Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL

Introduction: Circulating tumor cells (CTC) in patients with metastatic carcinomas are associated with poor survival. The current standard CTC enrichment method employs antibodies, which misses cells not expressing the target antigen. Several alternative methods enrich CTC by filtration, exploiting differences in size between blood cells and CTC. Between different filtration methods large variations in material, pore size, operating pressure and sample fixation exist. As their influence for CTC enrichment is poorly understood we have investigated these parameters. Methods: Track etched polycarbonate filters with pore diameters of: 5, 8 and 10 µm and microfabricated silicon nitride filters with pore diameters of 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 µm were used. 300 cells from the cell lines SKBR3, PC3-9, MDA-231, MDA-468, MCF-7, SW480, HL-60 or K-586 were spiked in 1 ml of blood from healthy volunteers. Samples were filtered while both pressure across the filter membrane and the flow speed was measured. The pressure across the filter provides the force driving a cell through a filter pore. Cells were identified on the filters by fluorescence microscopy. Results: MDA-231, a 15 µm sized epithelial cell line, can readily pass through a 5 µm pore at low pressure (< 50 mbar). We show that the number of red and white blood cells contribute most to the pressure across a filter and at least 10e5 8 µm pores are needed to process 0.5 mL of whole blood per minute at 10 mbar of pressure. The influence of buffers such as PBS or serum was found to be negligible. Fixation using paraformaldehyde increases the pressure needed to push white, red and culture cells through a pore by 25 fold and recovery with spiked samples decreases from 85% to 40% at the same flow rate. Different filter types were compared and evaluated for cell line recovery using unfixed blood. Optimal recovery of cell lines was between 80-90% with low WBC contamination for track etch filters with 8 µm pores and 5 µm pores for silicon nitride chips. Only a weak correlation was found between recovery and size for the eight different cell lines. Conclusions: There are big differences in the ease with which different culture cell lines of similar size pass a filter pore; a challenging cell line such as MDA-231 should be selected for evaluation of filtration methods. Pressure across the filter is an important parameter in determining whether a cell passes a filter pore. Enrichment without fixation is best and should be performed at low pressures (< 50 mbar). A sufficiently small pore retains most of the tumor cells, but passes most white and all red cells. The optimal pore size was different for the different filter types evaluated, possibly due to surface of the filter or filter thickness. In the optimal conditions recoveries of at least 80% were found for most cell lines across a wide range of CTC concentrations and blood volumes.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2396. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-2396


BACKGROUND
Down syndrome (DS) and Fragile X syndrome (FXS) are the major genetic causes of intellectual disabilities. Here, we present a case of a 32-year-old woman with the diagnosis of both FXS and DS. She is the daughter of a 47-year-old pre-mutation woman who also has three sons with FXS.

METHODS
Cytogenetic testing detected the presence of a complete trisomy 21. A combination of PCR and Southern blot analysis was utilized to document the presence of the FMR1 full mutation.

RESULTS
The patient has physical characteristics and behavioural disturbances typical of both FXS and DS, which were confirmed by molecular testing. Her treatment plan included a trial of sertraline because of the severity of her shyness and lack of language. She had an excellent response to sertraline with improvement in shyness and social interactions, particularly with family members.

CONCLUSIONS
In this study, we report the case of a woman with both FXS and DS, which is the fifth case of FXS and DS in the world's literature. The patient is from Ricaurte, a small town in Colombia, South America, where there is the world's highest prevalence for FXS.


ABSTRACT Six commentaries [Bialystok, E. (2015). How hazy views become full pictures. Language, Cognition and Neuroscience. doi:10.1080/23273798.2015.1074255; de Bruin, A., & Della Sala, S. (2015) The importance of language use when studying the neuroanatomical basis of bilingualism. Language, Cognition and Neuroscience. doi:10.1080/23273798.2015.1082608; Green, D. W., & Abutalebi, J. (2015). Language control and the neuroanatomy of bilingualism: In praise of variety. Language, Cognition and Neuroscience. doi:0.1080/23273798.2015.1084428; Kroll, J. and Chiarello, C. (2015). Language experience and the brain: Variability, neuroplasticity, and bilingualism. Language, Cognition and Neuroscience. doi:10.1080/23273798.2015.1086009; Luk, G., & Pliatsikas, C. (2015). Converging diversity to unity: Commentary on the neuroanatomy of bilingualism. Language, Cognition and Neuroscience; Paap, K. (2015). The neuroanatomy of bilingualism: Will winds of change lift the fog? Language, Cognition and Neuroscience. doi:10.1080/23273798.2015.1082607] were produced in relation to the review "The neuroanatomy of bilingualism: How to turn a hazy view into the full picture" (García-Pentón, L., Fernández, Y., Costello, B., Duñabeitia, J. A., & Carreiras, M. (2015). The neuroanatomy of bilingualism: How to turn a hazy view into the full picture. Language, Cognition and Neuroscience. doi:10.1080/23273798.2015.1068944). In the review, we argued that the available evidence for structural changes in bilingualism offers ambiguous support for current neural models of bilingualism and that this shortcoming in the field is exacerbated by critical methodological differences between studies. Thus, best practices need to be established for studying and modelling bilingualism. The commentaries bring to the discussion new perspectives and highlight additional challenges. Our response addresses the issues raised under two broad topics: the need to connect structural findings with behavioural and functional data, and a series of methodological concerns that are critical if the field is to advance.


The liver is an exceptional organ, not only because of its unique anatomical and physiological characteristics, but also because of its unlimited regenerative capacity. Unfolding of the molecular mechanisms that govern liver regeneration has allowed researchers to exploit them to augment liver regeneration. Dramatic progress in the field, however, was made by the introduction of the powerful tool of gene therapy. Transfer of genetic materials, such as hepatocyte growth factor, using both viral and non-viral vectors has proved to be successful in augmenting liver regeneration in various animal models. For future clinical studies, ongoing research aims at eliminating toxicity of viral vectors and increasing transduction efficiency of non-viral vectors, which are the main drawbacks of these systems. Another goal of current research is to develop gene therapy that targets specific liver cells using receptors that are unique to and highly expressed by different liver cell types. The outcome of such investigations will, undoubtedly, pave the way for future successful clinical trials.


This research was carried  out to  study  genetic  diversity of ampicillin-resistant Vibrio  from various  stages of tiger  shrimp larvae  (Penaeus Monodon) development from,Tambak Inti Rakyat hatchery, near Labuan, West Java, Indonesia. A total of 25 ampicillin-resistant Vibrio isolates were isolated using thiosulphate  citrate bile-salt  sucrose  agar (TCBS-Agar) and seawater  complete agar (SWC-Agar). Physiological and biochemical characterization showed that the isolates could be grouped into only two species, i.e. V. harveyi from the egg stage; and V. metschnikovii from larvae and post-larval stage (i.e nauplius, zoea, mysis, PLi, PL5, PL,0, and PL,5). These isolates were also present in their respective rearing water  of  each stage  and  some natural feed.  Schizotyping analysis employing restriction endonuclease Noll (5'-GC4GGCCGC) indicated that the isolates could be grouped into  at least  13 different  genotypes.  Therefore,  schizotyping  was  more discriminative than physiological characterization. This study showed that particular groups of Vibrio colonized all stages of shrimp larvae and demonstrated closed phylogenetic relationship. These groups of Vibrio might be  the dominant microbiota which could suppress the development of other Vibrio including the pathogenic Vibrio. Key words : Shrimp/ampicillin-resistant K/fcno/schizotyping


The question of causality is pervasive to fluid–structure interactions, where it finds its most alluring instance in the study of fish swimming in coordination. How and why fish align their bodies, synchronize their motion, and position in crystallized formations are yet to be fully understood. Here, we posit a model-free approach to infer causality in fluid–structure interactions through the information-theoretic notion of transfer entropy. Given two dynamical units, transfer entropy quantifies the reduction of uncertainty in predicting the future state of one of them due to additional knowledge about the past of the other. We demonstrate our approach on a system of two tandem airfoils in a uniform flow, where the pitch angle of one airfoil is actively controlled while the other is allowed to passively rotate. Through transfer entropy, we seek to unveil causal relationships between the airfoils from information transfer conducted by the fluid medium.


The laser welding of Aluminum-Lithium alloy (Al-Li) alloy were conducted to investigate the weld porosity features in this paper. The results show that there are two kinds of weld porosity existing for laser welding Aluminum-Lithium alloy sheet. They are can be divided into metallurgical porosity and unstable keyhole porosity according to their different reason causing them. The mechanism of unstable keyhole porosity occurring was discussed according to the results of YAG laser welding processing. The methods how to reduce weld porosity for laser welding of Aluminum-Lithium alloy was also described.


The effectiveness of a morantel sustained-release bolus (MSRB) in controlling gastrointestinal nematode infections was determined in 70 Holstein heifer calves with no prior grazing experience. Calves were allotted to 2 treatment groups and were maintained in Florida during the grazing season on divided pastures of equal area. One MSRB was administered to each calf in 1 group at the time of turnout onto spring pasture, whereas calves in the other group remained as nonmedicated controls. By the end of the grazing season, treatment resulted in significantly (P less than 0.05) lower worm burdens and significantly improved weight gains. The MSRB-treated calves were able to reach breeding weight 2 to 4 weeks earlier than did nonmedicated calves.


The Isaan region, populous and poor area in the North East of Thailand, has thousands of small villages where ways of life and cultural traditions not yet polluted by contact with modernity still live and survive. In one of his long stays in the Isaan, the author of the text is fortunate to be able to participate as a friend and almost as a relative in a traditional funeral ceremony in a village a few dozen kilometers from Udon Thani. The co-author of this work, Manfredo Spillmann, formerly a freelance photographer in Switzerland, is in fact married to the lady's niece whose funeral was celebrated, and therefore fully introduced into the reality of the village. The following story comes out from the encounter of two curiosities, one more professional, the other more visual. Written in first person, it would like to convey to the reader not only the description of an event, but also the emotions that this experience has produced in them. Followed for three days, the funeral has revealed aspects of great interest, especially looking at religious rituals but also to everyday life, and at the interweaving of Buddhism and animism so typical of the most peripheral areas of North East Thailand


Impedance control is a widely adopted strategy to execute tasks involving interaction of a robot manipulator with the environment. The goal is to impose an end-effector dynamic behavior described by a mechanical impedance. A crucial point is the definition of the elastic contribution in the impedance equation according to the task requirements; this is achieved by a proper choice of the equivalent stiffness matrix. In the paper an energy based argument is used to derive the dynamic equation of a mechanical impedance characterized by a translational part and a rotational part. The adoption of unit quaternions to describe orientation displacements leads to a geometrically consistent definition of the stiffness in the impedance equation. Remarkably, off-diagonal elements in the equivalent stiffness matrix are considered; namely, coupling forces with orientation displacements and coupling moments with position displacements. The equilibrium and the stability of the impedance equation are discussed as well as the geometric properties of the stiffness matrix.


This paper presents an overview of the architecture for smart Nano grids, Integration of various diversified distributed generation technologies in Nano grids at small community level and different policies governing its implementation. The paper also reviews the current energy scenario of Pakistan with emphasis on the need of setting up small scale Nano grids with integration of V2G technology for decentralization and deregulation of the currently wrecked power sector of Pakistan. Various load profiles along with load shedding schedules have been tested under the simulation of the presented Nano grid architecture. The promising results obtained after running the simulation testify the fact that integration of vehicles at small community level can provide a viable solution to eradicate the menace of energy crisis by offering peak shaving and demand side management benefits.


New height precise Earth
Geopotential Model EGM08 made it possible to develop the value of the geoidal geopotential W0.
This value is independent on Earth's tides and others disturbances, therefore
it can be used as basic
quantity for many applications. Value W0 represents mean sea
surface. W0 was developed from data of satellite altimetry
which monitores actual ocean's surface. This value is one of the four
fundamental geodetic constants. This value has been accepted worldwide and is included to
the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service Conventions
(IERS Conventions) 2003, 2007. This value defines in principle parameters of
level ellipsoid which best fit to the surface defined by W0.
The body of this
level ellipsoid produces normal gravity. We developed other important
parameters for determination of the density deviations (VTT technology), i.e. values of normal gravity ge at the equator and gp at the pole on the elipsoid E0 and the value of parameter β. All
parameters above used for development of VTT technology are supplied by
GPS/leveling data that enable to create so-called density deviation maps at any
place in the World. In comparison with gravity anomalies, the density deviations represent more
precise density anomalous places in the Earth's crust. A construction of
density deviation map is applied at two from geologically different regions—the Western Carpathians and the Central African Rifts.


Although growing numbers of researchers are studying the role of social engagement in ubiquitous technologies and applications, few frameworks have been proposed that attend to the lived experience of the individual and social dynamic within which it is intimately enmeshed. We present empirical insights using grounded theory from data gathered during a 102-day walk of the second author around Wales. This study inductively developed a substantive social engagement framework of the Walking experience that appears to be simple and flexible. The main aim of this paper is to present the developed framework, where even apparently 'solitary' walking is set within a rich technical and social matrix. The primary characteristics of this framework, namely accuracy of social judgements, accountability of decisions and actions, enhancing self-esteem, and satisfying intrinsic motivation goals, are in line with social user experience and show promise of being useful in ubiquitous technologies, regardless of user activity.


The blood vascular bed of two human pancreata was replicated partially by arterial perfusion of intentionally reduced amounts of low viscosity methacrylate resin, to be observed with a scanning electron microscope. The findings were compared with those obtained from a pancreas replicated completely by a sufficient amount of resin. Complete replication confirmed our previous findings (MURAKAMI et al., 1992) that many exocrine lobules contained one or more endocrine islets, which preferentially issued insulo-acinar portal vessels continuous with the lobular capillaries. Incomplete replication demonstrated that the casting medium filled blood capillaries in the endocrine islets more promptly than those in the exocrine lobules and secretory ducts. Furthermore, islet-containing lobules allowed a more rapid resin flow to the exocrine tissue via the insulo-acinar portal route than did the lobules lacking an islet. Since the resin medium used had the viscosity of blood and was injected under physiological pressure, the results obtained by the incomplete arterial injections are believed to suggest the physiological state of blood flow in the pancreas.


Rural-amenity migration is changing the social and ecological compositions of landscapes globally. The in-migration of new landholders is contributing to significant biophysical changes to rural landscapes, as well as the weakening of collective awareness, knowledge and skills needed to manage natural resources. This is leading to the proliferation of environmental harm. This paper focuses on invasive plants as one such harm, detailing how collective action is developed and challenged in a rural landscape undergoing increasing property turnover and diversifying management priorities. Focusing on the role of a Landcare group, located in southern New South Wales, Australia, I explore how social capital – with a particular focus on trust and social norms – is mobilised to recruit newly arrived residents and maintain commitment among landholders to manage invasive plants. This research provides insights into how policy can better steer management interventions, particularly how to develop and maintain collective action in diversifying rural landscapes.


Standardized video compression has grown significantly in use for a number of different applications over the last 8 years. Perhaps the best known uses of video compression standards are for videoconferencing and for digital storage media and broadcast. In the case of videoconferencing, the field has been dominated by standards issued by the ITU-T, including H.261 and H.263. In the case of compressed video for storage, playback and broadcast, the ISO standards MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 have dominated. Spurred on by third generation cellular and the promise of wideband wireless connectivity, activity in the area mobile multimedia applications has increased dramatically. Wireless networks present a new challenge for multimedia system designers. This is mainly due to the high sensitivity of these bitstreams to channel errors. Many new video compression tools that address error resilience have been included in the latest voluntary international multimedia standard, MPEG-4. This standard combines both the properties of real-time communications and one-way entertainment applications. Furthermore, MPEG4 includes a number of new tools in the realm of video coding which provide error resilient coding for transmission of video over error prone channels. This paper provides an overview of the video error resilience tools of MPEG-4. Results are provided which demonstrate the performance of these tools when operating in a typical wireless environment.


When the Czech Republic elected (effective January 1, 2009) to derogate from the standard rules for determining the place of supply for intangible services, pursuant to Article 58 of the Recast VAT Directive (RVD), it was following the lead of ten other Member States. This paper considers four of those other jurisdictions - Germany, Austria, Estonia, and Denmark - and compares their derogations with that of the Czech Republic. In each instance a use and enjoyment standard determines the place of supply for certain intangible services. The affected transactions are (potentially) wide ranging. In each instance non-EU countries are on one end of the impacted transaction. As a result, these rules can easily become a trap for unwary businesses (particularly non-EU businesses) because the traditional proxy-based rules (RVD Articles 43 and 56(1)) are being selectively overturned. Each Member State that has taken this option has (in some manner) limited the impact of their derogation. This article and the article which preceded it have considered six of the twenty-seven EU countries that have derogated from the normal rules. The results have ranged from near full adoption of the use and enjoyment criteria in Denmark to indirect adoption of it in Estonia. The German and Austrian approaches seemed to be the most cautious, and the most targeted. With rules issued in ministerial decrees rather than statute, it is difficult to escape the impression that Germany and Austria see the use and enjoyment criterion on RVD 58 as a tool to correct flaws in the system. PEs are critical to both the Czech Republic and Estonian applications of use and enjoyment, and a similar approach guides the UK analysis although in this case it is subsumed in the in the meaning of a "belonging." One might have thought that use and enjoyment would have received more attention than it did in the 2008 VAT package. However, the concern there was primarily with refining the use of proxies, not limiting or controlling the use and enjoyment criterion for determining the place of supply for intangible services.


Fouling characteristics of aerobic submerged membrane bioreactors were analysed under two different membrane materials. Polyethersulfone (PES) membranes were found to foul faster at sub-critical flux than polyolefin (PO) membranes. Physico-chemical characterisation, by means of comparison of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and soluble microbial products (SMP) concentrations, as well as the mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) concentration were unable to explain the differences in membrane fouling of the contrasting membrane materials. The use of confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) to image organic foulants directly on the membrane surface, coupled with image analyses showed that membrane fouling mechanism shifted from a biofilm initiated process on PO membranes to a bio-organic dominated process on PES membranes under sub-critical flux conditions. These results show that physico-chemical characterisation of an MBR process may not effectively distinguish the effectiveness of different membrane materials, so long as operating conditions are identical, and that characterisation of foulants on the membrane surfaces was necessary to elucidate the differences in membrane fouling.


There is concern that caribou ( Rangifer tarandus ) may avoid roads and facilities (i.e. infrastructure) in the Prudhoe Bay oil field (PBOF) in northern Alaska, and that this avoidance can have negative effects on the animals. We quantified the relationship between caribou distribution and PBOF infrastructure during the post-calving period (mid-June to mid-August) with aerial surveys from 1990 to 1995. We conducted four to eight surveys per year with complete coverage of the PBOF. We identified active oil field infrastructure and used a geographic information system (GIS) to construct ten 1 km wide concentric intervals surrounding the infrastructure. We tested whether caribou distribution is related to distance from infrastructure with a chi-squared habitat utilization-availability analysis and log-linear regression. We considered bull, calves, and total caribou of all sex/age classes separately. The habitat utilization-availability analysis indicated there was no consistent trend of attraction to or avoidance of infrastructure. Caribou frequently were more abundant than expected in the intervals close to infrastructure, and this trend was more pronounced for bulls and for total caribou of all sex/age classes than for calves. Log-linear regression (with Poisson error structure) of numbers of caribou and distance from infrastructure were also done, with and without combining data into the 1 km distance intervals. The analysis without intervals revealed no relationship between caribou distribution and distance from oil field infrastructure, or between caribou distribution and Julian date, year, or distance from the Beaufort Sea coast. The log-linear regression with caribou combined into distance intervals showed the density of bulls and total caribou of all sex/age classes declined with distance from infrastructure. Our results indicate that during the post-calving period: 1) caribou distribution is largely unrelated to distance from infrastructure; 2) caribou regularly use habitats in the PBOF; 3) caribou often occur close to infrastructure; and 4) caribou do not appear to avoid oil field infrastructure. Key words: caribou, Rangifer tarandus , caribou distribution, oil field infrastructure, petroleum development


Micro-CT can play an important role in preclinical studies of cardiovascular disease because of its high spatial and temporal resolution. Quantitative analysis of 4D cardiac images requires segmentation of the cardiac chambers at each time point, an extremely time consuming process if done manually. To improve throughput this study proposes a pipeline for registration-based segmentation and functional analysis of 4D cardiac micro-CT data in the mouse. Following optimization and validation using simulations, the pipeline was applied to in vivo cardiac micro-CT data corresponding to ten cardiac phases acquired in C57BL/6 mice (n = 5). After edge-preserving smoothing with a novel adaptation of 4D bilateral filtration, one phase within each cardiac sequence was manually segmented. Deformable registration was used to propagate these labels to all other cardiac phases for segmentation. The volumes of each cardiac chamber were calculated and used to derive stroke volume, ejection fraction, cardiac output, and cardiac index. Dice coefficients and volume accuracies were used to compare manual segmentations of two additional phases with their corresponding propagated labels. Both measures were, on average, >0.90 for the left ventricle and >0.80 for the myocardium, the right ventricle, and the right atrium, consistent with trends in inter- and intra-segmenter variability. Segmentation of the left atrium was less reliable. On average, the functional metrics of interest were underestimated by 6.76% or more due to systematic label propagation errors around atrioventricular valves; however, execution of the pipeline was 80% faster than performing analogous manual segmentation of each phase.


The collimation system is key to the successful operation of the LHC. Measurements and simulations of the previous run at 4 TeV have shown that the system is ready for the next step, running at 7 TeV, but at the same time some sensitive cleaning locations have been identified. In particular the dispersion suppressors downstream of the betatron cleaning region in IR7 are sensitive to single diffractive scattered protons from the collimator jaws. These particles can lead to magnet quenching. The MERLIN C++ library has been developed to exploit the functionality of an object oriented code, with improved collective effects and scattering routines. New single diffractive and elastic scattering routines, based on a fit of existing experimental data with the Regge theory of soft interactions of high energy scattering, is implemented in MERLIN. In this paper we present the impact of the new single diffractive scattering physics on the cleaning inefficiency of the LHC collimation system for the Achromatic Telescope Squeezing (ATS) PreSqueeze optics scheme, for the HL-LHC project. The results are compared with the same loss map calculated using a SixTrack+K2 like scattering routine.


Local wastewater treatment authorities levy surcharges from their non-residential customers that are based, in part, on the concentration of various pollutants in the customer's wastewater. Blood has long been recognized as the most potent contributor to pollutant loads in chicken processing plant wastewater. Quantification of the impact of blood on wastewater characteristics and sewage surcharges is hindered by lack of information on specific characteristics of chicken blood, and by the highly variable methods used by local authorities for calculating surcharges. In this study, the most commonly used wastewater characteristics are determined for whole chicken blood as well as its individual components. The characteristics measured include biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, total suspended solids, fats oil and grease, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, ammonia, and total phosphorus. Sewage surcharge calculation methods were collected from 71 local wastewater authorities. The results show all components of the blood to be extremely high-strength pollutants. The impact of blood on sewage surcharges is shown to be highly variable depending on the rates applied by the local authority.


The misuse of alcohol and drugs among physicians is a common cause of malpractice, absenteeism and complaints to the Medical Councils. This problem demands more attention, because it entails risks to the population and to the physicians themselves. AIMS: To describe the clinical and demographic profile of a sample of physicians in treatment for alcohol and drug dependence also to evaluate psychiatric comorbidity and consumption-related consequences. METHODS: Data was collected from a sample of 198 physicians attending outpatient treatment by a questionnaire specifically designed for this study. RESULTS: Most of the subjects were men (87.8%), married (60.1%), with a mean age of 39.4 years (S.D. =10.7). Sixty-six per cent had already been in inpatient treatment for alcohol and drug misuse. Sixty-nine per cent were specialists practicing mainly: internal medicine, anaesthesiology and surgery. Psychiatric comorbidity was diagnosed in 27.7% for DSM-IV Axis I and in 6% for DSM-V Axis II. With regard to drugs the most frequent pattern was use of alcohol and drugs (36.8%), followed by exclusive use of alcohol (34.3%) and exclusive use of drugs (28.3%). It was observed that the mean interval between the identification of misuse of substances and the seeking of treatment was of 3.7 years. Thirty per cent tried to achieve treatment by themselves. The social and legal problems observed were: unemployment in the previous year (1/3 of the sample), marital problems and divorce (52%), car accidents (42%), legal problems (19%). 84.8% presented professional problems and 8.5% had problems within the Medical Councils. CONCLUSION: The researchers suggest supportive and preventive attitudes for this matter.


The processes $\gamma \gamma \rightarrow K ^0 _S K ^{\pm} \pi ^{\mp}$ and $\gamma \gamma \rightarrow K ^+ K ^- \pi ^0$ are studied using a data sample of $519$ fb$^{-1}$ recorded with the \babar detector operating at the SLAC PEP-II asymmetric-energy $e^+ e^-$ collider at center of massenergies at and near the $\Upsilon$(n $=$ 2, 3, 4) resonances.
In both final states we observe $\eta _c$ decays and Dalitz plot analyses are performed using a model-independent partial wave technique.
This allows a model-independent measurement of the mass-dependence of the $I= \frac {1}{2}$ K$\pi$ S-wave amplitude and phase.
This measurement is compared to those from previous experiments and the phase shows similar behavior for up to a mass of 1.5 GeV/c$^2$ but the amplitudes exhibit very marked differences. The presence of a new a$_0$(1950) resonance is required by the data with $m=1931 \pm 14 \pm 22$ MeV/c$^2$ and
$\Gamma = 271 \pm 22 \pm 29$ MeV.


Convict Cowboys is the first book on the nation's first prison rodeo, which ran from 1931 to 1986. At its apogee the Texas Prison Rodeo drew 30,000 spectators on October Sundays. Mitchel P. Roth portrays the Texas Prison Rodeo against a backdrop of Texas history, covering the history of rodeo, the prison system, and convict leasing, as well as important figures in Texas penology including Marshall Lee Simmons, O.B. Ellis, and George J. Beto, and the changing prison demimonde.

Over the years the rodeo arena not only boasted death-defying entertainment that would make professional cowboys think twice, but featured a virtual who's who of American popular culture. Readers will be treated to stories about numerous American and Texas folk heroes, including Western film stars ranging from Tom Mix to John Wayne, and music legends such as Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson. Through extensive archival research Roth introduces readers to the convict cowboys in both the rodeo arena and behind prison walls, giving voice to a legion of previously forgotten inmate cowboys who risked life and limb for a few dollars and the applause of free-world crowds. The contents include: Texas prisons: a pattern of neglect -- A cowboy's a man with guts and a hoss -- The Simmons years (1930-1935) -- The only show of its kind in the United States (1936-1939) -- The war years (1940-1946) -- A sad state of affairs (1947-1949) -- The West as it ought to have been (1950-1953) -- Outlaw vs. outlaw (1954-1959) -- The fund just appeared footloose and fancy free (1954-1960) -- The Texas Prison.


The best treatment modalities in severe aortic valve disease are surgery and, in selected patients, transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). At the present time, transcatheter aortic valve implantation performed in inoperable patients or in patients with high surgical risk not only treats the aortic valve stenosis but also treats the low ejection fraction and mitral regurgitation that result from it. An 83-year-old female patient presented with shortness of breath and class 3 angina. Transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography revealed severe AS, moderate-to-severe MR, and normal ejection fraction. The patient was considered at high risk for aortic valve replacement (Logistic Euroscore 20, STS score 15). A dramatic decrease in the degree of mitral regurgitation was detected after the successful TAVI.


Domestic support reforms remain an unresolved and contentious issue in the WTO agricultural negotiations. There are proposals to halve the current global trade-distorting domestic support entitlements by 2030, where members would have to undertake reductions proportionate to their existing domestic support entitlements. This study critically examines the implications of the proportional reduction approach on the policy space of 164 WTO members to support their farmers. The results show that this approach fails to address the issues and concerns of developing members regarding domestic support reforms, and these members would be required to undertake higher reduction commitments than their developed counterparts. Additionally, the per-farmer entitlement for developed members would remain massive under this approach. Contrary to general belief, the least developed countries would lose half of their flexibility to support their farmers. Further, the proposed approach would dilute the existing special and differential treatment for developing, and least developed, members.


Using data from the ESRC funded project Pragmatics and Intercultural Communication (PIC), this paper applies contrastive quantitative and qualitative analysis to data derived from oral statements, logbooks and retrospective reports by language teaching assistants in France and England. The data concerns their 'rapport' (Spencer-Oatey, 2003; 2005) with the members of staff responsible for their professional supervision and the paper assesses complaint behaviour across the two national groups. Basing our study on computer recorded discourse segments taxonomically codified as 'negative assessment', we show that the incidence of 'indirect' complaint (Boxer, 1993) is significantly higher among English assistants than among their French counterparts. A revised model for measuring 'severity' (House and Kasper, 1981; Olshtain and Weinbach, 1993) is applied to the data using corpus linguistic techniques. Its findings demonstrate that English assistants also complain more 'severely' than their French peers. Nevertheless, the difference in linguistic behaviour between individuals within each group is shown to be greater than that between the two national groups, implying that personality is a stronger determinant of cultural outlook than nationality.


This paper aims at providing an ontology based model for the creation of a collaborative platform to improve knowledge transfer between research outcomes and educational resources related to European law. The objective of the article is to examine the legal background and the methodological issues related to the modelling of knowledge of European law that constitute the backbone on which the technical aspects of the collaborative platform are built. The first part of the article highlights the role of ICT for the Europeanization of law, supporting the foundation of a European common legal discourse. The second describes the ontology based model, considering both theoretical issues and applicative solutions for the collaborative platform.


We present a method for frame coherent texturing and hatching of 3D models with a discrete set of colors. Our technique is inspired by various artistic styles that use a limited set of colors to convey surface shape and texture. In previous research discrete color shading was produced by modifying smooth shading with a threshold function. We extend this approach and specify threshold values with an image or a procedural texture. Texture values and mapping coordinates are adapted to surface orientation and scale. Aliasing artifacts are eliminated by the modified filtering technique. The threshold texturing approach enables an animator to control local shading and to display surface roughness and curvature with a limited set of colors.


Textile production wastes are undesirable but inevitable by-products in any manufacturing process (spinning, weaving or knitting) and are frequently undervalued. However, if one can convert such wastes into useful product economically, there will be great contribution to the market. In the present investigation, therefore, torn-out garments were firstly cut, then opened and carded. The carded slivers were afterwards fed into the Dref 2 Machine, and yarns were spun at different card cylinder and perforated spinning drum speeds. Testing on the yarns and fabrics were then carried out to evaluate their performance.


Abstract Deleterious alleles have long been proposed to play an important role in patterning phenotypic variation and are central to commonly held ideas explaining the hybrid vigor observed in the offspring by crossing two inbred parents. We test these ideas using evolutionary measures of sequence conservation to ask whether incorporating information about putatively deleterious alleles can inform genomic selection (GS) models and improve phenotypic prediction. We measured a number of agronomic traits in both the inbred parents and hybrids of an elite maize partial diallel population and re-sequenced the parents of the population. Inbred elite maize lines vary for more than 350,000 putatively deleterious sites, but show a lower burden of such sites than a comparable set of traditional landraces. Our modeling reveals widespread evidence for incomplete dominance at these loci, and supports theoretical models that more damaging variants are usually more recessive. We identify haplotype blocks using an identity-by-decent (IBD) analysis and perform genomic prediction analyses in which we weigh blocks on the basis of segregating putatively deleterious variants. Cross-validation results show that incorporating sequence conservation in genomic selection improves prediction accuracy for grain yield and other fitness-related traits as well as heterosis for those traits. Our results provide empirical support for an important role for incomplete dominance of deleterious alleles in explaining heterosis and demonstrate the utility of incorporating functional annotation in phenotypic prediction and plant breeding. Author Summary A key long-term goal of biology is understanding the genetic basis of phenotypic variation. Although most new mutations are likely disadvantageous, their prevalence and importance in explaining patterns of phenotypic variation is controversial and not well understood. In this study we combine whole genome-sequencing and field evaluation of a maize mapping population to investigate the contribution of deleterious mutations to phenotype. We show that a priori prediction of deleterious alleles correlates well with effect sizes for grain yield and that variants predicted to be more damaging are on average more recessive. We develop a simple model allowing for variation in the heterozygous effects of deleterious mutations and demonstrate its improved ability to predict both phenotypes and hybrid vigor. Our results help reconcile alternative explanations for hybrid vigor and highlight the use of leveraging evolutionary history to facilitate breeding for crop improvement.


Failure of high tensile steel bolts used in a Radar antenna
system reflector joint was analysed. They had cracked at
the fillet head inside an alien key socket due to improper
seating. Cracking was aggravated by the presence of
hydrogen. in the material introduced during cadmium plating.


As over 70 percent of the earth's surface is covered by water, it is desirable to deploy underwater sensor networks to support river monitoring research applications. Underwater Acoustic Sensor Networks use acoustic waves and are characterized by long and variable propagation delays, intermittent connectivity, limited bandwidth and low bit rates. Within this research we propose a framework with a custom protocol stack for river monitoring. Proposed framework perfectly fits into the latest notion of Internet of Underwater Things architecture and in future can be utilized not only for the shallow river monitoring but also in such extended applications as pipeline surveillance, harbour security and fish farms monitoring.


The aim of this sociolinguistically-oriented study is to determine the elements of a suitable English Language syllabus for university students in Libya. The syllabuses currently being used to teach English Language in the Libyan Higher Education sector were originally designed back in the 1980s. In view of the sweeping changes which have taken place both in the role of English in the world and also in Libya itself since that decade, and in view of concurrent developments in language teaching practice, this thesis starts from the presumption that these syllabuses and the materials used to implement them are unlikely to be adequate. It attempts to achieve its aim by three means. Firstly, using observational accounts and fieldwork, it seeks to provide a sociolinguistic profile of this major world language in Libya in order to ascertain the domains in which it is used and the role which it currently plays in Libyan society (and therefore what it is that Libyan university students might need to be able to do with it).
Secondly, using an attitudinal questionnaire, it investigates the attitude of Libyan students in higher education towards learning English, the English language, and towards those who speak it as their mother tongue since research suggests that attitude can be of crucial importance in the language learning process. Thirdly, it conducts a critical evaluation of the English language syllabus and teaching materials presently in use at one university in order to identify the extent to which they follow current recommended practice in EFL course design and match the needs of learners.
Findings suggest that although English does not enjoy any official status in Libya and its use in some domains remains restricted, it is currently expanding at an unprecedented rate and has already acquired the status of a second language in some domains.
Questionnaire results indicate that Libyan university students hold favourable attitudes towards English, native speakers of this language and learning EFL. Crucially, many view a good level of English as a prerequisite for success in their chosen career.
The evaluation of current EFL teaching materials and course syllabus reveals that these materials no longer reflect the current role of English in Libya or the needs of university learners. In addition, in methodological terms, they are out-dated, following the traditional grammar-based syllabus rather than the contemporary emphasis on the communicative approach.
The thesis concludes by recommending that an integrated syllabus approach could be used to address the problems with the existing syllabus and proposes a multi- or integrated syllabus which aims to integrate grammatical components and linguistic skills to meet the needs of the learners and to address the language needs of Libyan society.


Lifting attempts to speedup probabilistic inference by exploiting symmetries in the model. Exact lifted inference methods, like their propositional counterparts, work by recursively decomposing the model and the problem. In the propositional case, there exist formal structures, such as decomposition trees (dtrees), that represent such a decomposition and allow us to determine the complexity of inference a priori. However, there is currently no equivalent structure nor analogous complexity results for lifted inference. In this paper, we introduce FO-dtrees, which upgrade propositional dtrees to the first-order level. We show how these trees can characterize a lifted inference solution for a probabilistic logical model (in terms of a sequence of lifted operations), and make a theoretical analysis of the complexity of lifted inference in terms of the novel notion of lifted width for the tree.


Charge transition levels of dangling bonds in III–V semiconductors (AlAs, GaAs, and InAs) are determined via hybrid density-functional calculations. In GaAs, the Ga and As levels are found at 0.28 eV below the conduction band and at 0.16 eV above the valence band, respectively, in good correspondence with measured levels. These defect levels line up across the present semiconductor series for a band alignment based on experimental offsets. For In0.53Ga0.47As, both the In and Ga levels are inferred to resonate with the conduction band while the As level remains in the gap at 0.1 eV from the valence band.


The extracranial segment of the vertebral artery is well protected, and the rate of occurrence of extracranial vertebral aneurysms is very low. We describe the case of a 40-year-old woman who presented with a large aneurysm of the left vertebral artery in the angiographic absence of a right vertebral artery. Her medical history included a motorcycle accident at the age of 20, at which time a neck sprain had been diagnosed. Computed tomography of the chest and neck revealed a 6- x 4-cm aneurysm with mural thrombus in the left thoracic outlet and in the first portion of the left vertebral artery before the entrance of the transverse foramen of the 6th cervical vertebra. Angiography of the arch vessels confirmed both the presence of an aneurysm of the left vertebral artery and the absence of a right vertebral artery. Due to the lack of contralateral vertebral flow, we planned to perform a graft interposition under deep hypothermic circulatory arrest, for cerebral protection. Unfortunately, the patient refused the operation and was lost to follow-up. To our knowledge, there has been no previous report of an extracranial vertebral artery aneurysm in the absence of a contralateral vertebral artery. We believe that deep hypothermic circulatory arrest with graft interposition is the best treatment strategy, although we did not, in this case, have opportunity to treat the patient.


OBJECTIVE
To determine an optimal window for determining peak flatulence and evaluate the effects of oligosaccharides and supplemental beta-mannanase in soybean meal-based diets on nutrient availability and flatulence.

ANIMALS
6 dogs.

PROCEDURES
Dogs were used in a 2 x 3 factorial arrangement of treatments in a 6 x 6 Latin square experiment to evaluate the digestibility, flatulence, and fecal odor metabolites of low-oligosaccharide low-phytate soybean meal (LLM), conventional soybean meal (SBM), and poultry by-product (PBP) meal diets with or without supplemental beta-mannanase (5 g/kg).

RESULTS
Enzyme supplementation had no effect on total tract dry matter (DM), nitrogen digestibility, or digestible energy; however, differences between protein sources did exist for total tract DM digestibility and digestible energy. The PBP meal had higher DM digestibility and digestible energy (mean, 0.913 and 4,255 cal/g), compared with soy-based diets (mean, 0.870 and 4,049 cal/g). No differences were detected for any treatment regardless of protein source or addition of supplemental enzyme for any flatulence components analyzed. No differences were detected for all fecal odor metabolites regardless of addition of supplemental enzyme; however, differences between protein sources were detected. The PBP meal had lower concentrations of carboxylic acids and esters and higher concentrations of heterocycles, phenols, thio and sulfides, ketones, alcohols, and indoles than LLM and SBM.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Diets containing < 22.4 g of stachyose/kg and < 2 g of raffinose/kg did not alter digestibility or increase flatulence in dogs.


This essay considers the various ways in which writers and visual artists deployed the rattlesnake to advance and, later, destabilize nationalist agendas between the French and Indian War and the Civil War. During the intervening century the rattlesnake, with its powers of fascination, evolved into a multifaceted symbol used to represent a wide range of ideas: British colonial unity; American national identity; white fears of interracial conflict and miscegenation; and the lingering belief that original sin represented a serious threat to a secular republic whose well-being could be ensured only by the virtuous behavior of its citizens. Between 1751 and 1861 visual artists like Benjamin Franklin and Charles Gadsden, together with writers such as J. Hector St. John de Crèvecoeur and Oliver Wendell Holmes, made the rattlesnake a symbol of the national transition from imported art to endogenous culture, from indigenous inhabitants to European emigrants, from innocence to experience.


High resolution photoelectron spectroscopy has been used to investigate water adsorption on four different TiOx ultrathin film structures, grown on Au(111) by chemical vapor deposition. Two of the structures are reduced TiOx single layer phases, forming a honeycomb (HC) and a pinwheel (PW) structure, respectively. The other two phases have TiO2 stoichiometry, one in the form of islands and one in the form of a TiO2(B)(001) extended layer. Partial water dissociation is observed for all phases but the HC phase, and the dissociation propensity and adsorbate thermal stability structure result from interplay between the atomic structure of the particular TiOx phase and defects formed in the preparation. The dissociation on the TiO2(B) film is mainly related to different types of defect sites. The TiO2 islands, interpreted as surface reconstructed rutile TiO2(100), generate the highest amount of hydroxyls with a behavior consistent with reconstruction into a mixed (100) and (110) termination. Water dissociation...


Abstract In this report we review the conservation status of Odonata of southwestern Africa, viz Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. In total, 287 species have been recorded of which three have been previously listed by IUCN. We consider 60 species mainly because of their endemism in the region. The majority of the species have to be categorised as 'data deficient' according to IUCN regulations. The most important freshwater habitats in the region are the extensive swamps in the Kalahari basin, such as the Okavango Delta, the Caprivi swamps and the swamps along the courses of the middle Zambezi system, which host a unique odonate community. The most important threats for species in the region include overuse of water, construction of dams in the large rivers and deforestation. We strongly recommend extensive research on the Angolan and Zambian odonate faunas, which appear to be the richest in the regions, although they are poorly investigated.


In this paper, we performed a numerical study on the effects of thermal shrinkage on deposition of molten tin and nickel droplets on a steel substrate in thermal spray processes using Volume-of-Fluid (VOF) method. Thermal shrinkage is a phenomenon caused by variation of density during solidification and cooling of molten metals. In our model, the Navier-Stokes equations along with energy equation including phase change are solved using a 2-D axisymmetric mesh. We used the VOF method to track the free surface of droplet. For solidification, we used an enthalpy-porosity formulation. The simulations performed in this study are accomplished using a commercial code (Fluent). Results of these scenarios are presented: the normal impacts of 2.7mm tin droplets at 1m/s and 2m/s, initially at 240°C, onto a 27°C steel substrate. When the droplet impacts the substrate with a velocity of 1m/s, the final splat has a single cavity inside due to shrinkage. In other cases with the scales of a typical thermal spray process, the results of normal impact of nickel droplets with a velocity of 73m/s, initial temperature 1600°C and diameter 60μm to steel substrate with different temperatures are presented. In these cases shrinkage decreases the droplet splashing on the substrate.Copyright © 2010 by ASME


Young v. Hawaii, 992 F.3d 765 (9th Cir. 2021) (en banc), purports to find that the right to bear arms is outside the historical scope of the Second Amendment, which protects that very right to bear arms. The actual text of the Second Amendment is AWOL in the Ninth Circuit's holding that Hawaii may ban the carrying of firearms, whether openly or concealed. The court's lengthy account of the history of prohibition on bearing arms is a faux histoire.

Young begins by tracing Hawaii's ban on carrying a pistol to 1852, when Hawaii was a monarchy. Hawaii's Constitution recognized no right to bear arms, and instead the law declared that only persons in government were "authorized to bear arms." When the monarchy was overthrown and a republic created, a law was enacted allowing anyone to carry a pistol by paying a license fee. The court simply ignores that period and highlights restrictions imposed after annexation by the United States. And it disregards how the "good cause" exemption, which allowed carrying without a license, was enforced.

Next Young finds precedent for the carry ban in the decrees of medieval English kings, who prohibited subjects from "going armed." However, the context concerned knights in armor fighting and creating turmoil, not lowly peasants carrying a bow or dagger for self-defense. At any rate, our Founders would have held in disdain the idea that they needed "the king's license" to bear arms. The court also misrepresents various English statutes, such as the prohibition on going armed to rob, murder, and kidnap, terms that the court snips out to claim that the law simply banned the carrying of concealed weapons.

The Statute of Northampton of 1328, with its convoluted language on coming armed before the King's Justices or going or riding armed, is held up by Young as the holy grail to justify carry bans. But the court butchers the definitive holding in Rex v. Sir John Knight (1686), reflected in treaties thereafter, that the Statute only applied if a person went armed with evil intent in a manner to terrorize the subjects. And it underrates the scope of the Declaration of Rights of 1689, protecting the right of Protestants to "have Arms for their Defence."

Young's "history" goes further downhill when it crosses the Atlantic. Carry bans in the American colonies were somehow seen as normal because the backwater East New Jersey had a temporary carry restriction and the other colonies required settlers to carry arms to church and other public places. The court skips over the history of the British attempts to disarm the Americans, the demands that the proposed Constitution have a bill of rights, and public discussion leading to the ratification of the Second Amendment.

Instead, the court jumps to antebellum laws that prohibited going armed offensively to the terror of the people, which were irrelevant to the peaceable carrying of arms. It muddies the waters about nineteenth-century judicial decisions, which generally upheld the right to bear arms except for an outlier Texas case from 1871. The antebellum slave codes and judicial decisions upholding them, based on the premise that slaves and even free persons of color had no right to bear arms because they were not citizens, warrants no notice in Young. And it is silent on the purpose of the Fourteenth Amendment to overturn black code provisions requiring African Americans to obtain a carry license that could be issued or denied in the discretion of the government.

The Ninth Circuit in Young paints a faux histoire of the right to bear arms. It relies on medieval decrees that would have been anathema to the Founders, deletes key passage from historical sources, leaps over crucial stages of American history such as the coming of the Revolution and of Reconstruction, and otherwise distorts the past to demonstrate that the right to bear arms is actually beyond the historical scope of the right to bear arms.


BACKGROUND
A loss of proximal tubule cell polarity is thought to activate tubuloglomerular feedback, thereby contributing to glomerular filtration rate depression in postischemic acute renal failure (ARF).

METHODS
We used immunomicroscopy to evaluate the segmental distribution of Na+/K+-ATPase in tubules of recipients of cadaveric renal allografts. Fractional excretion (FE) of sodium and lithium was determined simultaneously. Observations were made on two occasions: one to three hours after graft reperfusion (day 0) and again on post-transplant day 7. An inulin clearance below or above 25 ml/min on day 7 was used to divide subjects into groups with sustained (N = 15) or recovering (N = 16) ARF, respectively.

RESULTS
In sustained ARF, the fractional excretion of sodium (FENa) was 40 +/- 6% and 11 +/- 5%, and the fractional excretion of lithium (FELi) was 76 +/- 5% and 70 +/- 2% on days 0 and 7, respectively. Corresponding findings in recovering ARF were 28 +/- 2% and 6 +/- 2% for the FENa and 77 +/- 4% and 55 +/- 3% (P < 0.05 vs. sustained) for FELi. Na+/K+-ATPase distribution in both groups was mainly basolateral in distal straight and convoluted tubule segments and collecting ducts. However, Na+/K+-ATPase was poorly retained in the basolateral membrane of proximal convoluted and straight tubule segments in sustained and recovering ARF on both days 0 and 7.

CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that loss of proximal tubule cell polarity for Na+/K+-ATPase distribution is associated with enhanced delivery of filtered Na+ to the macula densa for seven days after allograft reperfusion. Whether an ensuing activation of tubuloglomerular feedback is an important cause of glomerular filtration rate depression in this form of ARF remains to be determined.


The Scandal in Academia is a large-scale fictional ethical case study of around 17,000 words and fourteen separate revelations. They are delivered as newspaper extracts from a newspaper reporting on an ongoing crisis at a Scottish educational institution. The scandal case study as presented in its original form comes with only limited commentary on the ethical issues raised, concentrating instead on providing the scenario in isolation. This paper is a companion piece to that case study, discussing the third and fourth revelations with reference to the issues raised, the mainstream media, and the formal academic literature. The discussion presented here is not intended to be exhaustive or definitive. It is instead indicative of an approach that could be taken within a formal educational context, and illustrative of the kind of discussions that ideally emerge from the effective use of the material.


During the night of March 1 and 2, 1951, an inconspicuous group of hot springs and small mud volcanoes in northeastern California burst into spectacular eruption, unequalled by other known mud volcanoes. The eruption cloud of steam, gases, and mud particles rose several thousand feet in the air and distributed fine debris to the southeast for a distance of at least 4 miles. More than 20 acres of the hot-spring area was intensely disturbed and greatly modified by the eruption, estimated to involve at least 6 million cubic feet or 300,000 tons of mud. Several days after the eruption, the area was barely active. The eruption appears to be unique in the history of the springs. The hot-spring system is in deep fine-grained clastic sediments immediately east of the Surprise Valley fault bounding the Warner Range. The sediments of the spring area are saturated with near-neutral hot saline water. Previous temperatures and geothermal gradient of the area were probably high. Mud volcanoes exist in similar physical environment near Gerlach in Washoe County, Nevada, and on the southeast shore of Salton Sea, Imperial County, California. Other mud volcanoes occur in acid thermal areas and are characterized by abundant volcanic gases and near-surface alteration by sulfuric acid; their eruptions involve only surficial material and not underlying competent bedrock. Eruptions in deep fine-grained basin sediments are attribured to unstable or metastable temperature-depth relations existing in many high-energy thermal systems. Vapor pressure at depth may equal or exceed hydrostatic pressure. Great energy is stored in a thermal system of this type, but ordinarily is released slowly. A mud-volcano origin is possible for some eruption deposits classed as phreatic or cryptovolcanic. Although near-boiling hot springs are considered phases of volcanism, true volcanic eruptions are distinct from mud-volcano eruptions. The former derive their energy directly from new volcanic rocks or magma, but the latter are caused by sudden release of energy stored in near-surface hydrothermal systems and do not involve direct release of energy from new volcanic magma. The energy of true volcanic eruptions, however, may be increased by release of energy from previously existing hydrothermal systems, for example in the Rotomahana phase of the great Tarawera eruption of 1886 in New Zealand.


Between 1998 and 2001, four abnormal flood waves have passed down the River Tisza. The total costs of flood fighting, emergency measures and reconstruction have amounted to some €440 million. The government has approved of the conceptual plan of enhancing flood safety in the Tisza Valley and obliged the competent ministries to elaborate detailed plans for Stage I of the development program. The development proposal comprises a complex program, which goes beyond the creation of a higher level of flood safety; the improvement of the living standards of the rural and urban population in the region and the formulation and introduction of new types of agro-ecological land use in the area of the emergency flood retention reservoirs. In Stage I, which covers the years 2004 to 2007, the proposed flood safety enhancement measures include the restoration of the flow conveying capacity of the flood bed, the conservation oriented revitalisation thereof along the Upper Tisza, as well as along that between Szolnok town and the southern national boundary. Work will also be started on the emergency retention reservoirs, of which six are contemplated at strategic sites. The costs of the first four years have been estimated at €480 million, one-half thereof devoted to flood control measures, the other to rural development, agro-ecological farming and infrastructure modernisation projects. The Strategic Environmental Assessment has been completed to EU standards, the rural and regional development opportunities related to the program have been explored together with the demands for intensifying economy and improving the infrastructure. Work on the first reservoirs and on clearing the high-water bed has been scheduled to start in autumn 2004.


Patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) have significantly lower survival upon the development of distant metastases. The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a consistent yet dynamic influence on the metastatic capacity of SCCs. The ECM encompasses a milieu of structural proteins, signaling molecules, and enzymes. Just over 40 years ago, the fibrous ECM glycoprotein laminin was identified. Roughly four decades of research have revealed a pivotal role of laminins in metastasis. However, trends in ECM alterations in some cancers have been applied broadly to all metastatic diseases, despite evidence that these characteristics vary by tumor type. We will summarize how laminins influence the SCC metastatic process exclusively. Enhanced laminin protein deposition occurs at the invasive edge of SCC tumors, which correlates with elevated levels of laminin‐binding β1 integrins on SCC cells, increased MMP‐3 presence, worse prognosis, and lymphatic dissemination. Although these findings are significant, gaps in knowledge of the formation of a premetastatic niche, the processes of intra‐ and extravasation, and the contributions of the ECM to SCC metastatic cell dormancy persist. Bridging these gaps requires novel in vitro systems and animal models that reproduce tumor–stromal interactions and spontaneous metastasis seen in the clinic. These advances will allow accurate assessment of laminins to predict responders to transforming growth factor‐β inhibitors and immunotherapy, as well as potential combinatorial therapies with the standard of care. Such clinical interventions may drastically improve quality of life and patient survival by explicitly targeting SCC metastasis.


In addition to the x-linked B cell maturation deficit previously reported in CBA/N mice, a functional T cell defect has now been observed. T lymphocyte regulation of the polyclonal PFC response was studied within the context of this x-linked immunodeficiency model. The ability of 1) B cells from (CBA X CBA/CaJ)F1, male mice to respond to nonspecific T cell helper signals and 2) T cells from NCF1 male mice to provide such signals was investigated under in vitro conditions by using bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as the polyclonal activator. B lymphocytes from both male and female NCF1 mice were receptive to T cell help rendered by NCF1 female T cells. Male T cells. however, were unable to augment polyclonal B cell responses of either NCF1 male or female B cells to LPS. Treatment with ATS + C reduced the polyclonal response of female but not male spleen cells to LPS. This deficit could not be overcome by the use of greater numbers of NCF1 male T cells. The observation that this deficiency in T cell regulation is not due to active suppression suggests that the results may be attributable to an intrinsic T cell defect.


Clinical trials, especially the randomized clinical trial, have been and will remain the gold standard for the evaluation of new interventions, including pharmaceuticals, biologics, medical devices, procedures, or behavioral modifications. Despite more than five decades of experience, there are still challenges in their design, conduct, monitoring, and analyses. Some of these challenges remain and some are emerging, in part due to the progress in genomics and proteomics. These issues may be statistical, logistical, or a combination. Included are follow‐up of subjects who withdraw from intervention, the proposed use of recent adaptive designs, implementing noninferiority designs, reliance on surrogate markers, and gene transfer studies. Comparative effectiveness studies are of increasing interest but present major design and analysis issues. Forces external to the trial are also becoming more common. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


One crucial component in light signaling is the quantity of photoreceptor present in the active signaling state. The lifetime of the signaling state of a photoreceptor is limited because of thermal or otherwise back reversion of the chromophore to the ground state, and/or degradation of the photoreceptor in the light-activated state. It was previously shown that the lit state of plant cryptochromes contains flavin-neutral semiquinone, and that the half-lives of the lit state were in the range of 3-4 min in vitro. However, it was unknown how long-lived the signaling states of plant cryptochromes are in situ. Based on the loss of degradation of cry2 after prolonged dark incubation and loss of reversibility of photoactivated cry1 by a pulse of green light, we estimate the in vivo half-lives of the signaling states of cry1 and cry2 to be in the range of 5 and 16 min, respectively. Based on electron paramagnetic resonance measurements, the lifetime of the Arabidopsis cry1 lit state in insect cells was found to be ~6 min, and thus very similar to the lifetime of the signaling state in planta. Thus, the signaling state lifetimes of plant cryptochromes are not, or are only moderately, stabilized in planta.


Fractional diffusion equations have been the focus of modeling problems in hydrology, biology, viscoelasticity,physics, engineering, and other areas of applications. In this paper, a meshfree method based on the moving Kriging interpolation is developed for a two-dimensional time-fractional diffusion equation. The shape function and its derivatives are obtained by the moving Kriging interpolation technique. For possessing the Kronecker delta property, this technique is very efficient in imposing the essential boundary conditions. The governing time-fractional diffusion equations are transformed into a standard weak formulation by the Galerkin method. It is then discretized into a meshfree system of time-dependent equations, which are solved by the standard central difference method. Numerical examples illustrating the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed method are presented and discussed in detail.


In structural engineering there are randomness inherently exist on determination of the loads, strength, geometry, and so on, and the manufacturing of the structural members, workmanship etc. Thus, objective and constraint functions of the optimization problem are functions that depend on those randomly natured components. The constraints being the function of the random variables are evaluated by using reliability index or performance measure approaches in the optimization process. In this study, the minimum weight of a space truss is obtained under the uncertainties on the load, material and cross-section areas with harmony search using reliability index and performance measure approaches. Consequently, optimization algorithm produces the same result when both the approaches converge. Performance measure approach, however, is more efficient compare to reliability index approach in terms of the convergence rate and iterations needed.


PURPOSE
To assess trends in South Australian children's physical activity between 1985 and 2003 and 2013 in the contexts of school active transport, organized sport, physical education, and school break times.

METHOD
The 1985 Australian Health and Fitness Survey was administered in South Australian schools in 2004 (8 schools) and 2013 (9 schools) and was demographically matched to the 10 South Australian schools in the Australian Health and Fitness Survey. Ordinal logistic modeling was used to identify trends, stratified by older children (10-12 y) and early adolescent (13-15 y) subgroups.

RESULTS
School active transport generally declined for males and older female children (19 and 20 percentage points per decade, respectively), whereas early adolescent females increased in walking to school (11 percentage points per decade). School sport participation declined for early adolescents, and club sport participation declined in early adolescent females (23 percentage points per decade). Moderate to vigorous physical activity participation during school break times (particularly lunchtime) generally declined (16-26 percentage points per decade). Observed changes in most contexts occurred between 2004 and 2013.

CONCLUSION
There was evidence of context-specific declines in children's physical activity participation over this time span. Early adolescent females were the subgroup of most concern, experiencing declines in most contexts.


This article seeks to expose the "fallacies of synchrony" that often accompany the analysis of human remains. In approaching a cemetery, for example, we all too easily think of the bodies there as a "community," even when they belong to different generations or geographic contexts. This simple point has major implications, especially for the bioarchaeology of urban landscapes. Here, chronologically disparate elements accumulate in vast melanges, offering innumerable examples of the "non-contemporaneity of the contemporaneous," an idea developed by Karl Mannheim ([1928] 1952) and Alfred Schutz (1967), and now extended to archaeology by Gavin Lucas (2015). To escape the fallacies of synchrony and explore the shifting rhythms of city life, I turn to the case of the Spring Street Presbyterian Church in Manhattan. When the church burial vaults (ca. 1820–1850) were unexpectedly unearthed in 2006, they seemed to represent a ready-made "congregation." Yet Spring Street was actually a "catchment zone" of mingled and mangled temporalities. Though placed together in death, the bodies there had only occasionally crossed paths in life. By following some of their traces to and from the site, we may come to understand what it means to gather, work, and worship together in a society of strangers.


Venetian publishers offered a wide range of books related to Spain, in the form of Spanish and Italian translations of works written in other languages, as well as original works written in those two languages. Beyond the books themselves, I am interested in the dedicatees and will analyze the didactic, ideological and political reasons that motivated their selection by editors, authors and translators. For the most part, the dedicatees were Spanish although there were a number of Italian admirers of Spanish culture, such as captains Sforza Pallavicino and Giacomo Ragazzoni, and condottieri Guido Brandolini and Girolamo Martinengo. Each dedication attests to their faithfulness to the Spanish crown, and authors of these dedications were often Spanish translators who wished to make Spanish letters known in the Italian peninsula that was most familiar with Spanish arms. Others dedicatees were Spanish kings, like Charles V and Philippe II, or of Spanish origin, such as members of the families Gonzaga, d'Avalos, and Aragona. Focusing on the dedicatees allows me to highlight the desire to tighten the links between the two states, one a hegemonic monarchy and the other an independent republic, whose alliances throughout the century would converge and diverge.


Intelligent Buildings have been the subject of research and commercial interest for more than two decades. The different perspectives range from monitoring and controlling energy consumption over interactive rooms supporting work in offices and leisure in the home, to buildings providing information to by-passers in plazas and urban environments. This paper puts forward the hypothesis that the coming decade will witness a dramatic increase in both quality and quantity of intelligent buildings due to the emerging field of pervasive computing: the next generation computing environments where computers are everywhere, for everyone, at all times. Where IT becomes a still more integrated part of our environments with processors, sensors, and actuators connected via highspeed networks and combined with new visualization devices ranging from projections directly in the eye to large panorama displays. This paper provides an overview of the field and discusses some central future research perspectives. Research perspectives in the related area, roomware, are discussed in [8].


Contamination of aquatic ecosystems by various sources has become a major worry all over the world. Pollutants can enter the human body through the food chain from aquatic and soil habitats. These pollutants can cause various chronic diseases in humans and mortality if they collect in the body over an extended period. Although the phytoremediation technique cannot completely remove harmful materials, it is an environmentally benign, cost-effective, and natural process that has no negative effects on the environment. The main types of phytoremediation, their mechanisms, and strategies to raise the remediation rate and the use of genetically altered plants, phytoremediation plant prospects, economics, and usable plants are reviewed in this review. Several factors influence the phytoremediation process, including types of contaminants, pollutant characteristics, and plant species selection, climate considerations, flooding and aging, the effect of salt, soil parameters, and redox potential. Phytoremediation's environmental and economic efficiency, use, and relevance are depicted in our work. Multiple recent breakthroughs in phytoremediation technologies are also mentioned in this review.


Partial NitritationAnammox process DTU Orbit (20/08/2019) Microbial resource management for the mitigation of nitrous oxide emissions from the Partial NitritationAnammox process Urban wastewater treatment plants are designed to remove pathogens and pollutants from wastewater in order to provide sanitation and to protect receiving water bodies from eutrophication. Reactive nitrogen, mainly in the form of ammonium, is one of the components in wastewater that is converted to dinitrogen gas during treatment. The Partial Nitritation-Anammox process (PNA) uses the capacity of autotrophic aerobic and anaerobic ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB and AnAOB) to perform this task. The process is mainly applied to treat ammonium-rich wastewater streams with low concentrations of organic carbon. Its advantages over conventional nitrogen removal technology include lower energy needs for aeration, no addition of organic carbon and reduced sludge production. However, emissions of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O), that are commonly measured during process operation, have the potential to determine the CO2 footprint of PNA, thus off-setting its environmental benefits. Consequently, strategies to mitigate N2O emissions from PNA are needed. In the presented Ph.D. study a laboratory scale PNA model system was investigated to infer beneficial modes of process operation for high rate PNA with simultaneously low N2O emissions. Dynamics of N2O emission, production and consumption reactions were quantified to identify correlations between N2O and process parameters, a method to engineer the microbial community by aeration patterns was tested and a N2O mitigation strategy based on pH set-points was evaluated. The concept of Microbial Resource Management (MRM) was adopted to steer the fraction of AOB and AnAOB in bio-granules and to manipulate the activity of enzymes relevant for N2O metabolism. Both, microorganisms and enzymes were considered as microbial resources. The characterization of the system revealed that net N2O production in aerated phases primarily contributed to overall N2O emissions (80-100%). The remaining N2O was produced during nonaerated phases, leading to distinct N2O emission peaks at the onset of aerated phases. Net N2O production rates in aerated phases were positively related with the specific ammonia removal rate, while during non-aerated phases net N2O production rates were positively correlated with the nitrite concentration (NO2-). Operation of PNA at reduced specific ammonia removal rates is, therefore, a feasible strategy to mitigate N2O emissions. However, when high ammonium removal rates shall be maintained, an increased NO2sink capacity by a relatively larger fraction of AnAOB has the potential to reduce N2O production. Changes of the intermittent aeration regime were applied to engineer the microbial community. Indeed, longer aerated phases were feasible to increase the size of bio-granules by approx. two-fold, which resulted in an increase of the AnAOB/AOB ratio from 0.4 up to 1.4. However, an effect of median granule size and granule size distribution on process performance was not detectable, since periodic non-aerated phases in intermittently aerated PNA had stronger regulating effects on NO2accumulation, than the granule size distribution had. Consequently, the granule size distribution was less relevant for stable process performance in intermittently aerated PNA systems, than for continuously aerated systems. Net N2O production is the difference between N2O production and consumption. Therefore, increased N2O consumption rates reduce net N2O production, also when production is not altered. A comprehensive review, synthesizing current knowledge on the effect of pH on enzymes involved in nitrogen conversions, suggested a N2O mitigation strategy based on pH set-points. Indeed, pH exerted a strong effect on N2O emissions, when emission factors (% N2O-Nproduced/NH4+-Nremoved) increased with pH from 2.5% at pH 6.5 to 3.3% at pH 7.0 and 7.5, before substantially decreasing to 1.6% at pH 8.0. The cause for low net N2O production rates at alkaline pH was assigned to high N2O reduction rates by the enzyme nitrous oxide reductase, which became relevant at pH > 7.5. Based on the results obtained in the Ph.D. study, operation of Partial Nitritation-Anammox at relatively long aerated phases, low specific ammonia removal rates and pH 8.0 is suggested to reduce N2O emissions from the process.


A simple method for analysis of fumonisin B1 (FB1) and fumonisin B2 (FB2) in beer and raw materials of beer using liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) was developed. Samples were prepared and purified by using solid-phase extraction columns (SAX). The LC separation was performed with an octadecylated silica column at a flow-rate of 0.2 mL/min, using a mobile phase consisting of water and acetonitrile. MS/MS was used in multiple reaction monitoring, employing electrospray ionization (ESI-MRM). Recoveries of spiked FB1 and FB2 from beer were 64% and 52%, respectively, at the level of 5 microg/kg. Recoveries of spiked FB1 and FB2 from malt, cornstarch, and corn grit, at the level of 50 microg/kg, were 87.9% and 86.4%, 89.5% and 87.9%, 86.6% and 81.1%, respectively. This method may have applications in quality assurance.


This paper aims at presenting the concept of wireless equipment control using microcontroller and ZigBee, the name of a specification for a suite of high level communication protocols using small, low power digital radios based on the IEEE 802.15.4-2006 standard for wireless personal area networks (WPANs), such as wireless headphones connecting with cell phones via short-range radio. The technology is intended to be simpler and less expensive than other WPANs, such as Bluetooth. ZigBee is targeted at radio-frequency (RF) applications that require a low data rate, long battery life, and secure networking.


For visual instruments employing polarized light, half-shade devices have long been used to increase the precision of analyzer settings. Also when an object of small birefringence is to be detected against a uniform background a bias retardation has been used to increase the contrast. Assuming that Weber's law is valid and that the polarization of the instrument is not perfect, optimum values are calculated for the half-shade angle and the bias retardation. In each case the sensitivity is shown to increase roughly as the square root of the extinction factor, the extinction factor (E) being defined as the ratio of the maximum to the minimum flux transmitted by the analyzer. For an interference microscope with E = 35 the optimum half-shade angle is 19.2°. For a polarizing microscope with E = 104 the optimum half-shade angle and bias retardation are each 1.1°.


Abstract The results of examination and treatment of 152 patients with perforated duodenal ulcer were analyzed with the aim to make the ground of systemic approach to their surgical treatment in consideration of contemporary achievements of laboratorial and instrumental diagnostics and the opportunities of minimally invasive surgery. The results of conducted clinical study showed that in order to establish the correct preoperative diagnosis and the choice of rational treatment of patients with perforated duodenal ulcer it is necessary to conduct a purposeful complex investigation, including an assessment of general somatic state and the operative-anaesthetic risk of patients and changes of pyloroduodenal zone and the severity of peritonitis and prediction of lethality. The diagnostic algorithm let the authors make a diagnosis of perforated duodenal ulcer before the operation and decide on an adequate volume of surgical intervention. It is established, that the integral assessment of the examination results and surgery, the evaluation of the titres of antibody to ulcerogenic strains Helicobacter pylori, studying of psychophysiological profile of patient can justify the complex program of medicamentous therapy in postoperative period, providing the remission of peptic ulcer.


TET proteins are 2-oxoglutarate- and Fe(II) dependent dioxygenases that catalyze the hydroxylation of 5-methylcytosine (5mC) to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) and further oxidation products (5-formylcytosine and 5-carboxylcytosine) in DNA. They can act as mediators of "active" (replication-independent) DNA demethylation, achieved through excision of 5fC and 5caC by thymine DNA glycosylase (TDG) followed by replacement with an unmethylated cytosine by base excision repair. They are also novel epigenetic marks that are recognized specifically by readers.
 The role of TET proteins in developing thymocytes remains elusive. In the present study, we show that simultaneous deletion of TET2 and TET3 in mice (DKO) results in aberrant development of invariant NKT cells that are skewed towards the NKT17 lineage. We also found upregulation of proliferation controlling genes as well as genes that are normally expressed in precursor cells. This results in an unprecedented expansion of iNKT cells, leading to lethality. The expansion is driven by antigen recognition, since the disease is effectively transmitted to fully immunocompetent recipient mice only if they express CD1d, a non-classical MHC protein that presents lipid antigens to iNKT cells. Molecular analysis revealed that TET2 and TET3 drive iNKT lineage specific DNA demethylation and control gene expression via DNA demethylation and/or chromatin accessibility of key lineage specifying factors such as RORgt, Tbet and ThPOK.
 Collectively, TET2 and TET3 are fundamental regulators that seal iNKT lineage fate, ensure proper development and maturation and safeguard aberrant TCR mediated expansion.


Received: April 07, 2018 Accepted: May 15, 2018 Published: May 30, 2018 Volume: 1 Issue: 1 In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain continuously proves his knightly virtues and code of honor. Chivalry includes bravery, honor, and courtesy. He proves that he is in fact a "real" Knight. He shows his bravery by shying away from nothing and no one. He proves his honor and courtesy to everyone he meets by showing respect to all whether he receives it back or not. In this poem, romance is largely judged by itself. The poet allows the unfolding of the story to lead us to look beneath even the attractive surface of chivalry, a Chaucerian method. Comment from the poet-narrator is kept to a minimum, and one is not aware of a strong narratorial personality. If his few interventions have anything in common, it is that they direct the reader to serious implications, like the comment at the end of the first fitt (487-90). The poem may be thought of as focusing on three figures, each of whom represents a distinct thematic element: Gawain, Bertilak (and his household), and Arthur (and his court). Much of the poem's meaning is generated from the interrelation of these three elements, and they are the source of the three judgments offered on Gawain's conduct. I shall attempt an exploration of the chivalric qualities of this rich romantic poem. KEYWORDS


This study explored skills and knowledge required for merchandising professionals to fulfill their roles and perform their responsibilities in the South African apparel retail industry. The apparel merchandising competency (AMC) framework was used as a theoretical foundation in this research. A phenomenological approach was followed to explore the perspective of professionals employed by South African retail companies. Semistructured, face-to-face, in-depth individual interviews were conducted with 16 merchandisers who had between 2 and 20 years of experience in the apparel industry. Atlas.ti software was used for data organization and analyses. Following the AMC framework, four topical areas emerged: (a) soft skills, (b) hard skills, (c) explicit knowledge, and (d) tacit knowledge. To fulfill their roles and perform their responsibilities, 8 soft skills, 7 hard skills, 10 explicit knowledge types, and 1 tacit knowledge type were identified as essential. Thick description of the findings using participant quotes and a graphical representation is presented.


To improve customer satisfaction in innovative product design, a topology structure of customer requirements is established and an innovative product approach is proposed. The topology structure provides designers with reasonable guidance to capture the customer requirements comprehensively. With the aid of analytic hierarchy process (AHP), the importance of the customer requirements is evaluated. Quality function deployment (QFD) is used to translate customer requirements into product and process design demands and pick out the technical requirements which need urgent improvement. In this way, the product is developed in a more targeted way to satisfy the customers. the theory of innovative problems solving (TRIZ) is used to help designers to produce innovative solutions. Finally, a case study of automobile steering system is used to illustrate the application of the proposed approach.


We compared the governance of flood risk in England and the Netherlands, focusing on the general policies, instruments used and underlying principles. Both physical and political environments are important in explaining how countries evolved towards very different rationales of resilience. Answering questions as 'who decides', 'who should act' and 'who is responsible and liable for flood damage' systematically, results in a quite fundamental difference in what resilience means, and how this affects the governance regime. In the Netherlands, there is nationwide collective regime with a technocracy based on the merit of water expertise, legitimated by a social contract of government being responsible and the general public accepting and supporting this. In England there also is a technocracy, but this is part of a general-political and economic-rational decision-making process, with responsibilities spread over state, insurance companies, individuals and communities. The rationales are connected to specific conceptions of the public interest, leading to specific governance principles. In both countries, flood risk strategies are discussed in the light of climate change effects, but resilience strategies show more persistence, although combined with gradual adaptation of practices on lower scales, than great transformations.


Catalyst solid for olefin polymerization comprising A) at least one calcined hydrotalcite and B) at least one organic transition metal compound, and also a catalyst system comprising the catalyst solid, the use of the catalyst solid for the polymerization or copolymerization of olefins and a process for preparing polyolefins by polymerization or copolymerization of olefins in the presence of the catalyst solid.


Myopodin was identified as a tumor suppressor gene that is frequently deleted in aggressive prostate cancer. Expression of myopodin protein suppresses both tumor growth and metastasis in vitro and in vivo. In the present study employing a yeast two-hybrid system, we found that zyxin, a molecule known to regulate cell motility and migration, binds with myopodin with high affinity. The binding between zyxin and myopodin seems to be direct. Screening of a series of myopodin deletion mutants and peptide competition analyses revealed that myopodin is bound by zyxin at a site located within the sequence of the 19 amino acids at the myopodin COOH terminus. Importantly, this is the same region where the tumor suppressor activity of myopodin is located. The motility and invasion suppression activity of myopodin were significantly weakened in myopodin mutants lacking this sequence. Thus, our studies suggest that zyxin may be a critical functional regulator of myopodin.


OBJECTIVE
Evaluate the number of ethical and professional complaints involving obstetricians and gynecologists (OBGYNs) and the profile of the physicians denounced.

METHODS
Retrospective descriptive study of all 4,138 ethical and professional complaints registered at the medical board of the state of São Paulo between January 1, 1994 and December 31, 2004. The following variables were collected: number of complaints involving OBGYNs, number of OBGYNS involved gender and age (< 30, 31 to 45, 46 to 60, > 60 years) of the physicians denounced, number of involved physicians with residence training (RT) and with specialist certificates (TEGO). The last four variables were compared with a control group of 8,466 OBGYNs practicing in the state of São Paulo who were not denounced to the state medical board. Data collected was submitted to statistical analysis.

RESULTS
A total of 503 complaints (12.16%) involved OBGYNs and 781 OBGYNs were denounced. The majority of these physicians were male (599, 76.70%). Regardless of their gender, most physicians denounced (505, 64.66%) were under 45 years of age. Most of the OBGYNs denounced had no residence training (487, 62.36%) and were not board certified specialists (572, 73.24%). Other relevant variables were analyzed and will be presented in future publications.

CONCLUSIONS
Between January 1, 1994 and December 31, 2004, 4,138 formal complaints were registered at the medical board of the state of São Paulo A total of 503 complaints (12.16%) involved Obstetrics and Gynecology and 781 OBGYNs were denounced. The typical profile of the physicians denounced was: male, under 45 years of age, without residence training and with no specialist certificate. This study was the first of a series involving the complex investigation of OBGYNs involved in ethical or professional complaints. These preliminary results pointed out deficiencies and important information that probably will be useful for the implementation of actions to improve the practice of obstetrics and gynecology and consequently reduce the number of complaints.


An important application of distance geometry to biochemistry studies the embeddings of the vertices of a weighted graph in the three-dimensional Euclidean space such that the edge weights are equal to the Euclidean distances between corresponding point pairs. When the graph represents the backbone of a protein, one can exploit the natural vertex order to show that the search space for feasible embeddings is discrete. The corresponding decision problem can be solved using a binary tree based search procedure which is exponential in the worst case. We discuss assumptions that bound the search tree width to a polynomial size.


Summary Background We evaluated changes in the levels of urinary 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in patients undergoing mild hypothermia therapy and compared 8-OHdG expressions in those receiving whole-body cooling or selective head cooling. Material/Methods The subjects were 15 patients undergoing mild hypothermia therapy following resuscitation after cardiac arrest in our intensive care unit. We divided the patients into 2 groups receiving either whole-body cooling or selective head cooling, according to their circulatory stability. We examined urinary 8-OHdG level for 1 week and neurological outcomes 28 days after admission. Results We observed significant decreases in urinary 8-OHdG levels on days 6 and 7 compared with that on day 1 in the whole-body cooling group. Furthermore, we noted significantly lower urinary 8-OHdG levels after days 5, 6 and 7 in the whole-body cooling group than in the selective head-cooling group. Neurological outcomes were similar in both groups. Conclusions Mild hypothermia therapy with whole-body cooling had a greater effect on the suppression of free radical production than selective head cooling. However, selective head cooling might be an appropriate indication for patients with circulatory instability after resuscitation, because it provides neuroprotection similar to that of whole-body cooling.