The aim of this paper is to examine the long-run and the short-run relationships between foreign direct investment (FDI) and economic growth in the Republic of Macedonia by applying the cointegration analysis and error correction model to identify the variables explaining FDI determinants in the Republic of Macedonia. The research further attempts to investigate the effect of FDI on economic growth of the Republic of Macedonia using the methodology of vector auto regression and Granger causality test in this specific country. Out of the general conclusions it is evident that despite the above-average growth rates in both gross domestic product (GDP) and FDI in the country, we have found that GDP does not seem to induce FDI and likewise, FDI seems not to induce GDP. It is possible that the nature of this relationship is influenced by other institutional and economic factors. The paper concludes by offering some suggestions to economic policy makers involved in FDI particularly those in transition economies and high-growth potential areas. Suggestions for future research and implications for practice are also stated in the paper.


Procainamide (PA) pharmacokinetics were studied at steady state in 19 patients. The PA was given as 1.0 or 1.5 g eight hourly (L and H dose groups) and acetylator phenotype determined from sulphadimidine acetylation was classified as Slow or Fast (S or F). Thus, four groups were categorized, HF, LF, HS and LS with 7, 5, 3, and 4 patients in each respective group. Overall the mean steady state plasma concentration of PA (Cpss) expressed as a fraction of dose did not depend on dose or on acetylator status, but the HS group had significantly higher Cpss per gram dose (6.3 mug/ml) than LS (2.7 mug/ml) or the HF (2.3 mug/ml) groups. Clearance of PA be acetylation (C1A) was 23.8% of the total in fast acetylators and 16.5% in slow acetylators. C1A was not dose-dependent in the HF or LF groups (mean 177.9 ml/min and 168.4 ml/min) but was dose-dependent in the HS group (mean 74.6 ml/min) which differed significantly from the LS group (mean 113.4 ml/min).


Fifty-three high-risk melanoma patients in stage I and 15 patients in stage II were treated after standard surgical intervention with adjuvant therapy with recombinant interferon alpha-2b (rIFN alpha 2b) therapy for a total period of 20 months. Concomitant patients (stage I, n = 82; stage II, n = 33) with identical stages and prognostic factors without adjuvant therapy were used to evaluate the efficacy of rIFN alpha 2b therapy. No difference in 5-year relapse incidence and overall survival rates could be detected. However, it appears that patients of both stage I and stage II benefit from long-term adjuvant rIFN alpha 2b therapy, because during the treatment period (20 months), the incidence of relapses was lower in comparison to controls. After stopping treatment the incidence of relapse is equal in treated and control groups. According to the results of our study, we suggest using continuous low-dose rIFN alpha 2b therapy for adjuvant treatment of malignant melanoma.


Approximately one-third of humanity, especially in developing countries, is infected with parasitic roundworms or flatworms, collectively known as helminth parasites. These infections cause severe diseases, delayed physical development and mortality. A person in helminth endemic areas may be infected with these parasites all his life. These parasitic infections coincide with many other infectious diseases, such as malaria, tuberculosis and HIV. Treatment of these parasitic infections is relatively easy. In some cases a single dose of anti-parasitic treatment suffices. This paper briefly reviews the effects that helminthic infections have on other infectious diseases; on chronic non-transmittable diseases and discusses the potential benefits that de-worming may have on the overall morbidity and mortality associated with these diseases in developing countries, as well as on the effect de-worming may have on vaccination efficacy. We conclude that successful mass de-worming is essential for the reduction of the morbidity associated with these infections and may be a feasible and affordable means to combat other infectious diseases, such as HIV, malaria and tuberculosis. Furthermore, without it, HIV, malaria and TB vaccines may fail to confer protection in helminth endemic areas.


Summary: Sclerosing sweat-duct carcinoma or malignant syringoma is a rare eyelid tumor. The authors report the first patient with sclerosing sweat-duct carcinoma involving the upper eyelid and present its immunohistochemical and ultrastructural features. The clinical features and the histopathologic and ultrastructural findings that distinguish this tumor from its benign counterparts are discussed. Sclerosing sweat-duct carcinomas are slow growing but locally invasive neoplasms that have a propensity to recur. Wide and deep surgical excision with frozen section evaluation of margins is recommended.


Barcelona -- Hair grows at an average rate of one-half inch a month. Unfortunately, technological developments in the field of hair growth and hair loss have not increased much faster. The major reason for delays in this field, according to Dominique J.J. Van Neste, M.D., Ph.D., managing director of Skinterface in Tournai, Belgium, could be an apathetic attitude about technology for detecting hair problems.


Asynchronous events and complex system state distributed across independent nodes make exposure and diagnosis of flaws in distributed systems a challenge. The difficulties are exacerbated when the goal is to validate fault tolerance mechanisms that are activated only by the occurrence of errors, which are, by nature, rare. Validation of fault tolerance mechanisms is often done by injecting faults that emulate the actual faults and ''stress'' the functionality of the resilience mechanisms. Validation campaigns lasting days and involving thousands of fault injections are often necessary. We present an infrastructure that combines virtualization and software-implemented fault injection to automate validation campaigns and support the analysis of the behavior of a distributed system under test. Virtualization enables: 1) a flexible fault injector capable of emulating a wide variety of faults, and 2) a mechanism for autonomously recovering faulty nodes so that the campaign can continue running on a target system that is fully functional. As a case study we use this infrastructure to validate a Byzantine-fault-tolerant cluster manager. Over 1280 hours of fault injections yielded the exposure of 11 unique flaws in the cluster manager.


Current recommendations for fresh market sweet corn suggest row spacing of 30 to 40 inches and in-row spacing of 8 to 10 inches for early varieties and 9 to 12 inches for late varieties. This corresponds to populations from 13,068 to 26,136 plants per acre. Variety trials at Pinney-Purdue Agricultural Center have been planted at row spacings of 30 or 36 inches and populations of 20,328 plants per acre. Some cultivars may perform well at higher populations. This trial was conducted to evaluate yield and ear characteristics of two cultivars at populations up to 50% higher than normally used in Purdue variety trials.


We theoretically examine a farmer's coverage demand with area and individual insurance plans as either separate or integrated options. The individual and area losses are assumed to be imperfectly and positively correlated. With actuarially fair rates, the farmer will fully insure with the individual plan and demand no area insurance regardless of the plans being separate or integrated. Under separate plans, free area insurance and the fair rate for individual insurance, area insurance replaces a portion of individual insurance demand. Under integrated plans, free area insurance, and the fair rate for individual insurance, the farmer will over-insure with individual plan and demand additional area insurance.


Omnidirectional total reflection (ODTR) has a wide variety of applications, such as in optical communication, electromagnetic energy transportation, and solar energy engineering. We propose a type of photonic structure made of dielectric and magnetic 1D photonic crystals (PCs). Simulations by the optical transmission matrix method demonstrate that such structures can achieve ODTR in a wide wavelength range. In such structures, the total reflections of the s-polarization part and p-polarization part of the incident wave are caused by the 1D dielectric sub-PC and the 1D magnetic sub-PC, respectively.


Hypertension is a chronic disease affecting the whole world due to its clinical effects and complications. The reduction in the release and effect of NO is one of the mechanisms of hypertension formation. Hypertension disrupts the balance between oxidant and antioxidant mechanisms. In this study, we aimed to observe biochemical changes in the blood by treatment propolis, caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) and pollen in hypertensive rats via Nω-Nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME). Rats were divided in five groups. Rats were given L-NAME (40 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) for 14 days to make hypertensive. L-NAME and bee products were administered together with rats for 14 days, then L-NAME for 14 days. All administrated ended 28 days. There was a statistically significant (P<0.05) decrease in blood pressure (BP) in the groups in which bee products were applied. Blood pressure was lower in the pollen treated group than in the CAPE and propolis treated group (P<0.05). Paraoxanase (PON1), total antioxidant status (TAS), total oxidant status (TOS), asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) levels were measured in the blood samples in all groups. In the L-NAME group; PON1, TAS, HDL, and total protein levels were found to be lower than the groups applied bee products (P<0.05). TOS, oxidative stress index (OSI), ADMA, NF-κB, glucose, cholesterol, LDL, triglyceride, ALT, AST, ALP levels were found to be lower in groups plus of bee products were applied compared to the group that received L-NAME (P<0.05). The results showed that oxidative stress and homeostasis can be regulated with propolis, CAPE and pollen in hypertensive rats induced L-NAME.


We propose a simple auto-encoder framework for molecule generation. The molecular graph is first encoded into a continuous latent representation $z$, which is then decoded back to a molecule. The encoding process is easy, but the decoding process remains challenging. In this work, we introduce a simple two-step decoding process. In a first step, a fully connected neural network uses the latent vector $z$ to produce a molecular formula, for example CO$_2$ (one carbon and two oxygen atoms). In a second step, a graph convolutional neural network uses the same latent vector $z$ to place bonds between the atoms that were produced in the first step (for example a double bond will be placed between the carbon and each of the oxygens). This two-step process, in which a bag of atoms is first generated, and then assembled, provides a simple framework that allows us to develop an efficient molecule auto-encoder. Numerical experiments on basic tasks such as novelty, uniqueness, validity and optimized chemical property for the 250k ZINC molecules demonstrate the performances of the proposed system. Particularly, we achieve the highest reconstruction rate of 90.5\%, improving the previous rate of 76.7\%. We also report the best property improvement results when optimization is constrained by the molecular distance between the original and generated molecules.


In this study, ductile Ni-resist alloy with a minimum 18 wt. % nickel composition was modified. Up to 12 wt. % manganese was added together with 10 wt. % nickel before undergoing the inoculation process at various percentages to investigate the effects of the alloying elements on both its microstructure and mechanical properties.. The results showed that increasing inoculation did reduce carbide formation and further led to improved tensile value and decreased hardness value. Moreover, inoculation led to a uniform distribution of free graphite. The experimental results show the inoculation process refined the modified alloyed iron microstructure and improved its mechanical properties.


When using household-level data to examine consumer demand it is common to find that consumers purchase only a subset of the available goods, setting the demand for the remaining goods to zero. Ignoring such censoring of the dependent variables can lead to estimators with poor statistical properties and estimates that lead to poor policy decisions. In this paper we investigate household demand for four types of breakfast cereals, such as whole grain ready-to-eat, non-whole grain ready-to-eat, whole grain hot and non-whole grain hot cereals, using a censored Al- most Ideal Demand System (AIDS) and estimate the parameters of the model via Bayesian methods. Using household level scanner data (ACNielsen Homescan) we find that demand for all types of breakfast cereals is inelastic to changes in prices. The expenditure elasticity is slightly above unity for the whole grain ready-to-eat cereals suggesting that as the expenditure on cereals increases households will allocate proportionally more on whole-grain ready-to-eat cereals and less on other cereals.


This article addresses the question: Should courts recognize a duty on the part of schools to implement proven strategies to reduce and prevent bullying? Nothing influences the answer to that question as understanding the nature of bullying in schools. Once understood, bullying seems less a rite of passage or builder of character and more like child abuse perpetuated by peers. The realization that many school children suffer such abuse that inflicts long-lasting and severe damage shifts the analysis from whether the problem is serious enough for courts to engage to how they might most effectively engage it. This article addresses what educational researchers mean by "bullying in schools," its effects as well as what has long been known about proven strategies to reduce bullying. It then articulates two bases upon which courts might act to impose a duty on school officials to reduce the problem and protect students. The first theory is based on the second prong of the Tinker standard governing private student speech. The "Right of other students to be secure and to be let alone" is perfectly suited to recognition of a constitutional right of reasonable protection from peer-on-peer abuse in public schools. The second theory is based on a seldom cited comment to §320 of the Restatement of Torts where the duty of school officials to prevent bullying has been recognized for seventy years. The article concludes that both federal constitutional law and state common law require what common sense and professional competence plainly require – that school officials become serious and proactive against bullying in their schools and use proven methods for doing so.


Summary: l-Asparaginase and l-glutaminase activities were detected in many microorganisms and the distribution of these activities was found to be related to the classification of micro-organisms.
Among 464 bacteria, the activities occurred in many Gram-negative bacteria and in a few Gram-positive bacteria. Most members of the family Enterobacteri-aceae possessed l-asparaginase. l-Asparaginase and l-glutaminase occurred together in a large proportion of pseudomonads. Among Gram-positive bacteria many strains of Bacillus pumilus showed strong l-asparaginase activity. Amidase activities were also observed in several strains in other families.
l-Asparaginase activity was not detected in culture filtrates of 261 strains of species of the genera Streptomyces and Nocardia, but l-asparaginase and l-glutaminase were detected when these organisms were sonicated.
The amidase activities in culture filtrates of 4158 fungal strains were tested. All the strains of Fusarium species formed l-asparaginase. Organisms of the genera Hypomyces and Nectria, which are regarded as the perfect stage of the genus Fusarium, also formed l-asparaginase. Several Penicillium species formed l-asparaginase. Two organisms of the family Moniliaceae formed l-glutaminase together with l-asparaginase, and a fewascomycetous fungi formed l-asparaginase or l-glutaminase.
Among 1326 yeasts, l-asparaginase or l-glutaminase occurred frequently in certain serological groups of yeasts: VI (Hansenula) group, Cryptococcus group and Rhodotorula group. Many strains of Sporobolomyces species also showed l-asparaginase activity. Several strains of Cryptococcus and Rhodotorula group possessed l-glutaminase and l-asparaginase. l-Glutaminase alone was formed in many strains of Candida scottii and Cryptococcus albidus, both of which are related to Basidiomycetes.


The asellote family Gnathostenetroididae Kussakin, 1967 is reported for the first time from Australian waters. Four new species of Gnathostenetroides Amar, 1957 from the Great Barrier Reef are described. The genus Maresiella Fresi and Scipione, 1980 is here placed into synonymy with Gnathostenetroides and a new diagnosis is given for Gnathostenetroides together with a key to the 12 species and a map of the distribution of the genus. The genus Dignatroides Stock and Vonk, 1990 is placed into synonymy with Caecostenetroides Fresi and Schiecke, 1968, and a new composition of the family Gnathostenetroididae, the updated diagnosis and a key to the three genera are provided.


Excerpt] This report investigates how partial retirement schemes can contribute to sustainable and adequate pension systems by enabling and motivating people to extend their working lives. It maps schemes at national and sector levels in the EU and Norway, and examines how they differ in characteristics, terms and conditions. Their impact on the extension of working lives is assessed, based on a literature review complemented with case studies of practical experiences with partial retirement schemes in the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.


When a series of murders performed by a killer with a peculiarly thin blade take place in London, Detective Superintendent Bill Barry is recalled from retirement. Doctors, psychologists, lawyers and politicians join in the hunt, but the biggest crime is yet to come. First published as a six-part serial in "The Sunday Times" newspaper in 1975, readers were encouraged to send in their own solutions to the mystery after episode five. For the first time, the winning entry is published here in book form, together with Amis' own denouement. Kingsley Amis is also the author of "Jake's Thing", "Stanley and the Woman", "The Old Devils" and "Difficulties with Girls".


This article provides an overview of the principal earthen building materials of Central Asia and the cultural aspects of a traditional architecture that incorporates an understanding daring back centuries. The work was started by focusing on sets of research questions, which also helped to structure the study: What are the manufacturing processes of materials in the area? Based on the analysis of materials, what suggestions can be made for a more appropriate conservation of the Central Asian built heritage? There is at present a large lacuna in the literature on Central Asian materials. The traditional processes of production and the traditional methods for repairing require proper documentation. The author interviewed several craftsmen to collect data on the traditional process of manufacturing earthen materials. The aim of interviewing local craftsmen through semi-structured interviews was to increase the scant information about the local, traditional techniques of construction and the materials employed.


This is the catalog for an exhibition of 80 paintings, prints and drawings by Rockwell Kent (1882–1971), the American artist and writer whose stark, dramatic drawings for the 1930 edition of Moby Dick brought him fame as a book illustrator. Kent was a student of William Merrit Chase, Robert Henri and Abbott H. Thayer (who was a naturalist as well as a painter), and a friend and classmate of George Bellows and Edward Hopper. This catalog is not a study of Kent's illustrations, but of unsung, less important views of natural settings that came from his extended visits to remote wilderness areas in Maine, Alaska, Newfoundland, Greenland and Tierra del Fuego. Despite his popularity, Kent's reputation plummeted in 1953 when he was ordered by Senator Joseph McCarthy to testify before the House Committee on Un-American Activities, where he was accused of leftist leanings. While he denied being a communist, in response to the subsequent seizure of his passport, he gave a large collection of his paintings, illustrations and manuscripts to "the people of the Soviet Union." It is surprising, yet partly appropriate, that this traveling exhibition should originate at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, MA, because, however separate their styles and the politics of their followers, these two artists named Rockwell admired each other's work and were often mistaken for one another by the public. (Reprinted by permission from Ballast Quarterly Review, Vol. 16, No. 1, Autumn 2000.)


This study examined member behaviors, group processes, and development-shaping forces in order to identify group development processes/patterns of virtual learning teams. Participants of this study were seven newly formed virtual learning teams working on a final group project in a twelve-week online graduate-level course. All of the thirty three participants were full time Human Resource Development (HRD) professionals. In order to enhance the accuracy of the findings, this study corroborated findings from different data sources.
Examining the frequency of all observed behaviors showed that completing task was the most frequently performed (59.3%), followed by building relationships among the team members (26.3%) and managing the team (14.4%). At the beginning, the social domain explained the largest proportion of observed behaviors, however, as team members started gathering necessary information for the project and sharing individuals' work progress, the work domain later became the dominant focus of performed behaviors.
Examining the group processes of each team and the distribution of observed behaviors found two emerged group development patterns in virtual learning teams, Linear Progression and Adaptive Progression . Linear progression teams followed the linear sequence of orientation, scheduling, exploration, work and decision, progress check and evaluation, refinement and formatting, and termination. The initial group development of adaptive progression teams was the same as that of linear progression teams until the progress check and evaluation phase. However, adaptive progression teams found the evaluation of work progress or the outcome of group work was not satisfactory for team members. Those teams made an adaptation to the team progress by revisiting one or more of the previous phases based upon needs identified to finish the project.
Examining development-shaping forces indicated that member-related characteristics were the primary underlying cause to the successful development of groups, but without being transformed into group norms, such as sharing work procedures, sharing individual members' work, discussing members' views and drawing group consensus, and identifying further actions to advance the work, the impact of individual characteristics on group development was minimal. This study concluded with recommendations for virtual learning team members and facilitators to address those development shaping forces within the temporal timeline.


This paper proposes a model of power-quality detection for power system disturbances using adaptive wavelet networks (AWNs). An AWN is a two-subnetwork architecture, consisting of the wavelet layer and adaptive probabilistic network. Morlet wavelets are used to extract the features from various disturbances, and an adaptive probabilistic network analyzes the meaningful features and performs discrimination tasks. AWN models are suitable for application in a dynamic environment, with add-in and delete-off features using automatic target adjustment and parameter tuning. The proposed AWN has been tested for the power-quality problems, including those caused by harmonics, voltage sag, voltage swell, and voltage interruption. Compared with conventional wavelet networks, the test results showed accurate discrimination, fast learning, good robustness, and faster processing time for detecting disturbing events.


The present study was aimed at designing, formulating and evaluating a polyherbal ointment comprising of methanolic extracts of the leaves of Tectona grandis, Ficus religiosa and Caesalpinia pulcherrima. The parameters evaluated for wound healing were period of contraction and tensile strength using excision and incision models. The animals were divided into groups and were treated with polyherbal formulation, standard group and one served as control group. Nitrofurazone (0.2% w/w) was used as reference standard. The period of epithelization in the excision wound mode was found to be 13.20 days, while in case of incision wound model the tensile strength was 540 when compared to the controls ,the results were extremely significant. Different parameters like pH, viscosity, spreadability and stability were evaluated. The formulation showed good spread ability, good consistency, homogeneity, there was no change in the appearance, pH, and no phase separation noticed at the end of the stability studies. There was no evidence of skin irritation. This study has revealed that the poly herbal ointment has shown the wound healing effect due to the synergistic activity of the phytoconstituents present in the extracts and may be used a potential herbal formulation for wound healing.


A typical characteristic of the Carina Nebula is its complex kinematical structure which is observed in optical and radio lines. Due to the existence of many young and massive stars, there are considerable amounts of ionized gas. By using observations of the atomic transition H166α radio recombination line (RRL) the behavior of the kinematics of the ionized gas in the region was studied. In this work a grid of about 600 profiles, obtained with the Parkes Radio-telescope, has been analyzed. Each profile was processed in order to fit a base line and after that a Gaussian fit was made for each position. The radial velocity resolution of the profiles is about 4 km s-1. Finally, the region was mapped for different radial velocity at interval of 10 km s-1. A set of maps shows the kinematics of the gas which suggests a shell like structure of ionized gas. It is apparent that the structure is spatially correlated with the young open clusters Trumpler (Tr) 14 and 16. As a result it is suggesting that the ionized gas is being blown out by the stellar wind of the young stars of the cluster.


This paper examines the racial and socioeconomic enrollment patterns resulting from magnet school programs in the Cincinnati Public School district (Ohio). The analysis employs the measure of interracial exposure and independent t-tests to compare magnet schools with nonmagnet schools across eight years, 1999-2006, and finds that there are significance differences in racial exposure and neighborhood income level of student populations. Further, magnet school literature is reviewed in the context of the "roll-out" of market-oriented Neoliberal policy reforms where emergence of these reforms coincides with Civil Rights era desegregation, resulting in 'voluntary choice' of magnet schools as the court accepted and government supported policy reform. This research is integral in broadening the discourse of contemporary school choice debates.


This dissertation investigates genres of handwritten notebook-based information systems through meta-genre, a term borrowed from Janet Giltrow to describe the talk and texts surrounding genre-based practice. It asks: what do these routine and repetitive acts of writing promise for their users, and what do they do as rhetorical and affective agents of change? We live in an era with a massive "productivity market," for wearable self-tracking tech, web and mobile productivity applications, and computer-based note-taking and yet many everyday writers maintain robust pen-and-paper practices. The case examples that structure this dissertation include the commonplace book (a genre of reading log popularized in the early modern era), the bullet journal (a productivity and mindfulness practice), and the experiences of seven individuals I interviewed about their practices which ranged from health symptom management, to workplace productivity, to time-based quantified self experiments. Drawing from experimental poetics, I introduce the concept of constraint to describe the self-assigned and generative "rules" practitioners design and appropriate to govern these systems, which promise for their users a training akin to cognitive, emotional, and rhetorical programming. I argue that constraint-based systems infuse text and writer with potentialities generated not from the writer's agency alone, but in collaboration with the system's own rhetorical force. "Paper Programs" thus offers that we do not need to look far for examples of writers who are attuned to the ways in which their subject positions are being deferred and distributed, and who adopt constraints as technologies of mediation to intervene in the various forces that co-construct their being.


The area of the Bjelovar Subdepression in Northern Croatia, which represents the southwestern part of Drava's depression, has been analysed. More than 700 depth data were collected in a regular grid covering the existing structural maps of e-log markers Rs5, Z' and Δ, with cells 2 x 2 km in size. For zonal assessment, Thiessen polygon method was used as introductory analysis preceding Kriging interpolation on regional scale. The emphasis was on OK and UK interpolation, their comparison and selection of most appropriate method for mapping. Crossvalidation results proved UK technique to be the most appropriate in mapping of e-log markers Rs5 and Δ, thus acquiring the most accurate maps so far of the analysed Neogene area.


Laboratory studies were conducted to determine whether combining two entomopathogenic nematode species would result in superior control effects against insect targets than the application of single species. This study aimed to achieve the following objectives (1) to find out if the applications of two different species at the same time can increase the efficacy compared to the application of a single species and (2) to examine if the difference in the efficacy of mixed and single applications might be caused by changes in the invasion of the two applied species and lastly (3) to investigate how mixed applications influence the propagation of the nematodes in the host. The exemplary studies were carried out with last larval instars of Tenebrio molitor and the 2nd stage larvae of Diabrotica virgifera virgifera. The nematodes used in the experiments were Heterorhabditis bacteriophora, Steinernema feltiae, Steinernema carpocapsae and Steinernema kraussei. In laboratory bioassays, lethal dosages that resulted in the average in 50 % mortality (LD50) were used for the single species applications in comparison to the respective LD25 of each of the two species in the mixed applications of the nematode species. In the assays with T. molitor the invasion of this host by the infective juveniles (IJs), the mortality of the insects and the emigration of the next generation of IJs were quantitatively assessed. In the assays with Diabrotica larvae only the insect mortality was assessed. Invasion of IJs for each species in the mixed applications were not significantly different from the expected numbers. However, invasion was lower in the mix than in the single species applications due to the lower dosage used in the mixtures. This had no negative effect on the efficacy against the insects and on the number of IJs which finally emerged from the cadavers. Emergence was even higher for the mixtures. The mortality of the insects was in most cases higher for the mixed applications, indicating synergistic effects. However, the efficacy of the mixtures were species specific. The efficacy of mixtures with H. bacteriophora were superior over mixtures of steinernematids against Diabrotica, but inferior against Tenebrio. We conclude that combining nematodes species might be more effective in the field, because of the stronger dose effect and higher propagation rate of the EPN.


An important role of migration in the world as well as in local predictable changes, with regard to certain countries' population, indicates to the challenge of migratory processes. In order to explain the causes of migration, with the aim of its optimization and regulation, there were formulated various theories and concepts regarding the migration. From among these concepts, we have employed the neoclassical theory of migration and the theory of migratory transition, as well as the concept of the third demographic transition.
In the process of the formation of Georgian population, migration played, and still does, a significant part in influencing the growth rate of the Georgian population's size. If natural increase was the main component in terms of the size formation of the Georgian population during 1960-1991, from 1992 up until today, external migration assumed the same role. Since 1992, the low natural increase can no longer compensate for the negative net migration as a consequence of which the Georgian population has decreased by 3723.5 thousand persons by 2019.
On the one hand, since 1992, Georgia has belonged to the list of the countries that are demographically developed and on the verge of depopulation. On the other hand, because of the high intensity of emigration, it is among the donor countries which supply the developed countries with emigrants. Socio-economic analysis of the migratory processes that are associated with Georgian population has showed us that Georgia's economy is characterized by a high share of labor in comparison to capital and by low market income, whereas the highly-developed countries of Europe are distinguished by the opposite tendency – the low share of labor compared to the capital and higher market income.
This is directly linked to the neoclassical theory of migration, and the mentioned distinction forces Georgian population to emigrate toward the highly-developed foreign countries. Furthermore, decrease of work-force together with its human capital did not cause a significant growth of their income. In spite of the fact that the salary of the Georgian emigrants (especially illegal ones) is small in the highly- developed countries, in comparison to Georgia, European countries offer substantially higher salaries even on the low-qualification jobs than the actual salaries of a worker employed on the high-qualification jobs in Georgia will ever be. This difference is the main reason as to why the emigrants refrain from returning to their homeland.
A sociological survey has confirmed that emigration from Georgia, besides economic factors, is associated with such social-demographic factors of migration as are: receiving education, exile, and the desire to live in better conditions, etc. These factors substantially determine the positive of migration in the receiving highly-developed countries and negative – in Georgia. Therefore, the more distinction there is between the positive and negative factors of migration, the higher the expected emigration to the other countries and the possibility of staying there. According to the current statistical information with regard to the materials of the
2014 population census, the article demonstrates the dynamics and tendency of the migration of the Georgian population since the country gained its independence up until today. It analyzes migrants' sex-age structure. It has been revealed that the emigration is especially intensive amid the population that is in their reproductive age and is able- bodied. Moreover, it is related to social-economic factors.
The sociological research conducted on students showed us that 42% of them intend to emigrate abroad after they graduate during 2018-2020. Additionally, working is the primary motive for boys as studying is for girls. After receiving education abroad, the half of them intend to return to homeland provided they can find a job with a decent salary in Georgia.
Net migration has decreased at the expense of the immigration of foreign citizens and not at the cost of illegal Georgian citizens. In the aftermath of a short-term visa- liberalization within the territory of the EU, emigration from Georgia has increased, which is confirmed by the growth of the negative net migration from 2212 to 10763 inhabitants in 2017-2018. This, in turn, will reduce the population reproduction potential in Georgia and through "brain drain" the country will lose its human capital that possesses higher education.
Therefore, it is still early to draw conclusions with regard to improving the perspectives of emigration and immigration of Georgian population.


The phytochemical investigation of Piptadenia gonoacantha (Mart.) J.F. Macbr. (Leguminosae-Mimosoideae), commonly known as "pau jacare" (alligator stick), afforded sitosterol, campesterol, stigmasterol, the N-benzoylphenylalanine-2-benzoylamide-3-phenylpropyl ester, known as asperphenamate, sitosterol-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, besides three flavonoids, apigenin, 5-O-methylapigenin and 7,4'-dihydroxy-3',5-dimethoxyflavone from its branches. From its leaves, the methyl gallate and two flavonoids, vitexin and isovitexin, were isolated. From its bark, a mixture of sitosterol, campesterol, and stigmasterol, besides a mixture of cycloartenone, cycloartan-25-en-3-one, and 24-methylene-cycloartenone, and the pure triterpenes 24-methylenecycloartanol, friedelin, lupeol and lupenone, were isolated. Their structures were established on the basis of spectral analysis, comparison with literature data and GC-MS analysis of the mixtures. The ester, flavonoids and the cycloartanes are been identified for first time in the genus Piptadenia.


: Modern electronics and electrical systems demand efficient operation of dielectric polymer-based capacitors at high electric fields and elevated temperatures. Here, we report the polyimide dielectric composites prepared from in-situ polymerization in the presence of inorganic nanofillers. The systematic manipulation of the dielectric constant and bandgap of the inorganic fillers, including Al 2 O 3 , HfO 2 , TiO 2 and boron nitride nanosheets, reveals the dominant role of the bandgap of the fillers in determining and improving the high-temperature capacitive performance of the polymer composites, which is very different from the design principle of the dielectric polymer composites operating at ambient temperature. The Al 2 O 3 and HfO 2 based polyimide composites with concomitantly large bandgap and moderate dielectric constants exhibit substantially improvement in the breakdown strength, discharged energy density and charge-discharge efficiency when compared to the state-of-the-art dielectric polymers. The work provides a design paradigm for high-performance dielectric polymer nanocomposites for electrical energy storage at elevated temperatures. impact


In steroidogenic tissues, cholesterol must be transported to the inner mitochondrial membrane to be converted to pregnenolone as the first step of steroidogenesis. Whereas steroidogenic acute regulatory protein has been shown to be responsible for the transport of cholesterol from the outer to the inner mitochondrial membrane, the process of how cholesterol moves to mitochondria from the cytoplasm is not clearly defined. The involvement of the cytoskeleton has been suggested; however, no specific mechanism has been confirmed. In this paper, using genetic ablation of an intermediate filament protein in mice, we present data demonstrating a marked defect in adrenal and ovarian steroidogenesis in the absence of vimentin. Cosyntropin-stimulated corticosterone production is decreased 35 and 50% in male and female Vimentin null (Vim(-/-)) mice, respectively, whereas progesterone production is decreased 70% in female Vim(-/-) mice after pregnant mare's serum gonadotropin and human chorionic gonadotropin stimulation, but no abnormalities in human chorionic gonadotropin-stimulated testosterone production is observed in male Vim(-/-) mice. These defects in steroid production are also seen in isolated adrenal and granulosa cells in vitro. Further studies show a defect in the movement of cholesterol from the cytosol to mitochondria in Vim(-/-) cells. Because the mobilization of cholesterol from lipid droplets and its transport to mitochondria is a preferred pathway for the initiation of steroid production in the adrenal and ovary but not the testis and vimentin is a droplet-associated protein, our results suggest that vimentin is involved in the movement of cholesterol from its storage in lipid droplets to mitochondria for steroidogenesis.


This paper describes a technique for determining the dynamic aerodynamic yaw moment derivative based on the time response data using an oscillating model rig. The aerodynamic yaw moment derivatives are initially estimated using oscillation frequency and amplitude decay. The results from the dynamic measurement are compared with conventional static test and presented in the form of aerodynamic magnification. The yaw moment derivative exceeds that determined statically across reduced frequency range measured. The yaw damping derivative was found to be a function of freestream speed; at low velocities it is negative but progressively increases to a positive value. With further increases in speed, a self-sustained oscillation is observed with almost constant frequency and amplitude. This result is attributed to coupling between the model wake and the model stability; however, the exact behavior of the interaction is not fully understood; this phenomenon is under further investigation.


Integrins are bidirectional signaling molecules on the cell surface that have fundamental roles in regulating cell behavior and contribute to cell migration and adhesion. Understanding of the mechanism of integrin signaling and activation has been advanced with truncated ectodomain preparations; however, the nature of conformational change in the full-length intact integrin molecule remains an active area of research. Here we used small angle x-ray scattering and electron microscopy to study detergent-solubilized, intact platelet integrin αIIbβ3. In the resting state, the intact αIIbβ3 adopted a compact, bent conformation. Upon activation with Mn2+, the average integrin extension increased. Further activation by addition of ligand led to stabilization of the extended state and opening of the headpiece. The observed extension and conformational rearrangement upon activation are consistent with the extension and headpiece opening model of integrin activation.


Background/Aim: Alopecia areata (AA), which is characterized by hair loss, is an inflammatory autoimmune disease. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) is a potent proinflammatory cytokine that has a highly significant role in inflammatory and immune responses. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether there is a relationship between TNFα -238 G/A gene polymorphism and AA in the Turkish population. Methods: In this case-control study, the frequency of TNFα-238 G/A gene polymorphism and its relationship with some clinical parameters of AA patients were investigated. Seventy-eight AA patients and 78 healthy individuals were included in our study. TNFα -238 G/A polymorphism was evaluated by the PCR-RFLP method. Results: The distribution of TNFα -238 G/A genotypes was significantly different between patients and control subjects (P<0.001). Frequency of genotypes GG and AA in AA patients (53.8 and 6.4%, respectively) were evidently lower compared to the controls (59 and 25.6%, respectively). Individuals with AA genotype had a lower risk of AA disease [odds ratio (OR)=0.27; 95% CI=0.09-0.79; relative risk (RR)=0.65 (0.49-0.86); P=0.013]. GA genotype was significantly higher in patients with AA (39.7%) compared to the control group (15.4%) and an increased risk of patchy AA was observed [OR=2.82, 95% CI=1.28-6.21; RR=1.87 (1.11-3.15); P=0.008]. Conclusion: These results suggest that the TNFα -238 G/A gene polymorphism is associated with AA and individuals with GA genotype may have an increased risk of AA.


Thoracic injury ranks second only to head injury in motor vehicle crash injuries in terms of the number of fatalities and serious injuries, the body region most often injured, and the overall economic cost [1, 2]. Skeletal and physiological resilience are known to decline with age, resulting in a decreased ability for the body to withstand traumatic insults [3]. Adults 65 years of age and older constitute more than 12% of the current population and with increases in life expectancy, the elderly population is projected to reach nearly 20% by 2030 [4].Copyright © 2012 by ASME


'Sectarianism' is one of the most over-discussed yet under-analysed concepts in debates about the Middle East. Despite the deluge of commentary, there is no agreement on what 'sectarianism' is. Is it a social issue, one of dogmatic incompatibility, a historic one or one purely related to modern power politics? Is it something innately felt or politically imposed? Is it a product of modernity or its antithesis? Is it a function of the nation-state or its negation? This book seeks to move the study of modern sectarian dynamics beyond these analytically paralyzing dichotomies by shifting the focus away from the meaningless '-ism' towards the root: sectarian identity. How are Sunni and Shi'a identities imagined, experienced and negotiated and how do they relate to and interact with other identities? Looking at the modern history of the Arab world, Haddad seeks to understand sectarian identity not as a monochrome frame of identification but as a multi-layered concept that operates on several dimensions: doctrinal, subnational, national and transnational. Far from a uniquely Middle Eastern, Arab, or Islamic phenomenon, a better understanding of sectarian identity reveals that the many facets of sectarian relations that are misleadingly labelled "sectarianism" are echoed in intergroup relations worldwide.


ABSTRACT Ketamine is an analgesic that has gained notoriety in nightclub scenes. Yet, a paucity of research exists on the prevalence and associated factors in the United States (US). The present study estimated the prevalence of past-year ketamine use among a national sample of US adults and investigated sociodemographic characteristics and past-year use of other substances associated with past-year ketamine use. Data from the 2015–2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health was conducted among 210,392 adults over the ages of 18 years old. An estimated 0.13% of adults used ketamine in the past year, with males more likely to use. Significant risk factors included past-year drug use and sexual minority status, with sexual minority males reporting more than use of one substance at highest risk for ketamine use. Findings from the present study may inform harm reduction efforts and policy initiatives.


This paper investigates the reduction of dynamic power for streaming applications yielded by asynchronous dataflow designs by using clock gating techniques. Streaming applications constitute a very broad class of computing algorithms in areas such as signal processing, digital media coding, cryptography, video analytics, network routing, packet processing, etc. This paper introduces a set of techniques that, considering the dynamic streaming behavior of algorithms, can achieve power savings by selectively switching off parts of the circuits when they are temporarily inactive. The techniques being independent from the semantic of the application can be applied to any application and can be integrated into the synthesis stage of a high-level dataflow design flow. Experimental results of at-size applications synthesized on field-programmable gate arrays platforms demonstrate power reductions achievable with no loss in data throughput.


Silicon nitride is a bulk and a coating material exhibiting excellent mechanical properties. We present a transferable reduced tight-binding (TB) model for the silicon nitride system, developed within the framework of coarse graining the electronic structure from density-functional theory (DFT) to tight binding (TB) to bond-order potentials (BOPs). The TB bond integrals are obtained directly from mixed-basis DFT projections of wave functions onto a minimal basis of atom-centered orbitals. This approach reduces the number of overall parameters to be fitted. Furthermore, applying the reduced TB approximation automatically leads to a single $\ensuremath{\sigma}$ bond order that contributes to the bond energy. DFT binding energies of ground state and metastable crystal structures are used as the benchmark to which the TB repulsive parameters are fitted. The quality of the TB models is demonstrated by comparing their predictions for the binding energies, heats of formation, elastic constants, and defect energies with DFT and experimental values.


STUDY OBJECTIVES
To assess the impact of a proactive case finding approach to end-of-life care for critically ill patients experiencing global cerebral ischemia (GCI) after cardiopulmonary resuscitation and multiple organ system failure (MOSF) in comparison to historical control subjects.

DESIGN
Comparative study of retrospective and prospective cohorts.

SETTING
Medical ICU of a university hospital.

INTERVENTIONS
Patterns of end-of life care for patients with MOSF and GCI obtained through a retrospective chart review were compared to proactive case finding facilitated by the inpatient palliative care service. Interventions included identification of patient's advance directives or preferences about end-of life care, if any; assistance with discussion of the prognosis and treatment options with patients or their surrogates; and implementation of palliative care strategies when treatment goals changed to a focus on comfort measures.

RESULTS
Although our retrospective data demonstrated a high percentage of do-not-resuscitate decisions for the patients under investigation, a considerable time lag elapsed between identification of the poor prognosis and the establishment of end-of-life treatment goals (4.7 +/- 2.4 days and 3.5 +/- 0.5 days for patients with MOSF and GCI, respectively [mean +/- SE]). The proactive case finding approach decreased hospital length of stay (mean, 20.6 +/- 4.1 days vs 15.1 +/- 2.5 days and 8.6 +/- 1.6 days vs 4.7 +/- 0.6 days for MOSF and GCI patients, respectively; p = 0.063 and < 0.001, respectively). More importantly, a proactive palliative care intervention decreased the time between identification of the poor prognosis and the establishment of comfort care goals (7.3 +/- 2.9 days vs 2.2 +/- 0.8 days and 6.3 +/- 1.2 days vs 3.5 +/- 0.4 days for MOSF and GCI patients, respectively; p < 0.05 for both), decreased the time dying patients with MOSF remained in the ICU, and reduced the use of nonbeneficial resources, thus reducing the cost of care.

CONCLUSIONS
Proactive interventions from a palliative care consultant within this subset of patients decreased the use of nonbeneficial resources and avoided protracted dying.


An ultrastructural study was done on 15 mixed growth hormone (GH) and prolactin (PRL)-secreting pituitary adenomas surgically removed from acromegalic patients with hyper-prolactinaemia, in order to see whether the 2 hormones were present in the same cell or in different cells. Double labelling immunogold technique was used for simultaneous ultrastructural localization of GH and PRL. It was found that each neoplastic cell in these 15 tumours (30 to 50 cells were studied in each case) contained 4 populations of granules viz., (i) granules positive for only GH; (ii) granules positive for only PRL; (iii) granules positive for both GH and PRL; and (iv) granules negative for both GH and PRL (unlabelled). Though the relative percentage of these 4 types of granules varied from cell to cell even within the same tumour, the major population (49.9 to 96%) was constituted by the mixed granules showing labelling for both GH and PRL. Almost all the cells examined from each tumour appeared to be mammosomatotrophs. Thus, the study indicated that mammosomatotroph adenomas are perhaps more common among mixed GH and PRL--secreting pituitary adenomas than previously believed. It could be important to recognize these tumours from the therapeutic point of view.


Negative priming (NP) refers to the finding that people's responses to probe targets previously presented as prime distractors are usually slower and more error prone than to unrepeated stimuli. In a typical NP experiment, each probe target is accompanied by a distractor. It is an accepted, albeit puzzling, finding that the NP effect depends on the presence of these probe distractors; for, without probe distractors, NP diminishes. This phenomenon causes severe problems for the majority of theoretical accounts of NP. In the present study, we follow a simple argument, namely that without probe distractors, the difficulty of responding to the probe is so low that NP becomes irrelevant. Hence, by increasing perceptual processing difficulty, as well as by increasing conceptual processing difficulty, significant NP effects with constantly absent probe distractors can be reliably observed. In addition, our results also show that NP without probe distractors can be found by exclusively manipulating probe display processing. This finding furthers our understanding of the processes causing NP.


OBJECTIVE--To compare the effects of sodium depletion and of angiotensin I converting enzyme inhibition on microalbuminuria in insulin dependent diabetes. DESIGN--Randomised, double blind, double dummy parallel study of normotensive diabetic patients with persistent microalbuminuria (30-300 mg/24 h) treated with enalapril or hydrochlorothiazide for one year after a three month, single blind placebo period. SETTING--Diabetic clinic in a tertiary referral centre. PATIENTS--10 diabetic patients with low microalbuminuria (30-99 mg/24 h) and 11 with high microalbuminuria (100-300 mg/24 h). INTERVENTIONS--11 subjects (six with low microalbuminuria, five with high microalbuminuria) were given enalapril 20 mg plus placebo hydrochlorothiazide once daily and 10 (four with low microalbuminuria, six with high microalbuminuria) hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg plus placebo enalapril once daily. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Monthly assessment of urinary albumin excretion and mean arterial pressure; plasma active renin and aldosterone concentrations and renal function studies at 0, 6, and 12 months. RESULTS--Median urinary albumin excretion decreased from 59 (range 37-260) to 38 (14-146) mg/24 h with enalapril and from 111 (33-282) to 109 (33-262) mg/24 h with hydrochlorothiazide (analysis of variance, p = 0.0436). During the last three months of treatment with enalapril five patients had persistent normoalbuminuria (2-3 times below 30 mg/24 h), five low microalbuminuria, and one high microalbuminuria; in the hydrochlorothiazide group one had normoalbuminuria, three low microalbuminuria, and six high microalbuminuria (chi 2 test = 6.7; p = 0.03). Mean arterial pressure did not differ before (98 (SD 7) with enalapril v 97 (9) mm Hg with hydrochlorothiazide) or during treatment (88 (7) with enalapril v 90 (7) mm Hg with hydrochlorothiazide (analysis of variance, p = 0.5263)). Glomerular filtration rate did not vary. The aldosterone to active renin ratio was decreased by angiotensin I converting enzyme inhibition and increased by sodium depletion, showing treatment efficacy. CONCLUSION--Angiotensin I converting enzyme inhibition by enalapril effectively reduces microalbuminuria in normotensive diabetic patients whereas hydrochlorothiazide is not effective. Changes in blood pressure and activity of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system may contribute to these different effects.


This paper develops grounded theory on how receiving respect at work enables individuals to engage in positive identity transformation and the resulting personal and work-related outcomes. A company that employs inmates at a state prison to perform professional business-to-business marketing services provided a unique context for data collection. Our data indicate that inmates experienced respect in two distinct ways, generalized and particularized, which initiated an identity decoupling process that allowed them to distinguish between their inmate identity and their desired future selves and to construct transitional identities that facilitated positive change. The social context of the organization provided opportunities for personal and social identities to be claimed, respected, and granted, producing social validation and enabling individuals to feel secure in their transitional identities. We find that security in personal identities produces primarily performance-related outcomes, whereas security in the company identity produces primarily well-being-related outcomes. Further, these two types of security together foster an integration of seemingly incompatible identities—"identity holism"—as employees progress toward becoming their desired selves. Our work suggests that organizations can play a generative role in improving the lives of their members through respect-based processes.


Songs of praise – Basis-theoretical elements from Ephesians 1:3-14 The singing of new songs of praise is frequently introduced into the worship service without evaluating the contents of the songs properly. In this article Ephesians 1:3-14 is highlighted in an effort to ascertain whether basis-theoretical elements (measures for creating and evaluating) emerge from this pericope, and if they do, what these elements are. The structure and contents of Ephesians 1:13- 14 are studied to determine what basis-theoretical elements of the song of praise can be inferred from this pericope. Subsequently it is determined in what way the relation between dogma and doxa clarifies the investigation. The praise and worship movement is evaluated and an effort is made to summarize the basis-theoretical elements implied in Ephesians 1:13-14. In creating and evaluating praise songs a well-planned structure is necessary in considering elements like the refrain and the repetition of the most important themes. The praise song should celebrate the beauty of the Triune God and his great deeds. The praise song ought to have its origin in revelation and should interact with dogmatical elements. The praise song still plays an important role in the conservation and growth of the church. The praise song ought to be born from the struggle, pain and triumph of the church and not from motives of sentimentality and rabble-rousing.


Rationale: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a heterogeneous disease, and development of novel therapeutics requires an understanding of pathophysiologic phenotypes. Objectives: The purpose of the Airways Disease Endotyping for Personalized Therapeutics (ADEPT) study was to correlate clinical features and biomarkers with molecular characteristics in a well-profiled COPD cohort. Methods: A total of 67 COPD subjects (forced expiratory volume in the first second of expiration [FEV1]: 45%-80% predicted) and 63 healthy smoking and nonsmoking controls underwent multiple assessments including patient questionnaires, lung function, and clinical biomarkers including fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO), induced sputum, and blood. Measurements and main results: The impact of inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs), and to a lesser extent current smoking, was more associated with symptom control, exacerbation rates, and clinical biomarkers, than severity by FEV1. The ICS-treated smoking subjects were most symptomatic, with significantly elevated scores on patient-reported outcomes and more annual exacerbations (P < .05). Inhaled corticosteroid users had greater airflow obstruction and air trapping compared with non-ICS users, regardless of smoking status. Smoking, regardless of ICS use, was associated with significantly lower FENO (P < .05). Smoking, in non-ICS users, was associated with an elevated proportion of sputum neutrophils and reduced sputum macrophages. Increased serum C-reactive protein was observed in smokers but not in ICS and nonsmoking ICS users (P < .05). In contrast, only air trapping and neutrophilic inflammation increased with severity, defined by postbronchodilator FEV1. Conclusions: Compared with COPD severity by FEV1, ICS use and current smoking were better determinants of clinical characteristics and biomarkers. Use of the ADEPT COPD data promises to prove useful in defining biological phenotypes to facilitate personalized therapeutic approaches.


A versatile and numerically inexpensive method is presented allowing the accurate calculation of phase diagrams for bosonic lattice models. By treating clusters within the Gutzwiller theory, a surprisingly good description of quantum fluctuations beyond the mean-field theory is achieved approaching quantum Monte-Carlo predictions for large clusters. Applying this powerful method to the Bose-Hubbard model, we demonstrate that it yields precise results for the superfluid to Mott-insulator transition in square, honeycomb, and cubic lattices. Due to the exact treatment within a cluster, the method can be effortlessly adapted to more complicated Hamiltonians in the fast progressing field of optical lattice experiments. This includes stateand site-dependent superlattices, large confined atomic systems and disordered potentials, as well as various types of extended Hubbard models. Furthermore, the approach allows an excellent treatment of systems with arbitrary filling factors. We discuss the perspectives that allow for the computation of large, spatially-varying lattices, low-lying excitations, and time evolution.


Background Obesity is a well-known and important risk factor for osteoarthritis (OA). Moreover, obesity is highly associated with the metabolic syndrome (MetS)1. Growing evidence indicates that both OA and MetS are low-grade inflammatory conditions with elevation in systemic inflammatory markers. Nonetheless, it is unclear whether MetS low-grade inflammation induces OA, or contributes to the disease. Objectives To determine the contribution of metabolic alterations, induced by a High-Fat Diet (HFD), on the onset or progression of OA in a rat model of local cartilage damage. Methods Forty Wistar rats (12 weeks old, male), were randomly divided over two groups: twenty rats were fed a HFD (60% of the kcal contained fat:D12492i, Research Diets Inc.) while the other animals received a standard diet. After 12 weeks, local articular cartilage damage was induced on the femoral condyles, in one knee joint according to the groove model in 14 rats of each diet group. Remaining animals served as a control group in each arm. At week 24, serum was collected, subchondral bone was assessed by μCT scan (Quantum FX, PerkinElmar,USA), OA severity was evaluated by rat OARSI histopathology score and macrophage presence with CD68 immunostaining from histological sections was assessed. Results HFD feeding resulted in metabolic dysregulation as indicated by significantly increased metabolic parameters (weight, fasting insulin and total cholesterol) compared to the standard fed rats. HFD feeding alone resulted in mild cartilage degeneration (2±1.1 vs 0.58 ±0.7; p=0.06) and synovial membrane inflammation (1.0±0.6 vs 0.3±0.5; p=0.075) both subscores of the rat OARSI histopathology score. However, when HFD feeding is combined with the surgical model of applied local cartilage damage, OA severity is statistically significant increased compared to the local cartilage damage group on a standard diet (6.2±2.1 vs 3.4±1.4; p=0.001). Synovial membrane inflammation (1.3±0.9vs 0.5±0.5; p=0.011) and multiple large osteophyte formation, demonstrated by histology (0.9±1 vs 0.2±0.4; p=0.04) and quantified on μCT (328±349 μm3 vs 7±14 μm3; p=0.0001), contributes most to this increased OA severity. Immunohistochemical CD68 expression as observed on both the synovial membrane as well as in the subchondral bone and around the formed osteophytes can explain the increase in selected inflammatory parameters when groove surgery is combined with a HFD (Figure 1). Conclusions This study shows that a HFD induces metabolic alterations and increases the inflammatory state of the joint. This by itself does not result in severe OA. However, when adding a HFD to a mild cartilage damage model of OA, joint degeneration is significantly increased. This progression of joint degeneration appears to be driven mainly by inflammatory responses as demonstrated by an increased CD68 expression in both the subchondral bone and synovium membrane with increased osteophytosis. Hence, our findings indicate that systemic metabolic and subsequent inflammatory factors need an additional trigger to contribute to the progression of the OA. References Zhuo Q, Yang W, Chen J and Wang Y, Metabolic syndrome meets osteoarthritis. Nat Rev Rheumatol, 2012. 8(12): p. 729–37. Disclosure of Interest None declared


Pedestrians are important users of the transportation system, but most guidelines have given them little importance in the geometric design of roads and intersections. In these cases it can be difficult for vehicles and pedestrians to share the road safely, particularly at intersections where vehicle-pedestrian conflicts (and the risk of vehicle–pedestrian crashes) can be a frequently recurring situation even with low pedestrian volume. In a sustainable safety vision road system planning and design must include engineering choices that help to improve the sharing of road space between vehicles and pedestrians, as well as for other vulnerable users. It is known that modern roundabouts are safer than other intersection forms both for effects on speeds and for effects on conflicts between road users; several road authorities, indeed, have foreseen to convert specific types of intersections into roundabouts. Summarizing international experience with roundabouts and pedestrians, the paper provides a review of the existing literature dealing with pedestrian safety and accessibility issues at roundabouts. First, safety aspects at modern roundabouts are presented, followed by a brief explanation of the effects of roundabouts on pedestrian safety documented in the scientific literature. At last, this research provides an overview of the current state of practice and implications in the roundabout design to maximize their potential with regard to safety pedestrians.


Every organizational entity, whether operated for profit or not, must purchase goods and/or contract for services to meet the needs of its customers, clients, and stakeholders. As a result of the dynamics that occur in this process, the potential for buyer-supplier conflict is extremely high and is in fact a very common occurrence. Proper identification, assessment, and management of buyer-supplier conflict can lower the cost of conflict and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of an alliance. The costs associated with buyer-supplier conflict include lost productivity, strained relationships, poor resource utilization, and unfulfilled potential of the joint activities undertaken by the buyer and supplier in support of the relationship. This paper applying a methodology, extending the concept of TRIZ (XTriz), to discover supply chain conflict before they occur and cause detrimental effects to system performance. The approach involves specifically focus on extending TRIZ with Root Conflict Analysis, which allows us to extract and map the contradictions arising in supply chain that are the root cause of certain problems. We applied the proposed methodology on new product development (NPD) to illustrate the validity of the tool. Although, further research is needed to fully explore this method of conflict detection, we believe that this research does indeed provide some much needed insight into the daunting task of conflict discovery and therefore proactive handling of these potentially negative occurrences in the supply chain.


Pure and Nb‐doped TiO2 photocatalysts with highly ordered alternating gyroid architecture and well‐controllable mesopore size of 15 nm via co‐assembly of a poly(isoprene)‐block‐poly(styrene)‐block‐poly(ethylene oxide) block copolymer are synthesized. A combined effort by electron microscopy, X‐ray scattering, photoluminescence, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and density functional theory simulations reveals that the addition of small amounts of Nb results in the substitution of Ti4+ with isolated Nb5+ species that introduces inter‐bandgap states, while at high concentrations, Nb prefers to cluster forming shallow trap states within the conduction band minimum of TiO2. The gyroidal photocatalysts are remarkably active toward hydrogen evolution under UV and visible light due to the open 3D network, where large mesopores ensure efficient pore diffusion and high photon harvesting. The gyroids yield unprecedented high evolution rates beyond 1000 µmol h−1 (per 10 mg catalyst), outperforming even the benchmark P25‐TiO2 more than fivefold. Under UV light, the Nb‐doping reduces the activity due to the introduction of charge recombination centers, while the activity in the visible triple upon incorporation is owed to a more efficient absorption due to inter‐bandgap states. This unique pore architecture may further offer hitherto undiscovered optical benefits to photocatalysis, related to chiral and metamaterial‐like behavior, which will stimulate further studies focusing on novel light–matter interactions.


Many reports have linked oxidative damage to DNA and the associated avoidance and/or repair processes to carcinogenesis, ageing and neurodegeneration. Cancer incidence increases with age and there is evidence that oxidative stress plays a role in human ageing and neurodegeneration. Several reports have suggested that the accumulation of unrepaired DNA lesions plays a causal role in mammalian ageing. Since base excision repair (BER) is the main pathway for the repair of oxidative DNA lesions, the relationship of BER to human ageing and carcinogenesis is of considerable interest. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between donor age and increasing time of cells in tissue culture and the repair of oxidative DNA damage in primary human skin fibroblasts. Methylene blue (MB) acts as a photosensitizer and after excitation by visible light (VL) produces reactive oxygen species that result in oxidative damage to DNA. MB+VL produce predominantly 8-hydroxyguanine as well as other single base modifications in DNA that are repaired by BER. We used host cell reactivation (HCR) of a non-replicating recombinant human adenovirus, Ad5CMVlacZ, which expresses the β-galactosidase (β-gal) reporter gene, to measure BER of MB+VL-damaged DNA. HCR of β-gal activity for the MB+VL-treated reporter gene was examined in 10 fibroblast strains from normal donors of ages 2 to 82. The effect of cell passage number on HCR was also examined in human skin fibroblasts from 2 normal donors. We found a significant reduction in HCR with increasing cell passage number, indicating that BER decreases with increasing time of cells grown in tissue culture. We also found a significant correlation of donor age with HCR of the MB+VL-treated reporter gene for high passage number, but not for low passage number fibroblasts. The present study provides evidence that a decrease in BER of oxidatively damaged DNA may play a role in carcinogenesis, ageing and neurodegeneration.


Background Men considering the prostate specific antigen (PSA) test for prostate cancer, an increasingly common male cancer, are encouraged to make informed decisions, as the test is limited in its accuracy and the natural history of the condition is poorly understood. The Web-based PSA decision aid, Prosdex, was developed as part of the UK Prostate Cancer Risk Management Programme in order to help men make such informed decisions. Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the Web-based PSA decision aid, Prosdex, on informed decision making. Methods A Web-based randomized controlled trial was conducted in South Wales, United Kingdom. Men aged 50 to 75 who had not previously had a PSA test were randomly allocated to two intervention and two control groups. Participants in the intervention groups either viewed Prosdex or were given a paper version of the text. The main outcome measures were the three components of informed decision making: (1) knowledge of prostate cancer and PSA, (2) attitude toward PSA testing, (3) behavior using a proxy measure, intention to undergo PSA testing. Decisional conflict and anxiety were also measured as was uptake of the PSA test. Outcomes were measured by means of an online questionnaire for the Prosdex group, the paper version group, and one of two control groups. Six months later, PSA test uptake was ascertained from general practitioners' records, and the online questionnaire was repeated. Results are reported in terms of the Mann-Whitney U-statistic divided by the product of the two sample sizes (U/mm), line of no effect 0.50. Results Participants were 514 men. Compared with the control group that completed the initial online questionnaire, men in the Prosdex group had increased knowledge about the PSA test and prostate cancer (U/mn 0.70; 95% CI 0.62 - 0.76); less favourable attitudes to PSA testing (U/mn 0.39, 95% CI 0.31 - 0.47); were less likely to undergo PSA testing (U/mn 0.40, 95% CI 0.32 - 0.48); and had less decisional conflict (U/mn 0.32, 95% CI 0.25 - 0.40); while anxiety level did not differ (U/mn 0.50, 95% CI 0.42 - 0.58). For these outcomes there were no significant differences between men in the Prosdex group and the paper version group. However, in the Prosdex group, increased knowledge was associated with a less favourable attitude toward testing (Spearman rank correlation [ρ] = -0.49, P < .001) and lower intention to undergo testing (ρ = -0.27, P = .02). After six months, PSA test uptake was lower in the Prosdex group than in the paper version and the questionnaire control group (P = .014). Test uptake was also lower in the control group that did not complete a questionnaire than in the control group that did, suggesting a possible Hawthorne effect of the questionnaire in favour of PSA testing. Conclusions Exposure to Prosdex was associated with improved knowledge about the PSA test and prostate cancer. Men who had a high level of knowledge had a less favourable attitude toward and were less likely to undergo PSA testing. Prosdex appears to promote informed decision making regarding the PSA test. Trial Registration ISRCTN48473735; http://www.controlled-trials.com/ISRCTN48473735 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/5r1TLQ5nK)


We extend the equivalence between Bayesian and dominant strategy implementation established by Gershkov et al. (Econometrica, 2013) to environments with non-linear utilities satisfying the average single-crossing property and the convex-valued assumption. The new equivalence result produces novel implications to the literature on the principal-agent problem with allocative externalities, environmental mechanism design, and public good provision.


We propose a parametric model for automatic 3D reconstruction of urban areas from high resolution satellite data. An automatic building extraction method based on marked point processes is used to provide rectangular building footprints. Based on a parametric model with rectangular ground footprint, the proposed method is developed using a Bayesian approach : we search for the best configuration of parametric models with respect to both a priori knowledge of models and their interactions, and a likelihood which fits models to the DEM. A simulated annealing is used to find the configuration which maximizes the a posteriori density of the Bayesian expression


The aerostatic guide way is one the structure of the air thrust bearings, the carrying capacity and stiffness are important static properties of aerostatic guide way. The restrictor, as the key part of the aerostatic guide way, directly affected the static characteristics. A parametric finite element model of gas film was established with APDL language based on ANSYS in this paper. Then analyzed the restrictor structural effect on the static properties of the aerostatic guide way. It found that orifice diameter and gas chamber diameter have important effect on the static properties of the aerostatic guide way.


This Article examines the law through the lens of regional planning. Globally, the twenty-first century has been called "the urban century," with more people living in urban areas than in rural areas. In the United States in particular, our urban areas are often not comprised of a single city. Rather, our urban areas are comprised of numerous local governments: cities, villages, towns, and counties. The modern metropolis connotes an agglomeration of adjacent and interconnected local governments (often cities) clustered around a major urban center (often an older central city). This Article will provide a brief overview of some of the laws related to regional planning for the modern metropolis to make the argument that there is a law of regional planning. The overview can help provide an important context for the topic of this symposium. Regional planning laws related to regional economic development, transportation, the environment, and housing present a distinct body of emerging regional planning law with enormous opportunities for sustaining and strengthening our cities. Reform is needed, however, in how we think about and use these laws.


Concrete surface quality is generally linked to the development conditions of concrete close to the formwork. This work aims to study the influence of the nature of release agent and the quantity of fine elements on the chemical interactions at the concrete/oil/formwork interface. Five concretes were prepared at 28, 30, 32, 34, and 36% of paste to study the influence of paste volume on the friction between formwork and fresh concrete. The friction tests were performed using an apparatus which can reproduce the same conditions of construction sites. In addition, a physicochemical investigation was achieved to identify the effect of fine elements on the ability to form the interstitial mediums at the interface. The formation of soap in the vicinity of the formwork surfaces was also studied as a function of the content and the nature of oils. The results showed that the friction between fresh concrete and formwork depends on the pore solution content present at the interface.


Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) and coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) are known to possess good antimicrobial properties. In the present work, spice-infused frozen parathas were formulated to investigate the effect of fennel and coriander on microbial (aerobic mesophilic bacteria, yeast and mould, and Bacillus cereus) reduction and sensory acceptability of frozen paratha throughout the storage at -18°C. The present work was also aimed at determining the relationship between spice concentrations and storage durations on microbiological quality of the samples. Fennel and coriander seed powder were used at concentrations of 2, 4 and 6% of wheat flour (w/w). The microbiological analysis was performed by total plate count, yeast and mould count, and Bacillus cereus count after 9, 12 and 15 weeks of storage. Sensory evaluation was conducted using hedonic scales at the end of storage durations. Results showed that spice infusion in frozen paratha significantly delayed the growth of aerobic mesophilic bacteria, yeasts and moulds, and Bacillus cereus during storage. The lowest log count was demonstrated by coriander at 6% in total plate count (3.85, 3.90 and 3.91 log10 CFU/g), and yeast and mould count (2.54, 2.59 and 2.60 log10 CFU/g) after 9, 12 and 15 weeks, respectively. Bacillus cereus was not detected throughout the storage durations. Fennel exhibited minimum activity against Bacillus cereus with no significant difference on log count reduction when compared with control. Coriander showed the highest decrease in both total plate count and Bacillus cereus count during the storage duration. Sensory evaluation result indicated that control sample exhibited the highest preference over all attributes when compared with fennel and coriander. Coriander-infused paratha was slightly darker in colour due to high concentration of 6%. Fennel yielded the lowest score in terms of taste among all samples. Fennel and coriander showed no significant difference for sensory acceptability. Overall, all frozen parathas were in good quality after 15 weeks of frozen storage. It can thus be concluded that fennel and coriander can be used as potential natural preservatives to inhibit the growth of microorganisms in paratha during frozen storage. Nevertheless, the optimum spice concentration should be determined to minimise the effects on the sensory attributes.


We present a computational model that can learn event taxonomies online from the continuous sensorimotor information flow perceived by an agent while interacting with its environment. Our model implements two fundamental learning biases. First, it learns probabilistic event models as temporal sensorimotor forward models and event transition models, which predict event model transitions given particular perceptual circumstances. Second, learning is based on the principle of minimizing free energy, which is further biased towards the detection of free energy transients. As a result, the algorithm forms conceptual structures that encode events and event boundaries. We show that event taxonomies can emerge when the algorithm is run on multiple levels of precision. Moreover, we show that generally any type of forward model can be used, as long as it learns sufficiently fast. Finally, we show that the developed structures can be used to hierarchically plan goaldirected behavior by means of active inference.


Magnesium matrix composites reinforced by SiC particles of different size have been fabricated by vacuum pressure infiltration to investigate the influence of volume fraction and particle size on wear properties. It was found that the wear resistance of SiCp/Mg composites increased as volume fraction of particles with the same average diameter and reduced with the decrease of average diameter of particle, whereas the grooves furrow and adhesion increase. The influence of particle diameters on wear resistance was more prominent than that of volume fraction. The wear mechanism of composite and matrix alloy were oxidation, adhesive and delamination wear.


Endothelial K+ and Ca2+ homeostasis plays an important role in the regulation of tissue supply and metabolism under normal and pathological conditions. However, the exact molecular mechanism of how Ca2+ is involved in the regulation of K+homeostasis in capillary endothelial cells, especially under oxidative stress, is not clear. To reveal Ca2+-triggered pathways, which modulate K+ homeostasis, Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II and voltage-gated outward K+ currents were studied in rat brain capillary endothelial cells under hypoxia. Whole cell voltage-clamp measurements showed voltage-gated outward K+ current with transient and sustained components. mRNA and protein of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II δ2 and two γ isoenzymes were identified. Activation of the isoforms (autophosphorylation) was typically achieved by the Ca2+ ionophore ionomycin, which was prevented by the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II-specific inhibitor KN-93. Hypoxia resulted in autophosphorylation of the δ2 and γB isoforms, augmented the current amplitude, increased the inactivation time constant, and decreased the extent of inactivation of the transient current. KN-93 prevented both the activation of the isoforms and the alterations in the K+ current characteristics. It is concluded that the activation of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II decreases inactivation of the voltage-gated outward K+ current, thereby counteracting depolarization of the hypoxic endothelium.


tables: in consequence it can readily be understood, and the reader need not possess any special knowledge of bacteriology. For those requiring more detailed information full references are provided and, when works consulted by the authors have not been directly quoted, useful comments on their subject matter have been provided. For all ordinary purposes, however, the book itself will provide full information. The authors wisely devote their first chapter to a definition of terms before proceeding to a description of the theory of sterilization and standards of efficiency. They then devote a chapter to preparation and packaging and an attempt has been made to lay down standards for packaging materials. In subsequent chapters the various agents and methods used for sterilization are described in detail and followed by a summary of the methods used for special problems such as disinfecting skin, hospital environment and items of equipment. Finally the methods in vogue in particular circumstances such as dental practice are covered. There is a useful appendix on equipment and its manufacturers or agents in Australia.


Ligands are designed to have ditopic bipyridine terminal groups linked through photochromic azobenzene central units, which exhibit multi-switchable properties by different external stimuli. The molecule can switch between cis-and trans-conformations at their bipyridine terminal groups upon protonation and at their central azobenzene units upon irradiation of photons. As a result, the system shows four different isomeric states: cis-TRANS, trans-TRANS, cis-CIS and trans-CIS. The four conformers are switched and are visualized by scanning tunneling microscopy at the solid-liquid interface, which gives a direct demonstration of the multi-functional switches at a molecular level.


The UK Conservative–Liberal Democratic Coalition government has declared that marriage is imperative for society. This article examines couple relationship education (CRE), which aims to strengthen marriage and relationships. It argues that these
programmes have potential because they offer opportunities for women and men to enhance their relationships through adult education that develops relationship skills and knowledge. For CRE to have a population level impact, however, knowledge of
how to promote access to services designed for disadvantaged or vulnerable couples is critical. Gender disadvantage interacts with class, ethnicity, age and disability. Advocating marriage per se is too simplistic a solution to the complex problems of couples with diverse needs or low-income earners. If the government is serious about wanting to strengthen relationships and marriage, CRE would be a better investment if it was coordinated with policies and services such as balancing work and family and alleviating problems for low-income families.


INTRODUCTION
Literature holds no information on a correlation between blood hormonal levels, in particular sex hormones and the sexual response of women with multiple sclerosis (MS).

AIM
To investigate a possible correlation between hormonal status and the sexual response of females with MS.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
The Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaire was used to determine sexual dysfunctions (SDs). Methods for measuring blood hormones were chemiluminescence immunoassay, electrochemiluminescence immunoassay, enzyme immunoassay, and radioimmunoassay.

METHODS
During the screening phase, 55 women of reproductive age were recruited and completed the FSFI. In the first phase of the study females underwent a hematic hormonal evaluation on the third day of their menstrual cycle. Serum follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), prolactin (PRL), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEA-S), androstenedione, 17[alpha]-hydroxyprogesterone, total and free testosterone, 17 beta estradiol, inhibin and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), and thyroid hormones (fT3 and fT4) were checked. On the day 20-21 into their menstrual cycle the progesterone hematic value was noted. Patients with amenorrhea had all hormones tested once with a random blood drawing. After a 3-month period patients began phase 2, completing the FSFI again. The same blood hormones were investigated.

RESULTS
Fifty-four females completed the study. Thirty-one continued to manifest at least one SD: desire (57.4%) was the most common. Overall, 36.4% showed abnormal hormonal alterations. The most frequent was 40% for 17 beta-estradiol. None of the FSFI domains, including the total score, revealed any statistically significant correlation to the hormones investigated. No statistically significant clinical predictive factors for blood hormone abnormalities were detected; comparing females with and without SD, P = 0.250 using chi-squared test was reached.

CONCLUSIONS
Notable percentages of blood hormonal alterations and SD were documented, but no significant statistical correlations were detected between hormonal status and sexual function.


A frequency compensation technique for MOS audio power amplifiers is presented that allows the frequency compensation capacitors around the power transistors to be smaller than the circuit parasitics without power or stability penalty. Stability is analysed by inspecting the output impedance of the closed loop amplifier, instead of the traditional open-loop gain. By degenerating the gain of the penultimate stage, the output impedance is shaped such that the stability of the audio amplifier is guaranteed for complex loudspeaker loads. The realized amplifier features a THD of 0.005% @ (1 kHz, 10 W), an SNR of 110 dB(A), and stable operation for any passive load up to 50 nF.


Administration of the nonsteroidal ecdysteroid agonist RH-5849 or 20-hydroxyecdysone to final larval instar tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta, has been shown to induce an ecdysteroid inactivation enzyme, ecdysteroid 26-hydroxylase, and the cytosolic inactivation enzymes ecdysone oxidase and ecdysteroid phosphotransferase. In this work, we show that induction of ecdysteroid 26-hydroxylase by the ecdysteroid agonists RH-5849, RH-5992 (tebufenozide), and RH-0345 (halofenozide) appears universal in lepidopteran species that show susceptibility to the agonists. Interestingly, the waxmoth, Galleria mellonella, which shows very low susceptibility to the agonists but whose ecdysteroid receptor is capable of binding the agonist, shows no induction of a 26-hydroxylase activity. It appears that the more potent ecdysteroid agonists in Lepidoptera, RH-5992 and RH-0345, show in general a greater induction of 26-hydroxylase than RH-5849. Feeding RH-5849 to the dipteran housefly Musca domestica results in the induction of an ecdysteroid phosphotransferase. The low toxicity of these ecdysteroid agonists in orthopteran and coleopteran orders also correlates with a lack of induction of ecdysteroid 26-hydroxylase activity. We propose that in species where ecdysteroid agonists are effective in stimulating an untimely premature molt, a response to a state of hyperecdysonism elicited by the agonists is induction of enzymes of ecdysteroid inactivation.


The thermoelectric properties of halide perovskites CsMI3 (M = Sn and Pb) are investigated from a combination of first-principles calculations and semiclassical Boltzmann transport theory by considering both the electron and phonon transport. The electronic part is performed using a modified Becke and Johnson (mBJ) exchange potential, including spin–orbit coupling (SOC), while the phonon part is computed using generalized gradient approximation (GGA). It is found that SOC has remarkable detrimental effect on the n-type power factor, while it has a negligible influence on p-type doping, which can be explained by considering the effect of SOC on the conduction and valence bands. The calculated results show exceptionally low lattice thermal conductivities in CsSnI3 and CsPbI3, and the corresponding room-temperature lattice thermal conductivity is 0.54 W m−1 K−1 and 0.25 W m−1 K−1, which suggests that they may be potential thermoelectric materials. At 1000 K, the maximal figure of merit ZT is up to 0.63 and 0.64 for CsSnI3 and CsPbI3 with scattering time τ = 10−14 s, and the peak ZT is 0.49 and 0.41 with τ = 10−15 s. These results lead us to believe that CsMI3 (M = Sn and Pb) in perovskite structures may be potential thermoelectric materials.


Artwork counterfeiting is a wide problem in the art market, both for private subject and museums. For this reason, it is important introducing innovative authentication solutions, based on state-of-the-art technologies. In particular, in this paper, the proposed solution is based on a mobile architecture, starting from the consideration that nowadays mobile phones include quality photo and video cameras, access to wireless networks and the internet, GPS assistance and other innovative systems. The proposed solution uses smartphones as simple, robust and efficient sensor for artworks authentication. When we buy an artwork object, the seller issues a certificate of authenticity, which contains specific details about the artwork itself. Unscrupulous sellers can duplicate the classic certificates of authenticity, and then use them to "authenticate" non-genuine works of art. In this way, the buyer will have a copy of an original certificate to attest that the "not original artwork" is an original one. A solution for this problem would be to insert a system that links together the certificate and the related specific artwork. To do this it is necessary, for a single artwork, to find unique, unrepeatable, and unchangeable characteristics. In this article we propose an innovative and not-invasive method for the authentication of artworks based on random intrinsic object characteristics. This approach is based on biometry paradigm (analogue fingerprinting). The paper present a stand-alone solution, and an internet-based one, necessary for granting security verification also in case of problem with the used RFID tag. The proposed method uses an RFID Tag and a 2D barcode, in conjunction with an Internet-based Authentication Archive.


Posttransplantation lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLDs) have emerged as important causes of morbidity and mortality in solid organ transplant recipients. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) plays a major pathophysiologic role in the development of many, if not most, of the highly diverse disease states, which span the spectrum from infection to malignancy, encompassed by the term "PTLD." Clinical presentation and biological behavior associated with PTLD are highly variable; patients experiencing primary EBV infection in the immediate posttransplantation period are most vulnerable. New insights into PTLD pathogenesis provide exciting opportunities for rational and targeted approaches to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of PTLD. This article highlights some of these developments and outlines unresolved and controversial issues in PTLD management.


Transposable elements (TEs) comprise nearly half of the human genome and play an essential role in the maintenance of genomic stability, chromosomal architecture, and transcriptional regulation. TEs are repetitive sequences consisting of RNA transposons, DNA transposons, and endogenous retroviruses that can invade the human genome with a substantial contribution in human evolution and genomic diversity. TEs are therefore firmly regulated from early embryonic development and during the entire course of human life by epigenetic mechanisms, in particular DNA methylation and histone modifications. The deregulation of TEs has been reported in some developmental diseases, as well as for different types of human cancers. To date, the role of TEs, the mechanisms underlying TE reactivation, and the interplay with DNA methylation in human cancers remain largely unexplained. We reviewed the loss of epigenetic regulation and subsequent genomic instability, chromosomal aberrations, transcriptional deregulation, oncogenic activation, and aberrations of non-coding RNAs as the potential mechanisms underlying TE deregulation in human cancers.