Preferential weld corrosion occurs in the hydrocarbon carrying pipelines due to CO2 presence. The weld segments consist of parent metal, HAZ and weld metal that causes corrosion due to potential difference. The corrosion could be mitigated with the formation of protective layer (FeCO3). However, the mitigation has not been effective as the FeCO3 layer formation is disrupted by environmental conditions like the pH and also the presence of weak acids like Acetic Acid (HAc) The purpose of this research is to investigate the presence of HAc and its effect on the corrosion rate of the weld segments. The influence of pH on the FeCO3 formation on the weld segments with and without HAc present is also analyzed. A coupled sample and an un-coupled sample is prepared from the API 5L X52 mild steel weld segment. Test parameters were set to varying pH 4 and 6.6 with and without 1000ppm HAc present. 4 glass cells are set up to measure the intrinsic corrosion rate of the un-coupled sample and 4 glass cells are set up to measure the galvanic corrosion rate of the coupled sample. Linear Polarization Resistance (LPR) was used to measure the intrinsic corrosion rate and the galvanic corrosion rate of the samples.


Wild oat control options are limited in western Canada due to resistance to most common herbicides. Control of wild oat with pyroxasulfone, a soil-applied, very-long-chain fatty-acid inhibitor, was investigated. A series of greenhouse and field experiments were conducted to isolate the effects of vertical seed position, site of herbicide interception, and tillage on wild oat control with pyroxasulfone in comparison with triallate. In greenhouse experiments, wild oat shoot length (soil surface to leaf tip) was reduced (P<0.05) in shallow-seeded wild oat compared with deep-seeded wild oat with pyroxasulfone (6.2 and 9.8 cm, respectively) and triallate (3.7 and 13.2 cm, respectively). Soil-applied pyroxasulfone remained in the top 2.5 cm of the soil with or without a simulated rainfall event. Pyroxasulfone was most effective if either the seed or the shoot 1 cm above the seed intercepted the herbicide layer. If a wild oat emerges from deeper in the soil profile, the sensitive part of the seedling may not intercept an effective rate of pyroxasulfone in the soil. In field experiments comparing deep- and shallow-seeded wild oat treated with pyroxasulfone and triallate in fields with and without tillage, there were no significant effects of tillage alone on wild oat shoot length. Deep-seeded wild oat emerged early, and while herbicides reduced shoot growth, shoots were >10 cm. Shallow-seeded wild oat had delayed emergence, possibly due to reduced soil moisture, and herbicides reduced shoot growth to <10cm. Pyroxasulfone is likely to be more effective in no-till fields where wild oat seeds are not located deep in the soil. Nomenclature: Pyroxasulfone; triallate; wild oat, Avena fatua L. AVEFA.


Drs A KUBIE, R P BRITT, and A H JAMES (Hillingdon Hospital, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB8 3NN) write: The article by Drs M R Howard and D W Milligan (26 March, p 898) and subsequent letter by Drs P J Wyld and T Wilson (14 May, p 1399) describe their favourable experiences with an adaption ofour original computer program. We have rewritten our system to take advantage of the facilities offered by a later generation of microcomputers and to make it possible for others to make choices to conform with their own judgment and local use. The new system has been running at our clinic since October 1987 and is proving satisfactory. A paper describing it is in preparation.


The Landau-Zener (LZ) transition is one of the most fundamental phenomena in quantum dynamics. It describes nonadiabatic transitions between quantum states near an avoided crossing that can occur in diverse physical systems. Here we report experimental measurements and tuning of LZ transitions between the dressed eigenlevels of a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) that is synthetically spin-orbit (SO) coupled. We measure the transition probability as the BEC is accelerated through the SO avoided crossing and study its dependence on the coupling between the diabatic (bare) states, eigenlevel slope, and eigenstate velocity---the three parameters of the LZ model that are independently controlled in our experiments. Furthermore, we performed time-resolved measurements to demonstrate the breaking down of the spin-momentum locking of the spin-orbit-coupled BEC in the nonadiabatic regime, and we determined the diabatic switching time of the LZ transitions. Our observations show quantitative agreement with the LZ model and numerical simulations of the quantum dynamics in the quasimomentum space. The tunable LZ transition may be exploited to enable a spin-dependent atomtronic transistor.


Wieland C23000 (C230), also known as red brass, is an 85Cu-15Zn alloy. The alloy has excellent cold forming properties and is generally not susceptible to dezincification and stress corrosion. Due to this combination of properties and its attractive color, the alloy is used for decorative purposes as well as for a wide variety of drawn and formed parts. This datasheet provides information on composition, physical properties, elasticity, and tensile properties. It also includes information on corrosion resistance as well as heat treating. Filing Code: Cu-925. Producer or source: Wieland Rolled Products NA.


The extensively used of Aluminum alloys are for numerous purposes because of their interesting compound of excellent particular strength, easy to shape, great manufacturing method, high electrical conductivity and availability in various applications, especially for automotive purpose. Aluminium Alloy Sheet 5052-H32 is studied in this research because it is one of the characters of material which is regularly applied for manufacturing automotive application. Two methods are used in this research, Anodization and Plasma Electrolyte Oxidation (PEO). The aims are to build the oxide layer on the surface of Al alloy sheet 5052-H32, also to analyze the microstructure and mechanical properties of deposited coatings as well as to compare the performance of anodization and PEO coating in Al alloy sheet 5052-H32. The oxide layer coating is seen by conducting surface characterization. The improvement of surface hardness by microhardness test from 35.3 HV to 65.8 HV for Anodization coating, and PEO coating is in the average of 67.9 HV. The adhesion test to determine the adhesion strength was achieved by the failure load was around 2023.9 mN for Anodization coating, and PEO coating slightly lower was around 2005.4 mN. The mechanical properties for the surface hardness and adhesion strength of aluminum oxide coated of Al alloy sheet 5052-H32 improved


While testifying in child abuse cases, physicians have been frustrated by the lawyer who asks, "Doctor, how did this injury happen?" The medical records and radiographs of 215 children younger than the age of 3 with fractures evaluated by a pediatric service during a 5-year period were retrospectively reviewed in an attempt to elucidate the mechanism of childhood fractures. Based on these reviews, two clinicians and two pediatric radiologists rated the likelihood that the fracture was either accidental or due to child abuse. Long-bone fractures were strongly associated with abuse. This report focuses on the 39 children with either humeral or femoral fractures. Fourteen children had humerus fractures. Eleven were considered to be the result of child abuse, and 3 the result of accidents. The latter 3 were supracondylar elbow fractures in children who fell from a tricycle, a rocking horse, or downstairs. Humerus fractures other than supracondylar fractures were all found to be due to abuse. There were 25 femur fractures. Nine were found to be from abuse, 14 were found to be from accidents, and 2 could not be rated. Sixty percent of femur fractions in infants younger than 1 year of age were due to abuse. Although it is taught that femur fractures in young children are inflicted unless proven otherwise, in this study it was found that femur fractures often are accidental and that the femur can be fractured when the running child trips and falls.


Debates over state tax policies primarily involve interstate comparisons of corporate income tax burdens. These studies are often utilized without discussion of their intrinsic flaws. This article proposes more effective methods of interstate tax comparison. The first section discusses the failure to use proper analyses to determine whether taxes are too high or too low. The second section criticizes three commonly used methods of comparing interstate tax burdens: (1) taxes per capita, (2) taxes as a percentage of personal income, and (3) the representative tax system capacity and effort index. This section further explains the limitations of these three familiar measures by evaluating their lack of substantive information. This section concludes by explaining that these flawed measures often encourage legislators to design inadequate tax policies. The third section recommends two approaches that seek to eliminate the problems associated with tax burden studies: taxpayer profiles, and after-tax rates of return. The article concludes by explaining that, while limited in their value to legislators, tax burden studies should be more accurate and valuable than the current measures.


There're two major problems in the unstructured p2p systems, one is their heavy network traffic; the other is the problem of query effectiveness, which is caused mainly by high numbers of query answers, many of which are irrelevant for users. A potential solution is to use Top-k queries. The objective of a top-k query is to find the k highest ranked answers to the user defined similarity function. Top-k query is widely used in the search engine and gains great success. However, processing top-k query in unstructured p2p network is very challenging because a p2p system is a dynamic and decentralized system. In this paper we present HPJT, a novel P2p Hierarchical Join Top-k query scheme. A fully distributed query processing algorithm for top-k query is proposed, of which the key idea is 'put computation to the network'. The simulation results indicate that HPJT shows good performance.


Towards Efficient and Scalable Electronic Structure Methods for the Treatment of Relativistic Effects and Molecular Response David Williams–Young Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Professor Xiaosong Li Chemistry In the context of electronic structure theory, formal theoretical development must be accompanied by efficient and scalable computer implementation in order to study molecular systems at experimentally relevant scales. Thus, this work outlines several advances in the development of efficient and scalable electronic structure methods for the treatment of relativistic effects and molecular response. As such, the first chapter outlines the theoretical underpinnings from which the rest of the original work is built upon. The second chapter outlines, several contributions to the field of relativistic electronic structure. While relativistic effects are generally considered to only be of consequence only in heavy elements, they can be of profound effect even in light elements. However, implementation of these methods pose several non-trivial complications over their non-relativistic counterparts, and scalable implementation of relativistic electronic structure methods are scarce. The final chapter outlines a contribution to the field of molecular response theory. In electronic structure theory, the problem of molecular response is cast into a large numerical linear algebra problem suitable for modern high–performance computing architectures. This chapter outlines a highly scalable method which allows for rapid evaluation of response functions in a reduced dimension.


There has been an increasingly growing demand for oilseeds for various purposes. Among oilseeds, groundnut (popularly known as peanut) is a very important crop. India is one of the largest producers of groundnut. The export of groundnut from India is continuously increasing. With time, there has been a shift in destination of groundnut exports from India owing to the stringent Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards in the developed countries. In this paper, the author has tried to analyze the direction of change of Indian groundnut exports since liberalization and also forecasted the loyalty of major importers of Indian groundnut till the year 2016.


Analysts' earnings forecast began in the early 20th century in America, researchers and investors are especially interested in estimating uncertainty about future earnings, because it reveals important characteristics of the firm's information prior to the release of accounting results. Since uncertainty is inherently unobservable, evaluating its estimates poses challenging methodological problems. As a result, researchers have put forward alternative proxies for earnings forecast uncertainty. Here, we will review the measurement used in the study of foreign scholars of analysts' earnings forecast uncertainty, and make a comparison among various methods. Considering the background of information, prediction model and analysts cannot be expected to know the cause of the situation, GARCH as an ex ante measure, will be one of the most accurately measures of uncertainty. Studying the methods of analysts' earnings forecast uncertainty will be conducive to market participants to understand the characteristics of analysts' earnings forecast, so as to make more rational decisions.


Intra prediction is the key technology to reduce spatial redundancy in the modern video coding standard. Recently, deep learning based methods that directly generate the intra prediction by neural network achieve superior performance than traditional directional based intra prediction. However, these methods lack the ability to handle complex blocks which contain mixed directional textures or recurrent patterns since they only use the neighboring reference samples of the current one. The other intermediate information denoted as reference priors in this paper generated during the coding process is not exploited. In this paper, a Current Frame Priors assisted Neural Network (CFPNN) is presented to improve the intra prediction efficiency. Specifically, we utilize the local contextual information provided by the neighboring multiple references as the primary inference source. In addition to the neighboring references, we additionally use the other two reference priors within the current frame – the predictor searched by intra block copy (IntraBC) and the corresponding residual component. The IntraBC predictor provides useful nonlocal information to help generate more accurate prediction for complex blocks together with neighboring local information. While the residual component contains unique information that reflects the characteristics of the block to some extent is utilized to reduce the noise contained in the reconstructed reference samples. Moreover, we investigate the best way to integrate the proposed method into the codec. Experimental results demonstrate that compared to HEVC, our proposed CFPNN achieves an average of 4.1% BD-rate reduction for the luma component under the All Intra configuration.


Although studies of social stratification have analyzed the scale of wage gaps by gender/age/education, discussions relating to the situation where those wage gaps arise are limited. On the other hand, labor studies have precisely analyzed personnel management within organizations, however it is doubtful whether all the wage gaps found through studies of social stratification can be explained in this way. In this paper, we use employer-employee matching data to discover in what situation wage gaps based on personal variables arise. As a result, it is clear that wage gaps between male and female regular employees arise within organizations, on the other hand, wage gaps by education mainly arise between organizations.


Twenty-three patients underwent implantation of a stimulator system and were followed for 6-20 months. Twenty patients estimated between 50% and 100% pain relief. The effect was largely consistent and reproducible. Reduced drug intake and improved social performance were associated with subjective improvement. The surgical technique is given, complications are analyzed and parameters are discussed.


In Reynolds-Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) models simplifying assumptions breakdown in near wall regions. Wall functions/treatments become inaccurate and the homogeneity and isotropy models may not hold. To see the effect that these assumptions have on the validity of boundary layer results in a commercially available RANS code, key boundary layer parameters are compared from laminar, transitional, and fully turbulent RANS results to an existing direct numerical simulation (DNS) simulation for flow over a flat plate with an adverse pressure gradient (APG). Parameters compared include velocity profiles in the free stream, boundary layer thicknesses, skin friction coefficient and the pressure gradient parameter. Results show comparable momentum thickness and pressure gradient parameters between the transition RANS model and the DNS simulation. Differences in the onset of transition between the RANS transition model and DNS are compared as well. These simulations help evaluate the models used in the RANS code. Of most interest is the transition model, a transition shear-stress transport (SST) k–omega model. The RANS code is being used in conjunction with an APG boundary layer experiment being undertaken at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL).Copyright © 2013 by ASME


&NA; Five cadaveric adult human noses were examined to further elucidate the region of the soft triangle of the nose. Three distinct zones were found. Zone 1, just caudad to the lower lateral cartilages, consists of the fibers of the dilator nares anterior as it inserts into the dermis. Zone 2 is the dermal layer. Zone 3 is at the nostril rim and consists of muscle fibers interdigitating within the dermis; laterally, these fibers are continuations of the nasalis muscle, whereas medially they are extensions of the depressor septii muscle. Perpendicular incisions through any of these zones may cause notching and tip deformity. Incisions in zone 1 may, in addition, alter external nasal valve function by interrupting the fibers of the dilator naris anterior.


Th e aim of this study is to define whether using exercise-based games increase the performance of learning. For this reason, two basic questions were tried to be answered in the study. First, is there any diff erence in learning between the group that was given exercisebased games and the group that was not? Second, is there any diff erence in learning between the group that used exercise-based games at end of the process of learning and the group that was not applied this but taken the questions of exercises in game material? Th is research has been conducted within the subject of Testing and Evaluation in the program of Kocaeli University Primary Maths Teacher's College. Experimental design with a pre test-post test control group was used in this study. Experimental process based on game material was used in 120 minutes at the end of a 3-week-teaching period. Th e reliability values (KR-20) of the two tests were found to be .79 and .71 which were used to evaluate learning level. Th e study has reached a conclusion that game materials used at the end of learning process have increased the learning levels of teacher candidates. However, the similar learning levels have been observed among students who were taken printed exercises instead of using learning game method to reinforce the traditional learning in the research. Th is means that in method of applying teaching games in addition to the traditional teaching, there isn't any diff erence of learning eff iciency of students answered the questions based on competition and fun and the group who only answered the questions. Th is study is expected to contribute defining in which situations games are eff ective.


Conservation research is essential for advancing knowledge but to make an impact scientific evidence must influence conservation policies, decision making and practice. This raises a multitude of challenges. How should evidence be collated and presented to policymakers to maximise its impact? How can effective collaboration between conservation scientists and decision-makers be established? How can the resulting messages be communicated to bring about change? Emerging from a successful international symposium organised by the British Ecological Society and the Cambridge Conservation Initiative, this is the first book to practically address these questions across a wide range of conservation topics. Well-renowned experts guide readers through global case studies and their own experiences. A must-read for practitioners, researchers, graduate students and policymakers wishing to enhance the prospect of their work 'making a difference'.


For his example of Phrygian mode in his 1547 Dodecachordon, Heinrich Glarean chose a motet first published in Petrucci's 1503 Motetti B, Michele Pesenti's Tulerunt Dominum. Glarean's effusive response to Pesenti's motet indicates that he had not only studied but had also heard the work; he marvels at the "great emotion and innate sweetness" that conveys so well its subject, which begins with Mary Magdalene's lament at the empty tomb of Jesus and culminates in an expression of hope. Pesenti's artistry lies in his ability to acknowledge, structurally and aesthetically, three distinct textual moods while creating an elegant musical structure based on motivic development, manipulation of mode and texture, rhythmic pacing, and the precise nature and placement of significant musical events. Pesenti's large-scale planning is manifest in his versatile and carefully plotted use of a melodic paradigm that he transforms at strategic moments throughout the motet. It paints text, it carries a hidden message, and it creates musical highpoints. Finally, in a conceptual variation using all the main motives of the motet, its musical climax identifies the central message of the text. A close reading of Tulerunt Dominum reveals the artistry that caught Glarean's ear: its composer was a thoughtful interpreter of text and a masterful handler of musical form, mode, and rhetoric—someone who could create a motet that would receive attention on its own merits.


This article evaluates the protection that the Government of Kenya off ered to those who fled to camps in the wake of the post-election violence that gripped the country in 2007. It focuses on basic needs, social economic entitlements and the right to return one's pre-conflict home. The article contends that, overall, the Government failed to meet its obligations as required by national and international standards on the protection of internally displaced persons. To conclude, specific recommendations, which would ameliorate the suff ering that IDPs continue to face in transitional states such as Kenya, are made.


Abstract Conservation planning for threatened bull trout Salvelinus confluentus requires the identification of temporal and spatial movement patterns to better understand the patch size and connectivity requirements of different behavioral strategies (e.g., resident and migratory) and life stages (e.g., juvenile and adult). Although these patterns have been identified for adults, less is known about the movement patterns of juvenile and subadult bull trout. Thus, we evaluated the movement patterns and abiotic and biotic cues associated with migration timing of fluvial juvenile and subadult (150-300 mm) bull trout in the South Fork Walla Walla River, northeastern Oregon. From 2002 to 2005, we tagged 1,636 individuals with passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags and monitored subsequent movements (within the study area) and migrations (exiting of the study area) by PIT tag detection at antennae and active detection during the mark-recapture sampling season. Juveniles and subadults exhibited downstream mov...


This paper has focused the demonstration of the two great American writers, Ernest Hemingway and F. Scot Fitzgerald's experience with their own health problems, influence on their life and writing. Hemingway's weakening physical condition and increasing severe mental problems that were bipolar disorder, alcohol dependence, traumatic brain injury, and probable border line and narcissistic personality traits considerably reduced his fictional creation in the final years of his lifetime. Fitzgerald spent more than a decade of his later career, writing about illness while he struggled with tuberculosis, insomnia, alcoholism and heart disease as well as the mental illness of his wife Zelda with studying of Fitzgerald's analysis of his own life, from his stories, we are able to bring together the ineffaceable connection between personal suffering and the need for expression, between illness and identity, between writing and healing. As a result, Fitzgerald's donations to the canon of illness literature are noteworthy and as is characteristic of his career-credit for these contributions is overdue.


Now that the rate of investment in perinatology may be slowing down the other borderland, between childhood and adult life, is due for more organized exploration, development, and profit-taking by pediatricians. 'The adolescent is the most difficult of all patients', remarks Anna Freud in a sympathetic foreword, 'and his handling presents serious embarrassment'. The difficulties and the embarrassments can be utterly disruptive in hospital, and by focusing on the hospital milieu this book lights up dark corners in all hospital practice. The authors style themselves a 'writing team' comprising medicine, psychiatry, nursing, and education. The writing is not overburdened with jargon and is easy to follow, though I tripped painfully once in a while over an occasional infelicity such as remediation and unremediated, which I take to come not from mediate but from remedy. The base is established in the first of the book's three sections. The authors theorize on critical issues of normal illness, the impact of illness, implications of hospitalization. An important chapter illustrates interactions among ward staff, patients, and parents which may influence the patient's progress. The second section discusses basic hospital routines and principles of management in what was to me a surprisingly interesting way. A persuasive case is made for separating patients not by sex but by age. Privacy, discipline, the role of nurses and the clergy, are dealt with honestly and thoughtfully. Adolescents need information based on reality and must be told what will happen to them. If the essential hospital team is to help them avoid irrational behaviour the staff must be 'tuned in' to specific fears such as forced dependence, rejection by peers, an alteration of life style. The final section is concerned with behavioural problems and difficult situations, handicaps, death, consent, and confidentialityall subjects liable to evoke not only argument but anguish or dismay. Written 'from the patient's perspective', this book is pleasingly provocative. The approach is one of thoughtful, genuine goodwill. If it seems to me to be idealized and rather too permissive, that may well be the reaction of a geriatric paediatrician. But, with Anna Freud, I hope that there will be opportunity to put the proposed plans into operation so that they can be tried and tempered by experience. This book deserves a wide audience. Paediatricians whose own families have not yet grown up may gain from it more even than the authors intended.


Electric scooters are used as alternative ways of transport because they easily make travel faster. However, the batteries can take around 5 h to charge and have an autonomy of 30 km. With the presence of the hydrogen cell, a hybrid system reduces the charging times and increases the autonomy of the vehicle by using two types of fuel. An increase of up to 80% in maximum distance and of 34% in operating times is obtained with a 1:10 scale prototype with the hydrogen cell; although more energy is withdrawn, the combined fuel efficiency increases, too. This suggests the cell that is used has the same behavior as some official reported vehicles, which have a long range but low power. This allows concluding that use of the cell is functional for load tests and that the comparison factor obtained works as input for real-scale scooter prototypes to compete with the traditional electric scooters.


Speech-stream detection plays an important role in short-wave communication. It is tiring for a person to listen something for a long time, especially in adverse environments. An algorithm for speech-stream detection in noisy environments, based on the empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and the statistical properties of higher-order cumulants of speech signals is presented. With the EMD, the noise signals can be decomposed into different numbers of IMFs. Then, the fourth-order cumulant (FOC) can be used to extract the desired feature of statistical properties for IMF components. Since the higher-order cumulants are blind for Gaussian signals, the proposed method is especially effective regarding the problem of speech-stream detection, where the speech signal is distorted, by Gaussian noise. Besides that, with the self-adaptive decomposition by the EMD, the proposed method can also work well for non-Gaussian noise. The experiments show that the proposed algorithm can suppress different noise types with different SNR, and the algorithm is robust in the real signal tests.


Introduction and Objectives Meta-analysis of clinical trials of vitamin D supplementation for the prevention of acute respiratory infection (ARI) shows a protective effect in the general population, but there is controversy regarding the optimal dosing regimen. Low-dose vitamin D supplementation is already recommended in older adults for prevention of fractures and falls, but clinical trials investigating whether higher doses could provide additional protection against ARI are lacking. Methods We conducted a double-blind cluster-randomised placebo-controlled trial of high- vs. low-dose vitamin D supplementation in residents and staff of sheltered accommodation schemes in London, UK. 108 schemes were allocated to receive the intervention (vitamin D3 2.4 mg 2-monthly + 10 μg daily for residents; 3 mg 2-monthly for staff) or control (vitamin D3 10 μg daily for residents, nil for staff) over the course of one year. The primary endpoint of the trial was time from first dose of study medication to date of first ARI, determined by a validated acute respiratory symptom score recorded prospectively in a symptom diary. Secondary outcomes included time to first upper / lower respiratory infections (URI/LRI) and mean serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) concentration. Results 240 participants were included in the intention-to-treat analysis (137 participants in 54 schemes allocated to intervention, mean baseline 25[OH]D 43.8 nmol/L vs. 103 participants in 54 schemes allocated to control, mean baseline 25[OH]D 43.8 nmol/L). Median time to ARI was 203 days in the intervention arm and 227 days in the control arm (adjusted HR 1.18, 95% CI 0.80 to 1.74, p = 0.42). Allocation to the intervention arm of the trial was associated with increased risk of URI (adjusted HR 1.48, 95% CI 1.02 to 2.16, p = 0.04), but not with altered risk of LRI (adjusted HR 1.12, 95% CI 0.73 to 1.70, p = 0.61). Mean serum 25(OH)D concentration at 1 year was 84.8 nmol/L vs. 58.5 nmol/L in intervention vs. control arms (p < 0.0001). Conclusions Addition of intermittent bolus-dose vitamin D supplementation to a daily low-dose regimen improved vitamin D status in older adults and their carers, but it did not influence risk of ARI, and was less effective at preventing URI.


Silver ions and silver nanoparticles have a well-known biological effect that typically occurs in biological or environmental media of complex composition. Silver nanoparticles release silver ions if oxidizing species like molecular oxygen or hydrogen peroxide are present. The presence of glucose as a model for reducing sugars has only a small effect on the dissolution rate. In the presence of chloride ions, precipitation of silver chloride nanoparticles occurs. At physiological salt concentrations, no precipitation of silver phosphate occurs as the precipitation of silver chloride always occurs first. If the surface of a silver nanoparticle is passivated by cysteine, the dissolution is quantitatively inhibited. Upon immersion of silver nanoparticles in pure water for 8 months, leading to about 50% dissolution, no change in the surface was observed by transmission electron microscopy. A model for the dissolution was derived from immersion and dissolution experiments in different media and from high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. A literature survey on the available data on the dissolution of silver nanoparticles showed that only qualitative trends can be identified as the nature of the nanoparticles and of the immersion medium are practically never comparable. The dissolution effects were confirmed by cell culture experiments (human mesenchymal stem cells and neutrophil granulocytes) where silver nanoparticles that were stored under argon had a clearly lower cytotoxicity than those stored under air. They also led to a less formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). This underscores that silver ions are the toxic species.


Background: Fetal replacement into the uterus for cesarean delivery after failed vaginal delivery has been reported for both vertex and breech presentations. Although an option, this mode of delivery frequently is the last maneuver to deliver a viable infant after other methods to allow vaginal delivery have failed. We report the adjunctive use of a vacuum extractor to facilitate abdominal rescue after entrapment of the aftercoming head during an attempted vaginal breech delivery. Case: A multiparous woman presented at term with two fetal feet bulging through the membranes at the introitus. During vaginal breech delivery, the aftercoming head became entrapped. Unsuccessful maneuvers to facilitate descent included Dührssen incisions, the Mauriceau maneuver, placement of Piper forceps, and halothane administration. At emergency cesarean delivery, the infant was pushed upward from below, and rapid, successful delivery of a 2530-g neonate was accomplished with assistance by a vacuum extractor. Apgar scores were 3, 6, and 7 at 1, 5, and 10 minutes, respectively. Umbilical artery blood gas revealed a pH of 7.18 and base excess of —6. A head sonogram and electroencephalogram were normal. Both mother and infant were discharged without complications. Conclusion: After entrapment of the aftercoming head during attempted vaginal breech delivery, use of the vacuum extractor may expedite the abdominal rescue and cesarean.


We propose a method for multiple hypothesis testing with familywise error rate (FWER) control, called the i-FWER test. Most testing methods are predefined algorithms that do not allow modifications after observing the data. However, in practice, analysts tend to choose a promising algorithm after observing the data; unfortunately, this violates the validity of the conclusion. The i-FWER test allows much flexibility: a human (or a computer program acting on the human's behalf) may adaptively guide the algorithm in a data-dependent manner. We prove that our test controls FWER if the analysts adhere to a particular protocol of "masking" and "unmasking". We demonstrate via numerical experiments the power of our test under structured non-nulls, and then explore new forms of masking.


A novel micro-laser configuration formed by integrating an InGaAs/InP pillar with a silicon photonic crystal cavity is proposed and analyzed in detail. Special attention is paid to designing the cavity such that it can accommodate large-size pillars without performance compromise. The Purcell effect is studied and predicted to be significant because of the close interaction between the cavity modes and the gain medium. An overall quality factor as high as 1×105 and a spontaneous emission factor close to unity are predicted. Possible limiting factors for laser performance, such as surface non-radiative recombination and the thermal dissipation properties are analyzed, and it is found that the proposed laser design is very robust. This comprehensive analysis suggests that the proposed micro-laser is a promising candidate for large-scale integration of micro-lasers on silicon for low power consumption applications, such as intra-chip optical communications.


Trolinger, Jane C. 1975. Occurrence of Cristulariella leaf spot in the Arboretum. Arboretum Newsletter, West Virginia University, Morgantown, Vol. 22(2): 1-6. The disease was found to be of rather widespread occurrence on a variety of broadleaved plants. The disease, commonly known as bull's-eye spot or zonate leaf spot, often causes severe spotting of the foliage resulting in premature defoliation of the host plant. Host plant growth can be stunted and plant vigor reduced when the amount of manufactured starches and sugars are decreased. Fruiting structures of the fungus resemble miniature white Christmas trees. The incidence of C. pyramidalis, a once relatively obscure pathogen, seems to be increasing. Only limited information on the control is available at the present time.


Objectives: To evaluate the utility of a routine screening for abnormal invasive placentation (AIP) in women with previous Caesarean sections (CS) according to the placental insertion site. Methods: Retrospective analysis of AIP and maternal outcomes of women evaluated between January 2014 and 2016 with a scoring system based on 5 sonographic criteria (i.e. placental lacunae, loss of the hypoechoic retro-placental space, bladder wall abnormalities, abnormal vascularisation at myometrial-bladder interface and placental thinning) which identified 2 risk classes (high: ≥2 criteria, low: ≤1 criteria). AIP was determined following surgery and/or pathological analysis. Results: We enrolled 135 women, 97 women (71.9%) with history of ≥2 CS without placenta previa (PP) (CS group) and 38 women (28.1%) with PP (9/38 with a previous CS and 29/38 with no CS) (PP group). According to our score, 122 women (90.4%) were at low risk, 13 (9.6%) at high risk. AIP was confirmed in 14/135 (10.4%) cases. Hysterectomy was performed in 9 cases with confirmed AIP. All AIP cases were in the PP group (14/14, 100%). Women with PP had higher risk of AIP than those with multiple CS without PP (37.8% vs 0%, p<0.0001). Our score diagnosed 10/14 confirmed AIP with 71% of sensitivity (IC95%:48;94) and 98% of specificity (IC95%:96;100), PPV of 77% (IC95%:54;100) and NPV of 97%(IC95%:94;100). Placental lacunae alone had a sensitivity and a specificity of 86% and 93%. Logistic and multiple regression analyses, corrected for maternal age and BMI, gestational age and fetal weight at time of delivery, need of radiology assistance, suggested that only placental lacunae were significantly associated with AIP (CR 28.05; 95% CI 2.91 to 270.58; p < 0.01) and blood loss during CS (CR 0.553; r = 0.588; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Our data suggest that AIP prevalence is not increased in women with multiple previous CS without PP; only women with PP need a routine screening for AIP. Placenta lacunae are the most associated criterion for AIP and blood loss during CS.


The purpose of this research is to identify the right strategy in developing Rurukan agro tourism area. The research location was conducted in two urban villages: Rurukan and Rurukan 1, East Tomohon Subdistrict, Tomohon City. This research was conducted for 3 (three) months from November 2016 to January 2017. The data used in this study are primary data and secondary data. Primary data are data taken through direct observation on site, interview with respondents who selected 10 people to fill out the research questionnaire as follows: Government (3 people), namely Lurah Rurukan, Lurah Rurukan One, and Officials of Tomohon City Tourism Office, Community Shop (2 persons) and Tour Manager (5 persons). Secondary data is data obtained from the offices of two urban villages and Tourism Office. The analytical method used SWOT Analysis. Based on the results of research and discussion, it can be concluded that the development strategy of Rurukan agro tourism area is Rapid growth strategy. This development strategy is in accordance with the position of Rurukan area that needs a progeny strategy to support growth, through several strategies that can be implemented, namely: (1) Utilizing some existing tourism object to attract investors so that it can become a growing tourism sector and interest in Tomohon ; (2) utilizing the famous agro tourism with its trademark to become a cultural development area, especially in Tomohon City; (3) utilizing a good soil fertility level in the Rurukan area to be planted with fruits such as strawberries, which are highland fruit trees to be enjoyed by tourists.


The correlation between resistance to pyrazinamide (PZA) and resistance to other first-line antituberculosis drugs was investigated in 395 Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains isolated from clinical specimens, representing 14% of the overall number of M. tuberculosis isolates obtained between 2003 and 2008 at the laboratory of a referral university hospital for tuberculosis. A high correlation was found between resistance to PZA and multidrug resistance, as well as between PZA resistance and resistance to rifampin, isoniazid, and ethambutol (p < 0.01 for all). These results highlight the importance of performing PZA susceptibility testing prior to the prescription of this drug in order to treat drug-resistant and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.


Research and ethics are inseparable. Based on abhorrent research abuses under the cloak of scientific enquiry, development of the process for the ethical overview of research on/with humans was undertaken. By the end of the twentieth century, sufficient and extensive local and international principles, guidelines, legislations, and treaties about research on humans were in place, with all human-based research requiring review by independent research ethics committees (RECs). With so much established knowledge and legislation about the ethical management of the research process and REC oversight, is there a role for journal editorial boards in ethical oversight? Recommendations from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, the basis of the editorial policies of the IJTMB, include the requirement that research must be approved by an REC, and documentation of that review should be included in each article. Thus, as a minimum, journals must ensure that any research submitted for publication has had appropriate ethical review. But journals receive manuscripts after research is done. Journals, therefore, have a duty to ensure that received manuscripts meet expected standards for the publication of research and, for nonresearch situations, that appropriate protections of the research participants were in place even though REC review was not involved.


Traditional dwellings despite their environmental credentials, due to age, previous damage, and residents unable to afford even the limited maintenance allowed by restrictive legal framework, may offer poor thermal performance, which is expected to be further exacerbated by changing climate. More than 70% of Turkey's built heritage stock is composed of traditional dwellings, which makes this stock able to create a major impact nationally on the building-related energy use, carbon emissions and population wellbeing. This research aims to develop an evidence-based multidisciplinary methodology for cost-effective retrofit of the traditional dwellings in Turkey, to improve energy performance, satisfy user expectations of comfort, and protect heritage value. Peer-review under the responsibility of the organizing committee of the ICMB21.


Measuring changes in activity and sleep over time is important for research and practice. While commercially available home monitoring systems passively track these parameters, the feasibility, acceptability, and usefulness of new products need to be evaluated. We tested a commercially available system for providing long-term data on activity and sleep with 10 single women (mean age, 86.5 years) who were monitored in their homes. Motion detectors, a bed sensor, door sensor, and chair sensor were installed for 3 months to collect data. Other measures, objective actigraphy data from 1 week and self-report, provided data for comparison. Sleep and activity data were similar across measures; the most active participant had the highest scores on all activity measures including sensor data. Participants were generally positive about the monitoring system, but participants varied in their awareness levels of the presence of the equipment. Use of the sensor system was feasible in this pilot study and acceptable to participants. The study also illustrates challenges researchers can encounter when working with a commercial company.


The freshwater bryozoan species Pectinatella magnifica was found in 6 sandpits and in 19 mostly extensively managed ponds in the Protected Landscape Area and Biosphere Reserve Třeboňsko (Czech Republic) from its first record (in 2003) to 2012. Mean fresh biomass and abundance of P. magnifica colonies were 0.6 ± 1.5 kg m−2 and 0.7 ± 1.1 colony m−2 (± SD), respectively, in the shoreline zone during the growing season 2006–2011. The maximum biomass was mostly recorded during the first half of August in all basins. Colonization of further localities was recorded rather than increasing of P. magnifica biomass or abundance in 2012. There were no correlations between water temperature or water transparency and biomass/abundance of P. magnifica during the growing season. P. magnifica colonies preferred to grow on the branches or roots (especially of Salix sp.) to aquatic macrophytes and stones. Most of the water bodies, where this bryozoan species occurred, had lower concentration of total phosphorus in the water when compared with the typical fishponds in the Czech Republic. Inner space of colonies of P. magnifica provided suitable higher trophic level substrate when compared with the water of the sandpits/fishponds especially for green coccal algae. A massive algal colonization was indentified in decomposing colonies at the end of the growing season.


Reservoirs have been built in almost all of the hydrographic basins of Brazil. Their purposes include water supply for cities, irrigation and mainly, generation of electricity. There are more than 700 large dams and associated reservoirs in the large rivers of the country. These reservoirs favor local and regional economic development, but they also bring serious and irreversible alterations in the natural hydrologic regime of rivers, affecting habitat quality and the dynamics of the biota. In the impounded area, the main impact is the change from lotic to lentic water, which influences aquatic fauna, including fishes. Impacts of reservoirs present relevant spatiotemporal variations. Immediately after reservoir formation, fish species richness usually increases due to incorporation of surrounding habitats, but richness decreases as reservoirs age. However, impacts downstream of dams appear to be similar or stronger than those that occur within the reservoir. Dams promote discharge control, altering the seasonal cycles of floods. These effects are augmented when dams are constructed in cascades. Therefore, dams profoundly influence composition and structure of fish assemblages. Most affected species are the rheophilics and long distance migratory that require distinct habi tats to fulfill their life cycles. Populations of migratory species may collapse or even disappear in intensely regulated stretches. Management actions taken to minimize impacts of dams in Brazil historically considered construction of fish passages, fishery control and stocking. The results of these actions are questionable and/or with clear failures. In this paper, we give emphasis to the Parana River basin, the most affected by dams in Brazil. We describe some patterns in the alteration and decline in fish diversity in areas influenced by dams. We also discuss negative consequences in the fishery and ecosystems functioning. Finally, we argue the relevance and the success of the management actions taken and present some suggestions to improve conservation of the ichthyofauna in South American basins influenced by dams.


In humans, adolescence is a period of heightened propensity to develop cocaine addiction. It is unknown whether this is attributable to greater access and exposure to cocaine at this age, or whether the adolescent brain is particularly vulnerable to the addictive properties of cocaine. Here, we subjected male adolescent (P42) and adult (∼P88) rats to a wide range of cocaine self-administration procedures. In addition, to determine whether behavioral differences are associated with developmental differences in dopaminergic activity, we examined and manipulated the activity of dopamine neurons. Relative to adults, adolescent rats took cocaine more readily, were more sensitive to lower doses, showed greater escalation of cocaine intake, and were less susceptible to increases in price (i.e., were more "inelastic"). In parallel, adolescents also showed elevated activity of ventral tegmental area dopamine neurons, a feature known to be associated with increased self-administration behavior. Pharmacological manipulation of dopamine D2 receptor function with quinpirole (agonist) or eticlopride (antagonist), to alter dopamine neuron activity, eliminated age differences in cocaine self-administration. These data suggest a causal relationship between behavioral and electrophysiological determinants of cocaine addiction liability. In conclusion, adolescents show behavioral and electrophysiological traits of heightened addiction liability.


This paper discusses and illustrates the key device design issues for SiGe BiCMOS HBTs suitable for wireless power amplifier (PA) applications. Experimental results addressing ruggedness, ac performance, and safe operating area for high-breakdown SiGe HBTs built in several generations of BiCMOS technology are presented. Implications of recent high-performance SiGe HBT scaling achievements for BiCMOS technologies targeting wireless PA applications are considered. Circuit results for GSM, PCS, GPRS, and EDGE front-end modules have been obtained. A one-chip solution is demonstrated, including control circuitry and switching functionality, that supports all GPRS, PCS, and EDGE modes featuring output power at 33.8 dBm and overall power added efficiency of 37% withstanding voltage standing wave ratio conditions of 15:1.


In social and economic networks linked agents often share additional links in common. There are two competing explanations for this phenomenon. First, agents may have a structural taste for transitive links -- the returns to linking may be higher if two agents share links in common. Second, agents may assortatively match on unobserved attributes, a process called homophily. I study parameter identifiability in a simple model of dynamic network formation with both effects. Agents form, maintain, and sever links over time in order to maximize utility. The return to linking may be higher if agents share friends in common. A pair-specific utility component allows for arbitrary homophily on time-invariant agent attributes. I derive conditions under which it is possible to detect the presence of a taste for transitivity in the presence of assortative matching on unobservables. I leave the joint distribution of the initial network and the pair-specific utility component, a very high dimensional object, unrestricted. The analysis is of the `fixed effects' type. The identification result is constructive, suggesting an analog estimator, whose single large network properties I characterize.


The black rat (Rattus rattus L.) from Thrace is an Oceanian type (2n = 38). Chromosomal analyses show that a polymorphism occurs in chromosome pairs no. 9, 10, and 13 due to pericentric inversions. In the studied populations, the frequencies of homozygous and heterozygous individuals did not differ from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for chromosome pair no. 13. In both Gelibolu and Pinarhisar populations of R. rattus, a polymorphism due to the supernumerary B-chromosome was found. The R. rattus karyotype with supernumerary chromosomes is reported here for the first time in Turkey. The number of diploid chromosomes are 2n = 38, 2n = 38 + B, and 2n = 38 + 2B. The chromosomal differences were recorded in the number of autosomal arms (NFa), ranging from 58 to 62. The supernumerary metacentric chromosomes were similar in morphology and size to the small metacentric chromosomes of the standard complement of 2n = 38 chromosomes.


In general, for the implementation of structural health monitoring (SHM) based on strain monitoring, the directly measured strain is used as a structural parameter or index for damage location. However, often a critical range of strains of all the structural members is not enough to evaluate the service performance and safety of structures. Instead, critical ranges of global structural parameters, such as deformation, load and rotation, are provided in structural design codes and standards to define the required serviceability. Therefore, it is a need to derive structural parameters from measured strain distributions. A self-sensing basalt-fiber-reinforced polymer bar that uses internal embedded long-gage fiber optic sensors (FBGs) is designed to implement internal strain measurement of reinforced concrete (RC) columns. A fiber-modelbased algorithm is presented that uses the internal strain distribution to identify the structural state parameters, such as stress distribution, curvature distribution, displacement, and load. To determine the most effective implantation method, two schemes with different anchorage lengths and sensor locations are compared. Base on the identification of fiber model-based analysis, the effective sensing unit number is discussed to determine the structural state parameters of the tested RC columns. The computational accuracy of the fiber-model-based algorithm is discussed and it is demonstrated that the measured strain distribution can be used to calculate the structural state parameters before and after flexural yielding. doi: 10.12783/SHM2015/49


Among the ancillary services, a great number of cost allocation strategies have been broadly developed in the deregulated environment. Generally, the utilization of such services can be determined by directly evaluating the actual amount of the usage or by indirectly analyzing the fair/reasonable contribution/attribution to the market participants. In the case of the primary frequency regulation (PFR) service, which is operated by the participating generating units to maintain the real-time balance between the generation and load, the discussion of the PFR service attributed to the load side has still received relatively little attention. In this paper, a new strategy of the cost allocation of the PFR service from the customer side is proposed. Two main factors, the load fluctuation and the frequent demand change, are considered to figure out the PFR reaction relating to the different substations. The design of a scheme for determining the cost allocation index of the PFR service can be applied to the presently exiting power market. In addition, the actually load series recorded from the extra-high voltage (EHV) substations of the Taipower system located in northern, central, and southern Taiwan are meticulously analyzed and utilized to verify the feasibility and practicability of cost allocation.


The abundance of planktonic larvae (veliger) of Corbicula japonica in Lake Abashiri, which is near the northern limit of this species' range, was extremely low in 1995 and 1996, compared to other years (1989, 1990, 1994 and 1997). In histological examinations, the female genital tubules were filled with the atretic oocytes after the spawning season of 1995. Therefore, it was concluded that most C. japonica failed to spawn in 1995. The effects of temperature and salinity on the spawning of C. japonica were examined in a spawning induction experiment under laboratory conditions. Probability of spawning by C. japonica in the experiment was described by the equation: 1/( 1 + exp[-(-15.57 + 0.57 T- 12.64S- 0.55Gam + 0.69 T.S- 0.1T.S.Gam)]) (T: temperature, S: salinity, Gam: dummy variable of 1 or 2, i.e. 1 denotes each group to which the gamete suspension was added and 2 each group to which the gamete suspension was not added). The probability of spawning within the group to which the gamete suspension was added (i.e. Gam =1) explained well both annual and seasonal fluctuations of larval occurrence in Lake Abashiri in past years. The spawning of C. japonica may have been extremely low in 1995 and 1996 because of low temperature and low salinity. Such unfavorable conditions for spawning are not exceptional and occurred in 10 out of 21 years for which data were available. In C. japonica, reproduction succeeds less frequently in northern than in southern populations because the probability of spawning depends markedly on the temperature.


At two meetings 1 held recently to discuss the end results of penicillin therapy, surgeons from two of the largest government hospitals for treatment of wounds of the extremities presented opinions serving to qualify prevailing optimism about the value of this agent. Although widespread use of penicillin has proved generally successful, both prophylactically and in the control of wound sepsis, there remain examples of indifferent success or outright failure which in our opinion may be based partly on inadequate technic. Florey and Jennings 2 have described the principal causes of failure in the use of penicillin as follows: Dead tissue, slough or sequestrum is the focus of infection; an infected area is not being reached by the drug; the dose is too small or application too infrequent; bacteria are not sensitive and penicillin is no longer potent. Assuming that a potent preparation is used on penicillin-susceptible organisms, the problem becomes


The physiological effects of dietary fiber (DFs) depend on several factors including structural features of the DFs, composition and activity of colonic microbiota, and products formed during fermentation. In this thesis, the influence of pectin supplementation to feed fermentation characteristics in rats and pigs was studied. The non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) present in the selected feed ingredient oats were characterized. Distinct populations of arabinoxylans (AXs) were observed in oats, compared to those reported for other cereals like wheat and barley. The fate of cereal AXs and soybean pectin during fermentation and the consequent effects on appetite regulation and fat accumulation were studied in rats as a model. Oat AXs were fermented less rapidly than wheat AXs in the caecum of rats. Soy pectin was fermented more early and efficiently than cereal AXs. A significant inverse correlation between rat retroperitoneal fat-pad weight and concentration and relative SCFA proportion of butyrate was observed. In a following in vivo rat experiment, commercial soy pectin together with three other soluble pectins originating from citrus and sugar beet and differing in their methyl esterification were individually supplemented to the diets. Their effects on the utilization of the different DFs present in the feed and the consequent effect on the microbial community in the colon of rats was studied. All pectins were fermented rapidly and consequently shifted fermentation of other consumed DFs (e.g. cereal AXs) to more distal part of colon, although low-methyl esterified pectin was more efficiently fermented by the microbiota than high-methyl esterified pectin. Results suggested that pectins can confer beneficial health effects through modulation of the gut microbiota. In a last in vivo experiment, citrus pectins together with a hydrothermal treated soybean meal were supplemented to pig diets to study their effect on the digestion and fermentation of carbohydrates in both the small and large intestine. Pectins, and more particularly low-methyl esterified pectin, decreased the ileal digestibility of digestible starch resulting in more starch to be fermentated in the proximal colon of pigs. Consequently, also the fermentation patterns of DFs and the microbiota composition was affected. All pectins tested shaped the colonic microbiota from a Lactobacillus-dominated microbiota to a Prevotella-dominated community, with potential health-promoting effects.


The design of hydrogels with switchable adhesion and stable antiswelling property in a wet environment has remained a challenge. Here, we report a biomimetic hydrogel that can adhere and detach on-demand on various material surfaces, which is realized by thermal-triggered switchable shape transformation on hexagonal micropillar patterned hydrogels. The hydrogels are cross-linked by two cross-linkers of poly(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate and 2-ureidoethyl methacrylate, which guarantee the strong mechanical property and stable antiswelling property in a wet environment. The hydrogels can maintain stable water content in solutions with variable pH, temperature, and salt concentration, and the change in volume does not exceed 2%. In addition, due to the dynamical hydrogen bonds and dipole-dipole interaction in the hydrogels, the hydrogels exhibit a thermal-triggered shape-memory effect. The hydrogel can recover shape more than 80% in 15 s. Furthermore, inspired by the surface structure of tree-frog footpads, the hexagonal micropillar patterned hydrogels exhibit improved underwater adhesion strength. The underwater adhesion strength of hexagonal micropillar patterned hydrogels is seven times more than that of flat hydrogels. Based on the shape-memory effect of hydrogels, the adhesion strength can be altered by a thermal stimulus. The adhesion strength of the microstructures recovered from the hydrogel surface decreased to 15.4% of the initial adhesion strength. The switchable underwater adhesion of hydrogels can be applied in the fields of transfer printing, medical adhesives, mobile robots, etc.


Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) comprise a family of serine/threonine kinases that are activated by a large variety of extracellular stimuli and play integral roles in controlling many cellular processes, from the cell surface to the nucleus. The MAPK family includes four distinct MAPK cascades, that is, extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), p38 MAPK, c-Jun N-terminal kinase or stress-activated protein kinase, and ERK5. These MAPKs are essentially operated through three-tiered consecutive phosphorylation events catalyzed by a MAPK kinase kinase, a MAPK kinase, and a MAPK. MAPKs lie in protein kinase cascades. The MAPK signaling pathways have been demonstrated to be associated with events regulating the expression of the steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) and steroidogenesis in steroidogenic tissues. However, it has become clear that the regulation of MAPK-dependent StAR expression and steroid synthesis is a complex process and is context dependent. This paper summarizes the current level of understanding concerning the roles of the MAPK signaling cascades in the regulation of StAR expression and steroidogenesis in different steroidogenic cell models.


A 32-year-old primigravida at 18 weeks' gestation, the antenatal ultrasonography indicated a communication between the fourth ventricle and the cisterna magna. The upper portion of vermis was normal sized. There was 'keyhole sign' of cerebellar vermis without mega-cisterna magna. Fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 21 weeks' gestation showed upward rotated vermis with mild hypoplastic inferior vermis. Brainstem-Vermis (BV) angle and Brainstem-Tentorium (BT) angle were 23 and 42 degree. The size of vermis was 15mm on sonography at 24 weeks' gestation, appropriate for gestational age. Follow up MRI at 24 weeks' gestation revealed improvement in upward rotation of vermis and development of vermis. Therefore, we highly suspected BPC rather than DWM. At 1 month after delivery, brain MRI of baby revealed a mild widening of cerebellopontine angle without retrocerebellar cistern widening and relatively intact cerebellar vermis. Differentiating BPC from DWM and vermian hypoplasia in early gestation still remain challenges. Our report may provide informative data for differential diagnosis of posterior fossa abnormalities and MRI can be helpful for diagnosis.


A filling is the repair of a damaged or decayed tooth, restoring it back to its normal shape, appearance and function. Amalgam Restoration is an example of the material giving its name to the process. Amalgam fillings are made up of mercury, powdered silver and tin. They are mixed and packed into cavities in teeth where it hardens slowly and replaces the missing tooth substance. This article throws light on low copper alloys of dental amalgam, its advantages, disadvantages and contraindications. A review of some patents on amalgam is also provided that summarizes the recent technical advancements taken place in this area.


Atherosclerosis is a multifactor disease. Lately, infectious factors such as C. pneumoniae have been found to be involved. To determine whether the infection by C. pneumoniae is a risk factor for atherosclerosis in patients with AIDS. Case-control study on 43 patients with AIDS under HAART (16 cases and 27 controls). To document atherosclerosis, a carotid and transcranial Doppler ultrasound was performed. Anti-C pneumoniae antibodies were searched using a microimmunofluorescence test for IgM and IgG levels. To study the associations with risk of atherosclerosis, Odds Ratios were calculated for each IgG anti-C. pneumoniae antibody titre. A titre of 1:64 significantly increased the risk of atherosclerosis. These results suggest that hypertriglyceridemia and C. pneumoniae infection coexistence significantly increases the risk of atherosclerosis. The inverse geometric average of the antibodies titre against C. pneumoniae in individuals with atheromatous plaque fell to 64, two titres above the controls. This difference turned out to be statistically significant. Exposure to C. pneumoniae with antibodies (IgG) should be considered in any HIV diagnosed patient as a risk factor for atherosclerosis, having found that the inverse geometric averages of antibodies titre are significantly different comparing cases and controls, especially in patients with dyslipidemia, hypertriglyceridemia or in patients whose treatments could cause these conditions. In patients with concomitant hypertriglyceridemia, the association increases up to three times. It is advisable that AIDS patients take a serological test to determine exposure to C. pneumoniae, and to assess treatment options.


Policy makers across a number of Western countries have suggested that warning labels be placed on idealized media images to inform viewers that the images have been digitally altered or enhanced, as a means of ameliorating the negative psychological effects of such media images. The present study aimed to experimentally investigate the impact of the addition of such warning labels to fashion magazine images on women's negative mood and body dissatisfaction. A sample of 102 undergraduate women aged 18 to 35 years were randomly allocated to view magazine fashion spreads with either no warning labels, generic warning labels that stated that the image had been digitally altered, or specific warning labels that stated the way in which the image had been digitally altered. Participants who viewed images with a warning label (either generic or specific) reported lower levels of body dissatisfaction, but not negative mood, than participants who viewed the same images with no warning label, regardless of the degr...


The key insight in this work is that the events people associate with risk is under systematic change over the past 200 years. Leveraging Latent Dirichlet Allocation (Topics Modeling) and the Google Ngram Corpus, we identified historical and newly-emerging events associated with risk and tracked their relevance over time. We also computed the probability of risk co-occurring with words associated with those identified events to capture a more accurate trend. Several highlights of the findings include: attention on risk has been spreading from one general domain (about losing life and war/battle) to a set of wider, more specific events and activities such as cancer, sex, HIV, smoke, and finance; in addition, the concept of risk has recently become more differentiated, incorporating both cost and benefits, long and short-term consequences. This approach could be extended to study semantic history of a number of other concepts of interest.


Transnational Marketing Journal is dedicated to disseminate scholarship on cross-border phenomena in marketing by acknowledging the importance of local and global or in other words, underlining the transnational practices marked by national and local characteristics in a fluid fashion spreading over more than one national territory. The first article by Paulette Schuster looks into "falafel" and "shwarma" in Mexico and discusses the perception of Israeli food in Mexico. The second article is a case study illustrating a critical account of cultural dimensions formulated by Schwarz using the value surveys data. The third article in the issue is a qualitative study of the negative attitudes of millennials torwards mobile marketing.


Post-stroke complications are the second most frequent cause of death and the third leading cause of disability worldwide. The motor function of post-stroke patients is often assessed by measuring the postural sway in the patients during quiet standing, based on sway measures, such as sway area and velocity, which are obtained from temporal variations of the center of pressure. However, such approaches to establish a relationship between the sway measures and patients' demographic factors have hardly been successful (e.g., days after onset). This study instead evaluates the postural sway features of post-stroke patients using the clustering method of machine learning. First, we collected the stroke patients' multi-variable motion-capture standing-posture data and processed them into t s long data slots. Then, we clustered the t-s data slots into K cluster groups using the dynamic-time-warping partition-around-medoid (DTW-PAM) method. The DTW measures the similarity between two temporal sequences that may vary in speed, whereas PAM identifies the centroids for the DTW clustering method. Finally, we used a post-hoc test and found that the sway amplitudes of markers in the shoulder, hip, knee, and center-of-mass are more important than their sway frequencies. We separately plotted the marker amplitudes and frequencies in the medial-lateral direction during a 5-s data slot and found that the post-stroke patients' postural sway frequency lay within the bandwidth of 0.5–1.5 Hz. Additionally, with an increase in the onset days, the cluster index of cerebral hemorrhage patients gradually transits in a four-cluster solution. However, the cerebral infarction patients did not exhibit such pronounced transitions over time. Moreover, we found that the postural-sway amplitude increased in clusters 1, 3, and 4. However, the amplitude of cluster 2 did not follow this pattern, owing to age effects related to the postural sway changes with age. A rehabilitation doctor can utilize these findings as guidelines to direct the post-stroke patient training.


Heat pumps are a vital part of each building for their role in keeping the space conditioned for the occupant. This study focuses on developing a model for the ground-source heat pump at the Zero Energy lab at the University of North Texas, and finding the minimum data required for generating the model. The literature includes many models with different approaches to determine the performance of the heat pump. Each method has its pros and cons. In this research the equation-fit method was used to generate a model based on the data collected from the field. Two experiments were conducted for the cooling mode: the first one at the beginning of the season and the second one at the peak of the season to cover all the operation conditions. The same procedure was followed for the heating mode. The models generated based on the collected data were validated against the experiment data. The error of the models was within ±10%. The study showed that the error could be reduced by 20% to 42% when using the field data to generate the model instead of the manufacturer's catalog data. Also it was found that the minimum period to generate the cooling mode model was two days and two hours from each experiment, while for the heating mode it was four days and two hours from each experiment.


Lithography modeling is a crucial problem in chip design to ensure a chip design mask is manufacturable. It requires rigorous simulations of optical and chemi-cal models that are computationally expensive. Recent developments in machine learning have provided alternative solutions in replacing the time-consuming lithography simulations with deep neural networks. However, the considerable accuracy drop still impedes its industrial adoption. Most importantly, the quality and quantity of the training dataset directly affect the model performance. To tackle this problem, we propose a litho-aware data augmentation (LADA) framework to resolve the dilemma of limited data and improve the machine learning model performance. First, we pretrain the neural networks for lithography modeling and a gradient-friendly StyleGAN2 generator. We then perform adversarial active sampling to generate informative and synthetic in-distribution mask designs. These synthetic mask images will augment the original limited training dataset used to finetune the lithography model for improved performance. Experimental results demonstrate that LADA can successfully exploits the neural network capacity by narrowing down the performance gap between the training and testing data in-stances.


BACKGROUND
Whether primary or metastatic, tumors of the craniovertebral junction (CVJ) are rare and challenging.

OBJECTIVE
To examine the surgical indications, operative variables, and outcomes in patients with tumors of the CVJ undergoing occipitocervical (OC) stabilization.

METHODS
A single-institution, retrospective case series was performed from a prospectively maintained spine database. Patients with primary or metastatic tumors of the CVJ who underwent OC stabilization were identified. Out of 46 patients who underwent OC fusion, 39 were for tumor. Paired t -tests and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were performed to assess for postoperative changes.

RESULTS
Ten patients (26%) harbored primary tumors, and the remaining 29 (74%) had metastatic disease. Of the metastatic patients, 14 had a neurological deficit, 10 had severe neck pain, and 5 were deemed mechanically unstable. Postoperative visual analog pain scores were significantly reduced at all 3 follow-up times ( P < .001, 95% confidence interval [CI; 3.2, 6.0]; P = .001, 95% CI [2.6, 7.7]; P = .020, 95% CI [0.6, 5.5]). The percentage of patients who were ambulatory and neurologically improved or intact remained stable postoperatively with no significant declines. There were 2 perioperative mortalities (5%), and 13 patients (33%) experienced a major complication.

CONCLUSIONS
In patients with primary or metastatic tumor of the CVJ, OC stabilization using a cervical screw-rod system affixed to a midline-keel buttress plate, with or without posterior decompression, is a reliable method for CVJ stabilization in the oncologic setting. Improvement in pain and preservation of neurological function was seen.


Author(s): Corea, Joseph Russell | Advisor(s): Arias, Ana C; Lustig, Michael | Abstract: The widespread use of MRI has created a demand for high quality images for current and emerging applications. High quality images are currently acquired by using application specific receive coils that fit close to the patient's body to produce high signal to noise ratio. These coils are manufactured using traditional printed circuit board fabrication technologies that produce large heavy coils that do not suit some applications very well. In particular, two areas that have not been able to take advantage of the current receive coils are pediatric imaging and MR guided high intensity focused ultrasound therapy due to size, weight, and thickness constraints. These two areas would benefit greatly from the high quality imaging provided by purpose-built lightweight and thin receive coil arrays. One way to achieve a very lightweight and thin coil is to fabricate it from solution using printed electronics. Here for the first time, advances in solution-processed fabrication techniques have allowed lightweight, thin, and flexible receive coil arrays to be made for these applications. In this thesis the development of printed MRI receive coils is discussed, covering fabrication, characterization, and implementation. An entirely printed approach is used to create single element receive coils that are characterized and tested on 1.5 T and 3 T clinical systems. The materials used to fabricate the coil components are identified as a main avenue for improvement. A fully printed proof-of-concept array is made to demonstrate feasibility and is used to image a volunteer on a 3 T clinical system. Coils are optimized with components made from high quality flexible substrates to make better performing printed coils and arrays. These printed arrays are compared to commercially available arrays on several phantoms as well as on a volunteer on a 3 T scanner.In addition to creating coils for standard clinical imaging, several coils and arrays are optimized for use in an high intensity focused ultrasound interventional MRI. Coil materials are evaluated for acoustic transparency, stability in water, safety, and electrical quality. The optimized coils are used to evaluate image quality as well as to characterize the system level of acoustic transparency. An 8-channel coil array is used to characterize image quality on a volunteer. To show a system level proof-of-concept on an interventional MR system, optimized arrays are used to track ultrasonic heating inside phantoms and ex-vivo tissue.Overall, the characteristics of the printed coils described in this thesis enable a new generation of coils design for both traditional and emerging applications.


resistance of the sphincter is usually loxw-about 20 mm. of wsater. It was found that in normal animals morphinie causes contraction of the sphincter. A subcutaneous injection of 1/6; grain of morphine sulphate caused the pressure in the common bile duct in man to rise to 200 to 300 mm., the rise starting in a few minutes and lasting several hours. In those patients who had previously had colic a similar pain occurred, but in others only discomfort; yet it wvould not be surprising if more severe symptoms were met with in an occasional case. These experiments explain the common clinical observation that biliary colic is often made worse by a small injection of morphine, the drug being ineffective until the dose is so large that its dulling action on the higher centres overrides the increased spasms of the sphincter of Oddi and the rise of intrabiliary pressure which is the origin of the pain. Atropine causes relaxation of the sphincter normally, but has little or no effect in counteracting the action of morphine. Inhalation of amyl nitrite may produce an instant fall of pressure and relief of symptoms, but the action is temporary. Glyceryl trinitrate grain 1/100 placed under the tongue has a similar action-slower in onset but more lasting. These results have been confirmed by H. Doubilet and R. Colt of New York (Suirg. Gynec. Obstet., 1937, 64, 622).-I am, etc.,


In the wake of uncompromising requirements on building performance and the current emphasis on sustainability, including building energy and indoor environment, designing buildings involves elements of expertise of multiple disciplines. However, building performance analyses, including those of building energy and indoor environment, are generally confined to late in the design process. Consequence based design is a framework intended for the early design stage. It involves interdisciplinary expertise that secures validity and quality assurance with a simulationist while sustaining autonomous control with the building designer. Consequence based design is defined by the specific use of integrated dynamic modeling, which includes the parametric capabilities of a scripting tool and building simulation features of a building performance simulation
tool. The framework can lead to enhanced awareness of building performance in the early stages of building design, thus improving energy performance and many other quantifiable performance objectives.


Covered self-expandable metal stents were developed to overcome tumor in-growth through the metal mesh. Stent migration is one of their malfunctions. Recently, the partially covered wallflex stent (PCWS) was developed with flared ends to prevent migration However, difficulty has been reported in its removal. We describe the removal of a PCWS embedded in mucosal hyperplasia at the uncovered proximal flared end, visualized by using SpyGlass cholangioscopy.


It has been 18 months since we first heard of a new corona virus outbreak identified in Wuhan, China. Migration Letters was among the first academic journals opening pages for discussions and analyses of the pandemic and its relevance to our field of study. This pandemic, like many other crises, has changed -and continue to change- our lives substantially. Dedicating more resources, and in our case, more pages and effort to continue the scholarly debate on COVID-19 is imperative. For many of us this is not just for the metric appeal of publishing research on a novel topic but more importantly for being genuinely interested in understanding and offering informed advice to the public and policy makers in such a difficult time. Since early 2020, we have received dozens of submissions dealing with the pandemic and migration. About 15 of these have been published in the last six issues. We include several more in the current issue and will continue to encourage and foster scholarly exchange on COVID-19 and migration. We encourage and invite colleagues to submit their work on the pandemic and migration nexus and progress this debate because it simply means massive changes in all domains of life with effects on human mobility.


Previous studies have shown that ectonucleotide pyrophosphatase phosphodiesterase 1 (ENPP1) may be an inhibitor of the insulin signalling pathway, and insulin resistance (IR) is believed to be the core mechanism in the pathophysiology of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This study was aimed to investigate the expression of ENPP1 in different tissues of PCOS rats and to analyse its potential role in the pathophysiology of PCOS. Eighteen 23-day-old Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into PCOS and control groups (n= 9/group). Samples were collected after 20 days. Pathological examination and immunofluorescence were performed. Western blotting results of ENPP1 in the ovaries were analysed. Serum levels of ENPP1, hormones, fasting blood glucose (FBG), serum lipids were measured. Levels of ENPP1, testosterone (T), FBG, fasting insulin (FINS), homeostasis model assessment of IR (HOMA-IR), free fatty acids (FFAs), leptin, cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were significantly higher in PCOS group, while adiponectin (ADP) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were significantly lower. Spearman's rank correlation analysis showed that ENPP1 was correlated with T, HOMA-IR, FFAs, leptin, serum lipids and ADP. MRNA levels of ENPP1, BAX, and IRS1 were higher in the ovaries, skeletal muscle, subcutaneous fat, and visceral fat of PCOS rats, and the protein expression of ENPP1 was significantly higher in the ovaries. Our results revealed that ENPP1 is highly associated with IR and lipid metabolism-related molecules, which may have play important roles in PCOS pathophysiological changes.


ABSTRACT A mechanical analysis and heavy-mineral study were included as part of an investigation of the stratigraphy of the Morrison (late Jurassic) and Cloverly (early Cretaceous) rocks in the southern Big Horn Mountains, Wyoming. A total of 131 samples were mechanically analyzed and 34 slides were examined for heavy minerals. The heavy-mineral study was confined to the 62-micron fraction (very fine sand grade). The results show that the Cloverly sandstones are somewhat coarser than those of the Morrison, but have essentially the same relatively high degree of sorting, roundness and sphericity. The Morrison and Cloverly formations have approximately the same major heavy mineral assemblage, namely magnetite-ilmenite, leucoxene, hematite, pyrite, zircon, tourmaline, rutile, and garnet. They also contain many of the same minor minerals. However, of the 32 minerals and varieties identified, only colorless zircon and colorless garnet appear to be stratigraphically diagnostic. Specifically, it is suggested that a low zircon-high garnet content characterizes the Morrison whereas a high zirconlow garnet content characterizes the lower member of the Cloverly. If this distinction is real, the relationship should be useful in picking the contact between these two lithologically similar formations, especially in subsurface work. The abundance of the stable heavy-mineral suite, zircon-tourmaline-rutile, and the high degree of rounding, indicate that both formations were derived largely from pre-existing sedimentary rocks.


Ferrihydrite is a poorly crystalline iron (oxy)hydroxide which exists exclusively in a disordered nanocrystalline form. Lacking long range three-dimensional structural order, possessing a high density of defects and displaying variable composition depending on origin has meant that to date a clear consensus regarding a structural model has yet to be reached. A departure from traditional means of crystallographic investigation is therefore required prompting the exploration of hitherto unexplored and potentially novel methods in refining this elusive structure. Recent years have witnessed significant interest in the investigation of ferrihydrites formed in the presence of compounds such as phosphate and citrate. Novel forms of ferrihydrite have been reported, produced by the hydrothermal treatment of these modified ferrihydrites, which have the potential to increase understanding of ferrihydrite in general.
This work demonstrates the application of the latest generation of aberration corrected electron microscopes to the structural and chemical characterisation of ferrihydrite produced both in vitro and within the protein cage of ferritin. Two-line ferrihydrite (2LFh), coprecipitated in the presence of varying concentrations of phosphorus (P-doped) and subject to hydrothermal and dry air annealing heat treatments, has also been investigated. By way of a thorough characterisation additional physicochemical characterisation techniques have been applied to confirm the phase purity of specimens and benchmark them against those reported in the literature.
The effects of prolonged exposure to the 200 keV electron beam of the transmission electron microscope (TEM) has been investigated by the simultaneous acquisition of Fe-L and O-K edge electron energy-loss (EELS), EELS and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) compositional and selected-area electron diffraction (SAED) data. A safe fluence level of 108 electrons nm-2 has been established, below which both 2LFh and P-doped 2LFh can be observed in their pristine state. Beyond the safe fluence limit alteration of both pristine 2LFh and the P-doped 2LFh proceeds by preferential loss of oxygen, reduction of iron and concomitant phase transformation to a material with characteristics similar to that of magnetite.
A novel low-electron fluence method of scanning TEM EELS acquisition (SmartAcquisition) has been developed and its applicability to the characterisation of ferrihydrite nanoparticles proven.
Results here are consistent with independently published data which confirm ferrihydrite to be a predominantly Fe(III) bearing iron-oxide material in which the iron atoms reside in six-fold coordination with oxygens and/or hydroxyls. Fe-L EELS edge analysis provides support for a new and controversial model for the structure of ferrihydrite in which a significant fraction of iron is in four fold coordination.
High-angle aberration corrected scanning electron microscopy is used to investigate the morphology of ferritin mineral cores. Atomically resolved sub-unit structure is observed with individual cores comprising several crystalline units which appear to have nucleated independently of one another.
The principle aim of this work it to explore the applicability of the latest generation of analytical electron microscopes for the elucidation of chemical and structural properties of challenging nanoparticulate systems.


Obstetric services are a critical health care need in the southeastern United States. Until recently, many family physicians included obstetrics as a part of their practice. In recent years there has been significant attrition from the practice of obstetrics among family physicians. This survey looks at attrition among graduates of the Tuscaloosa Family Practice Residency Program and their practice patterns, as well as the reasons family physicians give for discontinuing obstetric practice. We also discuss implications for residency curricula and remedial measures at the state and national levels.


In social sciences it is easy to carry out sensory experiments using say a J-point hedonic scale. One major problem with the J-point hedonic scale is that a conversion from the category scales to numeric scores might not be sensible because the panelists generally view increments on the hedonic scale as psychologically unequal. In the current problem several products are rated by a set of panelists on the Jpoint hedonic scale. One objective is to select the best subset of products and to assess the quality of the products by estimating the mean and standard deviation response for the selected products. A priori information about which subset is the best is incorporated, and a stochastic ordering is modified to select the best subset of the products. The method introduced in this article is sampling based, and it uses Monte Carlo integration with rejection sampling. The methodology is applied to select the best set of entrees in a military ration, and then to estimate the probability of at least a neutral response for the judged best entrees. A comparison is made with the method, which converts the category scales to numeric scores.


Forty-three postoperative anorectal bleeding episodes were encountered in the treatment of 4,059 anorectal operations, an incidence of 1.06 per cent. One-third of the postoperative bleeding occurred within the first 48 hours and reflects technical errors; nearly half of the bleeding occurred from the seventh to the 11th postoperative days; the cause of this delayed bleeding remains obscure.


The increases of population in the cities and the increases of life quality in urban demands the growth and management of public service facilities professionally. City transportation of Semarang as part of public service facility is very interesting to examine, recalling the function of public carrier within this urban in attenuate an economic circle. A city transportation service of Semarang is ideal enough-qualified which safe, comfortable, fluent, timely, a reachable by people becomes an expectation support. However, what appear in daily life that is the same condition not been yet realized maximally. Even, sometimes public carrier is accused as a cause the happened of traffic jam, disorganize, and irregularity of traffic system in Semarang.
Purpose need to be achieved in the research is to know how the government policy and those constraints which faced in the policy implementation toward public transportation service of Semarang in year 2005 – 2007. Then, to appraise the success or no concerning policy implementation is supported by the emerging of several problems regarding transportation infrastructures, transportation media, road user/human resource and traffic.
The research uses a descriptive qualitative research method to describe about situation and realities. The research is using an observation, interview and literature techniques.
Based on research result, it is demonstrates that the policy implementation of public transportation service in Semarang 2005-2007 is still less success. It is proved that service users are still feels less secure, ill timed, less ordered, uncomfortable, less inexpensive, and many private vehicles bring to a traffic jam. The transportation service of Semarang is still low, for example, caused by policy implementation get constraints, such as: bad economic condition and low-quality human resource especially is passenger quality and transportation service user.
Keywords : POLICY, CITY TRANSPORTATION SERVICE


Music recommender systems have become central parts of popular streaming platforms such as Last.fm, Pandora, or Spotify to help users find music that fits their preferences. These systems learn from the past listening events of users to recommend music a user will likely listen to in the future. Here, current algorithms typically employ collaborative filtering (CF) utilizing similarities between users' listening behaviors. Some approaches also combine CF with content features into hybrid recommender systems. While music recommender systems can provide quality recommendations to listeners of mainstream music artists, recent research has shown that they tend to discriminate listeners of unorthodox, low-mainstream artists. This is foremost due to the scarcity of usage data of low-mainstream music as music consumption patterns are biased towards popular artists. Thus, the objective of our work is to provide a novel approach for modeling artist preferences of users with different music consumption patterns and listening habits.


: This study examined survival of youth self-employment using primary data. Relevant factors are identified that influence youth's dropping out of self-employment. The findings of the study indicated that young women-managed small businesses are more likely to survive and be profitable than young men-managed businesses. Youth-managed small businesses with frequent technical support have more chance of long-run survival. Furthermore, attainment of a positive perception of readily available business options is related to the long-term survival of youth self-employment. Finally, small businesses operating according to a business plan with sufficient access to working places have better chances of long-run survival. Consistent multidimensional support before and after entry into self-employment is suggested for effective micro and small enterprise development.


The mitochondrial theory of aging suggests that mitochondria have a decrease in production capacity of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). The question may seem trivial, but it becomes more complex when considering that dysfunctional mitochondria can be eliminated by lysosomal digestion and that cell with dysfunctional mitochondria can undergo the process of apoptosis. In organs with regenerative capacity, like the liver, cell proliferation can almost completely hide mitochondrial dysfunction. However, evidence indicates selective damage in mitochondria during aging, and so the mitochondrial aging theory is gaining recognition and respect. There is solid evidence that accumulated DNA damage in mitochondria is a cause directly related to metabolic disorders such as diabetes and degenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. The central nervous system is particularly susceptible to oxidative damage due to several factors, among which are its high oxygen consumption, its dependence on aerobic carbohydrate metabolism, and its complex composition of membrane lipids. Free radicals are generated at many cell sites, and the mitochondrial respiratory chain is one of the main sources. While many studies have been conducted in experimental animal models, the results are relevant because at least some of their interventions suggest a directing aim at reducing the effects of aging.


To study the T cell-dependent period of the immune response of mouse spleen cells to sheep erythrocytes the co-operation between T and B cells was abrogated at different times during the in vivo or the in vitro response. The abrogation was performed by killing the T cells with anti-theta serum or anti-H-2 serum. The surviving cells were subsequently cultured in vitro and the number of IgM plaque-forming cells was determined each day. The results indicate that T cells play an important role during the first 3 days of the response in vivo. However, during the in vitro response the presence of the T cells is only required during the first 2 days. The difference between the response in vivo and in vitro is probably due to a synchronous start of the plasma cell development in vitro and a more asynchronous start of this process in vivo.