The development of versatile bioactive surfaces able to emulate in vivo conditions is of enormous importance to the future of cell and tissue therapy. Tuning cell behaviour on two-dimensional surfaces so that the cells perform as if they were in a natural three-dimensional tissue represents a significant challenge, but one that must be met if the early promise of cell and tissue therapy is to be fully realised. Due to the inherent complexities involved in the manufacture of biomimetic three-dimensional substrates, the scaling up of engineered tissue-based therapies may be simpler if based upon proven two-dimensional culture systems. In this work, we developed new coating materials composed of the self-assembling peptide amphiphiles (PAs) C16G3RGD (RGD) and C16G3RGDS (RGDS) shown to control cell adhesion and tissue architecture while avoiding the use of serum. When mixed with the C16ETTES diluent PA at 13 : 87 (mol mol-1) ratio at 1.25 × 10-3 M, the bioactive PAs were shown to support optimal adhesion, maximal proliferation, and prolonged viability of human corneal stromal fibroblasts (hCSFs), while improving the cell phenotype. These PAs also provided stable adhesive coatings on highly-hydrophobic surfaces composed of striated polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), significantly enhancing proliferation of aligned cells and increasing the complexity of the produced tissue. The thickness and structure of this highly-organised tissue were similar to those observed in vivo, comprising aligned newly-deposited extracellular matrix. As such, the developed coatings can constitute a versatile biomaterial for applications in cell biology, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine requiring serum-free conditions.


The distribution and chemical properties of humic substances (humic acids and fulvic acids) from a twelve-month-old static aerated compost pile of coffee pulp were studied. The compost was separated into five physical granule fractions (500, 1000, 2000, 4000 and 8000 um) in order to determine the effect of particle size on humic substances, on nutrient composition, and on distribution. The objective of this study was to understand the chemical properties and distribution of humic substances in mature coffee pulp compost. There were no significant differences across fractions for total N and available P 2 O 5 ; these fractions averaged 4.9 and 0.66%, respectively. Potassium (K) increased as fraction size increased, from 3.01 to 3.94%. Readily available nitrogen, NO 3  and NH 4 , was 7.19% of the total N. Eighty-nine percent of the total K was exchangeable K ions, and these varied within compost fractions from 2.82 to 3.33%. Approximately 50% of the total Ca and Mg were exchangeable ions; Ca ions varied from 2.13 to 3.01%, and Mg ions varied from 0.22 to 0.26% among fractions. Sequential extraction of organic carbon showed higher extractable carbon by the extraction with 0.1 N NaOH for 24 h, followed by 0.1 N NaOH for 2 h, and water for 2 h. The optical densities E4/E6 ratio ranged between 6.6 and 8.5 for humic acids (HA) extracted with NaOH for 2 h. The diversity in humic substances (HS) and exchangeable ions among compost fractions indicates that nutrient release is regulated by the size of the granules. In conclusion, these data demonstrate that smaller size particles have greater humification rates, and that N and available P are similar across particle sizes, thus providing an excellent soil compost amendment.


Integration of multi-omics data is a challenging but necessary step to advance our understanding of the biology underlying human health and disease processes. To date, investigations seeking to integrate multi-omics (e.g., microbiome and metabolome) employ simple correlation-based network analyses; however, these methods are not always well-suited for microbiome analyses because they do not accommodate the excess zeros typically present in these data. In this paper, we introduce a bivariate zero-inflated negative binomial (BZINB) model-based network and module analysis method that addresses this limitation and improves microbiome-metabolome correlation-based model fitting by accommodating excess zeros. We use real and simulated data based on a multi-omics study of childhood oral health (ZOE 2.0; investigating early childhood dental disease, ECC) and find that the accuracy of the BZINB model-based correlation method is superior compared to Spearman's rank and Pearson correlations in terms of approximating the underlying relationships between microbial taxa and metabolites. The new method, BZINB-iMMPath facilitates the construction of metabolite-species and species-species correlation networks using BZINB and identifies modules of (i.e., correlated) species by combining BZINB and similarity-based clustering. Perturbations in correlation networks and modules can be efficiently tested between groups (i.e., healthy and diseased study participants). Upon application of the new method in the ZOE 2.0 study microbiome-metabolome data, we identify that several biologically-relevant correlations of ECC-associated microbial taxa with carbohydrate metabolites differ between healthy and dental caries-affected participants. In sum, we find that the BZINB model is a useful alternative to Spearman or Pearson correlations for estimating the underlying correlation of zero-inflated bivariate count data and thus is suitable for integrative analyses of multi-omics data such as those encountered in microbiome and metabolome studies.


: An experience with treatment of 106 patients with vast and gigantic postoperative ventral hernias is summarized who were subjected to tension plasty of the abdominal wall with supraapo-neurotic fixation of a synthetic reticulate prosthesis. Monitoring of the mean calculated pressure in the pulmonary artery was made in 84 (79%) patients, in 34 (32%)--the intra-abdominal pressure. Local complications were registered in 13 (12.3%) of the operated patients, general ones--in 2 (1.9%). There were no lethal outcomes. Long-term results were studied in terms up to 9 years, no recurrent hernias were detected. A conclusion was made that the method of plasty was safe, effective and gave stable good immediate and long-term results.


In order to explore the effects of PTH-related peptide on fracture healing in mice, the intervention effects and mechanism of action of PTH-related peptide on femoral shaft fracture models in mice of different genotypes were analysed to obtain a new approach for promoting the healing fractures clinically. A total of 32 8-week old PTH-related peptide wild-type and PTH-related peptide gene knockout heterozygous (PTH-related peptide +/-) mice were selected as the test system and standard femoral shaft fracture mouse models were constructed by intramedullary wire fixation. After model construction, all mice were randomly divided into the wild type control, the PTH-related peptide +/- control, the wild type treated and the PTH-related peptide +/- treated groups, with 8 mice in each group. Mice in both treated groups were administered with 80 μg/kg/day of PTH-related peptide (1-34) subcutaneously and the control groups received subcutaneous injections of saline. After 2 weeks, all mice were sacrificed and the fractured right femur of each mouse in each group was taken for X-ray examination and micro-CT scan to observe the union of the fracture. Next, the formed callus tissues were paraffin-embedded and stained to analyse and compare the bone formation changes of osteoblasts in the fracture sites of mice. Compared to the wild-type group, the saline-treated mice in the PTH-related peptide +/- group had clear fracture lines with callus volume and bone mineral density significantly reduced; after PTH-related peptide treatment, the fractures in the PTH-related peptide +/- group were tightly connected and a large number of osseous calluses were formed; in addition, the density of the callus was higher, which was significantly different from those in the control group (p<0.05). Compared to the wild-type group, the area of cartilage callus of the saline-treated PTH-related peptide +/- group increased by 97 % (p<0.05); after PTH-related peptide administration, the total callus area and osseous callus area increased significantly, while the area of cartilage osseous significantly decreased compared to the control group and after PTH-related peptide administration, the number of osteoblasts and the percent positive area of collagen I in mice were significantly increased compared to the control group. In conclusion, endogenous PTH-related peptide deficiency could lead to delayed healing of fracture, which could be compensated by PTH-related peptide administration, thereby accelerating the formation of calluses and promoting fracture healing in mice.


Along with the success of Java, garbage collection advances to embedded and real-time systems. In this paper a novel RISC processor architecture that lays the foundation for efficient real-time garbage collection in hardware and guarantees pointer integrity at the machine-code level is proposed. This article summarizes the most commonly used garbage collection methods and points out problems of contemporary software-based solutions to motivate architectural support for garbage collection.


Answer Set Programming (ASP) is a paradigm and problem modeling/solving toolkit for KR that is often invoked. There are plenty of results dedicated to studying the hardness of (fragments of) ASP. So far, these studies resulted in characterizations in terms of computational complexity as well as in fine-grained insights presented in form of dichotomy-style results, lower bounds when translating to other formalisms like propositional satisfiability (SAT), and even detailed parameterized complexity landscapes. A quite generic and prominent parameter in parameterized complexity originating from graph
theory is the so-called treewidth, which in a sense captures structural density of a program. Recently, there was an increase in the number of treewidth-based solvers related to SAT. While there exist several translations from (normal) ASP to SAT, yet there is no reduction preserving treewidth or at least
being aware of the treewidth increase. This paper deals with a novel reduction from normal ASP to SAT that is aware of the treewidth, and guarantees that a slight increase of treewidth is indeed sufficient. Then, we also present a new result establishing that when considering treewidth, already the fragment
of normal ASP is slightly harder than SAT (under reasonable assumptions in computational complexity). This also confirms that our reduction probably cannot be significantly improved and that the slight increase of treewidth is unavoidable.


First paragraph: Mark Winne's book Closing the Food Gap: Resetting the Table in the Land of Plenty comes as a welcome contrast to the volumes by intellectuals about their quests to eat locally as part of their mission to expose the industrial food system. While equally personal and situated in the structural, Mark Winne describes and analyzes his efforts to close the food gap through providing healthy food for the urban poor. As personal as the foodquest books by Kingsolver and by Pollan, Winne shares his attempts to reduce poverty by increasing access to healthy food by people who are food-insecure. He takes us through his first efforts at gardening and organizing community gardens, reminding us that the most important word in that phrase is "community." He illustrates his premise that the best programs link members of the community to each other as well as to programs that increase access to good food. He introduces us to teenagers, parents, farmers, and organizers who are part of the food- and social-justice movement. And he demonstrates the many barriers to healthy eating in the food deserts of inner cities and the various attempts — few of which have been successful — to make healthy food available to the food-insecure people who live there....


While much attention is given to young people's online privacy practices on sites like Facebook, current theories of privacy fail to account for the ways in which social media alter practices of information-sharing and visibility. Traditional models of privacy are individualistic, but the realities of privacy reflect the location of individuals in contexts and networks. The affordances of social technologies, which enable people to share information about others, further preclude individual control over privacy. Despite this, social media technologies primarily follow technical models of privacy that presume individual information control. We argue that the dynamics of sites like Facebook have forced teens to alter their conceptions of privacy to account for the networked nature of social media. Drawing on their practices and experiences, we offer a model of networked privacy to explain how privacy is achieved in networked publics.


This thesis provides an overview of the literature both in the field of academic anxiety and emotion regulation. The two research fields have proceeded independently in the literature at least until recently and the thesis highlights their integration. The thesis aims to answer: what happens in the brain during cognitive reappraisal and how can we use cognitive reappraisal as a strategy for dealing with academic anxiety. Brain-imaging studies show that cognitive reappraisal (an emotion regulation strategy) involves many different higher-order cognitive processes, such as emotion processing, manipulation of appraisals in working memory, inhibiting the old and selecting new appraisals. Different regions of the prefrontal cortex are believed to support these functions, moreover, the prefrontal cortex modulates amygdala activity and decreases negative emotions. Previous research in the lab and in the classroom suggests that cognitive reappraisal might be a strategy for dealing with academic anxiety. The arousal reappraisal intervention encourages students to reinterpret their increased arousal as beneficial to their performance. Only a small number of studies have tested the intervention in academic contexts, however the results are promising, e.g. students improved exam performance. The goal is to teach students that it is possible to perform well regardless of one's anxiety. The findings presented in this thesis provide an initial glimpse into the fruitful integration of these two research fields.


Background: The role of family caregivers has been vital, especially in superaging societies like Japan's. The caregivers' experience of interprofessional care is a key aspect in their evaluation of the quality of integrated care. We sought to explore whether family caregivers' experience of interprofessional care is associated with their own participation in health checkups as preventive health behaviors. Methods: We used cross-sectional data obtained during the development of the Japanese version of the Caregivers' Experience Instrument (J-IEXPAC CAREGIVERS). Participants who had provided care for at least one year were surveyed (n = 251). We assessed family caregivers' experience of interprofessional care using J-IEXPAC CAREGIVERS and their participation in health checkups. Results: Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the J-IEXPAC CAREGIVERS total score was significantly associated with the caregivers' participation in health checkups [odds ratio per 1-point increase = 1.05; 95% confidence interval 1.01–1.09]. Two domain scores (attention for the patient and attention for the caregiver) of J-IEXPAC CAREGIVERS were significantly associated with the outcome. Conclusions: Family caregivers with more positive experiences of interprofessional care were more likely to participate in health checkups. These results support the significance of family caregivers' experience of care, which may promote preventive health behaviors.


Given the current rate of Arctic warming, the associated ecological changes need to be put into a longer-term context of natural variability. Palaeolimnology offers tools to explore archives stored in the sediments of Arctic lakes and ponds. The interpretation of these archives requires a sound knowledge of the ecology and distribution of the sedimentary proxy organisms used. Here we explored the relationship between diatoms, a widely used proxy group of siliceous algae, and the environmental drivers defining their assemblages and diversity in 115 lakes and ponds in Greenland, a markedly understudied arctic region covering extensive climate and environmental gradients. The main environmental drivers of diatom communities were related to climate and lake ontogeny, including both measured and unmeasured (spatially structured) environmental variables. The lakes and ponds in the northern study regions showed a distinctive dominance of small benthic fragilarioid species, while diatom communities in the South(west) of Greenland were more varied, including many epiphytes, owing to the longer growing season and higher habitat diversity of these lakes and ponds. The newly established lakes in the Ilulissat region host markedly different communities compared to all other sites. Species diversity followed an overall clear latitudinal decline towards the North. Despite the large distances between our study regions, diatom dispersal appeared not to be limited. Based on our results, diatoms are an excellent proxy for climate-mediated lake ecosystem change in the Arctic and thus a valuable tool for climate reconstructions in the region. Particular consideration should be given to often unmeasured climate-related drivers, such as in-lake habitat availability, due to their apparent importance in defining Arctic diatom communities.


The paper explores the determinants of industry location across interwar Poland. After more than 120 years of political and economic separation, Poland was reunified at the end of 1918. In consequence, its industry faced massive structural changes: the removal of internal tariff barriers and improved infrastructure strengthened the domestic market, while foreign market relations were cut off. Similarly, the geographical dispersion of factor endowments was changed through internal migration and new institutional arrangements (education system, patent laws, etc.). How did these forces interact to determine the location of industry? Did a new interregional division of labour emerge after unification? We survey the dynamics of industrial location between 1925 and 1937 and estimate a specification that nests market potential and comparative advantage to quantify their respective impact over time. The results point to a role for both, comparative advantage and market potential, but there was a dominating and ever increasing impact of the availability of skilled labour.


HCCI combustion is highly dependent on in-cylinder thermal conditions favorable to auto-ignition, for a given fuel. Fuels available at the pump can differ considerably in composition and auto-ignition chemistry, hence strategies intended to bring HCCI to market must account for the fuel variability.To this end, a test matrix consisting of eight gasoline fuels composed of blends made solely from refinery streams was investigated in an experimental, single cylinder HCCI engine. The base compositions were largely representative of gasoline one would expect to find across the United States, although some of the fuels had slightly lower average octane values than the ASTM minimum specification of 87. All fuels had 10% ethanol by volume included in the blend. The properties of the fuels were varied according to research octane number (RON), sensitivity (S=RON−MON) and the volumetric fractions of aromatics and olefins.For each fuel, a sweep of the fuelling was carried out at each speed from the level of instability to excessive ringing to determine the limits of HCCI operation. This was repeated for a range of speeds to determine the overall operability zone. The fuels were kept at a constant intake air temperature during these tests.The variation of fuel properties brought about changes in the overall operating range of each fuel, as some fuels had more favorable low load limits, whereas others enabled more benefit at the high load limit. The extent to which the combustion event changed from the low load limit to the high load limit was examined as well, to provide a relative criterion indicating the sensitivity of HCCI range to particular fuel properties.Copyright © 2012 by ASME


Abstract The effect of cerebral intraventricular administration of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) on blood pressure and vascular smooth muscle responsiveness in deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-treated rats was assessed. Rats treated with 6-OHDA and DOCA had significantly lower systolic blood pressures (142 ± 8 mm Hg) than rats treated with DOCA alone (185 ± 5 mm Hg). After 5 weeks of DOCA treatment, femoral arteries and aortae were excised from these rats, cut helically into strips, and placed in a muscle bath to record isometric force. Dose-response curves to serotonin were shifted to the left in femoral arteries from DOCA-treated rats compared to both control and 6-OHDA-DOCA-treated rats (ED50: DOCA = 6.8 × 10−8 M, control = 27.9 × 10−8 M, 6-OHDA-DOCA = 13.4 × 10−8 M). Arachidonic acid, the prostaglandin precursor, produced greater maximal contractions in femoral artery strips of DOCA-treated rats (358 ± 56 mg) than in those from controls (115 ± 31 mg). The maximal response to arachidonic acid in arteries from 6-OHDA-DOCA rats (203 ± 78 mg) was not different from control values. Ouabain produced a greater maximal response in aortic strips from DOCA rats (658 ± 165 mg) compared to those from control (196 ± 72 mg) or 6-OHDA-DOCA (309 ± 87 mg) rats. We conclude that increased vascular responsiveness to serotonin, arachidonic acid, and ouabain in DOCA hypertensive rats is secondary to a central action of the mineralocorticoid.


States ABSTRACT: Amygdalin is a cynaogenic diglucoside responsible for the bitterness of almonds. Almonds display three fl avor phenotypes, nonbitter, semibitter, and bitter. Herein, the amygdalin content of 20 varieties of nonbitter, semibitter, and bitter almonds from four primary growing regions of California was determined using solid-phase extraction and ultrahigh-pressure liquid chromatography electrospray triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry (UHPLC-(ESI)QqQ MS/MS). The detection limit for this method is ≤ 0.1 ng/mL (3 times the signal-to-noise ratio) and the LOQ is 0.33 ng/mL (10 times the signal-to-noise ratio), allowing for the reliable quantitation of trace levels of amygdalin in nonbitter almonds (0.13 mg/kg almond). Results indicate that amygdalin concentrations for the three fl avor phenotypes were signi fi cantly di ff erent ( p < 0.001). The mean concentrations of amygdalin in nonbitter, semibitter, and bitter almonds are 63.13 ± 57.54, 992.24 ± 513.04, and 40060.34 ± 7855.26 mg/kg, respectively. Levels of amygdalin ranged from 2.16 to 157.44 mg/kg in nonbitter, from 523.50 to 1772.75 mg/kg in semibitter, and from 33006.60 to 53998.30 mg/kg in bitter almonds. These results suggest that phenotype classi fi cation may be achieved on the basis of amygdalin levels. Growing region had a statistically signi fi cant e ff ect on the amygdalin concentration in commercial varieties ( p < through a 0.2 μ m nylon fi lter prior to UHPLC-(ESI)QqQ MS/MS analysis. UHPLC-(ESI)QqQ MS/MS Amygdalin performed on Agilent 1290 In fi nity ultrahigh-pressure liquid interfaced to a 6460 (QqQ MS/MS) with


Background In the UK, meeting the £20 billion efficiency challenge in the NHS requires new approaches to protect quality and improve productivity. In London, clinicians, people living with HIV and commissioners are collaborating to reduce the cost of antiretrovirals as part of the Quality Innovation Productivity and Prevention agenda. Objectives To describe how collaboration in antiretroviral procurement in 2011/2012 aimed to significantly reduce drug acquisition costs, ensure equity of prescribing and protect the quality and experience of care and treatment for patients. Methods Greater clinical leadership and engagement and involvement of patient representatives enabled an approach to drug procurement focused on clinical outcomes at a patient and population level while reducing cost. Consensus guidelines for implementation were developed and agreed by all London lead clinicians while people living with HIV produced a patient information leaflet to explain the tender process and outcomes. A planned audit is underway at all services to monitor prescribing changes and outcomes for those on treatment. Results HIV clinicians, pharmacists and patient representatives were directly involved in this novel therapeutic tendering approach to antiretroviral drug procurement. Modelling indicates that £8–£10 million savings will be released through the process over 2 years. Conclusions Clinically led therapeutic tendering of antiretroviral drugs provides an opportunity to protect quality and improve productivity in HIV. The approach is novel in HIV in the UK, and the emergent learning has implications for quality and cost improvement in HIV spending in the UK and potentially in other countries.


This study is based on field research implemented in four cities in Northeastern Anatolia, Turkey. It focused mainly on the knowledge, attitudes and practices of different stakeholders with regard to human trafficking. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews conducted among 142 interviewees representing different sectors. Human trafficking in the region seems to occur solely in the form of sex trafficking of women. Findings suggest that the knowledge level of most officials, NGOs and community members is rather low, which may lead to stigmatizing and discriminatory attitudes towards trafficked women in the region. Anti-trafficking activities thus far have been limited and more remains to be done to combat human trafficking more effectively and more efficiently.


In many forecasting applications (e.g. retail demand, electricity load, weather, finance, etc.), the forecasts must obey certain properties such as having certain context-dependent and time-varying seasonality patterns and avoiding excessive revision as new information becomes available. Here we propose a new forecasting neural net architecture that addresses some of these issues, MQ-Transformer, by incorporating three architectural improvements to the current state-of-the-art: 1) a novel decoder-encoder attention that aligns the historical and future time periods 2) a novel positional encoding that learns seasonality from the historical time series and 3) a novel decoder-self attention that allows the network to minimize the forecast volatility. We then define a new measure of forecast volatility, Bregman Volatility, to understand one major source of the improvement from our model. Bregman Volatility allows us to compute the optimal volatility of a sequence of forecasts in terms of the improvement in forecast accuracy over that time period. We show both theoretically and empirically that the decoder-self attention module optimizes Bregman volatility and thereby improves forecast accuracy as well.


B37 The phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) signalling pathway is activated in a broad spectrum of human cancer. Activation of this pathway often occurs indirectly by the activation of receptor tyrosine kinases, or directly by mutations in PI3K genes, such as PIK3CA. GSK1059615 is a novel, ATP-competitive small molecule reversible inhibitor of the class I family of PI3K. GSK1059615 equally inhibits the wild-type enzyme (WT) compared to the 3 'hotspot' mutants of PI3Kα. This inhibition of enzyme activity translates effectively to activity in cellular assays.
 As part of an effort to characterize markers of response to GSK1059615, 289 tumor derived cell lines of mixed histology were assayed for sensitivity using a 3-day proliferation assay as well as for DNA copy number alterations and base line transcriptomics using microarray-based techniques. Using gIC50 values, breast, kidney, and ovarian cell lines emerged as more sensitive tumor types, while pancreas and lung appeared less sensitive. Molecular analyses of the most sensitive and least sensitive breast lines indicates that activating mutations of PIK3CA are associated with increased sensitivity, where 6/11 (55%) of the most sensitive lines harbor a mutation while 2/11 (18%) occurred in the least sensitive group. Furthermore, genome-wide transcript profiles suggest the luminal subtype of breast tumors as a potential clinical target for GSK1059615.
 GSK1059615 has an attractive biological profile and has entered Phase 1 human clinical trials. Furthermore, modelling positive predictors, such as PIK3CA mutations in breast cancer can reduce the size of a clinical registration trial for GSK1059615 by approximately 25%.


Background: Hirsutism has a negative impact on women's quality of life. The relation between quality of life, anxiety, depression and the level of hairiness has not been described. Aims: To investigate the correlations between the levels of hairiness, quality of life, anxiety and depression. Methods: 200 patients from Malmö, Örebro and Uppsala, who had been in contact with the clinics for problems with excessive hair growth, were invited to answer a self-administered questionnaire including sociodemographic questions, EQ-5D index score, Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Ferriman-Gallwey scale (F-G); of these, 127 women participated in the study. Results: The mean values were: EQ-5D index 0.73 (SD = 0.27), EQ visual analogue scale 61.0 (SD = 22.6), HADS-anxiety 9.5 ± 5.3 and HADS-depression 6.5 ± 4.6. The mean DLQI was 11.8 ± 8.4, indicating a very large effect on patients' lives. All were significantly correlated with the amount of hairiness. Conclusions: Higher levels of hair growth were significantly correlated with a lower level of quality of life and symptoms of both anxiety and depression.


Romanian social enterprise sector had a typical development in the Eastern European countries, emerging from state's role to withdraw from solving social problems, caused by the fall of communism, in comparison to the case of Western European countries where social enterprises emerged from active effort of the state to promote social enterprises as a solution to its massive economic problems. We are trying to understand the way social enterprises developed and which is their current status in Eastern Europe in compari‐ son with the Western Europe, to further explore the sector's evolvement in Romania. We have analyzed an important turning point for Romanian social enterprises, represented by the entrance into force of the Law on Social Economy. Largely, this chapter wishes to explore the potential social enterprises can have in the Romanian economic, political, and social environment newly regulated by the Social Economy Law. In order to achieve this, a series of case studies has been carried on with Romanian social enterprises. Attention has also been paid to the way theory of dynamic capabilities can be applied in the case of social enterprises and to policy recommendations, which would facilitate the transfor‐ mation of potential to visible impact.


HbE β – thalassaemia is a public health problem in Malaysia and the most common type of thalassaemia seen in the Malaysia. It shows considerable diverse phenotypes. Complete molecular analysis to identify primary/ secondary alleles of thalassaemia and gene modifiers are arbitrary predictors of possible outcome of disease. Early diagnosis is important. Patients need to be classified as minor, moderate (TI) and severe. Clinical diagnosis requires carefulobservations over a period of time with good record keeping of growth, sexual maturation and quality of life. Patients with haemoglobin (Hb) levels less than 7 gm/dl should be treated as transfusion dependent β-thalassaemia major to prevent complications that occur progressively with advancing age. Hb levels less than 7 gm/dl show patients are destined to be short, have splenomegaly and skeletal abnormalities. Pre transfusion mean Hb levels kept between 9-10 gm/dl by transfusion will suppress bone marrow activity and decrease iron absorption through gastrointestinal tract.


The effect of prostaglandin F2 alpha on the release of PGI2 and PGE2 was investigated in isolated perfused rat heart. PGF2 alpha at concentrations of 1.7 nmoles liter-1 or higher increased the release of PGI2 and PGE2 alpha. The release of PGI2 was highest after 3 to 4 min of perfusion with PGF2 alpha. This phenomenon may be of physiological significance and might explain the observed variable effects of PGF2 alpha on vascular resistance.


The problem of reducing energy usage in datacenter networks is an important one. However, we would like to achieve this goal without compromising throughput and loss characteristics of these networks. Studies have shown that data-center networks typically see loads of between 5%-25% but the energy draw of these networks is equal to operating them at maximum load. To this end we examine the problem of reducing the energy consumption of datacenter networks by merging traffic. The key idea is that low traffic from N links is merged together to create K ≤ N streams of high traffic. These streams are fed to K switch interfaces which run at maximum rate while the remaining interfaces are switched to the lowest possible rate. We show that this merging can be accomplished with minimal latency and energy costs (less than 0.1W total) while simultaneously allowing us a deterministic way of switching link rates between maximum and minimum. We examine the idea of traffic merging using three different datacenter networks - flattened butterfly, mesh and hypercube networks. In addition to analysis, we simulate these networks and utilizing previously developed traffic models we show that 49% energy savings are obtained for 5% per-link load while we get 20% savings for a 50% load for the flattened butterfly and somewhat lower savings are obtained for the other two networks. The packet losses are statistically insignificant and the maximum latency increase is less than 3μs. The results show that energy-proportional datacenter networks are indeed possible.


Crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells have the lion share in world PV market. Solar cells made from crystalline silicon have lower conversion efficiency, hence optimization of each process steps are very important. Achieving low-cost photovoltaic energy in the coming years will depend on the development of third-generation solar cells. Given the trend towards these Si materials, the most promising selective emitter methods are identified to date. Current industrial monocrystalline Cz Si solar cells based on screen-printing technology for contact formation and homogeneous emitter have an efficiency potential of around 18.4%. Limitations at the rear side by the fully covering Al-BSF can be changed by selective emitter designs allowing a decoupling and separate optimization of the metallised and non-metallised areas. Several selective emitter concepts that are already in industrial mass production or close to it are presented, and their specialties and status concerning cell performance are demonstrated. Key issues that are considered here are the cost-effectiveness, added complexity, additional benefits, reliability and efficiency potential of each selective emitter tech- niques.


Abstract Background: Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from Cystic fibrosis (CF) patients are growing slowly, and frequently rendering automated susceptibility testing unsuitable. Colistin is an important antibiotic for treatment of P. aeruginosa infections. Broth microdilution is the only EUCAST endorsed antimicrobial susceptibility test for colistin. The VIZION™ device aids in reading broth microdilution plates and allows safe data transfer to laboratory information systems. In this study, reproducibility between visual MIC readout and readout, employing the VIZION™ device was assessed in susceptibility testing of colistin and beta-lactam antibiotics in P. aeruginosa isolates from CF patients. Methods: Fifty-six unique P. aeruginosa isolates were derived from respiratory secretions of CF patients. Susceptibility testing was performed using commercially available microdilution plates. MIC readout by VIZION™ was compared to visual readout aided by a mirror (reference test). Results: Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates displayed significantly slower growth rates compared to quality control isolates. Colistin exact MIC agreement between VIZION™ and visual readout after 24 and 48 h incubation, respectively, was 82% and 95%, essential MIC agreement was 98% and 100%, categorical agreement was 98% and 98% and reliability (weighted kappa) was 0.95 (95% CI = 0.91–0.99) and 0.99 (95% CI = 0.97–1.00). For all five antibiotics, the total number of errors (using VIZION™, in comparison with visual readout) decreased from 15 (5%) to 10 (4%) after 24 and 48 h incubation, respectively. Conclusions: VIZION™ readout reproducibly determines MIC values in comparison with visual readout after 24 h of incubation. Reproducibility between the VIZION™ and visual readout increases after prolonged incubation of 48 h.


During spoken language interpretation, listeners rapidly relate the meaning of each individual word to what has been said before. However, spoken words often contain spurious other words, like day in daisy, or dean in sardine. Do listeners also relate the meaning of such unintended, spurious words to the prior context? We used ERPs to look for transient meaning-based N400 effects in sentences that were completely plausible at the level of words intended by the speaker, but contained an embedded word whose meaning clashed with the context. Although carrier words with an initial embedding (day in daisy) did not elicit an embedding-related N400 effect relative to matched control words without embedding, carrier words with a final embedding (dean in sardine) did elicit such an effect. Together with prior work from our lab and the results of a Shortlist B simulation, our findings suggest that listeners do semantically interpret embedded words, albeit not under all conditions. We explain the latter by assuming that the sense-making system adjusts its hypothesis for how to interpret the external input at every new syllable, in line with recent ideas of active sampling in perception.


Along with the maturity of power electronic technology continuously, induction heating technology with its many advantages has been widely used and developed rapidly. However, due to the disadvantages of series resonant induction heating power, such as low input power factor, great grid pollution, it will bring many hazards. This article will make induction heating power network-side input power factor approximate unit power factor with using Active power factor correction technique, and it makes the net side current and voltage be same phase standard sine wave , reduces the network pollution; and with using DC chopper circuit to complete the adjustment of DC voltage, it achieves induction heating power changes. At the same time, using Matlab software for modeling and simulation analysis on the main circuit and control circuit, the simulation results comply with the design requirements and verify the feasibility of the system design.


GM1 ganglioside is a receptor for the B subunit of cholera toxin. In lymphocytes, B subunit elicits an influx of extracellular Ca++ (Dixon et al., 1987). To investigate this signaling pathway in glia, we assessed the presence of GM1 ganglioside on the surface of cultured murine central nervous system (CNS) glia by binding of fluorescein‐labeled B subunit. B subunit binding was compared to binding of peanut agglutinin, wheat germ agglutinin, and Bandeiraea (Griffonia) simplicifolia lectin (BSL) I, a microglial marker. Antibodies to glial fibrillary acidic protein, A007/O4 antigens, and galactocerebroside were used to identify astrocytes, immature oligodendrocytes (OLs) and mature OLs, respectively. Binding patterns differed based on cell type and developmental stage. Wheat germ and peanut agglutinins bound to the surface of microglia, astrocytes, and immature OLs; neither lectin bound to any significant extent to the surface of membrane sheets of mature OLs, although wheat germ agglutinin was rapidly endocytosed. Cells identified as microglia by BSL I binding and morphology were the only cells to stain brightly on the surface with B subunit. Thus, surface GM1 ganglioside appears to be a highly enriched marker for microglia in these mixed glial cultures. The effects of B subunit on intracellular Ca++ were examined by laser cytometry in glial cultures loaded with Indo‐1. No Ca++ responses were observed in microglia. Mature OLs were examined for Ca++ responses to B subunit before and after surface levels of GM1 ganglioside were increased by incubation with exogenous GM1 ganglioside. Again, no Ca++ responses were observed. Thus, cultured microglia and mature OLs do not have the GM1‐mediated signal transduction pathway seen in lymphocytes. However, the presence of GM1 ganglioside on microglia may play a role in giving rise to antibodies to this glycolipid in some CNS inflammatory diseases. J. Neurosci. Res. 53:605–612, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


In industrialized countries, the last 40 years has seen a marked change in the average level of per capita calorie intake, which has led to increased growth in overweight and obesity rates. There are many reasons to encourage public intervention aimed at facing the problems associated with excess body weight, and to promote healthy dietary habits. Among the public policies set out to reduce obesity rates, an important role is played by information measures. The purpose of this work is to analyse for the consumers the importance of food information in the allocation of free time, and to investigate the variables that affect the search for information. Following Drichoutis et al. (2008) we developed a conceptual framework through variables that affect the time spent searching for information. The study was conducted through an empirical analysis, and the sample consisted of 300 Italian consumers, 150 resident in Lombardy (northern Italy), and 150 in Apulia (southern Italy). The interviews were conducted in small shops, supermarkets and hypermarkets. For small shops we selected greengrocers, butcher's shops and shops selling dairy products. The data were analysed through OLS regression and ordinal regression models. The study, for the south sample, showed a relationship between the consumer willingness to devote time to information search and work flexibility, information stock, nutritional knowledge. In the case of northern sample, another variable that affects the time allocated for information search is BMI.


The relationship between human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) and the progression of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection to AIDS was evaluated using the polymerase chain reaction to quantitate HHV-6 genome equivalents in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and saliva of 32 HIV-1-seropositive men. Unlike other herpesviruses, HHV-6 was found with higher frequency and in higher copy numbers of HIV-infected men with high rather than low CD4 cell counts. Among subjects with > 400 CD4 cells/mL, 100% had detectable HHV-6 genomes in PBMC compared with 57.9% of subjects with < 400 CD4 cells/mL (P < .05). There was no significant correlation between HHV-6 antibody titer or number of amplifiable copies of HHV-6 DNA in saliva and stage of HIV disease or CD4 cell number.


Quality control is of utmost importance in the metal industry. It requires online measurement and inspection systems which provide precise feedback to closed-loop controllers in industrial facilities. In rolled products, shape is one of the main quality criteria. In this paper, a low-cost real-time 3-D shape measurement system for long flat (FL)-rolled products based on laser triangulation is proposed. The system provides online measurements of two geometrical features of the shape of rolled products: flatness and width. The proposed system is based on 3-D surface reconstruction of rolled products with which flatness can be measured accurately and continuously across the whole width of the strip. Three-dimensional surface reconstruction provides highly accurate width measurements not only of FL products, as do most other systems, but also of non-FL products. The accuracy of the laser extraction method used to reconstruct the surface of the rolled products is evaluated, as well as the online performance of the system.


An empirical, market‐based method was developed to assess whether military aircraft noise exposure has affected residential property values in the vicinity of Langley Air Force Base over the last two decades. Multiple regression models that accounted for the bulk of the variance in property sale prices were developed and validated for independent samples drawn from areas of Hampton, VA exposed to levels of military aircraft noise lower than DNL=60 dB. The predictive performance of these models was indistinguishable in areas of Hampton exposed to military aircraft noise in excess of DNL=65 dB. Maps constructed by geo‐coding property sale locations permitted spatial comparisons of property values with aircraft noise exposure contours. These maps confirmed the independence of the spatial distributions of property values and aircraft noise contours in the vicinity of Langley Air Force Base.


ABSTRACT Cac3p/Msi1p, the Saccharomyces cerevisiae homolog of retinoblastoma-associated protein 48 (RbAp48), is a component of chromatin assembly factor I (CAF-I), a complex that assembles histones H3 and H4 onto replicated DNA. CAC3 overexpression also suppresses the RAS/cyclic AMP (cAMP) signal transduction pathway by an unknown mechanism. We investigated this mechanism and found that CAC3 suppression of RAS/cAMP signal transduction was independent of either CAC1 orCAC2, subunits required for CAF-I function.CAC3 suppression was also independent of other chromatin-modifying activities, indicating that Cac3p has at least two distinct, separable functions, one in chromatin assembly and one in regulating RAS function. Unlike Cac1p, which localizes primarily to the nucleus, Cac3p localizes to both the nucleus and the cytoplasm. In addition, Cac3p associates with Npr1p, a cytoplasmic kinase that stablizes several nutrient transporters by antagonizing a ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation pathway. Deletion ofNPR1, like overexpression of Cac3p, suppressed theRAS/cAMP pathway. Furthermore, NPR1overexpression interfered with the ability of CAC3 to suppress the RAS/cAMP pathway, indicating that extra Cac3p suppresses the RAS/cAMP pathway by sequestering Npr1p. Deletion of NPR1 did not affect the quantity, phosphorylation state, or localization of Ras2p. Consistent with the idea that Npr1p exerts its effect on the RAS/cAMP pathway by antagonizing a ubiquitin-mediated process, excess ubiquitin suppressed both the heat shock sensitivity and the sporulation defects caused by constitutive activation of the RAS/cAMP pathway. Thus, CAC3/MSI1 regulates the RAS/cAMP pathway via a chromatin-independent mechanism that involves the sequestration of Npr1p and may be due to the increased ubiquitination of an Npr1p substrate.


Several cellular and molecular therapies such as stem cell therapy, cell replacement therapy, gene modification therapy and tolerance induction therapy have been researched to procure a permanent cure for Type 1 Diabetes.However, due to the induction of undesirable side effects, their clinical utility is questionable. These anti-diabetic therapies can be modified with nanotechnological tools for reducing adverse effects by selectively targeting genes and/or receptors involved directly or indirectly in the diabetes pathogenesis such as the glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor, epidermal growth factor receptor, human leukocyte antigen [HLA] gene, miRNA gene and hepatocyte growth factor [HGF] gene. This paper will review the utilities of nanotechnology in stem cell therapy, cell replacement therapy, beta-cell proliferation strategies, immune tolerance induction strategies and gene therapy for type 1 diabetes management.


BACKGROUND
Biofortification of staple food crops is a promising strategy to combat zinc deficiency, and it is of particular interest for rice and crops that are not consumed as flours and therefore not suitable for postharvest fortification. Because zinc absorption is decreased by phytic acid (PA) and perhaps other dietary components, it is important to measure the absorption of zinc from a biofortified crop before determining its efficacy.

OBJECTIVE
In this study, we compared the zinc absorption from zinc-biofortified rice (hydroponically enriched with (70)Zn) with that from a control rice of the same variety fortified with (70)ZnSO4 at point of use to reach the same total zinc content of 1.1 mg/meal. Both rice meals had a PA:Zn molar ratio of 12.

METHODS
Fractional absorption of zinc (FAZ) was measured with the use of the double-isotope tracer ratio method in 16 apparently healthy adults [18-45 y old; BMI (in kg/m(2)) 19-25] who consumed 2 single meals at 4-wk intervals in random order in a crossover design.

RESULTS
The FAZ from the biofortified rice (mean ± SD: 25.1 ± 8.7%) did not differ significantly from that of the point-of-use fortified rice (mean ± SD: 20.8 ± 7.1%) (P = 0.08).

CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that the native zinc accumulated in the biofortified rice was readily released from the rice matrix and that its absorption by adults was influenced by PA and other food components in a similar way to the inorganic zinc compound added to the rice at point of use. Moreover, rice biofortification is likely to be as good as postharvest zinc fortification as an intervention strategy to combat zinc deficiency. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01633450.


An Iowa Supreme Court justice, federal district judge, and an Iowa lawyer take a fresh look at the emerging jury trial innovation of jurors asking questions of witnesses (the "practice"). The authors start with the first combined comprehensive analysis of Eighth Circuit and Iowa appellate case law on the practice. This analysis reveals some interesting twists and turns, including substantial differences between the two jurisdictions' case law and the fact that the Iowa Supreme Court first mentioned the practice more than 130 years ago in 1884. The authors incorporate and discuss prior surveys on the subject but, more importantly, conduct their own extensive and probing empirical study. This study is based on data collected from five online surveys, one each for Iowa trial court judges, federal district judges in the Eighth Circuit, and magistrate judges in the Eighth Circuit, and for two cohorts of Iowa lawyers, all conducted in the fall of 2015. The authors found a dramatic difference in virtually all of the components of the study between lawyers and judges who have experienced the practice (the clear minority) and those that haven't (the clear majority). The authors conclude that the positive benefits of allowing jurors to question witnesses far outweigh the few negatives and provide a suggested written protocol to encourage judges who have been reluctant to try the practice to take the small leap.


We report on the OpenLoops generator for one-loop matrix elements and its application to four-lepton production in association with up to one jet. The open loops algorithm uses a numerical recursion to construct the numerator of one-loop Feynman diagrams as functions of the loop momentum. In combination with tensor integrals this results in a highly efficient and numerically stable matrix element generator. In order to obtain a fully automated setup for the simulation of next-to-leading order scattering processes we interfaced OpenLoops to the Sherpa Monte Carlo event generator.


A dipeptide hydrolase from the brush border of guinea-pig intestinal mucosa was purified. The enzyme resembles another dipeptide hydrolase isolated from the cytosol fraction of intestinal mucosa. Studies on the binding of cytosol peptide hydrolase to brush-border membranes indicate that the enzyme found in the brush border may be a cytoplasmic contaminant.


This article reports on findings from a qualitative study, undertaken in England that explored the experiences of 21 gay men and lesbian women who care, or cared, for a person with dementia. The aim of the study was to explore how a person's gay or lesbian sexuality might impact upon their experience of providing care in this context. This paper reports on one theme that emerged from the wider study--carers' experiences of 'coming out' to service providers. Respondents were recruited using 'snowballing' methods and the study employed semi-structured interviewing techniques. Data collection occurred over a protracted period (2003-2007), the time scale being determined by (the well documented) difficulties in recruiting respondents from this group of people. Data analysis was undertaken with the intent of developing common and contrary themes using a constant thematic comparative method. The results reported here demonstrate the ways in which carers mediated disclosures of their sexualities to health and social care service providers and, for some, their wider support network. For many carers, responses to these disclosures proved to be a critical issue and one that coloured their experience of providing care. Service providers' reactions are demonstrated as being characterised by, at best, a broad acceptance of gay and lesbian people's circumstances, through to a pervasive disregard of their needs.


Human activities in the form of land use changes, urbanisation and infrastructure developments are major threats to biodiversity. The loss and fragmentation of natural habitats are great obstacles for the long term preservation of biodiversity and nature protection measures alone may not be sufficient to tackle the problem. Environmental impact assessment (EIA) and strategic environmental assessment (SEA) play a central role in identifying, predicting and managing the impacts of human activities on biodiversity. The review of current practice suggests that the complexity of the task is underestimated and that new methodological approaches encompassing the entire landscape are needed. Spatial aspects of the assessment and the lack of information on scale-related issues are particular problems affecting the appropriate assessment of cumulative effects. In parallel with the development and establishment of EIA and SEA, spatial modelling is an expanding field in ecology and many derived applications could be suitable for the prediction and assessment of biodiversity-related impacts. The diversity of modelling methods suggests that a strategy is needed to identify prediction methods appropriate for EIA and SEA. The relevance and potential limitations of GIS-based species distribution and habitat models in predicting impacts on biodiversity were examined in three studies in the greater Stockholm area. Distinct approaches to habitat suitability modelling were compared from the perspective of environmental assessment needs and requirements. The results showed that model performance, validity and ultimate suitability for planning applications were strongly dependent on empirical data and expert knowledge. The methods allowed visual, qualitative and quantitative assessment of habitat loss, thus improving decision support for assessment of impacts on biodiversity. The proposed methods allowed areas of high ecological value and the surrounding landscape to be considered in the same assessment, thereby contributing to better integration of biodiversity issues in physical planning.


This work presents a review and discussion of the challenges that must be solved in order to successfully develop swarms of Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs) for real world operations. From the discussion, we extract constraints and links that relate the local level MAV capabilities to the global operations of the swarm. These should be taken into account when designing swarm behaviors in order to maximize the utility of the group. At the lowest level, each MAV should operate safely. Robustness is often hailed as a pillar of swarm robotics, and a minimum level of local reliability is needed for it to propagate to the global level. An MAV must be capable of autonomous navigation within an environment with sufficient trustworthiness before the system can be scaled up. Once the operations of the single MAV are sufficiently secured for a task, the subsequent challenge is to allow the MAVs to sense one another within a neighborhood of interest. Relative localization of neighbors is a fundamental part of self-organizing robotic systems, enabling behaviors ranging from basic relative collision avoidance to higher level coordination. This ability, at times taken for granted, also must be sufficiently reliable. Moreover, herein lies a constraint: the design choice of the relative localization sensor has a direct link to the behaviors that the swarm can (and should) perform. Vision-based systems, for instance, force MAVs to fly within the field of view of their camera. Range or communication-based solutions, alternatively, provide omni-directional relative localization, yet can be victim to unobservable conditions under certain flight behaviors, such as parallel flight, and require constant relative excitation. At the swarm level, the final outcome is thus intrinsically influenced by the on-board abilities and sensors of the individual. The real-world behavior and operations of an MAV swarm intrinsically follow in a bottom-up fashion as a result of the local level limitations in cognition, relative knowledge, communication, power, and safety. Taking these local limitations into account when designing a global swarm behavior is key in order to take full advantage of the system, enabling local limitations to become true strengths of the swarm.


Publications on the Hebrew language are extensive, and so here I have provided an overview of significant touchstones among these works. Special attention is paid to comparative Semitic linguistics as well as to languages most closely related to Hebrew. Surveying Hebrew resources provides a valuable aid to the reference librarian who is helping patrons find quality resources in the study of Hebrew, as well as the acquisitions librarian who needs to select content in the Semitic language section of his or her collection. This guide provides a solid base collection for any library surveying students engaged in the academic study of Hebrew.


The present investigation was carried out the preparation and synthesis of silver nanoparticles in extract from Gracilaria edulis and Syringodium isoetifolium. Antidiabetic and Antimicrobial activity Study against different seven clinical pathogens Bacterial samples E. coli, Staphylococus, Streptococus, Shigella, Salmonella, Vibrio and Enterobacteria. The antidiabetic properties of Silver nano particles characterized with UV-Vis spectroscopy, FTIR, XRD, SEM and EDX. In this result biosynthesized silver nanoparticles using aqueous extract of Gracillaria edulis showed potential antibacterial activity with various bacterial pathogens which could be further used as a potential antibacterial agents, Similarly the assay results of silver nanoparticles showed Maximum concentration of 400 mg/ml 98.75% was recorded. *Corresponding author: Vijaya Sankar M, Post-graduation and Research Department of Zoology, Dr. Zakir Husain College, Tamilnadu-630 702, India, Tel: +91 4564 265 252; E-Mail: email@example.com Received August 03, 2015; Accepted September 22, 2015; Published October 01, 2015 Citation: Abideen S, Sankar MV (2015) In-vitro Screening of Antidiabetic and Antimicrobial Activity against Green Synthesized AgNO3 using Seaweeds. J Nanomed Nanotechnol S6-001. doi:10.4172/2157-7439.S6-001 Copyright: © 2015 Abideen S, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.


Author(s): Cha, Paulette | Advisor(s): Dow, William H | Abstract: Immigrants are more likely to be low income than their US-born peers, but they face more barriers to enrolling in government safety net programs. Children of immigrants, the majority of whom are US citizens, are less likely to enroll in some programs designed to protect their health and welfare. This dissertation explores issues of immigrant families' engagement with public health insurance and nutritional assistance programs in three chapters.The first chapter describes levels and time trends of immigrant families' participation in key safety net programs. The study covers the years 1996 to 2013 using data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) and the New Immigrant Survey (NIS). For children, the study presents data and regression-adjusted estimates of the associations between being from an immigrant family, and having likely undocumented family members, and participation in each of five safety net programs: the Food Stamps Program; National School Lunch Program; School Breakfast Program; Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); and public health insurance.The second chapter evaluates the effects of six state policies that implemented early Affordable Care Act (ACA) adult Medicaid expansions. The analysis focuses on citizen adults of immigrant and native families. It uses the American Community Survey (ACS) from 2008 to 2013 and a difference-in-differences method with synthetic control states to estimate the effects of the expansions on insurance coverage outcomes for citizen adults of immigrant and native family backgrounds. The policies produced a range of responses, from a 2 percentage point public insurance coverage increase in California to an 8 percentage point increase in Connecticut. There was some evidence of private insurance crowd-out in Connecticut, the District of Columbia, and Minnesota, but there were also net reductions in uninsurance for most states. Responses to the new policies were slightly lower among young adults than for the full adult population. In general, insurance coverage changes did not measurably differ among individuals from immigrant families as compared with those from native families.The third chapter analyzes public health insurance expansions for children. Medicaid expansions have the potential to greatly increase coverage for children in immigrant families, who have low levels of private insurance and high uninsurance rates. However, take-up may be lower in immigrant families than native families due to poor information and "chilling" anti-immigrant sentiment. I estimate take-up from 1996 to 2013 using instrumental variables regression and data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP). This study finds that new eligibility for public insurance produces a 9-to-13 percentage point increase in public coverage among children of immigrants, which is indistinguishable from the 11-to-12 percentage point increase among children of natives. These findings reject a strong chilling effect, although the question will be important to revisit in the changing policy environment.


Purpose: The purpose of the study is to study feasibility and safety of retrograde radical cystectomy (RC) under regional anesthesia (RA) in high-risk and elderly patients of muscle invasive bladder carcinoma. Materials and Methods: This study was an observational study, conducted in the department of urology, SKIMS, Kashmir, India, from 2012 to 2020. All patients underwent retrograde RC under RA. Results: Thirty-seven patients were operated with median follow-up period of 32 months and included 30 male and 7 female patients with median age of 74.5 years (70–83 years). The American Society of Anesthesiologists score was II in 20 patients, III in 15 patients, and IV in 2 patients. All the patients included in study had significant comorbidities. All patients were anemic and required preoperative blood transfusions for optimization. Total blood loss ranged from 200 to 900 ml (mean: 400 ml). Bilateral internal iliac artery was ligated preemptively in all patients. Total transfusion required ranged from one to six units (mean: 2 units). Number of lymph nodes removed ranged from 15 to 35 (mean: 20). Total peritoneal exposure time ranged from 0 to 70 min (mean: 50 min). None of the patient needed intensive care postoperatively. Gastrointestinal tract (GIT) recovery time ranged from 1 to 4 days (mean of 1.5 days). Total hospital stay ranged from 7 to 15 days (mean: 9 days). On follow-up, one patient had stent (feeding tube) fracture, and the residual fragment was managed by antegrade approach. One patient had ureteroileal anastomotic stricture which was managed by refashioning of the anastomosis (Bricker to Wallace). One patient had stomal stenosis with features of recurrent urinary tract infections and underwent refashioning of stoma with stabilization of renal function. Conclusion: To circumvent the need of postoperative ventilation, intensive care unit admission, and prolonged hospital stay, we advocate retrograde extraperitoneal RC under combined RA (CRA) as preferred approach of surgical intervention in high-risk and elderly patients with little abdominal organ disturbance and early bowel recovery.


A variety of malignancies have been associated with the presence of human chorionic gonadotropin, hCG, its subunits, and fragments of its beta-subunit in blood and urine. The usefulness of these hCG-related tumor markers in nontrophoblastic malignancies has been inhibited by inadequate assay techniques. In order to achieve the required sensitivity and specificity, concentration steps and other procedures to remove cross-reacting human luteinizing hormone were necessary. In addition, the coexistence of a fragment of the hCG-beta or beta human luteinizing hormone subunit contributes to significant errors of measurement in urine. The importance of the hCG-beta fragment as a potential tumor marker has been recognized previously but no method was available to measure this antigen readily. We report here the development of a series of radioimmunometric, two-site assays which will accurately measure hCG, hCG-beta subunit, and the beta-subunit fragment directly in small volumes of unprocessed urine. These assays are highly specific, extremely sensitive, and not labor intensive since they employ microtiter plate procedures. Application of these assays to urine samples from patients with gynecological malignancies indicated that over 50% of all patients tested excreted the hCG-beta fragment in their urine. Also, this fragment comprised more than 50% of the moles of hCG immunoreactive components present in the specimens that were positive for hCG. This cancer marker is also demonstrable in trophoblastic malignant states such as choriocarcinoma in which the low molecular weight fragment can also be visualized directly by immunoblotting procedures. We conclude that a search for hCG immunoreactivity in the urine of patients with malignancies will be improved by the inclusion of accurate measurements of the prominent quantities of the beta fragment excreted by these individuals.


Day by day huge amounts data are produced, and evaluation of these data becomes more difficult. The data obtained should provide meaningful, correct, and accurate information. Therefore, all data must be separated into clusters correctly, and the right information from these clusters must be obtained. Having the correct clusters depends on the clustering algorithm that is used. There are many clustering algorithms. The density-based methods are very important among the groups of clustering methods, as they can find arbitrary shapes. An advanced model of the density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN) algorithm, called fuzzy neighborhood DBSCAN Gaussian means (FN-DBSCAN-GM), is offered in this study. The main contribution of FN-DBSCAN-GM is to find the parameters automatically and to divide the data into clusters robustly. The effectiveness of FN-DBSCAN-GM has been demonstrated on overlapping datasets (six artificial and two real-life datasets). The performances of these datasets are compared with the percentage of correct classification and validity index. Our experiments showed that this new algorithm was a preferable and robust algorithm.


The rapid growth in education expenditure in a time of declining earnings and increased economic inequality presents both obstacles and opportunities for school finance reform. Opportunities are greatest for reforms that increase funding for low-achieving students, rather than schools, based on efficiency arguments. Special-education policy is one possible model for such reform. Evidence regarding school resource allocation processes and production efficiency is used to evaluate the potential impacts of increased spending on education outcomes, how much funding might be required to meet various goals, and the extent to which school restructuring strategies might improve efficiency. The author concludes that school finance reform policies may generate responses by families that offset at least some of their intended effects, and policies should be designed to minimize this problem. New research raises questions about conventional assumptions about educational production and cost, with implications for policy and research.


Carbonate rocks are highly soluble. Sinkholes are formed by both the failure of solution cavities and the rapid removal of fines from solution cavities in carbonate and metacarbonate rocks. Sri Lankan landmass is composed of Proterozoic high-grade metamorphic rocks such as gneiss and metacarbonates like marble. Large caves in Sri Lanka form in both marble and gneiss. A few land subsidence events have occurred recently in Ella-Wellawaya area, which is a hilly terrain. In addition, some cases of groundwater table lowering, which has caused drying of dug wells have also been recorded within the area, apparently related to a major development project presently under way in the area. The main objective of this paper is to draw the immediate attention of local researchers and authorities whom are working on mitigation and management of disasters, groundwater and climate change, showing the importance of carrying out detail studies on potential landslides and land subsidence of Ella-Wellawaya area for avoiding and minimising loss of humans and properties. Preliminary surveys on some land subsidence cases and speleological studies including geology, hydrogeology and morphological mapping of the underground caves in the area have been actively carried out. According to the results, it is shown that the subsidence is likely to be correlated with the collapsing of cavities and weathered zones in metacarbonates, and disturbances to the groundwater table. Field explorations done during the last two years have discovered several large underground caves in the area some more than 100 m across. Most of the cave roofs have been thinned by the breakdown of bedrock along weak zones such as joints. Since the process of collapse, trigged by weathering is continuing and patches and lenses of carbonate rocks observed in the caves are still being dissolved, the expansion of the cave spaces is unending. Some of the chambers of these caves are aligned parallel to the steep slopes in the Ella-Wellawaya area and some acted as underground water conduits and storages during the rainy seasons. The Ella-Wellawaya area has been undergone a change in vegetation cover since the colonial period and hence the area is more prone to soil erosion which exposes the near surface natural cavities to the underground caves. Present human exposures and interactions within the susceptible slopes have brought lives and properties under threat. Hence future land subsidence and landslide occurrences are highly predictable with the recent conditions in the area and hence threat to human life and properties is high. The tourism industry, unique to the area could particularly be affected. Hence such hazardous should properly be identified and demarcated and the erosion triggered by present vegetation changes must properly be addressed. Keywords: Metacarbonate rocks, Subsidence, Ella-Wellawaya, Cave network, Erosion


We developed an in vitro assay showing that Borrelia burgdorferi organisms were killed by serum from patients with Lyme disease. Twenty of 20 Lyme disease serum samples caused B. burgdorferi killing in a range of 36 to 99% compared with the mean number of viable spirochetes when sera from 10 healthy individuals were used. The percentage of killing of B. burgdorferi increased with convalescent serum from patients with early Lyme disease. The borreliacidal activity was detectable in some sera diluted 640-fold and was abrogated after treatment with anti-human immunoglobulin G. In contrast, pooled or individual normal human serum did not cause a decrease in the number of viable B. burgdorferi. Borreliacidal activity was also not detected in sera from patients with relapsing fever, rocky mountain spotted fever, syphilis, mononucleosis, rheumatoid factor, or DNA antibodies. Our results show that borreliacidal activity can be used as a specific serodiagnostic test for detecting Lyme disease.


the main computational requirement for LORAN navigation systems is the transformation to geographic latitude and longitude of time difference measurements made by the LORAN receiver.

It is desirable to maintain a computational accuracy of less than one second of arc to avoid degradation of the inherently attainable LORAN system accuracy. It is therefore necessary to take into account the effect of a non-spherical earth (ellipticity correction) and variable velocity of propagation (secondary phase correction.)

Incorporation of these corrections into the analysis results in two non-linear equations in two unknowns.

This paper presents a derivation and discussion of an explicit, noniterative, LORAN mechanization of very high accuracy (approximately one second of arc). The advantages of this explicit solution are as follows:

1. No initial guess as to receiver position is required. This provides for a self-sufficient LORAN system.

2. Perfect computational repeatability is achieved.

3. With the explicit solution, it is always possible to select the proper solution of the two possible solutions.

4. The simple explicit equations lead to reduced computational time and memory storage requirements for the computer.

This technique has been programmed on the RECOMP III Computer. It was tested for accuracy by comparison with the National Bureau of Standards computations [2] for the East Coast LORAN Net. Representative samples of the results are given.


Background Short birth intervals are associated with an increased risk of adverse perinatal outcomes. However, reduction of rates of short birth intervals is challenging in low-resource settings where majority of the women deliver at home with limited access to family planning services immediately after delivery. This study examines the feasibility of integrating a post-partum family planning intervention package within a community-based maternal and newborn health intervention package, and evaluates the impact of integration on reduction of rates of short birth intervals and preterm births. Methods In a quasi-experimental trial design, unions with an average population of about 25 000 and a first level health facility were allocated to an intervention arm (n = 4) to receive integrated post-partum family planning and maternal and newborn health (PPFP-MNH) interventions, or to a control arm (n = 4) to receive the MNH interventions only. Trained community health workers were the primary outreach service providers in both study arms. The primary outcomes of interest were birth spacing and preterm births. We also examined if there were any unintended consequences of integration. Results At baseline, short birth intervals of less than 24 months and preterm birth rates were similar among women in the intervention and control arms. Integrating PPFP into the MNH intervention package did not negatively influence maternal and neonatal outcomes; during the intervention period, there was no difference in community health workers' home visit coverage or neonatal care practices between the two study arms. Compared to the control arm, women in the intervention arm had a 19% lower risk of short birth interval (adjusted relative risk (RR) = 0.81, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.69-0.95) and 21% lower risk of preterm birth (adjusted RR = 0.79; 95% CI = 0.63-0.99). Conclusions Study findings demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of integrating PPFP interventions into a community based MNH intervention package. Thus, MNH programs should consider systematically integrating PPFP as a service component to improve pregnancy spacing and reduce the risk of preterm birth.


Evidence is accumulating for the adverse pulmonary consequences of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), its effects on the airway and lung tissue mechanics, ventilation heterogeneities, and dead space parameters have not been characterized.

Anaesthetized, mechanically ventilated patients (n=46) undergoing elective cardiac surgery were studied in open-chest condition before and 5 min after weaning from CPB. Airway resistance (Raw), inertance (Iaw), tissue damping (G) and elastance (H) were derived from the lung impedance spectra. The third phase slope of the expired CO2 concentration (SIII) and the respiratory dead space indices were determined by using mainstream capnography. Fowler's dead space (VDF) reflecting the volume of the conductive airways, Bohr's dead space (VDB) including also the unperfused alveolar volume, and Enghoff's dead space (VDE)comprising additionally the volume of the perfused but not ventilated alveoli were assessed. VDE-VDB reflects the intrapulmonary shunt.

Raw significantly increased (143±15[SE]%) while Iaw (-178±25%) and VDF (-10±0.1%) decreased after CPB. SIII (38±17%), G (130±6%) and H (7±0.5%, p=0.024) elevated post-CPB. The lowering in VDB (-12±0.1%) was associated with increased VDE-VDB (38±0.6%) following CPB (p<0.001 for all).

The rise of Raw with concomitant drops of Iaw and VDF implies that the airway narrowing was associated with their shortening after CPB. The changes in SIII, G and H suggest the development of ventilation heterogeneities. The increased VDE-VDB indicates enhanced intrapulmonary shunting. Bedside volumetric capnography may serve as a good indicator for loss of alveoli and ventilation/perfusion mismatch.

Grant: OTKA K81179 and TAMOP-4.2.4.A/2-11/1-2012-0001.


The effects of dolastatin 10 (Dol10) and dolastatin 15 (Dol15) alone, and after treatment with bryostatin 1 (Bryo1), on human diffuse large cell lymphoma cell line (WSU-DLCL2) were studied. At a concentration of 1.0 ng/ml Dol10 and Dol15 showed significant growth inhibition (p < 0.05). This inhibition was intensified when the cells were pretreated for 24 h with 200 nM Bryo1. Bryo1, Dol10 and Dol15 induced apoptosis which was seen on morphological examination, by flow cytometry and DNA fragmentation on agarose gel electrophoresis. Cells pretreated with Bryo1 and then exposed to Dol10 showed an increase in apoptosis compared with cells that were treated with the Dol10, Dol15 alone. Immunocytochemistry revealed that WSU-DLCL2 cells express the bcl-2 oncoprotein constitutively. bcl-2 expression was decreased when cells were treated with Bryo1, Dol10 or Dol15 and abolished with the Bryo1/Dol10 combination. WSU-DLCL2 cells were negative for p53 protein expression, upon treatment with Bryo1 or Dol10, the expression of p53 was weak and moderate with the Bryo1/Dol10 combination. The inverse correlation between bcl-2 and p53 oncoprotein expression seems to be related to induction of apoptosis in this lymphoma cell line.


ABSTRACT The basic science literature is replete with descriptions of naturally occurring or experimentally induced pathological grooming behaviors in animals, which are widely considered animal models of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). These animal models rely largely on observed similarities between animal behaviors and human OCD behaviors, and on studies of animal pathological grooming disorders that respond to serotonin enhancing drugs. However, current limitations in assessment of complex cognition and affect in animals precludes the field's ability to match the driving primary processes behind observable phenomenology in animal "OCD" with human behavioral disorders. We propose that excessive grooming behaviors in animals may eventually prove to be equally, or possibly more relevant to, other conditions in humans that involve pathological grooming or grooming-like behaviors, such as trichotillomania, body dysmorphic disorder, olfactory reference syndrome, compulsive skin-picking, and onychophagia. Research is needed to better understand pathological grooming behaviors in both humans and animals, as animal models have the potential to elucidate pathogenic mechanisms and inform the treatment of these psychiatric conditions in humans.


The present study was conducted on 10 Iraqi pregnant buffaloes aged between 3-6 years at Al-Qasim districtBabylon province, Iraq from December 2018 to December 2019. Those animals diagnosed by rectal palpation and ultrasonography technique to estimate the reproduction status. The results of this study reported wandering of ovum in 10% of animals (1/10). While ultrasonography characterized by increasing placentomes measurement gradually with development of gestation, and the placentomes recorded 8.32±2.46 mm, 13.27±3.25 mm, 18.37±5.34 mm, 23.25±8.63 mm and 28.2±6.87 mm in the 2 , 3, 4, 5 and 6 month, respectively. Also the total size was recorded by the crown rump length (CRL), which was 0.77±0.05 cm, 5.81±2.54 cm and 14.09±0.73 cm in the 1, 2 and 3 month, respectively. The heart beat and embryonic vesicle during the 1 and 2 month were detectable by ultrasonography. In conclusions in the present study, rectal palpation and ultrasonography technique represented one of the most important methods to estimate the gestation period in different stages.


The younger generation of Hindus has a responsibility for the existence of Hindus in the future. Peradah is a youthful Hindu organization that aims to unify the vision and mission to maintain the existence of Hindus in District Tegalsari. Persuasive Communication Peradah is used as an effort to foster young generations of Hindus to strengthen and protect the younger generation of Hindu influence of globalization and the existence of other religious people. Empowerment of Peradah as a youth organization of Hindu in Banyuwangi formed a system of kinship and solidarity among the younger generation. Implementation of the work program as a pattern of youth coaching can improve the skills and creativity of the youth. This is done as a role that is considered important and strategic to form a good character for the younger generation of Hindus, especially in District Tegalsari. The main issues discussed are: (1) How Persuasive Communication activities of Peradah in the effort of fostering the young generation of Hindus in District Tegalsari, Banyuwangi Regency. This problem is analyzed using persuasive communication theory. (2) What is the driving factor of youth generation of Hindu through Peradah in Tegalsari Sub-district, Banyuwangi Regency. The second problem was analyzed using action theory based on the assumptions of Parsons and Max Weber (Ritzer, 2011: 49-50). (3) What are the (socio-religious) implications of persuasive communication in fostering the younger generation of Hindus in Tegalsari Sub-district, Banyuwangi District. The theory used is the theory of symbolic interactionism based on the Blumer assumption (Rohim, 2009: 44-45). This research type is qualitative descriptive by using qualitative data. Obtaining data obtained from several methods of observation, interviews, literature, and documentation. The results showed that: (1) the activity of Tegalsari Peradah communications was conducted in a perusiasif way to nurture the young generation of Hindu through various activities in accordance with the work program. (2) the driving factor of the youth generation of Hindu through persuasive persuasion communication that is: cultural value factor, religious value, and social value. (3) Persuasive Communication Peradah in efforts to foster the young generation of Hindus certainly has implications or impacts, both socially and religiously. social implications as follows: 1) The establishment of a sense of harmony and togetherness among Hindu youth in District Tegalsari. 2) The strengthening of social solidarity, both in the environment of the Community and in the life of the community. 3) Anticipate social conflicts in the community. While the religious implications of the younger generation of Hindus are increasingly increasing understanding of the teachings of Hinduism. This can be reflected in the increased sradha and bhakti them against Ida Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa.


This thesis introduces a novel and alternative way of understanding paan addiction among Bangladeshi women by exploring their lived experiences. There is growing medical evidence that paan, a mixture of betel leaf, areca nut, tobacco and white lime, is injurious to health, causing cancer, oral disease and addition (WHO, 2004). Paan use is prevalent and visible among the Bangladeshi community in East London. However, paan dependence is principally examined through the dominant medical model, which prioritises the scientific and pharmacological aspects. Research has yet to examine paan dependence from the user's perspective, which limits health and social care professionals from understanding the practice, the determinants of the habit and the elements contributing to its continued use. Understanding the user perspective would assist in designing and delivering appropriate and targeted interventions. There are no similar studies of this nature into paan use and therefore this study developed a theoretical framework by examining literature pertaining to migration, biographies and inequalities in health.

METHOD: An ethnographic study was conducted and data collected through extensive fieldwork followed by in-depth interviews with thirty Bangladeshi women in Tower Hamlets, East London, who have continuously used paan over a number of years. Participants were recruited through purposive sampling. Interview data was analysed thematically using grounded theory techniques (Glazer and Strauss, 1967) and then triangulated to compare and crosscheck the consistency of the research findings.

FINDINGS: Key research findings indicate that while health discourses have explained paan use simply as a result of physical addition to tobacco, exploring the biographical, historical and social context of paan use developed a deeper understanding of how the participants constituted the experience and meaning of paan addiction. Four key themes emerged - physical and psychological addiction, availability and social acceptance of paan chewing, lack of involvement in the wider social environment and 'Sylhetisation', (a concept introduced by this thesis to describe how the Bangladeshi community have created an environment similar to that of Sylhet). The main recommendation is that an understanding of the sociocultural aspects of paan use may help greatly in developing more culturally specific paan cessation strategies within tobacco policies.


Using data issued by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, the authors examine the strength of statewide firearm laws across the United States one year before and after the 2012 school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.  Regressions fitted to the cross-section of all states in 2011 and 2013 show how Brady Scores differ across census divisions after allowing for statewide differences in firearm death rates and political party control of the state legislature.  In the aftermath of Newtown, gun laws have either not changed or in census divisions where they have significantly changed, they have become less restrictive.


Most patients with anti-glomerular basement membrane (anti-GBM) disease present with rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis with or without pulmonary haemorrhage; however, there are several variants and vigilance is necessary to make a correct diagnosis. Such variants include overlap with anti-neutrophil cytoplasm antibodies-associated vasculitis and membranous nephropathy as well as anti-GBM occurring de novo after renal transplantation. Moreover, patients can present with isolated pulmonary haemorrhage as well as with negative tests for circulating anti-GBM. Virtually all patients with anti-GBM disease have autoantibodies that react with two discrete epitopes on the α3 chain of type IV collagen. Recent evidence suggests that healthy persons have low-affinity natural antibodies reacting with the same epitopes, but most people are protected from developing disease-causing high-affinity autoantibodies by human leukocyte antigen-dependent regulatory T-cells (Tregs). The α3 chain-derived peptides presented by the HLA-DR15 antigen lack the ability to promote the development of such Tregs. The detection of anti-GBM in circulation using the rapid assay test has led to early diagnosis and improved prognosis. However, our present tools to curb the inflammation and to eliminate the assaulting antibodies are insufficient. Only about one-third of all patients survive with functioning native kidneys. More effective therapies need to be developed; agents that inhibit neutrophil recruitment, deplete B cells and cleave immunoglobulin G (IgG) in vivo may become new weapons in the arsenal to combat anti-GBM disease.


The notion of the current-time is frequently found in work on temporal databases, and is usually accessed via a special interpreted variable called now. Whilst this variable has intuitive and simple semantics with respect to the processing of queries in temporal databases, the semantics of the variable inside transactions has not been studied. With the growing maturity of temporal databases, and the need to construct production quality temporal DBMS to demonstrate the usefulness of the technology, it is necessary that a complete study be made of transaction processing in temporal databases. This work aims to meet this objective by (1) detailing the alternatives that exist in the evaluation of now, (2) studying the problems of using now in current transaction processing systems, and (3) provide a formal framework for the processing of temporal transactions, and give rules in the framework for avoiding problems in evaluating now.


OBJECTIVE
The most common reason given for discontinuation of exclusive breastfeeding is perceived insufficient milk supply. Breastfed infants show more variation in feeding frequency than bottle-fed infants, and this may lead to a mother lacking confidence in her milk supply if the frequency of breastfeeding sessions does not match expectations based on bottle feeding. We aimed to assist clinicians in supporting breastfeeding mothers by providing evidence-based information on expected changes in breastfeeding patterns and milk intake during exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS
Mothers and their healthy infants who were exclusively breastfeeding (total 24-hour milk intake within the normal range) were studied during two to five 24-hour periods between 1 and 6 months of lactation.

RESULTS
Between 1 and 3 months of lactation, the frequency of breastfeeding sessions decreased, whereas both the median and maximum breastmilk intakes during each breastfeeding session increased. These parameters remained constant between 3 and 6 months. The duration of each breastfeeding session decreased steadily from 1 to 6 months, but the total 24-hour milk intake remained constant.

CONCLUSIONS
Breastfeeding becomes more efficient between 1 and 3 months of lactation, although milk intake remains constant. Clinicians can give mothers confidence that these changes in breastfeeding behavior do not indicate insufficient milk supply, but may be a result of the increase in the stomach capacity of the infants and are an expected outcome of a healthy, normal breastfeeding relationship.


Introduction Previous studies have demonstrated an overall association between preterm delivery and maternal risk of subsequent ischaemic heart disease (IHD). The underlying mechanism for this is unknown. Furthermore, it is not known whether the association is specific to either elective or spontaneous preterm delivery. Our study examined the associations by type of preterm delivery with a view to helping to elucidate the mechanism underlying the association between preterm delivery and maternal IHD risk. Methods We linked three Scottish routine data sources. The Scottish Health Survey (lifestyle risk factors including blood samples), Scottish Morbidity Record (all acute hospital admissions and all pregnancies) and death certificate data. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used to explore the associations between preterm delivery and subsequent IHD events and deaths. Univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were used to study the associations between preterm delivery and subsequent C reactive protein (CRP) concentration. Results The cohort comprised 750 350 women who delivered a live, singleton infant following their first pregnancy. We demonstrated independent associations between preterm delivery and death due to IHD (HR 2.26, 95% CI 1.88 to to 2.71) and total IHD events (HR 1.58, 95% CI 1.47 to to 1.71). The associations were significantly greater for elective than spontaneous preterm delivery (p=0.005). There was a trend whereby the association between preterm delivery and IHD increased with decreasing age at first IHD event. CRP concentration was available in 1124 women. There was a significant overall association between preterm delivery and CRP (β=0.053, p=0.046) but, on sub-group analysis, this was found to be specific to elective preterm delivery (β=0.077, p=0.004). Conclusions Elective preterm delivery is usually undertaken because of growth restriction or pre-eclampsia, resulting from placental dysfunction. The association between elective preterm delivery and both IHD with CRP, and the trend over age, suggests that a genetic predisposition to a pro-inflammatory state may be a common mechanism predisposing to both placental dysfunction and IHD.


Several decades ago, the first retroviral vectors were constructed. They have been proved as delivery vehicles in basic and translational research; many of them were used in clini‐ cal trials in the treatment of genetic and immunologic disorders or malignancies to deliv‐ er therapeutic genes into target tissue. Gammaretroviral and lentiviral vectors are popular viral delivery vehicles; their ability to integrate into genome of the host cell ena‐ bles permanent genetic modification of the target cell and long-term expression of the transgene. Besides classical cancer gene therapy, they are used in cell-mediated cancer gene therapy in combination with mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) or neural progeni‐ tors. Based on the promising preclinical studies, clinical trials with genetically engineered cell vehicles were initiated.


Over the last century there has been a considerable increase in human longevity and this made a large number of people to reach a critical age for development of several diseases. As a result of this increase in life expectancy health issues related to ageing appeared, some examples are hypercholesterolemia, hyperglycemia and increased levels of blood urea. This paper presents a portable and low cost system using Artificial Neural Networks to Hemo metabolites identification. The system developed is based in amperometric biosensors and is able to perform the identification of glucose, cholesterol and urea concentrations in the blood. The main goals of this system is: the identification of three types of Hemo metabolites with their concentrations, the low cost of the entire system and the reuse capability of the biosensor. Cost of the entire system and the reuse capability of the biosensor.


Using a sample of 15,885 adolescents derived from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, this study examined (1) unique additive influences of race, family, and community and (2) various multiplicative influences among race, family, and community factors on adolescent distress. Community characteristics such as community poverty and ethnic composition were included in the analysis. Community poverty, family poverty, single parenthood, family size, and race/ethnicity all uniquely contributed to adolescent distress. There were significant black–white differences in additive and multiplicative influences of these predictors. The detrimental influence of family poverty was stronger for whites than for blacks. Among blacks, the detrimental influence of community poverty is greater for poor families than for nonpoor families. In contrast, among whites, the detrimental influence of community adversity is greater for nonpoor families than for poor families. Although ethnic composition had no significant impact on adolescent distress for the total sample, it showed a beneficial effect for black adolescents, after controlling for the poverty levels of the communities. Seemingly, community poverty and ethnic composition influence adolescent distress differently through different mechanisms. Understanding these complex processes raise some practical questions about programs aimed at minorities. For example, do black children fare better if their family overcomes persistent poverty and moves out of adverse communities? © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 33: 261–282, 2005.


Each month, the team from electionforecast.co.uk compare new constituency polls as they are released to their estimates of what polls would show in those constituencies. This allows for an assessment of the accuracy of their modeling approach. More information about the overall model can be found here. The results presented in this post use all constituency polls released by Lord Ashcroft in April so far.