This document contains two short papers on the theoretical structure of FH-ORANI. The first paper is concerned with local ownership shares for fixed capital in individual industries. The second is concerned with the taxation of earnings of fixed capital. Each paper identifies shortcomings in the current treatment, proposes a new treatment, describes its computer implementation, and presents illustrative simulation results. The first paper proposes two changes relating to local ownership of fixed capital. * In calculating industry shares in aggregate capital stocks, we assume uniformity across industries not in pre-tax rates of return, but in post-tax rates. * In determining local ownership shares for individual industries, we do not assume changes in shares to be uniform across industries, but do require them to be jointly consistent with the change in the economy-wide average local ownership share. Illustrative simulation results show that the new treatment greatly increases the sensitivity of foreign income payments to changes in the economy-wide local ownership share. The second paper proposes several changes relating to taxation of earnings of fixed capital. * Tax reductions arising from depreciation and investment allowances are not apportioned between fixed capital, working capital, and land, but are allocated entirely to fixed capital. * The share of tax on earnings of fixed capital in total tax on non-labour income is not fixed, but varies in response to changes in the composition of non-labour income. * Investors treat the reduction in tax arising from the investment allowance not as an augmentation to their income, but as a partial offset to the purchase cost of capital. Illustrative simulation results show that the new treatment greatly increases the sensitivity of capital usage to changes in the depreciation and investment allowance.


Two patients who developed biochemical and histological evidence of hepatitis while taking the anti-anginal drug perhexiline maleate are described. The pathological changes were those of mild to moderate fatty change together with a hepatitis which resembled alcoholic hepatitis, including in one patient the presence of material which by light microscopy was indistinguishable from Mallory's alcoholic hyalin. However, the predominantly periportal location of this material contrasted with the centrilobular distribution of Mallory's hyaline. One patient showed, in addition, severe atypia of the hepatocytes which was still present in less pronounced form 10 weeks after stopping perhexiline. The other patient had advanced hepatic fibrosis.


This issue coincides with my retirement as one of the (co-)editors of the Scandinavian Economic History Review. It has been a great pleasure and a real privilege to work for this journal over the last six years, and I am grateful that Jari Ojala, editor-in-chief since 2015, invited me to reflect upon the development of the Journal since 2011. After a few acknowledgements, I present a brief survey of strategic ideas that guided the editors and of some achievements of the last six years. Then I take the opportunity to indicate how in my view academic journals in our fields may become even more interesting (the short answer is 'red' – relevance, engagement, debate). And finally, I introduce to the articles appearing in this number of the Journal. A journal is teamwork. Many people, from the authors who submit their papers to the publisher's copyeditors, contribute to the success of a journal. Most of all, I am grateful for the enjoyable collaboration with Jacob Weisdorf (we edited SEHR together for four years) and with Janette Rawlings who ran the secretariat and enabled us to focus mainly on content. Copenhagen Business School and the Department for Management, Politics, and Philosophy generously supported my term. Many thanks to Jari Ojala, who became the first editor-in-chief of this journal in 2015, and to the other co-editors with whom it was my pleasure to cooperate, Camilla Brautaset, Sverre Knutsen, Lars Magnusson, and Espen Storli. The engagement of the publishing team of Taylor & Francis was a pleasant experience: Victoria Babbit, ElisaBeth Alexis, and Calum Petrie were outstanding – it would be nice, though, if job turnover in the publishing industry were less frequent. Last but not least, without the support of our associate editors and the members of the advisory board, particularly Stephen Broadberry, Geoffrey Jones, Kevin O'Rourke, and Marco H.D. van Leeuwen, the journal would look different today; they helped in many ways.


Background. Interdisciplinary chronic pain management programmes are costly and effective for many participants. However, it remains a conundrum as to why a substantial proportion of patients do not make clinically significant improvements in mood and functioning.

Aims. This programme of research takes a translational, mixed methods approach to addressing this question, triangulating a series of interconnected basic research studies with evaluation of intervention, in combination, to: (i) explore the association between posttraumatic stress in chronic pain patients and objectively assessable event characteristics (injury severity, cause of pain (trauma- or non-trauma related), time in pain (sub-acute or chronic); and aspects of subjective patient experience of pain (complete or partial memory of the event; diffuse or specific pain); (ii) investigate developmental aspects of the co-evolution of pain and distress by exploring clinically relevant posttraumatic stress between subacute and chronic pain patients; (iii) investigate the impact of trauma on injury recovery by exploring psychological sequelae of trauma-induced compared to non-trauma related pain; (iv) explore broader premorbid and acute contextual factors impacting recovery by undertaking a case analysis of patients' view of their lives and the impact on pain self-management.

Method. In a series of five studies, chronic pain participants whose pain was traumatic in origin (N=64) were compared with both a subacute traumatic pain group (N=77) and a chronic non-traumatic pain group (N=88). A qualitative study (N=10) further investigated the impact of social history on pain self-management.

Results. All groups reported significant (but similar) rates of posttraumatic stress. Further, compared to the subacute group, chronic groups reported higher rates of diffuse pain, and complete memory of their pain event. Type of pain event, injury severity scores, and gender were not associated with clinically relevant posttraumatic stress in any group. In the subacute group, a significant relationship was found between distress and partial memory of the pain event. The qualitative case study found that participants' unique histories contributed to "self-rules" that provided a premorbid lens through which their pain was interpreted, and their pain response was informed.

Conclusion. Posttraumatic stress is a significant feature of chronic pain and is already evident in the subacute phase of recovery. Vulnerability to, and maintenance of, pain and traumatic distress cannot be understood purely through the lens of objective event characteristics though these are the indices routinely collected by health experts. The subjective experience of pain holds more hope for predicting psychological outcomes. Collection of this information during hospital screening may afford a means of making more judicious judgements about resource allocation, access to services, and ultimately may provide an evidence base to inform a personalized medicine approach to treatment planning.


Dietary intake of caffeine has significantly increased in recent years, and beneficial and harmful effects of caffeine have been extensively studied. This paper reviews antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of caffeine as well as its protective effects on cardiovascular diseases, obesity, diabetes mellitus, cancers, and neurodegenerative and liver diseases. In addition, we summarize the side effects of long-term or excessive caffeine consumption on sleep, migraine, intraocular pressure, pregnant women, children, and adolescents. The health benefits of caffeine depend on the amount of caffeine intake and the physical condition of consumers. Moderate intake of caffeine helps to prevent and modulate several diseases. However, the long-term or over-consumption of caffeine can lead to addiction, insomnia, migraine, and other side effects. In addition, children, adolescents, pregnant women, and people who are sensitive to caffeine should be recommended to restrict/reduce their intake to avoid potential adverse effects.


Alternative education programs are expanding in the United States due to zero-tolerance policies, changes in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, increases in youth violence and school failure, and knowledge of the developmental trajectories leading to antisocial behavior. At the same time, there is little research evidence of the efficacy of these programs due to great diversity in approaches, populations served, and locations of the programs. In this article we provide a review of teaching strategies expected to be effective in alternative education programs for students who are at risk for school failure, dropout, delinquency, and violence. We discuss the need for alternative educational programs for students in both special and general education, describe research-based and recommended alternative education strategies, and offer suggestions for program development.


Abstract This paper presents a precise position actuator based on Magnetic Shape Memory (MSM) alloys. This new type of material has a remarkable potential in many areas of mechatronics due to its outstanding magnetically-induced strain, which is significantly larger than the one exhibited by other common active materials such as piezoelectric ceramics. Nevertheless, MSM alloys still have not found their way into industrial applications mainly due to their high hysteretic behavior and the strong sensitivity to temperature changes. After introducing the main characteristics of the prototype of precise positioning system based on an MSM alloy, this paper considers the problem of effectively controlling the device in closed-loop. Three different control strategies are compared in a wide range of operating conditions, including experiments with abrupt temperature changes. Experiments confirm that the undesirable effects of temperature on the precision of the device can be partially addressed with an adaptive model-based algorithm devised to cope with time-varying nonlinearities.


High blood pressure is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, leading to a high and increasing rate of morbidity and mortality with our current lifestyle. This is therefore a real public health problem. About 20 % of refractory hypertension is caused by a poor drug intake. The new 2018 European recommendations for high blood pressure emphasize the importance of improving patients' therapeutic adherence. To achieve that, the general practitioner must promote a bio-psycho-social approach, targeted to patient empowerment and to develop multidisciplinarity with the other care providers. Concerning the medication, physicians are encouraged to use combination therapies in a single pill.


ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 5 Number 8 (2016) pp. 889-894 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com Tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (or Koch's bacillus) even though curable and preventable it is still one of the leading infectious causes of morbidity and mortality especially in developing countries like India. Diagnostic methods available to detect tuberculosis are Direct approach by Microscopy, Culture, Biochemical test, Nuclear techniques. In developing countries diagnosis of acid fast bacilli is performed by microscopic examination of Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) stained sputum smear, because it is simple, inexpensive and it provides rapid results. But this technique has a low sensitivity 22-43% for single smear. And also up to 60% sensitivity under optimal conditions, when compared with cultures so that culture remains as gold standard to diagnose tuberculosis. The threshold for detection of acid fast bacilli in sputum samples under optimal condition is between 10 4 -10 5 bacilli/ml, which can be obtained by decontamination & concentration techniques. Sputum microscopy remains the mainstay of diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis but lacks sensitivity compared to culture. Pre-requisite for microscopic examination of sputum sample is prior decontamination. Rationale for the study: There are only a very few studies done in South India to report that Hypertonic Saline Sodium Hydroxide (HS-SH) method of decontamination is superior to gold standard NALC-NaOH method in India. So, we would like to evaluate Hypertonic Saline Sodium Hydroxide (HS-SH) method for decontamination of sputum samples for sputum microscopy. Main objective of our study is to evaluate the performance of the Novel Hypertonic Saline Sodium hydroxide (HS-SH) method with the gold standard NALC-NaOH for decontamination of sputum specimens to detect acid fast Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Institutional Human Ethical Committee clearance and Patient's informed written consent obtained. The Study was conducted as a prospective epidemiological study in Diagnostic Microbiology section of Central Service Laboratory for 6 months from November 11, 2015 to May 10, 2016. Total of 143 sputum samples obtained from both in-patients and out-patients of Karpagam Medical College Hospital from various departments like Medicine, Surgery, TB & RD and Orthopedics were subjected to decontamination by both HS-SH method and NALC-NAOH methods. Slides were then examined under oil immersion for acid fast bacilli by conventional Ziehl Neelsen staining microscopic method. Results: Out of 143 microbiological sputum samples, 104 were found to be positive for acid fast bacilli by both Modified petroff's method and Hypertonic Saline Sodium Hydroxide method (HS-SH) of concentration and decontamination and 39 samples were negative by both these methods. Sensitivity, Specificity, Positive predictive value & Negative predictive value of the HS-SH method was found to be 100%. Conclusion: The HS-SH sputum decontamination method is equally sensitive, specific, cost-effective, feasible and less time consuming procedure compared to the gold standard NALC-NaOH method for decontamination of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from sputum samples and can be routinely used in all peripheral health centres because of the low cost, especially in developing countries. K e y w o r d s


Popular multiple-access schemes for asynchronous users that access the channel at randomly or pseudorandomly chosen time instances are ALOHA and TH-PPM. To cope with the randomness of these signals can be challenging for a receiver. In this paper, an uncoordinated but deterministic multiple-access scheme is proposed that can eliminate some of these drawbacks. The principle of this scheme is that each user transmits with an individual pulse or packet rate, while the duty cycle of the user signals is kept very low. As the access to the channel is asynchronous, collisions will occur. An analytical expression is derived for the collision probability, which depends on the asynchronism between the users. Design rules are derived that make the collision probability independent of the asynchronism. In practical implementations, deviations from the design values for the user rates will occur, and the length of a data packet is limited; the impact of these aspects on the collision probability is discussed. Simulation of a sensor network scenario without transmit power control shows that the design rules that make the collision probability insensitive to the asynchronism also do this for the bit-error rate (BER). The comparison of simulation results for RDMA with binary antipodal modulation and random TH-PSK, which is related to TH-PPM, yields very similar bit-error rates.


Events Management employers seek graduates who can demonstrate that they can work in teams effectively. There are issues associated with assessing groupwork for both tutors and students. As most of the groupwork is completed outside of timetabled classes it is often difficult for the tutor to ascertain if the groupwork has been completed evenly amongst the group members. From a student's perspective there are often feelings of unfairness associated with group assessments and demands for individual grades to be awarded based on contribution. The overall aim of this study is to understand what a best practice approach is to online peer assessment and to trial an online tool thus, reducing the workload for the tutor of a paper-based approach. An online peer assessment tool called SPARKPlus was used for this research. Second and final year BA Events Management students used SPARKPlus and the results of a post-trial survey were collated. Interviews were conducted with six students involved in the trial. The findings indicate that the students had a positive experience using SPARKPlus. They believe peer assessment is a fair method of assessing groupwork and individual grades should be awarded. These results concurred with the literature regarding what constitutes a best practice approach to online peer assessment. Furthermore, some new themes emerged which would warrant further future research; including formative peer assessment and introducing face to face feedback.


Identification of reliable surrogate indicator taxa and effective shortcuts for the preservation of overall biodiversity is a major challenge. Encouragingly, complementarity‐derived priority sets of focal taxa were found highly effective in representing non‐target taxa in a study from Ugandan forests. It has been proposed cross‐taxon congruence in complementarity is less distinct in temperate regions than in the tropics, because temperate regions have fewer species, and hence focal taxa may be less effective as they are less diverse. To test this, we used all available atlas data (10 × 10 km scale) in Denmark (butterflies, birds, amphibians, reptiles, large moths, bats and click beetles, n= 434 species), and looked at whether conservation priority areas based on one taxonomic group represent species richness of other groups in a highly fragmented landscape. We apply a new approach (based on G‐statistics) that enables statistical evaluation of cross‐taxon congruence in complementarity‐derived priority sets. We found indications that the same taxa represented other groups effectively and exhibited cross‐taxon congruence in complementarity‐derived priority sets. Birds performed significantly, but relatively poorly, butterflies somewhat better and bats relatively well in representing species richness of other groups. Large moths performed best and may be an overlooked predictor of diversity in other animal taxa.


Our drug-gas containing 8% CO2 in air combined with perfluorooctylbromide (Perflubron) vapor is being developed as a new class of fast acting bronchodilator drug working via unique biophysical mechanisms. The revolutionary portable delivery device incorporates separate storage of a compressed gas cylinder and a drug-liquid ampoule within the device body.
 On activation, compressed drug-gas is released through the liquid reservoir where perflubron vapor evaporates through an intermediate aerosol stage. The combined gas and vapor mixture is then delivered to a tidally breathing patient at a controlled dosing rate and multi-minute treatment time. SAMi is developing this portable rescue device to treat severe bronchoconstriction as a first line emergency treatment to complement and enhance the activity of other drugs, particularly when conventional drugs have failed. This is the first time a therapeutic drug gas combines with a therapeutic drug vapor in a revolutionary portable delivery device to treat respiratory disease.


Self-assembly provides a route to make mesoporous structures that have accessible internal surface area. These types of materials show promise for use in opto-electronic devices as well as for energy storage devices. In this work we synthesize a range of mesoporous thin films from molecular and nanocrystal precursors. We characterize these films' porous structure and surface area using ellipsometric-porosimetry. This work is divided into three parts; the first section focuses on synthesizing and characterizing mesoporous semiconducting films. Two approaches are utilized, one in which germanium Zintl clusters co-assemble with a charged surfactant via electrostatic attractions to produce an ordered organic/inorganic composite that can later be converted into a porous network by surfactant removal. The other method uses pre-formed cadmiun selenide nanocrystals that coassemble with diblock copolymer micelles to produce a porous film with large accessible surface areas. Both of these nanostructured semiconductors are electrically interconnected, making them suitable for a range of applications.In the second part of this work we focus on studying the pore structure of four different porous metal-oxide films. Mn3O4: FeMn2O3, ITO, and ITO coated with V2O5. All of these systems use nanocrystal/diblock copolymer assembly methods described above to produce a 3-D porous network with large accessible surface areas. Mn3O4, FeMn2O3 are redox active materials that were synthesized for their redox capacities. ITO nanocrystals coated with V2O5 are also redox active due to the vanadia coating. In all 3 systems the porous architectures exhibit high surface areas, providing ample redox active sites, and an interconnected open porosity, facilitating solvent/ion diffusion to those sites. In the case of ITO coated with vanadia we investigated the effect of vanadia coating thickness on surface accessibility.In the final section we examine ways to measure surface area of thin films using ellipsometric-porosimetry combined with two different solvents: isopentane and methanol. We studied the advantages and disadvantages of each solvent in determining the surface area of the film.


Aims Problem gambling has been proposed to represent a 'behavioural addiction' that may provide key insights into vulnerability mechanisms underlying addiction in brains that are not affected by the damaging effects of drugs. Our aim was to investigate the neurocognitive profile of problem gambling in comparison with alcohol dependence. We reasoned that shared deficits across the two conditions may reflect underlying vulnerability mechanisms, whereas impairments specific to alcohol dependence may reflect cumulative effects of alcohol consumption. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Out-patient addiction treatment centres and university behavioural testing facilities. Participants A naturalistic sample of 21 male problem and pathological gamblers, 21 male alcohol-dependent out-patients and 21 healthy male control participants. Measurements Neurocognitive battery assessing decision-making, impulsivity and working memory. Findings The problem gamblers and alcohol-dependent groups displayed impairments in risky decision-making and cognitive impulsivity relative to controls. Working memory deficits and slowed deliberation times were specific to the alcohol-dependent group. Conclusions Gambling and alcohol-dependent groups shared deficits in tasks linked to ventral prefrontal cortical dysfunction. Tasks loading on dorsolateral prefrontal cortex were selectively impaired in the alcohol-dependent group, presumably as a consequence of long-term alcohol use.


Reading and interpreting landscape in a new or different way, 'reading against the grain', has the potential to reveal hidden or unintentional aspects of a design. This enables a design to be reconsidered and examined without being constrained by its canonical interpretation. The third Christchurch railway station is considered as a structure embodying aspects of Shivaism, highlighting the potential for train journeys and railway stations to be considered as metaphors for spiritual journeys and milestones. Discovering symbolic components of an ancient philosophical tradition unintentionally embodied in the landscape expression of a railway station provides an opportunity to reflect on the relationship between design intent and design interpretation, and on our own journeys through life.


The development of high‐resolution 3D seismic cubes has permitted recognition of variable subvolcanic features mostly located in passive continental margins. Our study area is situated in a different tectonic setting, in the extensional Pannonian Basin system (central Europe) where the lithospheric extension was associated with a wide variety of magmatic suites during the Miocene. Our primary objective is to map the buried magmatic bodies, to better understand the temporal and spatial variation in the style of magmatism and emplacement mechanism within the first order Mid‐Hungarian Fault Zone (MHFZ) along which the substantial Miocene displacement took place. The combination of seismic, borehole and log data interpretation enabled us to delineate various previously unknown subvolcanic‐volcanic features. In addition, a new approach of neural network analysis on log data was applied to detect and quantitatively characterise hydrothermal mounds that are hard to interpret solely from seismic data. The volcanic activity started in the Middle Miocene and induced the development of extrusive volcanic mounds south of the NE‐SW trending, continuous strike‐slip fault zone (Hajdú Fault Zone). In the earliest Late Miocene (11.6–9.78 Ma), the style of magmatic activity changed resulting in emplacement of intrusions and development of hydrothermal mounds. Sill emplacement occurred from south‐east to north‐west based on primary flow‐emplacement structures. The time of sill emplacement and the development of hydrothermal mounds can be bracketed by onlapped forced folds and mounds. This time coincided with the acceleration of sedimentation producing poorly consolidated, water‐saturated sediments preventing magma from flowing to the paleosurface. The change in extensional direction resulted in change in fault pattern, thus the formerly continuous basin‐bounding strike‐slip fault became segmented which could facilitate the magma flow toward the basin centre.


Nephropathy is a frequent complication of long-term diabetes. Strong evidence exists that genetic predisposition plays a major role in the development of diabetic nephropathy. The role of the angiotensin I-converting enzyme gene (ACE) in the susceptibility to nephropathy in diabetes, especially in non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), remains unclear. This study examines the association of two ACE polymorphisms: a 287-bp insertion/deletion (I/D) in intron 16 and PstI (A/G substitution in intron 7; alleles P/M) with renal complications in 941 NIDDM patients. From this group, for further analysis 127 patients were selected with overt proteinuria or chronic renal failure, 335 patients with microalbuminuria, and a control group of 254 normoalbuminuric patients with a diabetes duration of at least 10 yr. No significant differences in the distribution of ACE I/D and PstI genotypes or allele frequencies were observed between the examined groups. The results of this study strongly suggest that there is no association between the ACE gene I/D and PstI polymorphisms and nephropathy in NIDDM.


A study of complex formation of Zn(II) tetraarylporphyrin dendrimers with carbazolylphenyl branches towards 1,4-diazabicyclo-[2.2.2]octane, pyridine, imidazole, N-methylimidazole and 1,2,3-triazole was carried out by spectrophotometric and 1H NMR titration methods. It has been shown that the binding ability of the porphyrin receptors towards mono and bidentate N-containing substrates depends on the nature, number and generation of the branches. Bulky substituents are able either to significantly reduce the binding ability of the tetrapyrrolic cores due to the shielding of the porphyrin reaction centres, or to significantly increase it by forming intramolecular cavities for complementary binding of substrates. It has been determined that due to a good geometric match of the ligand's size with the size of the intramolecular cavities of the porphyrin receptors, and by the existence of additional hydrogen bonding and/or π–π interactions between the ligand and the triazole fragments of the porphyrin the Zn-tetraarylporphyrins with eight 4-carbazolylphenyl-1,2,3-triazole end groups of the first and the second generations could be used as effective receptors for imidazole, N-methylimidazole and 1,2,3-triazole. Taking into account the fact that binding is accompanied by a clear and easily identifiable response in the UV-Vis spectra of the reaction mixture, these metalloporphyrins could be considered as molecular optical sensing devices for small heterocyclic substrates.


Micro-alloyed cold forging steel has been developed to rule out heat treatment process before forging in order to save energy consumption. These non heat-treated cold forging steels utilize the work hardening during cold working to ensure the mechanical properties. In other words, the required strength of forged part is achieved by work hardening with the accumulation of plastic strain during the cold working. Therefore, the plastic deformation characteristics should be carefully understood for successful process design. Evolution of both microstructure and plastic characteristics of micro-alloyed cold forging steel has been investigated in the present study. For the optimization of forging processes, finite element analysis and die life predictions were carried out.


Human tumor necrosis-alpha (hTNF-alpha) was chemically conjugated to the murine anti-Ly-2.1 T cell antibody using heterobifunctional crosslinking agents SAMSA and SPDP. SDS-PAGE analysis of the affinity purified conjugate consisted mainly of 1:1 and 1:2 (Ly-2.1:TNF) complexes. Conjugated hTNF retained 50% of its cytotoxic activity by the L929 cytolytic assay, with an IC50 = 0.12 ng/ml. hTNF-Ly-2.1 was also cytotoxic to E3 cells (Ly-2.1+ve) with an IC50 = 1.7 microg/ml - 3 times more cytotoxic to these cells than non-conjugated hTNF in vitro. However in vivo hTNF-Ly-2.1 conjugates were more toxic to mice than hTNF. In vivo blood clearance studies in E3 tumor bearing CBF1 mice demonstrated that the half life of the conjugate was 2 hr, compared to 20 min for hTNF. In biodistribution studies, tumor accumulation of 3% was seen for hTNF-Ly-2.1 while for unconjugated hTNF no activity in tumor was detected 24hr post injection. A single dose of hTNF-Ly-2.1 increased the accumulation of 125I-anti-Ly-2.1 by 3 fold compared to controls. However, the antitumor effect of hTNF-Ly-2.1 on E3 cells in vivo was marginal with some tumor growth retardation at day 1-3. The results of these in vitro and in vivo studies on chemically conjugated h-TNF-MoAb will be helpful in the design of novel recombinant fusion proteins for targeting the biologic activity of TNF to tumours.


The distal muscle-tendon units of cursorial species are commonly composed of short muscle fibres and long, compliant tendons. It is assumed that the ability of these tendons to store and return mechanical energy over the course of a stride, thus avoiding the cyclic absorption and regeneration of mechanical energy by active muscle, offers some metabolic energy savings during running. However, this assumption has not been tested directly. We used muscle ergometry and myothermic measurements to determine the cost of force production in muscles acting isometrically, as they could if mechanical energy was stored and returned by tendon, and undergoing active stretch–shorten cycles, as they would if mechanical energy was absorbed and regenerated by muscle. We found no detectable difference in the cost of force production in isometric cycles compared with stretch–shorten cycles. This result suggests that replacing muscle stretch–shorten work with tendon elastic energy storage and recovery does not reduce the cost of force production. This calls into question the assumption that reduction of muscle work drove the evolution of long distal tendons. We propose that the energetic benefits of tendons are derived primarily from their effect on muscle and limb architecture rather than their ability to reduce the cyclic work of muscle.


Background: Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) has emerged as the predominant cause of meningitis in developing countries wherever it has been studied using good microbiologic procedures, but data regarding frequency, antimicrobial susceptibility and preferable method for detection of Haemophilus influenzae type b isolated from Iranian patients were scarce. Methods: One thousand and eight hundred suspicious CSF samples were received from Children Medical Center Hospital in Tehran, periodically. All samples were cultured on conventional and selective media for Haemophilus influenzae type b detection. PCR performed for samples were Hib negative in culture. The susceptibility of the isolates to different antimicrobial agents was determined using the disk diffusion method. Results: Overall, 6.7% (n= 121) of specimens had positive culture. 15.7% (n= 19) of isolates were diagnosed as Haemophilus influenzae type b with both culture and Antiserum test. PCR assay detected 10 isolates of H. influenzae type b in samples weren't detected in culture. H. influenzae type b isolates were resistance to ampicillin (42.1%), chloramphenicol (36.8%), and co-trimoxazole (52.6%), respectively. The range of antimicrobial susceptibility to cephalosporins was from 52.6% for cephalothin to 57.8% for ceftriaxone, ceftazidime, cefixime and ceftizoxime. Multidrug resistances were observed in 31.5% of H. influenzae type b isolates. Conclusion: Although we found high frequency of resistance to the first line drugs for H. influenzae type b in Iran, but the frequency of this organism among children meningitis was lower than many Asian and European countries. PCR assay was more sensitive in detection of H. influenzae than culture method.


While mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccination elicits strong humoral responses in the general population, humoral responses in people living with HIV (PLWH) remain to be clarified. Here, we conducted a longitudinal study of vaccine immunogenicity elicited after two and three doses of mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in PLWH stratified by their CD4 count. We measured the capacity of the antibodies elicited by vaccination to bind the Spike glycoprotein of different variants of concern (VOCs). We also evaluated the Fc-mediated effector functions of these antibodies by measuring their ability to eliminate CEM.NKr cells stably expressing SARS-CoV-2 Spikes. Finally, we measured the relative capacity of the antibodies to neutralize authentic SARS-CoV-2 virus after the third dose of mRNA vaccine. We found that after two doses of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine, PLWH with a CD4 count < 250/mm3 had lower levels of anti-RBD IgG antibodies compared to PLWH with a CD4 count > 250/mm3 (p < 0.05). A third dose increased these levels and importantly, no major differences were observed in their capacity to mediate Fc-effector functions and neutralize authentic SARS-CoV-2. Overall, our work demonstrates the importance of mRNA vaccine boosting in immuno-compromised individuals presenting low levels of CD4.


This study examined the effects on anxiety levels and primary care team workload of group psychological treatment for anxiety compared with individual treatment. Patients making high demands on primary care services were selected for group treatment, following which demands for services were considerably reduced. Two types of group treatment were used: the anxiety support group required less staff time to run than the anxiety management group but neither treatment had a clinically significant impact on anxiety symptoms. Individual psychological treatment was more effective in reducing levels of anxiety but required slightly more staff time per patient. These findings show that there is no close correspondence between reduction of anxiety and reduction of service costs and underline the importance of evaluating treatment effects with reference to the specific objectives of treatment.


This paper suggests that a symmetrical multi-layered model of light is the generator of increasingly complex computationalstrata. The light-based symmetry being quaternary-based, is envisioned to generate similar quaternary-based strata such as the electromagnetic field, quantum particles, atoms, and cells. But such generation occurs through the device of quanta, which is seen to be a bridge mechanism between layers of light. Such strata, afforded stability because the implicit fourfoldness in light seeks integrality even when projected explicitly, allows subsequent phenomenon such as memory and the implementation of universal functionality to arise. Because memory and universal functionality can be implemented in any of the quaternary-based emergent strata through the creation of logical gates leveraging strata-specific mechanisms, such strata become computational-strata. A different object of computation, an innate creativity, becomes apparent when one considers the vast array of unique functionality that is emergent in any layer of computational-strata. Further, the generation of such computational-strata has profound implications on quantum computation, genetics, artificial intelligence, and transhumanism.


Recently, there has been increasing interest in Ficus deltoidea (Moracea) due to its chemical composition and the potential health benefits. The leaves of the plant have been suggested to have potential antidiabetic effects. Inhibition of carbohydrate-hydrolysing enzymes, such as α-glucosidase and α-amylase is one of the therapeutic approaches to control postprandial hyperglycemia. In this study, enzymes inhibitory effect and antioxidant properties of different fractions of methanolic extract obtained from F. deltoidea leaves was evaluated. Further, the possible relationship between pharmacological properties and phytochemical content of fractions was investigated. The n-butanol fraction showed significant α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitory effects (IC 50 values 15.1 and 39.42 μg/ml, respectively) along with the remarkable antioxidant activity when compared to the other fractions. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) chemical profiling of the n-butanol fraction revealed that the contents of isovitexin (24.63 mg/g) and vitexin (8.3 mg/g) were found to be significantly higher than the other fractions. These results indicate that F. deltoidea could be the potential source of promising anti-diabetic drug. Key words : Ficus deltoidea, enzymes, phytochemical, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), isovitexin, vitexin.


With the most recent US Presidential election, civility in online communication has resurfaced as a social issue. Asurvey of 409 college students and 190 faculty / staff at a liberal arts college in northeastern Pennsylvania used open-ended questions to identifythe types of communicative posts people of different ages have seen and considered offensive on Facebook. Content analysis identified twenty unique themes of online inappropriateness, many of whichare similar across age groups butdo not appear in previous research. Common top themes include racist comments, sex / nudity, political references, and offending visuals. Age differences emerge in the rankings of these four themes and in the identified fifth theme, which is "other social issues" among college students and foul language for adults. Findings also indicate that students were statistically more likely than adults to consider posts involving traditional social issues (racism, sexism, LGBT issues, and alcohol / drugs) or aggression to be offensive; and, adults were more likely to consider foul language or the discussion of politics or religion to be offensive. Symbolic interaction theory is used to link perceptions of offensive posts to judgments of others, and suggestions for further research are discussed.


In this second paper in our series, we continue to test primordial scenarios of globular cluster formation which predict that globular clusters formed in the early universe in the potential of dark matter minihalos. In this paper we use high-resolution N-body simulations to model tidal stripping experienced by primordial dark-matter dominated globular clusters in the static gravitational potential of the host dwarf galaxy. We test both cuspy Navarro-Frenk-White (NFW) and flat-core Burkert models of dark matter halos. Our primordial globular cluster with an NFW dark matter halo survives severe tidal stripping, and after 10 orbits is still dominated by dark matter in its outskirts. Our cluster with Burkert dark matter halo loses almost all its dark matter to tidal stripping, and starts losing stars at the end of our simulations. The results of this paper reinforce our conclusion in Paper I that current observations of globular clusters are consistent with the primordial picture of globular cluster formation.


Aim To determine antecedent patterns of healthcare use by children fatally or seriously harmed by maltreatment. Methods The authors analysed recorded healthcare use for children who were the subject of a serious case review (SCR) in England in 2005–2007. The SCRs were initiated when a child under 18 years old died or was seriously harmed, maltreatment (abuse or neglect) was a factor, and there were lessons for interagency working. The authors analysed a purposive sample (N=40), similar in key demographics to all 189 SCRs in England in 2005–2007. Results Children had extensive recorded contact with universal (N=34/40; 85%) and secondary (N=26/40; 65%) healthcare services and children's social care (N=21/40; 53%). Thirty-one children (78%) had recorded health visitor and/or school nurse contact. Fourteen children (35%) had missed appointments. Almost three-quarters (N=29) had complex family problems recorded (parental domestic violence, alcohol/drug and/or mental health problems). Data quality regarding healthcare use was poor, and the extent and type of 'missing data' varied by age. Conclusions Complex paediatric and family problems and a high level of contact with services preceded serious adverse events. Universal health services are likely to be well placed for giving ongoing and family-orientated support to vulnerable families. The absence of standardised data collection and any control group limits how far the Biennial Analyses of SCRs can meet their stated objective of identifying national trends and patterns. Linking SCRs to healthcare databases would provide a control group, improve understanding of the population context and diminish demands for data from professionals delivering care.


Resistive random access memory (ReRAM) is often considered as a strong candidate for storing the weights in non-von Neumann neuromorphic computing systems. This paper studies how nonideal memory characteristics, which include programing error, read fluctuation, and retention, affect the inference accuracy of the analog ReRAM neural networks by incorporating memory characteristics extracted from 1-Mb ReRAM into a simulated inference-only neural network. This paper also shows that the different layer in the network can tolerate different amount of such imperfects. We learned four key points: 1) the conductance range of memory with less relative fluctuation is preferred for designing the weight-conductance mapping; 2) the control of programing error is essential for high inference accuracy; 3) retention-induced conductance drift can be fatal to the neuromorphic system. A compensation scheme is proposed in this paper which can effectively recover the inference accuracy; and 4) for multilayer networks, avoiding weight errors in the front layers can help to maintain the inference accuracy by reducing calculation error which may otherwise accumulate and pass down the networks. The concepts and approaches of this paper can also be applied to evaluate other types of nonvolatile memories for artificial neural networks.


Control of generically scale-invariant systems, i.e., targeting specific cooperative features in non-linear stochastic interacting systems with many degrees of freedom subject to strong fluctuations and correlations that are characterized by power laws, remains an important open problem. We study the control of surface roughness during a growth process described by the Kardar--Parisi--Zhang (KPZ) equation in $(1+1)$ dimensions. We achieve the saturation of the mean surface roughness to a prescribed value using non-linear feedback control. Numerical integration is performed by means of the pseudospectral method, and the results are used to investigate the coupling effects of controlled (linear) and uncontrolled (non-linear) KPZ dynamics during the control process. While the intermediate time kinetics is governed by KPZ scaling, at later times a linear regime prevails, namely the relaxation towards the desired surface roughness. The temporal crossover region between these two distinct regimes displays intriguing scaling behavior that is characterized by non-trivial exponents and involves the number of controlled Fourier modes. Due to the control, the height probability distribution becomes negatively skewed, which affects the value of the saturation width.


Chelate assisted oxidative addition of one equivalent of 2-phosphinothiols (2-(diphenylphosphino)ethanethiol 1, 1-(benzyloxy)-2-(diphenylphosphino)ethanethiol 2 and 2-(diphenylphosphino)-cyclohexanethiol 3) to tetrakis(triphenylphosphine)platinum(0) gives the corresponding hydrido[2-(phosphino-κP)thiolato-κS]triphenylphosphineplatinum(II) complexes 8–10. Temperature variable NMR studies show that these complexes display a chemical equilibrium between the cis-P,P and trans-P,P geometries, strongly displaced toward the trans-P,P configuration (70–90%). XRD studies carried out on crystals of 8 indicate that although the two geometric isomers are present in solution, only the trans-P,P is obtained in the solid state. These results differ from the cis-P,N geometry observed for the related hydrido[2-(amino-κN)thiolato-κS]triphenylphosphineplatinum(II) complexes 5–7 in solution. The crystal structures obtained for these aminothiolate hydrides show that the cis-P,N configuration is the only one observed in the solid state. Chelate assisted oxidative addition of one equivalent of 3-(diphenylphosphino)propanethiol 4 to tetrakis(triphenylphosphine)platinum(0) gives the resultant hydrido[3-(phosphino-κP)thiolato-κS]triphenylphosphineplatinum(II) complex 11. This 3-phosphinothiolate hydride shows in solution only a trans-P,P geometry but presents two chelate ring conformational isomers. Density functional theory calculations have been used to explore the ligand-based stereoelectronic effects that are determinant in the different diastereoisomerism observed in these platinum(II) hydrides (5–11).


Interest rates have declined over the last forty years, a period of increasing inequality. The steady decline in interest rates has been interpreted by and large as resulting from a decline of the natural rate of interest. This paper surveys the main explanations associated with the notion of a decline in the natural rate of interest, including the savings glut and the secular stagnation hypothesis. It analyzes the views according to which demographic forces were behind the decline, and might perhaps be associated to a future rise of the same natural rate. It also discusses the view according to which the role of inequality has been also to affect the natural rate of interest. Finally, views that discuss the role of monetary and financial factors, including the so-called global financial cycle literature, are discussed. It is argued that the conventional view suffers from logical and empirical problems that are ultimately unsurmountable. A brief critique of the notion of a natural rate of interest, and alternative monetary theory of the decline of interest rates, as determined exogenously by the monetary authority of the hegemonic country, the United States, is proposed.


This study examined the effect of mood states on mind wandering. Positive, neutral, and negative moods were induced in participants prior to them completing a sustained attention task. Mind wandering was measured by using the frequencies of both behavioral lapses and retrospective indices of subjective experience. Relative to a positive mood, induction of a negative mood led participants to make more lapses, report a greater frequency of task irrelevant thoughts, and become less inclined to reengage attentional resources following a lapse. Positive mood, by contrast, was associated with a better ability to adjust performance after a lapse. These results provide further support for the notion that a negative mood reduces the amount of attentional commitment to the task in hand and may do so by enhancing the focus on task irrelevant personal concerns.


The increasing dispersal and establishment of aquatic invasive species in natural freshwater ecosystems has led to efforts to remove non-native taxa and/or restore native species. An invasive bivalve, Asian clam (Corbicula fluminea), recently (2002) became established in a large, natural subalpine lake (Lake Tahoe, USA). In 2009, experimental efforts were undertaken to harvest C. fluminea from Lake Tahoe sediments using a manually operated suction dredge apparatus.
Treatment and control plots were monitored for a 450 day period after dredging to observe target species (C. fluminea) and non-target macroinvertebrate recovery rates. A paired Before-After-Control Impact analysis was used to assess the short- and long-term impacts of suction dredging.
Physical harvest resulted in short-term reductions of C. fluminea (1500 individuals m-2 before treatment to 60 individuals m-2 14 days after treatment) with significant disruption to benthic macroinvertebrate community structure. The impact to the target invasive species (C. fluminea) was present 450 days after treatment and community diversity (as represented by Simpson diversity index) did not recover after 1 year (365 days) in dredged sites. Certain non-target macroinvertebrate taxa (Chironomidae and native clam (Pisidium spp.)) increased in suction dredge plots to levels greater than before treatment or in control plot conditions at the end of the study period.
Harvesting C. fluminea significantly reduced population densities for a period of 450 days after the removal. Recolonization rates of C. fluminea and non-target species over multiple reproductive seasons will determine the feasibility for this method as a long-term control strategy. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Combining the subwavelength resolution of near-field interactions with the optical contrast mechanisms of classical optical microscopy makes scanning near-field optical microscopy an interesting technique for many applications. In spite of more than ten years of development, the quality of this technique is still limited by technical inadequacies. Rethinking of the tip quality, the tip-sample distance control, the scanner and the general assembly may help to overcome these limitations. This thesis is dedicated to instrumental aspects of scanning near-field optical microscopy. This concerns mainly SNOM-tip characterization, tip-sample distance control by shear-force, and the implementation of a compact SNOM-head on an inverted optical microscope. Near-field probes based on etched fiber tips are produced with a modified etching technique, that leads to smoother tip surfaces. These probes are characterized with respect to their transmission, possible light leakage and tested on a calibrated object. We propose a new tip coating, based on monofunctional silylation, and tested for its properties under shear-force distance control. A simple and easy-to-use combined near- and far-field method is presented to evaluate aperture near-field probes concerning transmission ratio, position of light leakage in the metal coating, size of the aperture and geometric properties. Shear-force distance curves are discussed under several aspects such as curve shape, approach course and approach direction. The analysis of these data together with theoretical considerations concerning the forces acting on the SNOM-tip allow one to discuss the related importance of the different forces. In an aqueous environment viscous forces are shown to play an important role. A compact near field optical microscope module is presented, with shear force detection based on an external cavity laser interferometer and an easy-to-handle tip fixation system, involving standard commercially available elements. For investigations in anaqueous environment a new type of liquid cell is proposed, allowing shear-force distance control independent from the immersion depth. As a result from a comparison between different scanner configurations a new compact concept for an electromagnetic scanner with a flat parallel structure is presented. A transmission-mode SNOM instrument is realized by mounting the compact shear-force detection module and a feedback-controlled xyz -piezo scanner on a commercial inverted microscope. The performances of this system with respect to sensitivity, scanning range, long-term stability and the possibility to work in aqueous environments, allow comfortable and easy instrument handling, especially for investigations of biological samples.


Immune suppression is a major obstacle in the design of successful immune-based therapies for cancer. Using an experimental model of prostate cancer, we previously demonstrated the rapid induction of tolerance and suppressive activity in adoptively transferred tumor antigen-specific cytotoxic T cells. The mechanism of this tolerance induction involved T cell interactions with tumor-associated dendritic cells (TADCs) which express elevated levels of the forkhead box protein, FOXO3. We now propose a mechanism by which tumor-infiltrating mast cells exert immune suppressive activity on both T cells and DCs. Mast cells were identified as approximately 30% of the total CD45+ tumor-infiltrating leukocytes and were capable of degranulation and promoting immune suppression. Purified tumor-associated mast cells (TA-MC) spontaneously secreted IL-13 and TGF-β which were further increased by FcαR cross-linking or LPS stimulation. The suppression of Ag-specific T cells and the development of tolerogenic DC were found to be dependent on TA-MC secretion of TGF-β and IL-13 during in vitro co-culture. Further, blocking IL-13 and TGF-β in vivo prevented the induction of DC tolerogenicity and the induction of T cell tolerance, which, in turn, resulted in reduced tumor burden. Our findings reveal novel mast cell-mediated mechanisms that favor immune tolerance over anti-tumor immunity and therefore provide promising targets for the enhancement of cancer immunotherapy. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3540. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-3540


HIV-1 successfully establishes long-term infection in its target cells despite viral cytotoxic effects. We have recently shown that cell metabolism is an important factor driving CD4+ T-cell susceptibility to HIV-1 and the survival of infected cells. We show here that expression of anti-apoptotic clone 11 (AAC-11), an anti-apoptotic factor upregulated in many cancers, increased with progressive CD4+ T cell memory differentiation in association with the expression of cell cycle, activation and metabolism genes and correlated with susceptibility to HIV-1 infection. Synthetic peptides based on the LZ domain sequence of AAC-11, responsible for its interaction with molecular partners, were previously shown to be cytotoxic to cancer cells. Here we observed that these peptides also blocked HIV-1 infection by inducing cell death of HIV-1 susceptible primary CD4+ T-cells across all T-cell subsets. The peptides targeted metabolically active cells and had the greatest effect on effector and transitional CD4+ T cell memory subsets. Our results suggest that AAC-11 survival pathway is potentially involved in the survival of HIV-1 infectable cells and provide a proof of principle that some cellular characteristics can be targeted to eliminate the cells offering the best conditions to sustain HIV-1 replication. IMPORTANCE Although antiretroviral treatment efficiently blocks HIV multiplication, it cannot eliminate the cells already carrying integrated proviruses. In the search for a HIV cure the identification of new potential targets to selectively eliminate infected cells is of the outmost importance. We show here that peptides derived from the anti-apoptotic clone 11 (AAC-11), which expression levels correlated with susceptibility to HIV-1 infection of CD4+ T-cells, induced cytotoxicity in CD4+ T-cells showing the highest levels of activation and metabolic activity, conditions known to favor HIV-1 infection. Accordingly, CD4+ T-cells that survived the cytotoxic action of the AAC-11 peptides were resistant to HIV-1 replication. Our results identify a new potential molecular pathway to target HIV-1 infection.


Whether you need a dissertation or thesis published at UAB or one from another university, this guide is the place to start.


Mechanical damage at the surface of glass, including the formation of indents and indentation cracks, still remains a crucial issue for glass makers, designers, and users because it affects the optical and functional properties as well as the durability of glass parts in service conditions. Some new insight into this problem was reached by investigating the crack initiation and the deformation behavior of oxide glasses from different chemical systems using the Vickers indentation test. It is found that the crack initiation resistance is chiefly governed by the extents to which densification and isochoric shear flow develop in a process zone beneath and within the contact area. Densification is favored in glasses with relatively small Poisson's ratio (nu) whereas shear is favored at large nu. The residual stresses developing on unloading and which chiefly govern the indentation cracking depend on the extent and on the kinetics of the deformation mechanisms.


TRIPS Article 27.3(b) contains a proprietary model for protecting innovation in biotechnology. This chapter explains the provision and sets forth the contentious WTO history of the provision. Developing countries that are relatively rich in biodiversity and traditional knowledge but poor in capital and scientific expertise favor a commons approach to agricultural innovation, an approach that is not reflected in TRIPS. Some developed countries are headquarters to firms developing this biodiversity and traditional knowledge into commercially exploitable forms of intellectual property, and it is these countries that are interested in a strong propietary model for biotechnological innovation. This paper examines how Europe and European law enters this debate. It examines European law relating to biotechnological innovation. The European position on TRIPS coverage of biotechnological innovation does not depart significantly from the United States position or from the position of the Quad group of countries generally. European law is converging with US law on adoption of a propietary model. Given the highly contentious nature of the subject and the sometimes vociferous developing country opposition to strong intellectual property protection, TRIPS and biotechnology will remain one of the more hotly contested topics of the Doha Round.


The sustainable use of wildlife is a core aspiration of multi-lateral conservation policy but is the subject to intense debate in the scientific literature. We use a global data set of over 11,000 population time-series to derive indices of 'used' and 'unused' species and assess global and regional changes in wildlife populations – principally for mammals, birds and fishes. We also assess whether 'management' makes a measurable difference to wildlife population trends, especially for the used species populations. Our results show that wildlife population trends globally are negative, but with used populations tending to decline more rapidly, especially in Africa and the Americas. Crucially, where used populations are managed, using a variety of mechanisms, there is a positive impact on the trend. It is therefore true that use of species can both be a driver of negative population trends, or a driver of species recovery, with numerous species and population specific case examples making up these broader trends. This work is relevant to the evidence base for the IPBES Sustainable Use Assessment, and to the development of indicators of sustainable use of species under the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework being developed under the Convention on Biological Diversity.


Can female directors help save economies and the firms on whose boards they sit? Policy makers seem to think so. Numerous countries have implemented boardroom gender policies because of business case arguments. While women may be the key to healthy economies, I argue that more research needs to be done to understand the benefits of board diversity. The literature faces three main challenges: data limitations, selection and causal inference. Recognizing and dealing with these challenges is important for developing informed research and policy. Negative stereotypes may be one reason women are underrepresented in management. It is not clear that promoting them on the basis of positive stereotypes does them, or society, a service.


Retinal degeneration in the rd mouse is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait and is caused by a defect in the gene encoding the beta subunit of cGMP phosphodiesterase. Recently, a close genetic association of the rd gene with an endogenous xenotropic murine leukemia virus (Xmv-28) was established by linkage analysis using recombinant inbred strains of mice. In this study, genomic DNA mapping and sequence analyses clarify the position of the proviral sequences in relation to the rd gene. We find that the Xmv-28 provirus is integrated into intron I of the rd gene 1511 bp downstream of the exon-intron boundary. The transcriptional orientation of the provirus is opposite to that of the gene for the beta subunit of cGMP phosphodiesterase. Reverse transcription-PCR demonstrates that the integrated Xmv-28 sequences are transcribed in the retina. The provirus is present in every strain of rd mouse tested.


Busia and Kisii Central districts are areas in western Kenya that have repeatedly reported high levels of stunting growth in children and an increase in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); an aspect often positively associated with chronic exposure to aflatoxins especially through consumption of foods such as peanuts. The objectives of the study were to determine the incidence, types and levels of aflatoxin in different varieties of peanuts produced in Busia and Kisii Central districts. One hundred and two (102) peanuts samples were collected from farmers' in each district. Aflatoxin types and levels of aflatoxins were analyzed using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) technique. All the peanuts samples from Kisii Central and 97.06% samples from Busia were contaminated with aflatoxins. However, aflatoxin was not detected in 2.94% of samples from Busia district. The levels of total aflatoxin ranges were 0.1 to 268 μg/kg and 1.63 to 591.1 μg/kg in peanuts from Busia and Kisii Central respectively. Majority of peanuts samples had levels within Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) and European Union (EU) regulatory limits for total aflatoxins. Improved variety (Valencia red) had significantly lower aflatoxin contamination compared to local varieties (Uganda local red, Homabay local and Local red). Aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2 were found in peanuts; B1 was the most predominant in both districts (t = 12.4, df = 3, P = 0.034). The levels of aflatoxins especially in peanuts from Kisii Central district were high (591.1 μg/kg) where 44.6% of samples analyzed were unfit for even animal feed (USFDA regulatory limit). An assessment on the levels of aflatoxins should be done by the relevant stakeholders in other key foods in the areas for example maize. The most lethal aflatoxin type B1 was found to be the most predominant peanuts from both districts of study. This calls for frequent aflatoxin screening of peanuts from the districts particularly aflatoxin type B.


Here we present a protocol used to prepare cryo-TEM samples of Aspergillus niger spores, but which can easily be adapted for any number of microorganisms or solutions. We make use of a custom built cryo-transfer station and a modified cryo-SEM preparation chamber2. The spores are taken from a culture, plunge-frozen in a liquid nitrogen slush and observed in the cryo-SEM to select a region of interest. A thin lamella is then extracted using the FIB, attached to a TEM grid and subsequently thinned to electron transparency. The grid is transferred to a cryo-TEM holder and into a TEM for high resolution studies. Thanks to the introduction of a cooled nanomanipulator tip and a cryo-transfer station, this protocol is a straightforward adaptation to cryogenic temperature of the routinely used FIB preparation of TEM samples. As such it has the advantages of requiring a small amount of modifications to existing instruments, setups and procedures; it is easy to implement; it has a broad range of applications, in principle the same as for cryo-TEM sample preparation. One limitation is that it requires skillful handling of the specimens at critical steps to avoid or minimize contaminations.


As the information superhighway reaches unprecedented levels of growth and acceptance in the commercial business sector, the key challenge for many firms is to become an architect in the new revolution of electronic commerce. The Internet increases the richness of communications through greater interactivity between the firm and the customer. This article is about new competitive challenges being realised through non‐linear forms of innovation emerging on the Internet and building a commercial capability to meet the challenge.


Importance
Treatment options for psoriasis (PsO) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) have evolved significantly throughout the era of biologics. Clinical trials are inadequate to assess the relative long-term efficacy of biologics and are often insufficient regarding safety.

Objectives
To assess the long-term persistence of different biologic classes to treat PsO and PsA.

Design, Setting, and Participants
This nationwide cohort study involved the administrative health care database of the French health insurance scheme linked to the hospital discharge database. All adults with PsO and PsA who were new users of biologics (not in the year before the index date) from January 1, 2015, to May 31, 2019, were included and followed up through December 31, 2019. Patients hospitalized for PsA in the PsO cohort and for PsO in the PsA cohort in the year before the index date were excluded. Data were analyzed from June 1 to October 31, 2021.

Main Outcomes and Measures
Persistence was defined as the time from biologic therapy initiation to discontinuation and was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Comparison of persistence by biologic class involved using propensity score-weighted Cox proportional hazards regression models and adjustment on specific systemic nonbiologics (time-dependent variables).

Results
A total of 16 892 patients with PsO were included in the analysis (mean [SD] age, 48.5 [13.8] years; 9152 men [54.2%] men). Of these, 10 199 patients (60.4%) started therapy with a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor; 3982 (23.6%), with an interleukin 12 and interleukin 23 (IL-12/23) inhibitor; and 2711 (16.0%), with an interleukin 17 (IL-17) inhibitor. An additional 6531 patients with PsA (mean [SD] age, 49.1 [12.8] years; 3565 [54.6%] women) were included; of these, 4974 (76.2%) started therapy with a TNF inhibitor; 803 (12.3%), with an IL-12/23 inhibitor; and 754 (11.5%), with an IL-17 inhibitor. Overall 3-year persistence rates were 40.9% and 36.2% for PsO and PsA, respectively. After inverse probability of treatment weighting and adjustment, the IL-17 inhibitor was associated with higher persistence compared with the TNF inhibitor for PsO (weighted hazard ratio [HR], 0.78 [95% CI, 0.73-0.83]) and PsA (weighted HR, 0.70 [95% CI, 0.58-0.85]) and compared with the IL-12/23 inhibitor for PsA (weighted HR, 0.69 [95% CI, 0.55-0.87]). No difference between the IL-17 inhibitor and IL-12/23 inhibitor for PsO was noted. The IL-12/23 inhibitor was associated with higher persistence than the TNF inhibitor for PsO (weighted HR, 0.76 [95% CI, 0.72-0.80]), with no difference observed for PsA.

Conclusions and Relevance
The findings of this cohort study suggest that IL-17 inhibitors are associated with higher treatment persistence than the TNF inhibitor for PsO and PsA. Interleukin 17 inhibitors were also associated with higher persistence than the IL-12/23 inhibitor for PsA, with no difference for PsO. However, the persistence rates of all biologics remained globally low at 3 years.


paper, an efficient scheme for detecting and correcting overflow during addition in Residue Number System (RNS) is presented. The approach which is novel to the moduli set 2 �� − 1, 2 �� , 2 �� + 1 is based on the Chinese Remainder Theorem and demonstrates theoretically to be a very fast scheme compared to similar state of the art schemes. The proposed method is able to detect overflow in RNS addition without full reverse conversion; Additionally, the scheme also prevents the representation of wrong numbers as a result of overflow, thus the scheme gives the accurate result without errors whether overflow occurs or not. A comparison, which proves the efficiency of the proposed scheme, in terms of delay and area requirements is also presented.


Recent advances in computing capabilities and the interest in new challenging signal processing problems that cannot be successfully solved using traditional techniques have sparked an interest in information-theoretic signal processing techniques. Adaptive nonlinear filters that process signals based on their information content have become a major focus of interest. The design and analysis of such nonlinear information processing systems is demonstrated in this paper. Theoretical background on necessary information theoretic concepts are provided, nonparametric sample estimators for these quantities are derived and discussed, the use of these estimators for various statistical signal processing problems have been illustrated. These include data density modeling, system identification, blind source separation, dimensionality reduction, image registration, and data clustering


The energetic needs of a rising human population have led to the search for alternative energy sources. A promising route for the large-scale storage of renewable energy is water electrolysis, which is performed with a proton-conducting polymer electrolyte. However, only platinum group metal electrocatalysts have the adequate properties to minimize the overvoltages associated with either hydrogen or oxygen evolution reactions. Alternative materials based on transition metals are scarce, but molecular electrochemistry offers some alternatives. In particular, transition metal clathrochelates exhibit an interesting activity with regard to the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). However, such complexes form a vast family, and there is a need to implement screening approaches to identify the most performing ones. Theoretical studies on molecular electrocatalysts are adequate for this purpose, since density functional theory (DFT) has a strong predicting capability to provide clues for the improvement of practical devices. This chapter describes the most recent theoretical methods applied to several members of the clathrochelate family. We describe the computation of their common spectroscopic and electrochemical properties. In addition, DFT analysis is used to decipher the multistep reaction mechanism of a model Co clathrochelate with regard to the hydrogen evolution reaction in the homogeneous phase.


This study aimed to examine the effect of e-commerce on the amount of taxes paid by the taxpayer compliance as an intervening variable. Analysis using Structural Equation Modeling with Partial Least Square approach. The sample was 109 perpetrators of e-commerce which is a member of IDEA (E- Commerce Association of Indonesia). Hypothesis testing was done by using the bootstrap resampling method, with the help of Smart Software Partial Least Square. Data validity was tested with outer loadings and goodness of fit was tested with the composite reliability and cross loadings. Hypothesis test statistic t was seen from resulting inner weight. The research proved that the E-commerce and taxpayer's compliance had a significant effect on the amount of taxes paid by the taxpayer. E-commerce had a significant effect on taxpayer's compliance. E-commerce had a significant effect the amount of taxes paid by the taxpayer through the intermediary of taxpayer's compliance.


This book offers a revisionist interpretation of British foreign policy towards Poland and the role of the Anglo-Polish relationship during the period March-September 1939. It challenges and questions hitherto held views on the British determination to defend Poland and oppose German expansion eastwards. It includes a study of foreign policy, economic policy and military planning. This book is a major contribution to our knowledge of the outbreak of the war because it contains a unique and original study of the role of the Poles in British proposals for an eastern front and the Polish perception of their relationship with Germany. Finally the inconclusive nature of British approaches to the Soviet Union and the Rumanian government are put into the context of the abortive proposal for an eastern front against Germany.


In recent years we have witnessed an explosion of interest in two dimensional (2D) materials, due to their unique physical properties. Excitement surrounds the promise of replacing conventional bulk photodetectors with devices based on 2D materials, allowing better integration, flexibility and potentially improving performance. However, the low inherent light absorption of 2D materials is an outstanding issue to be solved. In this chapter we review two independent approaches to tackling this problem, which have the potential to be combined to find a robust solution. The first approach involves patterning the substrate with a rod-type photonic crystal (PhC) cavity structure, which is shown to increase the light absorption into a 2D material flake coupled spatially to the cavity mode. Secondly, we review 2D–compatible solid immersion lenses (SILs) and their ability to increase both the optical magnification of the structures they encapsulate, and the longevity of the material. SILs have been shown to reduce the requirements for complex optics in the implementation of 2D materials in optoelectronic devices, and also in preserving the photodetector's optical performance over long periods of time. Finally, we show how by combining rod-type PhC cavities with SILs, we can improve the performance of 2D material-based photodetectors.


Measures of economic concentration, such as the k-firm concentration index and the Hirschman-Herfindahl Index (HHI) are commonly used to ascertain the competitiveness of a product market. Within a Cournot model industry equilibrium, it is known a relationship exists between the HHI and the gap between industry price and marginal cost, but the economic theory foundations and intuition underlying the HHI formula are seemingly arbitrary. Here we document that there are indeed powerful and intuitive theoretical foundations to the HHI, but those foundations emanate from outside economics, namely, ecology, where the HHI is known as Simpson's Diversity Index. We discuss the origins of the HHI and Simpson's Diversity Index, summarize other measures of concentration, and link them to common measures of inequality. Based on a priori reasoning, we conclude there is little on which to base a choice between the HHI and non-HHI measures of market concentration. We empirically illustrate the implementation of the HHI and other concentration indexes as the statin drug LipitorTM lost patent protection and faced generic competition in 2012; we find very similar empirical trends and high correlations among them. Our research provides support for the continued use of HHI as a measure of concentration, provided one recognizes its link to market power is equivocal.


Of the various media vehicles available for advertising, the Internet is the latest and the most rapidly growing, emerging as the ideal medium to promote products and services in the global market. In this article, the authors propose an Internet media planning model whose main objective is to help advertisers determine the return they obtain from spending on Internet advertising. Using available data such as Internet page view and advertising performance data, the model contributes to attempts not only to optimize the Internet advertising schedule but also to fix the right price for Internet advertisements on the basis of the characteristics of the exposure distribution of sites. The authors test the model with data provided by KoreanClick, a Korean market research company that specializes in Internet audience measurement. The optimal durations for the subject sites provide some useful insights. The findings contrast with current Web media planning practices, and the authors demonstrate the potential savings that could be achieved if their approach were applied.


Promising technological applications of two-phase flows in space have captured the increasing interest of the space sector, provoking a strong demand for more fundamental knowledge. Great efforts have been made in recent decades to study the behavior of two-phase flows in low-gravity environments, which is expected to be different than the behavior observed in the presence of gravitational forces. Nevertheless, many phenomena are still poorly understood. The development of any of these new technologies demands a better knowledge of two-phase flows.
In this manuscript we address questions regarding the generation of gas-liquid flows and their behavior in conditions relevant for a microgravity environment. In particular, we focus on an air-water mixture formed in a capillary T-junction. To this end, an experimental setup has been designed to accurately control both gas and liquid flow rates. We performed a quantitative characterization on ground of the T-junction, whose operation is robust to changes in gravity level. Its main performance is the generation of bubbles at a regular frequency with small size dispersion. We obtained two working
regimes of the T-junction and identified the crossover region between them. Bubble, slug, churn and annular flow regimes have been observed during the experiments and a flow pattern map has been plotted. We present an experimental study on the bubble-slug transition in microgravity-related conditions. In addition, we address questions regarding the existence of a critical void fraction in order for the bubble-slug transition to occur.
The gas-liquid flow has been characterized by measuring the bubble generation frequency as well as the bubble and liquid slug sizes. Since bubble dynamics is also expected to be different in the absence of buoyancy, the bubble velocity has also been studied. The mean void fraction appears as one relevant parameter that allows for the prediction of frequency, bubble velocity, and lengths. We propose curves obtained empirically for the behavior of generation frequency, the bubble velocity and the lengths. The dependence of the frequency on the Strouhal dimensionless number has been analyzed.
A numerical study of the formation of mini-bubbles in a 2D T-junction by means of the fluid dynamics numerical code JADIM is also presented. Simulations were carried out for different flow conditions, giving rise to results on the bubble generation frequency, bubble velocity, void fraction and characteristic lengths. Numerical results have been then compared with experimental data.


Globalization conveyed new difficulties to Pakistani society. This is especially valid in innovation and association. The electronic and print media are at the administration of those endeavoring to bulldoze nearby culture and qualities. Due to this changing society we are confronting issues in our homes with respect to our kids training, step by step increment, aggressive behavior at home and awful demeanor of females. These are genuine issues, for Pakistan, as well as for humankind on the loose. The drawback of globalization is in this manner a wellspring of genuine test for Pakistan.


BACKGROUND
In the last decade it has been observed worldwide that people with intellectual disanility (ID) now experience increased lifespan. The present study was conducted to monitor the trends in aging in persons with ID in residential care centers in Israel.

MATERIAL/METHODS
Since 1998-1999, an annual survey of medical-clinic activity for all residential care centers for people with ID has been conducted and data from these surveys were used to investigate the trends in aging.

RESULTS
The residential care center population today comprises about 7,000 persons of all ages. From 1999 to 2006, the population of 40-49 year olds remained stable, but the 50-59 year olds increased by 5.6%, while the 60 years and older group increased by 2.9%.

CONCLUSIONS
Recommendations for service for this population and age group are discussed. Older people with ID have the same needs as other older people do, and they are subject to the same age-related impairments and illnesses (9). Moreover, because many disabled individuals live together with their families, the burden is double because the family members are also aging and with time, will not be able to continue their care-giving. As with older people in general, older people with intellectual disability also have social needs, housing needs, medical needs, the need for activity or work and special care needs for age-associated conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, increasing fragility, or conditions or diseases compromising independent functioning.


: Recent evidence for a chemically unmasked, Cl- dependent K+ transport system present in LK sheep red cells has been reviewed. Exposure of LK cells to millimolar concentrations of N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) caused an up to 10 fold increase of a Cl- dependent K+ permeability with saturation kinetics and a low K+ affinity. Genetically associated with the expression of the LK gene, the chemically uncovered, Cl- activated K+ flux resembles evolutionary ancient cation transport systems found in nucleated red cells and non-erythrocytic mammalian cells. Perhaps the K+ transport system here described may play a significant role in volume reduction when sheep reticulocytes "mature" to adult red cells.


In November 1971, Intel introduced the world's first single-chip microprocessor, the Intel 4004. It had 2,300 transistors, ran at a clock speed of up to 740 KHz, and delivered 60,000 instructions per second while dissipating 0.5 watts. The following four decades witnessed exponential growth in compute power, a trend that has enabled applications as diverse as climate modeling, protein folding, and computing real-time ballistic trajectories of angry birds. Today's microprocessor chips employ billions of transistors, include multiple processor cores on a single silicon die, run at clock speeds measured in gigahertz, and deliver more than 4 million times the performance of the original 4004.


Interconnection networks allowing multiple simultaneous broadcasts are becoming feasible, mostly due to advances in fiber-optics and VLSI technology. Distributed-shared-memory implementations on such networks promise high performance even for applications with small granularity. This paper summarizes the architecture of one such implementation, the simultaneous optical multiprocessor exchange bus, and examines the performance of an augmented DSM protocol which provides fault tolerance by exploiting the natural DSM replication of data in order to maintain a recovery memory in each processing node. Theoretical and simulation results show that the additional data replication necessary to create fault-tolerant DSM causes no reduction in system performance during normal operation and eliminates most of the overhead at checkpoint creation. Data blocks which are duplicated to maintain the recovery memory may be utilized by the regular DSM protocol, reducing network traffic, and increasing the processor utilization significantly.


The use of plant extracts can be an alternative to reduce the use of pesticides, to control diseases and pests that affect agricultural production. The aim of this study was the chemical characterization of the extract and fractions of Pouteria ramiflora leaves and to determine its fungistatic potential on Lasiodiplodia theobromae. The ethanolic extract of dried and crushed leaves was obtained by maceration. Part of this extract was sequentially partitioned and the following fractions were obtained: hexane, dichloromethane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, n-butyl, and hydromethanol for subsequent bioassay, and qualitative and quantitative phytochemical analysis. Experimental development comprises of adding a L. theobromae mycelial disk (5 mm), obtained from pure colonies, in the middle of Petri dishes with PDA culture growth (potato-dextrose-agar) plus the aforementioned substances in different concentrations (800; 1,200; 1,600; 2,000, and 2,400 μg/mL), and a control treatment (PDA). The plates were incubated in B.O.D. (25±2°C), and the assessment was performed by measuring the diameter of the colonies until it reaches the edge of the board. The experimental design was completely randomized with five replications, and the treatments were constituted of a factorial of seven extracts/fractions and six concentrations. For the Mycelial Growth Rate Index (MGRI) obtained, the analysis of variance was performed, and when significant, the regression analysis was performed. All extract/fractions decreased MGRI of L. theobromae, as the concentrations were increased. The best MGRI reduction occurred in n-butanolic fraction, and the efficiency of this fraction may be related to the presence of flavonoids and anthraquinones. The extract and fractions of P. ramiflora, a tree from the Cerrado biome in Mato Grosso do Sul, was effective in the control of L. theobromae, which can be used as a control option in organic farming or in integrated management systems.


This thesis examines several aspects of the equality and non-discrimination norms in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). A particular focus throughout the thesis is on the manner in which the equality and non-discrimination norms in the CRPD can increase participation and inclusion in society of persons with disabilities. The thesis also examines in detail the duty to reasonably accommodate persons with disabilities and, in particular, its outer limits. The book also devises a framework for review of measures adopted by States in the overall context of the progressive realisation of disability rights. Finally, it investigates how the equality and non-discrimination norms in the Convention have already influenced, and can potentially influence, the crucial shape of disability equality case law and policy. Overall, the thesis demonstrates that the CRPD holds enormous promise for the future application of the equality and non-discrimination norms in relation to the rights of persons with disabilities.


Owing to the reduced energy reserves of the premature infant, we consider adherance to Finkelstein's concept for underweight infants insufficient, particularly as these infants need increased energy to offset early adjustment difficulties. We achieved the necessary balance of energy by using a combined method of forced build-up of food intake complemented by parenteral nourishment. As parenteral substances we used 12.5% glucoseelectrolyte solvent and an amino-acid solvent of 6%. Fat infusions have only been taken when disturbed oral intake of nourishment made it necessary. With this method of full joule diet infused through the peripheral veins, we were able to lower the mortality rate on the premature infant ward considerably, without increased risk to the child.


Abstract Understanding of the South Carolina seismic zone and the 1886 Charleston earthquake is much improved today as a result of seismological studies which began in 1973. A permanent seismic network was installed in 1974 in South Carolina between Charleston on the Atlantic Coast and Columbia in the central part of the state. Temporary field networks of portable instruments were established in the epicentral areas of earthquakes near reservoirs in the northwest part of the state. The seismic network data have provided precise hypocenter determinations in previously known zones of continuing activity near Middleton Place and Summerville, Bowman, and in a newly identified source of seismicity near Adams Run. Several new composite focal mechanisms were determined, and abundant aftershock data were acquired. Results of recent geophysical and geological studies, when combined with the seismological results, indicate two seismic regimes in South Carolina. The first regime covers the buried basement structure of the middle and lower Coastal Plain province, which has been shown by geophysical studies to be quite unlike Piedmont province structures to the northwest. The Middleton Place-Summerville and Bowman seismic zones are associated with buried early Mesozoic basins and large, elongate mafic intrusives inferred from coincident positive aeromagnetic and gravity anomalies. The current seismicity is concentrated in clusters rather than distributed along a northwest-trending fault zone as suggested earlier by various workers. The second regime covers the exposed Piedmont province and the upper Coastal Plain. Earthquake activity may be associated with strain release on or near mapped faults or contacts between metamorphic belts. In particular, studies of aftershock and microearthquake activity in the vicinity of reservoirs indicates that in areas of high ambient stress, the seismicity appears to be induced by fluctuations in the impounded water and pore pressure at depth.


Progress is moving forward at a fast pace in most technical areas. The engine room is no exception. The size of the engine crew has steadily decreased the last decades, and some researchers and technology companies have started to look at the possibility of unmanned ships. The object of this thesis is to find out what obstacles the unmanned ship is facing.
Chalmers University of Technology is involved in a European research project called MUNIN where a simulated vessel will be operated between Europe and South America. The MUNIN project focuses mainly on autonomous navigation of an unmanned vessel. To find out what difficulties this project is facing from the engine room perspective, four experienced marine engineers were interviewed to share their experiences and thoughts. The interviews indicated that there are a number of problems concerning the operation of the unmanned engine room. During the interviews a number of proposals for new designs were presented. The authors also give their own views and suggestions on how an unmanned engine room can be designed. The conclusion of the report is that an unmanned vessel is a possible concept with today's technology although the project is facing technical and economical difficulties. All sections of the shipping industry will have to aim for the same goal and development.


Reliability is an engineering discipline that encompasses a broad array of tools and techniques useful for answering durability and robustness type questions. Product development teams often rely on reliability engineering professionals to guide, advise and manage reliability programs. Reliability is a facet in nearly every function of an organization. This implies the knowledge and skills required for the reliability engineer is comprehensive and the knowledge breadth may have to span aspects of material science in design constraint considerations to warranty reverse logistics. How do engineers become reliability professionals? What are the knowledge transfer options available to the reliability profession? How do we get started and maintain our knowledge? In this short paper, I summarize what's available, a couple of common paths taken to become a reliability professional, and highlight the strengths and a few weaknesses concerning reliability education. Note: This is my view of the state of reliability education.


In the 21st century teachers have to face a number of expectations and challenges coming both
from the customers of education services (i.e. students and the potential employers) as well as
from the regulatory bodies of the service provider side (school management, governmental
organizations). Teachers must meet these expectations in a constantly and rapidly changing
economic, social and informational environment.
In this complex and heavily interconnected / interdependent world education should focus on
developing capabilities (sometimes called soft skills) like critical thinking, communication and
handling complex social situations.
In addition to these general skills, potential logistics experts also should be able to think in
systems, be accurate, flexible, cooperate with other functions, etc.
In schools the "digital immigrants" (teachers) usually cooperate with the "digital natives"1
(students belonging to generations Y2
and Z3
) to develop the desired skills and competences. The
spread of Internet and e-learning platforms can facilitate this development process through the
selection and combination of the adequate educational methods.
In our research, we asked students belonging to generations Y and Z studying any fields of
logistics about their perception of cooperative learning.
The result will enable us to learn about the experiences and opinions of the students of cooperative
educational methods. Our research compared the usefulness of different methods as perceived by
students to how they are rated in the literature.


Background: HIV and TB are common infections in sub-Saharan Africa. Due to HIV's suppression of the immune system, infected patients are prone to opportunistic infections. Co-treatment of HIV and TB places patients at risk of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and drug interactions. This study aimed to determine the incidence and risk factors for ADRs in HIV-infected patients and those co-infected with TB. Methods: Data from patients (aged >15 years) enrolled on the Medunsa National Pharmacovigilance Centre's database from March 2007 to May 2017 were analysed. Censoring targeted the first incident of ADRs in HIV-TB co-infected patients and those not co-infected. A Cox-proportional hazard model was used to determine associations of dependant variables and identify predictors for developing ADRs. Results: 3608 HIV-infected patients were included. 12% (n=437) had HIV-TB co-infection. Overall prevalence of ADRs was 31% (n=1 131). Of these, 12% were experienced by patients with HIV and TB co-infection and 885 by patients with no co-infection. Higher rates of ADRs were found to be significantly associated with patients initiated on stavudine (aHR=9.4; 95% CI 7.4-12.1; p<0.001) and non-standardised regimens (aHR=6.6; 95% CI 4.5-9.8; p<0.001). Peripheral neuropathy and skin rash were the most common ADRs. Patients initiated on a CD4+ count <350 cells/mm3 (aHR=1.3; 95% CI 1.1-1.4, p<0.001) and cigarette smokers (aHR=1.4; 95% CI 1.1-1.7, p=0.015) were at higher risk of developing ADRs. Conclusion: Overall, results suggested a modest incidence of ADRs amongst HIV- and TB co-infected, with no significant association between ADRs and TB-coinfection. A pharmacovigilance surveillance system remains essential.


Abstract Dictyostelium discoideum has proven indispensable to elucidate cytoskeletal dynamics. The cytoskeleton plays a key role in almost all cellular processes, including motility, cytokinesis, cell-to-cell and cell-substrate adhesions and intracellular transport. Several actin binding proteins are also involved in these processes, among them are actin crosslinking proteins (for example, filamin and a-actinin). Filamin (also known as ddfilamin or gelation factor or ABP 120) consists of an actin binding domain and six rod repeats of 100 amino acids, its last repeat being responsible for the formation of the homodimer. Both the domains are necessary for the actin crosslinking activity of filamin. Dictyostelium mutants lacking filamin have severe defects in multicellular slug migration towards light, phototaxis, and preferable temperature, thermotaxis. To study the phototaxis defect in filamin- mutants at the molecular level we expressed various domains in the mutant and tested their rescue potential. Expression of C terminally truncated and point mutated (at a putative phosphorylation site) filamin rescued the phototaxis defect partially. Full-length filamin when expressed under the control of the ecmA promoter in the anterior tip of the slug rescues the phototaxis, but not when expressed under the control of the cotB promoter which allows expression in the posterior ¾th of the slug. Phototaxis is a complex phenomenon, which includes more than 55 genes. To identify genes involved in this process we carried out a microarray analysis. Amoung 65 genes we selected in microarray analysis, 40 genes were up regulated and 25 genes were down regulated. From the functions of most of theses genes, we conclude that the phototactic behaviour of slugs is controlled by extracellular cAMP, Ca2+ ions and cell adhesion. To further focus on filamin's function in phototaxis we searched for proteins interacting with filamin by a yeast two hybrid screen and by immunoprecipitation. TipA, GAPA and SapA proteins were pulled down in the immunoprecipitation approach while the FIP, filamin interacting protein, was found earlier in a yeast two hybrid screen. Biochemical studies suggest that FIP is associated with F-actin and may function in vesicle trafficking. Detailed analysis of the mutants of LIM proteins, villidin and filamin for chemotactic migration towards cAMP, led us to conclude that alteration in chemotactic motility of individual cells may not affect the phototactic migration of the slug.