The ALFA framework is a joint development between ALICE Online-Offline and FairRoot teams. ALFA has a distributed architecture, i.e. a collection of highly maintainable, testable, loosely coupled, independently deployable processes. ALFA allows the developer to focus on building singlefunction modules with well-defined interfaces and operations. The communication between the independent processes is handled by FairMQ transport layer. FairMQ offers multiple implementations of its abstract data transport interface, it integrates some popular data transport technologies like ZeroMQ and nanomsg. Furthermore it also provides shared memory and RDMA transport (based on libfabric) for high throughput, low latency applications. Moreover, FairMQ allows the single process to use multiple and different transports at the same time. FairMQ based processes can be controlled and orchestrated via different systems by implementing the corresponding plugin. However, ALFA delivers also the Dynamic Deployment System (DDS) as an independent set of utilities and interfaces, providing a dynamic distribution of different user processes on any Resource Management System (RMS) or a laptop. ALFA is already being tested and used by different experiments in different stages of data processing as it offers an easy integration of heterogeneous hardware and software.


Proper nutrition is critical for recovery from traumatic brain injury (TBI). Prompt enteral feeding of moderate to severe TBI patients has been associated with significantly lower mortality and rates of infection. Probiotic supplementation has been associated with significantly lower rates of infection in TBI and other trauma patients. Human studies have suggested that supplementation with omega 3 fats, vitamin D, N-Acetylcysteine, branched chain amino acids, and zinc may be helpful for recovery from TBI. Animal TBI models have suggested that alpha-lipoic acid, magnesium, taurine, coenzyme Q10, and many phytonutrients (such as resveratrol) are also helpful. Unfortunately, recent human clinical trials with citicoline in TBI and stroke patients have produced disappointing results. Much more research is needed on multifaceted nutritional strategies to treat TBI patients in both the immediate post-injury phase and throughout the patients lifespan.


ABSTRACT. The global burden of dengue is increasing against a background of rising global prevalence of chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and an epidemiological shift of dengue toward older age groups. The contribution of NCDs toward risk for adverse clinical and healthcare utilization outcomes was assessed in a national linked-database study. About 51,433 adult dengue cases between 2014 and 2015 were assessed for outpatient and inpatient claims data in Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database for the 30 days after their dengue diagnosis. A multivariable logistic regression with generalized estimating equations was used to estimate the probability of adverse dengue outcomes in patients with NCDs compared with dengue patients without underlying diseases. Rheumatoid arthritis and related disease were associated with the highest risk of hospitalization after dengue diagnosis (odds ratio: 1.78; 95% CI: 1.37–2.30), followed by stroke, chronic kidney disease (CKD), liver cirrhosis, asthma, coronary artery disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, congestive heart failure, hypertension, and malignancy. Chronic kidney disease and diabetes were associated with higher risks of hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) use, and all-cause mortality. After adjusting for socioeconomic status and other variables, the number of coexisting chronic diseases was associated with increasing risk of adverse dengue outcomes. Specific NCDs were associated with longer hospitalizations, ICU admission, and higher healthcare costs. Quantifying the risks of adverse dengue outcomes and health expenditures among dengue patients with preexisting NCDs provides insights for improved clinical management and essential inputs for health economic analyses on the cost-benefit of risk-based routine or catch-up immunization programs.


Background. There is a marked difference between black patients and white patients in the utilization of joint replacement therapy. The reasons behind this disparity remain unknown. Objectives. To examine how black and white potential candidates for joint replacement compare with respect to their overall familiarity with joint replacement as an option, as well as their perceptions of the risks/benefits of this procedure. Methods. Cross-sectional survey of 596 elderly patients with symptomatic osteoarthritis of the knee or hip or both attending primary care clinics at Cleveland VAMC. Results. Black (44%) and white (56%) patients in this cohort were comparable with respect to age and clinical factors. However, black patients were less likely to be employed (8% vs. 15%, P = 0.017) or to be married (39% vs. 56%, P = 0.000), but more likely to report an annual household income of less than $10,000 (41% vs. 20%, P = 0.000) and less than high school education (43% vs. 29%, P = 0.001). Black patients were less likely than white patients to have had family or friends who had had joint replacement (OR, 0.39 [0.26–0.61]), or to report a good understanding of joint replacement as a form of treatment (OR, 0.62 [0.42–0.92]). They were more likely than white patients to expect longer hospital course (OR, 4.09 [2.57–6.54]), moderate to extreme pain (OR, 2.61 [1.74–3.89]), and moderate to extreme difficulty walking after replacement surgery (OR, 2.76 [1.83–4.16]). Conclusion. Black patients were less likely than white patients to be familiar with joint replacement surgery and more likely to express concerns about postsurgical pain and difficulty walking.


The input resistance of CMOS circuits is a measurable limit on the performance of typical static CMOS logic gates. A survey of measured data from five generations of CMOS technology including polysilicon oxynitride gate first stacks (P-SiON) high-K metal gate first stacks (GF) and high-K replacement metal gate stacks (RMG) shows a trend of increasing gate resistance. We show DC and RF measurements may be analyzed to determine horizontal and vertical components of gate resistance in terms of scalable parameters and the sum of these components may be represented by a compact scalable equation representing total gate resistance. Gate resistance increases at advanced nodes and affects typical logic performance of a 20nm replacement gate technology.


The formation of the B cell receptor (BCR) heavy chain variable region is derived from the germline V(D)J gene rearrangement according to the "12/23" rule and the "beyond 12/23" rule. The usage frequency of each V(D)J gene in the peripheral BCR repertoires is related to the initial recombination, self-tolerance selection, and the clonal proliferative response. However, their specific differences and possible mechanisms are still unknown. We analyzed in-frame and out-of-frame BCR-H repertoires from human samples with normal physiological and various pathological conditions by high-throughput sequencing. Our results showed that IGHJ gene frequency follows a similar pattern which is previously known, where IGHJ4 is used at high frequency (>40%), IGHJ6/IGHJ3/IGHJ5 is used at medium frequencies (10∼20%), and IGH2/IGHJ1 is used at low frequency (<4%) under whether normal physiological or various pathological conditions. However, our analysis of the recombination signal sequences suggested that the conserved non-amer and heptamer and certain 23 bp spacer length may affect the initial IGHD-IGHJ recombination, which results in different frequencies of IGHJ genes among the initial BCR-H repertoire. Based on this "initial repertoire," we recommend that re-evaluation and further investigation are needed when analyzing the significance and mechanism of IGHJ gene frequency in self-tolerance selection and the clonal proliferative response.


The aim of this thesis is the comparison of development tools between Android Studio, Xcode and Xamarin Studio. All three environments enable the development of mobile applications. Mobile devices that use the operating systems Android and iOS dominate the market and popularity among users. The goal of applications is to support both leading operating systems and allow equal functionality to all users of mobile devices. In practical part of the thesis we will develop an application for the Android operating system using Android Studio. Xcode environment is intended for developing iOS applications, which will also be presented in the practical work. Both of these environments are specifically created for the development of applications in one of the operating systems. This means that the code cannot be transmitted between the environments and it is necessary to develop each application again in both environments.
However by using Xamarin Studio this problem is solved. Xamarin enables the development of applications for both operating systems at the same time so the developer speeds up development itself and eliminates duplication of work. In the practical part we will show the advantages and disadvantages of Xamarin Studio compared to Android Studio and Xcodom that target each of its operating systems.
It should be noted that Android Studio is not the only choice for the development of Android applications. The programming language is Java. For compiling the graphical interface we use XML. The graphical interface was created with drag and drop method and with writing XML. In contrast to Android Studio, the only development environment for iOS applications in addition to Xamarin Studio is Xcode. This allows us to choose between two programming languages. These are the Objective-C and Swift. In this thesis, we used Swift. For graphical interface, we used the drag-and-drop method. In the background, Xcode uses XML as well. For the development of the programming, Xamarin Studio uses language C #. Here the graphical interface consists entirely in XAML editor and creating a graphical interface with drag and drop method isn't enabled, as with the other two.


Since the beginning of the uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Libya and Syria in winter and spring 2010-2011, the national Arab televisions (state or private owned) have found themselves in a challenging situation. They have been forced to find a balance between traditional loyalties to the ruling power and loyalty towards journalistic standards of critical and objective coverage of popular national uprisings. Gradually, during the periods of uprisings, television has changed its coverage in accordance with the local national development of the revolutionary movements. This paper will analyse such changes of coverage. The basis of the analysis is the coverage of the uprisings in Egyptian television, primarily in news programs, in the period January – August 2011. The general argument of the paper is that Egyptian television in this period has gone through six phases in their coverage. In the paper the phases will be explored and illustrated by examples.


ENERGY FLOW AND NON-GUIDING CENTER EFFECTS IN A THIN, TWO-DIMENSIONAL CURRENT SHEET by Ioannis Dimitrios Kontodinas University of New Hampshire, May, 1998 The purpose of this study is to investigate energy transfer processes in the Earth's magnetotail. An equilibrium, two-dimensional magnetic field model is used to simulate the mid-tail region. Groups of particles are traced in the model magnetic field and the groups are combined to generate a self-consistent two-dimensional current sheet. Two thin current sheets are generated with thicknesses characteristic of a substorm growth phase. One current sheet contains Speiser-type particles only and the other one contains mostly Speiser-type and some trapped particles. It is found that the two current sheets show dif ferences in energy flow processes and pressure anisotropies due to the different nature of orbits that they support. The generalized pressure equation is also investigated. It is found that shearing effects are very important in terms of power flow in the region. The heat flow and most energy flow processes as well as pressure tensor elements have a strong spatial dependence as one moves away of the equatorial plane. Very near the equatorial plane, particles do not obey the guiding center approximations and non guiding center effects determine the energetics of the current sheet. Research Advisor Professor Richard L. Kaufmann ix R e p ro d u c e d with perm iss ion of th e copyright ow ner. F u r th e r reproduction prohibited without perm iss ion . Chapter


Background Culturally tailored interventions can increase the engagement and the success rate of psychotherapy in immigrant and ethnic minority patients. In this regard, the integration of the patients' illness beliefs is a key element. Applying principles of Motivational and Ethnographic Interviewing, we developed a culture-tailored, web-based intervention to facilitate engagement of Turkish immigrant inpatients in psychotherapy. Method The different aspects of the engagement intervention development are described and its acceptance and usefulness were tested in a proof-of-concept trial with an experimental control group design (active control condition: progressive muscle relaxation) in a sample of Turkish immigrant inpatients in Germany (N = 26). Illness perception, illness-related locus of control, and self-efficacy were assessed pre and post intervention. Results The engagement intervention was rated better than the control condition (p = .002) and in particular, participants felt better prepared for therapy after working with it (p = .013). By working with the engagement intervention, self-efficacy increased (p = .034) and external-fatalistic control beliefs diminished (p = .021). However, half of the participants needed assistance in using the computer and web-based interventions. Conclusion The developed intervention provides a first step towards feasible culture-tailored psychotherapeutic elements that can be integrated into routine clinical care. The first results regarding acceptance and usefulness are promising.


With basic Semi-Supervised Object Detection (SSOD) techniques, one-stage detectors generally obtain limited promotions compared with two-stage clusters. We experimentally find that the root lies in two kinds of ambiguities: (1) Selection ambiguity that selected pseudo labels are less accurate, since classification scores cannot properly represent the localization quality. (2) Assignment ambiguity that samples are matched with improper labels in pseudo-label assignment, as the strategy is misguided by missed objects and inaccurate pseudo boxes. To tackle these problems, we propose a Ambiguity-Resistant Semi-supervised Learning (ARSL) for one-stage detectors. Specifically, to alleviate the selection ambiguity, Joint-Confidence Estimation (JCE) is proposed to jointly quantifies the classification and localization quality of pseudo labels. As for the assignment ambiguity, Task-Separation Assignment (TSA) is introduced to assign labels based on pixel-level predictions rather than unreliable pseudo boxes. It employs a 'divide-and-conquer' strategy and separately exploits positives for the classification and localization task, which is more robust to the assignment ambiguity. Comprehensive experiments demonstrate that ARSL effectively mitigates the ambiguities and achieves state-of-the-art SSOD performance on MS COCO and PASCAL VOC. Codes can be found at https://github.com/PaddlePaddle/PaddleDetection.


Microbiological and chromato-mass-spectrometric examinations were made in 53 patients with chronic maxillary ethmoiditis and 52 patients with chronic tonsillitis. The microflora showed strong resistance to unprotected penicillines and cephalosporins, 100% sensitivity to amoxicilline clavulanate and mupirocine. The role of opportunistic microflora as pathogens of ENT inflammation is growing as well as the percentage of anaerobic microorganisms detected chromato-mass-spectrometrically in chronic inflammation. Administration of mupirocine on polyethylenglicol base early after operation in patients with chronic maxillary ethmoiditis accelerated recovery of the study group patients by 2-3 days vs control patients.


It has been established that specifically fluorescening fibres and their endings as well as neurons along the length of the large intestine and in the thick of its wall have uneven distribution in cats, albino rats and dogs. A considerable part of fibres are concentrated in the muscular-intestinal, submucose plexuses and in the circular muscular layer. The greatest amount of fibres can be found in the rectum wall. They form various synaptic contacts mainly with parasympathetic neurons. Such connections with the bundles of smooth muscles are not very numerous. An exclusion is the rectum because in its wall there are equally many endings of both kinds. Solitary fibres and their endings are referred to the neurons of intramural ganglia. Their amount here is not great, most frequently they are found in cranial portions of the large intestine.


China has become the third largest source of FDI in the world, only behind the United States and Japan. Chinese outward FDI continues to grow every year, but inflows into Latin America have remained stagnant since the year 2010 when a large wave of acquisitions introduced many Chinese companies to the region. They also remain very concentrated on the extraction of natural resources and in a handful of countries. Slower growth in China, and lower commodity prices may force some Chinese companies to change their strategy and start looking for overseas markets in new sectors, particularly in services. Although in the long term Chinese companies can only be expected to increase their outward FDI, excessive debt can restrain their growth in the short run.


During the Third Millennium B.C, the emergence of the city in Southern Levant was responsible for fundamental changes in the settlement planning of the Early Bronze Age. Space inside the city became one of the most important factors in the planning process. Several well-built structures and courtyards with hard plaster floors were excavated outside the gate and the fortification walls of the lower city of Khirbet ez-Zeraqon. One interpretation of the existence of the outer structures is that after building the walled settlement, unexpected population growth of the settlement or unanticipated spatial needs for certain kinds of activities, created needs for extra spaces. The necessity for extra spaces may have been resolved by using spaces outside the city walls. Another interpretation is that the usage area outside the city was intentional and was in the original plan of the city.


The aim of our current research was to synthesize some transition metal complexes of Naproxen, determine their physical properties, and examine their relative stability under various conditions. Characterizations of these complexes were done by 1H-NMR, Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), FT-IR, HPLC, and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Complexes were subjected to acidic, basic, and aqueous hydrolysis as well as oxidation, reduction, and thermal degradation. Also the reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method of Naproxen outlined in USP was verified for the Naproxen-metal complexes, with respect to accuracy, precision, solution stability, robustness, and system suitability. The melting points of the complexes were higher than that of the parent drug molecule suggesting their thermal stability. In forced degradation study, complexes were found more stable than the Naproxen itself in all conditions: acidic, basic, oxidation, and reduction media. All the HPLC verification parameters were found within the acceptable value. Therefore, it can be concluded from the study that the metal complexes of Naproxen can be more stable drug entity and offer better efficacy and longer shelf life than the parent Naproxen.


Camera sensors constitute an information rich sensing modality with many potential applications in sensor networks. Their effectiveness in a sensor network setting however greatly relies on their ability to calibrate with respect to each other, and other sensors in the field. This paper examines node localization and camera calibration using the shared field of view of camera pairs. We compare two approaches from computer vision and propose an algorithm that combines a sparse set of distance measurements with image information to accurately localize nodes in 3D. We evaluate our algorithms in a real testbed using a COTS camera interfaced to our sensor nodes. Sensors identify themselves to cameras using modulated LED emissions. Our indoor experiments yielded a 2-7cm error in a 6x6m room. Our outdoor experiments in a 30x30m field resulted in errors 20-80cm, depending on the method used.


A specific ribonucleoside triphosphate reductase is induced in anaerobic Escherichia coli. This enzyme, as isolated, lacks activity in the test tube and can be activated anaerobically with S-adenosylmethionine, NADPH, and two previously uncharacterized E. coli fractions. The gene for one of these, previously named dA1, was cloned and sequenced. We found an open reading frame coding for a polypeptide of 248 amino acid residues, with a molecular weight of 27,645 and with an N-terminal segment identical to that determined by direct Edman degradation. In a Kohara library, the gene hybridized between positions 3590 and 3600 on the physical map of E. coli. The deduced amino acid sequence shows a high extent of sequence identity with that of various ferredoxin (flavodoxin) NADP+ reductases. We therefore conclude that dA1 is identical with E. coli ferredoxin (flavodoxin) NADP+ reductase. Biochemical evidence from a bacterial strain, now constructed and overproducing dA1 activity up to 100-fold, strongly supports this conclusion. The sequence of the gene shows an apparent overlap with the reported sequence of mvrA, previously suggested to be involved in the protection against superoxide (M. Morimyo, J. Bacteriol. 170:2136-2142, 1988). We suggest that a frameshift introduced during isolation or sequencing of mvrA caused an error in the determination of its sequence.


No published data are available regarding infliximab use in Kawasaki disease patients with recent live virus vaccination. We investigated 38 acute Kawasaki disease patients who received infliximab within 90 days of receiving measles-mumps-rubella, varicella-zoster virus, or Rotavirus vaccines. There were no adverse events or serious infections, which suggests that infliximab use in acute Kawasaki disease patients with recent live viral vaccinations is safe.


The purpose of this research was to study the effect of drying conditions on drying kinetics and physical qualities of vacuum-dried Bao Mango. Drying experiments were carried out at the different drying temperatures (60°C, 70°C, and 80°C at 30 mmHg) by using different shapes of fruit with vacuum drying (VD) (front of near skin (part 1,3), middle (part 2,4) and side of near skin (part 5,6)) compared with conventional convective drying method (CD). The experimental results showed that the VD method at high temperature for all three shapes of fruits showed the fastest drying time, the higher values of the effective moisture diffusivity, lower shrinkage, higher yellowness, lower hardness and higher number of pores, when compared with CD method at low-temperature drying.  Consequently, the VD at drying air temperature of 80 o C was suggested as the best drying condition. At this conditions, the drying time of part 2,4 5,6 and 1,3 were 300, 300 and 240 min, respectively. The suitable thin layer model for VD of mango slide with different part of 2,4 5,6 and 1,3 at 60 o C were diffusion approach, Page and diffusion approach and at 70 o C were diffusion approach, diffusion approach and Page, respectively. And the Page of the model showed an excellent fit with the experiment of all shapes of vacuum-dried mango for the drying temperature of 80 o C. Keywords : drying kinetic, hot air,  mango, structure, vacuum drying


The boundaries of ignition of hydrogen-oxygen mixtures in the presence of traces of chloropicrin have been investigated by the admission method. The experimental results show that the lower and upper sensitizer limits between 300 and 4000 C, and their variations with pressure of reactants and with temperature, are determined by the nitrosyl chloride formed by the rapid decomposition of the chloropicrin. Estimates of the rate of flow of gases into the reaction vessel show that above 370? C the decomposition is completed within the entry tube. The induction periods are shorter than with nitrosyl chloride as sensitizer, and are increased without altering the position of the sensitizer limits either- by heating a greater length of the entrp tube or by gradually replacing chloropicrin by nitrosyl chloride. These effects are attributed to changes in the concentration of chain centres arriving in the vessel. The hypothesis is made that free chlorine atoms are formed during the decomposition of the chloropicrin and initiate the chains, unless removed by nitrosyl chloride. These chains decay in narrow tubes, but multiply under favourable conditions by branching reactions involving nitrosyl chloride to give branched chain-thermal ignitions. It is suggested that additional support for this hypothesis would be obtained if chloropicrin were found to sensitize the hydrogen-chlorine reaction, because in this reaction the nitrosyl chloride formed by decomposition of the chloropicrin would act as an inhibitor.


Silica nanoparticles were synthesized by means of a sol–gel method and generated in ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber (EPDM) by in situ synthesis. The properties were determined using scanning electron microscopy, attenuated total reflectance Fouriertransform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, tensile testing, dynamic mechanical analysis, swelling tests, and gel content determination. The silica particles were homogenously dispersed in the EPDM matrix, with the presence of agglomerates, especially for high silica contents. The swelling experiments showed a decrease in the crosslinking density of the vulcanized rubber due to the presence of the silica nanoparticles. The mechanical properties, however, were significantly improved by the presence of the stiff silica nanoparticles. The effect of the amount of silica on the thermomechanical properties and thermal degradation of EPDM was also investigated. The presence of silica showed an increase in the storage and loss moduli at high temperatures, probably due to the increasing filler content. The thermal degradation analysis showed that the presence of silica particles incorporated in the EPDM matrix had no significant influence on the thermal stability of the composites. POLYM. COMPOS., 00:000–000, 2014. V C 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers


Objective: To compare 90-day morbidity in patients undergoing lung lobectomy performed by either robotic-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS) or video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS). Intraoperative complications, drainage time, length of hospital stay, postoperative pain, postoperative quality of life, and readmissions within 90 days were also compared. Methods: This was a two-arm randomized clinical trial including patients with lung lesions (primary lung cancer or lung metastasis) who were candidates for lung lobectomy. Patients with comorbidities that precluded surgical treatment were excluded. All patients followed the same postoperative protocol. Results: The overall sample comprised 76 patients (39 in the VATS group and 37 in the RATS group). The two groups were similar regarding gender, age, BMI, FEV1 in % of predicted, and comorbidities. Postoperative complications within 90 days tended to be more common in the VATS group than in the RATS group, but the difference was not significant (p = 0.12). However, when only major complications were analyzed, this tendency disappeared (p = 0.58). Regarding postoperative outcomes, the VATS group had a significantly higher number of readmissions within 90 days than did the RATS group (p = 0.029). No significant differences were found regarding intraoperative complications, drainage time, length of hospital stay, postoperative pain, and postoperative quality of life. Conclusions: RATS and VATS lobectomy had similar 90-day outcomes. However, RATS lobectomy was associated with a significant reduction in the 90-day hospital readmission rate. Larger studies are necessary to confirm such a finding. (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02292914 [http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/])


The internet has transformed the way youth communicate, learn, and network, with implications for their broader social, psychological, and physical health and well-being. With the technological capability of accessing the internet from anywhere, at any time, paired with the enormous variety of internet activities in which youth engage—from social networking to chatting to streaming videos to playing games to watching television content—instances of problematic internet behavior have emerged. We conducted an online national survey of 629 US adolescents ages 12–17 years old and a matching survey of one of their parents. We investigated the relationship between problematic internet behavior and parental monitoring, parental mediation of internet use, and parental estimates of their adolescent's time spent using computers. Analyses showed that problematic internet use was associated with less parental monitoring and parental mediation and poorer parental relationships. Adolescents that spent a lot of time on the computer were also more likely to engage in problematic internet use. Although we cannot determine the direction of the relationships, results support the important role of parents in adolescents' problematic internet use.


Researchers analyzed the National Automotive Sampling System/Crashworthiness Data System (NASS/CDS) 1998-2002 to examine the characteristics of single and multiple impact crashes. In addition to a statistical analysis, individual cases were studied to determine factors that contributed to injury risk. Multiple impact crashes (MICs) make up 42% of all tow-away crashes that occurred on US roadways between 1998 and 2002. The risk for high-severity injuries is about 1.5 times greater in MICs than single impact crashes in moderate and high-range delta velocities. The average delta velocity values of single impact crashes (SICs) and MICs are similar in all tow-away crashes. Impact speeds for MICs resulting in MAIS3+ (Maximum Abbreviated Injury Scale: level 3 or greater) injuries are lower than that for SICs. A frontal crash followed by a second frontal crash occurs most often, followed by near-side/near-side and front/near-side multiple impact crashes. After the initial investigation of MICs, belted drivers became the focus of this study, because the kinematics of unrestrained occupants is often too complicated. The most harmful category is front followed by front MICs for the population of belted drivers analyzed. Based on case reviews, the researchers found that MICs could be better described by separating them into two categories – incidental and consequential. For the incidental cases, only one impact was influential in the injury outcome. In consequential cases, both impacts were 15 mph (24 km/h) or greater delta velocity. Cases with higher severity secondary impacts were also classified as consequential. The following were associated with increased injury severity in consequential MICs: more than one injurious impact; initial injury exacerbated by the second impact; the first impact caused the occupant to be out of position for subsequent impacts; crumple zones exhausted by the first impact; safety devices deployed during the first impact making them unavailable for subsequent impacts. The frequency and injury risks for each combination of MICs are shown in this paper.


Purpose Programmed Death-1 (PD-1) and its ligand, PD-L1, are regulators of immune/ inflammatory mechanisms. We explored the potential involvement of PD-1/PD-L1 pathway in the inflammatory response and tissue damage in cardiac injury models. Experimental Design Ischemic-reperfused and cryoinjured hearts were processed for flow cytometry and immunohistochemical studies for determination of cardiac PD-1 and PD-L1 in the context of assessment of the growth arrest- and DNA damage-inducible protein 153 (GADD153) which regulates both inflammation and cell death. Further, we explored the potential ability of injured cardiac cells to influence proliferation of T lymphocytes. Results The isolated ischemic-reperfused hearts displayed marked increases in expression of PD-1 and PD-L1 in cardiomyocytes; however, immunofluorescent studies indicate that PD-1 and PD-L1 are not primarily co-expressed on the same cardiomyocytes. Upregulation of PD-1/PD-L1 was associated with a) marked increases in GADD153 and interleukin (IL)-17 but a mild increase in IL-10 and b) disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential (ψm) as well as apoptotic and necrotic cell death. Importantly, while isotype matching treatment did not affect the aforementioned changes, treatment with the PD-L1 blocking antibody reversed those effects in association with marked cardioprotection. Further, ischemic-reperfused cardiac cells reduced proliferation of T lymphocytes, an effect partially reversed by PD-L1 antibody. Subsequent studies using the cryoinjury model of myocardial infarction revealed significant increases in PD-1, PD-L1, GADD153 and IL-17 positive cells in association with significant apoptosis/necrosis. Conclusions The data suggest that upregulation of PD-1/PD-L1 pathway in cardiac injury models mediates tissue damage likely through a paracrine mechanism. Importantly, inhibition of T cell proliferation by ischemic-reperfused cardiac cells is consistent with the negative immunoregulatory role of PD-1/PD-L1 pathway, likely reflecting an endogenous cardiac mechanism to curtail the deleterious impact of infiltrating immune cells to the damaged myocardium. The balance of these countervailing effects determines the extent of cardiac injury.


Ancient schwannomas rarely found in the central nervous system and ancient change in an intracranial schwannoma (intracranial portion of the trigeminal nerve) is extremely rare. A seventyyear man presented with headache of 3 months duration and one episode of generalized tonic-clonic seizures. Imaging findings were suggestive of left temporal high grade lesion. During surgery there was well capsulated extra-axial lesion. Histology was suggestive of ancient schwannoma. Based on the literature it is suggested when the intraoperative appearance of a cerebello-pontine lesion is consistent with a schwannoma and the frozen section is suggestive of a malignant lesion, a complete excision of the lesion can be carried out.


In spite of the benefits from thermal energy storage (TES) integration in dwellings, the penetration rate in Europe is 5%. Effective fiscal policies are necessary to accelerate deployment. However, there is currently no direct support for TES in buildings compared to support for electricity storage. This could be due to lack of evidence to support incentivisation. In this study, a novel systematic framework is developed to provide a case in support of TES incentivisation. The model determines the costs, CO2 emissions, dispatch strategy and sizes of technologies, and TES for a domestic user under policy neutral and policy intensive scenarios. The model is applied to different building types in the UK. The model is applied to a case study for a detached dwelling in the UK (floor area of 122 m2), where heat demand is satisfied by a boiler and electricity imported from the grid. Results show that under a policy neutral scenario, integrating a micro-Combined Heat and Power (CHP) reduces the primary energy demand by 11%, CO2 emissions by 21%, but with a 16 year payback. Additional benefits from TES integration can pay for the investment within the first 9 years, reducing to 3.5–6 years when the CO2 levy is accounted for. Under a policy intensive scenario (for example considering the Feed in Tariff (FIT)), primary energy demand and CO2 emissions reduce by 17 and 33% respectively with a 5 year payback. In this case, the additional benefits for TES integration can pay for the investment in TES within the first 2 years. The framework developed is a useful tool is determining the role TES in decarbonising domestic energy systems.


Background : Malaria is still a major problem, both in international and national scale. Erythrocytes containing Plasmodium sp. will stimulate the release of Th1 (T helper-1) and release monocytes and macrophages to perform phagocytosis and produce tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). The release of iNOS and free radicals would increase the expression of adhesion molecules such as ICAM-1, VCAM-1, CD36, and P-selectin. Research shows that IL- 10 can inhibit the production of TNF - α and IL - 1. TNF-α and ICAM - 1 play a role in the occurrence of cerebral malaria. Bangle (Zingiber cassumunar Roxb.) has a lot of potentials to be utilized as a complementary therapy to prevent the complications of malaria. Objective : This study aims to find the ability of Bangle (Zingiber cassumunar Roxb.) extract as an immunostimulant which would be used as a complementary therapy for standard malaria treatment. Methods : A number of 25 mice Balb/C males were divided into 5 groups, stimulated with methanol fractions of Bangle extract for 14 consecutive days before infected with Plasmodium berghei. All groups were examined for parasite daily, until day 7 post-positive malaria, referring to Artemisinindose regimen administered orally 0.04 mg/g bw/day for 7 days. Results : This study proves that the administration of Artemisinin combined with methanol fraction of Bangle extract provides better results to inhibit ICAM-1 gene expression in malaria-infected mice compared to single-therapy Artemisinin or methanol fraction of bangle extract. Conclusion : The combination of artemisinin and methanol fraction of Bangle extract can inhibit ICAM-1 gene expression in malaria-infected mice better compared to without the combination.


To evaluate the expression of different forms of a tumor-specific antibody in plants, we adapted a recently described Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression system. A recombinant single-chain Fv antibody (scFvT84.66) and a full-size mouse/human chimeric antibody (cT84.66) derived from the parental murine mAb T84. 66 specific for the human carcinoembryonic antigen were engineered into a plant expression vector. Chimeric T84.66 heavy and light chain genes were constructed by exchanging the mouse light and heavy chain constant domain sequences with their human counterparts and cloned into two independent plant expression vectors. In vivo assembly of full-size cT84.66 was achieved by simultaneous expression of the light and heavy chains after vacuum infiltration of tobacco leaves with two populations of recombinant Agrobacterium. Upscaling the transient system permitted purification of functional recombinant antibodies from tobacco leaf extracts within a week. His6-tagged scFvT84.66 was purified by immobilized metal affinity chromatography and cT84.66 by protein A affinity chromatography. Sufficient amounts of recombinant antibodies were recovered for detailed characterization by SDS/PAGE, Western blotting, and ELISA.


This research departed from the result of training on the development of online learning design for secondary school teachers before the pandemic. On that training, WhatsApp is the best choice to be implemented by the teachers. In this research, WhatsApp-based learning design is chosen to facilitate English teachers during learning from home. As a result, the impact for students is that their learning outcomes were positively correlated to their perception, knowledge, motivation, and attitudes during learning from home using WhatsApp. Then, the implication of this research is that English teachers have competitiveness and also competence in the utilization of digital technology, especially in developing English learning designs while they taught from home.


Highly active electrode materials with judicious design of nanostructure are important for the construction of high-performance electrochemical energy storage devices. In this work, we have fabricated a tubular TiC fibre cloth as an interesting type of stable supercapacitive material. Hollow microfibres of TiC are synthesized by carbothermal treatment of commercial T-shirt cotton fibres. To demonstrate the rationale of nanostructuring in energy storage, the hollow fibres are further covered by interwoven TiC nanotube branches, forming 3D tubular all-TiC hierarchical fibres with high electrical conductivity, high surface area, and high porosity. For energy storage functions, organic symmetric supercapacitors based on the hollow fibre–nanotube (HFNT) TiC cloth electrodes are assembled and thoroughly characterized. The TiC-based electrodes show very stable capacitance in long charge–discharge cycles and at different temperatures. In particular, the integrated TiC HFNT cloth electrodes show a reasonably high capacitance (185 F g−1 at 2 A g−1), better cycling stability at high-rates (e.g., 97% retention at room temperature after 150 000 cycles, and 67% at −15 °C after 50 000 cycles) than other control electrodes (e.g., pure carbon fibre cloths). It is envisaged that this 3D tubular TiC fibre cloth is also useful for solar cells and electrocatalysis.


This thesis seeks to contribute to the emerging field of socially responsible investing. The first chapter provides an overview of the history of socially responsible investing, including explanations of four essential strategies. The four strategies, specifically, are avoidance screening, affirmative screening, community investing, and shareholder activism. The second chapter examines the 1991 and 2003 editions of the United States bishops' "Socially Responsible Investment Guidelines." These Guidelines are a detailed plan for socially responsible investing by the United States bishops. The third and final chapter analyzes and evaluates these Guidelines, and proposes additional policies and recommendations. One of these recommendations calls for the Guidelines to address the strategy of community investing, since this essential strategy is ignored in the extant Guidelines. The overall goals of this thesis are to provide additional assistance to any who base their investment behavior significantly on the United States bishops' Guidelines, and to positively contribute to this burgeoning field within Catholic social thought.


In this work, we present for the first time the results on crystallization and investigation of the luminescence properties of new prospective phosphors based on single crystalline films (SCFs) of Ce3+-doped Ca2YMgScSi3O12 silicate garnet, grown by the liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) method onto Y3Al5O12 (YAG) substrates. The luminescence properties of Ca2YMgScSi3O12:Ce SCFs were compared with the properties of the reference YAG:Ce SCF sample. The influence of thermal annealing at 1000–1300 °C in a N2/H2 reducing atmosphere on the optical properties of Ca2YMgScSi3O12 SCFs was investigated as well. The results of this research can be suitable for the development of a new generation of white LED converters and scintillators based on the epitaxial structures of Ca2+–Si4+ containing garnets, grown by the LPE method onto undoped or doped substrates of garnet compounds.


Studying the stability of synchronization of coupled oscillators is one of the prominent topics in network science. However, in most cases, the computational cost of complex network analysis is challenging because they consist of a large number of nodes. This study includes overcoming this obstacle by presenting a method for reducing the dimension of a large-scale network, while keeping the complete region of stable synchronization unchanged. To this aim, the first and last non-zero eigenvalues of the Laplacian matrix of a large network are preserved using the eigen-decomposition method and Gram-Schmidt orthogonalization. The method is only applicable to undirected networks and the result is a weighted undirected network with smaller size. The reduction method is studied in a large-scale a small-world network of Sprott-B oscillators. The results show that the trend of the synchronization error is well maintained after node reduction for different coupling schemes.


BACKGROUND
Since the first monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapy hit the market in 1996, the number of disorders treated with this class of therapeutics has seen tremendous growth, with over 50 antibody-based therapeutics currently approved for use in the US and Europe. This class of therapeutics recently made profound progress in the treatment of refractory multiple myeloma (MM). Treating MM with the mAbs will challenge the laboratory's ability to differentiate exogenous mAbs being used to treat patients from endogenous mAbs associated with disease.

CONTENT
An overview of the therapeutic mAbs (t-mAbs) developed for the treatment of MM is provided. The anticipated impact of these therapies on patient care, laboratory testing, and clinical research is discussed. Efforts underway to develop strategies and technologies to help laboratories address the growing challenge of mAb interferences are reviewed.

SUMMARY
Laboratories can implement risk mitigation strategies at the preanalytical and postanalytical phase of testing to reduce the likelihood of reporting false-positive M-protein results in patients receiving t-mAbs. However, at the analytical phase of testing, current laboratory methods are ill-suited to differentiate between residual disease and residual drugs. Mass spectrometry-based methods might be best positioned to aid laboratories with the rapidly evolving landscape of MM treatment.


The huge cost of creating labeled training data is a common problem for supervised learning tasks such as sentiment classification. Recent studies showed that pretraining with unlabeled data via a language model can improve the performance of classification models. In this paper, we take the concept a step further by using a conditional language model, instead of a language model. Specifically, we address a sentiment classification task for a tweet analysis service as a case study and propose a pretraining strategy with unlabeled dialog data (tweet-reply pairs) via an encoder-decoder model. Experimental results show that our strategy can improve the performance of sentiment classifiers and outperform several state-of-the-art strategies including language model pretraining.


This article discusses materials and techniques used to generate polymer replicas of nanostructures by molding, embossing, and printing. Nanostructures are defined as those that have lateral dimensions of less than 100 nm. The effect of spatially confining materials to these dimensions gives rise to physical, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, and optical properties, e.g., quantum behavior, superparamagnetism, depressed melting point, and increased hardness, that differ, at times significantly, from those of microstructures and macrostructures. The fabrication and characterization of nanostructures are important for applications in optics, computation, data storage, specialty materials, and biology. Most processes for producing electrically, magnetically, and optically functional devices containing nanostructures include four basic steps: 1) fabrication of a ''master'' (i.e., a substrate from which replicas are formed); 2) replication of the master; 3) transfer of the replica into a functional material (e.g., semiconductor or metal); and 4) registration of the pattern of a master (the same as or different than the one used originally) with that of the replica for multilayer structures. This article focuses on the polymers and the molding techniques useful for the second step of this process.


In this paper, we establish a theoretical connection between the classical Lucas & Kanade (LK) algorithm and the emerging topic of Spatial Transformer Networks (STNs). STNs are of interest to the vision and learning communities due to their natural ability to combine alignment and classification within the same theoretical framework. Inspired by the Inverse Compositional (IC) variant of the LK algorithm, we present Inverse Compositional Spatial Transformer Networks (IC-STNs). We demonstrate that IC-STNs can achieve better performance than conventional STNs with less model capacity, in particular, we show superior performance in pure image alignment tasks as well as joint alignment/classification problems on real-world problems.


The paper describes a case of Mikulicz's disease (MD) in a young woman (aged 19 years) with symmetrical large salivary gland lesion concurrent with the enlarged lacrimal glands. Immunomorphological and molecular studies of parotid gland biopsy specimens revealed the formation of MALT tissue without signs of B-cell clonality of an infiltrate. The diagnosis of lacrimal sac lymphoma was ruled out. MD was diagnosed. The use of rituximab in therapy for MD has first demonstrated a positive result in Russian and worldwide practice.


Cordierite ceramic of chemical composition 2MgO-2Al2O3-5SiO2 has low value of thermal expansion, excellent thermal shock resistance, high porosity and high strength. The exhibited properties resulted wide range of industrial applications, especially in the catalytic converter, kiln furniture, diesel particulate filter and high frequency insulator. It occurs rarely in nature and its formulation from the indigenous raw materials is sensitive to the peak sintering temperature and holding time. Both the parameters are again affected on the source of raw materials. Hence optimization of peak temperature and holding time is crucial for each source of raw materials. In this paper three indigenous raw materials, clay, kaolin and talc were taken and mixed with different dopants. The prepared powder batch was sintered at different peak temperature and holding time. Among the three indigenous raw materials kaolin was found to be most suitable to formulate cordierite. The peak temperature was varied within the range of 1340°C -1400°C and the holding time was considered from 30 minutes to 90 minutes. Both the parameters had significant influence on the production of cordierite. The percent of cordierite formation was affected with both the variation of holding time and peak temperature. Tough thermal shock resistance was not influenced by any of the parameters, but the influence on the porosity was quite significant. The green body was also prepared from calcined powder batch and was sintered at different peak temperature. Calcination did not exhibit any affect on cordierite formulation.


The Australian 2/21st Battalion Group AIF ('Gull Force') deployed to Ambon in 1941 and, after capitulating, the men were held captive until 1945. Just 347 of 1,161 men survived, and the remains of 694 Gull Force members were interred within Ambon War Cemetery. Bill Jinkins' escape from Ambon and its facilitation by the Gaspersz family are central to an understanding of the Gull Force Association Pilgrimage, initiated by Jinkins in 1967. This thesis reveals that the Pilgrimage did not commence for two decades after the war due to attitudes in Australia and security issues in Indonesia. Primarily, permission to conduct any form of commemoration on Ambon was denied through a coincidence of dates- April 25th, Anzac Day to Australians, being the anniversary of the proclamation of the South Moluccan Republic in 1950. The Pilgrimage format is detailed, the 'Doolan Memorial' controversy is analysed, and the Pilgrimage's success is identified in a Medical Aid Programme and scholarship scheme. It is proposed that the particular success of this Pilgrimage has its basis in pela, a uniquely Moluccan tradition of co-operative alliance similar to the Australian 'mateship' concept.  The Pilgrimage is seen to have served key psychological processes by giving survivors an opportunity to grieve which was denied during wartime, by allowing both initiation and finalisation of the grieving process, by developing unity within Gull Force Association, and by directing veterans' energies into a form defined as 'Sustainable Remembrance'. Finally, concern is expressed that increased official involvement may alter the nature of the Pilgrimage. It is also considered that a combined Pilgrimage might effect some form of reconciliation between Australian and Japanese veterans or their families. It is recommended that a broader membership base for Gull Force Association will be vital to the perpetuation of this Ambonese-Australian pela relationship and the Pilgrimage itself.


Notions on robustness exist in many facets. They come from different disciplines and reflect different worldviews. Consequently, they contradict each other very often, which makes the term less applicable in a general context. Robustness approaches are often limited to specific problems for which they have been developed. This means, notions and definitions might reveal to be wrong if put into another domain of validity, i.e. context. A definition might be correct in a specific context but need not hold in another. Therefore, in order to be able to speak of robustness we need to specify the domain of validity, i.e. system, property and uncertainty of interest. As proofed by Ho et al. in an optimization context with finite and discrete domains, without prior knowledge about the problem there exists no solution what so ever which is more robust than any other. Similar to the results of the No Free Lunch Theorems of Optimization (NLFTs) we have to exploit the problem structure in order to make a solution more robust. This optimization problem is directly linked to a robustness/fragility tradeoff which has been observed in many contexts, e.g. 'robust, yet fragile' property of HOT (Highly Optimized Tolerance) systems. Another issue is that robustness is tightly bounded to other phenomena like complexity for which themselves exist no clear definition or theoretical framework. Consequently, this review rather tries to find common aspects within many different approaches and phenomena than to build a general theorem for robustness, which anyhow might not exist because complex phenomena often need to be described from a pluralistic view to address as many aspects of a phenomenon as possible. First, many different robustness problems have been reviewed from many different disciplines. Second, different common aspects will be discussed, in particular the relationship of functional and structural properties. This paper argues that robustness phenomena are also a challenge for the 21st century. It is a useful quality of a model or system in terms of the 'maintenance of some desired system characteristics despite fluctuations in the behaviour of its component parts or its environment' (s. [Carlson and Doyle, 2002], p. 2). We define robustness phenomena as solution with balanced tradeoffs and robust design principles and robustness measures as means to balance tradeoffs.


: An analysis of the results of determination of erythropoietin in the blood plasma of patients with polycythemia vera and data on the kinetics of erythroid cell proliferation led to a conclusion that erythrocytapheresis more than bloodletting stimulated the production of erythropoietin and the cell proliferative potential. Activation of regenerative processes probably determined by deinhibition of the normal clone of bone marrow erythroid cells, can account for the mechanism of a therapeutic effect of erythrocytapheresis in patients with polycythemia vera.


The Kiyokawa-dashi (strong local wind) was observed with a coherent Doppler lidar at the exit of the Mogami Valley, in Kiyokawa (38.80°N, 140.01°E, 20 m MSL) during the summers of 2003 and 2004. Used to define days on which the Kiyokawa-dashi wind blew were meteorological data obtained from four automatic weather stations installed at four observation sites: Kiyokawa, Karikawa (38.79 °N, 139.99°E, 15 m MSL), Mawadate (38.81°N, 139.92°E, 10 m MSL) and Hirono (38.83°N, 139.85°E, 5 m MSL). When the Kiyokawa-dashi blew, the synoptic patterns tended to be high-pressure in the east and low-pressure in the west. After the Kiyokawa-dashi was extracted, the data measured by the coherent Doppler lidar with a high spatial and temporal resolution were then utilized to investigate it. On the basis of the range height indicator and Plane position indicator scans, the coherent Doppler lidar was able to detect the three-dimensional dynamical structure of the Kiyokawa-dashi up to 8-10 km downstream from the Kiyokawa observation site. The coherent Doppler lidar clearly showed that a low-level critical layer (horizontal wind speed Approx 0 m s -1 ) existed at altitudes of 0.5-1.2 km, and that a strong easterly/southeasterly wind confined below the critical layer blows away about 10-km downstream of the Mogami Valley. Intensive upward/downward vertical motion under the critical layer was indicated by the velocity-azimuth display scan. The line-of-sight wind speeds obtained by high-frequency plane position indicator scans were high, not only near the exit of the Mogami Valley but also over the entire Shonai plain, and the distributions of the line-of-sight wind speeds were almost steady, indicating the existence of transient disturbances.


This thesis focuses on the construction of distributed algorithms for optimizing resource production in a large interconnected system. In particular, it focuses on power grid and 5G cellular networks. In the case of power grid networks, we consider the OPF (Optimal Power Flow) problem in which one seeks to manage and optimize the production of electrical energy in a distributed manner. We focus on a linearized version of the problem, the DC-OPF (Direct- Current Optimal Power Flow) problem. This optimization problem is convex; the aim is to minimize the cost of energy generation while respecting the limits of the transmission line and the power flow constraints. In the case of 5G cellular networks, we formulate a caching problem. We aim to offload the backhaul link usage connecting the small bases stations (SBSs) to the central scheduler (CS). The SBSs are equipped with a limited storage capacity. We seek to find the optimal way to store files so as to reduce the cost on the use of backhaul and sharing files with other SBSs. The approach adopted in this thesis is to apply the ADMM (Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers), an optimization method that is applied iteratively, to an optimization problem that we adequately formulated previously. This problem can both describe the DC-OPF problem and the Caching problem. We prove the convergence of the method when applied node by node in a fully distributed manner. Additionally, we prove its convergence in the case where the network is divided into multiple areas or nations that may or may not overlap. Furthermore, in the context of a network with multiple areas, we show that the application of ADMM in a random manner by a single randomly chosen area also converges to the optimal solution of the problem.


Physiologists are agreed that obesity is due to a perverted nutrition, and that this perversion is due to many different causes, the chief of which is heredity. It is a difficult matter to determine just where it begins and healthy nutrition ceases; but soon after the boundary line is passed we observe several concomitant ailments which are closely associated with obesity, viz., anemia, weak circulation, scanty menstruation and sterility. History shows that obesity, sterility and amenorrhea have always been associated. Hippocrates observed that "enormous fulness of woman is responsible for their frequent sterility, and their slaves, who are lean, conceive as soon as they have connection with men." The indolent habits and rich diet of the wealthy favor obesity and sterility, while the hardships and privations of the poorer classes favor leaness and large families. Under normal conditions about one-twentieth of the weight of the human body is made up


ABSTRACT To ascertain the need for and to inform development of guidelines for voting in long-term care settings, we conducted a telephone survey of Philadelphia nursing (n = 31) and assisted living (n = 20) settings following the 2003 election. Substantial variability existed in procedures used for registration and voting, in staff attitudes, and in the estimated proportion of residents who voted (29% ± 28, range 0–100%). Residents who wanted to vote were unable to do so at nearly one-third of sites, largely due to procedural problems. Nearly two-thirds of facilities indicated they assessed residents' voting capacity before the election. However, methods differed and may have disenfranchised residents who were actually competent to vote. Current procedures in many facilities fail to protect voting rights. These data suggest that rights might be better protected if election officials took charge of registration, filing absentee ballot requests, ballot completion, and trained LTC facility staff on voters' rights and reasonable accommodations.


Eligibility criteria in voluntary assisted dying legislation determine access to assistance to die. This article undertakes the practical exercise of analysing whether each of the following nine medical conditions can provide an individual with access to voluntary assisted dying: cancer, motor neurone disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic kidney disease, Alzheimer's disease, anorexia, frailty, spinal cord injury and Huntington's disease. This analysis occurs across five legal frameworks: Victoria, Western Australia, a model Bill in Australia, Oregon and Canada. The article argues that it is critical to evaluate voluntary assisted dying legislation in relation to key medical conditions to determine the law's boundaries and operation. A key finding is that some frameworks tended to grant the same access to voluntary assisted dying, despite having different eligibility criteria. The article concludes with broader regulatory insights for designing voluntary assisted dying frameworks both for jurisdictions considering reform and those reviewing existing legislation.


The parasite Entamoeba histolytica is the etiological agent of amoebiasis and phagocytosis plays a key role in virulence of this organism. Signaling pathways involved in activation of cytoskeletal dynamics required for phagocytosis remain to be elucidated. Phagocytosis is initiated with sequential recruitment of EhC2PK, EhCaBP1, EhCaBP3 and an atypical kinase EhAK1 after particle attachment. Here we show that EhARPC1, an essential subunit of the actin branching complex Arp 2/3 is recruited to the phagocytic initiation sites by EhAK1. Imaging, expression knockdown of different molecules and pull down experiments suggest that EhARPC1 interacts with EhAK1 and that it is required during initiation of phagocytosis and phagosome formation. Moreover, recruitment of EhARPC2 at the phagocytosis initiation by EhAK1 is also observed, indicating that the Arp 2/3 complex is recruited. In conclusion, these results suggests a novel mechanism of recruitment of Arp 2/3 complex during phagocytosis in E. histolytica.


Os acromiale is due to a defect of fusion of the different ossification centers of the acromion. It is a common cause of shoulder pain that should be evoked in the differential diagnosis of the sub-acromial conflict. CT scan or magnetic resonance are therefore often helpful to confirm the diagnosis. Conservative treatment is the first-line management but various surgical techniques are described in case of initial treatment failure. In this context, new arthroscopic techniques offer encouraging results. This article overviews the key points of pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, para-clinical studies and treatment of os acromiale.


Currently, the trends of alternative and complementary medicine are
highly developed. In the last few decades, the National Health Statistics
Report (NHSR) in America has shown a substantial increase in the use of
alternative and complementary drugs. The use of herbs as medications
or supplementations should result from a right decision between patient
and physician regarding potential risks, benefits, and other alternatives.
Although many herbs exhibit promising effects, most herbs have not been
yet scientifically approved, including their molecular mechanism process.
In this review, Aloe barbadensis Miller or popularly known as Aloe vera
will be discussed as a potential local medicinal plant from cellular and
molecular mechanisms aspect. Thorough studies over the last few decades
have demonstrated that Aloe vera possesses various bioactive compounds
that are responsible for its medicinal properties. G1G1M1DI2 glycoprotein
fraction, for example, as one of the bioactive compound found in this plant,
has shown to accelerate the wound healing process. The present review
reports the findings of the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms
of Aloe vera pharmacological activity from the extensive literature search
and our previous reports. This review may help to promote local medicinal
plant such as Aloe vera in order to improve its value and utilization in the
community setting.


A lot of data has been presently accumulated on an unfavorable effect produced by electromagnetic fields (EMF) of various frequencies on human organism. However, the mechanisms of the low-intensity EMF biological actions or the possibility of development of remote consequences are not clear until now. Due to this, the WHO formulated a so-called warning concept. The prerequisites of the mentioned recommendations as well as their topicality and possible application are under discussion.


This report analyzes the heating and vaporization process of fuel droplets in a compression-ignition engine on the basis of the theory of similitude - according to which, the period for heating and complete vaporization of the average size fuel drop is only a fraction of the actually observed ignition lag. The result is that ignition takes place in the fuel vapor air mixture rather than on the surface of the drop. The theoretical result is in accord with the experimental observations by Rothrock and Waldron. The combustion shock occurring at lower terminal compression temperature, especially in the combustion of coal-tar oil, is attributable to a simultaneous igniting of a larger fuel-vapor volume formed prior to ignition.


Spatially dispersed production and processing, endemic for most agricultural or renewable resource markets, causes oligopsonistic competition. The possibility and use of spatial price discrimination in these markets is well documented. It is also well known that the location of processors relative to competitors crucially affects the intensity of competition. However, insights regarding the relation between spatial price discrimination and the spatial differentiation of firms are barely present because the simultaneous investigation of these issues is often intractable analytically. We use computational economics to study these problems under a general theoretical framework. For instance, we show whether and under which conditions firms choose to differentiate their locations and/or price strategies. Results are consistent with observations in agricultural markets.


This work uses commercial films instead of documentaries to broaden students' awareness, understanding and appreciation of the many cultures and cocultures in America. The selection of films depict cultures with insight, care and authenticity providing a tool for cross-cultural learning. The film medium allows the viewer to experience a culture second-hand, with no threat involved it can introduce the viewer to topics that might otherwise seem too controversial or sensitive. In this textbook lesson plans have been built around each film including: setting the scene, viewing the film, spotlight on culture and communication, hands-on activities and further suggested reading and viewing.


Bottom trawling accounts for nearly a quarter of wild-capture seafood production, but it is associated with physical disturbance of the seabed leading to changes in benthic abundance, habitat structure, and biogeochemical processes. Understanding the processes of benthic depletion and recovery in relation to different types of fishing gears, and in different seabed types, is an important pre-requisite to inform appropriate management measures to limit or reduce the effects of trawling on the seabed. The combined approaches of meta-analysis and modelling that link fishing-gear penetration of the seabed to benthic depletion, and recovery to taxon longevity, have enabled the development of a modelling framework to estimate relative benthic status in areas subject to trawling. Such estimations are highly sensitive to the spatial resolution at which fishing footprint (trawl track) data are aggregated, and this leads to overinflated estimates of fishing impacts on benthos when coarse-level aggregation is applied. These approaches present a framework into which other "sustainability" criteria can be added, e.g., the consideration of carbon footprints of fishing activities.


Siting a deep geological repository for radioactive waste essentially involves two interrelated steps: deciding on an appropriate geological environment for the underground facilities and selecting a suitable location for the associated surface facility. An acceptable solution is more easily achieved if some flexibility exists for siting the surface facility, irrespective of the exact position of the underground facilities. Such flexibility is available if a ramp is used as the main access route from the surface facility to the underground facilities. Another option is to use a combination of shafts and (sub)horizontal tunnels as the main access route. Both variants include shafts for ventilation, etc.In this paper, the two variants (i) main access via ramp and (ii) main access via shaft are compared in terms of long-term safety. To this end, the entire network of underground tunnels of a deep geological repository is implemented in an analytical resistor network flow model. Radionuclide release through the tunnel system and the host rock is then calculated with a numerical network transport model, using as input the results from the flow model. The results clearly indicate that, even in case of hypothetically deficient horizontal and subhorizontal sealing elements, the choice between ramp and shaft as the main access route is irrelevant to long-term safety.Copyright © 2013 by ASME


The magnetic coercivity of martensitic 12Cr steel was measured in order to evaluate its degree of isothermal aging. As the aging time increased, the lath width increased and the dislocations were recovered. Aging resulted in the coarsening of the as-tempered carbides (M23C6 and MX) followed by additional precipitation of Fe2W. The magnetic coercivity rapidly decreased during the initial aging period of about 1,000 hours and then decreased slightly thereafter. The decrease in the coercivity with increasing aging time was related to the decrease in the number of pinning sites, those associated with the dislocations, fine precipitates and coarsening of the martensite lath/subgrain.


Databases with missing features are very frequent in processing and pattern recognition real applications, as well as in other fields such as data mining. The most frequent solution employed in the literature to deal with missing features is based on substituting missing values with meaningful estimates. This is the so-called imputation of missing values. In this paper, we propose to combine imputation methods with classifier ensembles generated by random subspace in order to reduce data corruption caused by imputation. We present experimental results obtained using different databases. These databases range from relatively high-dimensional feature spaces to small feature spaces. Our results show that classifier ensembles generated by random subspace help to reduce data corruption and lead to better performance.


The present paper describes the use of a disposable pencil graphite electrode (PGE) for the voltammetric determination of famotidine. Cyclic voltammetric studies using different supporting electrolytes emphasized an irreversible oxidation of famotidine on the PGE. The electrode process is diffusion-controlled and pH-dependent. Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) in phosphate buffer solution of pH 6.81 was employed for famotidine's quantitative determination. The anodic peak current of famotidine varies linearly with the analyte concentration in the range 4.72 $\times $ 10$^{-7}$--4.95 $\times $ 10$^{-4}$ M. Detection and quantification limits were 1.51 $\times $ 10$^{-7}$ M and 5.04 $\times $ 10$^{-7}$ M famotidine, respectively. The developed DPV method using the inexpensive, disposable PGE was successfully applied to the simple and rapid determination of famotidine from pharmaceuticals.


Polyclonal antibodies specific for pediocin PA-1 (PedA1) were generated by immunization of rabbits with a chemically synthesized 1-9-N-terminal amino acid fragment of this bacteriocin (PH1) conjugated to the carrier protein keyhole limpet haemocyanin (KLH). The PH1 fragment holds a highly conserved amino acid sequence with closely related Class IIa bacteriocins. The sensitivity and specificity of the PH1-KLH-generated rabbit polyclonal antibodies were evaluated by the development of various ELISAs, such as a non-competitive indirect ELISA (NCI-ELISA), a competitive indirect ELISA (CI-ELISA), a competitive direct ELISA (CD-ELISA) and a sandwich ELISA (S-ELISA), and by protein slot-blotting and Western blotting. NCI- and CI-ELISA were valuable for detecting the existence of PedA1-specific antibodies in the sera of immunized rabbits. The limit of detection of PedA1 in MRS medium was found to be 0.5 microg ml(-1) in NCI-ELISA, while CI-ELISA on plates coated with purified PedA1 increased the affinity of the PH1-KLH-generated antibodies for PedA1; the limit of detection of PedA1 was less than 0.01 microg ml(-1) and 50% binding inhibition was achieved with 0.1 microg PedA1 ml(-1). Similarly, the limits of detection of PedA1 in MRS medium were found to be 5 microg ml(-1) by protein slot-blotting and 0.01 microg ml(-1) by Western blotting. Most importantly, PH1-KLH-generated polyclonal antibodies detected the presence of PedA1 in the supernatants of the producing strains of Pediococcus acidilactici 347, Z102, A172, X13 and P20, with no reactivity or negligible immunoreactivity with the supernatants of other lactic acid bacteria producing or not producing closely related or different bacteriocins. The approaches taken for the selection of the bacteriocin peptide fragment, the generation of antibodies and the development of immunoassays could prove useful for the generation and evaluation of antibodies of adequate specificity for other bacteriocins of interest in the food industry.


. Seamounts are ubiquitous features of the seafloor that form part of the fabric of oceanic crust. When a seamount enters a subduction zone, it has a major affect on forearc morphology, the uplift history of the island arc, and the structure of the downgoing slab. It is not known, however, what controls whether a seamount is accreted to the forearc or carried down into the subduction zone and recycled into the deep mantle. Of societal interest is the role seamounts play in geohazards, in particular, the generation of large earthquakes.


PURPOSE
To report the outcome of a prospective, randomized, open multicenter trial comparing (1) the effects of local thrombolysis with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) or urokinase (UK) and (2) 2 administration techniques.

METHODS
Two hundred thirty-four patients with thromboembolic occlusions in 223 native femoral or popliteal arteries (95%) and 11 bypass grafts (5%) were randomized to rtPA (n = 124) or UK (n = 110) administered either through an endhole catheter (Hess technique) in 81 patients or a microporous balloon catheter (Schneider technique) in 153 patients. When lysis was incomplete, additional catheter interventions were applied to achieve patency. Results were analyzed by fluoroscopy during intervention and by angiography evaluated by independent experts blinded to the methods applied.

RESULTS
The only significant difference between rtPA and UK was found at the end of lysis using the Hess technique. Complete reperfusion (TIMI grade 3) was produced in 60% of patients by rtPA versus 37% by UK (p = 0.045). By both techniques TIMI grade 3 was achieved in 62% with rtPA and in 50% with UK (p = 0.18). Independent of delivery technique, thrombolytic agent, or additional catheter interventions, TIMI grade 3 was achieved in 81% and angiographic patency in 88%. Primary patency at 6 months was 66%, which was increased by secondary interventions to 75%. Major amputations were performed in 6%, all in patients with initial Fontaine stage III/IV ischemia.

CONCLUSIONS
With local thrombolysis alone, rtPA appears to be more effective than UK; however, additional catheter interventions further improved patency, abolishing the difference between the lytic agents.


As the number of business process reengineering (BPR) projects increase in industry, there seems to be a large potential to reduce cost and increase quality through the use of software tools. Currently, more than 50 BPR tools are available, but there has been little research to determine which features of BPR tools are important for BPR success and how important BPR tools are in BPR projects. Research in the related area of tools for computer-aided software engineering (CASE) shows that software tools are not always likely to improve productivity. To answer the questions raised above, we developed a model and tested it with a survey. As a first step, literature dealing with BPR procedures and BPR features was reviewed to elicit important features of BPR tools. Simultaneously literature regarding CASE tools failure was investigated to identify potential causes of failure of BPR tools. As a result, a framework of BPR tool features that can guide selection of BPR tools was developed. We also developed a BPR success model and a questionnaire to test the model. The questionnaire was distributed to BPR practitioners through electronic media. The analysis of data shows that process visualization and process analysis features are key features for the success of BPR tools which is termed as "BPR tools competence" in this research. Organizational factors such as user support and change of work are also important for a successful use of BPR tools. One interesting result is that change of work caused by BPR tools has a positive effect on BPR tools competence which is opposite to CASE tools. A significant relationship between BPR tools competence and effectiveness of BPR projects was observed, while no significant relationship was observed between BPR tools competence and efficiency of the projects. The result implies that BPR tools are different from CASE tools in many aspects, and what managers should expect from BPR tools is improved quality of project rather than productivity.


Microstructural evolution in pure copper during multi-directional forging (MDF) at temperature of 77 K was studied. Flow stress during MDF at 77 K showed a monotonical increase at all strain. Ultra fine (sub)grains of 0.15μm in diameter were evolved, which was accompanied by deformation twinning, at strain of Σε = 2.4. In higher strain region, Σε = 6.0, lamellar-look structure of twins extensively appeared. The lamellar spacing was 10-100nm. For comparison, samples were also MDFed at 300 K. The flow stress curves showed an apparent steady state flow at above strain of Σε =2.0, which implies occurrence of dynamic recovery. The evolved (sub)grain size was 0.3 μm at high strain of Σε = 6.0. Therefore, grain refinement seems to take place more easily by MDF at 77 K compared with that at 300 K due to effect of deformation twin. Microstructures evolved under MDF at 77 K and 300 K showed different annealing behavior. Static recrystallization started earlier and faster in the samples MDFed at 77K than those MDFed at 300K.


We present a method to interactively explore multiple attributes in trajectory data using density maps, i.e., images that show an aggregate overview of massive amounts of data. So far, density maps have mainly been used to visualize single attributes. Density maps are created in a two-way procedure; first smoothed trajectories are aggregated in a density field, and then the density field is visualized. In our approach, the user can explore attributes along trajectories by calculating a density field for multiple subsets of the data. These density fields are then either combined into a new density field or first visualized and then combined. Using a widget, called a distribution map, the user can interactively define subsets in an effective and intuitive way, and, supported by high-end graphics hardware the user gets fast feedback for these computationally expensive density field calculations. We show the versatility of our method with use cases in the maritime domain: to distinguish between periods in the temporal aggregation, to find anomalously behaving vessels, to solve ambiguities in density maps via drill down in the data, and for risk assessments. Given the generic framework and the lack of domain-specific assumptions, we expect our concept to be applicable for trajectories in other domains as well.


Despite a centuries-old call for the incremental care of historic sites, stewards remain challenged to embrace a proactive philosophy for building preservation. This philosophy, termed "preventive conservation," is not only a technical strategy for enabling the long-term preservation of historic resources, but is also an effective approach to historic site management. Through semi-structured interviews with thirteen stewards of historic sites across the United States, this thesis addresses the question: how can organizations build sufficient capacity for successful implementation of preventive conservation? First, the pursuant analysis reveals that capacity for preventive conservation is limited by inconsistently applied terminology, both within and across disciplines. Second, interviews demonstrated that stewards are overwhelmed by deferred maintenance, a perceived barrier to implementing preventive conservation. By clarifying the definition of preventive conservation and acknowledging its relationship to deferred maintenance, this thesis proposes a process for organizational change that guides stewards from deferral to a sustainable state of prevention.


The adult bone marrow contains mesenchymal stem cells. These cells show the capacity to undergo an extensive replication in vitro. In addition, mesenchymal stem cells have the potential to develop either in vitro or in vivo into mesenchymal tissues like bone and cartilage, which suggests these cells being an attractive source for tissue engineering approaches. Tissue engineering allows to isolate patient's own cells from tissue biopsies, to expand them, to combine them with carrier materials and growth factors, and to retransplant the constructs into the patient. Due to the prerequisite for tissue engineering to ensure a sufficient number of tissue-specific cells, much attention has been drawn to multipotential progenitor cells such as mesenchymal stem cells. In this article, important aspects of tissue engineering of bone and cartilage will be reviewed with emphasis on mesenchymal stem cells.


Purpose: A novel, high‐performance, cardiac‐gated dual‐energy (DE) chest system is under development in our lab. This paper investigates the influence of key image acquisition technique parameters (viz., selection of kVp, filtration, and dose) on DE imaging performance. Method and Materials: Experiments were conducted on a DE imaging bench with a custom‐built phantom containing simulated lung nodules of varying contrast. Performance was quantified in terms of nodule contrast‐noise ratio (CNRDE) in DE 'tissue‐only' images. Low‐ and high‐kVp were varied from 60–90 kVp and 120–150 kVp, respectively. Differential added filtration in low‐ and high‐kVp projections was analyzed in terms of soft‐tissue CNRDE both theoretically across the entire Periodic Table (Z=1−92) and experimentally for specific material types (Al, Ce, Cu, and Ag). Allocation of dose (defined A=ESDlow/ESDhigh) between low‐ and high‐energy projections was analyzed at various levels of total entrance surface dose, ESD, over a broad range of allocation. Results: The results provide valuable guidance of technique selection for high‐performance DE imaging. Optimal performance was achieved at a technique of [60/130] kVp, increasing soft‐tissue CNRDE by 32% compared to [90/120] kVp. Differential added filtration [0.2 mm Ce / 0.6 mm Ag] increased soft‐tissue CNRDE by 21% compared to the undifferentiated case ([1 mm Al / 1 mm Al]). Dose allocation was found to have significant influence on performance, with CNRDE increasing by more than ∼30% for A 3 (with optima suggested in the range A∼0.3–0.5). Conclusion: Knowledgeable selection of kVp pairs, differential added filtration, and dose allocation provide significant increase in the soft‐tissue CNR of DE images compared to conventional or sub‐optimal techniques. Quantitative theoretical and experimental evaluation demonstrates the importance of optimized acquisition techniques for high‐performance DE imaging and guides the implementation of a novel DE imaging system under development for pre‐clinical imaging trials.


PURPOSE
This in vitro study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of different demineralization-inhibiting methods on the shear bond strength (SBS) of glass-ceramics.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Ninety extracted intact human mandibular lateral insicors were randomly divided into six equal groups. Group C was left untreated, while enamel subsurface demineralization was induced in the other groups. In group D, porcelain discs (3 mm in diameter) were cemented to demineralized enamel by using total-etch photopolymerizing luting composite resin without pretreatment. Demineralized specimens in groups F, CA, M, and I were pretreated with fluoride gel, CPP-ACP paste, microabrasion, and resin infiltration, respectively, and then porcelain discs were cemented. SBS (MPa) was calculated from the failure load (N) per bonded area (mm(2)). Fracture types were examined by optical microscopy (40× magnification). Data were analyzed with ANOVA, Tukey's test, and G-test.

RESULTS
ANOVA revealed significant intergroup differences (p < 0.01). No significant differences in SBS (MPa) were found between groups C (19.48 ± 2.0) and I (20.02 ± 1.6). Lower SBS values were recorded in groups D (7.93 ± 0.8), F (12.51 ± 1.5), CA (17.08 ± 1.3), and M (14.84 ± 1.4). Mixed and cohesive failures were the most prevalent in groups M and I, respectively.

CONCLUSION
Resin infiltration enhanced the SBS of porcelain discs bonded to demineralized enamel when compared with the other demineralization-inhibiting methods.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Resin infiltration could be useful to enhance adhesion of glass-ceramics to teeth with white spot lesions.


Diabetes has become a serious global public health problem due to its high prevalence and mortality. Unfortunately, current anti-diabetic drugs are having some limitations and adverse effects. Therefore, searching for a new anti-diabetic agent is an urgent challenge. In this research, we examined the effectiveness of a traditional anti-diabetic polyherbal composed of Sesbania grandiflora seeds, Salacca zalacca leaves and Acalypha indica roots (2:1:1). The study was aimed to explore the anti-hyperglycemic effect of the polyherbal in STZ-induced diabetic mice and to investigate the immunomodulatory activity involved in the process of controlling hyperglycemia. Our results showed that the polyherbal water extract (150 mg.kgBW -1 ) could suppress blood glucose elevation and preserve pancreatic islet of diabetic mice. Moreover, the polyherbal treatment could normalize the relative amount of activated CD4 + CD62L - and CD8 + CD62L - T cells. The polyherbal extract also stimulated the production of CD4 + CD25 + FoxP3 + regulatory T cells (Tregs) which is known to play an important role in diabetes control. In addition, polyherbal treatment also increased the relative amount of anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-10 and TGF-β. These results revealed that the polyherbal extract has an anti-hyperglycemic and immunomodulatory activity that may provide beneficial function in diabetes healing. Keywords: Antidiabetes, Immunomodulator, Polyherbal, Regulatory T cell.


Recent approaches to object recognition have suggested that representations are view-dependent and not object-centred as was previously asserted by Marr (Marr and Nishihara, 1978). The exact nature of these view-centred representations however does not concord across the different theories. Palmer suggested that a single canonical view represents an object in memory (Palmer et al., 1981) whereas other studies have shown that each object may have more than one view-point representation (Tarr and Pinker 1989).A set of experiments were run to determine the nature of the visual representation of rigid, familiar objects in memory that were presented foveally and in peripheral vision. In the initial set of experiments recognition times were measured to a selection of common, elongated objects rotated in increments of 30˚ degrees in the 3 different axes and their combinations. Significant main effects of orientation were found in all experiments. This effect was attributed to the delay in recognising objects when foreshortened. Objects with strong gravitational uprights yielded the same orientation effects as objects without gravitational uprights. Recognition times to objects rotated around the picture plane were found to be independent of orientation. The results were not dependent on practice with the objects. There was no benefit found for shaded objects over silhouetted objects. The findings were highly consistent across the experiments. Four experiments were also carried out which tested the detectability of objects presented foveally among a set of similar objects. The subjects viewed an object picture (target) surrounded by eight search pictures arranged in a circular array. The task was to locate the picture-match of the target object (which was sometimes absent) as fast as possible. All of the objects had prominent elongated axes and were viewed perpendicular to this axis. When the object was present in the search array, it could appear in one of five orientations: in its original orientation, rotated in the picture plane by 30 or 60 , or rotated by 30 or 60 in depth. Highly consistent results were found across the four experiments. It was found that objects rotated in depth by 60 took longer to find and were less likely to be found in the first saccade than all other orientations. These findings were independent of the type of display (i.e. randomly rotated distractors or aligned distractors) and also of the task (matching to a picture or a name of an object). It was concluded that there was no evidence that an abstract 3-dimensional representation was used in searching for an object. The results from these experiments are compatible with the notion of multiple-view representations of objects in memory. There was no evidence found that objects were stored as single, object-centred representations. It was found that representations are initially based on the familiar views of the objects but with practice on other views, those views which hold the maximum information about the object are stored. Novel views of objects are transformed to match these stored views and different candidates for the transformation process are discussed.


Computer-Aided Ergonomics (CAE) makes it possible that people may build a virtual environment for ergonomics evaluation in the product's digital model phase. Manikin with anthropometry data supplies fundamental information in design lifecycle, so it also plays an important role in CAE software. Thanks to the 3D scanning technology, we developed a new ergonomics manikin generation method which could create free-form surface human model from real body. Generation method concluded body scanning, model optimization, and combining skeleton stages. Finally, case study proved that Paper's method could generate more exact manikin than former parametric modeling methods, and it would benefit customized products design.


Several drug delivery carriers have reported on local delivery of paclitaxel (PTX), but their effects on intraosseous cancer model are not well known. This study was conducted to clarify the therapeutic effects of our newly developed PTX-loaded HAp-alginate composite beads. Cytotoxic activity was assessed on rat's mammary adenocarcinoma by cell proliferation assay using WST-1 reagent. Antitumor activity was assessed by 8-week-old rat female Fischer 344 rats of metastatic spine cancer. Twenty-three rats were divided into 3 groups: Group 1 (n = 7) and Group 2 (n = 8) was treated with the PTX-loaded HAp-alginate beads using strontium ions and barium ions, respectively. Group 3 (n = 8) was administered with drug-free HAp-alginate beads. We checked disease-free time and survival time among 3 groups. The HAp-alginate beads containing 2.4wt% of PTX showed significant cytotoxic activity on CRL-1666 cells. The effects were decreased with time during 72 h. The animals treated with 2.4wt% of PTX-loaded HAp-alginate beads showed 40% increase in the disease-free time and 25% increase in survival time. Our studies suggest that newly developed HAp-alginate beads can be a candidate carrier of PTX to bone.


Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is a potent vasoconstrictor of the preglomerular microvasculature. Our recent studies indicate that S1P-mediated afferent arteriolar vasoconstriction is enhanced in ischemia-reperfusion (IR) induced renal injury and S1P2 receptor protein expression is increased in renal microvessels. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a critical role in the development of IR renal injury. We hypothesized that inhibition of S1P2 receptor activation protects against renal IR injury via ROS reduction. Renal IR injury was induced by bilateral renal artery occlusion for 60 min followed by 24 hrs reperfusion. In some rats, IR was induced during treatment with the selective S1P2 receptor antagonist, JTE-013 (0.1mg/kg BW, IP) prior to ischemia and repeated at the time of reperfusion. After reperfusion, plasma was collected and kidneys were harvested for histological analysis and ROS detection. Plasma creatinine (Cr) concentration was markedly increased in IR rats (4.2±0.1 mg/dl, n=6) compared to sham controls (1.1±0.1 mg/dl, n=5, p<0.05). JTE-013 treatment (n=4) significantly reduced plasma Cr in IR rats (2.0±0.3 mg/dl, p<0.05). Histological analysis revealed no significant cell damage in control kidney sections stained with hematoxylin and eosin whereas severe cell damage was detected in IR kidneys, including cell necrosis, disruption of the plasma membrane, nuclear pyknosis, cellular vacuolization, and the presence of luminal casts and sloughed cells in proximal tubules, particularly in the outer stripe of the outer medulla. Additionally, there was significant trapping of erythrocytes in the medulla. In contrast, JTE-013 treated IR rats showed less necrosis and cell damage in the proximal tubules. Renal ROS levels were assessed in frozen kidney sections using the fluorogenic probe, H
 2
 DCFDA. Fluorescence intensity was markedly increased in IR rats (18.7±2.4 in cortex and 19.0±2.5 in medulla) compared to control (10.9±0.7 and 9.6±0.7, p<0.05, respectively). JTE-013 treatment reduced ROS levels to values not different from control (13.5±1.1 and 15.4±1.5, p>0.05 vs. control, respectively). These data suggest that blockade of S1P2 receptors protects against renal IR injury by reducing tissue ROS accumulation.


It is of vital importance to engineer the surface structures of carbon dots (CDs) to satisfy their practical biomedical applications, including imaging and treatment. In this work, one type of hyaluronic acid-derived CD (HA-CD) was synthesized via a facile one-step hydrothermal method using cancer cell-targeted HA as a precursor. The as-prepared HA-CDs were targeted actively toward CD44 receptor-overexpressing cancer cells because a partial HA structure remained on the HA-CD surface. Beyond this, HA-CDs can act as a novel photosensitizer, because they can generate O2˙- under 650 nm laser irradiation, and they also exhibit excellent blue photoluminescence emission. The in vitro results revealed that HA-CDs imaged selectively CD44-overexpressing cancer cells and inhibited their growth under 650 nm laser irradiation. Thus, HA-CDs can serve as a promising self-targeted imaging-guided photodynamic therapy (PDT) agent for cancer. The present research provides a promising new method to simply construct multifunctional CD-based targeted phototheranostic systems.


We present a video stabilization algorithm for ball camera systems that undergo extreme egomotion during sports play. In particular, we focus on the BallCam system which is an American football embedded with an action camera at the tip of the ball. We propose an activity-aware video stabilization algorithm which is able to understand the current activity of the BallCam, which uses estimated activity labels to inform a robust video stabilization algorithm. Activity recognition is performed with a deep convolutional neural network, which uses optical flow.