The productivity of agricultural crops is seriously limited by salinity. This problem is rapidly increasing, particularly in irrigated lands. Like almost all the fruit tree species, Pyrus communis is generally considered a salt sensitive species, but only little information is available on its behavior under saline conditions.
Previous studies, carried out in the Department of Fruit Tree and Woody Plant Science (University of Bologna), focused their attention on pear and quince salt stress responses to understand which rootstock would be the most suitable for pear in order to tolerate a salt stress condition. It has been reported that pear and quince have different ability in the uptake, translocation and accumulation of chloride (Cl-) and sodium (Na+) ions, when plants were irrigated for one season with saline water (5 dS/m).
The aim of the present work was to deepen these aspects and investigate salt stress responses in pear and quince. Two different experiments have been performed: a "short-term" trial in a growth chamber and a "long-term" experiment in the open field.
In the short-term experiment, three different genotypes usually adopted as pear rootstocks (MC, BA29 and Farold®40) and the pear variety Abbe Fetel own rooted have been compared under salt stress conditions. The trial was performed in a hydroponic culture system, applying a 90 mM NaCl stress to half of the plants, after five weeks of normal growth in Hoagland's solution. During the three-weeks of salt stress treatment, physiological, mineral and molecular analyses were performed in order to monitor, for each genotype, the development of the salt stress responses in comparison with the corresponding "unstressed" plants. Farold®40 and Abbe Fetel own rooted showed the onset of leaf necrosis, due to salt toxicity, one week before quinces. Moreover, quinces displayed a significant delay in premature senescence of old leaves, while pears emerged for their ability to regenerate new leaves from apparently dead foliage with the salt stress still running. Physiological measurements, such as shoots length, chlorophyll (Chl) content, and photosynthesis, have been carried out and revealed that pears exhibited a significant reduction in water content and a wilting aspect, while for quinces a decrease in Chl content and a growth slowdown were observed.
At the end of the trial, all plants were collected and organs separated for dry weight estimation and mineral analyses (Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn Mg, Ca, K, Na and Cl). Mineral contents have been affected by salinity; same macro/micro nutrients were altered in some organs or relocated within the plant. This plant response could have partially contributed to face the salt stress. Leaves and roots have been harvested for molecular analyses at four different times during stress conditions.
Molecular analyses consisted of the gene expression study of three main ion transporters, well known in Arabidopsis thaliana as salt-tolerance determinants in the "SOS" pathway: NHX1 (tonoplast Na+/H+ antiporter), SOS1 (plasmalemma Na+/H+ antiporter) and HKT1 (K+ high-affinity and Na+ low-affinity transporter). These studies showed that two quince rootstocks adopted different responsive mechanisms to NaCl stress. BA29 increased its Na+ sequestration activity into leaf vacuoles, while MC enhanced temporarily the same ability, but in roots. Farold®40, instead, exhibited increases in SOS1 and HKT1 expression mainly at leaf level in the attempt to retrieve Na+ from xylem, while Abbe Fetel differently altered the expression of these genes in roots. Finally, each genotype showed a peculiar response to salt stress that was the sum of its ability in Na+ exclusion, osmotic tolerance and tissue tolerance.
In the long-term experiment, potted trees of the pear variety Abbe Fetel grafted on different rootstocks (MC, BA29 and Farold®40), or own rooted and also rootstocks only were subjected to a salt stress through saline water irrigation with an electrical conductivity of 5 dS/m for two years. The purposes of this study were to evaluate salinity effects on physiological (shoot length, number of buds, photosynthesis, etc.) and yield parameters of cultivar Abbe Fetel in the different combinations and to determine the salt amount that pear is able to tolerate over the years. With this work, we confirmed the previous hypothesis that pear, despite being classified as a salt-sensitive fruit tree, can be cultivated for two years under saline water irrigation, without showing any salt toxicity symptoms or severe drawbacks on plant development and production. Among different combinations, Abbe Fetel grafted on MC resulted interesting for its peculiar behaviors under salt stress conditions.
In the near future, further investigations on physiological and molecular aspects will be necessary to enrich and broaden the knowledge of salt stress responses in pear.


This thesis describes the results of four years work on the design, construction, testing and evaluation of a high performance air heating collector designed to supply heat to a communal interseasonal store, which could heat many houses all the year round in the U.K.

Interseasonal storage utilizing a pebble bed was investigated but shown to be costly both in terms of money and energy. The performance of medium to high temperature storage is shown to improve with high performance collectors.

The level of insulation specified in the 1978 Building Regulations is found to be inadequate for solar heating with long and short term storage, because it is more economic to add more insulation than to install solar heating.

While investigating the interseasonal storage of solar energy in pebble beds, data on the design and operation of air heating solar collectors was found lacking. Therefore the development and testing of both a high and low performance solar air heater was undertaken.

The standard methods of testing collectors and in particular high performance collectors are shown not to provide an adequate method of comparing the daily efficiency of various types of collectors. Methods of testing air collectors are presented under transient conditions more representative of collector operation in the U.K. The parameters affecting high performance collectors are examined, in particular the reduction of heat loss between cover and absorber, and the effect on performance of diffuse and transient radiation. Results are also presented for testing a low cost plastic collector.


Oscillographic plots of various time-domain responses of microwave networks are generated by computer simulation, based upon measurements taken in the frequency domain. Frequency-response data are obtained with a computer-controlled automatic network analyzer, this information is processed in an associated computer, and selected time-domain responses are plotted immediately on an x-y recorder. Voltage versus time responses have been simulated for various excitations includlng impulse, step, and pulse-modulated RF waves. When impedance data are used, the plots are interpretable as from a time-domain reflectometer with high precision, high sensitivity, and high resolving power. As an oscillograph the rise time may be as short as 0.04 ns. In transmission 70 dB or more loss can be tolerated. In reflection measurements, the results are interpretable for discrete discontinuities with 40 dB or more return loss, and with separations on the order of 1 cm in space. In certain types of circuits, time-domain data can be used to reconstruct the frequency-domain response data in an approximate manner for separate parts of a network without separate measurements. In this manner, the interference of generator, load, and transducer mismatches can be substantially reduced.


Occupational lung diseases are caused by the inhalation of inorganic dust leading to subsequent inflammation and fibrosis of lung tissue. Asbestosis, silicosis, and coal workers' pneumoconiosis are the most common forms of occupational lung disease. These diseases range in severity from clinically asymptomatic to end stage lung disease. There is no cure for these diseases; only symptomatic treatment exists. Lung transplantation is an option; however, the five-year survival remains one of the lowest among transplanted organs at approximately 50%. Despite federal regulation aimed at creating safer work place environments, occupational lung diseases persist today which makes this a significant public health problem. Coal workers' pneumoconiosis in its most severe form, progressive massive fibrosis, was once thought to be nearly eradicated. Unfortunately, however, the United States has seen a resurgence of the disease over the past decade. This essay aims to discuss the current state of the occupational lung diseases in the U.S. and to provide insight into potential factors contributing to the increasing incidence of progressive massive fibrosis among coal miners.


This research proposes a novel technique for authenticating and validating syslogs for forensic analysis. This technique uses a modification of the Needham Schroeder protocol, which uses nonces (numbers used only once) and public keys. Syslogs, which were developed from an event-logging perspective and not from an evidence-sustaining one, are system treasure maps that chart out and pinpoint attacks and attack attempts. Over the past few years, research on securing syslogs has yielded enhanced syslog protocols that focus on tamper prevention and detection. However, many of these protocols, though efficient from a security perspective, are inadequate when forensics comes into play. From a legal perspective, any kind of evidence found at a crime scene needs to be validated. In addition, any digital forensic evidence when presented in court needs to be admissible, authentic, believable, and reliable [4]. Currently, a patchy log on the server side and client side cannot be considered as formal authentication of a wrong doer [5]. This paper presents a method that ties together, authenticates, and validates all the entities involved in the crime scene---the user using the application, the system that is being used, and the application being used on the system by a user. This means that instead of merely transmitting the header and the message, which is the standard syslog protocol format, the syslog entry along with the user fingerprint, application fingerprint, and system fingerprint are transmitted to the logging server. The assignment of digital fingerprints and the addition of a challenge response mechanism to the underlying syslogging mechanism aim to validate generated syslogs forensically.


Background: Governance in health is a process whereby important decisions are made and determining who is accountable. Good health system governance (HSG) can ensure optimal functioning of the health system influenced by transparent rules and governed by effective oversight. Assessment of governance can influence the health outcome of the population when subsequent improvement is made for better policy input. The aim of this review is to understand the methodological research approaches used in the assessment of HSG. Methodology: A review was directed from a collection of articles obtained from Pubmed, ScienceDirect and CINAHL databases that summarises relevant prior publication on methodological approaches that have been used in HSG research describing study design, methods of data collection and analysis. Only original articles of the past ten years (2009 to 2019) published in English language is included. Data was extracted base on a pre-constructed matrix. Results and Discussion: Findings revealed different research methods for the qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods design. Similarities between the three are in terms of how research questions direct the choice of study design and the use of a governance framework or recommendation of indictors to guide the study.  There were differences in terms of the nature of study, the methods used, and type of information gathered. Each study design has its own strengths and limitations. Lessons learned include research going beyond descriptions, tailoring approaches to fit study objectives, the importance of communicating findings and being clear in giving recommendations for policymaking. Conclusion: The qualitative design is contextual yet difficult to generalize, the quantitative design is generalizable yet very explicit to certain indicators specified while the mixed methods design is comprehensive but requires more resources to carry out. Keywords: health system governance, assessment, methodological approaches, research design


In this paper we describe a new approach for accelerating the Conjugate Gradient (CG) method using an FPGA co-processor. As in previous approaches, our co-processor performs a double-precision sparse matrix-vector multiplication. However, our implementation doubles the amount of computation per unit of input data by exploiting the symmetry of the input matrix and computing the upper and lower triangle of the input matrix in parallel. Using a Virtex-2 Pro 100 FPGA, we have achieved an observed computational throughput of 1155 MFLOPS.


Cirrhosis of the liver, one of the rarer diseases of childhood, occurs more frequently than is generally recognized. Emphasis in the past has been placed on cases in which autopsy was done; few patients proved to have cirrhosis have been followed clinically for years. The clinical changes observed depend on the extent of the damage to the liver and the consequent reduction of hepatic efficiency. The disease in children usually differs from that in adults only in having a more acute onset and more rapid course. We have studied 20 children with cirrhosis, 13 of whom came to autopsy. Two patients, 5 years and 4 months of age respectively, who were proved by biopsy of the liver to have cirrhosis, have survived three and five years thus far. Studies of hepatic function have been done recently on them (table 1). The identification of the etiologic agent in cirrhosis in human


Abstract
Background. Renal transplantation is an effective method of renal replacement therapy. The success of transplantation depends on the status of immune system of the recipient and its recognition of donor alloantigens. In the induction and maintenance of immune tolerance against alloantigens regulatory T cells (Tregs) of the recipient seem to play an important role. Tregs are differentiated from other T cell populations by the expression of the transcription factor FOXP3, as well as of CD4 and CD25 surface antigens. Various studies claimed peripheral Tregs to influence and prolong the overall survival of kidney allografts. However, the influences of peripheral and tissue regulatory cells are not well understood.
Methods. In this study biopsies of renal allografts of 53 patients were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. In parallel, peripheral mononuclear cells (PBMC) of 29 patients were analyzed by FACS. Tregs were detected by triple-immunofluorescence labelling of cells in tissues and blood for the expression of CD4, CD25, FOXP3. In addition, antibodies against CD3, CD20 and CD14 surface markers were used to differentiate other FOXP3+ cells.
Results. In our study, it was shown that the number of cells with a regulatory phenotype, was reduced in peripheral blood of patients after allogeneic kidney transplantation, in comparison to a healthy control group. Statistically significant correlations between morphological changes of the graft, and the number of peripheral Tregs showing the complete characteristic phenotype (CD4+CD25+FOXP3+), were not found. However, positive correlations between individual markers of Tregs, such as CD4 and FOXP3, and the morphological signs of rejection according to BANFF classification in the allograft were seen. Also, a positive statistically significant correlation between CD3+FOXP3+ cells in the allograft, and morphological signs of rejection according to BANFF classification was found. Furthermore, development of fibrosis and tubular atrophy was associated with increased numbers of CD3+FOXP3+ cells. In addition, other populations of FOXP3-positive lymphocytes such CD20+FOXP3+ and CD14+FOXP3+ were found in the allograft. No statistically significant correlations between these cells and the morphological changes of the allografts were found.
Conclusion. A protective role for rejection reactions of both peripheral as well as of tissue Tregs could not be confirmed in the analyzed transplanted patient group. It could not be excluded that the observed associations between FOXP3+ lymphocytes and morphological signs of rejection reactions were also related to FOXP3 expression in activated effector lymphocytes. Further populations of FOXP3+ cells were seen in the allografts; their role is still unclear.


End of the cold war following the disintegration of the Soviet Union witnessed unprecedented increase in militancy and terrorism prompted by internal and external forces. This was also fuelled by factors like religious fundamentalism and ethno-nationalist chauvinism.The newly independent countries of the Central Asian region encountered myriad problems like terrorism, drug trafficking, arms trafficking, organized crime, separatism, and ethnic conflicts.Given the geographical proximity and historicity, Central Asia is regarded as Russia's own backyard and a "soft underbelly".The near-abroad security developments in the Central Asian republics have great influence on Russia and could create a complex environment detrimental to its security interests.The Russian approach to this challenge is of great importance for the stability of the whole area.Any negative developments in Central Asian Regions and Afghanistan would have serious security implications for Russia.A stable and friendly government in Afghanistan and Central Asian states would prove beneficial to Russian security, including the on ongoing separatist movements in Chechnya and Dagestan.Therefore it is imperative that Russia and Central Asian states act collectively to counter religious radicalism and foster regional stability.This article examines some factors
responsible for breeding terrorism and religious extremism in Central Asian Republics and its security implications on Russia such as Central Asian threats, US presence in Central Asia and the Taliban in Afghanistan.


Quantum computation technologies have reached a new level of sophistication with the release of the first commercial offerings. Likewise, Machine Learning is popular for use-cases in both industry and research. With Quantum Machine Learning, one hopes to combine both areas in a symbiotic relationship to achieve an advantage in artificial intelligence with the use of quantum technologies. Recently presented approaches make use of quantum technologies in combination with classical hardware resources in order to mitigate the problems imposed by shortcomings of quantum computers of the current generation. Some of these approaches use quantum circuits with free parameters, which are optimized to solve problems and objectives in Machine Learning. This work presents a concept for automated modelling of these quantum circuits, with the goal of constructing suitable circuits for the task of classification. The concept is implemented in a prototype and validated in experiments.


This study shows how import and export shocks propagate through domestic supply chains by using actual Japanese supply chain data and a world input-output table based on firm-level agent-based simulations. We propose three different models to connect the domestic firm-level supply chain to the world input-output table. Then, we estimate the value-added losses of Japanese firms caused by shocks of different magnitudes and durations originating in China, in the EU and US, and globally. The losses caused by Chinese and European and US shocks are comparable to those caused by global shocks, which indicates the importance of China and the EU and US for Japanese supply chains, although their trade volumes are 21.2% and 25.9%, respectively. The volume and the rates at which losses increase are very different across the connection models, which indicates that the assignment of international connections to firms matters greatly and that it is not appropriate to make naive assumptions, such as that sectoral-level supply chain models are equivalent to firm-level supply chain models. The losses increase sublinealy as the duration expands, which indicates that the shock propagation ultimately saturates the economy. The speeds of saturation differ substantially depending on the assignment of international connections. Finally, the losses increase superlinearly as the initial reduction rate increases. This is because there is a greater probability of one supplier being replaced by other suppliers if the reduction is smaller.


In this study, we investigated production of prostaglandin (PG) F2a and its metabolite, PGFM, by uterine tissues from tammar wallabies in late pregnancy. Endometrial explants were prepared from gravid and nongravid uteri of tammars between Day 18 of gestation (primitive streak) and Day 26.5 (term) and were incubated in Ham's F-10 medium supplemented with glutamine and antibiotics for 20 h. PGF2a and PGFM in the medium were assayed by specific, validated RIAs. Control tissues (leg muscle) did not produce detectable amounts of either PG. Both gravid and nongravid endometria secreted PGF2a, and production increased significantly in both gravid and nongravid uteri towards term. PGFM was produced in small amounts by both gravid and nongravid uteri, and the rate of production did not increase. Neither oxytocin nor dexamethasone stimulated PG production in vitro in any tissue at any stage. Thus, the surge in peripheral plasma PGFM levels seen at parturition may arise from increased uterine PG production, but further study is needed to define what triggers this release.


The free oxygen concentrations required for reductive defluorination of halothane by rat hepatic microsomes from control and phenobarbital- (PB) and polychlorinated biphenyl- (PCB) treated animals were determined. Halothane-exposed microsomes from treated rats generated measurable levels of fluoride ion after 30 min incubations with oxygen concentrations of 5% or less. Microsomes from control animals produced fluoride only if the free oxygen concentration was 2% or less. During anoxic (0% oxygen) incubations, defluorination rates of 2.10 ± 0.17, 5.55 ± 0.38, and 5.46 ± 0.30 nmol fluoride·mg protein −1·30 min−1 were observed for microsomes from control, PB, and PCB rats, respectively. Normalizing the maximal rates of defluorination to the microsomal cytochrome P-450 content yielded values of 5.14 ± 1.40, 3.70 ± 0.15, and 2.38 ± 0.26 nmol fluoride·nmol cytochrome P-450−1·30 min−1 for control, PB, and PCB microsomes, respectively. Oxygen concentrations required for reductive metabolism of halothane by isolated rat hepatic microsomes are close to normal physiologic free oxygen concentrations of 4–5% reported for centrilobular areas of the rat liver. Thus even slight reductions in hepatic oxygenation during anesthetic exposure could lead to enhanced reductive biotransformation, an observation found in rat models of halothane-associated hepatic injury. The large differences among the treatment groups in the rates of fluoride ion generated per nanomole cytochrome P-450 indicate that enzyme induction regimens disproportionately increase those isozymes of hepatic cytochrome P-450 that are not involved with the reductive defluorination of halothane.


Aerial surveys from 2003 to 2019 documented the abundance of waterfowl at Bridgeport Reservoir in Mono County, California, from September through mid-November. Waterfowl totals at Bridgeport Reservoir averaged 33,106 ± 4050 (standard error) in the fall. Annual peak counts averaged 10,474 ± 1349, ranging from a low of 2583 in 2014 to the highest single-day count of 23,150 in 2005. Bridgeport Reservoir is a man-made water body in the intermountain West that waterfowl use primarily a mid-migration stopover site, with peak numbers occurring in September. The dominant waterfowl species, the Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata), Gadwall (Mareca strepera), Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), Northern Pintail (A. acuta), and Green-winged Teal (A. crecca), showed both unimodal and bimodal migration chronologies. Regional drought, as indicated by the Palmer drought severity index, combined with a downward trend in waterfowl numbers explained 61.4% of annual variation in fall waterfowl totals. These data may allow future assessment of change in waterfowl abundance at Bridgeport Reservoir in the context of local or regional conditions, and as influenced by climate change.


This paper updates and extends the work by Bunker, et al. (2004) that reviewed developments in the Philosophical Foundations of IS (PFIS) mini-track from 1996 through 2003. We first describe the history of the mini-track, concentrating on 1996, when C. West Churchman served on a PFIS panel and presented a luncheon address. His work on inquiring systems continues to be the basis for many of the papers in the mini-track. Papers in 2004 and 2005 are reviewed briefly and some trends and themes are noted. Unfortunately, one trend is a declining number of papers submitted. We discuss factors that may have led to this and hope that next year's conference venue may lead to an increase in submissions. For convenience, the chronology published in Bunker, et al.'s 2004 paper is included as an appendix.


Renewables such as solar, wind, tide energies are the new route for alternative power sources in spite of fossil fuels or other nonrenewable energies. From the last decade, converting the variable solar dc power to constant ac power has become a challenge. This paper underpins a novel three phase transformer-less grid connected photovoltaic inverter with the control blocks applicable for all types of grid voltage ranges. This novel three-phase inverter topology not only contains very lower reduced leakage current as well as less total harmonic distortion (THD) but also improved power quality. Filter clamping approach has been owned to eliminate extra leakage current through the ground path. Besides unipolar sinusoidal pulse width modulation (SPWM) method has been used to control the power switches. As a result, the common mode voltage has been held to constant, which is also responsible for reducing leakage current to 25.42 mA. The leakage current suppression has been analyzed in details with simulation results. The switches did not affect the efficiency of this inverter so much but reduced the leakage current. Switching losses and conduction losses are very low. The THD of Grid voltage of this proposed topology is recorded 0.94% likewise, grid current THD is measured as 0.42%. To check the performance of this proposed inverter more accurately, input voltage as well as load amount of this inverter have been changed instantly in the middle of simulation. This topology has been implemented and tested via MATLAB/Simulink platform.


The current paper explores the impact of age and sex on adult cranial shape and size variation in the documented collections from St Bride's and Spitalfields. The scope is to assess the extent to which it is valid to pool age and sex groups in inter-population comparisons that use cranial data. For this purpose, age and sex differences in cranial shape and size were explored using multivariate analysis of variance, Discriminant analysis and Mann–Whitney tests. The results suggest a clear change in cranial shape with increasing age; however, this change is not statistically significant. Therefore, it is justifiable to pool different age groups in bioarchaeological analyses. Increasing age also has a minimal impact on cranial size among females, whereas among males, its impact is small but statistically significant. Finally, cranial shape and size are significantly different between males and females, irrespective of their age. This dimorphism can be used for the assessment of sex, although attention should be given to over-classification problems when using discriminant analysis. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Pest monitoring through field surveys and surveillance helps in forecasting the population build up of pest. It reduces the load of pesticides application and forms the basis of Integrated Pest Management in sericulture. Common sampling techniques for quantifying pest populations and damage caused by them are reviewed emphasizing the need for quick and simple sampling methods. Various direct and indirect sampling methods for establishing pest populations are discussed and methods have been discussed to use indirect sampling method under IPM programme in sericulture. The use of pheromone lures and traps forms one of the important ingredients of integrated pest management, which calls for integration of all available methods in a cost effective and environmental friendly manner offering consistent efficacy. Silk-worms feed on the variety of silk host plants and spin cocoons. Each silk host plant is attacked in the field by number of insect pest species. Several pests are common to mulberry, tasar, oak tasar, muga and eri host plant but pest status and seasonal abundance differs from each crop. The key pests are serious perennially occurring persistent species which cause considerable yield loss every year on large areas and require control measure. Regular occurrence of minor pest is noticed but sudden increase in its population is not known. The occasional pests are sporadic but potential causing sufficient damage. Silk losses due to attack of all the pests have not been calculated. However, information on pest biology and ecology, and control practices being practiced is available but the period of outbreak of major pests and predators on silkworms and its host plant needs to be reinvestigated. Pest and predators forecasting based on surveillance information may provide an opportunity to minimize the losses, particularly to reduce expenditure involved in pest management.


Background Excision of bone tumors and endoprosthetic reconstruction allow patients early weightbearing and a potential functional advantage compared with amputation. These reconstructions do not restore the limb to normal status, however, and patients are subject to complications that may result in revision or loss of the limb. Because better understanding of these complications based on current information might help the patient and surgeon in decision-making, we undertook a systematic review of studies published on this topic. Questions/purposes (1) What are the primary modes and proportion of failure of tumor endoprostheses in patients undergoing reconstruction after excision of primary extremity bone sarcomas? Methods We systematically searched MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Library for all studies published from April 15, 1998, to April 15, 2018. Three reviewers independently reviewed studies reporting endoprosthetic reconstruction survival and events requiring revision for primary extremity bone tumors treated with endoprosthetic reconstruction for inclusion and performed independent data extraction. We excluded all studies with fewer than five patients, any systematic review/meta-analyses, and any study not reporting on primary extremity bone tumors. All discrepancies were resolved by the study's senior author. Data extracted from included studies were any reoperation event for wound dehiscence, any operative fixation for a pathologic fracture, and any revision of the primary endoprosthesis for implant wear or breakage, deep infection not amenable to prosthesis retention, or for local recurrence. We assessed the overall quality of the evidence with the Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies (MINORS) approach with a higher MINORS score representative of a more methodologically rigorous study with a total possible score of 16 points for noncomparative and 24 points for comparative studies. Forty-nine studies met criteria for inclusion from an initial search return of 904 studies, of which no studies were randomized controlled trials. From a total patient population of 2721, there was a mean followup of 93 months (range, 1-516 months) with loss to followup or death occurring in 447 of 2118 (21%) patients with six studies not providing loss to followup data. The mean MINORS score was 14 for prospective studies and 11 for retrospective studies. Results Overall, there were 1283 reoperations among the 2721 (47%) patients. Reoperation for mechanical endoprosthetic events (soft tissue dehiscence or periarticular soft tissue instability, aseptic loosening, or implant wear/fracture) occurred in 907 of 2721 (33%) patients. Aseptic loosening occurred at a mean of 75 months (range, 1-376 months) in 212 of 315 patients (67%). Deep infection requiring removal of the initial prosthesis occurred in 247 of 2721 (9%) patients with deep infection occurring at a mean of 24 months (range, 1-372 months) in the 190 infections (77%) with time to infection data available. Local recurrence rates requiring revision or amputation occurred in 129 (5%) of all patients. There was an overall primary endoprosthesis survival rate without any surgical reintervention of 63% among reporting studies at a mean of 79 months followup. Conclusions Failures of endoprosthetic reconstructions after extremity tumor surgery are common, most often resulting from implant wear or fracture, aseptic loosening, and infection. Importantly, the aggregated data are the first to attempt to quantify the time to specific complication types within this patient population. Deep infection not amenable to endoprosthesis retention appears to occur approximately 2 years postoperatively in most patients, with aseptic loosening occurring most commonly at 75 months. Although endoprosthetic reconstruction is one of the most common forms of reconstruction after bone tumor resection, the quality of published evidence regarding this procedure is of low quality with high loss to followup and data quality limiting interstudy analysis. The quality of the evidence is low with high loss to followup and inconsistent reporting of times to reintervention events. Although the most common modes of endoprosthetic failure in this population are well known, creation of quality prospective, collaborative databases would assist in clarifying and informing important elements of the followup process for these patients. Level of Evidence Level IV, therapeutic study.


A radiologic sign resembles a specific object, often suggesting a group of similar pathologies. These types of similarities are useful to increase awareness and shorten the list of differential diagnoses. As in other fields of radiol ogy, in obstetric ultrasonography many signs have been described to ease diagnosing. These signs identified on prenatal ultrasonography include the lemon and banana signs observed in spina bifida, teardrop sign in corpus cal losum agenesis, keyhole sign in Dandy-Walker syndrome and posterior urethral valve, double bubble sign in duodenal atresia, rabbit lip in cleft lip cases, and in extremity anomalies, frog leg sign in caudal regression syndrome and sandal gap sign. The 2- and 3-dimensional ultrasound images of cases with these signs accompanied by the objects they resemble are presented in this review.


: Ethylene carbonate (EC) liquid and its vapor-liquid interface were investigated using a combination of molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and vibrational IR, Raman and sum frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopies. The MD simulation was performed with a flexible and polarizable model of the EC molecule newly developed for the computation of vibrational spectra. The internal vibration of the model was described on the basis of the harmonic couplings of vibrational modes, including the anharmonicity and Fermi resonance coupling of C = O stretching. The polarizable model was represented by the charge response kernel (CRK), which is based on ab initio molecular orbital calculations and can be readily applied to other systems. The flexible and polarizable model can also accurately reproduce the structural and thermodynamic properties of EC liquid. Meanwhile, a comprehensive set of vibrational spectra of EC liquid, including the IR and Raman spectra of the bulk liquid as well as the SFG spectra of the liquid interface, were experimentally measured and reported. The set of experimental vibrational spectra provided valuable information for validating the model, and the MD simulation using the model comprehensively elucidates the observed vibrational IR, Raman, and SFG spectra of EC liquid. Further MD analysis of the interface region revealed that EC molecules tend to orientate themselves with the C = O bond parallel to the interface. The MD simulation explains the positive Im[ χ (2) ]( ssp ) band of the C = O stretching region in the SFG spectrum in terms of the preferential orientation of EC molecules at the interface. This work also elucidates the distinct lineshapes of the C = O stretching band in the IR, Raman, and SFG spectra. The lineshapes of the C = O band are split by the Fermi resonance of the C = O fundamental and the overtone of skeletal stretching. The Fermi resonance of C = O stretching was fully analyzed using the empirical potential parameter shift analysis (EPSA) method. The apparently different lineshapes of the C = O stretching band in the IR, Raman, and SFG spectra were attributed to the frequency shift of the C = O fundamental in different solvation environments in the bulk liquid and at the interface. This work proposes a systematic procedure for investigating the interface structure and SFG spectra, including general modeling procedure based on ab initio calculations, validation of the model using available experimental data, and simultaneous analysis of molecular orientation and SFG spectra through MD trajectories. The proposed procedure provides microscopic information on the EC interface in this study, and can be further applied to investigate other interface systems, such as liquid-liquid and solid-liquid interfaces.


BACKGROUND
Circulating insulin concentration in serum or plasma provides important information for the estimation of insulin secretion and insulin resistance. Currently, lack of standardization of insulin assays hinders efforts to achieve consistent measures for treatment guidelines.

METHODS
A Workgroup convened by the American Diabetes Association evaluated 12 different commercial insulin methods from 9 manufacturers.

RESULTS
The within-assay CVs ranged from 3.7% to 39.0%, with 7 of 10 assays having a CV < or =10.6%. The among-assay CVs ranged from 12% to 66%, with a median value of 24%. A common insulin reference preparation did not change the among-assay CV and failed to improve harmonization of results among assays. Results from 6 of 10 assays agreed within the total error of 32% that is allowable based on biological variability criteria. Seven of 10 assays recovered insulin added to a serum pool within 15.5% of the expected concentration. In 9 of 10 methods, there was <2% cross-reactivity with intact human proinsulin, and 8 of 10 methods had <3% cross-reactivity with split (32, 33) proinsulin. For 9 of 10 assays, the cross-reactivity of des (64, 65) proinsulin exceeded 40%. Overall, most assays had acceptable imprecision and specificity for insulin.

CONCLUSION
The discordance in test results for commercial insulin reagent sets is likely multifactorial and will require a continuing effort to understand the differences and achieve the desired consistency and harmonization among commercial immunoassays.


ABSTRACT In reporting about the regions of a country, news media help define relevant topics and contribute to the integration of society. In multilingual countries, covering news across language boundaries is especially important, yet challenging and costly to perform. To what extent the news media use transregional coverage, that is, look beyond their own language regions, is therefore a particularly relevant question for multilingual societies. This study shows how news media in the three language regions of Switzerland observe each other. A representative sample of news items (N = 25,035) from 47 print and online news outlets was automatically structured based on textual mentions of Swiss place names (n = 189) and linked to manually coded variables. The results show that the degree of transregional coverage differs considerably depending on the size of the language regions, the topic, the source, and the media type. When covering other language regions, news media focus on sports, and news media from the two smaller media markets rely heavily on news agency reports. Both public service media and tabloid media use much transregional coverage, with the former focusing on politics and the latter on sports. Thus, media types contribute to integration differently.


ABSTRACT Background This study was aimed to explore thresholds with interaction effects among antibiotic usage, covariates (alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR)), and their effect on extended-spectrum β-lactamase–producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae) in hospitalized patients. Methods Multivariate Adaptive Regression Spline models were used. These considered second-order interactions among antibiotic use and ABHR in addition to potential thresholds that further improve explained variance in the ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae response. The study involved collecting monthly hospital-level data for January 2017–December 2021. Results Analysis of the main effects showed that third-generation cephalosporins above 2.00 DDD/100 occupied bed days (OBD) generally increased ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae incidence (cases/100 OBD). Levels of ABHR above 6.61 L/100 OBD were shown to generally decrease ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae incidence. Second-order interactions revealed that when third-generation cephalosporin use was greater than 3.71 DDD/100 OBD, and ABHR was greater than 6.6 L/100 OBD (same as main effect threshold), ABHR partially lost effectiveness in its ability to reduce ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae incidence. This demonstrates the importance of not exceeding the identified thresholds of 3.71 DDD/100 OBD for third-generation cephalosporin use. Conclusion The main-effect thresholds in third-generation cephalosporins and ABHR, and the identified interaction between third-generation cephalosporins and ABHR can inform effective hospital antimicrobial stewardship.


Subimmunogenic numbers of sheep erythrocytes (2 × 106 SRBC) were injected into young adult (C57BL/6 × DBA/2)F1 and (C57BL/6 × C3H/He)F1 mice 4 days before the transfer of 2 or 1.25 × 106 spleen cells into irradiated syngeneic recipients. This procedure greatly enhanced the anti-sheep or anti-TNP antibody responsiveness of spleen cells to rechallenge with fully immunogenic numbers (5 × 108) of SRBC or TNP-conjugated SRBC, respectively. The anti-sheep response was accelerated, prolonged, and augmented in terms of the numbers of plaque-forming cells (PFC) generated in recipient spleens. Since the augmentation was considerably greater for IgG than for IgM PFC, the value of IgG:IgM ratios became >1. Low-dose priming caused the number of detectable antigen-sensitive units (ASU) to rise in the spleen: on day 4, the augmentation factors were 2.2 for IgM and 7.5 to 8.4 for IgG ASU, but the numbers of PFC generated by each unit remained the same.
 Of the cell types constituting splenic ASU (T and B cells, macrophages), peripheral T lymphocytes were the most likely candidates for mediating the effect of priming. The reasons are: a) low doses of antigen preferentially activate T cells (11–15); b) low-dose carrier priming with SRBC augmented both the anti-sheep and the anti-S-TNP responses; c) addition of thymocytes to unprimed spleen cells moderately augmented anti-sheep responses; d) antigens cross-reactive with SRBC at the level of T but not of B cells were effective in priming for anti-S-TNP responses; e) Bordetella pertussis, an adjuvant requiring T cells, was also effective in this system. The possibility that low-dose priming induced quantitative as well as qualitative changes in the T subpopulations required for helper activity (helper and amplifier cells) was discussed.


The diversity of Palpigradi is not evenly distributed among its different branches. The widespread genus Eukoenenia includes 80% of the species, while the other genera are poorly known. Allokoenenia certainly is the most understudied genus because it is represented only by the African species Allokoenenia afra Silvestri, 1913. Its description is short and does not include many features depicted in modern taxonomy of Palpigradi. In this paper, we describe two troglobitic species of Allokoenenia, report the occurrence of a third species represented by an immature specimen from Brazilian caves, and provide brief notes on the morphology of A. afra. Allokoenenia canhembora sp. nov., A. stygia sp. nov., and Allokoenenia sp. differ from A. afra by several morphological features, including more elongated appendages and a greater number of blades on lateral organs. Thus, they are considered troglomorphic. These new species are vulnerable to extinction because they are endemic to a single or few caves directly impacted by mining activities and groundwater exploitation. This study represents the first step for the conservation of these species and their habitats, since Brazilian caves with rare troglobites cannot be irreversibly impacted. Also, it brings important contributions on the distribution and morphology of this enigmatic genus.


Western Europe accounts for more than 40% of Pakistan's export trade. It is therefore natural that Pakistan should watch the movement towards economic and political integration in Western Europe closely. However, Pakistan businessmen have projected a frightful picture of impending trade disruption and gloomy export prospects. But there has really been no systematic attempt in Pakistan to assess the real size of the country's problems in the context of the integration moves in Europe. The present work tries to fill this gap and its purpose is to assess the implications of the E.E.C. for the export trade of Pakistan and export prospects for 1965-70.;The whole study has been divided into three parts. In part one an attempt is made to find out the casual factors at work that can reasonably explain the past trends in the export trade of Pakistan. Part II of this study is devoted to the analysis of Pakistan's major exports to the U.K. and the E.E.C. during 1951-63. Our analysis shows that the establishment of the E.E.C. has not seriously adversely affected Pakistan's exports; and that Pakistan's exports of major primary products to this area declined primarily due to production and export policies of Pakistan. The association of certain African countries with the E.E.C. has also created no serious challenge for Pakistan's exports. However due to high tariffs or other restrictions, Pakistan's exports of manufactured goods to the have not increased significantly.;The third part of this study is devoted to analysis of prospects of Pakistan's exports to the U.K. and the E.E.C. during 1965-70. And it shows that any significant increase in Pakistan's exports to these areas is not possible. This is because the third Five Tear Plan of Pakistan has projected substantial increase in exports of items like jute manufactures, fish, rice and minor manufactured or semimanufactured goods. And exports of such items to the U.K. and the E.E.C. countries is insignificant and even a hundred per cent increase in exports of these items to the U.K. and the E.E.C. during 1965-70 would not substantially affect Pakistan's total foreign exchange earnings from these countries.;Finally it is observed that the U.K.'s entry into the Common Market would adversely affect Pakistan's exports of manufactured goods to this country which at present is an important market for Pakistan's exports of manufactured goods.


Background Although glutamine (GLN) is considered one of the pharmacological preconditioning proteins in cardiac surgeries, there is no consensus in literatures regarding the ideal time of administration. This randomized, double-blinded comparative study compared the effectiveness of GLN administration at two different time points in patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass. Patients and methods A total of 75 patients were randomly distributed into three equal groups: group 1 received GLN for 3 days preoperatively, group 2 received GLN at the day of surgery starting at the induction of anesthesia, whereas group 3, the control group, did not receive GLN. Primary outcome included troponin I and creatine kinase-MB measured at 30 min, 6 h, 24 h, and 48 h after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Secondary outcome included postbypass heart rate, blood pressure, ejection fraction by transesophageal echocardiography, systemic vascular resistance, ventilation time, incidence of arrhythmia and inotrope use, ICU and hospital stay, and mortality rate. The data were analyzed using statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS version 17), including χ2-test for qualitative variables and analysis of variance test for quantitative variables. P value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results There was a significant decrease in troponin I at 6, 24, and 48 h (P=0.03, 0.02, and 0.04, respectively), creatine kinase-MB at 24 and 48 h (P=0.04 and 0.04, respectively), incidence of inotrope usage (P=0.019), incidence of arrhythmias (P=0.02), and ICU stay (P=0.04), whereas significant increase in ejection fraction and blood pressure in GLN-treated groups (groups 1 and 2). The time of administration did not significantly affect the results between group 1 and group 2. Conclusion GLN enhances myocardial protection. The time of administration did not significantly affect the results, so administration at induction of anesthesia is well tolerated and feasible.


In recent years, there has been a move away from the use of static in vitro two-dimensional cell culture models for testing the chemical safety and efficacy of drugs. Such models are increasingly being replaced by more physiologically relevant cell culture systems featuring dynamic flow and/or three-dimensional structures of cells. While it is acknowledged that such systems provide a more realistic environment within which to test drugs, progress is being hindered by a lack of understanding of the physical and chemical environment that the cells are exposed to. Mathematical and computational modelling may be exploited in this regard to unravel the dependency of the cell response on spatio-temporal differences in chemical and mechanical cues, thereby assisting with the understanding and design of these systems. In this paper, we present a mathematical modelling framework that characterizes the fluid flow and solute transport in perfusion bioreactors featuring an inlet and an outlet. To demonstrate the utility of our model, we simulated the fluid dynamics and solute concentration profiles for a variety of different flow rates, inlet solute concentrations and cell types within a specific commercial bioreactor chamber. Our subsequent analysis has elucidated the basic relationship between inlet flow rate and cell surface flow speed, shear stress and solute concentrations, allowing us to derive simple but useful relationships that enable prediction of the behaviour of the system under a variety of experimental conditions, prior to experimentation. We describe how the model may used by experimentalists to define operating parameters for their particular perfusion cell culture systems and highlight some operating conditions that should be avoided. Finally, we critically comment on the limitations of mathematical and computational modelling in this field, and the challenges associated with the adoption of such methods.


The development of rigid covalent chiroptical organic materials, with multiple, readily available redox states, which exhibit high photoluminescence, is of particular importance in relation to both organic electronics and photonics. The chemically stable, thermally robust, and redox-active perylene diimide (PDI) fluorophores have received ever-increasing attention owing to their excellent fluorescence quantum yields in solution. Planar PDI derivatives, however, generally suffer from aggregation-caused emission quenching in the solid state. Herein, we report on the design and synthesis of two chiral isosceles triangles, wherein one PDI fluorophore and two pyromellitic diimide (PMDI) or naphthalene diimide (NDI) units are arranged in a rigid cyclic triangular geometry. The optical, electronic, and magnetic properties of the rigid isosceles triangles are fully characterized by a combination of optical spectroscopies, X-ray diffraction (XRD), cyclic voltammetry, and computational modeling techniques. Single-crystal XRD analysis shows that both isosceles triangles form discrete, nearly cofacial PDI-PDI π-dimers in the solid state. While the triangles exhibit fluorescence quantum yields of almost unity in solution, the dimers in the solid state exhibit very weak-yet at least an order of magnitude higher-excimer fluorescence yield in comparison with the almost completely quenched fluorescence of a reference PDI. The triangle containing both NDI and PDI subunits shows superior intramolecular energy transfer from the lowest excited singlet state of the NDI to that of the PDI subunit. Cyclic voltammetry suggests that both isosceles triangles exhibit multiple, easily accessible, and reversible redox states. Applications beckon in arenas related to molecular optoelectronic devices.


Query refinement can help users find information on the Internet more effectively. This feature has been implemented in a PASS (personalized abstract search services) system, a Web-based, domain-specific search engine for searching abstracts of research papers. The system uses a fuzzy ontology of term associations to support the feature. The ontology is automatically built in two stages using information obtained from the system's collection. A preliminary user study reveals that query refinement is one of the most important features of the system.


This abstract is submitted to address the third area of interest in this stream. The paper will enhance our understanding of identity related conflicts (e.g. Alvesson and Willmott, 2002) particularly in relation to professionals, such as doctors, who become managers. It contributes to an increased understanding of the function of talk in the construction of complex professional identities such as that of 'medical director'. It provides a detailed understanding of how medical directors discursively construct 'management in general', and how they construct their own managerial identity(s) in comparison. In doing this it shows how the participants in this study discursively construct medicine's dominating position in the medical management struggle in the NHS. This is so in spite of the context in which medical directors are exhorted to manage and reduce the divide between medicine and management.

This paper, based on doctoral research, explores how medical directors discursively construct their identity in the challenging context of the National Health Service (NHS). The role of NHS medical manager was created as a hybrid bringing together the conflicting roles of doctor and manager to help overcome medical resistance to management. The medical director, as the most senior doctor-manager, is a board appointment with responsibility for medical affairs. While this is presented as a high status position allowing doctors to take responsibility for managing their institutions, the different demands and identifications could cause conflict between the role of doctor and manager within medical director identity construction.

It will explore the utility of Social Identity Theory (SIT) (Tajfel & Turner, 1986) and Judith Butler's (1999) theory of performativity in understanding the identity experience of medical directors. In utilising these two approaches to understanding identity from different ontological frameworks identities are explored as both enduring and fleeting. In taking a performative perspective with an emphasis on Foucauldian notions of discourse and power, this paper broadens our understanding of professionals and managers from that which focuses on differences in their respective orientations to one which draws attention to the implications of the complex webs of discourse and power on their identity.

 It is argued that both social identity theory and performative identity have theoretical value in understanding medical director identity. The former explains the attractiveness and robust nature of the 'medical identity', and the latter is a useful approach to understanding the experience of 'medical director' as opposed to 'medical doctor' identity. SIT sees identity as a central and unifying concept and it emphasises the social aspect of identity construction through the idea of the group. A performative identity, in contrast, is one which is enacted though language in conversations and interactions and is therefore unstable and temporary rather than stable or self-evident. Viewed from the perspective of Judith Butler (1999) identity is understood as a performative achievement. She defines performativity as the feature of discourse which has the power to produce what it names (Salih, 2002) and her focus is on the power of the discourse to produce and regulate identity. Therefore in interactional terms identity in SIT is focused on group identification while in performativity it is focused on individual interactions. Both SIT and peformativity acknowledge the importance of culture and context but look at these constructs in different ways.

The complex interplay of power and resistance is strongly implicated in an understanding of the identity construction of medical directors. While the hybrid medical manager may be theoretically seen as a new form of engagement (Cohen, et al., 2002) between the two powerful discourses of medicine and management, the identity remains a site in which the struggle between medicine and management is localised. The tensions and contradictions that ensue are managed and exposed in the performance of medical director identity. Through the use of clinical credibility as a tactic of resistance, medical directors retain their identity as doctors and thereby their affiliation with the group identity of medicine. Managerial identity on the other hand is enacted as an instance of performative identity rather than as anything more substantial or stable. The achievement is that medicine simultaneously retains its hegemonic position in the medical management hierarchy and resists the implications of managerialism.

The paper will reveal that the medical director role is ambiguous, that medical identity is robust and that medical management is difficult compared to clinical work. Managerial identity in general is constructed negatively from the perspective of doctors. In authoring their own managerial identity medical directors emphasise the positive intellectual challenges of the role but struggle with relationships with their medical colleagues, particularly those in difficulty. The importance of maintaining clinical credibility is both embraced and contested as a resource which bolsters and maintains medical identity and so distinguishes medical directors from the taint associated with the pejorative managerial identity. Medical directors identify themselves as a bridge between management policies and medical professionalism. However, analysis of this discourse demonstrated the ways in which it might maintain separation and preserve medical uniqueness. In conclusion, while the identity of doctor is best understood through SIT as powerful, desirable and stable, the identity of medical director is seen to be a less stable performative achievement. The hegemonic struggle is localised in the identity of the medical director where the dominant discourse of medicine retains its ascendant status in the very role designed to reduce the divide between medicine and management.

The paper raise doubts about the success of New Public Managment (NPM) and managerialism as an identity project (Du Gay, 1996) in socialising doctors into management and in drawing doctors in to management positions. The results imply that doctors are appropriating aspects of managerialism not as an occasion to engage in management but as an opportunity to preserve the position of doctors. These findings add to our understanding of the management of healthcare and for engaging doctors in the process of change in the NHS.


In mobile environments, packet transmission services suffer from packet losses due to e.g. inadequate received signal quality, or forced by protocols in the signaling domain of the infrastructure of a mobile communications network. To reduce the occurrence of packet losses and, hence, to improve the quality of packet transmission services, such as e.g. the short message service (SMS) deployed in GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) based mobile communications networks, a quantitative analysis of the quality of service (QoS) in the signaling domain is mandatory. For this reason, appropriate QoS parameters are needed. In this communication, the authors propose such QoS parameters and apply them to the SMS in GSM networks. Furthermore, a system framework for QoS monitoring, alerting and reconfiguring an SMS Center is presented. It operates near real-time and, therefore, helps to maintain a high QoS level. Selected monitoring results gathered during real world network operation are presented


Abstract Deceptive practices of poultry input suppliers are partly responsible for inability to meet the consumption of recommended animal protein (35g/person/day). The study examined the prevailing deceptive practices and effects on poultry production in Nigeria. Proportionate random sampling technique was used to select 70 small scale poultry farmers used as respondents. Data were analyzed using percentages and means. The respondents (68.6 %) had a minimum of secondary school education and spent averagely 15.7 years in poultry production. The findings showed that deceptive practices include adulteration of feed ingredients, marketing of under-weighed feeds, lack of proximate analysis of nutrient composition of feeds and use of old bags for packaging. The respondents (81.3 %) agreed that deceptive practices delayed the start of growing period of the fowls. Similarly, 79.5 % and 61 % experienced low meat and egg production, respectively, resulting in expensive animal protein, increased production overheads (83.4 %), lowered returns on investment (90.1 %). The result of hypothesis indicated a positive significant relationship between the level of educational attainment of respondents and ability to identify deceptive practices in poultry production (R = 0.214, P ≤ 0.05) among respondents. Nigerian Institute of Animal Science and other relevant regulatory agencies should have a structure to regulate and award penalties to culpable individuals in these deceptive practices. Extension organizations should educate poultry producers on the concept of deceptive practices and its consequences.


To better understand genetic regulation of differential growth of plant organs, a dominant and semidwarf mutant, constitutive differential growth 1-Dominant (cdg1-D), was isolated utilizing the technique of activation tagging. cdg1-D showed pleiotropic phenotype including dwarfism, exaggerated leaf epinasty, and twisted or spiral growth in hypocotyl, inflorescence stem, and petiole. Hypocotyls of cdg1-D were longer than those of wild type under light conditions. The phenotype was caused by activation tagging of CDG1 gene that encodes a receptor-like cytoplasmic kinase of RLCKVII subfamily. When treated with high concentrations of brassinolide, light-grown wild-type seedlings showed long hypocotyls and strong leaf epinasty as observed in cdg1-D seedlings. Treatment of cdg1-D with brassinazole, a specific inhibitor of brassinosteroid (BR) biosynthesis, did not rescue the mutant phenotype. Gene expression of CONSTITUTIVE PHOTOMORPHOGENESIS AND DWARFISM involved in BR biosynthesis and phyB ACTIVATION-TAGGED SUPPRESSOR1 that inactivates BR was repressed and induced, respectively, in cdg1-D plants, suggesting constitutive activation of BR signaling in the mutant. CDG1 was expressed at a very low level in all the organs of the wild type tested. We isolated two independent intragenic suppressors of cdg1-D. However, they showed normal morphology and responded to BR in a similar manner to wild type. Taken together, CDG1 gene may interfere with signal transduction of BR when overexpressed, but is not an essential factor for it in the wild type.


The problem with zeolite crystals synthesized by conventional methods is that they are extremely small: their size typically varies 2 and 8 µm, To better define the structure of a zeolite, scientists need to grow crystal that are 100 to 1000 times larger. In this work, large crystals zeolite NaX with a uniform size of 50µm were grown by a continuous crystallization method from seed crystals (5-10µm) formed in a mother solution with the 3.5Na2O : Al2O3 : 2.1SiO2 : 1000H2O composition. In order to grow zeolite NaX crystals to an appropriate size by the continuous method, the mother solution was fed into an autoclave a solution with various seed contents (3 - 20wt%); the autoclave has at 90°C and the solution was added after 7, 12, 16, 19 and 24 days or at 100°C after 7 and 9 days.


Cholera toxin has been used as a tool to study the effects of cAMP on the activation of B cells but may have effects independent of its ability to elevate cAMP. We found five lines of evidence which suggested that cholera toxin suppressed mitogen-stimulated B cell activation through a cAMP-independent pathway. 1) Cholera toxin (1 microgram/ml) was consistently more suppressive than forskolin (100 microM) despite the induction of higher intracellular cAMP levels by forskolin. 2) Cholera toxin was more suppressive at 1 microgram/ml than at 0.1 microgram/ml despite equivalent elevations of cAMP. 3) Washing B cells following their incubation with cholera toxin reversed much of the inhibition without altering intracellular cAMP levels. 4) The A subunit of cholera toxin, which at high concentrations (10 micrograms/ml) induced levels of cAMP comparable to those induced by cholera toxin (1 and 0.1 microgram/ml), did not inhibit B cell activation. 5) cAMP derivatives at high concentrations were much less effective than was cholera toxin in suppressing B cell activation. Although the elevation of cAMP may cause a mild inhibition of B cell proliferation, we found that even a marked elevation of cAMP did not suppress B cell proliferation, unless the elevation was persistent. We did, however, observe that the degree of toxin inhibition more closely paralleled binding of the toxin to B cells than toxin stimulation of cAMP. This result raised the possibility that binding of cholera toxin to its ganglioside GM1 receptor mediated an inhibitory signal which suppressed B cell proliferation.


One way to understand the culture of the people is to recognize used concepts in arts and especially their artifacts. These concepts represent in appearances and motifs of these relics. Turkmen are tribes who have used several designs in decorating their arts and crafts. Turkmen women jewelry is considered as remarkable art of this tribe and it not only includes special visual properties but also drawings with broad concepts. The aim of this study is to recognize motifs and the used concepts in Turkmen women jewelry based on finding the roots of motifs in Turkmen culture. Accordingly, based on library data and descriptive analytical and anthropological approaches, the research is going to answer this question that which concepts are existed in the used motifs of Turkmen women jewelry and to what extent it originates from the culture and beliefs of the people? The results of eighty remarkable samples of this art indicate that myths, beliefs, nature and environment of the people and the characteristics of Islamic art are among items which affect the concepts of these motifs as myths and beliefs of this tribe have played a considerable role in creating these motifs.


Several food products, prepared with the help of beneficial microbes, can fit into the current definition of probiotics which have been consumed by mankind since ancient times. Beneficial microbes are the agents that produce many fermented foods and beverages, which are popular in different parts of the world. Indications about the use of products with healthy microbes are given in Vedic literature and are also depicted in ancient Egyptian and European treatises. However, systematic studies on probiotics started after the publication of the book, Prolongation of life, by Eli Metchnikoff in 1907. During the last century, the use of probiotics as food and pharma products gained substantial rise. This review intends to compile and analyze the literature pertaining to the use of probiotics as food products, especially for nutritional enrichment. The review will focus on the key issues important to establishing the requirement to re-assure the efficacy and safety after strain development, process standardization, product formulations, bioavailability of the live cells and biomolecules, and the effect of processing, etc. Current literatures addressing the mechanisms of action for probiotic function and the development of novel probiotic foods with health claims and meeting the nutritional requirement through fermentation are necessary to better understand the product and its application.Keywords: Probiotics, prebiotics, nutritional enrichment, fermented foods, bioavailability, efficacy, regulatory, safety, synbiotic, functional food


Rheocasting of alloys A206 and A201 was investigated in this study. Conical bars with different silver contents were produced using CSIR rheoprocess technology, together with high pressure die casting. The results showed that addition of Ag to alloy A206 increased the mechanical properties of the alloy. However, the addition of Ag also resulted in Cu-rich phases to precipitate at the grain boundaries of the as-cast material. The solution treatment used in this study was unable to dissolve all of this phase, especially in the 1.12%Ag-containing alloy. This resulted in slightly decreased mechanical properties compared to the 0.63%Ag-containing alloy. The T6 mechanical properties (strength and elongation) obtained in this study for rheocast A206 and A201 are better than those reported for permanent mould castings of alloy A206 and A201.


This paper describes a non-tethered flapping robot with resonant-driven wings. We proposed a wing with a thin plate that can be resonated at a low frequency using a small battery mounted on the robot. The thrust force generated by the proposed wings at their resonant frequency was 35 percent larger than that of non-resonant wings. Moreover, the non-tethered robot with four wings was developed for free flight. The phase difference between fore and hind wings was varied from 0 to 180 degrees. The robot with the phase difference of 0 and 90 degrees successfully made a level flight.


Radar, seismic and and wireless communication systems observe waves (hidden in noise) by sensor arrays. Those systems infer the originating (spatially-sparse) set of sources, within a minimum prescribed resolution and with as few sensors as feasible. These requirements lead to under-determined systems of equations. Compressed sensing is an active research field which treats the recovery of a set of sources from an under-determined system of equations exploiting sparsity. Naturally two main questions arise in this context. Firstly, what is the minimum number of equations/sensors for which reconstruction can be guaranteed and secondly, how to achieve efficient reconstruction regarding the sensors' observations? Solutions to the first question provide insights into the design of linear measurements and use quantities like the restricted isometry property or coherence to describe well-behaved matrices, such as equiangular tight frames. Algorithms as answers to the second question mostly rely on the assumption, that the measurements were made in accordance to the reconstruction guarantees. Suppose that one has to work with existing data acquisition systems, the measurement matrix is given a priori and algorithms studied under too idealistic assumptions are prone to failure. This thesis shows that well known greedy algorithms like orthogonal matching pursuit are not suited for array processing problems. We devise an algorithm based on the generalized Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO), which is a penalized least squares problem. The heuristically chosen `1 penalty term ensures strict convexity and that strong duality holds. The corresponding dual problem is interpretable as a weighted conventional beamformer acting on the residuals of the LASSO. Based on physical insights provided by the dual problem's solution, three procedures for single snapshot reconstruction and one for sequential online reconstruction are proposed and analysed. The sequential procedure assumes a weighted Laplace-like prior for the sources such that the maximum a posteriori source estimate at the current time step is the solution to a generalized LASSO problem. For the sequential implementation, the posterior distribution is fitted to the Laplace-like density by use of the dual solution.


Tin dioxide (SnO2) thin films are deposited by the dip-coating technique from colloidal suspensions prepared with distinct pH through the sol-gel method. The decrease of the pH contributes to the destruction of an electrical layer adjacent to particles in solution, leading to a high degree of aggregation among these particles due to the generation of cross-linked bonds (Sn-O-Sn) between them. The aggregation affects the electrical properties of films, because the pH variation produces particle with distinct sizes in the film. Undoped samples prepared from pH 6 leads to the highest conductivity among the investigated undoped samples, in agreement with X-ray diffractograms, which indicate higher crystallinity for lower pH. Arrhenius plot evaluated from temperature dependent conductivity data leads to activation energies of the deepest level between 67 to 140 meV, for the films prepared from suspensions with pH 6 to 11. The most probable explanation for this variation in the conductivity and activation energy is related to distinct potential barriers between grains, due to distinct packing caused by cross-linked bonds formed during suspension phase. Characterization of samples lightly doped with Er3+ confirms that acid pH leads to higher conductivity, but the highest conduction takes place at even lower pH when compared to undoped thin films.


Wood formation is a complex process composing many biological events. To access its key developmental stages, we have established a regeneration system that can mimic the initiation and differentiation of cambium cells for Chinese white poplar. Anatomical studies showed that new cambium and xylem re‐appeared in sequence within a few weeks after being debarked. This provides the opportunity to follow key stages of wood formation by sampling clonal trees at different regeneration times. We used this system in combination with a proteomic approach to analyze proteins expressed in different regeneration stages. PMFs for 244 proteins differentially displayed were obtained and queried against public databases. Putative functions of 199 of these proteins were assigned and classified. Regulatory genes for cell cycle progression, differentiation and cell fate were expressed in the formation of cambial tissue, while 27 genes involved in secondary wall formation were predominantly found in the xylem developing stage. This indicates that the change of gene expression pattern is corresponding to the progression of second vascular system regeneration when and where the key events of wood development occur. Further exploration of these interesting genes may provide insight into the molecular mechanisms of wood formation.


Due to the globalization of the economy, there has been great competition in the business sector. The basic human desire to challenge new limits and capture as much market as it is possible has given a new dimension to the concept of marketing - brand positioning. To position a brand requires making choices; whereas having a position means people will prefer a brand over another. A brand can be positioned in several ways: offering a specific benefit, targeting a specific segment, price or distribution. Despite the fact that positioning is considered by both academics and practitioners to be one of the key elements of modern marketing management, it is surprising to uncover general paucity of consumers/customers derived studies regarding brand positioning strategies. This article analyzes the market position held by a competitive set of brands in the hair oil market through a comparison of cognitive and conative perceptions. Cognition will be identified by trailing a factor analytic adaptation of importance performance analysis. In turn, conation will be gauged by stated intent of the consumers to purchase the hair oil brands under study. The alignment of the results from these techniques will help in identifying the position of leadership held by a brand in the hair oil market. The marketers, in order to strategically place their brands in today's competitive market, need to identify the attributes on which they need to focus and those of paramount importance for the consumers. This method of positioning analysis offers a practical means for present-day marketers faced with the challenge of identifying one or few brands from their diverse and multi-attributed brand range that could be developed to differentiate their brand in a meaningful way to consumers.


In this paper, we propose novel deep learning based algorithms for multiple sound source localization. Specifically, we aim to find the 2D Cartesian coordinates of multiple sound sources in an enclosed environment by using multiple microphone arrays. To this end, we use an encoding-decoding architecture and propose two improvements on it to accomplish the task. In addition, we also propose two novel localization representations which increase the accuracy. Lastly, new metrics are developed relying on resolution-based multiple source association which enables us to evaluate and compare different localization approaches. We tested our method on both synthetic and real world data. The results show that our method improves upon the previous baseline approach for this problem.


One of eighteen timeless classics for independent student reading and preparation for mainstream classrooms. Also thematically linked to core series such as Visions.


: In a patient presenting with a soft tissue tumor, radiographs are needed to visualize or exclude osseous involvement. Ultrasound can be used to visualize the lesion for cytologic biopsy. If cytology does not rule out sarcoma, magnetic resonance imaging is indicated to stage the lesion. As a rule staging studies other than MR imaging are not needed to evaluate the local situation. Usually MR imaging does not assist in suggesting a specific diagnosis. In certain instances, however, morphology or the presence of high signal intensity on T1, or low signal intensity on T2-weighted images increases specificity. Thick needle biopsy or open biopsy should be performed following MR imaging. This reduces sample errors and increases the accuracy of preoperative staging.


In this paper, we develop a decision theoretic approach for radar waveform design to maximize the joint radar communications performance in spectral coexistence. Specifically, we develop an adaptive waveform design approach by posing the design problem as a partially observable Markov decision process (POMDP), which leads to a hard optimization problem. We extend an approximate dynamic programming approach called nominal belief-state optimization to solve the waveform design problem. We perform a numerical study to compare the performance of the proposed POMDP approach with the commonly used myopic approaches.


This is certainly a useful book for selective revision of pharmacology. Naturally it assumes that the reader has studied pharmacology on a course or from fuller texts in the past. It would be very difficult and confusing to try to learn pharmacology first time round from such a book-but that is not its purpose. Although the introduction implies that it is rather medical exam-orientated it could, as suggested in the preface, be helpful in some sections to students of pharmacology other than medical students. There are some very good tables and figures for rapid revision: for example, on mediators of inflammation, prostaglandins, drug-induced extrapyramidal syndromes, drug action in asthma, antithyroid drugs and drugs on gastric secretion. For a notoriously difficult area of pharmacology, the CNS section is generally very good and easy to revise from. Surprisingly, the authors are inconsistent in referring sometimes to adrenergic receptors and sometimes to adrenoceptors (which they probably expect their candidates to call them). Between different chapters there is some variation in the amount of detail included; in some parts it seemed to me the amount of bio-


There is a growing appreciation that the direct interaction between bacteriophages and the mammalian host can facilitate diverse and unexplored symbioses. Yet the impact these bacteriophages may have on mammalian cellular and immunological processes is poorly understood. Here, we applied highly purified phage T4, free from bacterial by-products and endotoxins to mammalian cells and analyzed the cellular responses using luciferase reporter and antibody microarray assays. Phage preparations were applied in vitro to either A549 lung epithelial cells, MDCK-I kidney cells, or primary mouse bone marrow derived macrophages with the phage-free supernatant serving as a comparative control. Highly purified T4 phages were rapidly internalized by mammalian cells and accumulated within macropinosomes but did not activate the inflammatory DNA response TLR9 or cGAS-STING pathways. Following 8 hours of incubation with T4 phage, whole cell lysates were analyzed via antibody microarray that detected expression and phosphorylation levels of human signaling proteins. T4 phage application led to the activation of AKT-dependent pathways, resulting in an increase in cell metabolism, survival, and actin reorganization, the last being critical for macropinocytosis and potentially regulating a positive feedback loop to drive further phage internalization. T4 phages additionally down-regulated CDK1 and its downstream effectors, leading to an inhibition of cell cycle progression and an increase in cellular growth through a prolonged G1 phase. These interactions demonstrate that highly purified T4 phages do not activate DNA-mediated inflammatory pathways but do trigger protein phosphorylation cascades that promote cellular growth and survival. We conclude that mammalian cells are internalizing bacteriophages as a resource to promote cellular growth and metabolism.


Iron chelators have recently attracted interest in the field of photodynamic therapy (PDT) owing to their role in enhancement of intracellular protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) generation induced by 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) via the biosynthetic heme cycle. Although ALA is widely used in PDT, cellular uptake of ALA is limited by its hydrophilicity. In order to improve ALA delivery and enhance the PpIX production, several dendrimers incorporating both ALA and 3-hydroxy-4-pyridinone (HPO) were synthesized. The ability of the dendrimers to enter cells and be metabolized to the PpIX photosensitizer was studied in several human cancer cell lines. The dendrimers were found to be significantly more efficient than ALA alone in PpIX production. The higher intracellular PpIX levels showed a clear correlation with enhanced cellular phototoxicity following light exposure. Dendritic derivatives are therefore capable of efficiently delivering both ALA and HPO, which act synergistically to amplify in vitro PpIX levels and enhance PDT efficacy.


ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of glyphosate, 2,4-D, and diquat to control the aquatic macrophytes Brachiaria subquadripara, Hedychium coronarium, and Myriophyllum aquaticum under greenhouse conditions. The following herbicides and doses were used: glyphosate at 240, 720, 1,680, 2,640, 3,600, and 4,320 g a.e. ha-1, 2,4-D at 335, 1,005, 1,675, 2,345, and 3,015 g a.e. ha-1, diquat at 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, and 600 g a.i. ha-1, and a control with 10 replications. Sprayings were applied with a CO2-pressurized backpack sprayer at a constant pressure of 172.36 KPa, tips DG 11002, and spray solution consumption of 200 L ha-1. The effectiveness of control was evaluated visually at 3, 7, 15, 21, 30, 45, and 60 days after application (DAA) and dry matter accumulation at 60 DAA. Glyphosate promoted the best effectiveness, with 100% control of B. subquadripara, with no dry matter accumulation from 720 g a.e. ha-1. The herbicide 2,4-D presented the best control for M. aquaticum with 100% control from 1,209 g a.e. ha-1, and for H. coronarium with 99% control from 2.015 g a.e. ha-1, both doses with no dry matter accumulation. The diquat was not effective in controlling the plants of M. aquaticum and B. subquadripara, besides allowing resprouts.


The brain remains the most complex organ within the mammalian body with an immense capacity for plasticity and change throughout an individual's life history. This review examines brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and endocannabinoid (eCB) signalling cross-talk within a variety of neurodevelopmental, genic, and plastic processes that occur in the brain. The action of eCB and BDNF cross-talk in embryonic and adult neurogenesis is a bidirectional dynamic process of high complexity that facilitates neural proliferation, differentiation, spatial development, synaptic development, and programmed cell death events. The coupled action of BDNF eCB signalling serves as a functional regulator of neuroplasticity, modulating synaptic signalling strength within both inhibitory and excitatory neurons. This also regulates long-term potentiation and long-term depression processes, which play important roles in the neurobiology of learning and memory. Understanding BDNF and eCB signalling has the potential to offer new insights into brain function and develop novel therapeutic treatment for psychiatric disorders, neurodegenerative disorders, and brain injury recovery.


Before I tell you what happened to in 2002...Do you know the history behind this? Do you understand the origins, how all this started?" To the majority of residents living in the city of Rajkot in the state of Gujarat, India the 2002 riots are comprehensible only as addendums to a kind of perennial Hindu-Muslim communal conflict that they describe as having waged for "many years" in the region. But, the central ambiguity to decipher is this term "many years." While it might seem as if residents are referring to a historically significant time period beginning in the medieval ages and concluding now, within minutes of interviewing them, regardless of their gender, class, age or religion, it becomes clear that even ancient history to them is in fact the history of India's independence. The term "many years" is specifically referring to a fairly recent 1990's decade of violent Hindu-Muslim relations, sparked by destruction of the Ayodhya mosque in 2002. This raises the logical question: so why is no one talking about preindependence Hindu-Muslim relations? The answer to this question becomes fairly evident from interviews. If a Rajkot resident is asked specifically about the earliest pre-independence history of Hindu and Muslims relations in Gujarat, the response if given, usually by an older male Hindu resident2, focuses on tale of the Mahmud of Ghazni and his destruction of the Hindu temple at Somanatha. A very general discussion of undefined or dateless instances of "Muslim" capture and torture of Hindu kings and residents follows. Rarely is the distinction of Mahmad of Gazni as a Turkish versus Arabian ruler mentioned. Rarely is the distinction between oppressive Muslim political ruler and oppressive Muslim general citizen made. Comments 2007-2008 Penn Humanities Forum on Origins, Undergraduate Mellon Research Fellows. URL: http://humanities.sas.upenn.edu/07-08/uhf_fellows.shtml This presentation is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/uhf_2008/2


Concerns about body shape are common among young women in Western cultures, and, in an extreme form, they constitute a central feature of the eating disorders anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. To date there has been no satisfactory measure of such concerns. A self-report instrument, the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ) has therefore been developed. The items that constitute this measure were derived by conducting semistructured interviews with various groups of women including patients with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. The BSQ has been administered to three samples of young women in the community as well as to a group of patients with bulimia nervosa. The concurrent and discriminant validity of the measure have been shown to be good. The BSQ provides a means of investigating the role of concerns about body shape in the development, maintenance, and treatment of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.


In this paper, a polymer-based composite material was prepared by hand Lay-up method consisting of epoxy resin as a base material filled with by magnesium oxide powder once and silicon dioxide powder again and with different weight ratios (3%, 6%, 9%, 12%). The three-point bending test was performed in normal conditions and after immersion in sulfuric acid. The results showed that the bending value decreased with the increase of the weighted ratio of the filled nano powder (MgO, SiO2) .The Bending of samples filled with by SiO2 was found to be less than the bending of samples filled with by particles (MgO), the bending of the SiO2 sample (0.32mm) at the weighted ratio (3%) and for the MgO (0.18mm) sample at the weight ratio were the same at the same weighted load (100 g). It was found that the bending values of all samples exceeded the value after immersion in sulfuric acid. The percentage of weight (6%) at the load level (500 g) was changed from 1.16mm in normal conditions to 1.48mm for the same weight ratio after immersion. In sulfuric acid diluted with 0.3N for 10 days at the same Applied load.


This evaluation is presented as part of the Effectiveness Review Series 2016/17, selected for review under the women's empowerment thematic area. The evaluation took place in November 2016 in Tunisia, and intended to evaluate the success of the 'AMAL: Supporting Women's Transformative Leadership' project in increasing women's empowerment. The project 'AMAL: Supporting Women's Transformative Leadership' is a multi-country programme operating in Morocco, Tunisia, the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Yemen, with regional coordination from Lebanon. The results coming from this Effectiveness Review are not meant to be indicative of the overall impact of AMAL, but more a focused assessment for the Tunisia component. The AMAL project operating in Tunisia started in 2012, following the revolution of 2011, with the objective to increase women's awareness of their political and socio-economic rights, and support women to play a more active role in the political and socio-economic life of their community and country.


The rights of minority shareholders have been a recurring and dominant theme in corporate law. This is because such rights do not only allow minority shareholders to protect their individual and corporate interests, but also serve as a veritable instrument through which they enforce directors' fiduciary duties. This article examines shareholder derivative litigation under the United Kingdom (UK) and Nigerian laws. It argues that although derivative suits in both countries have common law origin, comparatively the UK laws have more flexible, liberalized and expansive rules that enhance and protect the rights and interests of the company and minority shareholders than the Nigerian laws. It further argues that the UK laws confer wider powers and standards on courts to regulate the procedure for derivative suits than the Nigerian legal regime. It recommends that the Nigerian law should be reformed along the lines of the UK regime, albeit with retention of various extant provisions that enhance the rights of minority shareholders. The article proceeds in four major sections. Section 1 examines the distinctive features and meaning of derivative action. Section 2 discusses the advantages and disadvantages of derivative suits. Section 3 makes a comparative analysis of derivative suits under the UK and Nigerian laws using the major legal principles and procedures in both jurisdictions. Section 4 concludes the article.


The cells of the purple nonsulfur bacterium Rhodopseudomonas palustris, Nakamura strain, are capable of oxidizing thiosulfate and sulfide both under the anaerobic conditions in the light and under the aerobic conditions in the dark. Regardless of the presence of thiosulfate in the medium, the cells contain thiosulfate reductase, rodanase, thiosulfate oxidase, and sulfite oxidase. However, the capability to oxidize thiosulfate and sulfide is induced in Rh. palustris after the cells have been incubated in the presence of thiosulfate for 2--4 hours. The process of induction is related to the synthesis of protein components. Decomposition of thiosulfate in Rh. palustris when its concentration in the medium is low (2--5 mM) is accompanied with the formation of an equimolar quantity of sulfate. When the concentration of thiosulfate is higher (10--20 mM), the products of its oxidation are tetrathionate and sulfate. Therefore, the metabolic pathway of thiosulfate in Rh. palustris depends on its concentration in the medium.


Scalable cluster analysis addresses the problem of processing large data sets with limited resources, e.g., memory and computation time. A data summarization or sampling procedure is an essential step of most scalable algorithms. It forms a compact representation of the data. Based on it, traditional clustering algorithms can process large data sets efficiently. However, there is little work on how to effectively perform cluster analysis on data summaries. From the principle of the general expectation-maximization algorithm, we propose a model-based clustering algorithm to make better use of these data summaries in this paper. The proposed EMACF (Expectation-Maximization Algorithm on Clustering Features) algorithm employs data summary features including weight, mean, and variance explicitly. We prove that EMACF converges to a local maximum likelihood value. The computation time of EMACF is linear with the number of data summaries instead of the number of data items, and thus can be integrated with any efficient data summarization procedure to construct a scalable clustering algorithm.


Techniques for coordinate changes that depend on both dependent and independent variables are developed and applied to the Maxwell-Vlasov Hamiltonian theory. Particle coordinate changes with a new velocity variable dependent on the magnetic field, with spatial coordinates unchanged, are lifted to transform the noncanonical Poisson bracket and, thus, the field Hamiltonian structure of the Vlasov-Maxwell equation. Several examples are given including magnetic coordinates, where the velocity is decomposed into components parallel and perpendicular to the local magnetic field, and the case of spherical velocity coordinates. An example of the lifting procedure is performed to obtain a simplified version of gyrokinetics, where the magnetic moment is used as a coordinate and the dynamics is reduced by elimination of the electric field energy in the Hamiltonian.


: The azoles are the most widely used antifungal drugs. Their target ERG-11 and its downstream protein ERG-5 play significant roles in resistance to the azoles. Both of them belong to the cytochrome P450 family proteins. Except them, there are many other P450 family proteins, but their contribution to fungal drug-resistance is not clear. In this research, we analyzed the effects of cytochrome P450 family proteins on fungal drug-resistance to azoles using the model filamentous fungus N. crassa as research material. Through the azole susceptibility test to the knockout mutants of 18 P450 family proteins including ERG-5, we found that the other 17 P450 family proteins except ERG-5, have the similar susceptibility to azole drugs to the wild-type. Furthermore, we determined the sensitivity of these knockout mutants to benzoic acid, and screened a sensitive mutant to that drug. The corresponding gene (NCU08128) encodes a phenyl-4-monooxygenase.We further analyzed the possible mechanism of the sensitivity of this gene to benzoic acid. We confirmed the roles of the other cytochrome P450 family proteins except ERG-11 and ERG-5in fungal resistance to azole drugs, using the model filamentous fungus N. crassaas research material. The above researches enriched the drug resistance mechanism of filamentous fungi and provided new targets for the development of novel antifungal drugs.