size was only present in Ononis masquillierii. However, in Echium
plantagineum, significant relationships between both open-pollinated and handcrossed-pollinated
seed sets and population size were found, being small populations comparatively less productive
than large ones. Additionally, for this species, livestock grazing intensity was greater for small
populations and for sparse patches, and had a negative influence on productivity of the remnant
plants. Both Echium plantagineum and Ballota acetabulosa attracted a great number of insects,
representing a wide spectrum of pollinators, thereby can be considered as generalist species. For
Ballota acetabulosa, the most important pollinators were megachilid female bees, and insect
diversity didn't decrease with decreasing plant population size. By contrast, Ononis masquillierii
plants generally received few visits, with flowers specialized on small bees (Lasioglossum spp.),
representing the most important insect guild. In Echium plantagineum and Ballota acetabulosa,
plants in small and large populations received the same amount of visits per flower, and no
differences in the number of intraplant visited flowers were detected. On the contrary, large Ononis
populations supported higher amounts of pollinators than small ones. At patch level, high Echium
flower density was associated with more and higher quality pollinators.
My results indicate that small populations were not subject to reduced pollination services than
large ones in Echium plantagineum and Ballota acetabulosa, and suggest that grazing and resource
limitation could have a major impact on population fitness in Echium plantagineum. The absence of any size effects in these two species can be explained in the light of their high local abundance,
wide habitat specificity, and ability to compete with other co-flowering species for pollinators. By
contrast, size represents a key characteristic for both pollination and reproduction in Ononis
masquillierii populations, as an increase in size could mitigate the negative effects coming from the
disadvantageous reproductive traits of the species. Finally, the widespread occurrence of pollen
limitation in the three species may be the result of 1) an ongoing weakening or disruption of plantpollinator
interactions derived from ecological perturbations, 2) an adaptive equilibrium in response
to stochastic processes, and 3) the presence of unfavourable reproductive traits (for Ononis
masquillierii).


This paper investigates the impact of backgate bias (Vbg) on the sensitivity of threshold voltage (Vth) to process and temperature variations for ultra-thin-body (UTB) GeOI and InGaAs-OI MOSFETs. Our study indicates that the quantum-confinement effect significantly suppresses the Vbg dependence of the Vth sensitivity to process and temperature variations. Since Si, Ge, and InGaAs channels exhibit different degrees of quantum confinement, the impact of quantum confinement has to be considered when one-to-one comparisons among hetero-channel UTB devices regarding variability are made. Our study is crucial to the robustness of multi- Vth designs with advanced UTB technologies.


I argue that the propensity interpretation of fitness, properly understood, not only solves the explanatory circularity problem and the mismatch problem, but can also withstand the Pandora's box full of problems that have been thrown at it. Fitness is the propensity (i.e., probabilistic ability, based on heritable physical traits) for organisms or types of organisms to survive and reproduce in particular environments and in particular populations for a specified number of generations; if greater than one generation, "reproduction" includes descendants of descendants. Fitness values can be described in terms of distributions of propensities to produce varying number of offspring and can be modeled for any number of generations using computer simulations, thus providing both predictive power and a means for comparing the fitness of different phenotypes. Fitness is a causal concept, most notably at the population level, where fitness differences are causally responsible for differences in reproductive success. Relative fitness is ultimately what matters for natural selection.


Objectives: Exposure to reactive oxygen species (ROS) through cigarette smoking is thought to contribute to the development of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Metabolic enzymes are involved in ROS production. The aim of this study was to evaluate the modifying effect of metabolic polymorphisms on the association of cigarette smoking with SLE risk in a Japanese population. Methods: We investigated the relationship of the cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A1 rs4646903 and glutathione S-transferase (GST) M1 deletion polymorphisms to SLE risk with attention to interaction with cigarette smoking among 151 SLE cases and 421 controls in female Japanese subjects. Unconditional logistic regression was used to compute the odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs), with adjustments for several covariates. Results: Smokers with the CC genotype of CYP1A1 rs4646903 were significantly associated with increased risk of SLE (OR 9.72, 95% CI 2.73–34.6). Similarly, smokers with the combined CYP1A1 rs4646903/GSTM1 'at-risk' genotype were significantly associated with increased risk of SLE (OR 17.5, 95% CI 3.20–95.9). More than 60% of the excess risk for SLE in smokers with the CC genotype and smokers with the combined 'at-risk' genotype was due to an additive interaction. A lack of association of the GSTM1 genotypes with smoking was observed. Conclusions: Our results suggest that a combination of smoking and either the CYP1A1 rs4646903 genotype or the combined metabolic genotype plays an important role in SLE susceptibility in our Japanese population. Additional studies are warranted to confirm the metabolic polymorphism–smoking interaction suggested in the present study.