To investigate the relative turnover of esterified polyunsaturated fatty acids in diacylglycerophospholipids and plasmalogens in isolated cardiac myocytes, we characterized the phospholipid composition and distribution of radiolabel in different phospholipid classes and in individual molecular species of diradyl choline (CGP) and ethanolamine (EGP) glycerophospholipids after incubation of isolated cardiac myocytes with [3H]arachidonate or [14C]linoleate. Plasmalogens in CGP (55%) and EGP (42%) quantitatively accounted for the total plasmalogen content (39%) of cardiac myocyte phospholipids. Plasmalogens comprised 86% and 51% of total arachidonylated CGP and EGP mass, respectively, and [3H]arachidonate was primarily incorporated into plasmalogens in both CGP (65%) and EGP (61%) classes. The specificity activity of [3H]arachidonylated diacyl-CGP was approximately 2- to 5-fold greater than that of [3H]arachidonylated choline plasmalogen, whereas comparable specific activities were found in the [3H]arachidonate-labeled ethanolamine plasmalogen and diacyl-EGP pools. Of the total linoleate-containing CGP and EGP mass, 54% and 57%, respectively, was esterified to plasmalogen molecular species. However, [14C]linoleate was almost exclusively incorporated into diacyl-CGP (96%) and diacyl-EGP (86%). The specific activities of [14C]linoleate-labeled diacyl-CGP and diacyl-EGP were 5- to 20-fold greater than that of the [14C]linoleate-labeled plasmalogen pools. The differential incorporation of polyunsaturated fatty acids in plasmalogens and diacylglycerophospholipids demonstrates that the metabolism of the sn-2 fatty acyl moiety in these phospholipid subclasses is differentially regulated, possibly fulfilling separate and distinct physiologic roles.


OSBORN, ALICE V. A Conversation in the Composition Classroom: Finding Our Voice Through Creative Nonfiction. (Under the direction of Chris M. Anson). This thesis is a first-year composition program that integrates the conventions of creative nonfiction and cultural studies to develop first-year students' logical and critical thinking skills, as well as their own voice through reading and writing practice. The curriculum for this semester-length course is grounded in critical theories claiming that personal narratives and students' experiences contain sufficient material to produce academic evidence and support claims. My course is also strongly aligned to cultural studies composition curriculums which use readings as a springboard for uncovering how the dominant culture marginalizes individuals based on race, class, gender, and sexual orientation. Rather than use essays that are all from authors of the majority culture, this curriculum incorporates texts from authors who are all but one from marginalized populations to show students that writers can be people of color. As a result, students will be exposed to race, class, and gender issues in America through these required creative nonfiction readings and throughout the semester, students will practice writing with an effective voice, point of view, and dialogue structure as they form essays that investigate identity and race issues. The proposed curriculum targets average students who may feel intimidated by writing and critical reading and may not be able to find success in a Writing in the Disciplines (WID) composition course where students write in specific academic genres and for particular audiences. In "Presence in the Essay," Gordon Harvey calls an essay a personal/textual model when the writer engages with the text as she presents her arguments. The personal/textual model is rooted in feminist and critical theory and with strong guidelines, it can be an effective tool for the composition classroom, and it is one of the essay models I will use for this course. Students will support their main purpose by weaving their own experiences and reactions to the text into their personal/textual essays. My other essay models include the segmented essay and the multigenre essay, and students will also revise two essays, as well as produce a Final Portfolio. During the semester, students will participate in workshopping critiques, they will keep a journal, so that by the end of the semester students should have gained an understanding of the creative nonfiction genre and its ethical conventions. The proposed texts include Rebecca Walker's Black, White and Jewish: Autobiography of a Shifting Self (2001), James Baldwin's The Fire Next Time (1963), Timothy B. Tyson's Blood Done Sign My Name (2004) and James McBride's The Color of Water (1996). I chose these particular texts from authors of diverse backgrounds so that students would be able to read these texts as examples and shape their essays around the issues of identity politics and race relations. This course is ideal for a diverse student population and is designed to meet twenty-first century students in their own territory. A CONVERSATION IN THE COMPOSITION CLASSROOM: FINDING OUR VOICE THROUGH CREATIVE NONFICTION


Unlike regular electron spin, the pseudospin degeneracy of Fermi points in graphene does not couple directly to magnetic field. Therefore graphene provides a natural vehicle to observe the integral and fractional quantum Hall physics in an elusive limit analogous to zero Zeeman splitting in GaAs systems. This limit can exhibit new integral plateaus arising from interactions, large pseudoskyrmions, fractional sequences, even/odd numerator effects, composite-fermion pseudoskyrmions, and a pseudospin-singlet composite-fermion Fermi sea. It is stressed that the Dirac nature of the $B=0$ spectrum, which induces qualitative changes in the overall spectrum, has no bearing on the fractional quantum Hall effect in the $n=0$ Landau level of graphene. The second Landau level of graphene is predicted to show more robust fractional quantum Hall effect than the second Landau level of GaAs.


The article analyzes the unique personality of the XX century, the outstanding Soviet orthopedic surgeonGavriil Abramovich Ilizarov. The evolutionary process of the formation and development of the Ilizarov method in traumatology and orthopedics at the domestic and world level is shown. The undeniable advantages of the external fixation system developed by Ilizarov are revealed. The design of the Ilizarov compression-distraction apparatus is considered. Being familiar with G.A. Ilizarov, the author shares his memories about him, describes the biological and mechanical features of the influence on the bone and other tissues of the Ilizarov system, which has become a classic and internationally recognized in the treatment of patients with fractures, pathological conditions of the musculoskeletal system, congenital and post-traumatic orthopedic deformities of the limbs.


During the 7 year period, 1987 to 1994, 48 patients with blunt abdominal trauma were treated in our Hospital. There were splenic injury in 50% cases, liver trauma in 25% and renal injury in 40%. Seven patients suffered injuries to multiple sites. The clinical findings were confirm with ultrasound (47 children) and Computed Tomography scanning (CT) (19 children). Intravenous pyelography were performed in nine cases with previously suspect of renal affection. The CT scan provided diagnosis in four patients with negative findings in the sonography. In the present serine, 42 cases were managed by nonoperative means with 100% survivals. One patient surgically treated died from associated severe head injury. The postoperative complications appeared in ten nonoperatively cases (recurrence of bleeding in four children). 14 of these non surgical patients required blood transfusion, and the mean volume of transfusion was 30 ml/kg. A follow-up abdominal sonography was obtained in all survivors, showing resolution of the injury in all of them. We conclude that non surgical managements must be the first choice in all blunt abdominal trauma in pediatrics. Laparotomy is mandatory in masive bleeding or hemodynamically inestable patients. Ultrasonography is a simple method without risks and fast available, well indicated for diagnosis and follow-up of this children.


Insects, such as crickets, are being used as a viable food source in many regions of the world, given their nutritional value for human and animal consumption. This study investigated the viral communities present in European house crickets and whether feed influences the composition of the crickets' virome. The crickets were reared under environmentally controlled conditions and fed fresh red clover (fresh), red clover haylage (haylage), red clover hay (hay) or control feed. The viral metagenomic analysis of six replicates from each feed treatment showed that only a few reads were classified as viruses, mainly assigned to phages and insect-related viruses. A significant difference (P<0.001) was observed between the different treatments in regard to the number of viral reads. The highest number of viral reads was identified in the fresh treatment (2,568 reads), whereas the control treatment had the fewest viral reads (90). Phages were identified in all the treatments; however, they were clearly dominant in the fresh and hay feed treatments. A limited number of insect and plant viral reads from Xinmoviridae, Polydnaviridae, Metaviridae, unclassified and 'other' viruses were also found in all the feed treatments. The results from this study may indicate that the feed for the crickets determines the richness of the viral flora of crickets, but overall, very few viral reads were identified, making it hard to draw any conclusion regarding the impact of the feed on viral richness.


Sexual selection is a major behavior that researchers study in order to investigate behavioral factors. Our hypothesis is that the male guppies prefer larger female guppies when choosing a mate because it is easier to see them in the water. Previous studies have shown that larger guppies are preferred and our results supported this. To test this we set up a fish tank and used various models of fish to see how a test guppy responded to their different sizes. In conclusion, the results were not conclusive as there was a small sample size and possible outside factors affecting our results.


In this work, a sandwich-type electrochemical immunosensor was fabricated for the detection of carcino embryonic antigen (CEA) with the novel label of quaternary chalcogenide nanocrystals – Cu2ZnSnS4. They illustrated efficient intrinsic peroxidase-like activity in the catalytic reduction of peroxide hydrogen, which was ascribed to the synergistic effect of elemental composition in quaternary chalcogenides. Meanwhile, because of a high specific surface and good biocompatibility, three-dimensional Au nanoparticle loaded graphene aerogels were selected as substrates to capture more antibodies (Ab1). Under optimal conditions, the immunosensor exhibited a wide linear range from 0.5 pg mL−1 to 20 ng mL−1 with a low detection limit of 0.15 pg mL−1 (S/N = 3) for CEA detection. In addition, high sensitivity, excellent selectivity, good reproducibility and stability were obtained for the immunosensor. All of these results show that the novel immunosensor has a promising application for the quantitative detection of CEA in clinical diagnosis.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the therapeutic effects of combination administration of hydrochlorothiazide and nitrendipine at low dosage in the treatment of rural hypertension patients.

METHODS
By the method of cluster random sampling, 5292 primary hypertension patients from Fuxin, Liaoning Province were divided into health education group (control group) and drug intervention group in June 2006. The drug intervention group were treated with hydrochlorothiazide, nitrendipine and captopril by stepwise approach and we observe the antihypertensive effect of drug and the effect on the onset of stroke.

RESULTS
The average follow-up time was 15 months. At last, 308 patients were lost to follow-up (the lost follow-up rate was 5.8 percent). The 4984 in cohort, including 2530 of intervention group and 2454 of control group, had examination of all indicators. Through health education and drug intervention, the average blood pressure in drug intervention group decreased by 16.1/9.4 mm Hg (1 mm Hg = 0.133 kPa) while the average blood pressure in control group decreased by 6.7/3.5 mm Hg. The control rate of blood pressure in drug intervention group was higher than control group (33.1% vs. 15.1%, P < 0.001). Through drug intervention, the morbidity risk of nonfatal stroke in drug intervention group decreased by 57.3% compared to control group, the total morbidity risk of stroke decreased by 59.4%. The results had significant statistical difference. And, the morbidity of severe hypopotassaemia (K(+) < 3.0 mmol/L) and diabetes mellitus had no significant statistical difference between two groups.

CONCLUSIONS
The low-cost antihypertensive program based on thiazide had good antihypertensive effect, high safety and good cost-effect ratio. The program could be used in rural areas of China.


Abstract In this article, we present a novel, multi-user, virtual reality environment for the interactive, collaborative 3D analysis of large 3D scans and the technical advancements that were necessary to build it: a multi-view rendering system for large 3D point clouds, a suitable display infrastructure, and a suite of collaborative 3D interaction techniques. The cultural heritage site of Valcamonica in Italy with its large collection of prehistoric rock-art served as an exemplary use case for evaluation. The results show that our output-sensitive level-of-detail rendering system is capable of visualizing a 3D dataset with an aggregate size of more than 14 billion points at interactive frame rates. The system design in this exemplar application results from close exchange with a small group of potential users: archaeologists with expertise in rockart. The system allows them to explore the prehistoric art and its spatial context with highly realistic appearance. A set of dedicated interaction techniques was developed to facilitate collaborative visual analysis. A multi-display workspace supports the immediate comparison of geographically distributed artifacts. An expert review of the final demonstrator confirmed the potential for added value in rock-art research and the usability of our collaborative interaction techniques.


This paper examines the application of digital forensics methods to materials in collecting institutions – particularly libraries, archives and museums. It discusses motivations, challenges, and emerging strategies for the use of these technologies and workflows. It is a product of the BitCurator project.
The BitCurator project began on October 1, 2011, through funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. BitCurator is an effort to build, test, and analyze systems and software for incorporating digital forensics methods into the workflows of a variety of collecting institutions. It is led by the School of Information and Library Science (SILS) at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and the Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities (MITH) at the University of Maryland, and involves contributors from several other institutions. Two groups of external partners are contributing to this process: a Professional Expert Panel (PEP) of individuals who are at various levels of implementing digital forensics tools and methods in their collecting institution contexts, and a Development Advisory Group (DAG) of individuals who have significant experience with software development.2
This paper is a product of phase one of BitCurator (October 1, 2011 – September 30, 2013). The second phase of the project (October 1, 2013 – September 29, 2014) continues the development of the BitCurator environment, along with expanded professional engagement and community outreach activities.


This paper examines whether the current reporting and disclosure requirements for foreign registrants in the United States affect foreign firms' decisions to list on a U.S. exchange. We find that while firms from a weak disclosure environment are more likely to cross-list and either trade over-the-counter or be placed privately among institutional investors, they are less likely to list on an exchange in which firms are required to comply with U.S. GAAP. This is consistent with the idea that the decrease in the potential private control benefits accruing to managers discourages them from listing on an organized exchange. We further conduct pricing tests to investigate whether the choice relating to the mode of listing has capital market consequences. These tests indicate that: (1) exchange-listing firms receive a higher valuation (i.e., Tobin's q) than non-exchange-listing firms; and (2) exchange-listing firms domiciled in a higher disclosure regime, who incur lower costs of U.S. GAAP compliance, generally receive a higher valuation than exchange-listing firms from a lower-disclosure regime. Overall, the lower tendency of firms domiciled in a lower disclosure regime to list on an organized exchange appears to be consistent with the smaller valuation benefit they receive from the listing.


Spatial, Temporal and Mechanistic Characterization of Apoptotic Death in the Developing Subventricular Zone Bianca Francesca Marcolino The neonatal subventricular zone (SVZ) is a site of continued postnatal neurogenesis, and is the source of cortical glial cells. Apoptosis is an endogenous process of cell destruction, and is a key event in the proper development of the SVZ. Despite its importance, there is still a lack of knowledge regarding the temporal and spatial occurrence of neonatal SVZ apoptosis, cell types affected and the underlying intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms that guide the process. This thesis addresses these issues, and in addition, finds a nontraditional mode of neurotrophic action for cell survival in the neonatal SVZ. We assessed SVZ apoptosis by subregion, employing the cell death markers, pH2ax and cleaved caspase 3. The medial SVZ contained the highest density of dying cells at p0, while at p7 there was no significant difference in the apoptotic cell density distribution in the SVZ subregions. Combining cell type specific markers with the death markers used, revealed immature postmitotic neurons were the primary cell type cleared in the p0 medial SVZ. The majority of dying cells in the p7 dorsolateral SVZ (SVZdl) were unable to be identified. Using stereotactic injection of a GFP expressing lentivirus, we determined the p0 medial SVZ cell population to be migratory cells bound for the olfactory bulb. An investigation into the intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms mediating cell death in the neonatal SVZ, showed BH3-only protein Bim expression in the p0 and p7 SVZ, as well as significantly decreased p0 medial SVZ apoptosis in Bim knockout mice. Bim knockout mice did not show a significant change in apoptosis in the p7 SVZdl. TrkB knockout mice have shown a survival role for the receptor in the lateral ganglionic eminence of the neonatal SVZ. To test this in the p0 medial SVZ using a more specific method, a TrkB blocking antibody was injected into the p0 medial SVZ. This resulted in a significantly higher number of apoptotic cells in the p1 medial SVZ versus controls. These studies demonstrate the dynamic nature of the SVZ with its changing density and identity of apoptotic cells within the subregions. It has also shown the influence of Bim and TrkB signaling in neonatal SVZ apoptosis and survival. Finally, it has identified a premigratory cell population in the p0 medial SVZ, whose survival is mediated by neurotrophin signaling at their site of origin.


Polymer based composites are currently used in several fields including automobile, aerospace, biomedical, and domestic applications due to their high strength-to-weight ratio and other attractive properties. In the current study, silica particles are evaluated as reinforcement for three polymers namely, high impact polystyrene (HIPS), general purpose polystyrene (GPPS) and recycled low density polyethylene (rLDPE. The composites were prepared by varying the weight of silica particles in relation to the polymer matrix and then tensile, impact and thermal properties were evaluated using universal tensile testing machine, Charpy impact and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) respectively.
 The mechanical results showed that for HIPS-Silica composite, the tensile strength increased with increased silica content from 13.6 MPa for pure HIPS to 13.9 MPa at 5% silica and 14.8 GPa at 31% Silica. GPPS-Silica showed slight increase in tensile strength from 16.2 MPa for pure to 33.8 MPa at 5% silica and reduced to 21.5 MPa at 31%. The rLDPE-silica composite showed reduced tensile strength from 10.4 MPa for recycled HDPE to 10.2 MPa at 5% silica and an increase at 31% silica to 11.7 MPa. The modulus of elasticity for all the samples increased with the increasing silica content. The impact strength was found to increase from 5.6 kJ/m2 for pure PS - GPPS to 8.1 kJ/m2 at 5% silica. There was no remarkable increase in impact strength at 31% silica for PS-PPS. For HIPS composite, the impact reduced from 47 kJ/m2 for pure HIPS to 37 kJ/m2 at 5% silica and 11 kJ/m2 at 31% silica.
 Thermal results of the composites at 31% silica were compared with pure respective polymers. In terms of thermal and mechanical properties, the general-purpose polystyrene had the highest heat absorption capacity and tensile strength. The modulus of elasticity was also reported highest in the general-purpose polystyrene composite. The results showed slight change in glass transition temperature and an increased heat absorption property when silica was added to respective polymers. Based on the results, natural silica (diatomite)-based composites may be used as green construction materials.


Growth and acid metabolic products were similar when Corynebacterium pyogenes was grown aerobically or anaerobically in a serum-free medium (SFM). This indicated that C. pyogenes obtains energy for growth primarily by fermentative metabolism even under aerobic growth conditions. Growth yield was reduced by 90% in SFM minus glucose, 50% in SFM minus NaHCO3, 90% in SFM minus yeast extract, 100% in SFM minus Trypticase and yeast extract, and 30% in SFM minus haemin or Trypticase. Growth was not detectable when a known mixture of amino acids, vitamins, and nucleic acid bases were substituted for Trypticase and yeast extract in SFM; addition to the latter medium of a peptide source such as Trypticase or casitone supported good growth of the organism. When NaHCO3 was omitted from SFM and dissolved CO2 in the medium was rigorously excluded, growth was undetectable indicating that C. pyogenes has an obligate requirement for CO2 for growth. Succinate, formate and acetate were the major fermentation products in SFM, whereas in SFM minus HCO-3 or haemin, lactate was the major product and only small quantities of other acids accumulated.


Over the years, the united nations committee on economic, social and cultural rights has indicated that the international covenant on economic, social and cultural rights (icescr) may have an effect beyond the borders of states parties, meaning that states may be bound by their obligations under the treaty when acting extraterritorially. The present contribution aims at researching the use of the notion of the extraterritorial scope of the icescr in the documents adopted by the committee, such as general comments, statements and concluding observations. The article concludes that, although the committee did introduce some basic notions, it has never clarified at length, in-depth and systematically the notion of the extraterritorial scope of state parties' obligations from a conceptual perspective. There is therefore a need for the committee to further develop the notion of the international scope and application of the icescr, for example, by holding a day of general discussion and adopting a key document on this topic which should contain concrete guidance to states parties. The present article provides examples of questions and issues that are relevant in order to gain a more coherent understanding of the extraterritorial scope of the icescr from a legal point of view.


Abstract. Perennial firn aquifers are subsurface meltwater reservoirs formed from a water-saturated firn layer. They have been observed within the percolation facies of glaciated regions experiencing intense seasonal surface melting and high snow accumulation. Widespread perennial firn aquifers have been identified within the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) via field expeditions, airborne ice-penetrating radar surveys, and satellite microwave sensors. In contrast, ice slabs are nearly-continuous ice layers that form on spatial scales of kilometers as a result of surface and subsurface water-saturated snow and firn layers sequentially refreezing following multiple melting seasons. They have been observed within the percolation facies of glaciated regions experiencing intense seasonal surface melting, but in areas where snow accumulation is at least ~25 % lower as compared to perennial firn aquifer areas. Widespread ice slabs have recently been identified within the GrIS via field expeditions and airborne ice-penetrating radar surveys, specifically in areas where perennial firn aquifers typically do not form. However, ice slabs have yet to be inferred from space. Together, these two ice sheet features represent distinct, but related, sub-facies within the broader percolation facies of the GrIS that can be defined primarily by differences in snow accumulation, which influences the englacial hydrology and thermal characteristics of firn layers at depth. Here, for the first time, we use enhanced-resolution vertically-polarized L-band brightness temperature (TBV) imagery (2015–2019) generated using observations collected over the GrIS by NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite to map both perennial firn aquifer and ice slab areas as a continuous system over the percolation facies. We also map "perched" firn aquifer areas, which we define as areas where shallow water-saturated firn layers transiently form on top of buried ice slabs, or other semi-impermeable layers within the snow and firn. An empirical algorithm previously developed to map the extent of Greenland's perennial firn aquifers via fitting exponentially decreasing temporal L-band signatures to a set of sigmoidal curves is recalibrated to also map the extent of ice slab and perched firn aquifer areas using airborne ice-penetrating radar surveys collected by NASA's Operation Ice Bridge (OIB) campaigns (2010–2017). Our SMAP-derived maps show that between 2015 and 2019, perennial firn aquifer areas extended over ~64,000 km2, ice slab areas extended over ~76,000 km2, and perched firn aquifer areas extended over ~37,000 km2. Combined together, these three sub-facies are the equivalent of ~24 % of the percolation facies of the GrIS. As Greenland's climate continues to warm, and seasonal surface melting increases in extent, intensity, and duration, quantifying the possible rapid expansion of each of these sub-facies using satellite L-band microwave radiometry has significant implications for understanding ice sheet-wide variability in englacial firn hydrology resulting in meltwater-induced hydrofracturing and accelerated ice flow as well as high-elevation run-off that can impact the mass balance and stability of the GrIS.


Abstract
This research aims to determine the effect of profitability and size companies on tax avoidance in companies listed on the lndonesia Stock Exchange. This research uses the dependent variable, namely tax avoidance, and independent variables - profitability
and the size of the company. Data collection technique used is documentation. Data analysis technique used is multiple linear regression method. The results showed that the profitability and size companies variables simultaneously affect tax avoidance with a signiflcant value below 0.05 and the adjusted R square value of O.48. While partially only profitability variables affect tax avoidance with a significant value below 0.05.


We address three properties of Turkish morphology and VP coo rdination: the identification of tense and aspect values across co njuncts, the optional omission of affixes on non-final conjuncts coordinate d with the word ve and the obligatory sharing of scopal modals across conjunct s i coordination structures with the affix -ip. For the modals in an-ip structure, we propose an analysis that uses syntactic features to trigger the application of a construction at the level of the coordinated VP introducing the scopal predications. Our analysis is implemented in a small HPSG gramma r and tested against datasets confirming the functionality and consiste ncy of the analysis.


This paper investigates the dividend decisions of firms in the UK reporting losses after sustained periods of profitability. It is found that loss-making firms are more likely to reduce dividends compared to firms that remain profitable, although a loss is far from a guarantee that the dividend payment will be reduced. A lower propensity to reduce dividends is found in the UK relative to the US, consistent with the stronger culture of dividend payments. The size of the loss is an important factor in a firm's dividend policy. However, this is mitigated to some extent if it is the result of unusual accounting items because managers view these as a temporary fluctuation in profitability. Leverage is found to have some role in the dividend decision, with higher levels of debt consistent with a greater likelihood of a reduction in the distribution whilst also suppressing profitability in future years. Profit margins prior to the loss year are also a significant factor in dividend policy whereby low margin firms are more likely to cut dividends.


This study was designed to define the relative roles of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems in the reflex alterations of heart rate consequent to changes in arterial pressure. In 23 experiments carried out on 22 anesthetized dogs and in studies performed on four trained, unanesthetized dogs, acute changes in arterial pressure were produced by administering drugs acting on the peripheral vascular bed. The effects of acutely elevating systemic pressure were also investigated in four intact unanesthetized human subjects. Augmenting arterial pressure above control levels with graded doses of phenylephrine always slowed heart rate strikingly. Although complete sympathetic blockade with guanethidine or pronethalol did not significantly alter the degree of slowing, parasympathetic blockade with atropine or vagotomy essentially abolished this response. Conversely, lowering pressure with intravenous injections of nitroglycerin always raised heart rate in the control state, a response abolished by sympathetic blockade with guanethidine or nethalide, but not by parasympathetic blockade with vagotomy or atropine. Thus, when arterial pressure rises above control, the decrease in heart rate is mediated by the parasympathetic nervous system, withdrawal of sympathetic activity playing no detectable role; when pressure falls below control levels, the elevation of heart rate is mediated primarily by the sympathetic nervous system. These findings are not consonant with the traditional concept of control of heart rate which predicates simultaneous reciprocal changes in activity occurring in the two components of the autonomic nervous system.


This paper introduces a unique modeling framework for developing PRA of large and complex-engineered systems, such as used in the current Space Shuttle PRA at NASA. With an overview of the specific methodology and techniques employed in the Space Shuttle PRA modeling process, the paper further describes a structured multi-phase and multi-level modeling approach (SMM), which is utilized to treat the overwhelming complexities of logic structure as well as the logistics of model development, integration and quantification processes. It is demonstrated that the SMM modeling technique can be used as a simple and efficient alternative approach for PRA modeling of extremely large and complex engineered systems. It should be noted that the examples shown are illustrative of the model features, but not necessarily of any detailed accident sequence produced by the space shuttle PRA (SPRA) study.


We say that a circuit $C$ over a field $F$ functionally computes an $n$-variate polynomial $P$ if for every $x \in \{0,1\}^n$ we have that $C(x) = P(x)$. This is in contrast to syntactically computing $P$, when $C \equiv P$ as formal polynomials. In this paper, we study the question of proving lower bounds for homogeneous depth-$3$ and depth-$4$ arithmetic circuits for functional computation. We prove the following results :
1. Exponential lower bounds homogeneous depth-$3$ arithmetic circuits for a polynomial in $VNP$.
2. Exponential lower bounds for homogeneous depth-$4$ arithmetic circuits with bounded individual degree for a polynomial in $VNP$.
Our main motivation for this line of research comes from our observation that strong enough functional lower bounds for even very special depth-$4$ arithmetic circuits for the Permanent imply a separation between ${\#}P$ and $ACC$. Thus, improving the second result to get rid of the bounded individual degree condition could lead to substantial progress in boolean circuit complexity. Besides, it is known from a recent result of Kumar and Saptharishi [KS15] that over constant sized finite fields, strong enough average case functional lower bounds for homogeneous depth-$4$ circuits imply superpolynomial lower bounds for homogeneous depth-$5$ circuits.
Our proofs are based on a family of new complexity measures called shifted evaluation dimension, and might be of independent interest.


Results of a preliminary study of the Mute Swan in the Oxford area 1960 66. Distribution and movements are discussed: relatively few birds seem to travel any distance during their life and those that do are mostly immature. Mean clutch-size is about six, close to the national average; mortality is about 50% between hatching and fledging in September, and brood-size in September is about three for those pairs with young or two if the unsuccessful breeders are included. About one-third of the remaining young die within nine months October-June. Thereafter mortality is about 3325% per annum for the next two-three years, dropping to 18% for breeding adults (birds most commonly start breeding at three or four). Highest losses appear to occur in late winter and early spring. Life-table data suggest that the Mute Swan is maintaining its numbers within the study area, but there is evidence that there are more suitable nesting sites than there are pairs to occupy them.


The problem related to the identification of a change in time series trajectories plays a crucial role in many contexts. In this paper, we propose a flexible and computationally efficient procedure for turning point identification based on hypothesis testing applied to the difference between two consecutive slopes in a rolling regression framework. Along with the description of the methodology, to measure the performance of the method we have applied it to the S&P 500 Stock Index and its subsector indices. By using an in‐sample/out‐of‐sample approach we compare results with the profit/losses we could obtain by using the moving average crossover strategy. Results show that the operating signals obtained by our proposal may better enable financial analysts to make profitable decisions. Finally we present an extensive simulation study to show the weaknesses and strengths of the proposal under different expected returns and volatility scenarios.


Heavy metal pollution of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems has long been recognized as a serious environmental concern. The use of earthworm as bio-index of soil heavy metal pollution was hereby examined. Using the Lagos/Abeokuta express road as transect, four replicates each of soil and earthworm samples were collected from five points: 100m north, 500m south, 1000m north, 1000m south, 2000m north of the Lafarge WAPCO cement factory, Ewekoro and a sixth point at the Arboretum, University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (control site). Using spectro-photometry method, heavy metal concentrations (Pb, Cu, Mn, Zn, Cd, Co) were measured in all samples of soil and earthworm. Histological studies were conducted on earthworm sections. All data obtained were subjected to analysis of variance and post hoc tests to establish significance at (p<0.05). Heavy metal concentrations in earthworm and soil decreased significantly (p<0.05) with increasing distance from the factory. The heavy metal concentrations in soil and earthworm around the factory were significantly higher than that obtained at the control site (P<0.05). Histological studies on the earthworm body wall revealed dark spots and patches on the tissues of the earthworm samples collected from the cement factory area compared with clear earthworm tissues at the control site. Bioaccumulation of heavy metal in soil and earthworm was noticeable around West Africa Portland Cement factory, Ewekoro, Nigeria and could serve as a possible bio-index of heavy metal pollution.


The current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of most industrial silicon solar cells deviate rather strongly from the exponential behavior expected from textbook knowledge. Thus, the recombination current may be orders of magnitude larger than expected for the given material quality and often shows an ideality factor larger than 2 in a wide bias-range, which cannot be explained by classical theory either. Sometimes, the cells contain ohmic shunts although the cell's edges have been perfectly insolated. Even in the absence of such shunts, the characteristics are linear or super-linear under reverse bias, while a saturation would be classically expected. Especially in multicrystalline cells the breakdown does not tend to occur at -50 V reverse bias, as expected, but already at about -15 V or even below. These deviations are typically caused by extended defects in the cells. This paper reviews the present knowledge of the origin of such non-ideal I-V characteristics of silicon solar cells and introduces new results on recombination involving coupled defect levels.


The multilevel investigation examines the impacts of favouritism on non-beneficiaries' turnover intention by focusing on the mediating role of psychological contract violation and the moderating roles of job insecurity climate and authentic leadership in family firms. Congruent with the theories of relative deprivation, belongingness, and social identity, this paper is among the first to propose and empirically examine how and when favouritism leads to higher or lower turnover intention in family firms. Having utilized time-lagged data from 576 non-beneficiaries who came from 101 work groups in 48 family firms in Turkey, our findings support the following: the significance of favouritism by demonstrating that non-beneficiaries' turnover intentions are higher in family firms when they perceive favouritism to be high; favouritism in family firms positively influences psychological contract violation; psychological contract violation acts as a mediator of the association between favouritism and non-beneficiaries' turnover intention; and both job insecurity climate and AL act as moderators of the relationship between favouritism and turnover intention. The theoretical and practical contributions of these findings are discussed.


This article links Saint-John Perse's and Edouard Glissant 's poetics via the image and reality of the archipelago concluding that their imaginaries of the island are more mythic than imaginary. Their poietic archipelagos are defined against the traditional symbolisms they denounce. Arguing in favour of a new reading of ancient texts both Saint-John Perse and Glissant advocate that Hellenic archipelity should be stripped of its humanist and romanticist supremacy. Moreover both poets argue against the West's collective archipelagian imaginary, still largely based on colonizing utopia from the past.Finally, archipelagian poetics are bound to a plurality of genres: Glissant's work encompassing all forms of writing, Saint-John Perse's being pluralistic and disparate.  Their writings connect intertextually, each text-island communicating with its siblings while preserving its irreducibility.


Background & Aim: Although hemodialysis is one of the most useful and modern treatment methods for patients with chronic renal diseases, there has not been considerable achievement in understanding and treating physical and psychosocial problems of these patients. Decrease in mental health status of hemodialysis patients affects their quality of life and may produce performance disorder. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between mental health and quality of life of hemodialysis patients referred to hospitals affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. Material & Method: Ninety patients were selected through convenient sampling and data was collected by a demographic questionnaire, General Health Questionnaire, and Short form quality of life questionnaire (SF-36). Mental health was assessed in four domains: somatoform symptoms, anxiety, social dysfunction and depression. The SF-36 questionnaire is summed into eight scales of health: physical function, social function, limitation in role due to emotional problem, mental Health, vitality, bodily pain, and general health. The data were analyzed using t-test, spearman's correlation, and Anova. Results: The results revealed that most domains in quality of life were correlated with mental health domains. General health perception and physical function domains were correlated significantly with three domains of mental health: anxiety, social function and depression (p<0.012, 0.p<0.001,p< 0.004 ). Somatoform symptoms were correlated significantly with mental health domain of quality of life (p<0.02). Finally, social function was correlated significantly with social dysfunction domain of life quality (p<0.05). Also, anxiety and somatoform domains of mental health had more significantly relationship in women than men (p= 0.006 and p= 0.25, respectively). Of quality of life domains, physical function had more significantly relationship in men than women (p=0.03) and bodily pain had more significantly relationship in women than men (p= 0.006). Conclusion: The result of this study indicated that many quality of life domains were correlated with mental health domains and hemodialysis had effect on different aspects of patient's life. The results also indicated that such demographic characteristic as age, gender, marital status, other diseases and length of hemodialysis treatment had relationship with some aspects of life quality and mental health.


OBJECTIVES
The assessment of efficacy and safety of two regimens of hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) in women after kidney transplantation with climacteric symptoms.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Combined transdermal or transdermal-oral hormonal replacement therapy was administered to 86 kidney-transplanted women, aged 31-52 years, with moderate to severe climacteric symptoms in years 1995-2005. The patients underwent follow-up examinations one, three and six months after onset of the therapy and every four months subsequently. Blood pressure, body weight, sex hormone profile, serum parameters of both kidney and liver function, endometrial image in transvaginal sonography and reduction of climacteric symptoms were assessed.

RESULTS
The mean time of the therapy was 5.6 years for transdermal-oral regimen (54 patients) and 4.7 years for transdermal regimen (32 patients). Most patients reported reduction of climacteric symptoms and improved life quality after 6 months of HRT. 28% of women discontinued therapy for medical indications, most often due to significant deterioration of liver function. One case of profound vein thrombosis was noted. 21% of women decided to discontinue therapy after the results of the WHI trial had been published.

CONCLUSIONS
Hormonal replacement therapy is effective in climacteric symptoms relief and improvement of life quality in kidney transplanted women. Higher rate of side effects observed in that group of patients contributes to the need for frequent, attentive surveillance. Further studies should be conducted to establish the optimal doses and routes of administration of HRT as well as to assess the range of necessary follow-up examinations.


Long-lived di- and trianions have been formed from fluorofullerenes in the gas phase by electrospray ionization. Fragmentation of multiply charged anions has been induced by multiple low-energy collisions. Two complementary dissociation experiments have been conducted. Firstly, unequivocal connectivity has been established between the precursor ion and the first and second generation of its product ions. Secondly, dianions have been studied in energy-resolved collisions, allowing the elucidation of the energetic demands of the dissociations. It was possible to study dianions with odd and even F numbers, possessing even and odd electron configurations, respectively. The fragmentation behavior is governed by the electronic stability of the anionic protagonists, in that ions with the less stable odd-electron configuration dissociate into species with the more stable even-electron configuration. Dianions with an odd electron count release an F˙ atom to turn into an even electron system while retaining the charge state. Dianions with an even electron count undergo a more energy demanding charge separation reaction (Coulomb explosion) into an F(-) anion and an even electron monoanion. The studied trianions behave accordingly. F2 loss is prominent only with monoanions within an even-to-even electron fragmentation cascade. The trianions are long-lived with lifetimes of at least 0.1 s.


Dynamic state and parameter estimation (DSE) plays a key role for reliably monitoring and operating future, power-electronics-dominated power systems. While DSE is a very active research field, experimental applications of proposed algorithms to real-world systems remain scarce. This motivates the present paper, in which we demonstrate the effectiveness of a DSE algorithm previously presented by parts of the authors with real-world data collected by a Phasor Measurement Unit (PMU) at a substation close to a power plant within the extra-high voltage grid of Germany. To this end, at first we derive a suitable mapping of the real-world PMU-measurements recorded at a substation close to the power plant to the terminal bus of the power plants' synchronous generator (SG). This mapping considers the high-voltage (HV) transmission line, the tap-changing transformer and the auxiliary system of the power plant. Next, we introduce several practically motivated extensions to the estimation algorithm, which significantly improve its practical performance with real-world measurements. Finally, we successfully validate the algorithm experimentally in an auto- as well as a cross-validation.


A recent botanical survey of Seward County in southeastern Nebraska recognizes ten representative plant communities including four major vegetation zones (tall-grass prairie, eastern deciduous forest, floodplain woodland and lowland [floodplain] prairie), and a total of 599 species of vascular plants representing 324 genera in 95 families. Three hundred seventy-five species were not previously reported for the county. Although the study area includes an interesting topographic and perhaps physiographic boundary formed by the terminal moraine of the Kansan glaciation, no evidence supporting an analogous floristic boundary was found.


The enzymatic properties of Erwinia carofovora L-asparaginase have been investigated and the K, and V,,, values for a number of substrates determined. L-Asparaginase has a K,,,of ~10~~ and a V max of 0.9 pmole of ammonia released per min per unit of enzyme for L-asparagine. All other substrates have much higher K, values and less than 25% of the V,,, of L-asparagine. From a study of substrate analogues, it has been established that Erwinia L-asparaginase requires a carboxyl group on the substrate two or three carbon atoms from the carboxamide group which is hydrolyzed. An amino group alpha to the free carboxyl group and in the L-configuration increases the stability of the enzyme-substrate complex but is not essential for catalysis. Small peptides with carboxyl-terminal asparagine residues are deamidated but amino-terminal or internal asparagine residues and large peptides with carboxyl-terminal asparagine residues such as insulin or insulin A chain derivatives are not deamidated. Likewise, glutamine peptides are not deamidated. ,&Aspartoalkylamides have been prepared and tested as substrates. Compounds with straight chain alkyl substituents were hydrolyzed, whereas compounds with branched alkyl groups were not hydrolyzed. In addition, @-aspartamidoglycopeptides were not hydrolyzed. Erwinia L-asparaginase catalyzed the exchange of IsO between water and aspartic acid and the hydroxylaminolysis of asparagine and aspartic acid by hydroxylamine.


DNA-binding proteins utilise different recognition mechanisms to locate their DNA targets. Some proteins recognise specific nucleotide sequences, while many DNA repair proteins interact with specific (often bent) DNA structures. While sequence-specific DNA binding mechanisms have been studied extensively, structure-specific mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we study structure-specific DNA recognition by examining the structure and dynamics of DNA polymerase I (Pol) substrates both alone and in Pol-DNA complexes. Using a rigid-body docking approach based on a network of 73 distance restraints collected using single-molecule FRET, we determined a novel solution structure of the singlenucleotide-gapped DNA-Pol binary complex. The structure was highly consistent with previous crystal structures with regards to the downstream primer-template DNA substrate; further, our structure showed a previously unobserved sharp bend (~120°) in the DNA substrate; we also showed that this pronounced bending of the substrate is present in living bacteria. All-atom molecular dynamics simulations and single-molecule quenching assays revealed that 4-5 nt of downstream gap-proximal DNA are unwound in the binary complex. Coarsegrained simulations on free gapped substrates reproduced our experimental FRET values with remarkable accuracy ( = -0.0025 across 34 independent distances) and revealed that the one-nucleotide-gapped DNA frequently adopted highly bent conformations similar to those in the Pol-bound state (ΔG < 4 kT); such conformations were much less accessible to nicked (> 7 kT) or duplex (>> 10 kT) DNA. Our results suggest a mechanism by which Pol and other structure-specific DNA-binding proteins locate their DNA targets through sensing of the conformational dynamics of DNA substrates. Significance Statement Most genetic processes, including DNA replication, repair and transcription, rely on DNA-binding proteins locating specific sites on DNA; some sites contain a specific sequence, whereas others present a specific structure. While sequence-specific recognition has a clear physical basis, structure-specific recognition mechanisms remain obscure. Here, we use single-molecule FRET and computer simulations to show that the conformational dynamics of an important repair intermediate (1nt-gapped DNA) act as central recognition signals for structure-specific binding by DNA polymerase I (Pol). Our conclusion is strongly supported by a novel solution structure of the Pol-DNA complex wherein the gapped-DNA is significantly bent. Our iterative approach combining precise single-molecule measurements with molecular modelling is general and can elucidate the structure and dynamics for many large biomachines.


Latinkic et al. investigated the role of Cyr61 on early development in Xenopus and discovered that it was required for cell movement during gastrulation, an effect that depended on both cell adhesion and modulation of the Wnt signaling pathway. During gastrulation, cells change their shapes, migrate, and receive fate determination signals. Cyr61, a secreted, heparin-binding, extracellular matrix-associated protein, is a member of a protein family characterized by four domains, each of which is defined by similarities to domains found in other proteins. Latinkic et al. demonstrated that both Cyr61 overexpression (through RNA or protein injection) and depletion (through injection of antisense morpholino oligonucleotides) disrupted cell movement during gastrulation. Morpholino experiments on dissociated cells indicated that the ability to form Ca2+-dependent contacts was impaired. The authors grew activin-treated cells on surfaces coated with various substrata, including Cyr61 and a Cyr61 mutant lacking the C-terminal (CT) domain, and demonstrated that this domain was required for Cyr61-mediated cell adhesion. Cyr61 could stimulate the formation of secondary axes, an effect that can be mediated through Wnt activation. Consistent with this, Cyr61 activated a gene reporter responsive to Wnt-β-catenin signaling pathways; the authors used Cyr61 deletion mutants to show that this depended on a different domain, the insulin-like growth factor-binding protein domain. Unexpectedly, Cyr61 inhibited Wnt-mediated secondary axis formation and reporter gene activation. Unlike Wnt pathway activation, Wnt pathway inhibition depended on the CT domain. Thus, Cyr61 appears to regulate gastrulation both through effects on cell adhesion and through activation or inhibition of Wnt signaling mediated through distinct protein domains. B. V. Latinkic, S. Mercurio, B. Bennett, E. M. A. Hirst, Q. Xu, L. F. Lau, T. J. Mohun, J. C. Smith, Xenopus Cyr61 regulates gastrulation movements and modulates Wnt signalling. Development 130, 2429-2441 (2003). [Abstract] [Full Text]


Pavements comprise an essential and vast infrastructure system supporting our transportation network, yet their impact on the environment is largely unquantified. Previous life-cycle assessments have only included a limited number of the applicable life-cycle components in their analysis. This research expands the current view to include eight different components: materials extraction and production, transportation, onsite equipment, traffic delay, carbonation, lighting, albedo, and rolling resistance. Using global warming potential as the environmental indicator, ranges of potential impact for each component are calculated and compared based on the information uncovered in the existing research. The relative impacts between components are found to be orders of magnitude different in some cases. Context-related factors, such as traffic level and location, are also important elements affecting the impacts of a given component. A strategic method for lowering the global warming potential of a pavement is developed based on the concept that environmental performance is improved most effectively by focusing on components with high impact potentials. This system takes advantage of the fact that small changes in high-impact components will have more effect than large changes in low-impact components.


We present a new method for finding the temperature profile of vertically stacked three-dimensional (3-D) digital integrated circuits (ICs). Using our model, we achieve spatial thermal resolution at the desired circuit level, which can be as small as a single MOSFET. To resolve heating of 3-D ICs, we solve nonisothermal device equations self-consistently with lumped heat flow equations for the entire 3-D IC. Our methodology accounts for operational variations due to technology nodes (hardware: device), chip floor plans (hardware: layout), operating speed (hardware: clock frequency), and running applications (software). To model hardware, we first decide on an appropriate device configuration. We then calculate elements of the lumped thermal network using the 3-D IC layout. To include software, chip floor plan, and duty cycle-related performance variations, we employ a statistical Monte Carlo type algorithm. In this paper, we investigate performance of vertically stacked 3-D ICs, with each layer modeled after a Pentium III. Our calculated results show that layers within the stacked 3-D ICs, especially the ones in the middle, may greatly suffer from thermal heating.


This article present an aeroelastic study of CAWAPI F-16XL aircraft. The structural model for this aircraft is publicly available and is therefore replaced by a structural model estimate which is constructed based on data available in public literature. The aeroelastic solution is done using inviscid solution for two flight conditions - FC70 and FC79. The primary task is to assess importance of the aeroelastic effects on the solution and to asses weather large discrepancies observed at flight condition FC70 between the computational and experimental data.


The editors of SGJ ask me to share with SGJ readers this article appeared in PSTJ V2(7) and I happily accept. If we accept the combination uncertainty estimate and the statistical validity of combining all direct searches with electroweak fits:  We indirectly rule out a lone standard model Higgs boson of any mass with no additional BSM physics at 90% confidence, i.e. a fair bit short of conclusively.  We directly rule out any standard model Higgs boson at 95% confidence except in the mass ranges 114GeV to 144GeV or 240 GeV to 265 GeV or above 480 GeV.  We do not rule out other BSM Higgs-type mechanisms including composite Higgs, technicolor Higgs, Higgs doublets, SUSY Higgs etc. We do not rule out high-mass Higgs bosons above 480 GeV in combination with other BSM physics that could explain electroweak fits and cure theoretical limitations of the SM at higher energies. We see excesses at around 130 GeV to around 160 GeV that could be between two and three sigma level. It might suggest some new physics such as some kind of Higgs particle(s) in this region. However, these are not high levels of statistical significance.


Seeb. Cat. Br. M. V, 1881, p. 279 (part. only spec. a, b, c Types). id. Ibis 1893, p. 219 (Note). Owing to the incorrect diagnosis given by Horsfield 1) of his » Tardus javanicus it would be impossible to refer on this species at all, if not, fortunately, the types were preserved in the Collection of the British Museum. On these types the late Mr. Seebohm has given (cit. above) the following most valuable note: »There are three types of Horsfield's Merula javanica in the British Museum, which are apparently male, female, and young. The adults differ from all other Javan examples kwown, in having the chestnut restricted to the belly, and not extending to the flanks. The white on the under tail-coverts is also reduced to a shaft-line in the male. It is possible that they may have been procured on some other mountain, and that M. fumida may be specifically distinct from M. javanica.


It is clearly understood that technology oriented education on special training is neither sound nor adequate when considered from the literary point of view in our country. Limited studies held in country not only support this point of view but also demonstrate the lack of resource and studies carried out in this area. During the designing and developing process one of the qualitative methods called the design base research but then completing the design and development process, a common academic way of evaluation the single subject research method have been implemented in order to test the forcibleness of the work in the respect of special training and education. The study carried out through nine special training tutors and ten mentally disabled students. The following as a pilot study, the efficiency process has been accomplished through three teachers and three students. The feedback forms used to get the remarks of the teachers and through the use of the content analysis method the data resolved, during the phase of evaluation of the software. In respect of the analyses carried out, the practice has been considered as rather effective and applicable and useful by the teachers attended this pilot case study. The process confirming the results of the case study carried out by the teachers, according to the afore stated study, the results have been successful and the targeted notions have also been learned, which made the students feel that all these practices worked! It could easily be said that the software developed is both useful and applicable, moreover, the trainings committed conveniently have rather been effective.


In this paper, the authors first highlight an existing overvoltage phenomenon that is inherent to the modular multilevel converter (MMC) topology. The latter occurs during the blocking sequences of semiconductor devices if the converter needs to be stopped due to circulating current, loss of control, or unexpected faults. An analysis based on time-domain expressions describing each operating sequence during normal and faulty blocking conditions is used to demonstrate the origin of this overvoltage. Thereafter, system behaviour is obtained when devices gating signals are withheld as well as the exact overvoltage cause. Real-time simulation, with submicrosecond time steps, and experimental results validate the overvoltage phenomena and the proposed remedial strategy to avoid uncontrolled faulty conditions.


Objective: This study examines whether there is an association between time spent by preschoolers in parent-child shared book reading versus TV viewing in two distinct samples. Methods: Data were used from both the preschool wave of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Cohort, a nationally representative sample of 4-year-olds (N = 8900), as well as a low-income, rural sample of children enrolled in the Preschool Experience in Rural Classrooms study (N = 407). Information regarding frequency of shared book reading and daily TV consumption was obtained through caregiver report. A regression approach was used to estimate how the frequency of parent-child book reading accounted for variance in TV consumption. Estimated marginal mean values were then compared for the amount of TV viewed by children who were reported as being read to daily, frequently, occasionally, and not at all. Results: Parent–child book reading was negatively associated with the amount of TV viewed by children in both samples. Specifically, television consumption was significantly lower for children who were read to daily as compared to those who were read to occasionally. This inverse association was not moderated by contextual factors including maternal education, household size, and composition, or time spent in nonparental care. Conclusion: This study provides empirical support for an inverse association between TV viewing and parent-child book reading activities. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.


We study solitary wave solutions of the higher order nonlinear Schrodinger equation for the propagation of short light pulses in an optical fiber. Using a scaling transformation we reduce the equation to a two-parameter canonical form. Solitary wave (1-soliton) solutions always exist provided easily met inequality constraints on the parameters in the equation are satisfied. Conditions for the existence of N -soliton solutions (N ≥ 2) are determined; when these conditions are met the equation becomes the modified KdV equation. A proper subset of these conditions meet the Painleve plausibility conditions for integrability.


The ever increasing sophistication in IT services demands to consider dynamic and large-scale deployments in distributed environments built on top of federated public and private Clouds. Unfortunately, in these complex hybrid Cloud environments, it is extremely difficult to estimate the impact of even simple reconfigurations of the IT service architecture before enacting them. There is the need for new service management tools that are capable of exploring alternative IT service architectures, of accurately evaluating them to find out the most convenient one, and of reconfiguring the IT service accordingly. This paper presents Business-Driven Management as a Service Plus (BDMaaS+), that significantly evolves our previous work to consider the business-driven evaluation of IT services in hybrid Cloud environment, advanced IT service models that complex multi-tier workflows, and realistic network models. The experimental evaluation of BDMaaS+ to optimize a realistic large-scale IT service demonstrates that our tool is capable of finding a more convenient configuration that significantly reduce the total daily costs while granting at the same time agreed service levels.


Much of the social and economic inequality that sexual harassment perpetuates is created in the workplace. But research has not always acknowledged the fluid and changing nature of workspaces. This article argues that irregular workspaces and activities—bars and other social drinking sites at which yingchou (business drinking activities) take place, team building, and the WeChat social media platform—are significant sites of sexual harassment in China. These irregular workplaces play a significant role in working life in China, and their informality has made them prone to sexual harassment in the context of deeply entrenched gender norms and vertical power hierarchy.


histological examination of the samples is inadequate. Further, any reference to plumbosolvency is a "red herring" to the basic problem and should be treated as a separate issue, which is amenable to a solution (see Dr. Crawford and Mr. Clayton's reference to Glasgow water). Apart from invoking very unusual conditions relating to chemical elements in particular chemical forms which are supposed to be avidly taken up by the ibody fromn drinking water, the total daily intake of most, if not all, elements present in U.K. waters constitute a negligible contribution to total intake, which is overwhelmingly provided by diet.' 5 It is incorrect to consider the lead content of water simply in termns of hardness or softness; there are many types of hard and soft water, and under some conditions the lead content of hard water can exceed that of soft water supplied in lead pipes. The concentration of the chemical elements in water and also in relation to defined geographical regions is a function of the regional availability of the elements combined with changes brought about by various types of technological processing during purification of water. The incidence of some forms of cardiovascular disease can be described in relation to regional environmental factors6 but at present our knowledge of the importance, if any, of the chemical elements as causative agents is almost non-existent. For the studies undertaken by Dr. Crawford and Mr. Clayton, ancillary studies describing the lead content of the individual's diet and the domestic plumbing system, together with the range of variability in lead content of drinking water are required in relation to the samples of rib taken for chemical assay. With a few exceptions, permissible levels for the concentration of the chemical elements in drinking waters will undoubtedly be based upon medical evidence. At present the necessary information is sadly lacking, though much effort is being directed to improve the quality of availalble information. A careful evaluation will have to be made between that provided by medical evidence and the practical considerations of supplying drinking water. Until the required information is available, great care must be exercised when correlating morbidity attributalble to the elements present in drinking water. The quality of drinking water in the U.K. is of a very high standard, but the presence of many elements in the water is inevitable. There appears to be no evidence that intake of drinking water is harmful to populations residing in the various natural geological regions of the U.K. The question of plumbosolvency is acknowledged and can be remedied. It would be most unfortunate if, with the increasing attention paid to chemical elements present in water, the known toxicity of sone elements when ingested in large amounts is taken to indicate that they are harmful at low concentrations-that is, acceptance of a linear response between dosage and effect over all ranges of concentration. Tle present dilemmna, if it really exists, is the lack of medical evidence upon which permissible levels for the concentration of elements -in water can be identified. At low concentrations interactions between elements and resulting synergistic effects may occur, but in terms of human health the elements present in the diet and the standard of dietary intake for individuals are more likely to find expression in morbidity related to the abundance of the chemical elements. With the exception of plumbosolvency for soft water supplied in lead pipes, many individuals in the U.K. who are supplied with water derived from wells or leats may be exiposed to some elements that periodically, because of rainfall, may present intermittant hazards to health, though in many instances the presence of algae or bacteria may be the primary cause of illness.-I am, etc., E. I. HAMILTON "Woodchurch," Crapstone, near Yelverton, Devon


In this paper, we explained the layers structure forms an OLED cell and the effect of each layer on light emission process. After studying some circuit models which describe current-voltage behavior of the OLED, we suggested a new simple model with less circuit elements. Due to investigate and examine the accuracy of proposed model we simulated the model using Matlab Simulink and compared it to a reference model. The precision of reference model was proved previously by comparison to experimental data. The comparison between current-voltage characteristic of two models proved the accuracy of the proposed model. Furthermore, using proposed model, we showed that by decreasing resistance of OLED structure layers, its passing current and therefore its emitted light is amplified.


ABSTRACT The genome of Streptococcus sanguinis is a circular DNA molecule consisting of 2,388,435 bp and is 177 to 590 kb larger than the other 21 streptococcal genomes that have been sequenced. The G+C content of the S. sanguinis genome is 43.4%, which is considerably higher than the G+C contents of other streptococci. The genome encodes 2,274 predicted proteins, 61 tRNAs, and four rRNA operons. A 70-kb region encoding pathways for vitamin B12 biosynthesis and degradation of ethanolamine and propanediol was apparently acquired by horizontal gene transfer. The gene complement suggests new hypotheses for the pathogenesis and virulence of S. sanguinis and differs from the gene complements of other pathogenic and nonpathogenic streptococci. In particular, S. sanguinis possesses a remarkable abundance of putative surface proteins, which may permit it to be a primary colonizer of the oral cavity and agent of streptococcal endocarditis and infection in neutropenic patients.


Detrital zircon U/Pb ages provide new insights into the provenance of Upper Devonian–Permian clastic rocks of Bel'kovsky Island, within the New Siberian Islands archipelago. Based on these new data, we demonstrate that Upper Devonian–Carboniferous turbidites of Bel'kovsky Island were derived from Grenvillian, Sveconorwegian, and Timanian sources similar to those that fed Devonian–Carboniferous deposits of the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago and Wrangel Island and were probably located within Laurentia–Baltica. Detrital zircon ages from the lower Permian deposits of Bel'kovsky Island suggest a drastic change in provenance and show a strong affinity with the Uralian Orogen. Two possible models to interpret this shift in provenance are proposed. The first involves movement of these continental blocks from the continental margin of Laurentia–Baltica towards the Uralian Orogen during the late Carboniferous to Permian, while the second argues for long sediment transport across the Barents shelf.


Renal angiomyolipoma (AML) is a benign neoplasm of the kidney arising sporadically in an idiopathic manner, or syndromically as a component of tuberous sclerosis complex. Although the classic AML has no malignant potential, and is the most common mesenchymal tumor of the kidney, variant AML cases with epithelioid morphology have demonstrated aggressive or invasive behavior. Classic AML, on the other hand, can occasionally display focal histology concerning for sarcomatous transformation, but in the absence of invasive features, it is easy to distinguish from a malignancy. In this article, we describe a remarkable case of classic AML that harbored areas histologically mimicking liposarcoma and invaded into the renal vein and extended up to inferior vena cava, thereby presenting a unique diagnostic conundrum. However, the tumor is negative for a CPM gene amplification, arguing against a liposarcomatous transformation. In addition, the patient does not have any sign of recurrence and metastasis clinically after 2 years of follow-up, also favoring a benign diagnosis of this tumor.


Information from the many kinds of spectroscopy used by chemists and physicists is fundamental to our understanding of the structure of materials. Numerical techniques have an important role to play in the augmentation of the instrumentation and technology available in the laboratory, but are frequently viewed as separate from the laboratory procedures. We examine the model approaches which are currently applied in spectroscopy and determine their applicability to piezo-spectroscopic data. Typically, in piezo-spectroscopic modelling the analyses in question are required to handle large complex secular matrices, to distinguish between components in the experimental results, and to identify the transition types as rapidly and as efficiently as possible. The method proposed is based on providing a shell to the Powell or Fletcher-Reeves minimisation algorithms, and gives favourable results compared to those previously used.

Additionally, the statistical properties of the least-squares estimator used in the Powell-shell are examined and implications for nonlinear model functions are discussed. We also show that the least squares estimator performs well for piezo-spectroscopic data compared to those currently used in multi-response data analysis.

Finally we describe the development of a software tool which incorporates all features of fitting piezo-spectroscopic data.


AIMS: To report the adverse local effects of inadvertent self inoculation with oil-based veterinary vaccines. METHODS: Three case reports and a literature review. RESULTS: One patient developed extensive chronic granulomatous inflammation in the thigh following intramuscular injection of Footvax vaccine requiring major surgical debridements. The other two cases developed chronic inflammation and sterile abscess formation following subcutaneous injections in the hand, requiring surgical drainage and corticosteroids to eventually heal. CONCLUSIONS: The mineral oil used as an adjuvant in veterinary vaccines can cause a prolonged chronic granulomatous reaction with sterile abscess formation. Surgical debridement may be required to remove the oil to prevent chronic sequelae. Oral corticosteroids should be considered once infection has been excluded. Language: en


Abstract This article assesses the role of administrative capacity in explaining the performance of eight Central and Eastern European countries in managing Cohesion policy over the 2004–2008 period. Drawing on a conceptual framework from the Europeanization literature, it explores whether pre-accession administrative adjustment to comply with the "acquis" continued in the post-accession period, against a backdrop of critical assessments about the state of administrative capacity for managing Cohesion policy. We conclude that administrative capacity was developed faster and more substantially than commentators predicted. The findings have implications for our understanding of the post-accession compliance record of the EU8, challenging the contention that they fall within a "world of dead letters". Administrative capacity has been underestimated and insufficient attention has been given to the dynamics of capacity evolution and learning.


Religious Architecture: Anthropological Perspectives develops an anthropological perspective on modern religious architecture, including mosques, churches and synagogues. Borrowing from a range of theoretical perspectives on space-making and material religion, this volume looks at how religious buildings take their place in opposition to the secular surroundings, how they, as evocations of the sublime, help believers to move beyond the boundaries of modern subjectivity, and how they, in their common sense definition, function as community centers in urban daily life. The volume includes contributions from a range of anthropologists working in the UK, Mali, Brazil, Spain and Italy.


The examination of udder through a parameter such as parenchymal tissue (PAR) and mammary fat pads (MFP) can be used to evaluate health status and the development of mammary gland. This research was conducted to evaluate the PAR and MFP of Murrah (n=4) and Swamp (n=4) buffalo heifer calve udder using brightness-mode ultrasonography transcutaneously. Eight buffalo consisted of Murrah (n=4) and Swamp (n=4) buffalo aged of six months old reared at Indonesian Research Institute for Animal Production, Ciawi, Bogor were used this study. Ultrasonography imaging was performed on the udder nipple for the four quarters: left front, left back, right front, and right back. The ultrasonography image was evaluated and then assessed for score, echogenicity and PAR area on MFP. The results showed that sonogram PAR was aniconic to hypoechoic, while the MFP was hypoechoic to hyperechoic. Even though there was a variation in the four quarters of udder, Murrah buffalo calve had the highest (P>0.05) value of score, echogenicity, and PAR area compared to the Swamp buffalo.


Since the 1980s, accountability, performance measurement and competitiveness have been implemented in universities globally. It is the management logic known as New Public Management (NPM). But the NPM in contemporary academia is not understood without attending to the emergence of digital management devices and platforms (DMDs). It is the combination of both events that we have called the digital turn in university management. The implementation of DMDs is not a homogeneous and fully satisfactory process but is loaded with attempts, fails, and failures that need the voice of academics to be understood in its extension. This article presents the results of 40 interviews with academics about their experience and engagement with DMDs. The results point to the existence of at least three repertoires: 1) device-lover, 2) functional- pragmatic and 3) oppositionist-rejector. Together, these results point out that, on one hand, both the experience and the identity of the academic; and on the other hand, the relationship with the institutional context; both are the key to the successful implementation of the DMDs.


This report presents Fesults of the research work undertaken to develop an indoor
environment quality (IEQ) index of workplace under the Fundamental Research Grant
Scheme, Vot No. 0275. This report contains 6 chapters which are, Introduction (Chapter
I), Theory (Chapter 2), Literature Survey (Chapter 3), Methodology (Chapter 4), Results
and Analysis (Chapter 5) and Conclusion (Chapter 6). Chapter 1 gives an introduction to
indoor air quality and the index of air pollution, the rationale and scope of the project.
The theoretical aspects of the project is presented in Chapter 2, amongst which the
Pollutant Standard Index (PSI) as used in the US and the Malaysia Index Pencemaran
Udara (IPLJ), Air Quality in Buildings and the parmeters of air pollutants were
described . Chapter 3 gives a brief review on works of previous researchers particularly
related to index of air pollution. Chapter 4 gives detail of the Methodology of the project
in which the building/worlcplace selection, methods and equipments for measurement
and data collection and analysis are described. Chapter 5 presents the results of
measurements of air pollutant in selected laboratories expressed in the PSI and IPU
indexes and also a newly derived index; the indoor environment quality (IEQ) index.
Chapter 6 gives the discussion on the results and data obtained and the conclusion on the
findings of the research. The level of air quality in a workplace was presented in terms
of an indoor environment quality (IEQ) index. Using scale of 1 to 5 to denote the level
of pollution for an individual pollutant an assuming those pollutants are additive in the
mixture, the EQI for a workplace can be calculated and classified as good (0 - 5),
moderate (6 - lo), unhealthy (1 1 - 15), very unhealthy (6 - 20) and hazardous (21 -
25). The Indoor Enviionment Quality (IEQ) Index or Environmental Quality Index
(EQI) has been applied on two cases which were an Engineering Laboratory and a
Manufacturing Plant; details of which can be found in Appendix la and lb.


Previous studies have demonstrated that CTCs do not travel in the bloodstream alone, but rather are accompanied by clusters of stromal cells such as cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs). Our laboratory has confirmed the presence of CAFs in the peripheral blood of prostate cancer (PC) patients. The observation that CAFs disseminate with CTCs prompts the examination of the role of CAFs in CTC survival under physiological shear stress during the dissemination process using a clinically relevant, three-dimensional (3D) co-culture model. In this study, we found that "reactive CAFs" induce shear resistance to prostate tumor cells via intercellular contact and soluble derived factors. In addition, these reactive CAFs conserve the proliferative capability of tumor cells in the presence of high magnitude fluid shear stress (FSS). This reactive CAF phenotype emerges from normal fibroblasts (NF), which take on the CAF phenotype when co-cultured with tumor cells. The reactive CAFs showed higher expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and fibroblast activation protein (FAP) compared to differentiated CAFs, when co-cultured with PC cells at the same experimental conditions. Together, we found that the activation mechanism of NF to CAF comprises different stages that progress from a reactive to quiescent cellular state in which these two states are differentiated by the fluctuation of intensity in CAF markers. Here we determined that a reactive state of CAFs proved to be important for supporting tumor cell survival and proliferation. These findings suggest the use of CAFs as a marker for cancer progression and a potential target for novel cancer therapeutics to treat metastatic disease.


PURPOSE
To measure, over time, the release of fluoride from a resin-modified glass-ionomer cement, loaded with different levels of fluoride, then to evaluate the adjacent dentin demineralization inhibition relative to these fluoride levels.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
(Phase I) 25 standardized discs were fabricated from a non-fluoridated resin-based composite (control), resin-modified glass-ionomer cement and resin-modified glass-ionomer cement loaded with sodium fluoride at 1%, 2% and 3% by weight fluoride. Fluoride release was evaluated over 30 days. (Phase II) 50 restorations, from the materials listed in Phase I, were placed as Class V restorations in teeth, the teeth were acid-challenged, then dentin margins adjacent to restoration margins were evaluated for demineralization.

RESULTS
As sodium fluoride additions increased, fluoride release increased. Evaluation of demineralization indicated the resin-modified glass-ionomer cement inhibited adjacent demineralization in a direct relationship with sodium fluoride concentration where 3% fluoride exhibited significantly less adjacent demineralization than all other groups; 2% and 1% fluoride exhibited significantly less adjacent demineralization than the non-loaded resin-modified glass-ionomer cement and non-fluoridated resin-based composite control (P< 0.05).


In this study the psychometric properties of the PSWQ and the WDQ were investigated in a community sample. The PSWQ proved to be unidimensional although the results indicated that the negatively keyed items contributed less to the general factor. Internal reliability of the PSWQ was satisfactory. Confirmatory analysis of the WDQ indicated that some alternations with regard to the content of the different domains had to be made. Furthermore, an additional health worry domain was included in the scale. This resulted in a revised revision of the WDQ. Internal reliability of the WDQ-R was satisfactory, as well as consistencies of the different domains, with the exception of the Work Incompetence domain. High to moderate correlations were found between the two worry scales and measures of trail anxiety, depression and obsessive compulsive behaviour. In studying the relative impact of these constructs on worry it was found that the predictors accounted for 62 and 61% of the variance in the PSWQ and the WDQ-R respectively, providing further evidence for the separate construct of worry. Copyright (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Electricity from biomass energy business in Thailand can be produced from agricultural waste in large quantity. However, without proper management, electricity production from biomass, specifically biomass very small power plants located in communities across the country, may cause pollution and health threats impacting the environment, public health, and conflict from the pollution-affected communities around the biomass power plants. This research aimed to construct Green Business Model for electricity production using biomass for Biomass Very Small Power Producers in Thailand by applying the Sustainability Balanced Scorecard and to evaluate the model by interviewing experts and stakeholders of biomass electricity production. The study showed that the concept of green business model of Biomass Very Small Power Producers consisted of four key aspects namely 1) Stakeholders perspective including business entrepreneurs, feedstock producers/suppliers, feedstock transport operators, community, government, and non-governmental organizations 2) Sustainability management perspective including economic management, social management, and environmental management 3) Effectiveness perspective including Social Return on Investment and 4) Learning & growth perspective including training/learning and innovation/technology. Biomass Very Small Power Producers could deploy the concept of this model to generate profit coupled with responsibility for the environment and society. Consequently, the green business model of Biomass Very Small Power Producers could benefit the agricultural and community sectors such as energy security, reduction of energy import, support of agricultural waste management, local occupation in community, and revenue generation within communities from agricultural waste. It would lead to sustainable development and benefit all stakeholders in the biomass energy supply chain.


Giant congenital melanocytic nevus is usually defined as a melanocytic lesion present at birth that will reach a diameter ≥ 20 cm in adulthood. The giant congenital nevus is greater than 20 cm in size, pigmented and often hairy. Since approximately 50% of the melanomas develop by the age of two, and 80% by the age of seven, early removal is recommended. However, their large size poses a great treatment challenge. The objective of this paper is to present a unique case of giant nevi along with a review of the literature Its incidence is estimated in <1:20,000 newborns. Despite its rarity, this lesion is important because it may associate with severe complications such as malignant melanoma, Between 4% and 6% of these lesions will develop into a malignant melanoma also affect the central nervous system (neurocutaneous melanosis), and have major psychosocial impact on the patient and his family due to its unsightly appearance. Giant congenital melanocytic nevus generally presents as a black or brown lesion, with flat or mammilated surface, well-demarcated borders and hypertrichosis. Congenital melanocytic nevus is primarily a clinical diagnosis. However, congenital nevi are histologically distinguished from acquired nevi mainly by their larger size, the spread of the nevus cells to the deep layers of the skin and by their more varied architecture and morphology. Although giant congenital melanocytic nevus is recognized as a risk factor for the development of melanoma, the precise magnitude of this risk is still controversial. The estimated lifetime risk of developing melanoma varies from 5 to 10%. On account of these uncertainties and the size of the lesions, the management of giant congenital melanocytic nevus needs individualization. Treatment may include surgical and non-surgical procedures, psychological intervention and/or clinical follow-up, with special attention to changes in color, texture or on the surface of the lesion. The only absolute indication for surgery in giant congenital melanocytic nevus is the development of a malignant neoplasm on the lesion.


Gel filtration and equilibrium dialysis demonstrated that the hyaloplasmic fraction of the liver of B1-deficient rats does not practically bind C-TDP in vitro. An addition of the excess of non-labelled coenzyme does not increase the transketolase activity. The data obtained suggest that transketolase activation in the hyaloplasmic fraction of the liver of B1-deficient rats after administration of thiamine in vivo is due to stimulation of the additional synthesis of the enzyme protein rather than to the saturation of the free apoenzyme with newly-formed TDP. In vivo and in vitro studies suggest that the hyaloplasmic fraction of the liver of B1-deficient rats contains no free apoenzyme of transketolase.


This dissertation analyzes how early inequalities in health and education affect later educational, health, and social and emotional outcomes. I place particular emphasis on how the unique economic circumstances of the developing world interact with the dynamic and multidimensional nature of child development. In Chapter 1, I build a theory of human capital formation that links early health differences to observed schooling gaps across countries. My main finding is that early health inequalities are amplified into large schooling gaps within and across countries. In Chapter 2, I use a unique Indian data set to link private school attendance to measures of self-efficacy and self-esteem and find that private school may play at least as significant a role in early psychosocial as in cognitive development. Finally, in Chapter 3, I construct a novel measure of seasonal food scarcity and find that prenatal exposure to scarcity has a lasting impact on childhood health in Ethiopia. Overall, my findings highlight the importance of understanding the dynamic and multidimensional nature of child development for effective targeting of policy interventions in the developing world.


Background: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), characterized by aggressive behavior and poor prognosis, represents an important clinical challenge because there is no well-established target therapy. Therefore, the identification and validation of a targeted therapy for TNBC is an urgent need. Molecular profiling studies have shown some TNBC tumors harboring aberrant epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) or human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER) signaling, suggesting therapeutic potential with EGFR inhibitors. Varlitinib (ASLAN001) is a small molecule reversible pan-HER inhibitor of EGFR (HER1), HER2 and HER4. To-date, varlitinib has been extensively investigated in several tumor types, including HER2 positive metastatic breast cancer. TNBC is known to demonstrate expression of EGFR. Since varlitinib also targets EGFR signaling, we hypothesized that it may also have antitumor efficacy in TNBC. Methods: MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468 TNBC cell lines were used for in vitro studies. Cell viability was examined by MTT assay. Apoptotic effects were examined by flow cytometry and Western blot. Signal transduction pathways in cells were assessed by Western blot. Results: We first examined the protein expression of EGFR in a panel of TNBC cell lines. We identified MDA-MB-468 and MDA-MB-231 as EGFR-expressing cell lines. We found that varlitinib significantly inhibited cell viability and induced cell apoptosis in MDA-MB-468 cells but not in MDA-MB-231 cells. MDA-MB-231 cells carry the KRAS G13D mutation that drives downstream ERK signaling. We therefore examined the downstream signaling proteins of EGFR, including PI3K/Akt and MAPK/ERK signaling. Results showed that the protein levels of p-MEK and p-ERK were decreased in varlitinib-sensitive MDA-MB-468 cell lines, but there was no significant change in these phospho-proteins in varlitinib-resistant MDA-MB-231 cells. Furthermore, we found that ERK inhibition resensitized varlitinib-resistant cells to varlitinib-induced cell death. In addition, ectopic expression of ERK reduced the varlitinib-induced apoptosis on varlitinib-sensitive MDA-MB-468 cells. In addition, MDA-MB-468 cells are known to harbor p53-R273H gain-of-function mutation that may activate EGFR-signaling, whether the mutation is associated with varlitinib sensitivity needs further investigation. Conclusions: In this study, we identified TNBC as another tumor type that may be sensitive to varlitinib's antitumor activity through the inhibition of HER/MAPK signaling and subsequent increase in apoptotic activity. Citation Format: Chun-Yu Liu, Tzu-Ting Huang, Chun-Teng Huang, Hsiu-Ping Yang, Ling-Ming Tseng, Chung-Wai Shiau, Kuen-Feng Chen. Pan-HER inhibitor, varlitinib, disrupts HER/ERK signaling and causes apoptosis in triple-negative breast cancer cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2087. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-2087


Background Disruption of the circadian rhythm is a key feature of bipolar disorder. Variation in genes encoding components of the molecular circadian clock has been associated with increased risk of the disorder in clinical populations. Similarly in animal models, disruption of the circadian clock can result in altered mood and anxiety which resemble features of human mania; including hyperactivity, reduced anxiety and reduced depression-like behaviour. One such mutant, after hours (Afh), an ENU-derived mutant with a mutation in a recently identified circadian clock gene Fbxl3, results in a disturbed (long) circadian rhythm of approximately 27 hours. Methodology Anxiety, exploratory and depression-like behaviours were evaluated in Afh mice using the open-field, elevated plus maze, light-dark box, holeboard and forced swim test. To further validate findings for human mania, polymorphisms in the human homologue of FBXL3, genotyped by three genome wide case control studies, were tested for association with bipolar disorder. Principal Findings Afh mice showed reduced anxiety- and depression-like behaviour in all of the behavioural tests employed, and some evidence of increased locomotor activity in some tests. An analysis of three separate human data sets revealed a gene wide association between variation in FBXL3 and bipolar disorder (P = 0.009). Conclusions Our results are consistent with previous studies of mutants with extended circadian periods and suggest that disruption of FBXL3 is associated with mania-like behaviours in both mice and humans.


Self-limited or transient atrial fibrillation (AF) occurring during an acute reversible, precipitant has been referred to as secondary AF, temporary cause of AF (TCAF), and AF occurring transiently during stress (McIntyre et al).  Alternatively, it has been classified as either 'reversible' versus 'provoked' AF, varying in terms of underlying cardiac substrate and risk for AF recurrence.  Given it was described in prior American Heart Association / American College of Cardiology / Heart Rhythm Society guidelines, we continue using the defining term 'secondary AF'.   In this article, we review prior studies and provide an overview of long-term management approaches to secondary AF.  We will use the term 'primary AF' to describe established AF, without an associated secondary cause.


Vulnerability and resilience are two crucial attributes of social-ecological systems that are used for analyzing the response to disturbances. We assess these properties in relation to agroecosystem buffer capacity and adaptive capacity, which depend on the 'window of opportunities' of possible changes in terms of selected performance indicators, i.e., the solution space. The vulnerability of the system was quantified as the distance of performance indicators between original and disturbed systems. The buffer capacity was derived from the size of the solution space that could be obtained after reconfiguration of farm components (crops, animals, fertilizers, etc.) that were present on the original farm, whereas the assessment of adaptive capacity was derived in a similar way, but after allowing innovation by introducing new components to the farm. To illustrate the approach, we applied these concepts to two dairy farms in Northwest Michoacan, Mexico. After a disturbance resulting in a fodder maize yield decline, both economic profitability and soil organic matter inputs were reduced. The scope for recovery was different between the farms, but the projected improvements in profitability and organic matter inputs would require considerable changes in the farm configurations, and thus flexibility in farm management. High resilience requires a farmer with the managerial ability to make the required changes to move through the proposed solution space. The approach we present here offers a generic quantitative assessment of vulnerability and resilience concepts, based on a combined assessment of the social and ecological dimensions of agroecosystems.