The objective of the proposed human–machine cooperation (HMC) workstation is to both rapidly detect calcium-based fish bones in masses of minced fish floss and visually guide operators in approaching and removing the detected fish bones by hand based on the detection of fingernails or plastic-based gloves. Because vibration is a separation mechanism that can prevent absorption or scattering in thick fish floss for UV fluorescence detection, the design of the HMC workstation included a vibration unit together with an optical box and display screens. The system was tested with commonly used fish (swordfish, salmon, tuna, and cod) representing various cooking conditions (raw meat, steam-cooked meat, and fish floss), their bones, and contaminating materials such as derived from gloves made of various types of plastic (polyvinylchloride, emulsion, and rubber) commonly used in the removal of fish bones. These aspects were each investigated using the spectrum analyzer and the optical box to obtain and analyze the fluorescence spectra and images. The filter was mounted on a charge-coupled device, and its transmission-wavelength window was based on the characteristic band for fish bones observed in the spectra. Gray-level AI algorithm was utilized to generate white marker rectangles. The vibration unit supports two mechanisms of air and downstream separation to improve the imaging screening of fish bones inside the considerable flow of fish floss. Notably, under 310 nm ultraviolet B (UVB) excitation, the fluorescence peaks of the raw fillets, steam-cooked meat, and fish floss were observed at for bands at longer wavelengths (500–600 nm), whereas those of the calcium and plastic materials occurred in shorter wavelength bands (400–500 nm). Perfect accuracy of 100% was achieved with the detection of 20 fish bones in 2 kg of fish floss, and the long test time of around 10–12 min results from the manual removal of these fish bones.


This paper studies the effects on productivity of integration deepening. Our identification strategy uses the 1995 European Union (EU) enlargement when all four candidate countries joined the European Economic Area (economic integration) but only one (Norway) chose not to join the EU (institutional integration). Using synthetic control methods on sectoral and regional data, we find that had Norway chosen institutional instead of only economic integration in 1995, the average Norwegian region would have experienced a yearly average productivity growth increase of about half a percentage point. We also find these losses are larger for industry than for other sectors.


Area of the Study The current research is focused on the relationship of the big five personality types and emotional intelligence of the university of Sri Jayewardenepura. Even though, there has been a plenty of international studies focusing on this research area, in the context of Sri Lanka there is little evidence to be found. Therefore this  study is filling the empirical gap of the respective study area Problem of the Study The main objective of the research is to find out whether there is a relation between personality and emotional intelligence. Thus the problem statement of this study is, "Is there a strong relationship between personality and emotional intelligence with regard to the university undergraduates in Sri Lanka?" Method of the Study To collect data for this study 77 item questionnaire was used and it was consisted with 5 point Likert scale. Data was analyzed using correlation and regression analysis with the SPSS (16.0 versions). The data were collected from 172 management undergraduates.  Findings of the Study It was found that the overall big five personality has a positive relationship with the emotional intelligence of the university undergraduates. Conclusion of the Study It was found that the overall big five personality dimensions positively correlated with the emotional intelligence except neuroticism. The results of the multiple regression analysis showed that the big five personality model can predict the variance of emotional intelligence by nearly 41%. Keywords: Big Five Personality, Emotional Intelligence, Sri Lankan Undergraduates, Big Five Inventory


Stat4 activation is involved in differentiation of type 1 helper (Th1) T cells. Although Stat4 is activated by interleukin (IL)-12 in both human and murine T cells, Stat4 is activated by interferon (IFN)-α only in human, but not murine, CD4+ T cells. This species-specific difference in cytokine activation of Stat4 underlies critical differences in Th1 development in response to cytokines and is important to the interpretation of murine models of immunopathogenesis. Here, we sought to determine the mechanism of Stat4 recruitment and activation by the human IFN-α receptor. Analysis of phosphopeptide binding analysis suggests that Stat4 does not interact directly with tyrosine-phosphorylated amino acid residues within the cytoplasmic domains of either of the subunits of the IFN-α receptor complex. Expression of murine Stat4 in the Stat1-deficient U3A and the Stat2-deficient U6A cell lines shows that IFN-α-induced Stat4 phosphorylation requires the presence of activated Stat2 but not Stat1. Thus, in contrast to the direct recruitment of Stat4 by the IL-12 receptor, Stat4 activation by the human IFN-α receptor occurs through indirect recruitment by intermediates involving Stat2.


The existence of a rainbow matching given a minimum color degree, proper coloring, or triangle-free host graph has been studied extensively. This paper generalizes these problems to edge colored graphs with given total color degree. In particular, we find that if a graph $G$ has total color degree $2mn$ and satisfies some other properties, then $G$ contains a matching of size $m$. These other properties include $G$ being triangle-free, $C_4$-free, properly colored, or large enough.


Continuous gravitational waves signals, emitted by asymmetric spinning neutron stars, are among the main targets of current detectors like Advanced LIGO and Virgo. In the case of sources, like pulsars, whose rotational parameters are measured through electromagnetic observations, typical searches assume that the gravitational wave frequency is at a given known fixed ratio with respect to the star rotational frequency. For instance, for a neutron star rotating around one of its principal axis of inertia the gravitational signal frequency would be exactly two times the rotational frequency of the star. It is possible, however, that this assumption is wrong. This is why search algorithms able to take into account a possible small mismatch between the gravitational waves frequency and the frequency inferred from electromagnetic observations have been developed. In this paper we present an improved pipeline to perform such narrow-band searches for continuous gravitational waves from neutron stars, about three orders of magnitude faster than previous implementations. The algorithm that we have developed is based on the 5-vectors framework and is able to perform a fully coherent search over a frequency band of width O(Hertz) and for hundreds of spin-down values running a few hours on a standard workstation. This new algorithm opens the possibility of long coherence time searches for objects whose rotational parameters are highly uncertain as shown in the case study of the central compact object in the supernova remnant G353.6–0.7.


The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore early childhood education pre service teachers? images of an early childhood education teacher and their beliefs about teaching 14 pre service teachers at a Northeastern State University in the United States of America agreed to participate in the study A survey questionnaire participants? journal entries and artifacts created by the participants were employed to collect the data The categorization and coding of the data revealed that the participants? memories of their past teachers mentor teachers and work experience with children affected their images of an early childhood teacher Furthermore the data showed the relations between the participants? images of an early childhood education teacher and their beliefs about teaching The authors made some implications for early childhood teacher education and teacher education in general


This paper introduces new recognition strategies based on reasoning about results obtained with different Language Models (LMs). Strategies are built following the conjecture that the consensus among the results obtained with different models gives rise to different situations in which hypothesized sentences have different word error rates (WER) and may be further processed with other LMs. New LMs are built by data augmentation using ideas from latent semantic analysis and trigram analogy. Situations are defined by expressing the consensus among the recognition results produced with different LMs and by the amount of unobserved trigrams in the hypothesized sentence. The diagnostic power of the use of observed trigrams or their corresponding class trigrams is compared with that of situations based on values of sentence posterior probabilities. In order to avoid or correct errors due to syntactic inconsistence of the recognized sentence, automata, obtained by explanation-based learning, are introduced and used in certain conditions. Semantic Classification Trees are introduced to provide sentence patterns expressing constraints of long distance syntactic coherence. Results on a dialogue corpus provided by France Telecom R&D have shown that starting with a WER of 21.87% on a test set of 1422 sentences, it is possible to subdivide the sentences into three sets characterized by automatically recognized situations. The first one has a coverage of 68% with a WER of 7.44%. The second one has various types of sentences with a WER around 20%. The third one contains 13% of the sentences that should be rejected with a WER around 49%. The second set characterizes sentences that should be processed with particular care by the dialogue interpreter with the possibility of asking a confirmation from the user.


There is an increasing need to understand how thermal effects affect the performance of amplifiers in radar systems. Increased chip power densities are to be expected as the integration of multiple transceivers in SiGe/BiCMOS and in GaN, increases. This will increase the electrical as well as thermal coupling between the transceivers,
and the increased temperature is likely to impair the performance of amplifiers. Dynamic bias techniques are used today to increase the efficiency of transmitters. Therefore, it is important to investigate if these techniques can be used also to compensate for thermal effects which affect the elements in a multi transceiver chip. This thesis deals with the development of a GaN based temperature sensor as well as a study of the heat propagation properties in GaN on SiC structures. Furthermore, a study of thermal effects in low noise amplifiers has been carried out, and the use of dynamic bias to compensate for thermal performance deterioration, as well as other features, is demonstrated.

A mesa resistor sensor and Schottky diode sensor were designed and evaluated. It was shown that a 15 μm mesa resistor works well as a temperature sensor when biased at an appropriate point. Models for predicting the temperature were developed based on measurements and a calibration method is proposed. It was shown that heat pulses can be detected by the sensors. A sensor area was designed and used to study heat propagation versus distance and temperature. A model describing the response of the sensor was proposed and evaluated. The model was used to study how heat is coupled to the sensor in the GaN and SiC layers. The thermal conductivity was seen to increase significantly in the GaN and SiC layers at lower temperatures. The layer time constants and propagation delay were observed to increase with temperature and distance. Light sources were also observed to impact the sensor current response.

It was determined by measurements that thermal effects in general degrades the performance of three evaluated low noise amplifiers, and that dynamic bias control techniques can be used to cancel these effects for certain parameters. Increased power consumption levels was observed when applying dynamic bias control. In addition, it was demonstrated how dynamic bias can be used to eliminate gain recovery effects after high power pulses. Lastly, suggestions for different modes of operation, where dynamic bias is utilized differently, are presented.


: Combat casualty care research on far-forward resuscitation is necessary for optimizing the future care of the wounded soldier. Present legal directives pertaining to the use of humans as subjects in Department of Defense (DOD)-funded research require that prior informed consent from the subjects or their legal representatives be obtained. Application of these legal directives to present and future combat casualty care research will ultimately obstruct significant progress toward optimizing the care of the injured soldier. This article reviews the medical considerations surrounding resuscitation research that make obtaining traditional informed consent impossible, the present legal directives pertaining to DOD-funded research and informed consent, and the ethical issues that influence the conduct of human research. The necessary changes required to continue resuscitation research without informed consent, while still safeguarding the welfare of the patient, are suggested.


This dissertation explores the politics of fiscal decentralization in comparative perspective. Case studies of Argentina and Spain are used to provide insights into the way that the distribution of institutional and economic resources in multitiered polities shapes the extent to which the policy of transferring revenue and revenue authority to subnational governments can be exploited for political gain. This approach draws attention to the political conditions that inhibit the coordination of fiscal reform efforts between the different levels of government and perpetuate the financing of subnational spending with revenue collected by the national government. This political context undermines national fiscal adjustment efforts and leads to economic catastrophes such as those experienced in Argentina throughout the last two decades. Specifically, this study uses statistical analyses and empirical institutional theory to show how patterns of territorial representation and bargaining strategies hindered revenue decentralization in Argentina but advanced it in Spain.The research suggests, first, coalition-building goals drive national executives in Argentina to reach out legislators of the opposition by means of allocating larger shares of federal transfers to the provinces the latter belong to. However, all else equal, legislatively overrepresented, i.e. economically marginal and sparsely populated, provinces will be targeted first. Second, the increasing role of regionalist parties in Spanish national politics and their acceptance in joint-policy mechanisms tilts the allocation of chosen federal transfers slightly in favor of economically developed and densely populated autonomous communities, which are generally governed by regionalist forces. Third, whereas Argentine subnational interests are "locked-in" at the Senate level and intergovernmental negotiations are conducted bilaterally, open-ended institutional arrangements and a relatively impotent senate in Spain boosted the redressing of regional concerns through informal intergovernmental fora and increasing multilateral collaboration Fourth, such differences in patterns of institutional representation and bargaining strategies explain the paucity of fiscal decentralization in Argentina and its relative progress in Spain.


OBJECTIVE To review the current status of oral health related quality of life measures as used in dental managed care plans and discuss the potential for their application in such delivery settings. METHODS Three questions guided this analysis. First, what additional work is needed in the development or application of quality of life measures in dental managed care settings? Secondly, how can existing quality of life measures be used most effectively now in dental managed care settings? Finally, can existing data be used for secondary analyses of 'generic questions' concerning the relationship between oral health care and quality of life outcomes in dental managed care settings? Oral health related quality of life measures presented at the conference were considered. CONCLUSIONS Currently available oral health related quality of life measures have limited applicability in dental managed care settings. Additional work is needed--involving dental plan administrators, purchasers, patients, and practitioners--to develop a set of questions. Such a set of questions should be able to provide inter alia information on the relationship between oral health related quality of life measures and plan structure and administration, level of dental benefits, and effectiveness and appropriateness of dental treatment. Without additional work, existing measures cannot be used effectively in managed dental care settings. Data currently available from dental managed care plans are sparse, limiting the potential for further analysis.


AIMS
To explore the following in a group of carcinoma cervix patients with chronic periodontitis: The possible association of the Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) in chronic periodontitis and carcinoma of the cervix by examining the presence of HCMV (Human Cytomegalovirus) in saliva, Gingival Crevicular Fluid (G.C.F.) and in cervical biopsy samples and by comparing the clinical parameters among the Human Cytomegalovirus(HCMV) detected and the undetected sites. The possible association of chronic periodontitis and carcinoma of the cervix by assessing the common occurrence of HCMV in saliva, GCF and cervical biopsies.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Sixteen female subjects who were aged 35 to 65 years, who were diagnosed with carcinoma of the cervix were selected. All the subjects underwent a clinical evaluation for their periodontal conditions. Cervical biopsies, saliva and GCF samples were obtained from all the participants and these were subjected to HCMV detection by using the nested PCR method.

RESULTS
HCMV has been detected in the cervical biopsies of 68.75 % patients, in the GCF samples of 75 % patients and in the saliva samples of 37.5 % patients. The clinical parameters i.e. probing pocket depth (P<0.008) and the clinical attachment level (P<0.026) were statistically significant in the GCF samples of the sites which were positive for HCMV as compared to those in the sites which were negative for HCMV. In 56% patients, HCMV was detected in both the cervical biopsies and the GCF samples. In 25% patients, HCMV was detected in both the cervical biopsies and the saliva samples.

CONCLUSION
The results are suggestive of a possible association of the HCMV occurrence in chronic periodontitis and a possible association of the HCMV occurrence and carcinoma of the cervix. An association between chronic periodontitis and carcinoma of the cervix cannot be elucidated with the available data, since the values are statistically insignificant. Hence, further research incorporating systemic inflammatory parameters would be necessary.


1. Homogenates of the magnum of the hen oviduct have been fractionated by differential centrifuging. 2. Centrifuging at 600g for 10min. gave a pellet containing most of the particulate material of the cell, but on washing this fraction some particles were removed from it. The washed 600g pellet contained most of the DNA of the homogenate. 3. Centrifuging the 600g supernatants at 10000g for 10min. gave particulate fractions (I particles) richer in RNA than other fractions which were active in incorporating amino acids into protein in isolation. When minced tissue was incubated with radioactive amino acids before homogenizing these particles were the most radioactive of the cell fractions. 4. The pellet obtained by centrifuging the 10000g supernatant at 105000g for 60min. was very small; its RNA/protein ratio was raised compared with that of the homogenate. It only incorporated amino acids in isolation to a small extent or not at all. 5. The 105000g supernatant contained a large proportion of the protein of the homogenate. 6. The I particles could be subfractionated by layering over denser sucrose to give a pellet with lower RNA content and incorporating activity, and also suspended material richer in both these properties. 7. Treatment of the I particles with deoxycholate gave rise to particles sedimenting at 105000g for 60min. containing most of the RNA of the original particles, but only about 34% of the protein, and with a high activity in incorporating amino acids. 8. The I particles, or particles derived from them by deoxycholate treatment, required GTP and phosphoenolpyruvate for the incorporation of free amino acids. The omission of ATP reduced the incorporation to varying extents. Chicken-liver cell sap stimulated the activity. 9. Radioactive amino acids linked to transfer RNA were transferred to protein by I particles. GTP and phosphoenolpyruvate were required for this transfer. The phosphoenolpyruvate requirement could not be replaced by increasing the GTP concentration. ATP partially inhibited the transfer. 10. After incorporation by the cell-free system, the hot-trichloroacetic acid extract, but not the lipid extract, was radioactive. Ribonuclease and puromycin inhibited at low concentrations. Lecithinase-C was much less inhibitory. Transfer of amino acid, from a radioactive lipid-amino acid complex prepared from hen oviduct, was not detected. 11. After short periods of incubation of minced tissue with [(14)C]lysine some of the radioactive protein of the isolated I particles behaved as ovalbumin. The distribution of radioactivity in the protein resembled that in ovalbumin in soluble extracts of the tissue obtained after longer periods of incubation.


Newly-hatched chickens from two lines selected for high or low abdominal fat/live weight ratio, were fed on a stock low-lipid diet (2.9 wt % lipids) for nine weeks. Linoleic acid made up 54.3% of dietary fatty acids. Their abdominal adipose tissue and liver triglycerides were then isolated for fatty acid analysis. The linoleic acid content of abdominal fat triglycerides was higher in lean than in fat chickens (19.2 vs 16.4% of triglyceride fatty acids, respectively). This difference was highly significant. Conversely, the level of monounsaturated fatty acids in the abdominal fat triglycerides was significantly lower (especially palmitoleic acid) in lean than in fat chickens. The proportion of linoleic acid in liver triglycerides was also higher in lean than in fat chickens (12.2 vs 5.5% of triglyceride fatty acids). The higher dilution of dietary linoleic acid within the depot fat of the fat line chickens shows that the flux of endogenous fatty acids from the liver was larger in these animals than in the lean ones. Moreover, the elevated amounts of palmitoleic acid (virtually absent from the diet) in the depot and liver triglycerides of fat chickens, was most likely caused by a higher delta 9-desaturating activity in the liver of the latter animals.


Recent work has demonstrated that microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in critical biological processes by suppressing the translation of coding genes. This work develops an integrated database, miRNAMap, to store the known miRNA genes, the putative miRNA genes, the known miRNA targets and the putative miRNA targets. The known miRNA genes in four mammalian genomes such as human, mouse, rat and dog are obtained from miRBase, and experimentally validated miRNA targets are identified in a survey of the literature. Putative miRNA precursors were identified by RNAz, which is a non-coding RNA prediction tool based on comparative sequence analysis. The mature miRNA of the putative miRNA genes is accurately determined using a machine learning approach, mmiRNA. Then, miRanda was applied to predict the miRNA targets within the conserved regions in 3′-UTR of the genes in the four mammalian genomes. The miRNAMap also provides the expression profiles of the known miRNAs, cross-species comparisons, gene annotations and cross-links to other biological databases. Both textual and graphical web interface are provided to facilitate the retrieval of data from the miRNAMap. The database is freely available at .


This paper introduces a new algorithm (BUNTUS—Built-up, Nighttime Light, and Travel time for Urban Size) using remote sensing techniques to delineate urban boundaries. The paper is part of a larger study of the role of urbanisation in changing fossil fuel emissions. The method combines estimates of land cover, nighttime lights, and travel times to classify contiguous urban areas. The method is automatic, global and uses data sets with enough duration to establish trends. Validation using ground truth from Landsat-8 OLI images revealed an overall accuracy ranging from 60% to 95%. Thus, this approach is capable of describing spatial distributions and giving detailed information of urban extents. We demonstrate the method with examples from Brisbane, Australia, Melbourne, Australia, and Beijing, China. The new method meets the criteria for studying overall trends in urban emissions.


The aim of this research work was to investigate the antioxidant potential of whole plant extracts of Polygala javana, Polygala chinensis and Polygala rosmarinifolia. The results of the present study revealed that the ethanol extract was found to be the highest DPPH radical scavenging activity when compared with standard ascorbic acid. The DPPH radical scavenging activities were 83.57%, 89.21%, 73.15% and 48.28%, respectively for Polygala javana, Polygala chinensis, Polygala rosmarinifolia and standard ascorbic acid. These results showed that whole plant extracts of Polygala species can be used as a significant source of natural antioxidant.


Author(s): Wegorzewska, Marta | Advisor(s): MacKenzie, Tippi C; Tang, Qizhi | Abstract: The semi-allogeneic fetus derives half of its genetic maternal from the mother. The other half, inherited from the father, leads to the expression of proteins that are foreign to the mother. In danger of potential immune recognition and rejection, the fetus is dependent on maternal immune regulation. Multiple mechanisms are in place to ensure the mother and fetus live in harmony during pregnancy, as outlined in Chapter one. This dissertation discusses what happens to some of these mechanisms during fetal intervention in mice. Chapter two focuses on T cell specific mechanisms that prevent maternal T cell activation during pregnancy. These mechanisms include constraint in antigen presentation to maternal T cells, deletion of maternal T cells aware of fetal antigens and the lack of recruitment of maternal T cells to the uterine environment. Fetal intervention in mice results in enhanced antigen presentation with a reduction in apoptosis of activated cells and a more prominent presence of maternal T cells in the uterus. Maternal T cells also play a role in fetal demise (preterm labor) during fetal intervention. Chapter three discusses changes in trafficking maternal cells during fetal intervention. Trafficking of maternal cells into fetal blood during normal pregnancy encourages generation of fetal Tregs that can suppress an anti-maternal T cell response. During fetal intervention, the presence of maternal T cells, maternal microchimerism (MMc), increases and may play a role in limiting engraftment of cells transplanted in utero. Because fetal intervention results in preterm labor, changes in maternal microchimerism during fetal intervention may also play a role in mediating fetal rejection during preterm labor. Using a mouse model of preterm labor, we saw enhanced maternal microchimerism in fetal blood. The contribution of maternal cells in fetal blood to the pathogenesis of preterm labor is an open field for further investigation. Chapter four deals with the role of maternal Tregs in regulating maternal immune responses during fetal intervention. This chapter more specifically examines maternal antibody production against "conceptus-derived" antigens in the absence of Tregs during normal pregnancy and fetal intervention. Tregs prevent production of maternal antibodies during pregnancy. During fetal intervention, however, maternal antibody production does not increase, even in the absence of Tregs. The presence of "conceptus-derived" antigens in maternal circulation may play a role in preventing detection of maternal antibodies during fetal intervention. Because maternal antibodies do not have an effect on the success of pregnancy, alternative mechanisms may play a role in protecting pregnancy. This dissertation discusses how the regulatory mechanisms protecting the semi-allogeneic fetus during pregnancy are disrupted during fetal intervention and may play a role in preterm labor. The results discussed in this dissertation provide support for a novel role of the maternal adaptive immune system in the rejection of the fetus during pregnancy complications. Finally, Chapter five discusses the future directions that have come about because of this thesis work.


Background Malaria during pregnancy is one of the major causes of mortality in tropical regions, causing maternal anemia, intrauterine growth retardation, preterm birth, and low birth weight (LBW). The integration of the information systems is crucial to assess the dimension of gestational malaria in a wide and useful way, to improve decision making and maternal-child health. Methods and Findings An observational population-based study acquired information retrospectively from all live births that occurred between 2006 and 2014 in Cruzeiro do Sul (Acre, Brazil). Social and clinical data of the mother and newborn was extracted from the Information System of Live Births. Malaria episodes information was obtained from the Brazilian Epidemiological Surveillance Information System Malaria. A deterministic record linkage was performed to assess malaria impact on pregnancy. The studied population presented a malaria incidence of 8.9%, of which 63.9% infected by Plasmodium (P.) vivax. Reduction of newborns birth weight at term (small for gestational age (SGA) and LBW) has been found associated with P. vivax infection during pregnancy (SGA - OR 1.24, 95% CI 1.02-1.52, p=0.035; term LBW - OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.03-1.88, p=0.033). Additionally, P. falciparum infection during pregnancy has been found to be associated with preterm births (OR 1.54, 95% CI 1.09-2.18, p=0.016), which is related with late preterm births (OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.11-2.27, p=0.011). Conclusions Despite the decrease of malaria cases during the evaluated period, we present evidence of the deleterious effects of gestational malaria in a low transmission area in the Amazonian region. Regardless of Plasmodium species, malaria during pregnancy poses a risk for newborns birth weight reduction, highlighting the impact that P. vivax has on the fetus. Funding São Paulo Research Foundation - FAPESP/Brazil.


Polymorphisms of N‐acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) acetylation may influence drug toxicities and efficacy and are associated with a differential susceptibility to select cancers. Acetylation phenotype may have clinical implications. The purposes of this study were to determine the genetic basis of an apparent predominance of slow acetylation phenotype and to assess concordance with genotype in a population of Hmong residing in Minnesota. Urine and DNA obtained from unrelated Hmong 18 to 65 years of age were used to determine phenotype from caffeine metabolites, whereas direct nucleotide sequencing of the NAT2 coding region, followed by cloning, identified all known allelic variants. From 61 subjects (27 men, 30 ± 11 years), analysis of 50 urine‐DNA pairs identified 46 (92%) slow acetylators and 4 (8%) rapid acetylators by phenotype. Genotypic analysis inferred 5 (10%) slow acetylators and 45 (90%) rapid acetylators. There is 86% discordance between phenotype and genotype. A predominance of NAT2 slow acetylation phenotype in the Hmong is confirmed, and a significant discordance between NAT2 phenotype and genotype is identified. In this population, slow acetylation phenotype determined by a metabolic probe would not have been predicted by genotype alone. Environmental, genetic, or phenotypic anomalies that may contribute to this discordance should be considered and evaluated in future studies within this unique population.


The pattern of using the household billing to promote heating energy savings has become a focus discussion in the current national energy conservation. Nowadays the average energy consumption in China is 2 to 3 times than the developed countries with the same weather conditions, equivalent to the level of developed countries in 60 to 70 years. We report a daily heat-energy consumption measuring test in Beijing since 2009, the result shows that 90% of the total households we tested never change their valves to regulate the heat exchange systems in two winters, the one at least change their valves once are about 5%. So that the way households use the central heating is not fit for the need to save heat-energy.


Unifying logical and probabilistic reasoning is a long-standing goal of AI. While recent work in lifted belief propagation, handling whole sets of indistinguishable objects together, are promising steps towards achieving this goal that even scale to realistic domains, they are not tailored towards solving combinatorial problems such as determining the satisfiability of Boolean formulas. Recent results, however, show that certain other message passing algorithms, namely, survey propagation, are remarkably successful at solving such problems. In this paper, we propose the first lifted variants of survey propagation and its simpler version warning propagation. Our initial experimental results indicate that they are faster than using lifted belief propagation to determine the satisfiability of Boolean formulas.


There are several similar good books on health psychology but this one is constructed in a novel and interesting way. It starts with three chapters discussing the interaction between psychological factors and health. In the second section, there are issues related to treatment and the way in which patients behave inside and outside medical settings. The final section examines specific problems in health. Each chapter offers a thorough


Peripheral blood monocytes isolated from patients with congenital hemolytic anemia, hereditary xerocytosis and spherocytosis, demonstrated in vivo engulfment of red cell and platelet fragments. In addition, morphometric studies performed on these monocytes showed an increase in cytoplasmic/nuclear ratio as well as lysosome and phagosome volumes. The production of carbon dioxide from glucose-1-14C in abnormal monocytes was increased (15-80%) but the intracellular values of beta-glucuronidase and esterase activity were similar to control monocytes. Monocyte locomotion assessed in the presence of chemotactic stimuli was found significantly increased (73 +/- 12 monocytes/oil immersion fields vs. 46 +/- 5 for control monocytes). We concluded that the monocytes in hemolytic anemias associated with increased in vitro red cell fragmentation have some features resembling the 'stimulated' monocytes and that this alteration may be due to red blood cell fragment ingestion.


Objectives: To investigate the correlations of initial lab and imaging findings in COVID-19 patients of different clinical types. Methods: We retrospective analyzed patients confirmed with COVID-19 in the Fifth Medical Center of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) General Hospital between February to April 2020, selected a total of 58 (N) patients with lab and imaging examinations that met the study criteria, using Artificial intelligence (AI) software to calculate the percentage of COVID-19 lesions in the volume of the whole lung, then the correlations of general information, initial chest CT examination after admission and laboratory examinations were analyzed. Results: The 58 (N) COVID-19 patients were divided into mild group [41(n) cases]: and severe group [17(n) cases]: according to patient's condition. CT findings of the severe group and mild group mainly included single or multiple ground glass opacity (GGO), with lesions mainly distributed in the periphery of lungs or GGO mixed with consolidation, with lesions involved in peripheral and central areas of both lungs, accompanied other signs. A significant difference in CRP, IL-6, D-D, GGT was observed between the two groups (p < 0.05). The ratios regarding lymphocyte abnormality and neutrophil abnormality in the severe group were higher than those in the mild group (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The CT features at initial diagnosis of COVID-19 were mainly characterized by multiple GGO with or without partial consolidation in both lungs, with the lesions mainly distributed at the subpleural regions. Some lab test indexes were correlated with the clinical types of COVID-19.


The prediction and the optimization of the rate of penetration (ROP), an important measure of drilling performance, have increasingly generated great interest. Several empirical techniques have been explored in the literature for the prediction and the optimization of ROP. In this study, four commonly used artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms are explored for the prediction of ROP based on the hydromechanical specific energy (HMSE) ROP model parameters. The AIs explored are the artificial neural network (ANN), extreme learning machine (ELM), support vector regression (SVR), and least-square support vector regression (LS-SVR). All the algorithms provided results with accuracy within acceptable range. The utilization of HMSE in selecting drilling variables for the prediction models provided an improved and consistent methodology of predicting ROP with drilling efficiency optimization objectives. This is valuable from an operational point of view, because it provides a reference point for measuring drilling efficiency and performance of the drilling process in terms of energy input and corresponding output in terms of ROP. The real-time drilling data utilized are must-haves, easily acquired, accessible, and controllable during drilling operations.


Exploiting geometric structure to improve the asymptotic complexity of discrete assignment problems is a well-studied subject. In contrast, the practical advantages of using geometry for such problems have not been explored. We implement geometric variants of the Hopcroft-Karp algorithm for bottleneck matching (based on previous work by Efrat el al.) and of the auction algorithm by Bertsekas for Wasserstein distance computation. Both implementations use k-d trees to replace a linear scan with a geometric proximity query. Our interest in this problem stems from the desire to compute distances between persistence diagrams, a problem that comes up frequently in topological data analysis. We show that our geometric matching algorithms lead to a substantial performance gain, both in running time and in memory consumption, over their purely combinatorial counterparts. Moreover, our implementation significantly outperforms the only other implementation available for comparing persistence diagrams.


Background Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS are the major public health problems in many parts of the world particularly in resource limited countries like Ethiopia. Although studies have been conducted on the prevalence and associated factors of TB / HIV co-infection in Ethiopia, there is no comprehensive data on the magnitude and risk factors at a national and regional levels. Therefore, this review is aimed to summarize the prevalence of TB /HIV co-infection in Ethiopia using meta-analysis based on a systematic review of published articles & grey literatures. Methods To conduct this systematic review and meta-analysis, major databases such as Pub Med, Google scholar, CINAHL, Africa Journals Online and Google were systematically searched using search terms. PRISMA guideline was followed in the study. Two authors extracted all necessary data using a standardized data extraction format, and analysis was done using STATA version 11. A Statistical heterogeneity across the studies was evaluated by using Cochran's Q test and I2 statistic. The pooled effect size was conducted in the form of prevalence and associations were measured using odds ratio. Moreover, the univariate meta regression was performed by considering the sample size to determine potential sources of heterogeneity. The Egger's weighted regression and Begg's rank correlation tests were used to assess potential publication biases. Results This meta-analysis included 21 studies with a total of 12,980 participants. The pooled prevalence of TB / HIV Co-infection was 25.59% (95% CI (20.89%–30.29%). A significant association was found between low CD4 counts (OR: 3.53; 95% CI: 1.55, 8.06), advanced WHO stage (OR: 6.81; 95% CI: 3.91, 11.88) and TB/ HIV/AIDS Co-infection. Conclusion This finding revealed that the magnitude of TB /HIV co-infection in Ethiopia is increasing and deserves special attention. Low CD4 count and advanced WHO stage are contributing factors for dual infection. Establishing mechanisms such as Conducting surveillance to determine HIV burden among TB patients and TB burden among HIV patients, and intensifying the three I's (Intensive case finding, INH Preventive Therapy and Infection control) should be routine work of clinicians. Moreover, early screening & treatment should be provided to those patients with low CD4 count and advanced WHO stage.


Spinal Myoclonus (SM) is characterized by brief and sudden movements caused by the activation of muscles belonging to adjacent spinal myotomes. Recent reports have indicated that "typical" clinical and electrophysiological features of SM can be mimicked voluntarily. A useful tool that can distinguish between organic and psychogenic jerks is the detection of a Bereitschaftspotential (BP). In this study, we looked for evidence of a BP in a cohort of patients with idiopathic SM. A clinical and neurophysiological assessment of 20 patients affected by idiopathic SM was performed. A video EEG‐EMG multichannel recording was performed in each patient to detect BP. An expert neurophysiologist (PB) reviewed the BP recordings and divided them into those showing a definite, possible, and no BP. A clinical assessment of the videoed movements was performed by two neurologists expert in movement disorders (KB and MJE) who indicated if the movements were compatible with organic or psychogenic myoclonus. A definite or possible BP was recorded in 15 out of 20 patients. Clinical raters agreed in their clinical opinion on 15 patients (75%). All patients where both raters agreed the movements appeared to be organic had definite or possible BP. BP are commonly seen in patients with idiopathic SM. There is discordance between clinicians in their clinical rating of SM as organic or psychogenic, but even in those patients where movements appear clinically to be organic, a BP is commonly detected, indicating that the aetiology is psychogenic. This suggests that BP recordings are a useful adjunct to clinical assessment in the accurate diagnosis of patients with idiopathic SM. © 2009 Movement Disorder Society


Five years experience using 5AZA and HU in a limited number of patients with SS disease, have resulted in the following conclusions. First, these drugs can rapidly induce increases in HbF production. Rapid increases in HbF production are not associated with reductions in overall reticulocyte levels, or reductions in late erythroid precursors, such as CFU-E. Indeed, where higher doses of these drugs are used or where the patient is unable to clear the drug rapidly, cytotoxicity is associated with reduced HbF production. These drugs not only increase the number of cells containing HbF, but also increase the MCV and the MCH of both F cells and non-F cells. Uncontrolled clinical trials suggest that the clinical severity of the disease measured by reduction in anemia and fewer vasoocclusive SS crises, may result from use of these drugs. The mechanisms by which these drugs result in increased F-cell production and increased MCH of F cells and non-F cells, may be due to their ability to reversibly block cells during their cell-cycle. This reversible blockade does not inhibit either on-going protein production or the establishment of origins of replications of DNA. Even though the mechanisms whereby the increased HbF production is not known, early clinical results seem to justify the initiation of controlled clinical trials of HU in severely affected SS patients.


This paper evaluated the effect of agricultural input (fertilizer) on carbon emission (methane and nitrous oxide) in South Africa and the likely environmental costs of such emissions. The paper applied a quantitative research design and data were from secondary sources, mainly from the archives of Index Mundi, the US EPA and the World Bank. The Pearson correlation results show that fertilizer input is related to agricultural nitrous oxide and methane emissions at a P-value of 0.027 and 0.05 respectively. This thus, confirms that fertilizer input causes an agricultural induced emission of greenhouse gases (nitrous oxide and methane). Furthermore, findings from the estimation of potential environmental costs of methane and nitrous oxide emissions showed that these have had rising and steady environmental costs to the society, which, unfortunately is born by the society. Consequently, the study recommends agricultural related emission policy to enable farmers internalise some of the environmental costs of agricultural inputs that are born by the society, which is the socioeconomic costs. Such further research should determine a fair model that may be used to internalise environmental costs of agricultural inputs but to avoid consumers of agricultural produce from paying for such costs.


Ceramics are significantly used in many industrial applications due to their excellent mechanical and thermal properties such as high temperature strength, low density, high hardness, low thermal expansion and good corrosion properties. To combine the specific advantages of ceramics with that of metals, they are often used together within one composite component. In this study, the effect of temperature on fracture characteristics of silicon nitride joined to 304 stainless steel brazed with Ti active alloy are investigated in room and high temperature regions. And analytical studies on the residual stress of dissimilar brazed joint are performed by the finite element method. Four-point bending strength and deflection of interlayer increase with increasing strain rate in room temperature. As the test temperature increases, the bending strength decreases, but the deflection of interlayer is almost constant. The residual stresses redistribute after cutting of joint and the maximum tensile stress occurs on the new free surface at the ceramic near the interface. The singularity of residual stresses at the ceramic near the interface is characterized by elastic-plastic properties of ceramic and inserted materials.


Several epidemiological studies suggest a lower incidence of prostate cancer in men who routinely consume tomato products. Tomatoes are the primary dietary source of lycopene, which is among the most potent antioxidants of the carotenoids. Men with clinical stage T1 or T2 prostate adenocarcinoma were recruited (n = 32) and consumed tomato sauce based pasta dishes for 3 weeks (equivalent to 30 mg of lycopene per day) before radical prostectomy. Prostate tissue from needle biopsy just before intervention and prostectomy after supplementation from a subset of 11 subjects was evaluated for both total lycopene and lycopene geometrical isomer ratios. A gradient HPLC system using a C(18) column with UV-vis absorbance detection was used to measure total lycopene. Because the absorbance detector was insufficiently sensitive, HPLC with a C(30) column and positive ion atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometric (LC-MS) detection was developed as a new assay to measure the ratio of lycopene cis/trans isomers in these samples. The limit of detection of the LC-MS method was determined to be 0.93 pmol of lycopene on-column, and a linear response was obtained over 3 orders of magnitude. Total lycopene in serum increased 2.0-fold from 35.6 to 69.9 microg/dL (from 0.664 to 1.30 microM) as a result of dietary supplementation with tomato sauce, whereas total lycopene in prostate tissue increased 3.0-fold from 0.196 to 0.582 ng/mg of tissue (from 0.365 to 1.09 pmol/mg). all-trans-Lycopene and at least 14 cis-isomer peaks were detected in prostate tissue and serum. The mean proportion of all-trans-lycopene in prostate tissue was approximately 12.4% of total lycopene before supplementation but increased to 22.7% after dietary intervention with tomato sauce. In serum there was only a 2.8% but statistically significant increase in the proportion of all-trans-lycopene after intervention. These results indicate that short-term supplementation with tomato sauce containing primarily all-trans-lycopene (83% of total lycopene) results in substantial increases in total lycopene in serum and prostate and a substantial increase in all-trans-lycopene in prostate but relatively less in serum.


The title of this paper is very ambitious, implying a desire to assess the most basic questions that now concern us all. How did we get into this mess, and what can we do to get back out of it? While the paper itself hardly discusses the issue of regulation, to which this conference is dedicated, clearly we cannot suggest preventive regulatory solutions without understanding the underlying causes of our current difficulties. My comments will basically follow the structure of the paper. Broadly put, I will agree with their assessments, as far as they go, but I will also suggest that they do not go far enough.


A nanosensor based on a glassy carbon electrode modified with the biopolymer chitosan, multi-wall carbon nanotubes, and gold nanoparticles (MWCNTs–CS–AuNPs/GCE) was developed for the determination of 4,4′-diaminodiphenyl diamine (MDA). Cyclic voltammetry (CV) was used to investigate the electrochemical behavior of the sensor in the presence of MDA. MDA displayed a well-expressed oxidation peak at 0.54 V (versus Ag/AgCl) in Britton–Robinson (B–R) universal buffer solution (pH = 10). The transfer coefficient, α, and the overall number of electrons (n) involved in the catalytic oxidation of MDA at the MWCNTs–CS–AuNPs/GCE surface were also determined by CV. The reactivity of spiked MDA was strongly dependent on the pH of the supporting electrolyte, with the pH dependence of the MDA oxidation quantified as 27.576 mV pH−1. Through chronoamperometry, the diffusion coefficient (D) of MDA was calculated to be 9.49 × 10−5 cm2 s−1. The limit of detection of MDA was estimated to be ∼20 nM through amperometry experiments, while three linear ranges were found for MDA, i.e., 0.49–10.14 μM, 10.14–94.9 μM, and 94.9–261.18 μM. Real sample tests enabled us to emphasize the potential of this nanocomposite-modified electrode as a new analytical tool for the determination of MDA.


Summary Preparation of an engineering geological map of the Tyne and Wear Metropolitan County, North-East England from available archival, geological and site investigation data has involved appraisal of the general engineering geological conditions of the area. Characteristics of drift-covered areas underlain by Permian magnesian limestones and Carboniferous coal measures are illustrated. A general classification of engineering geological maps based on purpose, content and scale has been adopted. The principles of mapping in an urban environment are elucidated using large-scale plans to illustrate problems associated with the infilling of a natural valley, old coal workings near the surface, and variable superficial deposits.


Abstract The main aim of this paper is to analyse the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation. For the purposes of the paper, the theory of hybrid warfare was chosen as an analytical category. Throughout the paper, the concept of hybrid warfare is examined and applied on case study of Crimean annexation. Hybrid warfare, especially in connection with Russian actions in Crimea has been an intensely debated concept. There is an ongoing debate among scholars concerning the meaning of the concept, its existence and employment by the Russian Federation. This paper showed that the article of Valeriy Gerasimov – the incumbent Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Federation-invoked a new warfare strategy for the Russian Federation which was consequently for the very first time in its full spectre and effectivity employed on case of Crimean annexation in March 2014. Observing the application of the hybrid warfare in practice serves the purposes of countering its further potential application in post-Soviet space and Russian 'near abroad'.


We introduce a class of generalized vector quasivariational-like inequality problems in Banach spaces. We derive some new existence results by using KKM-Fan theorem and an equivalent fixed point theorem. As an application of our results, we have obtained as special cases the existence results for vector quasi-equilibrium problems, generalized vector quasivariational inequality and vector quasi-optimization problems. The results of this paper generalize and unify the corresponding results of several authors and can be considered as a significant extension of the previously known results.


Abstract Emerging or early adulthood is the life stage spanning 18–25 years of age. In Australia, anxiety and affective disorders (often classifi ed as 'common mental disorders') are prevalent in this age group and suicide is also a concern. Professional mental health care can reduce the long-term impact of these mental health problems and protect against the development of severe forms of these disorders. However, up to three-quarters of young people with mental health needs do not seek professional help for their condition. This study aimed to examine the extent to which belief in the need for autonomy and intentions to seek help from informal help-sources act as barriers or facilitators to seeking help from a mental health service for symptoms of a common mental disorder and suicidal thoughts, in a sample of 641 emerging adults aged 18–25 years. For common mental disorders and suicidal thoughts, results reveal that the family of origin has an important influence on mental health service access among emerging adults, but also, that the growing independence and autonomy of emerging adults needs to be accommodated if mental health treatment services are to be accessible to this important age group.


This in vitro experiment was conducted to evaluate the ruminal performances of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)-diet (containing PUFA with 80% concentrate and 20% King grass) supplemented with yeast and C. xanthorrhiza Roxb. Experimental design was completely randomized block design of  4 x 4 with ruminal liquor derived from 4 slaughtered goats and 4 treatments (PD0-no supplement, PDY- 0.5% yeast, PDC-2% curcuma, and PDM- 0.5% yeast + 2% curcuma). Variables measured were pH, N-NH 3 , total and partial VFA (volatile fatty acid), protozoa population, and CH 4 (methane). Results showed that the lowest (P<0.05) organic (59.63%) and dry matter (58.00%) digestibilities were found in PDM. In in vitro , this diet was also showing quantitatively low in N-NH 3 (8.73 mM) and protozoa population (7.90±4.09 10 3 cfu/mL). On the other hand, it showed numerically high in VFA production (45.27 mM) and pH (6.74), yet low in CH4 (13.43% v/v).  Based on these data, PDM was considered the most potential diet to improve nutrient metabolism in rumen of goat, in vitro . Key words: PUFA- diet, yeast, curcuma, in vitro fermentation


In this satire on environmental collapse set in the near future, many of our avian friends have sadly been extinct for decades, but Alfred Wallis and his Aviary Wonders Company enthusiastically supply hobbyists with everything they need to create their own birds. Readers browse the current color catalogue to select parts to customize their own beautiful marvel, beginning with basic bodies and adding wings, beaks, feet, etc. appropriate to the lifestyle one chooses for their own beastie. Lots of samples are provided based on birds of the yore (and informative insets are included that remark on the passing of various species). Do you prefer a wader like an ibis or egret? Perhaps a swimmer such a swan or guillemot? Tails suitable for each bird come in a variety of aesthetically pleasing designs, and lots of helpful guidance is offered on how best to select the correct legs, wattles, combs, etc: proper attachment of each feature, and troubleshooting hints are also included. This is as cleverly executed as it is edifying, with a fair amount of information on physical adaptation, and the catalog conceit actually advances the organizational success. The gilding-the-lily exaggeration of birds' natural beauty is satire at its child-appropriate best, and the subtle digs at our perennial efforts to domesticate animals for our pleasure won't be lost on young readers. Pair this with Annette Cate's Look Up! (BCCB 3/13), grab the binoculars, and let's go bird watching while we still can. EB


The papers in this special section highlight current and emerging research in antennas for WBAN, as well as applications of this technology. This ssection brings together the latest work in antennas for in-, on-, and off-body communication, the WBAN channels, the measurement of wearable and implantable antennas, and also considers the important aspect of specific absorption rate (SAR) estimation and measurement.


The advent of the Internet has encouraged trading partners to collaborate electronically by leveraging the type of distributed applications usually referred to as business-to-business (B2B) applications. A review of the literature on B2B integration shows that designing B2B solutions is inherently complex because of the need to make integration design decisions at different levels of abstraction. For every decision, there may be several possible solutions offering different levels of quality. These alternatives may be offered in the form of integration approaches, patterns, models, technologies, standards, or protocols. In addition, integration design decisions and alternatives are often highly interdependent. Therefore, new approaches are needed to alleviate the design complexity of B2B applications. A framework is discussed that would help designers navigate design decisions and alternatives from early business process determination through the generation of technology-dependent integration architecture. Using patterns appropriately, the framework would enable designers to systematically evaluate and select design alternatives based on their quality attributes.


Abstract One of the functions of parliamentary questions in modern legislatures is to pressure executives to pay attention to specific issues. But can these questions effectively influence executive decisions? There is surprisingly little empirical research in this area. Adopting an agenda-setting perspective, this article examines the extent to which issue attention in oral parliamentary questions influences the issues addressed in the weekly meetings of the Council of Ministers in three countries (Belgium, France and Portugal). Our findings suggest that the agenda-setting power of parliaments vis-à-vis the executive is usually weak in the contexts studied here. In Belgium, we find evidence that the executive does pick up on issues debated in parliament but that the media seems to play a crucial role in focusing attention. These conclusions testify to the dominance of the executive power in many Western democracies. The findings also demonstrate that agenda-setting patterns are more complex than single-country studies often suggest, and that comparative research is the way forward.


This paper presents a mathematical programing formulation for synthesizing water networks associated with shale gas hydraulic fracturing operations while accounting for the system uncertainty. The proposed formulation yields strategic planning that minimizes the cost considering water requirements as well as equipment capacities for treatment technologies, storage units, and disposals. The key uncertainties pertain to the water usage for fracturing and the time-based return of flowback water. The objective function is aimed at the minimization of the total annual cost, which accounts for the operating and capital costs associated with the water network. The developed model addresses the scheduling problem associated with shale gas production, which provides as output the completion phases for all the projected wells. This information is used in estimating the periods with water requirements and where flowback water can be collected. The proposed methodology includes an analysis of the optimal equipment si...


The Murzuq Basin is located to the southwest of Libya. The basin is a foreland intracratonic trough which was formed during the Pan-African orogeny. It has evolved through several tectonic events from Pan African to Alpinian. The complex glacial influence sedimentation and erosion have been recognized in the Ordovician Hawaz and Mamuniyat sediments. The Hawaz Fm. has been deeply eroded forming a spectacular terrain of escarpments and incised valleys where later filled by Melaz Shuqran and Mamuniyat Formations. Restricted basin during the early Silurian favored the deposition of organic rich Base Tanezzuft "Hot Shale". A combination of both Ordovician Hawaz and Mamuniyat as reservoir with the Lower Silurian Tanezzuft Hot Shale creates the main play in the area. The presence of active petroleum system and hydrocarbon potential in the Murzuq Basin has been support by oil fields and discoveries. A total of 18 oil fields have been discovered with recoverable reserves exceeding 1.9 billion barrels.


This chapter focuses on the specific challenges of old age autobiography. In old age, when individuals have a long past and countless memories at their disposal, writing one's autobiography should be particularly rewarding. However, some autobiographies of old age – in both fiction and non-fiction – present a sobering outlook: ageing writers battle to uphold the structures of language and text against their slowly deteriorating bodies and minds, but in the end their physical reality is stronger than the narrative illusion they intend to create. To illustrate this, I analyze John Barth's short stories "Peeping Tom" and "Assisted Living" and Joan Didion's Blue Nights in connection with Ricoeur's concept of narrative identity. The chapter concludes with a commentary on contemporary tendencies in society and science, which privilege memory and high mental capacity as the fundament of a person's identity, agency, and ultimately humanity, shifting the fourth age even more to the margins of society. Barth and Didion, who both refuse to euphemize physical and mental distress in old age, contribute to a growing body of literature that counters this trend.


Introduction:
 Significant neovascularization following indirect revascularization procedures, such as encephaloduroarteriosynangiosis (EDAS), has traditionally been considered to develop slowly over time. However, a recent study of angiography following indirect revascularization procedures demonstrated early signs of revascularization as early as 4 days following surgery. While we have previously published demonstration of robust revascularization at 6 months and later following surgery, here we present a subset of patients, all with non-moyamoya intracranial arterial stenosis (IAS), with earlier angiographic evaluation following EDAS.

 Methods:
 We retrospectively reviewed charts of adult patients who have undergone EDAS for non-moyamoya IAS. These early angiograms were evaluated for signs of revascularization and graded according to the scale presented by Perren et al (1, no sign of neoangiogenesis; 2, one-to-four new transcortical vessels; 3, > four new transcortical vessels).

 Results:
 Ten patients (mean age 43 years, 8 females) were found with follow-up cerebral angiography within 6 months of surgery (1 each at 1, 2 & 3 mo, 2 at 1.5 mo, 3 at 5 mo, and 4 at 6 mo). All angiograms demonstrated neovascularity, regardless of underlying diagnosis, including scores of 3 (extensive neoangiogenesis) in 80% of cases as early as 1.5 months after surgery. Two patients had grade 2 at 1 & 2 months. Clinically, all patients' ischemic symptomatology has resolved. Six patients have had no symptoms since surgery while 4 patients had transient episodes consistent with ischemia (TIA) that all resolved by 2 weeks post-operatively (3 at 1 week and 1 at 2 weeks). No patient suffered stroke following EDAS.

 Conclusion:
 This series adds to the growing evidence that indirect revascularization procedures can lead to significant neovascularity in a shorter time frame than previously expected in adult patients, including those with non-moyamoya IAS. Further study is required to better define the time course of neoangiogenesis and to evaluate angiogenic mechanisms that contribute to the success of this procedure.


: In both stress and aging, an etiopathogenic analysis demonstrates in the brain some common mechanisms and reciprocal accelerating relationships: hypoanabolism (decrease of RNA and protein synthesis), coupled with hypercatabolism (increase of oxidative stress-lipid peroxidation, with waste product accumulation: lipofuscinage pigment and water-insoluble proteins). For therapeutical intervention in these antihomeostatic processes, we successively (1972-1992) developed a neurometabolic antioxidative therapy--finally represented by a specific antistress and antiaging synergistic formula, Antagonic-Stress. Its homeostatic actions have been demonstrated in the stressed aging brains by reestablishing the anabolism/catabolism balance: anabolic regeneration by increasing total RNA, total proteins and water-soluble proteins, coupled with catabolic regulation by accelerated lipofuscinolysis and age pigment elimination (neuronal-->glial-->capillary route) and decreasing of water-insoluble proteins. Specific, synergistic, and superior actions of Antagonic-Stress multiple formula vs. antistress and antiaging monotherapy have been demonstrated by preclinical and clinical studies, confirming our results.


.............................................................................................................................. v LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................... ix LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................... x LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................................... xi CHAPTER ONE ........................................................................................................................


K. REACH. Some basic features of a universal language. Preprinted for the members of the Fifth International Congress for the Unity of Science, Cambridge, Mass., 1939, 7 pp. Distributed to members of the Congress but not read. "A universal language is a language in which every significant statement about the 'world' can be formulated." Since such a language is itself a part of the world, it also contains statements about itself. It is more comprehensive than the language of unified science, because not every significant sentence is a scientific one. In addition to scientific sentences, a universal language contains sentences recording our workaday knowledge, and the sentences we use when applying or testing scientific sentences. The kinds of sentences needed by a universal language are the following: (a) sentences recording perceptions, external and internal, (b) remembrance sentences, (c) aspect sentences, (d) thing sentences, which report what happens at a place or to an individual, and may belong to various levels, e.g., macroscopic, microscopic, social, (e) general sentences, including probability laws. Because of the latter, rules of inference additional to the familiar ones are needed in a universal language. Such a language also contains expressions that are not sentences. Some of them serve as signals, which do not record but reveal facts. C. J. DUCASSE


The activity of the geothermal plant at Bouillante in Guadeloupe (French West Indies) releases thioautotrophic bacteria into the coastal environment. Fish counts reveal that fish abundance increases with higher availability of this bacterial resource. In order to evaluate the trophic role of these bacteria, isotopic compositions (C, N, S) of potential consumers were evaluated on transects at increasing distance from the source of bacteria. The 3 mobile fish species examined (Abudefduf saxatilis, Acanthurus bahianus, and Stegastes partitus) ingested and assimilated chemosynthetic bacteria. Similarly, the isotopic composition of the mobile sea urchin Diadema antillarum was different close to the discharge channel, suggesting a diet mainly composed of sulfur bacteria. In contrast, endofauna sampled from the nematode community did not show a diet influence by chemosynthetic bacteria. A broad variety of epifaunal organisms with passive and active suspension-feeding activities were also investigated, including sponges (Aplysina fistularis and Iotrochota birotulata), barnacles (Balanus sp.), bivalve molluscs (Spon dylus tenuis) and cnidarians (Pseudopterogorgia sp.), but no strong evidence for sulfur bacteria contributions were determined in the diets of any of these organisms. This was also true for the omnivorous predator annelid Hermodice carunculata. In this coastal oligotrophic environment, only certain opportunistic species seem to benefit from the emergence of a new food item such as chemosynthetic bacteria.


This essay will analyse how Asperger's syndrome and autism spectrum disorder is made in two municipal high schools. I have interviewed school personnel and analysed the schools' policy documents and diagnostic manuals. In this essay AS and ASD are being deconstructed as political and ideological object and I analyse techniques in school, that makes these objects to subjects.The school's mission is to foster and educate pupils to become desirable citizens and at the same time its aim is to provide an equivalent school. The diagnostics function as explanatory models for behaviors' that are made problematic in school, in the interaction of the aims of the school. The diagnostics are used as explanatory models that enable efficiency in the disciplining of the pupil, based on political interests.The medical discourse, the school's compensatory discourse and the discourse of "a school for everybody" is manifested by a therapeutical ideology which directs thoughts about problems, such as illness, away from structures and towards individuals. The individuals will be directed to activation so that they strive to develop a behavior that is desired by the dominating order.


The role of exteroceptive and interoceptive aversive stimuli in rats 2 to 14 days old was investigated according to an odor aversion paradigm. Amyl acetate odor was paired with eigher peripheral shock, intraperitoneal shock, or lithium chloride poisoning. Intraperitoneal shock was an effective unconditioned stimulus at all ages and produced odor aversions comparable to lithium chloride poisoning; peripheral shock, however, was effective only in rats 10 days of age or older. Interoceptive control of aversively motivated behaviors thus seems to develop before exteroceptive control, and the failure of previous studies to find reliable learning and retention of shock-motivated behaviors before 8 to 10 days of age may be attributable to the site to which shock was applied rather than to insensitivity to shock per se.


This is the first biographical study of John Fielden, industrial magnate and radical MP for Oldham in Lancashire from 1832 to 1847. Best known as a leading advocate of factory reform - he was the parliamentary sponsor of the momentous Ten Hours Act of 1847 - Fielden also took a conspicuous part in the Owenite, Chartist, and anti-Poor Law movements. Drawing on a little-used collection of Fielden family papers, the book offers an assessment of each of the movements in which Fielden's relationship with them, and discusses the influences which went into the making of a radical industrialist who occupied a unique place in Parliament as the people's representative. This long overdue account of his personal, business, and political life offers new insights into the turbulent politics of mid-nineteenth century England.


Despite recommendations against routine imaging, chest radiography (CXR) is frequently performed on infants hospitalized for bronchiolitis. We conducted a review of 811 infants hospitalized for bronchiolitis to identify clinical factors associated with imaging findings. CXR was performed on 553 (68%) infants either on presentation or during hospitalization; 466 readings (84%) were normal or consistent with viral illness. Clinical factors significantly associated with normal/viral imaging were normal temperature (odds ratio = 1.66; 95% CI = 1.03-2.67) and normal oxygen saturation (odds ratio = 1.77; 95% CI = 1.1-2.83) on presentation. Afebrile patients with normal oxygen saturations were nearly 3 times as likely to have a normal/viral CXR as patients with both fever and hypoxia. Our findings support the limited role of radiography in the evaluation of hospitalized infants with bronchiolitis, especially patients without fever or hypoxia.


For decades, live organ donors have been cared for within the transplant program by the same team that cared for the recipient without any standardization, practice guidelines, or evidence-based evaluation. In an effort to improve the care of living donors, regulations and guidelines to dictate care and follow-up have been instituted. Practices still vary from center to center, and the quality of care that live donors receive also varies. A "Living Donor Center" focused solely on the care of actual and potential donors before and after donation is one way to provide the infrastructure to comply with regulatory mandates and deliver high-quality care to this specialized population of patients. A Center for Living Donation was developed within a Transplantation Institute to address the short- and long-term needs of live donors and confine all donor care to a team of experts led by a doctorally prepared nurse practitioner as the director. A transplant nurse practitioner is uniquely poised to assume such a role because of such competencies as clinical and professional leadership, ability to act as a change agent, communication skills, and ability to lead a multidisciplinary team.


A 29-year-old man presented with progressive paraparesis associated with sensory impairment in both lower limbs for the past 2 years. He was experiencing the sensation of incomplete urinary evacuation. The patient had undergone an earlier operation for a lumbar lipomeningocele at birth. Magnetic resonance images of the lumbosacral spine showed a low-lying conus medullaris adherent to a caudal lipoma. There was a leash of abnormal vascular channels in the adjacent subarachnoid space. The patient underwent spinal angiography that revealed a dural arteriovenous fistula (AVF) principally fed by the left fourth lumbar (L-4) radicular branch. At surgery the cord was detethered by disconnection of the sacral lipoma. The dural fistula was obliterated by occlusion of the L-4 radicular feeder close to the nidus of the fistula. Postoperatively, the patient experienced an immediate relief of sensation of tightness in both lower limbs. There was a gradual improvement of power and sensation at the 6-month follow-up examination. According to the authors' literature search, the present case is a unique report of a rare association of spinal cord tethering due to a caudal lipoma associated with a lumbar dural AVF. The present report discusses the etiopathology, presentation, and management of this case.


This presentation brings into your attention one of the possibilities to create a digital sky map (combining the graphical part with the textual one). This map is realised in order to represent the northen hemisphere of the sky vault using a right azimuthal projection, equidistant on the meridians, which contains over 700 stars having the magnitude less than 5, joined in 42 constellations. To achieve this purpose it was used a scanned map in order to draw the constellations limits and the zodiacal signs while the representation of the stars was possible using their equatorial coordinates from the FK 5 catalog. Regarding the textual part of the map this project shows how to create a Microsoft Access database and the method / the steps by which it is attached to the graphical map in a dwg. format. So, it is a fact that using digital maps is more advantageous than using the analog ones, because it is possible to store a much larger amount of information.


To study the primary structure of human acetylcholinesterase (AcChoEase; EC 184.108.40.206) and its gene expression and amplification, cDNA libraries from human tissues expressing oocyte-translatable AcChoEase mRNA were constructed and screened with labeled oligodeoxynucleotide probes. Several cDNA clones were isolated that encoded a polypeptide with greater than or equal to 50% identically aligned amino acids to Torpedo AcChoEase and human butyrylcholinesterase (BtChoEase; EC 220.127.116.11). However, these cDNA clones were all truncated within a 300-nucleotide-long G + C-rich region with a predicted pattern of secondary structure having a high Gibbs free energy (-117 kcal/mol) downstream from the expected 5' end of the coding region. Screening of a genomic DNA library revealed the missing 5' domain. When ligated to the cDNA and constructed into a transcription vector, this sequence encoded a synthetic mRNA translated in microinjected oocytes into catalytically active AcChoEase with marked preference for acetylthiocholine over butyrylthiocholine as a substrate, susceptibility to inhibition by the AcChoEase inhibitor BW284C51, and resistance to the BtChoEase inhibitor tetraisopropylpyrophosphoramide. Blot hybridization of genomic DNA from different individuals carrying amplified AcChoEase genes revealed variable intensities and restriction patterns with probes from the regions upstream and downstream from the predicted G + C-rich structure. Thus, the human AcChoEase gene includes a putative G + C-rich attenuator domain and is subject to structural alterations in cases of AcChoEase gene amplification.


Objectives The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors of nocturnal enuresis (NE) among primary school children in Zarka district, Damietta governorate, Egypt. Background NE is a common medical and psychological problem worldwide among school-age children. Participants and methods The study was a nested case–control study that was conducted during the academic year 2013/2014 on 325 students aged 6–12 years in Damietta governorate. A questionnaire was designed and was filled in by the parents of randomly selected children attending two different primary schools. A comparative study was conducted in which the children having NE (n = 50) were considered as the case group, and a randomly selected group of nonenuretics with matched age, sex, and socioeconomic criteria (n = 100) was considered as the control group. Results The prevalence of NE was 15.4%. Logistic regression analysis showed that NE was associated with stressful family events and a history of urinary tract infection. In 60% of the enuretic children living in rural areas, working mothers were found to have less enuretic children than housewives. NE was significantly associated with low socioeconomic status of families. NE was associated with a positive family history: the history of enuresis in the father was 4%, the history of enuresis in the mother was 6%, and in brothers or sisters it was 20%. In addition, intake of diuretic drinks has a significant role. In addition, the analysis of data shows a positive association of lack of comfortable sleep. Conclusion The prevalence of NE in primary school children in Damietta governorate constitutes about 15.4%. The family history was seen to have had a markedly significant impact on the occurrence of NE in the studied children. Risk factors include living in rural area, nonworking mothers, psychological troubles, and intake of diuretic drinks.


In this paper we present an automatic algorithm evaluation system called ALGator, which was developed to facilitate the algorithm design and evaluation process. The system enables unbiased tests of the correctness of the algorithm's results on given test cases and comparisons of the quality of implemented algorithms for solving various kinds of problems (e.g. sorting data, matrix multiplication, traveler salesman problem, shortest path problem, and the like). Within the ALGator one can define a problem by specifying the problem descriptors, test sets with corresponding test cases, input parameters and output indicators, algorithm specifications and criteria for measuring the quality of algorithms. When a user of the system submits an algorithm for solving a given problem, ALGator automatically executes this algorithm on predefined tests, measures the quality indicators and prepares the results to be compared with the results of other algorithms in the system. The ALGator is meant to be used by algorithm developers to perform independent quality tests for their solutions.


Contemporary religious and theological scholarship is acutely aware that different contexts result in different ways of thinking and speaking about God. This article situates God-talk intentionally in the present global and post-secular horizon and asks about the implications of this hermeneutical move. Mapping scholarly trends in this regard is a specific aim of the article, which is written from the perspective of Systematic Theology in conversation with the Study of Religion. The development of reflection on God in inter-religious theologies and in the so-called Trinitarian rediscovery is discussed. Two academic challenges are identified as part of a constructive proposal – a re-envisioning of the relationship between the Study of Religion on the one hand and Christian Theology and Systematic Theology respectively on the other at public universities. Possible future constructive avenues are suggested and the article proposes a minimalist way forward to engage the global and post-secular context, and highlighting an inter-subjective ethos, attention to discursive performances and the African context.Keywords: globalised world, post-secular world, God, Trinity, Systematic Theology


ABSTRACT For the past two decades, information and communication technologies (ICT) have transformed the ways professors teach and students learn. This study aims to investigate the perceptions of onsite students (blended mode) and of those taking the same courses on the Internet (online mode). To guide the study, a moderator-type theoretical research model was developed, out of which eight hypotheses were formulated. The model was tested in a field experiment. To collect data, we used a multimethod approach, that is, a Web survey involving open- and closed-ended questions. The sample was formed of 192 onsite and online students from the three campuses of the University of Moncton (Moncton, Edmundston, and Shippagan). The quantitative data analysis was performed using a structural equation modeling software, that is, Partial Least Squares (PLS); the qualitative data were analyzed following a thematic structure using QSR NVivo software. In this paper we present a summary of the quantitative results (closed-ended questions) supported and enriched by the qualitative results of the students (open-ended questions). INTRODUCTION For the past two decades information and communication technologies (ICT) have transformed the ways professors teach and students learn. Some professors have actively shifted the information flow from a face-to-face mode (student listening, onsite presence) to an entirely online mode (student reading, onsite non presence); that is, they have designed courses and curricula offered completely online using the Internet and the Web. Others have developed the hybrid or blended mode (a combination of face-to-face and online activities; less student onsite presence, ongoing use of ICT both inside and outside the classroom). Hence, knowledge acquisition and dissemination have been re-conceptualized, and new methods developed in order to satisfy the rapidly evolving needs of a population of individuals in search of more knowledge, heterogeneous, and geographically distributed. In today's global economy, organizations (including universities) who want to survive and strive to stay highly competitive must continually innovate at the human, material, and technological levels. Alavi and Leidner (2001) pointed out that, during the past decade, universities and corporate training facilities have at an increasing rate invested into ICT to improve education and training. Marshall (2002) added that actual classrooms are more and more enriched by technology. Recent studies by the National Center for Education Statistics (Waits & Lewis, 2003), the Sloan Consortium (Allen & Seaman, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010), Aggarwal and Legon (2006), Borstorff and Lowe (2007), Martz and Shepherd (2007), Kinuthia and Dagada (2008), as well as Washburn (2011) showed a growing appeal and acceptance of online learning. Other recent studies by Kim and Bonk (2006), Gomez et al. (2007), Eynon (2008), Young and Ku (2008), Steele (2008), Moskal and Dziuban (2011), and the Garrison and Vaughan's (2008) book showed the growth of blended learning. Further, it is argued by Giddens (1999) that one of the more important functions of the university is to allow people to play a significant role in today's new economy. Thus, universities, faculties, and professors are currently looking for ways to improve teaching and curricula, as well as develop new modes capable of satisfying the actual and future needs of organizations and societies. Out of their recursive attempts, the four fundamental questions often revisited are the following: (1) What are we teaching? (2) What should we be teaching? (3) What is the best way to teach it (pedagogy)? and (4) What are the impacts on students? The study described in this paper aims at helping universities to stay highly competitive in the current global shift in higher education, an approach that is innovative in its exploration of new directions as regards the last two above-mentioned questions. …


Following grounded-theory methodology, this thesis provides an analysis of the volunteering experiences of 47 wheelchair-users. It challenges the traditional image of volunteering which tends to conceptualise non-disabled people as the instigators of voluntary action (the helpers) and disabled people as the recipients of volunteerism (the helped). It also begins to fill a notable gap in academic knowledge about the volunteering experiences of disabled people. The literature review showed that contemporary conceptualisations of disability were unsuitable for this thesis. Thus, an organising framework is proposed which acknowledges that disabled peoples' experiences may be influenced by medically and socially constructed factors – or by a combination of both acting simultaneously (medical-social factors). Having conceptualised disability for the purposes of the study, the thesis then provides an account of the research methodology used. This is followed by a presentation of research findings. An analysis of the volunteers' demographic, epidemiological and background characteristics is provided and their perceptions of the benefits of, and barriers to, volunteering highlighted. This is followed by an analysis of their volunteering experiences. Theory is developed in order to explain the volunteers' experiences from the approach outlined within the organising framework. The final part of the thesis adopts a reflexive approach to contextualise the research processes from the writer's own perspective as a disabled person conducting research into the lived experiences of other disabled people. The thesis concludes by highlighting the implications of the study for future social research.


Hand-in-hand with the smart-grid paradigm development, power converters used in high-power applications are facing important challenges related to efficiency and power quality. To overcome these issues, the pre-programmed Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM) methods have been extensively applied to reduce the harmonic distortion with very low power switching losses for high-power converters. Among the pre-programmed PWM techniques, Selective Harmonic Elimination (SHE) has been the prevailing solution, but recently, Selective Harmonic Mitigation (SHM) stands as a superior alternative to provide further control of the harmonic spectrum with similar losses. However, the large computational burden required by the SHM method to find a solution confines it as an off-line application, where the switching set valid solutions are pre-computed and stored in a memory. In this paper, for the first time, a real-time implementation of SHM using an off-the-shelf mid-range microcontroller is presented and tested. The Exchange Market Algorithm (EMA), initially focused on optimizing financial transactions, is considered and executed to achieve the SHM targets. The performance of the EMA-based SHM is presented showing experimental results considering a reduced number of switching angles applied to a specific three-level converter, but the method can be extrapolated to any other three-level converter topology.


The acute necrotic pancreatitis (AP) produces, in serious clinical cases, a severe local necrosis, develops several systemic complications and elevate mortality. In the present work we analysed the complex and ordered temporal profile of gene expression of the most important genes related with the initiation of AP induced by taurocholate in rat. They include genes coding for transcriptional factors (f.i. egr-1), intracellular signalling network, adhesion molecules (f.i. icam-1), cytokines (f.i. tnfa) and oxidative stress genes. The analysis of regulation epigenetic mechanisms in three model genes (egr-1, icam-1y tnfa) showed the involvement of different pro-inflammatory transcriptional factors (EGR-1, ATF-2, NF-eB, C/EBPâ or SP1), binding of HAT complexes (CBP) and release of HDAC complexes (HDAC1/ 2-Sin3A-) and site-specific histone modification (H3K9ac, H3K14ac, H4K5ac y H3K4me3). Furthermore, the study of the mechanism of action of the potentially pharmacological agent pentoxyfiline showed that beneficial effect may be produced, at least partially, by repression of different genes, specially egr-1, icam-1 and tnfa, throughout regulation of pro-inflammatory transcriptional factors binding (NF-eB, SP1, C/EBPâ or EGR-1) and inhibition of signalling network ERK1/2 and JNK1/2 involved in the activation of those genes. The results support the potential therapeutic use of pentoxyfilline in the initial phases of AP, or as preventive treatment, since it blocks the pro-inflammatory stimulus generated in AP


Information systems have crucial functions in a modern organization. Yet, for such technologies to fulfil their goals, they must be accepted and used by the employees in their organizations. Present models explaining acceptance and use of technology are somewhat limited due to their strong focus on the cognitive and behavioral factors influencing user adoption of information systems, while mostly ignoring affective factors that are likely to play an important role in this process. Research that does consider affective factors typically focuses on the affective reactions of users of the systems and how these influence aspects such as system acceptance. Recently, psychological research has established the crucial role of emotions and other affective states in basic human functioning. In particular, psychological research has stressed the important social function of emotions by indicating how the emotion of one individual may affect others. In line with advancement in the understanding of the social role of emotions, using an experimental design, this study examined the effect on one user's emotional expressions, emitted in response to his or her experience of assimilating a new information system, on peer observers who are also about to be exposed to the new system and are using it. Our results show that exposure to emotions expressed by peer users have an impact on the observer and his perception of the Information System. This study opens a window to further research in the context of emotions-Information Systems relationships and has a potential implications for Information system adoption in organizations.


In a long-feared development, an extremely damaging disease of bananas has apparently reached Latin America. Late last week, the Colombian Agricultural Institute in Bogota officially acknowledged that four plantations in northern Colombia have been quarantined because of suspected infection with Fusarium wilt tropical race 4 (TR4), a fungus that kills plants by clogging their vascular system. Already widespread in Asia, the disease can eventually wipe out entire plantations. The finding has yet to be confirmed—results from genome sequencing are expected in early August—but already countries in the region are on high alert. A major outbreak of TR4 could ruin many farmers and drive up banana prices globally. New ways to battle the scourge are on the horizon, including transgenic bananas that can resist the fungus.


ABSTRACT Leaf and stripe rusts, caused by Puccinia triticina and P. striiformis, respectively, are globally important fungal diseases of wheat that cause significant annual yield losses. A gene that confers slow rusting resistance to leaf rust, designated as Lr46, has recently been located on wheat chromosome 1B. The objectives of our study were to establish the precise genomic location of gene Lr46 using molecular approaches and to determine if there was an association of this locus with adult plant resistance to stripe rust. A population of 146 F(5) and F(6) lines produced from the cross of susceptible 'Avocet S' with resistant 'Pavon 76' was developed and classified for leaf rust and stripe rust severity for three seasons. Using patterns of segregation for the two diseases, we estimated that at least two genes with additive effects conferred resistance to leaf rust and three to four genes conferred resistance to stripe rust. Bulked segregant analysis and linkage mapping using amplified fragment length polymorphisms with the 'Avocet' x 'Pavon 76' population, F(3) progeny lines of a single chromosome recombinant line population from the cross 'Lalbahadur' x 'Lalbahadur (Pavon 1B)', and the International Triticeae Mapping Initiative population established the genomic location of Lr46 at the distal end of the long arm of wheat chromosome 1B. A gene that is closely linked to Lr46 and confers moderate levels of adult plant resistance to stripe rust is identified and designated as Yr29.


Databases for large-scale virtual worlds have several critical applications. Automating their construction can improve fidelity and save considerable time. In this article, we focus on: (1) automated cartographic feature extraction (derivation of man-made objects from aerial imagery); (2) triangulated irregular network (TIN) generation (automated techniques for terrain skin generation); and (3) road correction (automated integration of complex transportation networks). The product of these components forms a major part of the input to the final database compilation via computer image generator-specific tools such as the S1000 or the Close Combat Tactical Trainer (CCTT) database formatter. >


The examination was applied to enterprise workers laboring in conditions of vinyl chloride (79 patients), caustic soda (24 patients) and 10 patients with professional chronic mercury intoxication. The differences are established concerning manifestation of autoimmune reactions of personnel working in conditions of chronic effecting of vinyl chloride distinct of parameters characterizing autoimmune reactions of personnel working under impact of another neuro-toxicants (vapors of metallic mercury). The increasing of auto-antibodies to MAG was detected in healthy personnel and increasing of concentrations of auto-antibodies to protein S-100 and DNA was detected in personnel with initial manifestations of neuro-intoxication. These occurrences testify availability, of different mechanisms underlying formation of neurological disorders. The study data confirms involvement of auto-antibodies to neuronal antigens into derangement of neural activity in personnel working in conditions of effect of vinyl chloride and vapors of metallic mercury. Hence, the new possibilities are opened in studying pathogenesis of occupational neuro-intoxications. The detection of auto-antibodies to proteins of neural tissue can be recommended as a criterion of early identification of damage of neural system in personnel working in conditions of chemical industry.