Studies are reported on the characteristics of two sieve trays containing 1-inch-diameter holes. Little is known about the performance of such trays. A pilot plant was built containing two columns one 'rectangular' and the other 'round'. The trays had downcomers as would be the case in practice. The investigations are divided into four main sections: (i) Hydrodynamic studies of gas/liquid interactions on the tray. These include the measurements of liquid heads, froth heights, pressure drops, aeration and froth density factors, weeping and entrainment on the tray and liquid heads froth heights and froth density factors in the downcomer. (ii) Measurement of liquid residence time and degree of relative mixing on the tray using a dye injection technique. (iii) Mass transfer and efficiency studies with the system air/CO2 water, and (iv) Measurement of liquid/gas interfacial areas employing the system air/CO2/NaOH solution. The values of 'a' the interfacial area, obtained were combined with the mass transfer coefficient 'kla' obtained from efficiency studies to give values of Where possible, the results of the hydrodynamic studies have been reported in the form of correlation equations suitable for design purposes. A novel method was arrived at to sample the vapour stream for entrained liquid and the results although not yet complete enough for direct design purposes are very encouraging. A new criterion, pzf, has been introduced and the values obtained for it confirm the correlation proposed by FAIR. The extent of relative liquid mixing on the tray was determined using the variance of the residence time distribution. Graphical correlations of the mean liquid residence time and the extent of mixing have been presented. The validity of the method for obtaining the eddy diffusion coefficient from the variance of residence time distribution has been discussed. An accurate sampling and analysing technique was used in the efficiency and mass transfer studies. For the latter, operating conditions were selected such that the second order reaction between CO2 and NaOH solution could be regarded as pseudo-first order. The values of the interfacial area 'a' obtained were found to vary slightly with liquid and vapour flows. The values lie in the range 1.5 to 2.8 cm-1 for the rectangular columns 0.5 to 1.0 cm-1 for the round column. The kl values lie in the ranges 0.05 to 0.1 cm/sec and 0.20 to 0.35 cm/sec respectively. The interrelations between liquid mixing, liquid residence time, and the tray performance measured in terms of efficiency and mass transfer have also been examined in depth.


This wide-ranging study demonstrates that Woolf, despite her agnostic upbringing, was profoundly interested in, and knowledgeable about, Christianity as a faith and a socio-political movement. Jane de Gay provides a strongly contextual approach, first revealing the extent of the Christian influences on Woolf's upbringing, including an analysis of the far-reaching influence of the Clapham Sect, and then drawing attention to the importance of Christianity among Woolf's friends and associates. It shows that Woolf's awareness of the ongoing influence of Christian ideas and institutions informed her feminist critique of society in Three Guineas. The book sheds new light on works including Mrs Dalloway, To the Lighthouse and The Waves by revealing her fascination with the clergy, the Madonna, churches and cathedrals; her interest in the Bible as artefact and literary text; and her wrestling with questions about salvation and the nature of God.


1. Introduction Rock slopes are loaded by three categories of forces: (a) weight of the rock mass, (b) thrust and weight of the dam, and (c) seepage forces of percolating water. In order to study the stability of an abutment it is necessary to know all these forces. The seepage forces, however, are often ill-known and sometimes not known at all. So far, engineers use artificial means to confine the seepage field within well defined boundaries. The available means are grouting and drainage. Thanks to recent developments in rock mechanics, it is now possible to evaluate the respective roles of grouting and drainage on the safety of dam abutments, particularly for arch dams. This is vital as a misunderstanding of these roles could lead to designs that are either needlessly costly, or, worse, give a false impression of safety. A number of findings are valid for rock slopes not supporting a dam. It is proposed here to develop the latest ideas on this difficult subject. Some of the concepts are still of a speculative nature and numerous field measurements are required to confirm their validity. The few observations made so far do, however, justify the approach. 2. Basic concepts Consider a rock mass containing a great number of fissures, each of them having a constant width, and assume that the seepage flow is: (a) steady (b) laminar The second condition is valid for rocks with fine fissures and moderate hydraulic gradient. Excluding physico-chemical action, seepage of water can have three


The choice of nominal power of the inverter should be based on the operational power of the PV array, rather than on the nominal power of the PV array. If an inverter is chosen too small, power limitation loss will occur at high irradiance levels when the available array power is limited by the inverter's nominal (maximum) input power. If an inverter is chosen too large unnecessarily high investment costs are needed. A graphical tool for inverter sizing in The Netherlands was constructed, based on irradiation measurements on a 10-seconds time scale in Petten. It was shown however that the irradiation distribution over The Netherlands is such that this graphical tool cannot be used for all locations in The Netherlands. System designers are advised to use their own simulation tools, based on hourly calculations, to determine the optimum sizing factor for the given PV system. To account for the peak-shaving effect of the applied time steps of one hour, the resulting sizing factor should be divided by a factor of about 1.07 for Northern European locations (sea climate).


The control of collective robotic systems, such as drone swarms, is often delegated to autonomous navigation algorithms due to their high dimensionality. However, like other robotic entities, drone swarms can still benefit from being teleoperated by human operators, whose perception and decision-making capabilities are still out of the reach of autonomous systems. Drone swarm teleoperation is only at its dawn, and a standard human-swarm interface (HSI) is missing to date. In this study, we analyzed the spontaneous interaction strategies of naive users with a swarm of drones. We implemented a machine-learning algorithm to define a personalized Body-Machine Interface (BoMI) based only on a short calibration procedure. During this procedure, the human operator is asked to move spontaneously as if they were in control of a simulated drone swarm. We assessed that hands are the most commonly adopted body segment, and thus we chose a LEAP Motion controller to track them to let the users control the aerial drone swarm. This choice makes our interface portable since it does not rely on a centralized system for tracking the human body. We validated our HSIs generation algorithm on a set of participants in a realistic simulated environment, showing a positive user feedback and performance comparable with a remote controller after training. Our method leaves the user free to choose between position and velocity control only based on their body motion preferences.


The aim of this paper is to identify a parameterization method that considers existing connections and relationships between traditional indicators of environmental sustainability as a step in combating climate change via urban strategies. A typical Mediterranean city (Ancona, Italy) is investigated with a multi-objective optimization platform called modeFrontier, which uses Pareto optimality. This concept formalizes the trade-off between a given set of mutually contradicting objectives, such as high thermal comfort and low energy consumption, to identify a set of Pareto solutions. A solution is Pareto optimal when it is not possible to improve one objective without deteriorating at least one of the others. The optimization process employs given constraints (for example, meteorological scenarios with high temperature and low winds or morphological building parameters), custom procedural algorithms (recursive algorithms to generate the set of all non-dominated objective parameters), and genetic algorithms (inspired by the natural selection process) to examine a wide urban space and identify interesting relationships among relevant variables for typical summer scenarios. Multi-objective optimizers involve many evaluations of two objectives (i.e., energy consumption and thermal comfort in this study) while considering many analytical constraints. This approach entails a considerably more exhaustive search of environmental variables that can help the urban planning process to mitigate the urban heat island (UHI) effect. Three quantitative metrics related to urban morphology and local climate conditions, as well as a thermal comfort indicator (the predicted mean vote), are defined and applied to Ancona to examine the potential for new sustainability in urban design. The results show that two parameters examined—compacity and a building-scale energy indicator—can offer insight when designing comfortable cities, while a citywide energy indicator shows that it is more difficult to find optimal solutions when dealing with the city as a whole. The research serves as a proof-of-concept and the possibility of identifying some local strategies in order to combat the UHI is verified.


In this study, the mechanical tests were carried out on ductile iron of EN-GJS-600-3 grade and on grey cast iron of EN-GJL-250 grade. The fatigue life was evaluated in a modified low-cycle fatigue test (MLCF), which enables the determination of parameters resulting from the Manson-Coffin-Morrow relationship. The qualitative and quantitative metallographic studies conducted by light microscopy on selected samples of ductile iron with spheroidal graphite and grey cast iron with lamellar graphite (showing only small variations in mechanical properties,) confirmed also small variations in the geometrical parameters of graphite related with its content and morphological features.


The present article deals with the difficulties of introducing medical genetics as part of the Brazilian public Unified Health System (SUS). A national policy of comprehensive care in medical genetics was established in 2009, having genetic counseling as a central pillar. However, there are strategic limitations to the implementation of this policy: a dearth of genetic counseling training programs, the lack of knowledge concerning the number of professionals available to provide genetic counseling, and the likely low number of professionals available for the job. A joint effort by the ministries of health and education is desirable to foster genetics and genetic counseling training for all health professions. In addition, genetics must be introduced in government programs such as the Family Health Program (Saude da Familia), a measure that would allow a mapping of the incidence of genetic diseases in the country and the implementation of genetic counseling despite the size of the territory and the population heterogeneity. Lastly, the introduction of medical genetics as part of the SUS depends on the engagement of medical and nonmedical professionals in horizontal teamwork, with a change in the hierarchy that has traditionally been at the foundations of health care.


The present study was conducted on effectiveness of E. crasssipes (water hyacinth) on physico- chemical parameters along with heavy metal removal from the waste water bodies present naturally in the trans-Yamuna regions of Allahabad, India during two seasons i.e., winter (November to February, 2011) and rainy (July to October, 2012). Results reveals that water hyacinth can be biotic resource which are useful in waste water treatment by altering the physico-chemical environment(DO increases with decrease in BOD and COD) of the water along with the reduction in the concentration of toxic heavy metals(Fe 2+ ,Zn 2+ and Cr 6+ )showing its highest pollution reducing capacity.The water hyacinth hold promise as a natural water purification system, which could be established at a fraction of the cost of a conventional wastewater treatment facility.


Taking the problematic ratification of the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) as a focal point, this article aims to determine the current state and future prospects of Philippine trade policy. Utilizing a multi-level approach, the motives and actions of the Philippines are analysed within the broader historical and socio-political framework of the country's trade policy. JPEPA was initiated by Tokyo and for both Japan and the Philippines it served important foreign policy goals, although the economic benefits for the latter were also substantial. The analysis shows that political institutions in the Philippines do not exert much influence on trade policy outcomes, the major exception being the office of the President. Domestic interests are far more important for Philippine trade policy. The analysis indicates that trade liberalization has hardly ever been an issue in Philippine politics, except in rare cases when it came to be foregrounded by a combination of incidental domestic political processes and initiatives of foreign powers such as Japan or regional organizations like ASEAN and APEC. The JPEPA case has reinforced the existing domestic trade policy gridlock, although external initiatives by foreign countries and regional organizations will remain of key importance for further trade liberalization in the Philippines.


The dissertation compares the level of religiosity among first-wave (1991-2002) and second-wave (2003-2011) Iraqi-Shi'a Muslims residing in greater Dearborn, Michigan. In order to accomplish this task, it is necessary to first provide a detailed historical survey that explores the Iraqi Shi'as' resilience in overcoming centuries of precarious challenges to their religious and ethnic identity. This survey begins with the struggles the Iraqi Shi'a faced in their native homeland followed by their mixed experience in America. The historical research is complemented with empirical data collected
by interviewing fifty members of the Iraqi-Shi'a community or twenty-five from each wave. The interview results reveal that the first wave appears slightly more religious than the second. This overarching observed pattern will be analyzed in light of Will Kymlicka's multiculturalism model, Robert E. Park's race relations cycle, Charles Glock, Benjamin Ringer, and Earl Babbie's comfort hypothesis, and Alejandro Portes and Min Zhou's segmented assimilation theory. The two waves espouse a moderate, but nonetheless traditional approach to their religion that is almost completely devoid of any
controversial ritualistic practices or radical belief systems.


Systems of Cooee bitumen and water up to 4 mass % are studied by molecular dynamics simula- tions. The cohesive energy density of the system is shown to decrease with an increasing water content. This decrease is due mainly to an increase in potential energy which is not high enough to counterbalance the increase in volume due to the addition of water. It is not due to a decrease of potential energy between the slightly polar asphaltene molecules. The water molecules tend to form a droplet in bitumen. The size and the distribution of sizes of the droplets are quantified, with multiple droplets being more stable at the highest temperature simulated. The droplet is mainly located close to the saturates molecules in Cooee bitumen. Finally, it is shown that the water dynamics is much slower in bitumen than in pure water because it is governed by the diffusion of the droplet and not of the single molecules.


We treat shape co-segmentation as a representation learning problem and introduce BAE-NET, a branched autoencoder network, for the task. The unsupervised BAE-NET is trained with a collection of un-segmented shapes, using a shape reconstruction loss, without any ground-truth labels. Specifically, the network takes an input shape and encodes it using a convolutional neural network, whereas the decoder concatenates the resulting feature code with a point coordinate and outputs a value indicating whether the point is inside/outside the shape. Importantly, the decoder is branched: each branch learns a compact representation for one commonly recurring part of the shape collection, e.g., airplane wings. By complementing the shape reconstruction loss with a label loss, BAE-NET is easily tuned for one-shot learning. We show unsupervised, weakly supervised, and one-shot learning results by BAE-NET, demonstrating that using only a couple of exemplars, our network can generally outperform state-of-the-art supervised methods trained on hundreds of segmented shapes. Code is available at https://github.com/czq142857/BAE-NET.


Closed captioning has been enabling access to television for people who are deaf and hard of hearing since the early 1970s. Since that time, technology and people's demands have been steadily improving and increasing. Closed captioning has not kept up with these changes. We present the results of a study that used graphics, colour, icons and animation as well as text, emotive captions, to capture more of the sound information contained in television content. deaf and hard of hearing participants compared emotive and conventional captions for two short video segments. The results showed that there was a significant difference between deaf and hard of hearing viewers in their reaction to the emotive captions. Hard of hearing viewers seemed to enjoy them and find them interesting. deaf viewers had a strong dislike for them although they did see some potential for intermittent use of emotive captions or for use with children's programs.


Islamic capital markets, i.e. ICMs, featured as socially responsible investments, less levered and more reflective of the real sector, are a recent development in financial markets showing an impressive growth and offering the potential for portfolio diversification benefits. The purpose of this study is to understand the long-run integration of ICMs in the Asia/Pacific region.,This sample includes ICMs of Asia/Pacific region (such as Pakistan, India, China, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia) for 280 weeks between 2011 and 2016. Selected indexes are FTSE Islamic except for Pakistan and Indonesia. Evidence was obtained through the application of correlation, unit root, Johansen cointegration and Granger causality tests.,This study documents the results of the integration of ICMs based on developmental stage, geographic location, economic cooperation and shared religious beliefs/civilization. Partial support was observed for all hypotheses: integration of markets based on economic grouping, location, economic treaties and shared civilization. The Japanese market was the most integrated, while the Indian and Malaysian markets are the least. Evidence supports the shift of leadership role from advanced markets to emerging markets.,Selected diversification opportunities are available for global Islamic as well as conventional investors. This study recommends closer cooperation among Muslim majority countries of the region, as well as the effective use of economic cooperation treaties for joint economic growth and prosperity.,This study contributes to the literature by providing evidence on the integration of ICMs in an economically important region (Asia/Pacific) that is witnessing an increasing role in the global gross domestic product and international trade.


The potentially life-threatening polymorphic ventricular arrhythmia Torsade de Pointes (TdP) generally occurs in the setting of delayed ventricular repolarization, as reflected on the ECG by a prolonged QT interval. A growing number of drugs are associated with QT prolongation and/or TdP, as a result, development of promising new drugs has been aborted, and already marketed drugs have received severe restrictions or have been withdrawn. To address this cardiac safety issue, international guidelines have been implemented. For non-clinical testing, an IKr assay and a QT assay are recommended. The IKr assay evaluates the effect of a drug on the IKr current in single cells or multicellular preparations ranging from cell clusters to whole hearts. The effect of the drug on the QT interval is determined in healthy animals. The clinical evaluation, the 'thorough QT/ QTC study' carried out in healthy volunteers, is critical for current decision-making. If QTC prolongation is ≤5 ms a drug is safe, a QTC prolongation of >20 ms is deemed unsafe. Additional verification is needed if QTC prolongation falls in between. This thesis is mainly focused on cardiac safety pharmacology and several weaknesses of the current approach were addressed. The use of an alternative surrogate parameter for drug-induced TdP, beat-to-beat variability of repolarization (BVR) quantified as short-term variability (STV) is reviewed, and was found to be more predictive than the QT interval. Also in antiarrhythmic drug efficacy testing, STV seemed to perform better. In addition, its usefulness in determining individuals at risk was explored. Furthermore, evidence is provided that the antiarrhythmic drug vernakalant does not induce TdP arrhythmias in our cAVB dog model despite considerable QT prolongation. Several model systems are used in safety testing, but proarrhythmic models, which would circumvent the use of QT interval and instead provide a direct arrhythmic endpoint, are not yet recommended. We have compared five frequently used in-vitro and in-vivo proarrhythmic model systems. While isolated cardiomyocytes from remodeled and unremodeled hearts lack specificity, the whole animal models and the stem cell clusters yielded satisfactory results. In order to increase the reliability and usefulness of the methoxamine-sensitized rabbit model, the effect of 3 anesthetic protocols was evaluated. Anesthesia severely influenced TdP induction by dofetilide, while conduction disturbances remained present. In contrast, dofetilide did not induce TdP in healthy rabbits, which again emphasizes the use of sensitized proarrhythmic (animal) models. Chronic drug effects pose a potential arrhythmic threat but are not considered in the current guidelines. To study these drug effects, the antiprotozoal agent pentamidine was used to study protein trafficking and degradation. Pentamidine increased the degradation of Kir2.1 and this effect could be corrected by inhibiting different steps in the normal degradation route. Furthermore, pentamidine inhibits proper transport of the hERG protein to its destination on the surface of the cell. Also this could be corrected, application of drugs that bind to the pore of the hERG ion channel restored proper transport in the presence of pentamidine.


Percutaneous coronary revascularization (PTCR) procedures require intense anticoagulation during the procedure to reduce the risk of a thrombotic complication. This anticoagulation is almost always performed with unfractionated heparin. Heparin, however, is far from the ideal anticoagulant for use in PTCR, and its use is contraindicated in patients with known or suspected heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) or the heparin-induced thrombocytopenia and thrombosis syndrome (HITTS). The incidence of HIT/HITTS in the population undergoing PTCR may be increased due to the widespread use of heparin in cardiovascular patients. Direct thrombin inhibitors such as argatroban do not interact with the antibody that causes HIT/HITTS, and so these agents can be used to provide anticoagulation in patients with this dangerous condition. Argatroban was used in a trial of 50 patients with known or suspected HIT or HITTS who required PTCR. Adequate anticoagulation was achieved in 98% and there was procedural success in 98% with only 1 major bleeding event. These preliminary data suggest that argatroban can be used safely and effectively as an anticoagulant during PTCR in patients with known or suspected HIT or HITTS.


Advances in the treatment of respiratory conditions include the use of anti-immunoglobulin E (IgE) therapy in asthma and endothelin antagonists/phosphodiesterase inhibitors in pulmonary hypertension. In the field of lung cancer, endobronchial ultrasound guided lymph node biopsy can aid in diagnosis and staging, and biological therapies are being used in the treatment of non-small cell lung carcinoma. Respiratory medicine: anti-IgE therapy, lung cancer and pulmonary hypertension


Recombinant human erythropoietin (rhuEpo)-specific mouse monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) have been produced and characterized. All antibodies were specifically reactive with rhuEpo in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Epitope exclusion studies showed three distinct epitope regions, A, B, and C, recognized by neutralizing MoAbs. An additional epitope region D was recognized by non-neutralizing MoAbs. Antibodies defining an epitope region competed with each other for binding sites, but did not compete with antibodies defining a different epitope region. Group B antibodies were able to compete for the receptor binding site on rhuEpo with a soluble human Epo-receptor-lg fusion protein. No single peptide sequences were found to specifically interact either with group B MoAbs or with the rhuEpo-receptor. Therefore, it is suggested that epitope region B and the receptor binding site share binding determinants that are primarily composed of conformational epitopes. Because group A and group C antibodies did not compete with the receptor for binding to the receptor binding site of the rhuEpo molecule, it is suggested that neutralization via epitope regions A and C is mediated through binding inhibition caused by conformational changes, transmuting the binding site(s) for the receptor. Conversely, binding to the receptor seems to induce conformational changes in the hormone molecule, eliminating epitopes for group A and C antibodies.


We live in a time of anxiety about the rule of law. In railing against individual judges and their decisions, angry protesters—including elected officials and the President—presume a knowledge of what the Constitution requires, judicial pronouncements to the contrary notwithstanding. Recent bluster raises a question about what would occur if the President ordered government officials to defy a judicial ruling. The idea that the Supreme Court has ultimate authority in matters of constitutional interpretation— which often rides under the heading of "judicial supremacy"—has acquired strong currency. In the history of American political ideas, it has substantially eclipsed "departmentalist" theories, which hold that each branch of government should interpret the Constitution for itself, and an allied notion of "popular constitutionalism." In the view of many, the rule of law requires judicial supremacy. This Article probes the concepts of judicial supremacy, departmentalism, popular constitutionalism, and the rule of law, all of which possess relatively timeless importance. In doing so, it sheds light on issues of immediate practical urgency. The truth, terrifyingly enough under current circumstances, is that our system is not, never has been, and probably never could be one of pure judicial supremacy. In principle, moreover, a regime in which judicial review operates within "politically constructed bounds"—and judicial rulings on constitutional issues are at risk of occasional defiance— is entirely compatible with rule-of-law ideals. In our current political context, there is abundant ground for anxiety about the future of rule-of-law constitutionalism. But judicial supremacy is not the answer to any significant legal, constitutional, or political problem. An adequate response will require repair of the ethical commitments— among elected officials and the public, as well as the Judicial Branch—that the rule of law requires.


With widespread deployment of the urban natural gas industry, the energy security is now becoming one of the priorities in practice. Gas leakage may occur from the pipeline during the collection and transportation process. This article therefore presented a theoretical study on the urban natural gas pipeline leakage in order to provide the basic theory of the rescue policy making in emergent occasions. The investigation was undertaken through the fundamental analysis based on derivation of gas leakage models. The gas leakage model was applied to analyze the pressure, temperature and flow rate of gas leakage over time under both the steady-state and dynamic conditions. Two main impacting factors, pressure and hole size, were subsequently discussed. It is concluded that for the steady leakage the flow rate increases with the increase of pipeline pressure and hole size. And the distribution of pressure, temperature, density and velocity were calculated along the pipeline. For the unsteady leakage, the time of leakage is very short under different initial pressure and hole size, and the total leakage and average leakage rates were analyzed.


The purpose of this paper is to show that signals which are adaptive delta modulation (ADM) encoded can be arithmetically processed directly, without first decoding or converting to pulse code modulation (PCM) format. By operating on the serial DM bit streams, the sum, difference and product can be obtained in PCM and ADM format. Employing a four-term, non-recursive, averaging filter after the processors, we show that, for constant inputs, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the DM devices is exactly the same as that of their PCM counterparts. Although we have used the Song audio mode ADM [1] in the realization of our arithmetic processors, the designs are general enough to be applied to a large class of digital ADMs. To keep all systems practically realizable, we only employ operations which can be constructed with standard digital hardware, that is, adder, delays, hard-wired scalars and common logic circuits. Consequently, all our ADM devices can be manufactured with large scale integration where the distinct advantage is low cost and high reliability.


ABSTRACT A novel steel has been designed for use in the oil and gas industry, displaying properties comparable with the currently available F22 grade and possessing the additional quality of excellent hydrogen trapping capacity. Its high strength is derived from a martensitic microstructure containing a dispersion of fine vanadium-molybdenum carbides that evolve during thermal treatments. If the tempering cycle is controlled such that the precipitates maintain a degree of coherency with the matrix, then they act as hydrogen trapping sites, due to the associated strain fields, thus mitigating the problem of diffusible hydrogen. Using material modelling programmes and small-scale sample alloys this work describes the process of the new steel design and demonstrates its superior trapping capacity through thermal desorption analysis.


About 40% of the corn produced in the U.S. is used to make bioethanol. When industrial plants process corn grains to make the fuel, or even food products such as corn syrup, they generate by-products containing high levels of phosphorus, some of which end up flowing to wastewater treatment plants. Nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen leave these treatment plants and enter waterways, eventually flowing to bodies of water, such as the Gulf of Mexico, where they contribute to the growth of low-oxygen dead zones. Roland D. Cusick of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and colleagues looked for economical and sustainable ways to recover the phosphorus from the by-products at corn-processing plants. At the meeting, one of Cusick's students, Navneet Sharma, described experiments the team performed on different types of processed corn by-products. The researchers found they could precipitate organic and inorganic phosphorus compounds in minutes from the material by


There have been no large studies comparing reduced‐intensity/non‐myeloablative conditioning (RIC/NMA) to myeloablative conditioning (MAC) regimens in T‐cell non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (T‐NHL) patients undergoing allogeneic transplant (allo‐HCT). A total of 803 adults with peripheral T‐cell lymphoma, anaplastic large cell lymphoma and angioimmunoblastic T‐cell lymphoma (age 18–65 years), undergoing allo‐HCT between 2008–2019 and reported to the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research with either MAC (n = 258) or RIC/NMA regimens (n = 545) were evaluated. There were no significant differences between the two cohorts in terms of patient sex, race and performance scores. Significantly more patients in the RIC/NMA cohort had peripheral blood grafts, haematopoietic cell transplantation‐specific comorbidity index (HCT‐CI) of ≥3 and chemosensitive disease compared to the MAC cohort. On multivariate analysis, overall survival (OS) was not significantly different in the RIC/NMA cohort compared to the MAC cohort (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.01, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.79–1.29; p = 0.95). Similarly, non‐relapse mortality (NRM) (HR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.61–1.19; p = 0.34), risk of progression/relapse (HR = 1.29; 95% CI = 0.98–1.70; p = 0.07) and therapy failure (HR = 1.14; 95% CI = 0.92–1.41, p = 0.23) were not significantly different between the two cohorts. Relative to MAC, RIC/NMA was associated with a significantly lower risk of grade 3–4 acute graft‐versus‐host disease (HR = 0.67; 95% CI = 0.46–0.99, p = 0.04). Among chemorefractory patients, there was no difference in OS, therapy failure, relapse, or NRM between RIC/NMA and MAC regimens. In conclusion, we found no association between conditioning intensity and outcomes after allo‐HCT for T‐cell NHL.


The solid waste of which output is increasing rapidly has become the constraint of socio-economic sustainable development. Based on the analysis of the management for solid waste in China, this paper try to reveal the problem behind that management, and consider in five aspect to make and perfect relative laws and regulations to strengthen the government's guidance and support to promote enterprises to take effective actions, to improve the populace to change their consumption ideas, to encourage private sector to participates in the solid wastes' circulation use. Finally we can achieve the aim of the durable circulation economy.


The possibility of application of structural reliability theory to the computation of the safety margins of excavated tunnels is presented. After a brief description of the existing procedures and the limitations of the safety coefficients such as they are usually defined, the proposed limit states are precised as well as the random variables and the applied methodology. Also presented are simple examples, some of them based in actual cases, and to end, some conclusions are established the most important one being the probability of using the method to solve the inverse problem of identification.


The spreading resistance method is uniquely suitable for the determination of electrical resistivities in a number of situations. However the technique does not simply measure the resistivity beneath the contacts. Considering the two probe configuration, what is actually measured is the ratio ΔV/I. Here ΔV is the difference between the Fermi levels of the probes necessary to maintain the sampling current I. This difference in the Fermi levels of the probes depends on the zero bias resistance of the probe - semiconductor contacts, the effective resistivity of the layers in a multilayer structure, and the configuration of the structure. The zero bias resistance depends on temperature and details of the metal-semiconductor contact including surface history. Effective resistivities enter into the measurement - and not the actual resistivities - because of the fact that the use of pressure probes creates a stress field under the contacts. This field falls off with a characteristic length of the order of the contact radius. Thus piezoresistivity effects - well known for Si - can be operative under the contacts. As a consequence of these various effects the interpretation of what ΔV/I is actually measuring is not straightforward. Practical application of the spreading resistance technique necessitates making certain simplifying assumptions. In light of the various phenomena involved in-a spreading resistance measurement it is imperative that the implications of these assumptions to the accuracy of the measurement be understood.


In this paper, a miniaturized bandpass filter with controllable harmonic by using split impedance resonators is proposed. The proposed split impedance resonator is based on the theories of the basic parallel impedance formula and stepped impedance resonators (SIRs). In this way, the split impedance resonator can be effectively designed to obtain good coupling for reducing the insertion loss. Furthermore, a miniaturized bandpass filter with controllable spurious frequency is proposed. The proposed bandpass filter not only has good passband characteristics but also obtains miniaturization around 21.87% versus the traditional SIR bandpass filters.


The aging phenomenon of asymmetric 6FDA-durene polyimide hollow fibers spun with different shear rates for gas separation has been investigated. The permeances and selectivities of different gases, such as H2, O2, N2, CH4, and CO2, were experimentally determined as a function of time for around five months at room temperature. It was found that the gas permeation fluxes of the uncoated and silicone rubber-coated hollow fibers decreased significantly during the first 30 days following fabrication and then slightly deteriorated thereafter. In the early stage of aging, because of different molecular orientations and skin morphologies induced by shear rates, the percentage of permeance drop for uncoated fibers increased with increasing shear rates, then decreased with increasing shear rates. The permeance of 6FDA-durene hollow fibers coated with silicone rubber dropped more significantly than the uncoated fibers, implying that silicone rubber coating did affect the aging behavior. This might be due to the fact that silicone rubber layer hindered the molecular relaxation and tightened interface molecules between the dense selective layer and silicone rubber, thus the selectivity increased with aging. Thermal analysis data suggest two processes occurring simultaneously during the aging: one is the relaxation of shear oriented chains, and the other is the densification of chain packing through the reduction of interstitial space among chains. The former has been confirmed by an increase in CTE, while the latter was confirmed by an increase in the peak of β-relaxation temperature. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 38: 765–775, 2000


This study was performed under laboratory conditions to identify isolates of the fungus Beauveria spp. that can control Polyphagotarsonemus latus in the greenhouse and field. Thirty Beauveria spp. isolates were tested by spraying 1 mL conidia (1 × 108 conidia/mL) on pepper leaf discs containing 15 mites. Evaluations were performed on the 3rd and 6th day post application by counting the number of dead mites. Vegetative growth and conidial production were measured from the selected isolates, and bioassays were conducted in the greenhouse on bean seedlings in plastic pots. The isolate Unioeste 53 was selected, and a conidial suspension (1 × 108 conidia/mL) was applied with a backpack sprayer. The evaluation consisted of pre- and post-treatment counts of the number of live mites on ten leaflets in both the plots treated with the fungus and control plots, and the same procedure was followed for the field experiment. In the laboratory, the Unioeste 53 isolate resulted in total and confirmed mortality rates of 70% and 57.7%, respectively. In the greenhouse, the population decreased by 76.71% by the 16th day after application. In the field, the population decreased by 66% by the 12th day after application, demonstrating the potential of this fungus for mite management.


BACKGROUND
Whether the previously reported underutilization of standard-of-care medications in the management of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) persists in more recent years or differs by ward of admission has not been reported.

METHODS
We performed a retrospective cross-sectional study of patients hospitalized with a discharge diagnosis of incident AMI to a Department of Defense hospital (Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC) from 2001 through 2004. Use of beta-blockers and aspirin at the time of discharge after AMI was assessed according to Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in milliliters per minute per 1.73 m2, stratified by admission to the coronary care unit (CCU) versus other wards. Adjusted odds ratios for discharge beta-blocker and aspirin therapy were calculated by using logistic regression.

RESULTS
Among 431 patients, overall discharge use of beta-blockers was 86.8%, and aspirin, 86.8%, both significantly greater after CCU admission than admission to other wards (93%, aspirin use; 91.7%, beta-blocker use; P < 0.001 and P < 0.001). In logistic regression, CCU admission was the only independent factor associated with either beta-blocker or aspirin use; MDRD eGFR was not associated significantly with beta-blocker and aspirin use regardless of admission to the CCU or non-CCU.

CONCLUSION
Future studies of disparities in use of standard-of-care medications after AMI according to renal function should account for the primary site of admission, particularly CCU versus others. In addition, legitimate contraindications to the use of beta-blockers and aspirin may be subtle, including appropriate end-of-life decisions.


This paper focuses on critical pedagogy and EFL teacher education and it argues that it would be unrealistic to expect students who have been educated through traditional university curricula (aiming to deliver content through a 'banking model') to become critical foreign language teachers and educators. The education of future teachers requires new university curricula which view literacy as a critical social practice and prepare them through transformative pedagogies, encouraging them to examine critically their values and beliefs by developing a reflexive knowledge base, an appreciation for multiple perspectives and a sense of critical consciousness and agency. Based on this premise, the article presents the case of Genres in English , an undergraduate language course at the Department of English Language and Literature of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, aiming to raise students' critical literacy. Using the tools of Systemic Functional Grammar and drawing on a genre-based approach to writing development, the course initially invites students to take up the role of critical text analysts deconstructing academic and media texts and at a later stage to engage in a popularization of science writing task mediating information from an academic to a media text. Through language tasks which approach genres as historical constructs, students are introduced to the ideological nature of discourses and genres and they explore the conditions of production, distribution and consumption of texts. To evaluate the effectiveness of this approach, the paper presents the findings from a small-scale research conducted with students who have attended the course.


The fission product, 99Tc, presents significant challenges to the long-term disposal of nuclear waste due to its long half-life, high fission yield, and to the environmental mobility of pertechnetate (TcO4-), the stable Tc species in aerobic environments. Migration of 99Tc from disposal sites can potentially be prevented by incorporating it into durable waste forms based on environmentally stable minerals. Since Tc(iv) and Fe(iii) have the same ionic radius, Tc(iv) can replace Fe(iii) in iron oxides. Environmentally durable iron oxides include goethite (α-FeOOH), hematite (α-Fe2O3), and magnesioferrite (MgFe2O4). The incorporation of Tc into two of these, hematite and magnesioferrite, as well as magnetite (Fe3O4) by means of simple, aqueous chemistry is presented starting from TcO4- in 5 M nitric acid. A combination of X-ray diffraction and X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy reveals that Tc(iv) replaces Fe(iii) within the iron oxide structures. Following incorporation, Tc doped samples were suspended in deionized water under aerobic conditions, and the release rates of Tc were determined. The results of this work show that Tc leaches more quickly from Fe3O4 than from α-Fe2O3 or MgFe2O4. Modeling the leach rates and comparison with the leach rate of Tc from TiO2 indicate that release of Tc is controlled by solid state diffusion.


Fine needle aspiration biopsy is generally a harmless method if contraindications are considered and provides sufficient tissue for cytological evaluation. The diagnostic value is very high: in 27 cases of metastatic tumours of the liver diagnosed by laparoscopy the diagnosis was confirmed in 26 cases and revised in one case. In a control group of 200 patients with various diffuse liver diseases or morphologically normal findings no false positive results were found. In no case were post-biopsy haemorrhage or other complications observed. Needle biopsy and cytological evaluation should be used with an increased frequency when a malignant tumour of the liver is suspected clinically. After primary localization of suspicious areas by ultrasound or scanning the pick-up rate is high. Laparoscopy with precisely aimed fine needle biopsy is the method for verifying the diagnosis in cases with cytologically negative results which is up to 100% accurate.


Introduction: The objective of this investigation was to study fetal thigh volume throughout gestation and explore its correlation with birth weight and neonatal body composition. This novel technique may improve birth weight prediction and lead to improved detection rates for fetal growth restriction. Materials and Methods: Fractional thigh volume (TVol) using 3D ultrasound, fetal biometry and soft tissue thickness were studied longitudinally in 42 mother-infant pairs. The percentages of neonatal body fat, fat mass and fat-free mass were determined using air displacement plethysmography. Correlation and linear regression analyses were performed. Results: Linear regression analysis showed an association between TVol and birth weight. TVol at 33 weeks was also associated with neonatal fat-free mass. There was no correlation between TVol and neonatal fat mass. Abdominal circumference, estimated fetal weight (EFW) and EFW centile showed consistent correlations with birth weight. Thigh volume demonstrated an additional independent contribution to birth weight prediction when added to the EFW centile from the 38-week scan (p = 0.03). Conclusion: Fractional TVol performed at 33 weeks gestation is correlated with birth weight and neonatal lean body mass. This screening test may highlight those at risk of fetal growth restriction or macrosomia.


This study discusses the description and analysis of the distribution system for fresh and frozen Pacific salmon. It is concerned not only with the identification of the product movement, the types of firms involved and their functions in the distribution channel, but also the reasons for the specific form of development that the channel has taken. This frist part of the analysis identifies the size and trends of the catch of the specific species which enter the fresh and frozen product market, primarily coho and chonook salmon. It then measures the allocation of the catch by product form whether fresh, frozen, canned or appearing in other forms. As a final unit of the analysis, the trends of world consumption of Pacific salmon are estiamted. The second part of the analysis describes the actual distribution process of salmon, measuring first the volume of flow of product to market, then examining the actual structure of the distribution channel, and finishing with an analysis of price-making behavior within the channel. The impression of structure which emerges is one of an openly competitive arrangement among firms, although there are some contractual links between firms at succesive stages which place limited restriction on the ability of firms to move from one market to another. From observations of price-making within the industry, channel performance appears to be reasonable competitive but the degree to whihc this is true could not be directly ascertained from the available data. The third part of the analysis describes the channel arrangements for the physical movement of salmon to market. The physical distribution channel for salmon involves other sets of firms than the exchange channel, where the actual buying and selling takes place. These firms operate under different constraints than those in the exchange channel, necessitating specialized decisions and channel relationships. The succeeding setions of the analysis describe the specific inputs necessary for the development of a,simulation model: the physical processes which take place by species: and stage, and the related description and analysis of costs of channel operation. Costs and revenues were developed both .by stage and for the channel as a unit. This analysis requires the identification of both the direct costs and those which cannot be assigned to any species or product form. The culmination of this project was the development of a simulation model to. describe channel processes and operations in a form suitable for analysis. While there were many possibilities for the actual form of the simulation, the actual choice was dictated by the area of potential interest to the greatest number of potential users. As a result the market allocation process vas selected because it dictates the flow of product to market. While the model thus developed is limited to this task, it permits . interaction with the market environment through changes in relevant parameters. Further, the structure of the model permits development toward greater complexity. The model thus developed is a profit-seeking (but non- ; optimizing) deterministic FORTRAN computer model of the pricing and distribution of fresh and frozen salmon for the industry as a whole. Supply, assumed to be entirely dependent on catch volume, interacts with demands in several markets to achieve an allocation' of product, involving two species in three sizes and a separate frozen product which in a second version is considered to interact with the fresh market. Prices paid to fishermen, the length of the season, margins to sell to different areas, and the demand schedules. for these areas are assumed and can be exogenously varied.. The .model will generate information on total volume over the season or. by week by area, species and product form in both weight and dollar value. The model was run using experimental data testing the effects.. of both demand shifts (such as those which might be attributed to either changes in taste or to the effectiveness of promotional campaigns) and variations in 'channel margins. It has demonstrated - its capability to reflect parameter changes as they affect product. flow, measuring the gross impact of fundamental shifts in environmental conditions. This research began in the latter part of 1968 and was completed by the middle of 1970.


Plane gravitational waves are here defined to be non-flat solutions of Einstein's empty spacetime field equations which admit as much symmetry as do plane electromagnetic waves, namely, a 5-parameter group of motions. A general plane-wave metric is written down and the properties of plane wave space-times are studied in detail. In particular, their characterization as 4 plane ' is justified further by the construction of 4 sandwich waves ' bounded on both sides by (null) hyperplanes in flat space-time. It is shown that the passing of a sandwich wave produces a relative acceleration in free test particles, and inferred from this that such waves transport energy.


ABSTRACTThe objective of this study is to analyze the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the surgical smoke generated during laparoscopic surgery, and determine their influence on the indoor air quality in hospital operating rooms (ORs). Field measurements were carried out during eight surgeries in conventional and robotic ORs in which an electrosurgery system was being used, thus continuously generating surgical smoke. The VOCs were measured at three different locations, in the patients' abdominal cavities, beside the surgical table, and at the exhaust vent. Other indoor pollutants including carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), and total airborne bacteria (TAB) in the indoor air were measured at the exhaust to assess the general indoor air quality in the ORs. The results from the patients' abdominal cavities confirmed that the surgical smoke contained abundant VOCs, with the levels of benzene and toluene exceeding the health guidelines. Compared to the results obtained in the abdominal cavity, the measurements obtained at the surgical table and exhaust vent exhibited low levels of VOCs, indicating that the actual exposure to these compounds was minimized in a highly-ventilated operating room. However, the benzene concentration in the operating room approached a level that threatens the health of the occupants. Therefore, the results of this study suggest that there is a potential health risk to the surgeon who is closest to the point of origin of the surgical gas, as well as a need for further attention to identify the local pollutant dispersion near the surgical table while the ventilation system is operating.


In this thesis the performances of the CMS Drift Tubes Local Trigger System of the CMS detector are studied. CMS is one of the general purpose experiments that will operate at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. Results from data collected during the Cosmic Run At Four Tesla (CRAFT) commissioning exercise, a globally coordinated run period where the full experiment was involved and configured to detect cosmic rays crossing the CMS cavern, are presented. These include analyses on the precision and accuracy of the trigger reconstruction mechanism and measurement of the trigger efficiency. The description of a method to perform system synchronization is also reported, together with a comparison of the outcomes of trigger electronics and its software emulator code.


The concept of equivalent re-entry breakup altitude and fragment list tries to build a bridge between the two re-entry analysis approaches (i.e. object-oriented and spacecraft-oriented) by using the strengths of both and overcoming their drawbacks. The results of a full spacecraft-oriented analysis are post-processed to provide a statistical analysis of the breakup process, i.e. average or most-probable equivalent fragmentation altitudes. The surviving fragments of a full spacecraft-oriented analysis, which are arbitrarily shaped and can consist of several subsystem components, are transformed into equivalent simple-shaped fragments. Equivalence between both re-entry analysis approaches is achieved if this concept provides nearly identical on-ground risk results. This paper describes the development of the concept of equivalent re-entry breakup altitude and fragment list, and its application to a test scenario for uncontrolled re-entries.


RS Downie, Jane Macnaughton. . Published by Abingdon and New York: Routledge-Cavendish, 2007, £25.99 (paperback), pp 208. 978-1-84472-052-1

This book partially exemplifies how medical humanities approaches, particularly those drawn from philosophy and literature, might deepen and broaden understandings of ethics and healthcare to effect "a humanistic broadening of bioethics" (p181). It attempts to substantiate the view that the humanities have considerable value in critically evaluating "the practice of medicine, its identity and meaning at a given point in time" (p167).

To this end, the authors, both philosophers (one is also a doctor), provide some intriguing glimpses into the ways in which humanities can help to make and keep healthcare practice and practitioners more critical and rounded. They argue that humanities disciplines have two basic functions in relation to bioethics and medicine. First, they can perform a critical, analytical function whereby philosophical insights and methods are applied to arguments and assumptions made in medical practice. Second, they have a supplementary educational function in enriching and developing the character and judgements of practitioners. Here, literature and the fine arts can be used to provide methods, insights and habits of mind and heart that might help to produce more rounded and empathic healthcare workers and environments.

The book falls into two parts. In the first, the …


In an ever-widening range of occasions, consumers have the opportunity to comment and express their opinions on brands and products. However, little is known about how voicing opinions about the choice options before actually choosing might affect consumer choice, and specifically liking of choice. This paper proposes that pre-choice opinion expression undermines the effect of post-choice bolstering, because opinion sufficiently satisfies self-expressive needs and therefore supersedes the use of subsequent choice as a self-expressive resource. This proposition is based on the assumption that opinion can psychologically substitute for choice, because the two represent alternative routes to self-expression. Two experiments provide empirical support for this hypothesis. Study 1 showed that after articulating their opinions about the choice options, participants were less likely to idealize their choices, and this effect was mediated by a change in the construal of choice as self-expression. Study 2 further showed that this effect is moderated by public versus private occasions of opinion voicing and by individual differences in the value of expression. Together, findings support that opinion is enough to express the self, and if such an opportunity is made available prior to choosing, consumers' liking of their choices is weakened.


As part of globalizing education, the Linnaeus-Palme programme offers universities to exchange lecturers. Two departments coming from China and Sweden utilized this opportunity. A Swedish professor gave a course on software lifecycle management in China. In this paper, we report on a teaching experience gained during this programme. This experience indicates that there are no national boundaries when teaching software engineering. It also provides an important point of reference for improving current educational exchange programmes.


Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is a vascular disorder that primarily involves deposition of the 40-residue–long β-amyloid peptide (Aβ40) in and along small blood vessels of the brain. CAA is often associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD), which is characterized by amyloid plaques in the brain parenchyma enriched in the Aβ42 peptide. Several recent studies have suggested a structural origin that underlies the differences between the vascular amyloid deposits in CAA and the parenchymal plaques in AD. We previously have found that amyloid fibrils in vascular amyloid contain antiparallel β-sheet, whereas previous studies by other researchers have reported parallel β-sheet in fibrils from parenchymal amyloid. Using X-ray fluorescence microscopy, here we found that copper strongly co-localizes with vascular amyloid in human sporadic CAA and familial Iowa-type CAA brains compared with control brain blood vessels lacking amyloid deposits. We show that binding of Cu(II) ions to antiparallel fibrils can block the conversion of these fibrils to the more stable parallel, in-register conformation and enhances their ability to serve as templates for seeded growth. These results provide an explanation for how thermodynamically less stable antiparallel fibrils may form amyloid in or on cerebral vessels by using Cu(II) as a structural cofactor.


The traditional course materials (lectures, tests, exercises, instructions, and so on) in higher education are often result of the teaching team's work. At this stage of the field of the web-based teaching systems and in comparison with the collaborative learning the literature found mainly in INTERNET (Bauwens & Hourcade, 1997; Flanagan, 2001; Corwin, 2004) is little but with an increasing trend of interest. With this connection the collaborative authoring and measurement of the author's team assessment also presents a research issue from both theoretical and practical points of view. With this aim in parallel of the previous study another natural experiment has been carried out at Ruse University with the same participants. The experimental results are presented and discussed in this paper structured as follows: 1) A detail description of the experiment?s organization, in which the author of the lecture notes in "Intelligent Teaching Systems" was playing the instructor's role, and the participant students ? the author's role; 2) The structure and content of the word document with lecture notes given to the students; 3) Short instructions for their uploading by means of the authoring tool of the e-lecturing subsystem by each student; 4) Raw data including time and collected in an Excel table for this first stage; 5) Raw data including time and collected in an Excel table for the next teams working stage; 6) Proposed analytical model for the author's team assessment and its graphical interpretation; 7) Verification of the model computing the correlation with the six-points scale mark, given by the instructor, and 8) Benefits of embedding the proposed model in the authoring tool for e-lecturing.


To the Editor.— The role of the cholinergic system in neuropsychiatric disease has been the topic of two recent articles in theArchives. 1,2 The cognitive and behavioral effects of the cholinesterase inhibitor physostigmine salicylate in patients with Alzheimer's disease has been the subject of an ongoing study. We describe the fluctuation in one patient's psychotic and depressive symptoms that were consistent with the hypotheses that associate increased muscarinic activity with depressive and negative symptoms. The patient's psychotic symptoms were alleviated, although the depressive symptoms increased with physostigmine treatment. This agent presumably increases the functional activity of acetylcholine and causes a relative decrease in dopaminergic activity (as reflected by a decrease in cerebrospinal fluid homovanillic acid). This fluctuation of symptoms and biochemical profile suggests certain parallels to patients with schizophrenia, in whom increased muscarinic activity has been associated with depressive and negative symptoms, and increased mesocorticolimbic dopaminergic activity with psychosis. 1


The aim of this study was to carry out a microbiological evaluation of sites with and without clinical evidence of moderate and severe periodontitis and their correlation with clinical parameters. A total of 52 disease sites and 10 healthy sites were selected according to clinical criteria. The following clinical indexes were measured for all the sites: plaque index, gingival index, blood on probing, depth on probing and insertion level. Samples of subgingival plaque were collected for culture and for differential counts of microbial morphotypes. In disease sites the most frequently isolated were: Prevotella intermedia/nigrescens (65%), Porphyromonas gingivalis (23%), Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans (23%), Fusobacterium nucleatum (10%) and Peptostreptococcus sp. (31%). The aerobic gram-positive microflora was predominant in healthy sites. Significant differences were observed in microbial morphotypes between healthy and disease sites: cocci 18.71% and 78.90%, motile rods 46.12% and 16.70%, total spirochetes 26.48% and 2.80%, respectively. The presence of motile rods, spirochetes and P. intermedia/nigrescens were the parameters with most sensitivity to suspect periodontal disease. There were significant differences in the subgingival microflora between healthy and disease sites in patients with moderate and severe periodontitis.


Extramedullary plasmacytomas are rare solitary soft tissue tumors that arise from proliferations of malignant transformed monoclonal plasma cell. Though they are closely related to multiple myelomas, they have better prognosis. The tumor is eradicated by surgery or local radiation therapy. This is a case-report study of solitary plasmacytoma tumor which involved left side maxillary sinus and underwent excisional biopsy confirmed by IHC.


Purpose : To report cystoid retinal degeneration (CRD) in two cases of chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) using optical coherence tomography (OCT). Methods : Case report. Two patients with chronic CSCR having metamorphosia and blurred vision for longer than 6 months were evaluated. Results : OCT showed multiple intraretinal cysts in the outer plexiform and the outer nuclear layers of retina, concomitant subretinal fluid with brush-border pattern in 3 eyes of 2 patients. Retinal cystoid changes were located in the fovea in 1 eye and in the extrafoveal area in 2 eyes. Visual acuity was higher than 20/200 in all eyes. At the last examination, visual acuity and cystoid space on OCT images did not change. Conclusion: Cystoid retinal degeneration is a rare complication of chronic CSCR and characteristically located in the outer layers of the retina on OCT. Visual prognosis depends on localization of CRD and duration of the disease


Current antidementive treatment can delay further progress of the symptoms of dementia and should therefore be initiated as early as possible and be of adequate duration. Wherever possible, maximum permissible doses should be given. The efficacy of current antidementive drugs in Alzheimer's disease has been sufficiently documented by relevant studies. The acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, donepezil, galantamine and rivastigmine have been approved for the treatment of mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's dementia, the NMDA inhibitor memantine is approved for moderate-to-severe Alzheimer's disease. Ginkgo biloba or piracetam are alternatives for patients with mild-to-moderate dementia, in whom acetylcholinesterase inhibitors cannot be used.


In passive source seismology, seismic interferometry typically refers to the cross correlation of ambient noise to construct an estimate of the Green's function between sensors. The presence of persistent natural and/or anthropogenic sources can bias or prevent the retrieval of these estimated Green's functions. Here we show how these strong persistent sources can be used to measure small changes in the medium between a source and either (or both) source‐sensor pairs. The method relies on localizing the sources and using this information to identify and select cross‐correlation functions for each source of interest. We illustrate this method by monitoring growth of a block cave at an underground mine using three nearly continuously operating ore crushers which dominate the wavefield. This technique should work equally well in natural environments using sources such as volcanic tremor, hydrothermal bubble cavitation, and microseisms.


This study assessed the effectiveness of methylene blue (MB) and malachite green (MG) on photodynamic inactivation (PDI) of Escherichia coli. The photosensitizers methylene blue (1000 mol L -1 ) and malachite green (250 mol L -1 ) were activated with a red light-emitting diode (LED) lamp (max = 636 nm). Bacterial suspensions containing 10 6 CFU mL -1 were irradiated for 5, 10 and 15 minutes (energy density = 119.9 J cm -2 , 223.9 J cm -2 and 335.8 J cm -2 , respectively). The following experimental conditions were performed for each photosensitizer: no light irradiation or photosensitizer, irradiation only, photosensitizer only or irradiation in the presence of a photosensitizer. Next, serial dilutions were prepared and seeded onto PCA medium for the determination of the number of colony-forming units per milliliter (CFU mL -1 ). The results were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey test (P<0.05). Photodynamic inactivation using MB and MG was effective in reducing the number of E. coli. Malachite green (250 μmol L -1 ) photosensitization was able to achieve reductions of over 89% in the viable counts after 15 min of irradiation and methylene blue (1000 μmol L -1 ), at the same conditions of irradiation, showed a rate growth inhibition of 94.6%. The red LED light used has proven to be effective in the photosensitizing dyes and proved a good alternative to conventional light sources such as laser.


In this paper we consider an investor who trades in a complete financial market so as to maximize his expected utility of wealth at a prespecified time. We assume that he is in the following position : His portfolio decisions are based on a public information flow but he possesses extra information about the law of some functional of the future prices of a stock. Our basic question is then: How should he trade on the financial market to optimally exploit his extra information? We show that the optimal trading strategies corresponding to a such investor (called weakly informed) are derived from processes which are solutions of what we called in a previous paper a conditioned stochastic differential equation. Such processes can be realized as all the possible filters of the price process seen under the martingale probability measure but looked in a enlarged filtration. This filtering makes the link with the works of several authors who considered financial markets in which one insider possesses from the beginning extra information about the outcome ω by ω of some variable (this is a higher information level which we call strong).


Filamentous fungi are keystone microorganisms in the regulation of many processes occurring on Earth, such as plant biomass decay, pathogenesis as well as symbiotic associations. In many of these processes, fungi secrete carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) to modify and/or degrade carbohydrates. Ten years ago, while evaluating the potential of a secretome from the maize pathogen Ustilago maydis to supplement lignocellulolytic cocktails, we noticed it contained many unknown or poorly characterized CAZymes. Here, and after re-annotation of this dataset and detailed phylogenetic analyses, we observed that several CAZymes (including glycoside hydrolases and carbohydrate oxidases) are predicted to act on the fungal cell wall (FCW), notably on β-1,3-glucans. We heterologously produced and biochemically characterized two new CAZymes, called UmGH16_1-A and UmAA3_2-A. We show that UmGH16_1-A displays β-1,3-glucanase activity, with a preference for β-1,3-glucans with short β-1,6 substitutions, and UmAA3_2-A is a dehydrogenase catalyzing the oxidation of β-1,3- and β-1,6-gluco-oligosaccharides into the corresponding aldonic acids. Working on model β-1,3-glucans, we show that the linear oligosaccharide products released by UmGH16_1-A are further oxidized by UmAA3_2-A, bringing to light a putative biocatalytic cascade. Interestingly, analysis of available transcriptomics data indicates that both UmGH16_1-A and UmAA3_2-A are co-expressed, only during early stages of U. maydis infection cycle. Altogether, our results suggest that both enzymes are connected and that additional accessory activities still need to be uncovered to fully understand the biocatalytic cascade at play and its physiological role. Importance Filamentous fungi play a central regulatory role on Earth, notably in the global carbon cycle. Regardless of their lifestyle, filamentous fungi need to remodel their own cell wall (mostly composed of polysaccharides) to grow and proliferate. To do so, they must secrete a large arsenal of enzymes, most notably carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes). However, research on fungal CAZymes over past decades has mainly focused on finding efficient plant biomass conversion processes while CAZymes directed at the fungus itself have remained little explored. In the present study, using the maize pathogen Ustilago maydis as model, we set off to evaluate the prevalence of CAZymes directed towards the fungal cell wall during growth of the fungus on plant biomass and characterized two new CAZymes active on fungal cell wall components. Our results suggest the existence of a biocatalytic cascade that remains to be fully understood.


Pneumocephalus is a rare condition caused by abnormal air entrapment in the intracranial compartment following disruption of the meninges. Most cases self-resolve and typically do not cause neurological sequelae. However, excessive expansion of the pneumocele results in rapid neurological deterioration, termed tension pneumocephalus. Left untreated, this leads to tissue ischemia, herniation syndromes, and death. Rapid differentiation between the above entities and immediate multimodal management dictate the success of recovery. The author reports an exceptional case of an 82-year-old male who presented to an outside hospital with focal neurological deficits in the early postoperative period following endoscopic sinus surgery. Computed tomography imaging revealed a large pneumocele resulting in severe mass-effect on the underlying brain parenchyma. Prompt surgical evacuation of the pneumocele resulted in dramatic recovery with only minor disability from the initial ischemic insult. Tension pneumocephalus is an uncommon, albeit life-threatening neurosurgical emergency wherein the developing pneumocele results in abnormally high intracranial pressure. Prompt recognition by emergency physicians and appropriate management are critical to limit further morbidity and mortality.


Wind turbines are frequently located in remote, hard-to-reach locations, making it difficult to apply traditional oil analysis sampling of the machine's critical gearset at timely intervals. Metal detection sensors are excellent candidates for sensors designed to monitor machine condition in vivo. Remotely sited components, such as wind turbines, therefore, can be comfortably monitored from a distance. Online sensor technology has come of age with products now capable of identifying onset of wear in time to avoid or mitigate failure. Online oil analysis is now viable, and can be integrated with onsite testing to vet sensor alarms, as well as traditional oil analysis, as furnished by offsite laboratories. Controlled laboratory research data were gathered from tests conducted on a typical wind turbine gearbox, wherein total ferrous particle measurement and metallic particle counting were employed and monitored. The results were then compared with a physical inspection for wear experienced by the gearset. The efficacy of results discussed herein strongly suggests the viability of metallic wear debris sensors in today's wind turbine gearsets, as correlation between sensor data and machine trauma were very good. By extension, similar components and settings would also seem amenable to wear particle sensor monitoring. To our knowledge no experiments such as described herein, have previously been conducted and published.


Undergraduate binge drinking, a well-documented problem at U.S. institutions of higher education, has been associated with a host of negative behavioral health outcomes. Scholars have extensively examined individual- and institutional-level risk factors for college binge drinking. However, these data have not been effectively translated into binge-drinking interventions. To inform the development of additional evidence-based prevention programs, this article documents the varied social practices that constitute "binge drinking," drawing on primarily ethnographic data. By disaggregating what survey research has largely examined as a unified outcome, we offer a descriptive account of the different reasons for and contexts in which students consume alcohol in amounts that constitute binge drinking. Our discussion points to modifiable social factors in university life as strategy for prevention. The implication of our argument is that acknowledging and responding to the varied motivations underlying students' alcohol use is one strategy to enhance campus binge-drinking prevention.


Among the Russian composers of the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries a special position is held by the sacred choral works of Vassily Titov (ca. 1650 — ca. 1715), one of the bright representatives of the polyphonic part singing, in which the originality of the Russian Baroque musical culture. The music of Vassily Titov, an outstanding master of choral writing, is diverse in terms of its genres, it comprises nearly two hundred compositions, many of which predominated in the church music repertoire of Russian churches during the course of the 18th century. A study of Vassily Titov's choral works has made it possible to disclose the characteristic features of the composer's polyphonic style. The latter include the multi-choral presentation with its bright spatial effects, the antiphonic juxtapositions of large choral masses, the principles of concertizing based on the succession of solo voices and tutti, on the juxtaposition of the chordal-harmonic and the polyphonic exposition, as well as the skillful mastery of imitational counterpoint, up to polyphonic variation. Features of national originality reveal themselves most vividly in the musical thematicism of the compositions, where along with the ornamental design of the intertwining melodic lines and turns of an instrumental type, use is made of intonations of folk songs, cants and church chants. In his musical oeuvres Vassily Titov revised and reevaluated the basic characteristic traits and forms of Western European Baroque music in correspondence with the particularities of Russian musical culture, thereby preserving and enriching the traditions of the Russian national style.


This paper introduces the Simulated Infinite Dilution Reactor (SIDR) Leaching Test as a replacement for conventional dynamic leaching tests based on ANS 16.1. Conventional leaching tests underestimate leaching rates for contaminants that are at low concentrations in the porewater of the waste by failing to maintain infinite dilution conditions in the leaching solution. To circumvent this problem, SIDR incorporates an ion exchange resin suspended in its leaching solution, which keeps contaminant concentrations at sufficiently low levels so that they do not affect the rate of leaching. Results from SIDR are consistent with theoretical expectations that predict that the cumulative amount of contaminant leached is linearly related with the square root of leaching time. Procedures based on ANS 16.1 underestimate D obs by a factor of 20 for Pb and 60 for Cd compared to results obtained using the SIDR Leach Test.


The effects of five corn hybrids on some biological parameters of R. maidis were studied under laboratory conditions. The lowest developmental time of nymphal stage was recorded on Hi-Tech-2066 with 5.13 days. The highest mean number of offspring was recorded on Hi-Tech-2066 (46.20 nymphs/ female), while Hybrids Watania-6 and 131 gave the significantly lower mean number of 30.67 and 29.80 nymphs/ female. The same results were obtained for Mean No. of offspring/day. The longest and the shortest adult longevity of R. maidis recorded on Hi-Tech-2066 and Watania-6, respectively. However, the longest and the shortest life cycle duration were recorded on hybrid 132 and hybrid Watania-6, respectively. The duration of the longest generation time was recorded on hybrid 131 (6.87 days) followed insignificantly by hybrid 132 (6.53 days). However, the duration of the shortest generation time was recorded on hybrid Hi-Tech 2066 (5.80 days) by insignificant differences with Watania-6 and Hi-Tech 2031 with 6.27 days for both.


Sampling-based algorithms provide a practical approach to solving large-scale multistage stochastic programs. This chapter presents two alternative approaches to incorporating sampling within multistage stochastic linear programming algorithms. In the first approach, sampling is used to construct a sample average approximation (SAA) of the true multistage program. Subsequently, an optimization step is undertaken using deterministic decomposition methods that utilize randomization. A comparison of various algorithms that adopt this approach, including stochastic dual dynamic programming, is provided. In the second stochastic decomposition approach, sampling and optimization are carried out concurrently. In stochastic dynamic linear programming, an example of the second approach, the representation of uncertainty is refined in every iteration of the algorithm. The differences in how the approximations of the cost-to-go functions are constructed under these alternative approaches are illustrated.


Being fair to future generations requires that Social Security be reformed in a manner that effectively prefunds a significant share of future Social Security benefit payments. All serious reform plans have this property. Prefunding is attempted exclusively in the Social Security trust fund in some plans, and it is attempted partly in personal retirement accounts in others. Many analysts believe that Social Security surpluses are offset all or in part by lower non-Social Security surpluses. If the offset is 100 percent, then running Social Security surpluses does not increase the government's capacity to pay future Social Security benefits. In this case, reforms that rely on trust fund accumulations to make Social Security fair to future generations do so at the expense of a non-Social Security policy that is less fair to future generations. The evidence on whether or not trust fund accumulations pay down federal debt is of two general types: formal statistical analyses of historical budget data, and informal observations of budget politics. Mariger (2008) reviews the recent history of budget politics and concludes that there is a substantial probability that Social Security surpluses are in large part offset by smaller non-Social Security surpluses. To complement that study, this paper attempts to draw out statistical evidence from budget data. It is concluded that the budget data is essentially silent on the question of whether Social Security surpluses are truly saved. The reason is that the regression model specification is necessarily approximate, Social Security surpluses show little independent year to year variation, there are only 37 years of data, and spurious correlations mask the true relationships.


Freight movement has always been, and always will be an essential activity. Freight transport is one of the most challenging sectors to transition to net-zero carbon. Traffic assignment, mode allocation, network planning, hub location, train scheduling and terminal design problem-solving have previously been used to address cost and operation efficiencies. In this study, the interdisciplinary transition innovation, management and engineering (InTIME) methodology was used for the conceptualization, redesign and redevelopment of the existing freight systems to achieve a downshift in fossil energy consumption. The fourth step of the InTIME methodology is the conceptualization of a long-term future intermodal transport system that can serve the current freight task. The novelty of our approach stands in considering the full range of freight supply chain factors as a whole, using an optimization-simulation approach as if we were designing the low-carbon system of 2121. For the optimization, ArcGIS software was used to set up a multimodal network model. Route and mode selection were delivered through the optimization of energy use within the network. Complementarily, Anylogic software was used to build a GIS-based discrete event simulation model and set up different experiments to enhance the solution offered by the network analysis. The results outline the resources needed (i.e., number of railway tracks, train speed, size of railyards, number of cranes and forklifts at terminals) to serve the freight task. The results can be backcast to reveal the most efficient investments in the near term. In the case of New Zealand's North Island, the implementation of strategic terminals, with corresponding handling resources and railyards, could deliver 47% emissions reduction from the sector by 2030, ahead of longer lead-time upgrades like electrification of the railway infrastructure.


The population problem is as hard to define as it is to solve. This article discusses the history and problems of population regulation and analyzes the conflicts between present approaches to population policy and environmental sustainability. After describing the history and problems of population regulation theory, the article discusses various sustainability theories and their relationship to population policies. A human rights model is presented as a goal for future policy development, incorporating both human rights and sustainability values. By incorporating both human rights and sustainability values, this model illustrates how both the environment and individual rights can be protected within population control policies.


Microplastics (MPs) are becoming ubiquitous in the marine environment and shallow marine sediments are one of the major sinks for MPs. In order to improve the knowledge about the environmental fate of MPs in the Aegean Sea shallow sediments, the occurrence and spatial distribution of MPs in Samos Island (Greece) was investigated for the first time, along a land-sea transect. The highest concentration of MPs was recorded at the Beach (37.2 ± 6.9 MPs/Kg DW), while the lowest concentration was recorded in the Intertidal zone (1.1 ± 0.9 MPs/Kg DW). In relation to the different shapes, Fragments and Pellets were more abundant on the Beach, while Fibers were more abundant in the Intertidal zone and barely any Sheets were found along the transect, suggesting a distribution probably governed not only by size but also morphology and perhaps chemical composition. A higher accumulation of particles was recorded in the first 10 cm of sediments, in comparison to the deepest 5 cm, indicating an increase of microplastics in the shallow marine sediments.


Cyber resilience is characterised by an ability to understand and adapt to changing network conditions, including cyber attacks. Cyber resilience may be characterised by an effects-based approach to missions or processes. One of the fundamental preconditions underpinning cyber resilience is an accurate representation of current network and machine states and what missions they are supporting. This research outlines the need for an ontological network representation, drawing on existing literature and implementations in the domain. This work then introduces an open-source ontological representation for modelling cyber assets for the purposes of Computer Network Defence. This representation encompasses computers, network connectivity, users, software, vulnerabilities and exploits and aims for interoperability with related representations in common use. The utility of this work is highlighted against a functional use-case depicting a realistic operational network and mission. Finally, a future research direction is defined.


This paper lays out the main features of the global automotive industry and identifies several important trends. A boom in developing country sales and production has not yet overshadowed the importance of existing markets in developed regions. Regional integration is very strong at an operational level, yet the industry has recently developed a set of global-scale value chain linkages, and retains national and local elements as well. The paper highlights how global, regional, national and local value chains are nested to create a pattern of global integration that is distinctive to the industry. We use global value chain analysis to help explain the limits of build-to-order in the industry, the role of regional and global suppliers, the shifting geography of production and how the characteristics of value chain linkages in the industry favour tight integration and regional production. We describe how industry concentration focuses power in the hands of a few large lead firms and discuss the implications of this for value chain governance and the geography of production.


This paper presents a simple peristaltic micropump design incorporated with valved actuation chambers and propelled by a pulsed vacuum source. The vacuum-driven peristaltic micropump offers high pumping rates, low backflow, appreciable tolerance to air bubbles, and minimal destruction to fluid contents. The pumping device, fabricated by laser micromachining and plasma bonding of three polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) layers, includes a pneumatic network, actuation membranes, and microfluidic channels. As the key to peristaltic motion, the sequential deflection of the elastic membranes is achieved by periodic pressure waveforms (negative) traveling through the pneumatic network, provided by a vacuum source regulated by an electromagnetic valve. This configuration eliminates the complicated control logic typically required in peristaltic motion. Importantly, the valved actuation chambers substantially reduce backflow and improve the pumping rates. In addition, the pneumatic network with negative pressure provides a means to effectively remove air bubbles present in the microflow through the gas-permeable PDMS membrane, which can be highly desired in handling complex fluidic samples. Experimental characterization of the micropump performance has been conducted by controlling the resistance of the pneumatic network, the number of normally closed valves, the vacuum pressure, and the frequency of pressure pulses. A maximal flow rate of 600 µL min−1 has been optimized at the pulsed vacuum frequency of 30 Hz with a vacuum pressure of 50 kPa, which is comparable to that of compressed air-actuated peristaltic micropumps.


This study aims to determine price premiums of sustainable attributes for fresh eggs by using hedonic analysis. The sustainable attributes defined include welfare-managed egg production and recyclable packaging attributes. Welfare-managed eggs have a price premium equal to 3.57 cents per egg; while the sustainable packaging variable was not found to be significant. The strategies for egg manufactures and retailers include offering organic or welfare-managed eggs independently until consumers perceive these attributes as being different, and using sustainable packaging for each specific region of the U.S. since each state has different laws and opportunities to recycle paper, plastic and Styrofoam products.


A knowledge of farmers' goals provides an important basis for understanding farmers' preferences for, and choices among, various farm adjustment strategies. Such information is also valuable in estimating the acceptability to farmers of various government measures to assist rural adjustment. The goals of Queensland graziers, with and without a history of farm expansion, are compared. Different adjustment strategies are analysed in terms of the ways in which they satisfy different individual goals. A dimensional analysis of relationships among goals and adjustment strategies reveals that, for those willing to expand but without a history of expansion, income and social goals are at odds with each other. For these graziers, property expansion seemed to be the strategy most likely to meet both these goals. For graziers with a history of expansion, income goals were complementary with social goals.


The breaking of immune tolerance against self epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) should be a promising approach for the treatment of those receptor-positive tumors. We have previously shown that human EGFR as a xenoantigen induced a specific antitumor activity against EGFR-positive mouse tumors. Our further studies demonstrated that a recombinant form of extracellular domain of mouse EGFR provoked active cellular immunity responses against EGFR-positive human tumors. In this study, we investigated whether the recombinant murine EGFR expressed in the yeast Pichia pastoris would induce humoral immunity responses against EGFR-positive human tumors. To test this concept, polyclonal immunoglobulin (IgG), which was produced by vaccinating the rabbits with the recombinant mEGFR, was purified from the sera of the rabbits. We evaluated the antitumor activity of the polyclonal IgG in the nude mice bearing A431 tumors. Mice were i.v. treated with the purified IgG at 100 mg/kg 1 day before the mice were inoculated with the tumor cells and then twice per week for 4 weeks. Our results showed that the polyclonal IgG would efficiently inhibit the growth of the solid tumor in vivo. The antitumor effect of the polyclonal IgG may result from the increasing rate of apoptosis and induction of differentiation of the tumor cells in vivo. The present findings may provide insight into treatment of EGFR-positive tumors through induction of the humoral immunity responses based on xenogeneic homologous EGFR.


More than a century ago Herman Hollerith pioneered punch card tabulation technology. In 1911 his enterprise became the centerpiece of a new corporation (renamed in the 1920s), International Business Machines (IBM). Over the past century IBM has transformed how we record, calculate, and process information -- forever changing business, science, engineering, government, and leisure. Far more than any other firm, IBM created the IT revolution. This unique volume brings together fascinating memoirs of key IBM engineers and managers of the past 100 years -- from Walter Jones, who started as a sales engineer in 1912 and rose through the ranks for three decades, to Cuthbert Hurd, James Birkenstock, Bob Evans, John Backus, Watts Humphrey, and others who led IBM to supremacy in digital computing and software. It details punch card tabulation, IBMs entrance into computing, and the transformative IBM hardware (IBM 650, IBM 1401, System/360) and software (FORTRAN, SABRE, IMS) that changed the world. The IBM Century contains an IBM timeline, the most comprehensive IBM annotated bibliography to date, and a new introductory essay that characterizes IBMs 100-year history and contextualizes each of the memoirs.


The study examined the relationship between staff human resource management and academic performance of accounting students in secondary schools. The study was conducted in Akoko South-West LGA, Ondo State. Two research questions guided the study while two hypotheses were tested . A correlation survey research design was adopted and the study population comprised all the teachers in public and private secondary schools in the State. A multi-stage sampling method was used for the study.  Simple random technique was used to select five (5) senior secondary schools in Akoko South-West area of the State, while proportional sampling method was used to select twenty (20) secondary school teachers from each secondary school, totally 100 teachers serving as the respondents for the study. The instrument used for data collection was a 10 items researchers' developed instrument titled; "Staff Human Resource Management and Academic Performance of Questionnaire (SHRMAPQ)". The face validation of the instrument was established by two research experts. Pearson product moment correlation was used to obtain a reliability of correlation co-efficient of r=0.61 indicating that the instrument was reliable for the study. Copies of the questionnaire were distributed and retrieved by the researchers. Data were analyzed using frequency count and simple percentage to answer the research questions, while the research hypotheses were tested using regression inferential statistical method. The study found out among others that recruitment process, proper placement of teachers in schools, regular performance evaluation have positive influence on accounting students' academic performance. Based on the finding, it was recommended among others that school managers should ensure that teachers are constantly updated by organizing suitable developmental programmes like conferences, workshops, seminars, professional courses, and in-service training to enable them perform their instructional delivery task in a professional manner. Conclusion was drawn.


By use of tritiated arginine-8-vasopressin (AVP), vasopressin specific binding sites were detected on Sprague-Dawley rat urinary bladder and spleen. In both tissues, one class of high-affinity binding sites was characterized with an equilibrium dissociation constant of 1.61 +/- 0.22 and 1.91 +/- 0.16 nM and a maximal binding capacity of 155 +/- 5 and 110 +/- 11 fmol/mg of protein, for bladder and spleen, respectively. In both tissues, several experimental arguments suggest that these receptors belong to the V1-vascular type: Highly significant correlations were found between the relative agonistic vasopressor activities of eight AVP agonists and their relative abilities to inhibit [3H]AVP binding to the receptors, whereas no such relationship existed when antidiuretic activities were considered. The same profile was also observed with the antagonistic activities of five AVP antagonists. Moreover, AVP (10(-12)-10(-5) M) did not modify the basal cyclic AMP production in either tissue. As cyclic AMP is known to respond to V2 stimulation, the data suggest that the receptors measured are the V1 type. In Dahl rats the receptor characteristics were modulated by salt diet. More interestingly, the number of spleen vasopressin binding sites was always lower in Dahl salt-resistant animals than in the Dahl salt-sensitive animals receiving either a sodium deficient or a 1% NaCl or an 8% NaCl-containing diet. The exploration of vasopressin receptors regulation should facilitate the comprehension of the role played by AVP in different models of experimental hypertension.