This paper reports on the control structure of the pneumatic biped Lucy. The robot is actuated with pleated pneumatic artificial muscles, which have interesting characteristics that can be exploited for legged locomotion. They have a high power to weight ratio, an adaptable compliance and they can absorb impact effects. In a first part of this paper a discussion on the control architecture, which focuses on the joint trajectory generator and the joint trajectory tracking controller, is given. The trajectory generator calculates trajectories represented by polynomials based on objective locomotion parameters, which are average forward speed, step length, step height and intermediate foot lift. The joint trajectory tracking controller is divided in three parts: a computed torque module, a delta-p unit and a bang-bang pressure controller. The first results of the incorporation of this control architecture in the real biped Lucy are given. Several essential graphs showing tracking performance and pressure regulation are given and the effectiveness of the control algorithm is discussed. A second part of the paper focusses on compliance adaptation which is used for exploitation of the natural dynamics with respect to different walking patterns. A mathematical formulation for this purpose is explained. The compliance adaptation strategy is not yet implemented for the robot Lucy, but some experimental results are given for a one DOF pendulum structure. These clearly show the effectiveness and importance of the adaptation strategy


Transient osteoporosis (TO) is a rare entity with unknown origin which is, in most cases, self-limiting. The most common location is the hip, which can sometimes be bilateral, followed by the knee, ankle and foot. The multifocal, bilateral and simultaneous location of knees, ankles and feet during pregnancy is extremely rare. We present the case of a woman, 25 weeks pregnant with twins, who was admitted as an emergency with pain and functional disability of her lower limbs. She required hospitalization and was diagnosed with transient osteoporosis of pregnancy (TOP), with clinical and radiological resolution after 12 months and treatment with intravenous bisphosphonate. J Clin Gynecol Obstet. 2016;5(1):37-40 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14740/jcgo357w


Abstract Atmospheric currents influence the choice of migratory routes and flight characteristics of birds as well as their decisions regarding migration onset and stopovers. Among long distance avian migrants, soaring birds are particularly dependent on wind and updrafts to help them complete their journeys. This review focuses on the behavioral adaptations of migratory soaring birds at various scales with regard to these atmospheric phenomena. Soaring landbirds and soaring seabirds have evolved morphological characteristics that make them specialists in soaring flight, thus enabling them to reduce the costs of migration significantly. We introduce the flight strategies of each group and discuss how migratory routes, flight characteristics, and onset and stopover decisions are all adjusted in relation to atmospheric conditions best suited for soaring. In addition, we discuss briefly how this strong dependence on atmospheric conditions makes soaring birds vulnerable to anthropogenic threats, such as wind energy development and climate change.


Hair has been proposed as a tool to assess individual's exposures to manganese (Mn). Previous health effect studies have shown increasing concentrations of Mn in hair with increased levels of Mn exposure (Bader et al. 1999; Reiss et al. 2016), and years of exposure (Xie et al. 1995; Lin 2002) However, individual exposures were not quantified. Use of Laser ablation-ICP-MS is explored as a tool for time-resolved Mn exposure among welders. We present calibration methods for hair and gelatin as a proxy-matrix, and the challenges and opportunities for analysing time-specific exposures in individual hair strands. Triplicate hair strands were selected from 23 one-cm hair bundle samples that were collected from welding school students in the US. The bundles were acid digested and analysed with ICP-MS for Mn content. The individual hair strands and ten flakes of each dried Mn gelatin mixture (0.05–250 ppm) were analysed with LA-ICPMS. Ablated Mn concentrations were normalised to sulfur. Preliminary results suggest very good associations between ablated and digest hair (log-log: 0.90) and between ablated gelatin and gelatin mixtures (log-log: 0.89). A LOD of approximately 1 ppm was estimated. This suggests that gelatin could be a suitable proxy calibration standard for hair. From a cohort of welding trainees with variable exposure, twelve individual hair strands of at least 2 cm length were ablated. MnS profiles in the hair strands will be compared with time specific exposure profiles of the apprentice. Results of this work could provide the basis for using hair strands as a means of measuring individual manganese exposure in welders with much higher time resolution than has previously been done.


The influence of cattle grazing on carbon cycling in the mixed grass prairie was investigated by measuring the CO(2) exchange rate in pastures with a 13 year history of heavy or light grazing and an ungrazed exclosure at the High Plains Grasslands Research Station near Cheyenne, Wyo. In 1995, 1996 and 1997 a closed system chamber, which covered 1 m(2) of ground, was used every 3 weeks from April to October to measure midday CO(2) exchange rate. Green vegetation index (similar to leaf area index), soil respiration rate, species composition, soil water content, soil temperature, and air temperature were also measured to relate to CO(2) exchange rates of the 3 grazing treatments. Treatment differences varied among years, but overall early season (mid April to mid June) CO(2) exchange rates in the grazed pastures were higher (up to 2.5 X) than in the exclosure. Higher early season CO(2) exchange rates were associated with earlier spring green-up in grazed pastures, measured as higher green vegetation index. As the growing season progressed, green vegetation index increased in all pastures, but more so in the ungrazed exclosure, resulting in occasionally higher (up to 2 X) CO(2) exchange rate compared with grazed pastures late in the season. Seasonal treatment differences were not associated with soil temperature, soil respiration rate, or air temperature, nor was there a substantial change in species composition due to grazing. We hypothesize that early spring green-up and higher early season CO(2) exchange rate in grazed pastures may be due to better light penetration and a warmer microclimate near the soil surface because of less litter and standing dead compared to the ungrazed pastures. When all the measurements were averaged over the entire season, there was no difference in CO(2) exchange rate between heavily grazed, lightly grazed and ungrazed pastures in this ecosystem. DOI:10.2458/azu_jrm_v53i2_lecain


Underfilling is the vital process to reduce the impact of the thermal stress that results from the mismatch in the co-efficient of thermal expansion (CTE) between the silicon chip and the substrate in Flip Chip Packaging. This paper reported the pattern of underfill's hardness during curing process for large die Ceramic Flip Chip Ball Grid Array (FC-CBGA). A commercial amine based underfill epoxy was dispensed into HiCTE FC-CBGA and cured in curing oven under a new method of two-step curing profile. Nano-identation test was employed to investigate the hardness of underfill epoxy during curing steps. The result has shown the almost similar hardness of fillet area and centre of the package after cured which presented uniformity of curing states. The total curing time/cycle in production was potentially reduced due to no significant different of hardness after 60 min and 120 min during the period of second hold temperature.


Radiotherapeutic treatment of cancer is best conducted if the prescription dose is given to the tumor while surrounding normal tissues are maximally spared. With the aim to meet these requirements the complexity of radiotherapy techniques have steadily increased under a strong technological impulse, especially in the last decades. One problem involves the rate of the particular disposition of the structures of interest in a patient. Recently the authors (Tomatis et al., 2010; 2011) have proposed a computational approach in order to represent quantitatively the geometrical features of organs at risk, summarized in characteristics of distance, shape and orientation of such organs in respect to the target. A basic problem to solve before to compute the risk index, is the segmentation of the organs involved in the radiotherapy planning. Here we described a 3D segmentation method by using the clinical computed tomography (CT) data of the patients. Our algorithm is based on different steps, a preprocessing phase where a nonlinear diffusion filter is applied; a level set based method for extract 2D countours; a postprocessing reconstruction of 3D volume from 2D segmented slices. Some comparisons with manually traced segmentation by clinical experts are provided.


The topology of a wireless multi-hop network can be controlled by varying the transmission power at each node. In this paper, we give a detailed analysis of a cone-based distributed topology-control (CBTC) algorithm. This algorithm does not assume that nodes have GPS information available; rather it depends only on directional information. Roughly speaking, the basic idea of the algorithm is that a node u transmits with the minimum power p/sub u,/spl alpha// required to ensure that in every cone of degree /spl alpha/ around u, there is some node that u can reach with power p/sub u,/spl alpha//. We show that taking /spl alpha/=5/spl pi//6 is a necessary and sufficient condition to guarantee that network connectivity is preserved. More precisely, if there is a path from s to t when every node communicates at maximum power then, if /spl alpha//spl les/5/spl pi//6, there is still a path in the smallest symmetric graph G/sub /spl alpha// containing all edges (u,v) such that u can communicate with v using power p/sub u,/spl alpha//. On the other hand, if /spl alpha/>5/spl pi//6, connectivity is not necessarily preserved. We also propose a set of optimizations that further reduce power consumption and prove that they retain network connectivity. Dynamic reconfiguration in the presence of failures and mobility is also discussed. Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the algorithm and the optimizations.


INTRODUCTION
This study explored pregnant women's experiences in accessing, understanding, evaluating, communicating, and using health information and services during pregnancy.

METHODS
Pregnant participants (aged 18-45 years) were recruited from an obstetrics and gynecology department of a large urban training hospital. Focus groups were facilitated by a moderator's guide developed from health literacy domains (access, understand, evaluate, and communicate and use), audio recorded, transcribed, and uploaded into ATLAS.ti. Constant comparative and thematic analysis were employed.

RESULTS
Participants (N = 17) were predominantly Hispanic (53%), married (67%), college educated (87%), employed (80%), insured (100%), and nulliparous (59%). Health care providers and online and digital sources were preferred sources of information. Participants' understanding was facilitated by plain language, pictures and other visuals, numbers and statistics, and tailored information. Participants evaluated information credibility by source (health care provider, advertisement, multiple sources) and personal circumstances (eg, health history, gestational age). In addition, these women used the information to communicate with health care providers, family, and partners and to change health-related behaviors.

DISCUSSION
Participants described rich, contextual health literacy experiences. Future interventions that maximize access to health care providers and online and digital sources, while ensuring materials are easy to understand, convenient, and patient centered, could facilitate informed decision making during this critical period. Future prenatal education and counseling interventions could be developed and evaluated using established health literacy principles to ensure that information is accessible, understandable, and actionable.


Security Operations Centers (SOCs) play a central role in protecting organizations from diverse threats targeting their primary business processes. It is their mission to detect, analyze, respond to, report on and prevent security incidents. Despite substantial investments in preventive and detective security controls, adversaries still manage to remain undetected for prolonged periods of time which can result in a security breach. SOCs face hard times when protecting their constituencies due to diverse causes. This thesis addresses these difficulties by introducing a holistic approach to security operations: Data Driven Security Operations.
We first performed an investigation of the challenges SOCs face these days based on gray literature. We categorized the resulting challenges into four main categories: an increasingly complex IT environment, limited business alignment, ever - evolving adversaries and corresponding attacks, and finally, inadequate resources with respect to people and technology. A description of each of these categories and its associated elements are part of the problem analysis and formalization.
We address the challenges by presenting a holistic approach to security operations: the conceptual model for Data Driven Security Operations. The model consists of the following six facets: Situational Awareness, Threat Intelligence, Detection Methods, Response & Investigation, SOC Staff and SOC Infrastructure. All six facets revolve around data and together they show how people, processes and technology are all crucial elements to perform security operations driven by data and analysis thereof.
We also created an instantiation of the conceptual model for Data Driven Security Operations. SOCs can use it to assess their current status with respect to the six facets. Performing the assessment increases the tangibility of the model, lays the foundation for discussing the effectiveness of the SOC and provides recommendations for improvement.
Both the model and the instantiation were evaluated with five professionals. Although the interviewees indicated that they liked the instantiation, several improvement points were identified. The conceptual model itself was received positively.


Novice users make many errors when they first try to learn how to work with a computer program like a spreadsheet or wordprocessor. No matter how user-friendly the software or the training manual, errors can and will occur. The current view on errors is that they can be helpful or disruptive, depending on the extent to which they are controlled in the learning process. This study examines one of the ways in which such error control can be brought about, namely by investigating the design and role of error-information in a (tutorial) manual. The error-information was designed to support the detection, diagnosis and correction of errors of novice users, and it was based on a general model of error-handling. In an experiment a manual that contained ample error-information was compared to a manual in which there was hardly any error-information. The outcomes showed that the presence of the error-information in the manual helped subjects perform better during practice as well as after practice. Among others, these subjects completed training faster and showed superior corrective knowledge and skill after practice, in addition to having acquired the same level of constructive skill. The discussion addresses the compensating roles of support for error-handling on screen and on paper.


The existing of the cheaues us an alternative instrument to pay in business transaction, having atendencv of disfunction when it is applied to the community of Chinese etnic business in West Kalimantan. Their transaction of payment practice is more often uses white cheaue (cep gvo) which its form and publication is tend to unarranged well it is for from formality point of few such as a cheque in KUHD and SEBI. This reality is incorret especially from the formal yuridiction perspective, its provided as a contradictive action which is not exactly protecting to user.
The logic behaviour to choose these white cheque, will show clearly if it is chronologically observe by socio-cultural frame of its community counter-normatively, that is over of jurisdiction. This kind of discussion model is tend to understand an object that is neither with foreign perspective, nor same to all object but in order to respect its communities spesification and unique. Because bassically, to be aware or not, cunduction to choose of using white cheque and not a cheaue, is depending on the social basic reference from its business community.
Its business community is less formal, because it is considered uneficien, unflexible and indirectly effecting to the harmony substances kouchei (family). fang (family unit) and :Han, (business community). Even formalism is condiser as helm? (punishment) that should be avoided by businessman. Privet relation (individual) and business are arranging internally by its society (communities) to emphasize on personally belief (particularities). To force on formalism of business relation will reduce the credibility which may causes a creation of negative latent fuction that should be ignored in every business such as: less believeable, less familiar and unflexible, considered to be a stronge man, etc. The existing of white cheque, actually would accommodate business relation positively and to prevent from negative latent appearance as already mentioned above.
In the case of business problem solving (esppcialy in white cheque), effect of law perception as heing is highly dominating and influences its behaviour. As a result, unlegitimately solving by mediation with involving the institution of funneral foundation is considered as the best choise.
It solution will attended a sense of justice and to make
satisty to people who have conflict. For them. justice is
assumed as a feeling of responsibility to understand each other (chenp-lie), it is not to decide who is right and who is wrong. Besides, its solution will be obeyed by them, because according to them, it is being witness by their ancestor.


This paper provides quantitative estimates of the effect of proximity to fast food restaurants and grocery stores on obesity in urban food markets. Our empirical model combined georeferenced micro data on access to fast food restaurants and grocery stores with data about salient personal characteristics, individual behaviors, and neighborhood characteristics. We defined a "local food environment" for every individual utilizing 0.5-mile buffers around a person's home address. Local food landscapes are potentially endogenous due to spatial sorting of the population and food outlets, and the body mass index (BMI) values for individuals living close to each other are likely to be spatially correlated because of observed and unobserved individual and neighborhood effects. The potential biases associated with endogeneity and spatial correlation were handled using spatial econometric estimation techniques. Our policy simulations for Indianapolis, Indiana, focused on the importance of reducing the density of fast food restaurants or increasing access to grocery stores. We accounted for spatial heterogeneity in both the policy instruments and individual neighborhoods, and consistently found small but statistically significant effects for the hypothesized relationships between individual BMI values and the densities of fast food restaurants and grocery stores.


BACKGROUND
Children with cerebral palsy (CP) are at greater risk for a limited intellectual development than typically developing children. Little information is available which children with CP are most at risk. This study aimed to describe the development of non-verbal intellectual capacity of school-age children with CP and to examine the association between the development of non-verbal intellectual capacity and the severity of CP.

METHODS
A longitudinal analysis in a cohort study was performed with a clinic-based sample of children with CP. Forty-two children were assessed at 5, 6 and 7 years of age, and 49 children were assessed at 7, 8 and 9 years of age. Non-verbal intellectual capacity was assessed by Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices (RCPM). Severity of CP was classified by the Gross Motor Function Classification System, type of motor impairment and limb distribution. manova for repeated measurements was used to analyse time effects and time × group effects on both RCPM raw scores and RCPM intelligence quotient scores.

RESULTS
The development of non-verbal intellectual capacity was characterised by a statistically significant increase in RCPM raw scores but no significant change in RCPM intelligence quotient scores. The development of RCPM raw scores was significantly associated with the severity of CP. Children with higher levels of gross motor functioning and children with spastic CP showed greater increase in raw scores than children with lower levels of gross motor functioning and children with dyskinetic CP.

CONCLUSIONS
Children with CP aged between 5 and 9 years show different developmental trajectories for non-verbal intellectual capacity, which are associated with the severity of CP. The development of non-verbal intellectual capacity in children with less severe CP seems to resemble that of typically developing children, while children with more severe CP show a limited intellectual development compared to typically developing children.


Many attempts have been made to devize scavenging The 'hourglass' reservoir bag. A closed systems suitable for use with the Mapleson E and F circuits scavenging system for the Jackson Rees and these have varied in both their degree of complexity modification of Ayre's 'T'-piece and efficiency. An important consideration with many of SIR—Greater attention has focused on the problems of these devices, however, is that they incorporate collecting gaseous pollution in the anaesthetic work place, following systems which are 'open', either wholly or in part, to the the publication of the UK government approved document working environment e.g. the Howarth-Great Ormond Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) (1). Street Hospital and Stellenbosch systems respectively (2). I have attempted to improve scavenging by devising a closed collecting system, which entails connecting a 500 ml and 1000 ml reservoir bag in series by their open distal ends, in an 'hourglass' configuration, as illustrated in Figure 1. A length of suction tubing (or an appropriate sized tracheal tube) is cut, such that it protrudes 2–3 cm in either direction into the body of each bag, and inserted through the 'neck' joining the two bags to form a 'stent', as illustrated in Figure 2. This stent prevents the neck from twisting or kinking, should the two bags rotate about their long axis, thereby ensuring the continuity of expiratory gas flow. I could demonstrate no difference in the performance of the paediatric T-piece, as measured by changes in patient cardiorespiratory parameters (pulse, NIBP,SpO2; respiratory rate and capnography), when an open ended reservoir bag (Jackson Rees modification) was replaced with the hourglass Figure 1 reservoir bag. This device connects simply and directly to 'Hourglass' reservoir bag with standard connections to: (left) standard T-piece circuitry and scavenging systems. It offers scavenging system via a standard 30 mm connector fitted to the all the advantages of the Jackson Rees modification of Ayre's proximal end of a 1000 ml black reservoir bag; (right) paediatric T-piece and permits effective closed system scavenging, T-piece. whether the patient is being hand ventilated or allowed to breathe spontaneously. I would welcome any comments on this system from readers. D. P. PROSSER Department of Anaesthesia Royal Gwent Hospital Newport, Gwent NP9 2UB


The microflora of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum) fry from a commercial freshwater hatchery, along with important water quality parameters such as temperature, dissolved oxygen and pH was analysed. Samples for bacteriological analysis were taken from gill, heart and kidney, from third to eigth week after hatching. Pure bacterial colonies were examined macroscopically, with Gram staining and biochemical tests. For final identification, the APILAB Plus programme (Bio Merieux, France) was used. The bacterial populations of rainbow trout fry changed depending on age. Most of the bacterial colonies were cultured from the gills (64.4 %), rather than the heart (21.8 %) and kidney (13.8 %). The bacterial community of fry gills from an incubator was composed mostly of Gram-positive bacteria such as Renibacterium salmoninarum, Lactobacillus spp., Staphylococcus spp. and Corynebacterium aquaticum. After the transfer of fry from incubator into the pools the Gram-negative bacteria increased in number and became the dominant microflora of rainbow trout fry and comprised more than 95 % of the bacterial flora of rainbow trout fry. Flavibacterium, Acinetobacter and Yersinia were the predominant Gram-negative genera in fry in the incubator, whereas Aeromonas and Pseudomonas were the main isolates from rainbow trout fry until the end of the experiment.


In addressing the issue of taking full advantage of the shared spectrum under imposed limitations in a cognitive radio (CR) network, we exploit a cross-layer design for the communications of secondary users (SUs), which combines adaptive modulation and coding (AMC) at the physical layer with truncated automatic repeat request (ARQ) protocol at the data link layer. To achieve high spectral efficiency (SE) while maintaining a target packet loss probability (PLP), switching among different transmission modes is performed to match the time-varying propagation conditions pertaining to the secondary link. Herein, by minimizing the SU's packet error rate (PER) with each transmission mode subject to the spectrum-sharing constraints, we obtain the optimal power allocation at the secondary transmitter (ST) and then derive the probability density function (pdf) of the received SNR at the secondary receiver (SR). Based on these statistics, the SU's packet loss rate and average SE are obtained in closed form, considering transmissions over block-fading channels with different distributions. Our results quantify the relation between the performance of a secondary link exploiting the cross-layer-designed adaptive transmission and the interference inflicted on the primary user (PU) in CR networks.


Arthrodesis of the wrist with intramedullary rod fixation is a simple technique that provides the opportunity for performing concomitant procedures. Iliac bone graft usually is not required with this technique, as the intramedullary rod is a load-sharing construct that allows compression at the fusion site and facilitates union. Rod removal usually is optional, and the long intramedullary beam effect of the rod can function as an internal splint if fibrous or hypoplastic union occurs. Early mobilization is possible, sometimes with only minimal splinting. The results with use of this technique over a ten year period of time in ten wrists (nine patients) with endstage radiocarpal joint instability are reported.


BACKGROUND
We aimed to develop quality indicators (QIs) related to primary and comprehensive stroke care and examine the feasibility of their measurement using the existing Diagnosis Procedure Combination (DPC) database.Methods and Results:We conducted a systematic review of domestic and international studies using the modified Delphi method. Feasibility of measuring the QI adherence rates was examined using a DPC-based nationwide stroke database (396,350 patients admitted during 2013-2015 to 558 hospitals participating in the J-ASPECT study). Associations between adherence rates of these QIs and hospital characteristics were analyzed using hierarchical logistic regression analysis. We developed 17 and 12 measures as QIs for primary and comprehensive stroke care, respectively. We found that measurement of the adherence rates of the developed QIs using the existing DPC database was feasible for the 6 QIs (primary stroke care: early and discharge antithrombotic drugs, mean 54.6% and 58.7%; discharge anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation, 64.4%; discharge antihypertensive agents, 51.7%; comprehensive stroke care: fasudil hydrochloride or ozagrel sodium for vasospasm prevention, 86.9%; death complications of diagnostic neuroangiography, 0.4%). We found wide inter-hospital variation in QI adherence rates based on hospital characteristics.

CONCLUSIONS
We developed QIs for primary and comprehensive stroke care. The DPC database may allow efficient data collection at low cost and decreased burden to evaluate the developed QIs.


Abstract 304

Background: BCL-2 is highly expressed in indolent non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL), mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) and other selected aggressive lymphomas, and is a promising target for therapeutic intervention. The first-generation BCL-2 inhibitor navitoclax showed some activity in indolent lymphoma, but its co-inhibition of BCL-xL resulted in dose-limiting thrombocytopenia, precluding the full exploration of the potential of BCL-2 inhibition with this drug in NHL. ABT-199 is an orally bioavailable, second-generation BH3-mimetic that inhibits BCL-2 (Ki<0.10 nM), but has 500-fold less activity for BCL-xL (Ki=48 nM). ABT-199 demonstrated antitumor activity against a variety of human cell lines and xenograft models that include B cell NHL, follicular lymphomas (FL), diffuse large B-cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) and MCL.

Methods: This is a phase-I dose-escalation trial using a modified Fibonacci design in patients with relapsed/refractory NHL. The primary objectives of this study are to determine the safety, pharmacokinetics (PK) and maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of ABT-199; to recommend a phase-2 dose; and to assess efficacy and biomarkers in patients with relapsed/refractory NHL. Adult patients requiring therapy, with ECOG performance status £1, and adequate marrow function received ABT-199 on Week 1 Day −7 (W1D-7), followed by continuous once-daily dosing from W1D1, until progressive disease (PD) or unacceptable toxicity. Due to concerns of potential tumor lysis, a strategy of commencing with a 2 to 3 week lead-in period with step-wise increases to the target cohort dose is being evaluated. In the first four cohorts, the starting dose increased from 50 to 200 mg (50, 100, 200, and 200 mg, respectively), with target cohort doses of 200 mg [n=3], 300 mg [n=3], 400 mg [n=4], and 600 mg [n=7]. Evaluations include: adverse events (AE; NCI-CTCAE-V4) and tumor response (IWG 2007 criteria).

Results: To date, 17 patients (median age, 71 [35–85]) have been treated with ABT-199. Median prior therapies were 3 (range, 1–7) and 6 patients had bulky adenopathy (>5cm). Most common AEs (experienced by >2 patients) were nausea (41%), diarrhea (24%), dyspepsia (24%), fatigue (24%), extremity pain (24%); and anemia, constipation, upper respiratory tract infection and cough (18% each). Grade 3 or 4 AEs occurring in >1 patient were anemia (18%) and neutropenia (12%). Treatment-related thrombocytopenia has not been reported and no dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) have been identified to date. After a single dose administration with a high-fat meal, ABT-199 reached Cmax at approximately 7 hrs with a terminal half-life of about 15 hrs. Food increased ABT-199 exposure by approximately 3-fold. With a median follow-up of 2.8 months (range, 1.2 to 10.8), 14 patients remain on study and 3 have discontinued due to PD. In patients who have completed at least a W6 assessment, reductions of >50% in target lesions have been observed in 8/15 patients (53%); 6/6 patients with MCL, 1/2 patients with WM and 1/2 patients with DLBCL. Additionally, 5 FL patients have been evaluated (3 with rituxan-refractory disease) with a median time on study of 6.4 months (range, 3.5 to 10.8). 4/5 FL patients had nodal disease reductions ranging from 18% to 40%.

Conclusions: ABT-199 shows single agent anti-tumor activity in patients with NHL; particularly in MCL. Activity is also observed in DLBCL and WM. To date, no DLTs have been identified and tumor lysis syndrome related to ABT-199 has not been reported. Dose escalation is continuing to identify the optimal dosing regimen and MTD of ABT-199 in NHL. Updated results will be presented.

Disclosures: Roberts: Abbott: Research Funding; Genentech: Research Funding. Anderson: Genentech: Research Funding; Abbott: Research Funding; Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research: Employment, receives commercial income related to ABT-199, receives commercial income related to ABT-199 Other. Kahl: Genentech: Consultancy, Research Funding; Abbott: Research Funding. Darden: Abbott: Employment, owner of Abbott stock Other. Nolan: Abbott: Employment, own Abbott stock Other. Gressick: Abbott: Employment, stock owner Other. Yang: Abbott: Employment, own Abbott stock Other. Chyla: Abbott: Employment, Stock owner Other. Busman: Abbott: Employment, Stock owner Other. Graham: Abbott: Employment, Stock owner Other. Cerri: Abbott: Employment, Stock owner Other. Enschede: Abbott: Employment, own Abbott stocks Other. Humerickhouse: Abbott: Employment, own Abbott stocks Other. Seymour: Roche: Advisory board member, Advisory board member Other, Consultancy; Genentech: Advisory board member, Advisory board member Other, Consultancy.


Several Rhizobium genes (designated nod genes) are involved in early steps in nodule formation. Here we present the results of DNA sequence and functional analysis of two nodD genes from the symbiotic plasmid of USDA 191, a fast-growing strain that forms nitrogen-fixing nodules on soybeans. Both genes encoded full-length nodD-related polypeptides, which were 69% homologous to each other. One of these genes, nodDI, complemented a Rhizobium trifolii nodD::TnS mutant for clover nodulation; the other gene, nodD2, did not. The nodDI coding region was preceded by a conserved DNA sequence previously noted in other rhizobia, but no such sequence was found in front of nodD2. Plants inoculated with a nodDI insertion mutant appeared to be nitrogen starved and had a greatly reduced nodule number. Plants inoculated with a nodD2 mutant had a partially nitrogen-starved appearance and normal nodule number, were slHghtly delayed in nodule formation, and formed nodules that contained reduced levels of nodulin-35 and had fewer bacteroids per infected plant cell. Thus, both of these genes are involved in symbiosis. USDA 191 carrying extra copies of nodD2 on a plasmid vector had an altered colony morphology that suggested inhibition of exopolysaccharide synthesis. The predicted gene products of nodDI and nodD2 both showed homology to LysR, an E. coli regulatory protein. We conclude that nodDi probably has the same function as nod) in temperate rhizobia, namely, activation of nodABC transcription in the presence of plant signals. nodD2 may be involved in regulation of exopolysaccharide synthetic genes.


The impacts of rail transit system on residential property values have been examined for many metropolitan areas in the U.S. But there are few studies on the effects of light rail in a non-zoning city. As the rail transit in the largest non-zoning city, Houston's light rail transit line, or the so-called METRORail, has not received much attention from the planning research society since it opened to the public in 2004. A previous study by the author utilized 2007 household data to analyze the impacts of Houston's METRORail line and found the net effects of the rail transit line change significantly at different distances from the rail stations. One limitation of that study was that the physical environment and neighborhood characteristics of the station areas may not have had notable changes over a relatively short time span, i.e., three years after the opening of the light rail. This study employs 2010 InfoUSA household data to re-examine the effects of Houston's METRORail line. Similar to the previous studies, the author adopts a traditional ordinary linear regression (OLS) to investigate the contribution of a set of variables representing the physical, neighborhood, and accessibility characteristics of properties, and also employs a multi-level regression model (MLR) to examine the hierarchical structures of spatial data explicitly. In addition, this study tests the spatial autocorrelation in the modeling process and analyzes its effects on the results. The modeling results suggest that the METRORail line has had significant net positive effects on residential property values. The MLS model captures the difference of these effects with more spatial details. The spatial regression model improves model fit, but spatial autocorrelation is not completely eliminated.


In this paper, we study the deformation of the 2 dimensional convex surfaces in $\R^{3}$ whose speed at a point on the surface is proportional to $\alpha$-power of positive part of Gauss Curvature. First, for 1/2<\alpha\leq 1$, we show that there is smooth solution if the initial data is smooth and strictly convex and that there is a viscosity solution with $C^{1,1}$-estimate before the collapsing time if the initial surface is only convex. Moreover, we show that there is a waiting time effect which means the flat spot of the convex surface will persist for a while. We also show the interface between the flat side and the strictly convex side of the surface remains smooth on $0 < t < T_0$ under certain necessary regularity and non-degeneracy initial conditions, where $ T_0$ is the vanishing time of the flat side.


Problem Churches in America are on average 60-70 percent female. Attracting and integrating African American males into church life is a grave challenge. This study focuses on African American males in Southeast Atlanta and seeks to design a model for addressing their sociological and spiritual needs in anticipation of their accession into church membership. Method The setting for this study is the Atlanta Boulevard Seventh-day Adventist Church in Southeast Atlanta. The method employed in this project is an exploratory research approach that is designed to identify the social, economic, and other needs of African American males. In order to ascertain basic information for this study, I pursued a number of steps. I designed an African American Male SDA Membership Questionnaire. I administered the questionnaire to all the males (115) in the Atlanta Boulevard Church. I collected and analyzed the questionnaires before developing the African American Male Study Guides. Members shared the study guides with relatives and friends and reported on responses to the study guide prospects. The research method facilitated the development, implementation, and evaluation of a model mandated by both the African American Male SDA Membership Questionnaire data and my overall findings. Results Forty-nine members received study guides to share with relatives and friends. A total of seven students completed the series of twenty lessons. Five of the seven indicated an interest in Seventh-day Adventist membership. Two persons have been baptized. This ratio of baptisms to study guide completion is 28 percent. It appears that African American males will respond positively to the Gospel when approached by friendly, affirming persons with culturally sensitive materials addressing the Black man's needs for physical survival. Conclusions This document describes and records the development, implementation, and evaluation of a model for reaching African American males in Southeast Atlanta with Adventism. It has been evaluated as to its practicality and potential for successful evangelism among Black males. The result is the conclusion that the African American Male Study Guides achieved their intended purpose. This model is an approach that complements rather than competes with other methods to draw males into the congregation. The experience of the Atlanta Boulevard Church is one that may be adapted to the needs of other congregations with customized revisions.


Approximately 1 in 5 returning service members from Iraq and Afghanistan report symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (Tanielian & Jaycox, 2008), and 22 percent of veterans suffering from PTSD also report symptoms of Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD). Mental health disorders such as PTSD have been shown to reduce the overall self-perceived quality of life in Vietnam veterans (Hansson, 2002). The effectiveness of using animals in therapeutic settings for mental health disorders has proven to be successful, specifically demonstrated to be therapeutic and beneficial in treating disorders such as anxiety and PTSD (Chandler, 2005). It is unclear whether veterans who own a pet would report fewer symptoms of PTSD and SAD and perceive a higher quality of life than veterans who do not own a pet. This study examined the relationship between companion dog ownership on veteran mental health and perceived quality of life. Seventy nine veterans (58 male, 21 female) were recruited from Facebook's veterans groups who completed an online survey gathering information on dog ownership, symptoms of PTSD and SAD, perceived quality of life, and several demographics. No significant relationships were observed between these variables after conducting Pearson's r correlational analyses. However, a significant correlation was found between veterans who have an "indifferent" view of pet dogs and levels of SAD. Implications of the findings are discussed in how to design future studies that research the relationship between the human-animal bond and mental health disorders in returning service members. Quality of Life in Veterans 3 Effect of Dog Ownership on Mental Health Disorders and Quality of Life in Veterans


In this work a microflow structure, suitable for micro-FIA (micro flow injection analysis), will be described, evaluated and applied to real samples. Microchannels, the detector flow cell and input/output ports have been micromachined in silicon and sealed with anodically bonded Pyrex glass. The channels are defined by etching approximately 200 microm depth in silicon using a dry reactive ion etching (RIE) process. Optical windows integrated in the chip structure allow simple absorbance/transmission measurements to be made. The optical measurements were made using an LED as emitter (lambda=525 nm) and a photodiode as a detector. A Visual-Basic program has been developed to control an automatic burette, three-way solenoid valves and the data acquisition system. The micro-FIA for nitrite determination using the Griess-Ilosvay reaction has been implemented for the on-line monitoring of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The multicommutation concept has been applied in order to enhance the mixing process inside the microsystem. Tandem streams of reagent and sample were generated and evaluated at different commutation frequencies. Two optimal frequencies, 400/200 ms and 150/450 ms, were found to be the most suitable ones. The first commutation ratio gave rise to wide linear working range (0-250 ppm), in spite of a high detection limit (0.35 ppm) and a low sensitivity (0.0041+/-0.0004 AU ppm-1). With the second ratio, the working linear range was smaller (0-50 ppm) but the detection limit (0.17 ppm) and the sensitivity (0.0091+/-0.0003 AU ppm-1) improved remarkably. Finally, real samples with a high nitrite concentration (0-1500 ppm) coming from a study of kinetic inhibition in the nitrification process at a WWTP has been analysed with the proposed micro-FIA system. The obtained results have allowed the corroboration of the model of inhibition by the nitrite ion with great exactitude.


Conventional wisdom holds that languages, as ethnic markers, build communities with shared preferences and strong social networks. Consequently, ethnolinguistic homogeneity can facilitate growth. This article challenges this conception of language as a cultural marker. It argues that language is also a practical vehicle of communication; people can be multilingual, and second languages can be learned. Hence language boundaries are neither (1) congruent with ethnic boundaries nor (2) static. If true, the purported advantages of ethnolinguistic homogeneity should also be evident in countries with large populations of non-native speakers conversant in official languages. The study tests this hypothesis using an original cross-national and time-variant measure that captures both mother-tongue speakers and second-language learners. The empirical results are consistent with the understanding of language as an efficiency-enhancing instrument: countries with exogenously high levels of heterogeneity can avoid the 'growth tragedy' 1 by endogenously teaching the official language in schools.


Actuality. The topic of teaching economic disciplines has always been relevant and useful. The article considers the technique of organization and of the seminar-dispute on economic subjects. In this paper there are also identified criteria for evaluating the participants of the seminar-dispute. Methods of teaching economic disciplines in higher education are held by holding lectures and seminars. The seminar provides an opportunity to determine the degree of independence and responsibility, to rise creativity in every student. The purpose is to disclose the main objectives of the seminar-dispute, which as a result of the preliminary work on the program material, the teacher and students are in a situation of direct active communication during performance of students on topics arising between discussion and generalizations by teacher, bu solving the problem of cognitive, developmental and educational character that imparted methodological and practical skills to students. Methods. Logical and descriptive, monographic, analysis and synthesis. Results. It should be concluded that in preparation for the seminar, students acquire the skills to work with the book, read the analysis, selection of the main and necessary speeches for the report, , and systematizing the selected materials. Students learn to clearly express their thoughts, work out the ability to speak without papers to prove their beliefs, to establish contact with the audience, etc. Accordingly, it is best to choose the topics of the seminar where the student must not only learn certain information, but also find a solution. One of the most popular forms of classes in the framework of methodological approaches to the teaching of economic disciplines is a seminar-dispute.


The purpose of the investigation was to determine whether genetic polymorphisms in enzymes that metabolize exogenous chemicals modulate the effects of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure on birth weight. A survey was conducted from 2000 to 2001 among 266 pregnant women who were hospitalized for delivery and on their singleton live births. We determined maternal GSTM1 and GSTT1 polymorphisms by polymerase chain reaction and measured the urinary cotinine of pregnant women at delivery by radioimmunoassay. Birth weight was found to decrease significantly with increasing concentrations of maternal urinary cotinine (P < 0.05). The interactive effect of exposure to ETS and the presence of the GSTT1 polymorphism was found to be significant by multivariate analysis (P < 0.01), whereas the interactive effect of exposure to ETS and the presence of GSTM1 polymorphism did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.21). A combination of the GSTM1-null and the GSTT1 null-genotypes was found to exacerbate the effect of maternal exposure to ETS on birth weight more than the presence of either genotype alone. Our data indicate that maternal exposure to ETS negatively affects neonatal birth weight, and the adverse effect of maternal exposure to ETS on neonatal birth weight could be modified by the maternal metabolic genotypes, GSTM1 and GSTT1.


Introduction The use of Azathioprine (AZA) for maintenance of remission in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is common practice as part of national and international guidelines. Side effects however are common. Of 353 consecutive patients commencing AZA in our organisation, 36% were not taking it at one year. With an ageing population, IBD is increasingly relevant in those over 75 years old. However there is little data concerning the efficacy and tolerability of AZA in this age group. Methods We maintain a prospective database of IBD patients. All patients commenced on AZA between June 2005 and October 2012 over the age of 75 were identified. Thiopurine Methyl Transferase (TPMT) levels were checked in all patients and AZA was prescribed at 2–2.5 mg/kg, with 50% dose reduction in those with low TPMT. We monitor full blood count and LFTs weekly for 8 weeks after commencing therapy. Results 25 patients were identified, (7 CD, 18 UC). The mean age at which AZA was started was 78 (range 75–86), 16 were male (64%). All patients were followed up for at least one year. 12 (48%) were intolerant of AZA. Reasons for stopping AZA were; hepatitis, 2 (8%); vomiting, 5 (10%); pancreatitis, 1 (4%); myelosupression (1); joint pain (1); infection (1); and general malaise (1). The mean duration of AZA use in these patients was 34 days (Range 3–89). 13 (52%) tolerated the drug well with one of this group having the drug actively withdrawn at 701 days in complete clinical, endoscopic and histological remission. There were four deaths (16%). Two died in the group intolerant of AZA (84 year old died of stroke 888 days after 13 days of AZA; 82 year old died in the community 140 days after 5 days of AZA). Two people died in the AZA treated group (83 year old died in the community on day 1476 of AZA; 79 year old died following cardiac arrest on day 212 of AZA). Conclusion Our data demonstrate that AZA is an effective treatment in the elderly. It appears to be less well tolerated than in the general population with 48% intolerant of the drug within 3 months. Within the limitations of this study it appears to be safe. The increased incidence of drug intolerance in this population group may suggest that low-dose azathioprine and allopurinol co-therapy should be considered first-line therapy in this group. A further study to clarify this is required. Disclosure of Interest S. Dharmasiri Conflict with: Funding from Warner Chicott to attend ECCO congress 2014, H. Johnson Conflict with: Guest at Falk symposium, Barcelona and London 2013, S. McLaughlin Conflict with: sponsorship from Falk to attend Ecco 2013 and falk symposia in London and Barcelona. Attendance at local evening ibd dinner meetings sponsored by falk and Abbvie, S. Weaver: None Declared.


This study aims to understand the perceptions of the tuition fees charging in Canada and China and the perspectives of this practice in Brazil, which is a country where society requires access to quality higher education, but which faces large budgetary constraints on its public funding. To understand these questions, a qualitative exploratory multi-case study was carried out with government officials, specialists in higher education, and student leadership from all three countries. In conclusion to this analysis, and considering the benefits provided by the Canadian and Chinese participants, it is suggested for Brazil to perform a reflection on this subject. The study shows that such an initiative can boost public higher education institutions through greater financial availability and democratize access and permanence, as there would be more resources to invest and assist students from underrepresented groups participating in the system.


Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a common adverse outcome of very premature birth. BPD infants suffer prolonged oxygen dependency, troublesome respiratory symptoms, lung function abnormalities at follow-up and related problems, including pulmonary and systemic hypertension, neurodevelopmental delay and conductive hearing loss. There are many risk factors for BPD development, including oxygen toxicity, volutrauma and infection, as well as prematurity. Studies in animal models have demonstrated that these factors lead to the inflammatory pulmonary response seen in infants with BPD. In addition, it has been highlighted that abnormal vascular development may lead to impaired lung growth. Nowadays, infants are described as having "new" BPD, with abnormalities of lung growth being more prominent than the fibrosis and smooth muscle augmentation of the airways seen previously in severe or classical BPD. Preventative strategies have largely been aimed at preventing or minimising lung injury and have had limited success. Despite many randomised trials, the optimum ventilation mode with regard to preventing BPD has not been identified, and, although systemically administered corticosteroids in the first 96 h after birth are efficacious, concerns regarding serious adverse effects preclude their use. Supplementary oxygen is the mainstay of treatment for BPD infants, but further work is necessary to identify the optimum oxygen saturation level, particularly in infants with pulmonary hypertension. On current evidence, the use of medications in BPD infants should be individualised and only continued whilst there is evidence of a clinically important response. Research areas regarding prevention of BPD that merit further investigation are antioxidant supplementation, resolution of lung injury by neutrophil apoptosis, treatment of antenatally acquired infection and prophylactic administration of nitric oxide to promote angiogenesis and alveolarisation


NiTi shape memory alloys are a group of materials which have a lot of applications especially in aerospace industries and medical equipments because of their excellent properties. Shape memory effect (SME), pseudo-elasticity (PE), high corrosion resistance and biocompatibility is special properties of these alloys which lead to their extensive applications. The superior behavior of NiTi alloy is due to thermoelastic martensitic phase transformation. In the present paper, two NiTi shape memory alloys were prepared by non-consumable vacuum arc melting technique in copper water cooled crucible. One of them had commercial elements and the other had high purity elements. Metallographic investigation, chemical analysis, XRD and DSC were carried out on two alloys. Metallographic observation and XRD shows that structure at ambient temperature consists of austenite phase besides Ti2Ni, Ni3Ti intermetallic compounds and martensite phase. Transformation investigation determines that the impurity such as iron in commercial alloy causes two stage phase transformation B2→R→B19′.


In spite of the fact that incidences of bullying are widespread in schools, bullying in Kenyan secondary schools has not been given much attention by researchers. The only Kenyan policy addressing bullying in schools is contained in the Safety Standards Manual for Schools in Kenya. However, this policy document does not adequately address the issue of bullying, instead grouping it together in the broad content of child abuse.Bullying has many negative effects including psychological harm, physical injuries, poor academic performance, and even loss of life. It was for this reason that the researcher proposed to carry out a study on the factors contributing to bullying in secondary schools in Kiambu District. The objectives of the study were to: determine the various forms of bullying experienced in secondary schools in Kiambu District; to examine how students' age, gender and academic performance influence bullying; to find out how school management structures influence bullying among secondary school students in Kiambu District; to examine the strategies employed by secondary school administrators to control bullying, and to establish possible ways through which bullying in schools can be eradicated. The study used an ex-post facto research design targeting 19 principals, 19 teacher counsellors, 386 teachers and 10,193 students from the nineteen public secondary schools in Kiambu District. Stratified random sampling was employed to select 10 schools, from which 200 students (20 per school) were selected to take part in the study. The headteachers or deputy headteachers of the selected schools were also selected for the study. Data was collected using questionnaires and interview schedules. The reliability index for the students' questionnaire was established at 0.7257. Data was both qualitative and quantitative. Quantitative data collected was coded and entered into an SPSS programme for analysis. Qualitative data was put under themes consistent with the research objectives. The study established that bullying incidents were experienced in secondary schools in Kiambu district. The major factors contributing to bullying among students were; peer pressure, indiscipline, drug/substance abuse among students, harsh punishment from teachers and unclear defined procedure in the administration of students' discipline. It was established that disciplinary measures such as denying students rights to meals and physical punishment (beating) were other factors that negatively influenced students to engage in bullying. The study recommends that the Ministry of education should provide staff development training in prevention of bullying and cultivate acceptance and understanding in all students to develop a safe and healthy learning environment; effective guidance and counseling programs should be put as essential part for schools by the school administrators to promote students discipline; among other recommendations.


This study explored the relationship between White privilege awareness and White racial identity development for 197 counseling trainees. Results indicated that 3 of J. E. Helms's (1984, 1990, 1995) White racial identity statuses (i.e., Contact, Reintegration, and Immersion/Emersian) significantly predicted White privilege awareness. Implications for counselor development and research are discussed. ********** The population of the United States is becoming increasingly heterogeneous with respect to race and ethnicity (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000). Given that the majority of professional counselors are White and may be underprepared to serve minority clientele (Arredondo, 1999; Pack-Brown, 1999), this demographic transition highlights the importance of multicultural competence training for counseling trainees. Moreover, most professional counselors may have little or no personal or professional experiences with racial and ethnic minorities (Ancis, 2004; Chang, Hays, & Shoffner, 2003; Constantine, 2002; Sue, Arredondo, & McDavis, 1992). Counselor cultural self-awareness, particularly White privilege awareness, and its relationship to White racial identity development is a growing concern of educators and researchers (e.g., Ancis & Szymanski, 2001; Hays & Chang, 2003; Hays, Chang, & Dean, 2004). White privilege awareness is an important construct to process in counselor preparation because of the strong relationship between White counselors' attitudes toward their privilege and the therapeutic process (Hays & Chang, 2003; Hays, Dean, & Chang, 2007). Counselors who examine their racial privilege and the active role it plays in the therapeutic relationship are less likely to rely on racial stereotypes and impose their own ethnocentric values. They are also more likely to view problems of minority clientele from a systemic perspective, to seek more personal knowledge from the client, and to recognize and reduce the influence of racial power dynamics in the therapeutic relationship (Neville, Worthington, & Spanierman, 2001). The invisible nature of White privilege could seriously obstruct the therapeutic process, damaging the client's sense of well-being (Manuppelli, 2000). Failing to address power imbalances both in the therapeutic relationship and as they affect the client's life experiences may lead to avoidance and detachment in professional practice (Vodde, 2001). Therefore, it is important to assess and facilitate counselors' self-awareness of White privilege to increase their multicultural competency. An increased focus on defining and dismantling White privilege, with a continued appreciation for diversity, may ameliorate current dynamics in professional counseling education and practice. This focus may also enhance counseling trainees' racial identity development. Past research has indicated a relationship between multicultural competence and racial identity development (see Carter, 1997; Jones & Carter, 1996; Thompson & Neville, 1999) and White privilege awareness (see Constantine, 2002; Constantine, Juby, & Liang, 2001). However, there is no counseling research to date that has explored the interface of White privilege awareness and White racial identity development. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to build on existing literature by exploring the relationship between White privilege awareness and racial identity development, given the minimal research in this area. RACIAL IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT AND WHITE PRIVILEGE AWARENESS Race is a socially constructed classification system based on physical characteristics that has historically served as a tool to explain human diversity, justify exploitation, and advance privileged groups' interests (Cameron & Wycoff, 1998). Racial identity development is the psychological orientation toward racial group membership that guides how counselors view their own race and other racial groups (Carter, 1997). …


The objective of this study is to document the development of a computational procedure for the analysis of coupled geotechnical problems involving finite deformation, inertia effects and changing boundary conditions. The procedure involves new finite element (FE) algorithms that were formulated and implemented into SNAC—a FE code developed by the geomechanics group at the University of Newcastle, Australia. The numerical scheme was then utilised to analyse some important offshore geotechnical problems. The first development concerns the implementation of the governing equations of two-phase saturated porous media in a mixed form, allowing predictions of solid displacement, pore fluid pressure and Darcy velocity. The generalised-α method was chosen to integrate the governing equations in the time domain. The formulation was extended to consider geometrical nonlinearity within the framework of the Arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian approach. Suitable absorbing boundary conditions were also incorporated to model the radiation of bulk waves towards infinity at the truncated FE mesh boundaries. Some closedform solutions were also developed, which are suitable to verify the implementation of dynamic consolidation algorithms. The second development involves the formulation and implementation of a high-order contact algorithm for solid–fluid mixtures accounting for large deformations and inertia effects. The contact algorithm is based on a mortar segment-to-segment approach formulated for cases of frictionless and frictional interfaces. The node-to-segment approach was also employed to compare and highlight the merits of the mortar method when dealing with dynamic coupled problems. The computational procedure was evaluated by modelling some numerical exercises and comparing the predicted results with alternative numerical and analytical solutions where possible. In the last part of the thesis, the computational framework was employed to successfully model the problems of dynamically penetrating anchors and offshore pipeline-seabed


Arecanut (AN) usage is widespread in Asian countries, especially India and Taiwan. The incidence of oral cancer is increasing day by day, but there is no exponential increase with tobacco usage. Especially in the country like Taiwan where betel quid mostly do not contain tobacco, AN can be correlated with the increased incidence of cancer. There are different studies in the literature about AN and oral cancer but none of them have concluded with the definite pathway for carcinogenesis. The present paper includes reviews of the literature for AN and oral cancer and summarizes the possible mechanisms associated with AN-induced carcinogenesis; and we have also tried to propose pathway of carcinogenesis.


Smart phones have enhanced computing power and various interface modes which are able to be used as ubiquitous devices. A multimodal ubiquitous interface system using a smart phone for human-robot interaction (HRI) is proposed. In the interface system, the host computer of a robot acquires images for the front view and the state of motion and generates voice as a server, and transmits them to a smart phone. The smart phone as a client using Android as a mobile OS displays the received information on the screen and to speaker, and transfers control signals activated by button and voice events. For providing various media, the interface system provides remote moving mode, remote operation mode, and voice control mode which utilize the little space of the screen and the limited computing power. Experimental results show the implementation of the proposed interface system and demonstrate its feasibility to control service robots.


In this empirical study, we investigate the role of national cultural dimensions as distal antecedents of the use intensity of e-tutorials, which constitute the digital component within a blended learning course. Profiting from the context of a dispositional learning analytics application, we investigate cognitive processing strategies and metacognitive regulation strategies, motivation and engagement variables, and learning emotions as proximal antecedents of tool use and tool performance. We find that cultural diversity explains a substantial part of the variation in learning dispositions and tool use. The design of personalized learning paths will, therefore, profit from including national cultural dimensions as a relevant design factor.


Immune cells migrating to the sites of infection navigate through diverse tissue architectures and switch their migratory mechanisms upon demand. However, little is known about systemic regulators that could allow the acquisition of these mechanisms. We performed a genetic screen in Drosophila melanogaster to identify regulators of germband invasion by embryonic macrophages into the confined space between the ectoderm and mesoderm. We have found that bZIP circadian transcription factors (TFs) Kayak (dFos) and Vrille (dNFIL3) have opposite effects on macrophage germband infiltration: Kayak facilitated and Vrille inhibited it. These TFs are enriched in the macrophages during migration and genetically interact to control it. Kayak sets a less coordinated mode of migration of the macrophage group and increases the probability and length of Levy walks. Intriguingly, the motility of kayak mutant macrophages was also strongly affected during initial germband invasion but not along another less confined route. Inhibiting Rho1 signaling within the tail ectoderm partially rescued the Kayak mutant phenotype, strongly suggesting that migrating macrophages have to overcome a barrier imposed by the stiffness of the ectoderm. Also, Kayak appeared to be important for the maintenance of the round cell shape and the rear edge translocation of the macrophages invading the germband. Complementary to this, the cortical actin cytoskeleton of Kayak- deficient macrophages was strongly affected. RNA sequencing revealed the filamin Cheerio and tetraspanin TM4SF to be downstream of Kayak. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and immunostaining revealed that the formin Diaphanous is another downstream target of Kayak. Immunostaining revealed that the formin Diaphanous is another downstream target of Kayak. Indeed, Cheerio, TM4SF and Diaphanous are required within macrophages for germband invasion, and expression of constitutively active Diaphanous in macrophages was able to rescue the kayak mutant phenotype. Moreover, Cher and Diaphanous are also reduced in the macrophages overexpressing Vrille. We hypothesize that Kayak, through its targets, increases actin polymerization and cortical tension in macrophages and thus allows extra force generation necessary for macrophage dissemination and migration through confined stiff tissues, while Vrille counterbalances it.


Third Ventricle Width as a Metric for Fast and Efficient Detection of Atrophy in Traumatic Brain Injury Christopher Scott Finuf Department of Physiology and Developmental Biology, BYU Master of Science in Neuroscience In an average year more than 1.7 million people will experience a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the United States. It is known that atrophy occurs across a spectrum for TBI patients, ranging from mild to severe. Current conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods are inconsistent in detecting this atrophy on the milder end of the spectrum. Also more contemporary imaging tools, although efficient, are too time consuming for clinical applicability. It is for these reasons that a quick and efficient measurement for detecting this atrophy is needed by clinicians. The measuring of third ventricle width had the potential to be this measurement, since it is known that ventricular dilation is an indirect measure of brain atrophy. This study used two different data sets acquired at multiple sites. A total of 152 TBI patients' MRI scans were analyzed with diagnosis ranging from mild to severe. They have been age matched with 97 orthopedic injury controls. All scans were analyzed using Freesurfer® auto-segmentation software to acquire cortical, subcortical, and ventricular volumes. These metrics were then used as a standard of efficacy which we tested the new third ventricle width protocol against. There was no statistically significant difference between the overall TBI group and OI group (Welch's F(1,238.435) = 1.091, p= .267). The complicated mild injury subgroup was significantly increased from the mild subgroup (p= .001, d= .87). The grand average third ventricle width measurement was the best prognosticator of all measures analyzed despite only predicting 35.1% of cases correctly. The findings suggest that the third ventricle width measurement is insensitive to atrophy between all groups as hypothesized.


In new vehicles development weight reduction is one of the most important driving force often conflicting with other missions which would require additional mass (crashworthiness, comfort, etc). The use of HSS, especially new grades with very high strength and good formability is the most competitive way to reduce weight. Nevertheless some limitations come from manufacturing HSS: springback, residual stresses, weldability should be taken into account in product development in order to avoid an expensive set up phase in the press shop and in the body shop. This paper focus on the recent experience achieved by Fiat in introducing HSS up to reach a share higher than 60% in weight applying and developing new methodologies to solve in the design phase any criticality arising from the use of this material.


In this modern era, technology continues to develop and improve, experiencing a signification transformation from the traditional concept and centralized power generation to an incorporated system with distributed energy resources (DER) which is then located closer to the local loads. A sustainable solution with this future concept would be the Microgrid application, and it is a growing system in recent days. This system consists of an integration of the generation from different renewable energy sources that contain energy storage systems. Microgrid also acts as a backup source to failure of the main power supply allowing the network to operate independently. This technology has provided a high reliance on the economy and the growing demand of the technologies such as the energy generated from wind and solar. The growth in several Microgrid utilization has also decreased the reliance on the usage of fossil fuels.

The idea of the Microgrid application and implementing it into the network of Murdoch University would provide such significant benefits to the commercial ground. The objective of this thesis is to analyse the opportunity of self-generation of electricity with the possibility of implementing Photovoltaic systems, and a battery energy storage system. The demand for the electricity of the campus would also be analysed with the university's existing renewable energy source, which is the diesel generator. MU has also experienced several events of power failure. Therefore, another aim of the project is also to have these Microgrid components to act as a back-up source.

Risks from the failure of the main power supply will be identified in the introductory part of this thesis before flowing into the concept of Microgrid. The design and the specifications of the components to be integrated into the targeted network will be explained throughout the body of this chapter. The output of the research will provide a summary of potential generation from the chosen components. To have a self-generation of electricity would not only lead MU to be investing in the early stages but would also lead MU to an amount of cost-saving upon the project lifetime.


In the present work, three junctions were fabricated on textile fabric as an alternative substrate for harvesting piezoelectric potential. First junction was formed on ordinary textile as (textile/multi-walled carbon nanotube film/zinc oxide nanowires (S1: T/CNTs/ZnO NWs)) and the other two were formed on conductive textile with the following layer sequence: conductive textile/zinc oxide nanowires (S2: CT/ZnO NWs) and conductive textile/multi-walled carbon nanotubes film/zinc oxide nanowires (S3: CT/CNTs/ZnO NWs). Piezoelectric potential was harvested by using atomic force microscopy in contact mode for the comparative analysis of the generated piezoelectric potential. ZnO NWs were synthesized by using the aqueous chemical growth method. Surface analysis of the grown nanostructures was performed by using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The growth orientation and crystalline size were studied by using X-ray diffraction technique. This study reveals that textile as an alternative substrate have many features like cost effective, highly flexible, nontoxic, light weight, soft, recyclable, reproducible, portable, wearable, and washable for nanogenerators fabrication with acceptable performance and with a wide choice of modification for obtaining large amount of piezoelectric potential.


The cross antenna is a medium gain and circular polarization structure made of a conductor or strip line over a ground plane, following a cross contour of four or more branches. One end is feed by a generator and the other one is charged with a load impedance. This paper presents a theoretical and experimental analysis of an eight arms cross antenna, loaded with four different impedances. The theoretical study is made via the computational solution of Pocklington's equation applied to the structure; experimental results are obtained over an antenna of a 12 AWG wire over a ground plane, working in 3.2 GHz. We present radiation efficiency, gain, field pattern, and axial rate results.


The Inferior Alveolar Nerve Block does not always result in successful pulpal anesthesia and therefore has a poor success rate in patients with irreversible pulpitis. An enzyme called "HYALURONIDASE"; a component of the extracellular matrix, temporarily cleaves the 1,4-beta glycosidic bond of hyaluronan and reduces the viscosity of the tissue, enhancing early onset of akinesia.In this prospective, randomized, double-blinded study, 32 healthy patients with irreversible pulpitis were divided into 2 groups. The control group was administered inferior alveolar nerve block using lidocaine with epinephrine. The experimental group was administered Hyaluronidase along with lidocaine with epinephrine. The duration of effect on the pulpal tissues was evaluated by response to electrical stimuli applied to the affected tooth. On interpretation of 'T' test, there was a statistically significant difference in the onset of ankinesia in the two groups with a 'p' value of <0.001 . The control group showed a mean of 3.5, whereas the study group showed a mean of 2.237.The results of the present study showed a statistically significant increase in the onset of the inferior alveolar nerve block when administrated with Hyaluronidase compared to plain Lidocaine with Epinephrine.


Biography of Jozef John Zwislocki (March 22, 1922 – May 14, 2018) – Polish-born American neuroscientist. Granted fellowship into the Acoustical Society of America, as well as membership to the United States National Academy of Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and Association for Research in Otolaryngology (among others). He worked at Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland, taught at the University of Basel, was on a research fellowship at Harvard University, and was member of the Syracuse University faculty. Owner of twelve patents.


Performance analysis has been carried out for a multi-tone DS-CDMA wireless communication system over a faded channel considering the channel limitations. The analysis is based on MT-DS-CDMA system and a rake receiver with maximal ratio combining (MRC) diversity combining technique. The expressions for the output signal and (Multiple Access Interference) MAI has been derived for the above system model. The expression for the SNR and the unconditional BER at the output of the receiver has also been derived. The performance results has been evaluated numerically in terms of SNR, BER and the power penalty due to channel effect. The optimum system design parameters have been found for the numerical results. Also simulation works has been done for different parameters and comparison has been done with one of the most effective CDMA scheme among all the systems.


Background: this paper re-analysed data from the international cross-sectional TEN-D survey to investigate the association between country or national alcohol limits and risk behaviours.
Methods: data were collected on subjects aged 16-35 years owning a driving license and attending recreational sites during weekend nights in Belgium/Netherlands, Bulgaria, Italy, Poland and Spain. Each participant was administered a: questionnaire, driving simulation, breath alcohol concentration (BAC) and illegal drugs detection tests. Random-effect regression was used to identify independent predictors of 3 outcomes: high BAC (≥0.5 g/L); negative driving behaviours; self-reported illegal drug consumption.
Results: the survey included 4 534 subjects (mean age 23.1±4.2 years; males 68.3%). Alcohol misuse was highest in Poland (65.1%) and Spain (83.7%), which also showed the highest frequency of negative driving behaviours (39.0%) and illegal drugs consumption (55.6%). Multivariate analysis confirmed country as a predictor of all outcomes, whereas no association was found with national alcohol limits.
Conclusions: the absence of association between national alcohol limits and alcohol misuse or negative driving behaviours suggests that cultural factors might be predominant in explaining the differences across countries. Our findings are preliminary and further research is needed.


. The oil palm tree is one of the essential plants with a major contribution to the Indonesian economy but is also vulnerable to pathogen infection, such as Ganoderma . Ganoderma boninense is a group of polyporous fungi which is responsible for Basal Stem Rot disease. The disease is extremely serious and easily spreads, posing a significant threat to the economy, so early detection of the disease becomes vital. However, the current detection techniques for the disease are expensive and time-consuming; hence, they are not ideal for large plantation areas. The development of image processing technology could be utilized to predict Ganoderma infection, using the images that are captured by a drone. This research aims to predict the spread of Ganoderma infection, in the oil palm tree plantation area in North Sumatra, Indonesia, by utilizing image processing and Artificial Neural Network methods. Our model results showed the prediction accuracy (with Green color) was 73,8%. In addition, we also showed the distribution of Ganoderma infection in the area: score 0 was 229 trees, score 1 was 295 trees, score 2 was 112 trees, score 3 was 238 trees, and score 4 was 23 trees. Overall, our research provided a non-destructive method to detect Basal Stem Rot disease in the oil palm plantation sites.


Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer- related death in female. To better understand the growth and progression as well as therapeutic management, breast cancers are grouped based on histopathological and molecular classification. A number of factors have been implicated in the development of breast cancer. Various cell surface as well as hormone receptor signaling play crucial role in breast cancer initiation and progression. This chapter briefly discusses few of the important receptor signaling pathways and the various strategies in practice as well as at different stages of development to target these pathways.


Organized or structured deposits are encountered during electron microscopic examination of kidney tissue in a wide variety of primary renal and multisystemic disorders. They are most commonly seen in the renal glomerulus, though extraglomerular sites are occasionally involved. In some cases, organized deposits herald the presence of a specific disease process. Included in this category are organized substances containing immunoglobulin molecules or parts thereof as well as non-immunoglobulin-containing materials that accumulate in several rare heritable disorders. A second broad category of structured deposits includes substances that accumulate in response to nonspecific tissue injuries. In many instances, such "look-alikes" can be difficult to distinguish from disease-specific structured deposits. Ultrastructural pathology is central to the detection and characterization of organized deposits in the kidney and is the primary focus of this paper. Correlative light microscopic studies are often useful, however, and will be described as well.


There has been much hype around online education creating a revolution in education. Studies analyzing the use of distance education at the graduate level have been limited. This article uses Kansas State University's Master of Agribusiness program as a case study. Educational theory related to a distance environment is studied. Development and technology issues related to the Master of Agribusiness program are presented followed by survey information from students. Appropriate administrative and management practices that govern a program are essential to the success of the program.


BACKGROUND
With the emergence of continuously mutating variants of coronavirus, it is urgent to develop a deep learning model for automatic COVID-19 diagnosis at early stages from chest X-ray images. Since laboratory testing is time-consuming and requires trained laboratory personal, diagnosis using chest X-ray (CXR) is a befitting option.

OBJECTIVE
In this study, we proposed an interpretable multi-task system for automatic lung detection and COVID-19 screening in chest X-rays to find an alternate method of testing which are reliable, fast and easily accessible, and able to generate interpretable predictions that are strongly correlated with radiological findings.

METHODS
The proposed system consists of image preprocessing and an unsupervised machine learning (UML) algorithm for lung region detection, as well as a truncated CNN model based on deep transfer learning (DTL) to classify chest X-rays into three classes of COVID-19, pneumonia, and normal. The Grad-CAM technique was applied to create class-specific heatmap images in order to establish trust in the medical AI system.

RESULTS
Experiments were performed with 15,884 frontal CXR images to show that the proposed system achieves an accuracy of 91.94% in a test dataset with 2,680 images including a sensitivity of 94.48% on COVID-19 cases, a specificity of 88.46% on normal cases, and a precision of 88.01% on pneumonia cases. Our system also produced state-of-the-art outcomes with a sensitivity of 97.40% on public test data and 88.23% on a previously unseen clinical data (1,000 cases) for binary classification of COVID-19-positive and COVID-19-negative films.

CONCLUSION
Our automatic computerized evaluation for grading lung infections exhibited sensitivity comparable to that of radiologist interpretation in clinical applicability. Therefore, the proposed solution can be used as one element of patient evaluation along with gold-standard clinical and laboratory testing.


Objective We sought to determine whether guided high mechanical index (MI) impulses from a diagnostic ultrasound transducer during an intravenous microbubble infusion could augment low-dose fibrinolytic therapy in treating acute myocardial infarction (ST segment elevation myocardial infarction, STEMI). Methods Acute thrombotic occlusions of the left anterior descending were created in 32 atherosclerotic pigs. Fourteen historical control pigs received half dose of tissue plasminogen activator alone (half tPA), while the subsequent 18 were randomised to (a) 1.0 mg/kg tPA (full-dose tPA); (b) low-dose tPA (0.5 mg/kg) and an intravenous microbubble infusion where guided transthoracic high MI impulses were applied intermittently to the risk area (guided high MI/half tPA) or (c) guided high MI impulses and microbubbles alone (guided high MI alone). Angiographic recanalisation, ST segment resolution and wall thickening (WT) at 60 min were compared between all pigs, while indexed infarct size at 48 h was compared in the 18 randomised pigs. Results Recanalisation rates improved from 36% for half dose tPA alone to 83% with the addition of guided high MI impulses, while it was 50% for full-dose tPA and guided high MI alone. WT recovery within the risk area following treatment was highest for guided high MI/half tPA (p=0.007 compared with full-dose tPA; ANOVA), and indexed infarct size was lowest (p<0.05 compared to full-dose tPA). Conclusions Guided high MI-induced microbubble cavitation from a diagnostic transducer added to low-dose tPA can immediately improve regional function and reduce infarct size in acute STEMI. Trial registration number Clinical Trials.gov NCT02170103.


During infections or acute conditions high-density lipoproteins cholesterol (HDL-C) levels decrease very rapidly and HDL particles undergo profound changes in their composition and function. These changes are associated with poor prognosis following endotoxemia or sepsis and data from genetically modified animal models support a protective role for HDL. The same is true for some parasitic infections, where the key player appears to be a specific and minor component of HDL, namely apoL-1. The ability of HDL to influence cholesterol availability in lipid rafts in immune cells results in the modulation of toll-like receptors, MHC-II complex, as well as B- and T-cell receptors, while specific molecules shuttled by HDL such as sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) contribute to immune cells trafficking. Animal models with defects associated with HDL metabolism and/or influencing cell cholesterol efflux present features related to immune disorders. All these functions point to HDL as a platform integrating innate and adaptive immunity. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the connection between HDL and immunity in atherosclerosis and beyond.


We have developed a porous titanium implant sintered with spacer particles (porosity = 50 %, average pore size ± standard deviation = 303 ± 152 !m, yield compression strength = 100MPa). This porous titanium was successfully treated with chemical and thermal treatment that gives a bioactive micro-porous titania layer on the titanium surface, and it is expected as effective biomaterial for biological fixation on load bearing condition. In this study, ten adult female beagle dogs underwent anterior lumbar interbody fusion at L6-7 using either BT-implant or non-treated implant (NT-implant), then followed by posterior interspinous wiring and facet screw fixation. The radiographic evaluations were performed 1, 2 and 3 months postoperatively using X-ray fluoroscopy. Animals were sacrificed after 3 months postoperatively, and fusion status was evaluated by manual palpation. Histological evaluation was also performed. Both histological and radiological evaluation revealed that interbody fusion was achieved in 5 of 5 dogs (100%) in BT-group and 3 of 5 dogs (60%) in NT-group. In BT implants, we could observe a large amount of new bone formation from periphery to the center of the implant, whereas in NT implants, fibrous tissue formation was still observed even in the implants with successful fusion. The results of this study indicate that porous bioactive titanium implant will represent a new osteoconductive biomaterial with improved fusion characteristics.


The software industry being highly resource-oriented tries to ensure that knowledge residing in the minds of the employees is effectively utilised for leveraging core business competencies. Therefore, providing effective knowledge management systems (KMSs) to utilise this knowledge for optimising business processes has become crucial for enterprises to stay competitive. This paper attempts to assess the effectiveness of KMS implementations from a knowledge workers' perspective via six dimensions of the Jennex and Olfman (J&O) KMS success model. Quantitative data was collected through a web-based survey questionnaire from knowledge workers in 25 Indian software companies. Statistical analysis of the study's model was conducted using SmartPLS® (version 2.0.M3) software for assessment of both measurement and structural models. The empirical analysis of the model's hypotheses indicated that a knowledge worker's intent to use a KMS is significantly dependent on Service and Knowledge/Information Quality dimensions of J&O KMS success model. This paper implies that the J&O KMS success model seems to have adequate predictive power for most implied variables with the exception of System Quality. The J&O KMS success model from a practical point of view offers a means for organisations to evaluate and predict the effectiveness of KMS implementations. The results produced in this study may allow KM practitioners to know more about the levers that help to improve their KMS and thus suitably prioritise their investment plans accordingly.


The discourse of westernization and liberalization had been spread to Muslim ummah nowadays. To decrease the impact of both problems, Muslim scholars seek for a solution called Islamization of knowledge. This effort took place in every sphere in human life, including economics, and specifially in banking sector. One concern in Islamization's effort on banking sector is reserve requirements policy, which the muslim economists have different opinions on it, between imposing fractional reserve requirements or 100% reserve requirements. In case of reserve requirements, muslim economists are divided into two major groups. The fist, which represented by Umer Chapra, Nejatullah Siddiqi, MonzerKahf, Afzalurrahman and Mohamed Ariff, they saw that fractional reserve requirements is a right way for Islamic banking system. The reserve used for ensure bank's ability to fulfil it obligation to the depositors. In addition, it could be used by Islamic central bank as a tool of monetary policy to control money supply. The second, represented by Mabid Ali AlJarhi, Mohsin S. Khan, Abbas Mirakhor and Mahmoud Abu Saud recommend the use of 100% reserve requirements. According to them, fractional reserve system could suffer such an inherent instability. Over expansion of credit is often occurring this system that imply to unstable infltion. Their assumption is 100% reserve requirements will bring to more stable economy.


Microbial-derived surface-active compounds (biosurfactants) have attracted attention due to their low toxicity, cost-effectiveness, biodegradable nature and environment compatibility. Due to paucity of knowledge in the production of biosurfactant by microorganisms from other sources such as biochar-amended soil, the present study investigates the potential of rhizospheric bacteria isolated from biochar amended soil of okra plant in the production of biosurfactants using different recovery techniques. Rhizospheric bacteria were screened for biosurfactant production using Haemolytic, Oil spreading, Drop collapse, Methylene blue method, Bacterial adhesion to hydrocarbon and Emulsification activity. The biosurfactant was extracted using different extraction solvents (acid precipitation, ethyl acetate, acetone, dichloromethane and chloroform/methanol). Degradation of hydrocarbon (diesel) was determined spectrophotometrically. A total of twenty-three rhizospheric bacteria were isolated from the soil of Abelmoschus esculentus (okra plant). Nine isolates were positive for haemolysis with values between 1.1±0.2 mm by Enterobacter cloaca and 23.0±0.6 mm by Alcaligenes faecalis. Two isolates were positive for the drop collapse test. Only one isolate was positive for the methylene blue method. In the oil spreading test, ten isolates were positive and five isolates had the ability to adhere to hydrocarbons. Six isolates exhibited emulsification potential after 24 h, with the highest and lowest (65.9%) and (40.7%) recorded by Alcaligenes faecalis and Citrobacter sp, respectively. The biosurfactant produced by Alcaligenes faecalis using different recovery solvents showed that chloroform and methanol are the best extraction solvents and Alcaligenes faecalis was also able to degrade diesel oil over a period of 10 d. Conclusively, Alcaligenes faecalis recovered from soil amended sawdust biochar of okra plant is both a potent biosurfactant producer and an agent for remediating hydrocarbon-contaminated soil environments.


Recent study shows that endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and gene therapy technologies are effective strategies in the inhibition of stenosis and thrombus formation and improving the patency rate of the vascular graft in vivo. In this study, rat EPCs were cultured from bone marrow, and plated in fibronectin-coated plates with EBM-2 medium. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were cultured with alpha minimum essential medium ( -MEM). After two weeks, EPCs were immunohistochemically characterized using antibodies specific for endothelial cells. Retroviral vectors pMSCV-eNOS, pMSCV-tPA, pMSCV-LacZ and pMCSV-GFP were constructed. Retroviral particles were produced using packaging cell line 293T cells. Gene transfer was carried out by exposing cells to virus solution for 6 hours in the presence of 8µg/ml polybrene. For constructing vessels, MSCs and EPCs were seeded on fibronectin coated ePTFE graft in tissue culture condition for 2-4 weeks. The attachment and growth of cells were analyzed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Our data showed that the EPCs expressed VEGF, Lectin BS-1, RECA-1, indicating they are endothelial lineage. The concentrated retroviral particles showed many folds higher transduction efficiency to NIH 3T3 cells than the commercial reagent Fugene. SEM data showed dense attachment of MSCs on the graft surface. MSCs/EPCs co-culture gave much better cell coverage on the graft than culture of EPCs alone.


Globalization and trade liberalization have exposed agricultural sector of many developing countries to sudden disturbances, caused not just by demand-supply conditions within their economies but also by volatility in global commodity prices, exchange rate and surge in imports. This paper evaluates the magnitude of sensitivity of Indian agriculture to these factors, and explores policy options that may neutralize their adverse effects, maintain price incentives and stability. The analysis is undertaken for one important tradable commodity viz. wheat by applying a structural econometric model, separately under the exportable and importable scenarios from 1980-81 to 2009-10. Findings reveal wheat to be increasingly driven by an incentive structure based on its linkages with world price, exchange rate and other factors. Counterfactual simulation experiments indicate that due to trade and sector-specific policies, wheat price and output tend to be much more resilient to fluctuations in international price and other shocks compared to its exports and imports.


Background Mycosis fungoides is the most common form of primary cutaneous lymphoma, with an indolent, slowly progressive course and 88% five-year survival rate. The diagnosis is challenging, especially in the early stages, and usually relies on a good clinical-histopathological correlation. Objective The aim was to establish the clinical and epidemiological profile of patients with early-stage mycosis fungoides. Methods This was a retrospective cross-sectional observational study with an exploratory analysis. Outcome variables were disease progression and mycosis fungoides-related death. Results One hundred and two patients were included. The majority were white males, with a mean age of 55.6 years. Mean time from onset of lesions to diagnosis was 51.08 months. The majority of patients were classified as IB stage according to TNMB. Mean follow-up time was 7.85 years. Disease progression was seen in 29.4% of the patients. Death related to the disease occurred in 7.9% of patients. Plaque lesions, involvement of more than 10% of the body surface, altered lactate dehydrogenase and beta-2-microglobulin, and stage IB were significantly associated with disease progression, and altered lactate dehydrogenase and beta-2-microglobulin also correlated with higher frequency of deaths. Study limitations Small sample and retrospective design. Conclusions The clinical and epidemiological profile of patients with early-stage mycosis fungoides in our sample corroborates reports in the literature. Diagnostic delay in our series is also consistent with previous findings, but the rate of disease progression, despite treatment, was higher than reported in the literature.