Transferrin, the transferrin receptor, and ferritin are integral to the body's management of iron, an element required for life but highly toxic when present in excess. The transferrin receptor and ferritin are regulated posttranscriptionally by iron: the transferrin receptor by mRNA stability and ferritin by mRNA translation. Results described here indicate that transferrin, like ferritin, is regulated by iron at the level of translation. Chimeric genes introduced into the mouse genome were composed of the human transferrin 5' regulatory region fused to the chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) reporter gene. Iron administration to transgenic mice resulted in a significant decrease of transferrin-directed CAT enzyme activity and CAT protein in liver, but no significant decrease in human transferrin-CAT mRNA levels. Binding of specific RNA iron regulatory elements by proteins in cytoplasmic extracts have been shown to regulate ferritin and transferrin receptor synthesis. Similar results have been obtained with transferrin mRNA. A decreased binding of human transferrin 5'-untranslated region RNA by factors in cytoplasmic extracts of livers from mice receiving iron was found when compared to extracts from control mice. A human transferrin RNA-protein complex migrated electrophoretically with the same mobility as a ferritin iron responsive element RNA-iron responsive element binding protein complex. The ferritin iron responsive element RNA also competed with the human transferrin 5'-untranslated region RNA-protein complexes formed and vice versa. Therefore, iron modulation of human transferrin may share a factor common or similar to that observed in ferritin and transferrin receptor iron modulation.


BACKGROUND
Previous studies have provided evidence that clinical levels of propofol alter the functions of voltage-dependent sodium channels, thereby inhibiting synaptic release of glutamate. However, most of these experiments were conducted in the presence of sodium-channel activators, which alter channel inactivation. This study electrophysiologically characterized the interactions of propofol with unmodified sodium channels.

METHODS
Sodium currents were measured using whole-cell patch-clamp recordings of rat brain IIa sodium channels expressed in a stably transfected Chinese hamster ovary cell line. Standard electrophysiologic protocols were used to record sodium currents in the presence or absence of externally applied propofol.

RESULTS
Propofol, at concentrations achieved clinically in the brain, significantly altered sodium channel currents by two mechanisms: a voltage-independent block of peak currents and a concentration-dependent shift in steady-state inactivation to hyperpolarized potentials, leading to a voltage dependence of current suppression. The two effects combined to give an apparent concentration yielding a half-maximal inhibitory effect of 10 microM near the threshold potential of action potential firing (about -60 mV). Propofol inhibition was also use-dependent, causing a further block of sodium currents at these anesthetic concentrations.

CONCLUSIONS
In these experiments with pharmacologically unaltered sodium channels, propofol inhibition of currents occurred at concentrations about eight-fold above clinical plasma levels and thus at brain concentrations reached during clinical anesthesia. Therefore, the results indicate a possible role for sodium-channel suppression in propofol anesthesia.


Abstract The anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) technique is a rapid petrophysical method used to infer magma flow directions within dykes as well as other igneous intrusions. Samples for AMS study were collected from dykes along the upper part of the NE Rift Zone (NERZ) of Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. Of the analysed dykes, 28 have interpretable normal magnetic fabrics. These 28 dykes are therefore suitable to assess the magma flow direction using the imbrication of the magnetic foliation plane from paired dyke margins and/or the overall trend and plunge of the magnetic lineations. AMS fabrics show downwards and upwards flow that could be related to flank and summit eruptions. Overall, however, the direction and sense of magma flow does not follow a specific trend across the NERZ, suggesting that the dykes are supplied by local shallow-level reservoir(s) underneath the ridge or are responding to variations in the local stress field across the axis of the rift zone. The variability of the AMS fabrics suggests a rather complicated propagation mode of magma within the dykes of the NERZ, contrasting with the common assumption of uniform magma propagation within rift zones. Our data therefore support the notion that magma propagation beneath active volcanic systems is inherently more complex than simple subvertical flow from source to final emplacement level, which bears on volcanic hazards worldwide.


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This study reports a comparison study between perceived importance and actual practice of guidelines for chat reference service among academic librarians. Behavioral Performance of Reference and Information Service published by the Reference and User Service Association (RUSA) was used in the development of the survey instrument. The study employed a quantitative approach to address the following research objectives: i) to determine academic librarians' perceived importance and current practices of behavioral performance in the interaction during the chat reference service; and ii) to assess the association between academic librarians' perceived importance and actual practices of behavioral performance in the interaction during the chat reference service. A survey was administered to 92 librarians from six academic libraries in Malaysia which providing chat reference service to their users. A response rate of 84.8 percent was achieved resulting in 78 usable questionnaires to be analysed. The finding in general demonstrates majority of the respondents rated their perceived importance higher than actual practices. The mean gap difference between perceived importants of RUSA guideline and the level of practices among librarians is beneficial to identify areas in chat reference services that need improvement. The finding could provide an empirical benchmark for evaluating chat reference services.


for the development of any neurotoxicity, and also that hyperbilirubinaemia is a contributory factor. The controversy over absorption of HCP through the skin and central nervous system toxicology should be placed in proper perspective and, as pointed out in your leading article, "the reasonable conclusion seems to be that . . . the data on treatment and blood level in neonates are so heterogeneous that they should be taken only as a general indicator and that blood concentrations in animals are a poor guide to those in man." After almost seven years of regulatory restriction one has yet to see any major deleterious effect when HCP is used in the recommended way. It is interesting to note that in Victoria, Australia, the Executive Committee of the National Health and Medical Research Council has recommended that HCP be removed from its restricted status and placed in a freely available category.


Computed tomography (CT) of the chest provides important information toward the diagnosis of drug-induced lung disease. CTs ability to demonstrate subtle parenchymal and pleural changes, small nodules, and adenopathy is valuable in the early detection of drug-related reactions. CT is also of value in monitoring the appearance, progression, and resolution of pulmonary damage in patients receiving potentially toxic drugs. The CT appearances of specific drug reactions are reviewed, including the spectrum of CT findings in bleomycin toxicity and amiodarone-induced lung disease.


The objective of this practice-based master's research project is to explore how theory on photography, communication, and mythology can be illustrated by the format, layout, and design of a 120 page alternative fashion publication in such a way that it provides insight into the relationship between mythology and the fashion image and an alternative perspective on the fashion image that goes beyond profit-driven motives. This project explores methods of collaboration and creativity by appropriating various works, personal projects, and those of contributors and collecting them into one context: The Phoenix publication. The methods of appropriation, détournement, meta and corpse exquisite are used in the creation of this project in terms of individual submissions, layout, formatting, and the understanding of the publication as a whole.


Mesoamerican food agriculture is defi ned by the milpa cropping system, consisting of maize (Zea mays L.), common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), and squash (Cucurbita spp.). In recent years, a domestication center for maize has been proposed in the Balsas River basin in west-central Mexico, raising the question whether the Balsas basin was also the center of origin for Mesoamerican food agriculture in general. We conducted a survey of genetic diversity for 26 microsatellite markers in a representative sample of 155 wild and domesticated common bean from its Mesoamerican gene pool. Microsatellite diversity was analyzed with STRUCTURE, neighbor-joining tree construction, and principal coordinate analysis. Most Mesoamerican domesticated accessions clustered in a single group, suggesting a single domestication. Furthermore, the most closely related wild beans to the domesticated clade originated from a restricted region in the Rio Lerma–Rio Grande de Santiago basin in west-central Mexico, distinct from the Balsas basin. Although wild maize and Phaseolus beans grow together in the wild, they appear to have been domesticated in different regions to be reunited later on in a single cropping system. Crop domestications in Mesoamerica may therefore have a diffuse rather than a single geographic origin. Archaeological and ecological investigations into the origins of agriculture should be refocused from the arid eastern half of Mexico to the west-central part of the country.


Advances in two techniques have made the problem of assessing the acute and/or chronic effects of toxic agents on Leydig cell structure and testosterone synthesis and secretion amenable to study. First, in vitro testicular perfusion has been perfected to a point where it closely resembles in situ testosterone secretion. Second, now it is possible to quantify the proportion of Leydig cell cytoplasm occupied by the cellular organelles which contain steroidogenic enzymes. Herein, we report that inhibition of Leydig cell steroidogenic enzymes is reflected by reduced testosterone secretion by in vitro perfused rat and rabbit testes. Moreover, the activity of specific steroidogenic reactions can be monitored by measuring the secretion of reaction substrate(s) and product(s) from in vitro perfused testes. Testosterone secretion by in vitro perfused testes from five species is highly and positively correlated with the volume density of smooth endoplasmic reticulum in Leydig cell cytoplasm. Exploitation of these findings will allow toxicologists to quantitatively assess the effect of toxicants on Leydig cell testosterone biosynthesis and secretion, to identify the specific steroidogenic enzymes affected, to assess whether the membranous environment of the steroidogenic enzymes is compromised, and perhaps even to predict the deleterious effect of a toxic agent on Leydig cell steroidogenic function from a stereological assessment of Leydig cell ultrastructure.


Background --The worldwide practice in cardiac surgery regarding blood transfusion is towards a more conservative approach. The aim of the present study is to compare the postoperative outcome in terms of mortality and duration of mechanical ventilation among patients undergoing first-time CABG using the STS Guidelines' threshold in transfusion and the current practice at PHC. Methods --All adult patients aged 18-65 years undergoing elective cardiac surgery including aortocoronary bypass, heart valve replacement and correction of congenital cardiac anomaly at the Philippine Heart Center starting September 2008 until August 2009 were included in the study. Patients were randomized to Group 1, Restricted group and Group 2, Liberal group. Decisions regarding intraoperative and post-operative blood transfusion for the Liberal group were made by the attending surgeon and anesthesiologist. For the Restricted Group, decisions on blood transfusion were based on the STS Guidelines that is packed red cells will only be transfused for hemoglobin values less than 7 gm/dl. Postoperative outcome in terms of duration of mechanical ventilation and mortality were evaluated. Results --A total of 71 patients were enrolled in the study. Thirty-four were randomly assigned to the restricted transfusion group and 37 to the liberal transfusion group. The average age of patients included in the restricted group was 44 years while patients of the liberal group had an average age of 47 years. Pre-operative factors were homogenous for both groups. Preoperative hemoglobin and hematocrit values were significantly higher for the restricted group. The amount of packed red cells transfused was significantly higher in the liberal group, 2.35 ± .53 units, compared to the restricted group, 0.18 ± 0.75 units. (p-value = 0.00.) Comparison of mediastinal drainage revealed lesser amount in the restricted group, 132.21 ± 63.10 ml, than the liberal group, 195.27 ± 81.10 ml (p-value= 0.01). Duration of mechanical ventilation was shorter among the restricted group with only 14.7% requiring >48 hours of MV compared to 43.24% for the liberal group (p value=0.18). Mediastinal chest tubes were removed earlier in the restricted group with only 11.76% having CT >48 hours compared to 45.94% patients in the liberal group, (p value=0.00). Other outcome variables such as post-op dialysis, inotropic support >48hrs, sepsis, arrhythmia and hospital stay was not different for both groups. No mortality was recorded for both groups. Conclusion --Adherence to the STS Guideline recommendation of 7gm/dL cut-off for PRBC transfusion may benefit the patient in terms of lesser mediastinal drainage, shorter duration of mechanical ventilation and earlier removal of chest tubes. No mortality was noted for both groups. Phil Heart Center J 2012; 16(2):47-54


Background Medical school often marginalises team -working skills acquisition. The aim of this study was to observe and improve team-working behaviours of final year medical students in an immersive simulated ward environment. Methodology A 22 bedded ward was configured in our Simulation Centre incorporating high-fidelity simulators, patient simulators and task trainer, nursing and telephone support. 227 students were split into three clinical teams (of 6 or 7) over 12 sessions. Following consultant led handover, students were asked to manage the ward in their teams. During the simulation additional tasks were requested eg. phone calls from relatives, acting on abnormal results and having to review sick patients. Students were observed by faculty members and a comprehensive debriefing was undertaken. Faculty and simulator debriefing focus groups were undertaken. Outcome Faculty debriefing focus groups identified a number of common themes in student behaviours; there was wide variability in the ability to form teams. Students lacked insight into the need to prioritise tasks based on clinical need and frequently overburdened the nursing staff with inappropriate requests. The faculty reflected that the themes emerged were a number of challenges that doctors normally face when they initially start their clinical practice. The faculty debrief identified the following areas for improvement; smaller group size, modifying ratio of simulators to mannequins and additional aspects to focus on within the initial student briefing to minimise simulation artefact. Conclusions Mixed modality simulations have the potential to improve the transition into clinical practice as a FY1 doctor and in our experience combining multiple different scenarios in real-time with parallel teams of students produced an informative and highly productive simulation. Reference Weller Jennifer M. "Simulation In Undergraduate Medical Education: Bridging The Gap Between Theory And Practice". Med Educ 2004;38(1):32–38.


Educational activities cannot avoid the issue of value. The research on "new basic education" also discusses contemporary Chinese social development and educational values reform. This article proposes to rebuild classroom teaching values. This value's core concept is: the current value of classroom teaching in China's primary education needs to be transformed from a single transmission of ready-made knowledge presented in textbooks to a generation that can actively and healthy development in contemporary society. Its primary contents are: expand the rich educational value of subjects; reorganize the teaching content according to the realization of the educational value; comprehensively design flexible teaching content. Best Evidence in Chinese Education 2021; 8(2):1131-1141. Doi: 10.15354/bece.21.cr02. How to Cite: Ye, L. (2021). Rebuild classroom teaching values. Best Evidence in Chinese Education, 8(2):1131-1141.


textabstractThis addition to the literature on the European Commission constitutes a contribution to studies of the post-Santer Commission. The book takes the bureaucratic autonomy literature as a theoretical basis (Chapter 2) and rests empirically on a survey of nearly 200 top Commission officials (Chapter 3). In both aspects, the book can be characterized as a trend-follower rather than a trend-setter: Theoretically, it sets forth the trend of the public administration turn in EU studies (Trondal 2007); empirically, the study not only rests on the assumptions of Hooghe's (2001) study of the Commission but also studies the same group of management-level Commission officials, albeit the population 10 years later.


The design and analysis of the embedded capacitor and inductor based on organic substrate are discussed in this paper. Two structures of capacitor are designed in order to get the desirable capacitance value. The Vertically-Interdigitated-Capacitor (VIC) has higher capacitance value than Mental-Insulator-Mental (MIM) structure. For the embedded inductor, the factors affecting Q include skin effect, loss of substrate, leakage of magnetic line and offset of magnetic line. In the paper the effect of substrate and leakage of magnetic line will be discussed. The results show that the leakage of magnetic line affects Q value, but not the most important factor.


Members of extremely halophilic archaea, currently consisting of more than 56 genera and 216 species, are known to produce their specific bacteriocin-like peptides and proteins called halocins, synthesized by the ribosomal pathway. Halocins are diverse in size, consisting of proteins as large as 35 kDa and peptide "microhalocins" as small as 3.6 kDa. Today, about fifteen halocins have been described and only three genes, halC8, halS8 and halH4, coding C8, S8 and H4 halocins respectively have been identified. In this study, a total of 1858 of complete and nearly complete genome sequences of Halobacteria class members were retrieved from the IMG and Genbank databases and then screened for halocin encoding gene content, based on the BLASTP algorithm. A total of 61 amino acid sequences belonging to three halocins classes (C8, HalH4 and S8) were identified within 15 genera with the abundance of C8 class. Phylogenetic analysis based on amino acids sequences showed a clear segregation of the three halocins classes. Halocin S8 was phylogenetically more close to HalH4. No clear segregation on species and genera levels was observed based on halocin C8 analysiscontrary to HalH4 based analysis. Collectively, these results give an overview on halocins diversity within halophilic archaea which can open new research topics that will shed light on halocins as marker for haloarchaeal phylogentic delineation.


This research investigates the impact of collaborative work between an Educational Psychologist (EP) and teaching assistants (TAs) delivering a wave 3 National Numeracy Strategy (NNS) intervention. The aim was to decipher whether EPs can play a distinctive role in addressing the stubborn and significant tail of underachievement in numeracy and, indirectly, the associated risks to an individual?s life opportunities, health, employability and social cohesion by providing consultative support for TAs. A multiple case study approach was adopted involving three case studies, each comprising one TA and three underachieving children, at different schools in the North of England. The EP modelled the use of the wave 3 NNS materials and supported/trained TAs in delivering this and other jointly agreed input over one academic term. Initial consultations were held with TAs to explore their experiences of mathematics and delivering numeracy interventions. Thereafter, joint planning and discussions took place on a fortnightly basis to identify what was working well and what input from an EP may be of use; EP input was provided as and when appropriate. Outcomes from the research were assessed using a standardized numeracy test, attitude questionnaires completed by TAs and children, interviews with TAs before and after the intervention and a research diary. The quantitative data gathered through the numeracy test and attitude questionnaires were compared pre and post intervention using descriptive statistics. The qualitative data from interviews and the research diary was analyzed using a thematic analysis approach.The results indicate that consultative support from EPs is welcome by TAs and schools and can be associated with positive outcomes for the children involved. TAs felt EP support was reassuring and acknowledged that it increased their knowledge and confidence and this directly affected the way they thought, felt and behaved in relation to the children?s numeracy difficulties. TAs reported positive observable changes in the children?s attitudes to numeracy lessons and there was a positive correlation between children?s scores on the numeracy test and the final attitude scores allocated to them by TAs, indicating that the intervention had a substantial impact on children?s attitudes and attainment in numeracy. TAs, parents and teachers attributed the positive changes seen in children to participation in the intervention and children?s progress was clearly linked to the numeracy topics covered by the NNS materials. A model for EP-TA collaboration with NNS interventions is proposed and significant factors include: consultation; modelling resources; conducting diagnostic assessments; shaping TAs? pedagogical practice and providing training on instructional psychology methods.The research indicates that there is a potential distinctive role for EPs in raising the numeracy attainment and attitudes of children working with TAs on NNS interventions. The key element is successive EP consultations that target specific numeracy needs, effectively consider contextual factors and provide ongoing support for TAs. The proposed model could be applied to other numeracy interventions and provides an economical alternative to expensive SEN provision that EPs could usefully contribute to. Further research will be needed to ascertain more precisely the value added by the factors identified in this study to be associated with positive outcomes for children.


Chemical modification to improve biopharmaceutical properties, especially oral absorption and bioavailability, is a common strategy employed by pharmaceutical chemists. The approach often employs a simple structural modification and utilizes ubiquitous endogenous esterases as activation enzymes, although such enzymes are often unidentified. This report describes the crystal structure and specificity of a novel activating enzyme for valacyclovir and valganciclovir. Our structural insights show that human valacyclovirase has a unique binding mode and specificity for amino acid esters. Biochemical data demonstrate that the enzyme hydrolyzes esters of α-amino acids exclusively and displays a broad specificity spectrum for the aminoacyl moiety similar to tricorn-interacting aminopeptidase F1. Crystal structures of the enzyme, two mechanistic mutants, and a complex with a product analogue, when combined with biochemical analysis, reveal the key determinants for substrate recognition; that is, a flexible and mostly hydrophobic acyl pocket, a localized negative electrostatic potential, a large open leaving group-accommodating groove, and a pivotal acidic residue, Asp-123, after the nucleophile Ser-122. This is the first time that a residue immediately after the nucleophile has been found to have its side chain directed into the substrate binding pocket and play an essential role in substrate discrimination in serine hydrolases. These results as well as a phylogenetic analysis establish that the enzyme functions as a specific α-amino acid ester hydrolase. Valacyclovirase is a valuable target for amino acid ester prodrug-based oral drug delivery enhancement strategies.


A method of selecting soybean cyst nematode (Heterodera glycines Ichinohe) on segregating soybean progeny was evaluated for developing a population capable of reproducing on PI 437654. Direct selection on PI 437654 was not possible, since no cysts developed on it. Cysts were selected for 12 nematode generations on F and F plants of Forrest x PI 437654. No cysts of the selected population were produced on PI 437654, but more males were produced on it by the selected population than by the base population. The number of cysts on Forrest and other soybean lines considered to have some of the same genes for resistance increased with selection as expected. The increase in number of males on these other lines with some of the same genes for resistance as Forrest was greater than anticipated, indicating that these lines may have some of the same genes as PI 437654.


This paper is a case study of the design and facilitation, undertaken by our practice, of Brisbane, Australia's largest one-day educational event, the FutureBNE Water Security Challenge, held in both 2016 and 2017. 11- to 12-year-old students were asked to design ideas to secure Brisbane's water supply with the understanding that this will be under threat over the coming century due to mounting future challenges.

Our objective was to give participating students the experience of and power to design ontologically, with design ideas that comprehend the complexity of these future challenges. Key to the success of the event was the ability to give participating students the power to design thoughtful and relevant outcomes. This paper explores how, through design, power was inscribed in the project: empowering children to recognise their power as social change agents, the power inherent in the privilege of their geopolitical location and the power inherent in the geographical unsettlement of their region.


Rresearch Problem: What is the prevalence of PCM amongst under six children in slum area of Kanpur? Objectives: To study the prevalence of PCM. To apply health educational interventions. Study Design: Cross - sectional study. Setting: All the households in the study area having under six children. Participants: Under - six children showing signs of PCM. Sample Size: 1260 children in the age group ofO - 6 years. Study Variables: Age - group, sex, education of mother, occupation of father, social class, type of family. Outcome Variables: Children with signs of PCM. Statistical Analysis: By chi - square test. Result: The occurrence of PCM was the highest in the 0 - 1 year age group. Boys suffered from overall PCM and grade I PCM more than the girls in whom grade III PCM was more common. Overall as well as grade I and II PCM was seen more in children of illiterate mothers and unemployed fathers. Majority of the children belonged to social class IV and were from unitary families. Conclusion: Mother's education plays an important role in the health and nutrition of children.


Temporal variation in allele frequencies, whether caused by deterministic or stochastic forces, can inform us about interesting demographic and evolutionary phenomena occurring in wild populations. In spite of the continued surge of interest in the genetics of threespined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) populations, little attention has been paid towards the temporal stability of allele frequency distributions, and whether there are consistent differences in effective size (Ne) of local populations. We investigated temporal stability of genetic variability and differentiation in 15 microsatellite loci within and among eight collection sites of varying habitat type, surveyed twice over a six-year time period. In addition, Nes were estimated with the expectation that they would be lowest in isolated ponds, intermediate in larger lakes and largest in open marine sites. In spite of the marked differences in genetic variability and differentiation among the study sites, the temporal differences in allele frequencies, as well as measures of genetic diversity and differentiation, were negligible. Accordingly, the Ne estimates were temporally stable, but tended to be lower in ponds than in lake or marine habitats. Hence, we conclude that allele frequencies in putatively neutral markers in three-spined sticklebacks seem to be temporally stable – at least over periods of few generations – across a wide range of habitat types differing markedly in levels of genetic variability, effective population size and gene flow.


2 Brash AR, Hickey DE, Graham TP, Stahiman MT, Oates JA, Cotton RB. Pharmokinetics of indomethacin in the neonate: relationship of indomethacin plasma levels to response of the ductus arteriosus. N Engi J Med 1981;305: 67-72. 3 Seyberth HW, Muller H, Willie L, Pluckthun H, Wolf D, Ulmer HE. Recovery of prostaglandin production associated with reopening of the ductus arteriosus after indomethacin treatment in preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome. Pediatric Pharmacology 1982;2: 127-41.


Remote PHY refers to the technique of moving the PHY circuit out of a device such as a CCAP and putting the PHY circuit at the end of a network. Remote PHY builds upon the work started with Modular CMTS (MCMTS) and Modular Headend Architecture (MHA) at CableLabs. Remote PHY is an evolving set of specifications and products. This white paper will focus on the expanded definition and the updates to the transport and timing for Remote PHY and how they apply to DOCSIS, MPEG-TS video, and Out-of-Band signaling for STB.


This article examines public choice as a predictor of legislative behaviour and as a guide for statutory and constitutional interpretation. It focuses on short limitation periods, which have often been criticized as special interest legislation benefiting well-organized groups, such as medical doctors. The author concludes that the economic assumptions of public choice cannot adequately explain complexities in interest group behaviour, and that the Canadian legislative process has the ability to advance the interests of diffuse and unorganized groups, such as patients. The author also argues that given the absence of normative content in public choice analysis, Canadian courts have rightly rejected it as a guide for constitutional review or strong forms of statutory interpretation, which ignore clear legislative purposes or words.


BACKGROUND
Fast sequence retinal fluorescein angiography is a commonly employed diagnostic procedure within the optometric practice with relatively few serious adverse reactions. A retrospective study was conducted to document the incidence of adverse reactions with this procedure.

METHODS
A total of 1,173 patient charts who had undergone intravenous injection for retinal fluorescein angiography at a specility referral clinic or a referral clinic at a school of optometry. All patients had been intra-venously injected with 500 mg of sodium fluorescein in 25% or 10% solution. Adverse reactions were noted within the charts.

RESULTS
The most common adverse reaction were nausea (.8% of patients) and urticaria (.6% of patients), with other reactions including emesis and hypoglycemia. Extravasation of dye was noted in .2% of patients. No acute anaphylaxis was noted.

CONCLUSIONS
Fast sequence retinal fluorescein angiography is a relatively safe diagnostic test. However, one should be prepared to handle acute anaphylaxis within the office before administering the test because of previously published cases of life-threatening reactions.


Balancing the torque of mechanisms designed to minimize the fluctuation of input shaft torque is an effective means of improving their dynamic performance. There are several ways of solving the problem: optimizing the distribution of the moving mass of the original mechanism; cam sub-systems that displace the balancing mass; cam-spring mechanisms; flywheels driven by noncircular gears; adding articulated dyads, linkages or redundant drivers. This paper addresses the problem of input torque compensation with the optimal connection of two identical slider-crank mechanisms. The acceleration and deceleration phases of the links of the slide-crank mechanism obviously change periodically, causing torque to fluctuate at the input shaft. The problem is how to connect two mechanisms in order to reduce the input torque. This is done by minimizing the root-mean-square value of the input torque of the combined linkages. Two schemes are considered: slider-crank mechanisms with sliders moving on the same side, and on opposite sides. The prime value of this study is that it proposes an analytically tractable solution for identifying the general dynamic properties of mechanisms. Based on the ratio of link lengths, the precise relations for optimal connection of identical slider-crank mechanisms, i.e., a connection that produces the minimum root-mean-square values of the input torque, are developed. The numerical simulations illustrate the efficiency of the suggested approach. Observations show that the best solutions from the point of view of input torque minimization are obtained for the value of the coupling angle of two mechanisms around 90 deg.


Virtualization begins the platform for creating desired resources as demanded by the users. Using virtualization technology, customization of desired grid environment becomes possible and thus helps in providing a scalable solution to grid community. Recent trends of adapting this feature in grid computing have set another challenge of monitoring grid resources for efficient management. In this paper, we propose an information system which monitors the virtualization enabled grid resources. This information system is integrated with globus information system MDS4 for realizing the benefits over CARE Resource Broker [20]. Our information system is quite useful for the CARE resource broker in efficient management of jobs as well as grid resources.


Objective
This study aims to investigate the role of 2-h postprandial C peptide (2HPC-P) for assessing islet β-cell function in Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Methods
A total of 326 T2DM patients were enrolled into this clinical study. The correlations were analysed between 2HPC-P, 2HPC-P increment, and 2HPC-P/fasting C-peptide (FC-P) with the area under the C-peptide curve (AUC-C) after a 100 g bread challenge. Of these patients, 87 newly diagnosed T2DM patients were divided into two groups, group I (2HPC-P/FC-P ≥ 3, n = 43) and group II (2HPC-P/FC-P < 3, n = 44), performed insulin pump-intensive therapy for two weeks, followed by follow-ups for three months.

Results
The positively correlations were found between the 2HPC-P, 2HPC-P increment, and 2HPC-P/FC-P with AUC-C (r = 0.97, 0.88 and 0.77, respectively, p < 0.05). After the insulin pump-intensive therapy, the HOMA2 IR values appeared no significantly different (2.50 ± 0.69 vs2.23 ± 1.36, p > 0.05), while HOMA2 B% was significantly higher (145.9 ± 56.2 vs 26.9 ± 22.4, p < 0.01) than the basic values in newly diagnosed T2DM in total. During the follow-up, more patients in group I underwent remission than in group II (20/43 vs 5/44).

Conclusions
2-h postprandial C peptide and its derivative indicators could effectively assess islet β-cell function.


UK OFT weighs revised commitments in the online hotel accommodation bookings* On 20 December 2013, the United Kingdom's Office of Fair Trading ("OFT") opened a consultation on the revised…


The "Web," an attempt to organize the electronic world, has become the focus of a wide range of research activities from agents to information retrieval to virtual reality systems, and is a central focus of work presented at this symposium. Our work considers a more humble task: that of organizing our own electronic lives. We introduce a new metaphor, Lifestreams, for dynamically organizing a user's personal files, electronic mail, schedules, rolodex and financial data. In this paper we describe our prototype Lifestreams system and in the process cover most of the topics of this symposium, including indexing, information retrieval, user interfaces, nmltisource integration and lnultimedia.


We present a chemical abundance analysis of a metal-poor star, ROA 276, in the stellar system ω Centauri. We confirm that this star has an unusually high [Sr/Ba] abundance ratio. Additionally, ROA 276 exhibits remarkably high abundance ratios, [X/Fe], for all elements from Cu to Mo along with normal abundance ratios for the elements from Ba to Pb. The chemical abundance pattern of ROA 276, relative to a primordial ω Cen star ROA 46, is best fit by a fast-rotating low-metallicity massive stellar model of 20 , [Fe/H] = −1.8, and an initial rotation 0.4 times the critical value; no other nucleosynthetic source can match the neutron-capture element distribution. ROA 276 arguably offers the most definitive proof to date that fast-rotating massive stars contributed to the production of heavy elements in the early universe.


Background: diagnostic criteria for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have been controversial. Although Oral Glucose Tolerant Test (OGTT) is generally proposed, it requires an extensive preparation, is uncomfortable and lacks reproducibility. In contrast, Glycated Hemoglobin test (A1C) is more convenient and accurate, however, its use for GDM diagnosis has not been recommended yet. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether a first trimester A1C predicts an abnormal second trimester OGTT. Methods: This was an observational retrospective study that included Brazilian women screened with A1C until 14 weeks of gestation between January 2009 and March 2019. Data were collected from a laboratory center. A1C was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. Exclusion criteria were first trimester glycemia ≥ 92 mg/dL or A1C ≥ 6.5% and use of antidiabetic drugs or insulin. Primary outcome was association between A1C value and diagnosis of GDM, according to 75g or 100g OGTT, as defined by American Diabetes Association (ADA). Results: a total of 373 women were included, 106 were diagnosed with GDM by OGTT. General characteristics of the groups with and without GDM were, respectively: mean age 35.1 ±3.5 and 34.1 ± 3.5 years, mean Body Mass Index (BMI) 24.2 ± 4.8 and 25.4 ± 3.7 Kg/m², mean first trimester glycemia 81.8 ± 5.1 and 81.2 ± 5.2 mg/dL and mean A1C 5.1 ± 0.3 and 5.0 ± 0.3%. OGTT values in the GDM group were: fasting 80.1 ± 6.6, 1st hour 171.6 ± 25.7 and 2nd hour 152 ± 27.1. For women without GDM, the results were: fasting 78.1 ± 5.7, 1st h 143.4 ± 29.5 and 2nd h 123.1 ± 28.3. There was no significant statistical difference of A1C values between groups with or without GDM (P=0.26, Wilcoxon test). Conclusion: A1C could not predict women who would develop GDM in this population. Ethnicity and different criteria for OGTT interpretation may have contributed for these findings. The limitations of this study were lack of data about previous history of GDM, family history of diabetes and weight gain during pregnancy. Disclosure F. Faro: None. R.F. Ramalho: None. W.H. Prieto: None. M. Pereira: None. J.E. Salles: Board Member; Self; AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Lilly Diabetes, Novo Nordisk Inc. P.S. Rosa: None. M.G. Teles: None. P. de Sa Tavares Russo: None.


The authors evaluate their proposed asynchronous state-machine synthesis method, which uses locally synthesized clocks, on two realistic examples: a DRAM controller and a small computer systems interface controller. These circuits are designed to satisfy existing interface specifications, and are substantially larger than interfaces that have been created by competing methods, such as signal transition graph synthesis. The performance of the resulting implementations is at least as good as that of comparable synchronous implementations.<<ETX>>


Conservation practices can be of great importance in semi-arid regions for obtaining high crop yields and income, but adoption of the conservation practices, economic efficiencies and benefits remain unknown by most smallholders. The paper presents an overview of the adoption of conservation agriculture (CA), conservation farming (CF) and conventional tillage (ConvT), their technical efficiency and economic benefits. The study was carried out in Wards 4 and 17, Chimanimani District, Zimbabwe using a cross-sectional survey of 179 farmers involving participatory was used. A Stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) was used to determine relative technical efficiencies between CA, CF and ConvT farmers. Maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) technique was used to estimate Cobb-Douglas frontier production function. Gross margin (GM) analysis was employed to determine economic benefits by farmer category. Results showed that adoption was 59% for CF 20% for CA techniques and 69% for ConvT. SFA in R revealed that CF, CA and ConvT farmers were 87, 81 and and 64% technically efficient respectively. GM analysis showed that CF had the highest GM/ha of $99.88 and 196.20 with and without family labor cost respectively. This was followed by CA with GM/ha of $63.82 and 158.60.ConvT farmers had the least GM of -$25.16 and 65.20 with and without family labor cost. Most communal farmers considered ConvT to be a traditional practice; this could have been responsible for high adoption of the practice. Farmers showed a negative attitude towards CA despite the high labor requirements for CF. It is recommended that, of all the three practices in semi-arid regions, farmers use CF practice as it gives highest technical efficiency and GM.

 Key words: Conservation agriculture, conservation farming, adoption, technical efficiency, stochastic frontier analysis.


Previous studies of active control systems have shown that the overall performance could be greatly improved by optimizing the transducer positions. The robustness of such an optimized control system is investigated here for both unstructured, i.e., random, changes in the control environment, and for structured changes, such as those due to the presence of acoustical diffracting objects in an enclosure, for example. The study concentrates on how to simply describe the changes which occur in the plant response and disturbance in practice, and investigates how the cost function used in transducer positioning optimization techniques can be modified so that the performance is least affected by these changes. Mathematical and numerical analyses are used to help understand the overall robustness of an active control system to uncertainties in the plant response and disturbance. It is found that the degradation in performance due to small random changes in the disturbance is not affected by transducer location, whereas the degradation due to small random changes in the plant response does depend on transducer location. The effects of diffracting objects in an enclosure are analyzed in terms of the changes in the singular-value matrix of the nominal plant response, in which the objects are not present. Theoretical analysis showed that transducer positions with low control effort are generally good choices for robust performance. Several fitness functions were tested for use in the search for the optimum transducer locations and the results showed that use of the proper fitness function can effectively filter out the actuator positions with high control effort and can select transducer positions which can perform robustly.


We consider the Kehagias-Sfetsos (KS) solution in the HořavaLifshitz gravity that is the analog of the general relativistic Schwarzschild black hole. In the weak-field and slow-motion approximation, we, first, work out the correction to the third Kepler law of a test particle induced by such a solution. Then, we compare it to the phenomenologically determined orbital periods of the transiting extrasolar planet HD209458b "Osiris" to preliminarily obtain an orderof-magnitude lower bound on the KS dimensionless parameter ω0 ≥ 1.4× 10. As suggestions for further analyses, the entire data set of HD209458b should be re-processed by explicitly modeling KS gravity as well, and one or more dedicated solve-for parameter(s) should be estimated.


We present a multi-sample multi-level approach that examines the link between leader and follower organizational identification, and follower attitudes. Study I comprises 367 school teachers and 60 head teachers in Germany. The results illustrate a significant relationship between head teacher and school teacher school identification. Moreover, indirect relations between head teacher school identification and school teacher job satisfaction and self-reported citizenship behaviours, mediated by school teacher school identification, are predicted and supported by the data. The findings are replicated within Study 2, comprising 233 school teachers and 22 head teachers. Finally, a third study replicates the findings in a different sector using a sample of 314 travel agents in 127 travel agencies and their leaders. Taken together, leader's self-construal in terms of the organization is related to follower organizational identification, and therefore leads to greater follower satisfaction and to a greater willingness to exert extra effort on behalf of the organization.


The evolution of a molecular wave packet created by an ultrashort laser pulse in a system of two coupled bound states is investigated by quantum dynamics calculations and semiclassical theory. Under suitable dynamical quantum interference conditions, the wave packet may be split into two separable fractions that move in different but partially overlapping regions of the energetically available phase space. Each wave-packet part can be individually addressed in the divided parts of the molecular phase space, and they are shown to go through separate long-term collapse-revival cycles analogous to those of wave packets moving in single anharmonic potentials. In a pump-probe scheme, the dynamics of the system would look very different depending on what internuclear distances are probed. The regular dynamics observable in the separated parts of the phase space takes on a quite irregular appearance in the regions that are shared by the wave-packet components. The wave-packet regularity is shown to depend sensitively on the pump pulse wavelength, which is a reflection of the energy range over which the quantum interference conditions are maintained. These conditions, as well as the wave-packet fraction revival times, are well reproduced by semiclassical theory.


The purpose of this study was to determine if entry pathway—direct from high school versus transfer from community college—influenced the critical thinking abilities of agricultural education students. Seventyfive senior-level agriculture undergraduate students completed a critical thinking assessment test. Although students entering the four-year university directly from high school had statistically significant higher ACT scores and semester GPA's (which are known predictors of critical thinking ability), there were no statistically significant differences in critical thinking abilities between the two groups. When comparing students' performance to national norms, regardless of entry pathway, students scored statistically lower than national norm data in the skill areas of identifying additional information needed to evaluate a hypothesis and providing relevant interpretations for a specific set of results. Further, agricultural education transfer students were shown to have a greater ability to think creatively than students who entered the four-year university directly from high school. Recognizing the importance of creative thinking to student success and overall critical thinking skill, curriculum and instructional development within agricultural education should focus on intentionally integrating creative and critical thinking.


Recent years have seen an increased interest in the construction and exploitation of ignorance, with the establishment of a field of agnotology (ignorance studies). This effort has focused almost exclusively on governments and corporations, though little or none on religion. After exploring work in agnotology and introducing the concept of agnomancy (the creation or conjuring of ignorance), the present article offers a preliminary application of these perspectives to religion, investigating what light agnotology sheds on religion and when and for what reasons religion engages in agnomancy.


The Niger Delta is said to be the world's largest wetland and the fourth largest ethnic group in Nigeria. The oil and gas in that region represents 97% of Nigeria's foreign exchange earnings and this accounts for a major chunk of the wealth of the country. The region has for some years been the site of major confrontations between the people and the Nigerian government's security forces, resulting in extrajudicial executions, arbitrary detentions, and draconian restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression, association, and assembly. To proffer solution, Federal government came up with Postamnesty Programme. Based on this, the study sought to: (i) determine the economic benefits of Postamnesty Progromme to Nigeria. (ii) Determine the level of effectiveness of the implementation of the Post Amnesty Progrmme since its inception in 2009. The research design was descriptive survey method. The population of the study was 4,798,519 million youths [15-39years][last Census2006] in Delta State, Bayelsa State and Rivers State. The study made use of qualitative and quantitative data analyses. The sample size was 400 using Taro Yamane formula. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the respondents in each of the states. A pilot study was conducted using split-half method and tested with Spearman Brown. Validity of instruments was measured using content validity .The OneSample Kolmogorv-Smirnov (Z) test is used in testing the hypothesis: Amnesty programme does not have economic benefits to the Nigeria. (Zcal = 4.930 > Zcritical = 1.96, p < 0.05). This result is significant as p-value of 0.00 < 0.05. Thus, the null hypothesis is rejected and the alternative hypothesis accepted accordingly. Hence, Amnesty programme does have economic benefits to Nigeria. It concluded that is only in peaceful regions that meaningful collaboration and developments can take place, as well as investment and development. Where its recommendation is for the Federal government to engage in equitable distribution of resources in the country and elimination of bureaucracy such as: corruption, dehumanization, marginalization, and underdevelopment and deprivation.


A growing number of Brazilian companies are expanding internationally. These companies are part of the transformation reshaping the global investment environment. They have shifted their international strategy from being based exclusively on exports to becoming foreign investors in countries such as Peru, Chile, Colombia and Mexico.


Determining evolutionarily significant units in endangered species is one of the most significant challenges facing conservation biology. Often genetic information has been used as the primary basis of recommendations for evolutionarily significant units, but these data should be evaluated carefully and used in conjunction with other information. The endangered Gila topminnow (Poeciliopsis. o. occidentalis) has been the subject of extensive conservation biology research and genetic investigation. We extended these data to highly variable genetic markers, examined variation in microsatellite loci, and compared it with previous measures of genetic diversity for the Gila topminnow from the four watersheds in Arizona in which they are still naturally extant. Fish from Monkey Spring were the most highly differentiated from the other populations. Overall, the amounts and patterns of genetic variation were consistent with known historical and physical differences among sites. The four watersheds are highly physically isolated from one another and differ in a number of important factors in their physical habitat, biota, and the life‐history of the topminnows. Based on these geographic patterns and the genetic results, we recommend that the four watersheds all be managed and conserved separately.


1. Much of the current understanding of ecological systems is based on theory that does not explicitly take into account individual variation within natural populations. However, individuals may show substantial variation in resource use. This variation in turn may be translated into topological properties of networks that depict interactions among individuals and the food resources they consume (individual-resource networks). 2. Different models derived from optimal diet theory (ODT) predict highly distinct patterns of trophic interactions at the individual level that should translate into distinct network topologies. As a consequence, individual-resource networks can be useful tools in revealing the incidence of different patterns of resource use by individuals and suggesting their mechanistic basis. 3. In the present study, using data from several dietary studies, we assembled individual-resource networks of 10 vertebrate species, previously reported to show interindividual diet variation, and used a network-based approach to investigate their structure. 4. We found significant nestedness, but no modularity, in all empirical networks, indicating that (i) these populations are composed of both opportunistic and selective individuals and (ii) the diets of the latter are ordered as predictable subsets of the diets of the more opportunistic individuals. 5. Nested patterns are a common feature of species networks, and our results extend its generality to trophic interactions at the individual level. This pattern is consistent with a recently proposed ODT model, in which individuals show similar rank preferences but differ in their acceptance rate for alternative resources. Our findings therefore suggest a common mechanism underlying interindividual variation in resource use in disparate taxa.


The National Cholesterol Education Program's Adult Treatment Panel III report (ATP III)1 identified the metabolic syndrome as a multiplex risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) that is deserving of more clinical attention. The cardiovascular community has responded with heightened awareness and interest. ATP III criteria for metabolic syndrome differ somewhat from those of other organizations. Consequently, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, in collaboration with the American Heart Association, convened a conference to examine scientific issues related to definition of the metabolic syndrome. The scientific evidence related to definition was reviewed and considered from several perspectives: (1) major clinical outcomes, (2) metabolic components, (3) pathogenesis, (4) clinical criteria for diagnosis, (5) risk for clinical outcomes, and (6) therapeutic interventions.

ATP III viewed CVD as the primary clinical outcome of metabolic syndrome. Most individuals who develop CVD have multiple risk factors. In 1988, Reaven2 noted that several risk factors (eg, dyslipidemia, hypertension, hyperglycemia) commonly cluster together. This clustering he called Syndrome X , and he recognized it as a multiplex risk factor for CVD. Reaven and subsequently others postulated that insulin resistance underlies Syndrome X (hence the commonly used term insulin resistance syndrome ). Other researchers use the term metabolic syndrome for this clustering of metabolic risk factors. ATP III used this alternative term. It avoids the implication that insulin resistance is the primary or only cause of associated risk factors. Although ATP III identified CVD as the primary clinical outcome of the metabolic syndrome, most people with this syndrome have insulin resistance, which confers increased risk for type 2 diabetes. When diabetes becomes clinically apparent, CVD risk rises sharply. Beyond CVD and type 2 diabetes, individuals with metabolic syndrome seemingly are susceptible to other conditions, notably polycystic ovary syndrome, fatty liver, cholesterol gallstones, asthma, sleep disturbances, and some …


This research essay examines the target audience's profile and preferences for the development of the garment brand Gaia & Dubos, which creates and produces ecological and ethical high-end garments for women in the province of Quebec, and explores the best environmental and ethical practice to establish a sustainable fashion enterprise. The research methods for this project combine a literature review, an online survey and four individual interviews with the target audience in an attempt to answer the research questions: (1) Who is the target audience (demographics, values, lifestyle and habits)? (2) What are the target audience's preferences when it comes to ecological and ethical clothing? (3) What is the best environmental and ethical practice for a clothing brand?


Magnetic Compton scattering is already a well established technique for the
study of ferromagnetic and ferrimagnetic systems. The inelastic collision of a photon
with an electron is sensitive to the electron momentum density. Advances in X-ray beam
technology with the advent of dedicated synchrotron radiation facilities have allowed
the tunability of various properties of the X-ray beam, permitting the weak coupling
between it and the spin, S, of a target electron to be exploited. Recent developments
in sample conditions (field, temperature, pressure) have enabled previously forbidden
regions of the phase diagram of a sample to be explored. Other improvements in recent
years of the technique combined with novel analytic interpretation via ab initio band
structure calculations allow for a deeper understanding of the ground state to be gained
from magnetic Compton scattering experiments. In this thesis, the unique properties
of magnetic Compton scattering are applied to novel materials where high magnetic
fields are essential and in conjunction with modelling methods the underlying electronic
structure is elucidated.
In the first study, investigations into the spin density of two complex oxides,
Ca3Co2O6 and Sr3Ru2O7, are detailed. Ca3Co2O6 is a frustrated, metamagnetic spin
chain compound which has been the subject of much investigation over recent years.
From magnetic Compton scattering experiments, direct measurements of the bulk spin
moment (1.78 ± 0.05 μB for 2 T and 3.93 ± 0.05 μB at 5 T and 7 T) confirms the
existence of a large unquenched Co orbital moment (1.3 ± 0.1 μB at 7 T) together with
an oxygen spin moment of ≈ 0.9 μB. Calculations from which theoretical magnetic
Compton profiles have been extracted are shown to be in good agreement with the
experimental data and unexpectedly reveal the existence of a Fermi surface in this
system. With regards to the orbital occupation, molecular orbital calculations on the
active [CoO6]9− cluster are discussed and from which the Co 3d orbitals responsible for
the observed electronic and magnetic behaviour are determined. It is suggested that it
is the double occupation of the dx2−y2,xy orbital that gives rise to the large unquenched
orbital moment. The second magnetic oxide, Sr3Ru2O7, is a model system displaying
a metamagnetic quantum critical point (MMQCP) reached via field tuning. Magnetic
Compton profiles were measured in the metamagnetic phase along three crystallographic
directions. LSDA band structure calculations and molecular orbital simulations were
performed to reveal the extent of Ru 4d - oxygen 2p hybridisation, and also determine the occupation numbers of the t2g and the eg orbitals in the metamagnetic phase. The
oxygen spin density is estimated to be approximately 30 - 31 % of the total spin density
in agreement with NMR results. Furthermore, a spin moment of 0.70 ± 0.03 μB in the
ab-plane reveals a negligible orbital moment.
In the second study, the magnetic properties of the uranium superconductors
UCoGe and UGe2 are presented. For UCoGe, the spin and orbital moments have been
measured using a combination of magnetic Compton scattering, X-ray magnetic circular
dichroism and density functional calculations to reveal the magnetic structure of this
ferromagnetic superconductor. The compound is found to be a weak ferromagnet with a
small total moment of 0.16 ± 0.01 μB. The uranium spin and orbital contributions nearly
cancel, it is suggested that the uranium 5f electrons carry a spin moment of ≈ -0.30 μB
and an opposing orbital moment of ≈ 0.38 μB, these values imply a strongly delocalised
system. This is in contradiction with recent ab initio calculations which over-estimate
the moments and also at odds with recent polarised neutron diffraction data. In addition
to the uranium magnetism, there exists a cobalt spin moment of 0.06 μB anti-aligned
to the uranium spin moment induced via significant 3d-5f hybridisation which could be
responsible for delocalising the uranium electrons. The magnetic structure is verified
by X-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements at the cobalt L2,3 edges which
confirm that the uranium and cobalt moments are anti-parallel. For the compound UGe2,
temperature dependent magnetic Compton scattering experiments were conducted to
investigate the shape of the momentum density across the T∗ phase transition. It is
this transition which is thought to play a vital part in the observed superconducting
phase. A change in the orbital occupation is inferred from a small shape change in the
magnetic electron distribution with increasing temperature, lending evidence to a Fermi
surface driven phase transition. For both compounds attention has been given to the
degree of delocalisation of the uranium 5f electrons.
In the final study, results from high temperature magnetic Compton scattering
experiments on the Invar alloys Fe1−xNix and pure nickel are presented. The aim of
which is to investigate any change in the shape of the spin-polarised momentum distribution.
The spin density of Fe1−xNix (x = 0.20, 0.35 and 0.60) was first studied
over a temperature range 50 - 450 K to investigate a possible change in band structure
associated with the mechanism behind the Invar effect. The magnetic Compton profiles
for the non-Invar compositions (x = 0.20 and 0.60) show no significant change in the
electron momentum distribution in accordance with a similar study on Fe3Pt. However,
the Invar composition (x = 0.35) shows a distinct change between the high temperature
and low temperature momentum density. We associate this with a change in the electron
momentum density occupation. In addition, the size of the occupation change is shown
to be temperature dependent. The study into the spin density of pure nickel within the
ferromagnetic phase and at its Curie temperature revealed no change in the momentum
distribution in the two temperature regimes along the [100] crystal direction. This observation
is in accordance with a Stoner-like reduction in the exchange-splitting with no
enhancement or reduction of the sp-hybridisation, but at odds with other experimental
work.


The global quest for a sustainable bio-economy has brought to the fore importance of engaging agricultural systems in the production and in practice change. There have been issues limiting farmers from improving the practice of manure management as smart climate technology. The objective of this paper was to highlight the constraints, type, and valuation of manure types and information sources that smallholder dairy farmers find it useful to change practices regarding manure management. In this present study, 336 smallholder dairy farmers were surveyed on various constraints the farmers faced and, on the type, and value of different manure types and information on manure management received by the farmers. The study used descriptive statistics for the variables and compared them using frequency tables. The key findings from this study would support information to stakeholders in inducing climate-smart manure management practices as a climate adaptation practice. The study highlights the type of information systems that determine areas for further investigation as drivers of practice change for smallholder dairy farmers. The paper focuses on these constraints and synthesizes them into factors that determine practice change on manure management by smallholder dairy farmers in order to improve manure management.

 Key words: Manure management, agricultural information, smallholder dairy farmers, practice change, information value.


In this study, we investigated effects of thermal gradient of joint during flip chip bonding on intermetallic compound (IMC) growth for several solder materials. Cu/Sn-2.5Ag/Cu joint was prepared by bonding electroplated Cu/Sn-2.5Ag bump on Cu pad. Ni/Sn/Ni, Ni/In/Ni, Ni/In-48Sn/Ni, and Ni/Sn-58Bi/Ni joints were prepared by solder capping by IMS on electro-less plated Ni/Au post and bonding it on electro-less plated Ni/Au pad. Joint pitch and diameter were 80 micron and 38 micron respectively. Joints prepared by thermal gradient bonding (TGB) were compared with those by homogeneous temperature bonding (HTB). With Cu/Sn-2.5Ag/Cu joints, firstly we confirmed faster growth of IMCs at a cold end than a hot end of the joint and thicker IMC in the TGB joint than in the HTB joint. These important features of TGB were also confirmed experimentally on joints with low temperature solder materials. It indicates that TGB can be used for the joints with low temperature solders to shorten bonding time for full IMC joint. IMC growth at the cold end of Ni/In/Ni joint prepared by TGB was as fast as that of Ni/Sn/Ni joint by HTB.


Purpose. The purpose of this study was to examine if physician assessments of their patients' health status after the medical encounter are comparable to their patients' self-assessment of their own health. Methods. Consecutive patients with musculoskeletal diseases were recruited when they attended 1 of the rheumatology outpatient clinics selected for the study. Five physicians participated in the study, 4 based at an academic center and 1 in the community. Patients were interviewed after seeing the physician; they completed health status questionnaires (mHAQ and SF-12) and rated their pain, worry about disease, and overall health status on visual analog scales. Standard gamble techniques were used to obtain patient utilities in relation to their health status, "gambling" on the probability of obtaining perfect health from an intervention with varying risks of death. After the medical encounter, physicians were asked to rate their patients' health status with similar instruments and with standard gamble elicitation techniques, blinded to the patients' responses. Results. A total of 105 patients participated in the study; 70% were female; mean age was 54 ± 16 years; 64% had a connective tissue disease, most commonly rheumatoid arthritis; and the other diseases in this group included soft tissue rheumatism, osteoarthritis, or low back pain. Statistically significant differences were observed between patient and physician ratings for pain, overall health, and standard gamble. On average, physicians rated their patients' health status higher than the patients themselves and were less willing to gamble on the risk of death versus perfect health. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were low: 0.42 for pain, 0.11 for worry, 0.11 for overall health, and 0.04 for standard gamble utilities. Similar findings were observed when subgroup analysis was performed for individual physicians and for patients with connective tissue diseases. No specific patient characteristic consistently related to increased divergence in the ratings. Conclusions. These findings suggest that the communication between physicians and their patients at the time of the medical encounter needs to be enhanced. An understanding of their patients' health perceptions may assist physicians in suggesting appropriate interventions, taking into account their patients' benefit-risk preferences.


The project is designed to develop a fire fighting robot using Bluetooth technology for remote operation. The robotic vehicle is loaded with water tanker and a pump which is controlled over wireless communication to throw water. PIC microcontroller is used for the desired operation. At the transmitting end using Mobile Phone, commands are sent to the receiver to control the movement of the robot either to move forward, backward and left or right etc. At the receiving end three motors are interfaced to the microcontroller where two of them are used for the movement of the vehicle and the remaining one to position the arm of the robot. The Bluetooth Transceiver acts as a remote control that has the advantage of adequate range, while the receiver decodes before feeding it to another microcontroller to drive DC motors via motor driver IC for necessary work. A water tank along with water pump is mounted on the robot body and its operation is carried out from the microcontroller output through appropriate signal from the transmitting end. The whole operation is controlled by an PIC microcontroller. A motor driver IC is interfaced to the microcontroller through which the controller drives the motors


Environmental education authors have argued for cultivating a relationship with nature and the outdoors, and have urged parents to "unplug" their children from technology. In this perspective, technology is seen as curtailing ties to the environment and its use needs to be limited. In this paper, we consider the idea that while technology may contribute to children's disconnect from the natural world around them, it could also support being outdoors. Thus, we explore techniques for incorporating mobile technology into a field-based environmental science curriculum and compare two approaches to field-based environmental education: a traditional approach and a traditional-plus technological intervention approach. A mixed methods design was used to evaluate learning outcomes and record observations. Based on comparisons of pre- and post-test scores and common themes detected through reflexive journaling, results show that the traditional-plus approach to environmental education facilitated an increase in student knowledge and comprehension during a weeklong residential science program. Appropriate implementation of technology can enable outdoor education to enhance existing practice, but there is still a need for further research on the topic.


Introduction People living with HIV (PLWH) had a higher prevalence and incidence rate of bone fracture compared to general population. Although several studies have explored this phenomenon, the prevalence and incidence rate of fracture were varied. Objective The aim of the study is to determine and analyze the pooled prevalence, incidence rate of fracture and fracture risk factors among people living with HIV (PLWH). Methods PubMed, Cochrane Library, CINAHL with full Text, and Medline databases for studies published up to August 2019 were searched. Studies reporting the prevalence or incidence of fracture among PLWH were included. Study quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) appraisal tool. A meta-analysis with random-effects model was performed to determine pooled estimates of prevalence and incidence rates of fracture. A meta-regression was performed to determine the source of heterogeneity. Results The pooled estimated prevalence of fracture among PLWH was 6.6% (95% CI: 3.8–11.1) with pooled odds ratio of 1.9 (95%CI: 1.1–3.2) compared to the general population. The pooled estimates of fracture incidence were 11.3 per 1000 person-years (95% CI: 7.9–14.5) with incidence rate ratio (IRR) of 1.5 (95% CI: 1.3–1.8) compared to the general population. Risk factors for fracture incidence were older age (aHR 1.4, 95% CI: 1.3–1.6), smoking (aHR 1.3, 95% CI: 1.1–1.5), HIV/HCV co-infection (aHR 1.6, 95% CI: 1.3–1.9), and osteoporosis (aHR 3.3, 95% CI: 2.2–5.1). Conclusions Our finding highlights a higher risk of fracture among PLWH compared to the general population. Osteoporosis, smoking and HIV/HCV coinfection as the significant modifiable risk factors should be prioritized by the HIV health providers when care for PLWH.


Abstract The analysis in this paper centres on an email exchange between a lecturer and a student at the University of Auckland which resulted in the dismissal of that lecturer. This dismissal gave rise to significant controversy, both off- and online, as to whether the email itself was simply "intemperate" and "angry", or more seriously "offensive" and "racist". Through a close analysis of the interpretations of the emails by the lecturer and student, as well as online evaluations made on blogs and discussion boards, it becomes apparent that the inherent discursivity of evaluations of impoliteness arises not only from different perceptions of norms, but also from the ways in which commentators position themselves vis-à-vis these evaluations. It also emerges that the relative level of discursive dispute is mediated by the technological and situational characteristics of the CMC medium in which these evaluations occurred. It is concluded that research into various forums of online interaction provides a unique window into the inherent variability and argumentativity of perceptions of offensive behaviour, as a public record of discursive disputes surrounding particular alleged violations of norms of appropriateness can be (re)scrutinized in such forums.


The large binocular telescope (LBT) will have two 8.4 m apertures spaced 14.4 m from center to center. Adaptive optics will be used to recover deep, long exposure diffraction-limited images in the infrared. The LBT configuration has a diffraction-limited resolution equivalent to a 22.8 m telescope along the center-to-center baseline. Using simulated LBT images and an iterative blind deconvolution algorithm (IBD--Jefferies and Christou, 1993) a sequence of three exposures, at sufficiently different parallactic angles, allows recovery of imagery nearly equivalent to that of the circumscribing 22.8 m circular aperture. To establish a credibility basis for these simulations we have studied the performance of IBD for image constructions of several examples of atmospherically perturbed and partially corrected stellar and galactic data. IBD is robust against influences of real, non-ideal data obtained from large astronomical telescopes, including partial anisoplanicity and Poisson noise from object, sky, and thermal background. For faint objects, which are sky-background and photon-statistics limited, the use of adaptive optics is presumed in these simulations. IBD removes the dilute aperture point spread function effects in the set of parallactic angle-diverse images linearly combined to produce the circumscribed aperture result. Optimal image combination strategy is considered for multi-aperture imaging array configurations.


. The number of social deviations that occur such as increasing cases of brawls, harassment, and vandalism indicates a decline in moral values in the nation's children. These things cannot be separated from the negative impact of the use of information and communication technology. This study aims to conduct a literature review related to the implementation of Pancasila student profile scores in elementary schools in facing society 5.0. This research is qualitative by using the SLR (Systematic Literature Review) method. Data collection is done by documenting and reviewing all articles related to Pancasila Student Profile Values published in the 2020-2022 period. The articles used in the study were 20 journal articles. Based on this study, it was found that the value of the Pancasila profile is 1) have faith, fear God Almighty, 2) global diversity, 3) work together, 4) be independent, 5) critical reasoning, and 6) creative. So it can be concluded that the Value of the Pancasila Student Profile in elementary schools can be used in dealing with society 5.0.


Using the US Spanish-language television broadcasts of the FIFA Women's World Cup soccer (football) tournament, the present study offers an analysis of the crucial role that language plays in the gendering of sport. Despite the framing of the coverage as a celebration of women's participation in sports, this was undermined by the sometimes covert, sometimes overt, objectification, trivialization and patronizing of the players and their sport during the broadcast. We examine the ground-level interactional practices through which this marginalization was achieved. First we consider references to persons, presenting overarching quantitative distributions as well as contextualized examples. We then highlight how gender is brought to the interactional surface and made relevant – to the speakers themselves and to the at-home audience – through the discursive dichotomization of women's versus men's soccer, with particular attention to the ways in which topicalization of gender-based differences can pave the way for the recreation of gender-based inequalities. Finally, we illustrate how gendering soccer reflects and transcends the game itself, invoking and reestablishing normative gender roles and expectations in and from society.


The electric power industry is in transition to a deregulated marketplace for power transactions. In this environment, all power transactions are made based on price rather than cost. A regional power pool is noted as the most straightforward path to a deregulated electricity marketplace. However, many questions remain unanswered regarding the economics of power pool participation. In a deregulated energy marketplace, participants are interested in maximizing their own profits, regardless of the system-wide profits. It is perceived that competition will reduce the price of electricity for retail customers, however, the key issue for participants is related with the price definition to remain competitive. In this paper, the authors use game theory to simulate the decision making process for defining offered prices in a deregulated environment. The outcome of this study may be used by power pool coordinators to discourage unfair coalitions. A modified IEEE 30 bus power system is used as a deregulated power pool to illustrate the main features of the proposed method.


Scarf's min-max order formula for the distribution-free risk-neutral newsvendor problem is a classical result in the field of inventory management. The min-max order formula provides, in closed-form, the order quantity that maximizes the worst-case expected profit associated with the demand of a single product when only the mean and variance of the product's demand distribution, rather than the full distribution itself, is assumed to be known. It has been a long-standing question whether a similar closed-form order formula exists for the distribution-free risk-reward newsvendor problem; that is, for the order quantity that maximizes the worst-case risk-reward associated with the demand of a single product when only the mean and variance of the product's demand distribution is assumed to be known. The main contribution of this work is to extend Scarf's closed-form order formula to one of the most important risk-reward criteria, namely when the reward is defined by the expected profit, and the risk by the profit's standard deviation. Furthermore, we provide managerial insights associated with this result.


In this paper, we examine the influence of information rigidities concerning the net worth of banks on the real economy over time. In a first part, we show empirically that expectations about the net earnings of banks (as growth of net worth) are truly biased, particularly during the financial crisis. The forecast error of professional investors cannot be attributed to sticky information but rather to noisy information. Investors display a learning behavior with regard to past forecast errors in forming their expectations about future earnings during the crisis. In a second part, by drawing on a New Keynesian general equilibrium model with a banking sector, we demonstrate that, by quantitatively incorporating this type of information updating and expectations formation about the net worth of banks, noisy information can produce a slow recovery compared to a full information rational expectation case.


PI3K involvement has been implicated in the TLR signal pathway. However, the precise roles of the different classes of PI3K in the pathway remain elusive. In this study, we have explored the functions of class I and class III PI3K in the TLR signal pathway using specific kinase mutants and PI3K lipid products. Our results reveal that class III PI3K specifically regulates CpG oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN)-induced cytokine and NO production as well as NF- (cid:1) B activation, whereas class I PI3K regulates both CpG ODN- and LPS-induced IL-12 production and NF- (cid:1) B activation. Additional studies of CpG ODN uptake with flow cytometric analysis show that class III PI3K, but not class I, regulates cellular CpG ODN uptake. Furthermore, experiments with MyD88-overexpressing fibroblast cells transfected with dominant-negative mutants of PI3K demonstrate that class III PI3K regulates CpG ODN-mediated signaling upstream of MyD88, while class I PI3K regulation is downstream of MyD88. These results suggest that class I and class III PI3K play distinct roles in not only the uptake of CpG ODN, but also responses elicited by CpG ODN and LPS. The Journal of Immunology, 2006, 176: 5943–5949.


This paper proposes a stochastic frontier panel data model in which unit-specific inefficiencies are spatially correlated. In particular, this model has simultaneously three important features: i) the total inefficiency of a productive unit depends on its own inefficiency and on the inefficiency of its neighbors; ii) the spatially correlated and time varying inefficiency is disentangled from time invariant unobserved heterogeneity in a panel data model a la Greene (2005); iii) systematic differences in inefficiency can be explained using exogenous determinants. We propose to estimate both the "true" fixed- and random-effects variants of the model using a feasible simulated composite maximum likelihood approach. The finite sample behavior of the proposed estimators are investigated through a set of Monte Carlo experiments. Our simulation results suggest that the estimation approach is consistent, showing good finite sample properties especially in small samples.


A spin drive device of superconducting rotor was designed based on the Meissner effect. The electromagnetic field generated by the stator coils engenders the rotating torque on the superconducting rotor through the windows on its inner wall. The driving force was calculated using finite-element analysis, and the results show that the driving torque is approximately proportional to the square of the driving current. The difference between calculation and experimental results of the driving torque is about 7%. These results will be good references for the further improvement of operating parameters and rotation stability of a superconducting rotor.


Applying EU rules of market integration and fundamental freedoms, the ECJ's Schumacker doctrine states that the taxpayer's personal and family circumstances must be taken into account in the internal market. In EU cross-border situations, taking into account of personal and family circumstances has been denied in many cases by Member States. This article argues that the ECJ's Schumacker doctrine contains a number of inconsistencies and incorrect assumptions, and concludes that EU law need not follow this doctrine, but rather should evolve in a different direction. By critical assessment and evaluation of the complex and refined Schumacker doctrine over the last years (e.g. the recent Case C-283/15, X), possible tools to reshape the consideration of taxpayers' personal and family circumstances can be devised. As an alternative to the jurisprudential Schumacker doctrine, a system of proportional distribution of personal and family tax benefits (i.e. "fractional tax treatment") over the residence and working State(s) should be implemented.


A new method for calculation of the diffraction elastic constants, based on the selfconsistent model, is proposed and tested. This method is especially useful in the interpretation of the results of X-ray measurements since the ellipsoidal inclusion near the sample surface is considered. In X-ray diffraction the information volume of the sample is defined by absorption, causing unequal contribution of different crystallites to the intensity of the measured peak. Consequently, the surface grains participate more effectively in diffraction than the grains which are deeper in the sample.


Authentic Ayurvedic texts mention 11 types of Shiro Roga (diseases in the head). Kaphaja Shirsha Shoola, which occurs due to vitiation of Kapha and Vata Dosha, is one of them. Chronic sinusitis is a chronic inflammation of the sinuses. It can be correlated with Kaphaja Shirsha Shoola. Decoction of Pitawakka Navaya consists of nine ingredients; these are: Bhoomyamalaka, Haritaki, Barangi, Chavya, Pippali, Salarka, Guduchi, Shunthi and Maricha. These herbs, which pacify vitiated Vata Dosha and Kapha Dosha, are used by traditional physicians in Sri Lanka to treat Kaphaja Shirsha Shoola (chronic sinusitis). However, no scientific studies have been conducted to evaluate the efficacy of Pitawakka Navaya in the treatment of Kaphaja Shirsha Shoola. Hence, this clinical study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of the decoction of Pitawakka Navaya in the treatment of Kaphaja Shirsha Shoola. Sixty patients suffering from Kaphaja Shirsha Shoola were selected and examined. These patients were randomly divided into two groups of 30 patients each. The first group was treated with 120 ml of decoction of Pitawakka Navaya twice a day for 14 days. The second group was treated with 120 ml of placebo twice a day for 14 days. After treatment, most of the patients' symptoms were completely or partially relieved. In <10% of the patients, some symptoms were unchanged or aggravated. It is observed that the traditional decoction Pitawakka Navaya is beneficial for Kaphaja Shirsha Shoola (chronic sinusitis).


Benthic species that live within estuarine sediments stabilize or destabilize local mud deposits through their eco-engineering activities, affecting the erosion of intertidal sediments. Possibly, the altered magnitudes in eroded sediment affect the large-scale redistribution of fines and hence morphological change. To quantify this biological control on the morphological development of estuaries, we numerically model i) biofilms, ii) two contrasting bioturbating species present in NW-Europe, and iii) their combinations by means of our novel eco-morphodynamic model. The model predicts local mud erodibility based on species pattern, which dynamically evolves from the hydrodynamics, soil mud content, competition and grazing, and is fed back into the hydromorphodynamic computations.

We find that biofilms reduce mud erosion on intertidal floodplains and stabilize estuarine morphology, whereas the two bioturbators significantly enhance inter- and supratidal mud erosion and bed elevation change, leading to a large-scale reduction in deposited mud and a widening of the estuary. In turn, the species-dependent changes in mud content redefines their habitat and leads to a redistribution of species abundances. Here, the eco-engineering affects habitat conditions and species abundance while species interactions determine species dominance. Our results show that species-specific biostabilization and bioturbation determine large-scale morphological change through mud redistribution, and at the same time affect species distribution. This suggests that benthic species have subtly changed estuarine morphology through space and time and that aggravating habitat degradation might lead to large effects on the morphology of future estuaries.


Fruit peels are an important source of bioactive compounds including anti-oxidants and proteins. The objective of the investigations performed was to evaluate the peels of selected fruits for some nutritional and anti-nutritional components including Carbohydrates, Protein, Antioxidants, Protease, Tannin and Phytic acid. Sundried and finely ground fruit peels are subjected to various reactions in order to estimate the quantities of each of the desired components. In the results accomplished, highest carbohydrate content was found in Guava (75 mg/ml) followed by Pomegranate (55.2 mg/ml), Apple (37.15) and Banana (32.64 mg/ml). Highest protein concentrations were observed in Musk melon (1.6 mg/ml) followed by Passion fruit (1.33 mg/ml), Sapota (1.06 mg/ml) and Mango (1.06 mg/ml). Highest antioxidant activity was noted in Pomegranate (0.57%) and Mango (0.57%) followed by Grapes (0.53%), Apple (0.5%) and Guava (0.47%). Phytic acid content was highest in peels of Mango (0.22 μg/ml) followed by Sapota (0.17 μg/ml). High Protease concentrations were noted in Pomegranate (1.06 mg/ml) followed by Mango (0.3 mg/ml). Highest Tannin content was observed in Apple and Pomegranate (42.46 μg/ml) followed by Grapes (35.72 μg/ml). Society on the whole depends mainly on junk foods which ultimately lead to distressed lifestyle and poor health. So, many of these compounds under study are of special interest due to their ability to reduce the hazard caused by reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. There are several constituents in fruit peels that can be utilized in more efficient ways and hence suggested not to be discarded. These findings will pave way for the readers of this journal to orient their food habits towards more healthy and nutritional foods as per their daily body requirements according to the profession they are engaged in.


In this paper, we define solutions for hybrid systems with prespecified hybrid inputs. Unlike previous work where solutions and inputs are assumed to be defined on the same domain a priori, we consider the case where intervals of flow and jump times of the input are not necessarily synchronized with those of the state trajectory. This happens in particular when the input is the output of another hybrid system, for instance, in the context of observer design or reference tracking. The proposed approach relies on reparametrizing the jumps of the input in order to write it on a common domain. The solutions then consist of a pair made of the state trajectory and the reparametrized input. Our definition generalizes the notions of solutions of continuous‐time and discrete‐time systems with inputs. We provide an algorithm that automatically performs the construction of solutions for a given hybrid input. In the context of hybrid interconnections, we show how the solutions of the individual systems can be linked to the solutions of a closed‐loop system. Example illustrate the notions and the proposed algorithm.


The chronological framework of European protohistory is mostly a relative chronology based on typology and stratigraphic data. Synchronization of different time periods suffers from a lack of absolute dates; therefore, disagreements between different chronological schemes are difficult to reconcile. An alternative approach was applied in this study to build a more precise and accurate absolute chronology. To the best of our knowledge, we have collected all the published 14C dates for the archaeological sites in the region from the Ebro River (Spain) to the Middle Danube Valley (Austria) for the period 1800–750 BC. The available archaeological information associated with the 14C dates was organized in a database that totaled more than 1600 14C dates. In order to build an accurate and precise chronology, quality selection rules have been applied to the 14C dates based on both archaeological context and analytical quality. Using the OxCal software and Bayesian analysis, several 14C time sequences were created following the archaeological data and different possible scenarios were tested in northern Italy and southern France.


High voltage direct current. (hvdc) transmission of electrical paver has been made possible with the recent advent of multi-anode mercury arc valves with grading electrodes. However, mercury are valves do suffer from random phenomena such as arcback, which requires special bracing for the converter transformer. In addition, mercury arc valves need considerable auxiliaries, including cooling and vacuum plants. Research and development directed towards the improvement in the voltage and current capabilities of thyristors are yielding encouraging results. In contrast to mercury
arc valves, thyristors do not suffer from random phenomena and require minim auxiliaries. Considering these advantages, thyristors offer a viable alternative to mercury arc valves for hvdc converters. The comparatively low ratings of thyristors necessitate series and parallel connection of thyristors in order to construct a valve of sufficient rating for hvdc operation. The design of thyristor valve should ensure even distribution of voltage and current among all thyristors of the valve, during all operating conditions. To achieve this objective transmission of the firing signal to the gate of each
thyristors should have good coherence. The thesis examines design aspects, and considers the different methods of firing both theoretically and practically. Finally, the design and subsequent experimental results of the prototype thyristors valve rated at 10kv and 10A are also included.


Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a global health concern. Viral and host factors orchestrate the natural history of HBV infection, but the impact of host factors that influence the clinical course of the disease remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to identify host factors crucial to the HBV life cycle by conducting a meta-analysis utilizing public microarray datasets. An integrative meta-analysis of expression data from two microarray datasets of HBV-infected liver tissues and healthy uninfected livers was conducted to identify gene expression signatures and overlapping biological processes modulating infection/disease. Using integrative meta-analysis of expression data (INMEX), we identified across two datasets a total of 841 genes differentially expressed during HBV infection, including 473 upregulated and 368 downregulated genes. In addition, through functional enrichment and pathway analysis, we observed that Jak-STAT, TLR, and NF-κB are the most relevant signaling pathways in chronic HBV infection. The network-based meta-analysis identified NEDD8, SKP2, JUN, and HIF1A as the most highly ranked hub genes. Thus, these results may provide valuable information about novel potential host factors modulating chronic HBV infection. Such factors may serve as potential targets for the development of novel therapeutics such as activin receptor-like kinase inhibitor.


(1) Serum calcium, phosphate, and albumin concentrations were not given. This is an omission on our part which we failed to note on proof reading before submitting the letter to you. Please accept our apologies. The results were as follows: serum calcium (uncorrected) 4 07 mmol/l; phosphate 1-36 mmol/l; albumin 22 0 g/l. (2) The red blood cell count was correctly reported as 4 1 x 1012/1 and not 4-1 x 109/l. The white cell count was not included in the script, but was 10-9 x 109/l. (3) Our paragraph 4 states the diagnosis to be non-Hodgkin's malignant lymphoma. The confusion over diagnosis arises because the title ofthe original letter by Mayne and Burch was "Hodgkin's disease presenting with hypercalcaemia", which was, therefore, logically used by the Journal as the heading for our letter.